Thomas-Gwinnett County GaArchives Biographies.....Duren, James William 1874 - living in 1913
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 October 27, 2004, 12:22 pm

Author: William Harden
p. 971-972

   JAMES WILLIAM DUREN. Representing some of the oldest and host known families
of Thomas county, James William Duren is one of the progressive and successful
young farmer citizens near Thomasville. His forefathers were pioneers of this
region, clearing and developing homes out of the wilderness, and he in his turn
has taken up the tasks of modern agriculture and has applied to it the energy
and skill which make the twentieth century agriculturist the most independent
citizen of America.

   He was born on a farm in the Oak Hill district of Thomas county on the 23d of
December, 1874. His father was Reno Duren, who was born in Gwinnett county April
6, 1853. The grandfather was William Duren and the great-grandfather George
Duren, both identified with earlier generations of Georgians, and the history of
the Duren family in greater detail will be found in a sketch of George L. Duren
elsewhere in this work.

   Reno Duren, the father, was a boy of twelve when he came with the family to
Thomas county. At the age of twenty he was married to Miss Susan S. Hall, and
they then resided at her father's farm a few years. Her father then gave her a
tract of land in lot 128 Oak Hill district, and there Reno Duren located and was
engaged in general farming until his death, which occurred in 1908. The mother,
Susan S. Hall, was born in Leon county, Florida, in 1852. Her father, David J.
Hall, a son of Juniper and Serena Hall, pioneer settlers of Florida, was himself
a native of Florida, and afterwards settled at Thomasville when it was a village
and all the surrounding country little improved from wilderness conditions.
After a few years he bought a large tract of land in the Oak Hill district, and
there engaged in farming and stock-raising until his death in 1881. David J.
Hall married Harriet Wilson, a native of Thomas county and daughter of Allen
Wilson, who was also a pioneer settler here. Allen Wilson owned a large amount
of land five miles northeast of Thomasville, cultivating with slave labor, and
lived there till his death at a good old age. He was three time's married and
reared a large family of children. Susan (Hall) Duren, the mother, died in 1891,
and her seven children are named as follows: Eva, James W., Clarence, Scellie,
Maude, Lottie and Reno.

   James W. Duren had the advantages of a good home and received a substantial
education first in the common schools and later in the South Georgia College at
Thomasville. He assisted in the labors of the home farm until his marriage, and
then lived two years on his father-in-law's place, after which he bought the old
Duren homestead, where he has since been prosperously engaged in general
farming, horticulture and stock raising.   He has built a comfortable residence
and otherwise improved the farm since it came into his hands.

   In 1900, he was united in marriage with Miss Bama Bulloch. Mrs. Duren is a
native of Thomas county, and her parents were James N. and Susan (Singletary)
Bulloch. Mr. and Mrs. Duren's six children are: Joseph D., James N., Susan,
Evelyn, Ollie and Ray. Mr. and Mrs. Duren are members of the Missionary Baptist
church.


Additional Comments:
From:

A HISTORY OF SAVANNAH AND SOUTH GEORGIA
BY
WILLIAM HARDEN

VOLUME II
ILLUSTRATED
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
CHICAGO AND NEW YORK
1913

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/thomas/bios/gbs458duren.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/gafiles/

File size: 3.9 Kb