Biography of John Henry Durr
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Biography of John Henry Durr
| WellsVolunteer (View posts) | Posted: 10 Apr 2008 12:43PM GMT |
Classification: Biography
Surnames: DURR, BOWMAN, PATTERSON
Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana, 1903. pp. 433-435.
JOHN HENRY DURR.
The business of cultivating the soil is looked upon as a calling that may be embraced by any one, and it is currently believed that no amount of brains, intelligence or skill is necessary to be a successful farmer -- he need only to put the seed in the ground and nature does the rest. These views are entertained by people who have no conception of either the labor required or the experience and intelligence necessary to conduct the affairs of a farm successfully. Their view of the farmer is well expressed by the author of "The Man with the Hoe" in the poem of that title. Those who have followed agriculture as their life vocation know better, and those who, in their youth, got their first lesson in industry in the woods, the clearing and the field are better posted. To be successful on the farm a man must have more industry, as much intelligence and at the very least an equal amount of experience as is required of men in other walks of life.
There are few counties in Indiana possessed of better or more successful farmers than Wells county. The townships of Jefferson, Lancaster and Harrison are particularly well supplied with this class of farmers. Prominent among those of Lancaster township was John Henry Durr, deceased, who for more than fifty years lived in the same locality. He saw the region gradually change from wood and swamp to fertile fields and green pastures, and contributed his full share in time, labor and means, toward bringing about the important change.
John Henry Durr was born in Lancaster township, Wells county, Indiana, February 18, 1851, and was a son of Jacob and Mildred Durr, who were among the early pioneers of Wells county. Upon the farm where he was born John Henry Durr spent the first twenty-six years of his life. Aside from the few brief months each year devoted to school, his entire time was occupied in the labor of the farm with his father. His education was about the same as that of other boys of that time and locality. The few months spent in the school room each winter sufficed to give him an education that subserves every purpose. All of the common school branches were thoroughly mastered by him and with these as the key to the vast storehouse of learning, during his leisure hours he absorbed an amount of information possessed by few persons in his position.
On July 28, 1877, he was united in marriage to Miss Angeline Bowman, daughter of Gideon and Alvina Bowman, of Adams county, Indiana, and to this union were born five children, four of whom are living Minnie and Carley (twins) were born August 20, 1878, the latter dying Novernber 1, 1880; Nettie, born February 11, 1880; Olie, born May 23, 1882; John Willard, born August 22, 1885. The wife and mother, Angeline Bowman Durr, died May 26, 1890, at the early age of thirty-three years.
At the time of his marriage John H. Durr and his brother Ed were each presented with eighty acres of woodland by their father. Anticipating his marriage, John selected a nice building site on his tract, cleared it and erected a comfortable home to which to take his bride. Settling down to the realities of pioneer life, he began clearing and improving his land with the result that within a very few years he had a well improved farm. In 1881 he purchased an additional forty acres from his sister, Mrs. Patterson. It also was woods, but having now acquired taste for the subjugation of the forest, Mr. Durr lost no time in reducing it also to fertility and productiveness. He owned, at the time of his death, one hundred and twenty acres of as fine land as Indiana could boast of, ninety-five acres of which were-cleared, drained and fenced by his own hand and constitutes a farm, whose superior, acre for acre, cannot be found in Wells county.
Politically Mr. Durr was a Democrat, well posted in the principles of his party and always firm in the advocacy thereof. He took a deep interest in the work of each campaign and always did much, personally and with his means, to advance the interests of the ticket. He was a genial, kind, good natured gentlemen, who loved his friends and never lost an opportunity of doing a kind turn even to a stranger. His death, which occurred December 8, 1902, was mourned by his many friends, and was looked upon as the loss of one from their midst, whose life had been an example of all that was good and noble.
JOHN HENRY DURR.
The business of cultivating the soil is looked upon as a calling that may be embraced by any one, and it is currently believed that no amount of brains, intelligence or skill is necessary to be a successful farmer -- he need only to put the seed in the ground and nature does the rest. These views are entertained by people who have no conception of either the labor required or the experience and intelligence necessary to conduct the affairs of a farm successfully. Their view of the farmer is well expressed by the author of "The Man with the Hoe" in the poem of that title. Those who have followed agriculture as their life vocation know better, and those who, in their youth, got their first lesson in industry in the woods, the clearing and the field are better posted. To be successful on the farm a man must have more industry, as much intelligence and at the very least an equal amount of experience as is required of men in other walks of life.
There are few counties in Indiana possessed of better or more successful farmers than Wells county. The townships of Jefferson, Lancaster and Harrison are particularly well supplied with this class of farmers. Prominent among those of Lancaster township was John Henry Durr, deceased, who for more than fifty years lived in the same locality. He saw the region gradually change from wood and swamp to fertile fields and green pastures, and contributed his full share in time, labor and means, toward bringing about the important change.
John Henry Durr was born in Lancaster township, Wells county, Indiana, February 18, 1851, and was a son of Jacob and Mildred Durr, who were among the early pioneers of Wells county. Upon the farm where he was born John Henry Durr spent the first twenty-six years of his life. Aside from the few brief months each year devoted to school, his entire time was occupied in the labor of the farm with his father. His education was about the same as that of other boys of that time and locality. The few months spent in the school room each winter sufficed to give him an education that subserves every purpose. All of the common school branches were thoroughly mastered by him and with these as the key to the vast storehouse of learning, during his leisure hours he absorbed an amount of information possessed by few persons in his position.
On July 28, 1877, he was united in marriage to Miss Angeline Bowman, daughter of Gideon and Alvina Bowman, of Adams county, Indiana, and to this union were born five children, four of whom are living Minnie and Carley (twins) were born August 20, 1878, the latter dying Novernber 1, 1880; Nettie, born February 11, 1880; Olie, born May 23, 1882; John Willard, born August 22, 1885. The wife and mother, Angeline Bowman Durr, died May 26, 1890, at the early age of thirty-three years.
At the time of his marriage John H. Durr and his brother Ed were each presented with eighty acres of woodland by their father. Anticipating his marriage, John selected a nice building site on his tract, cleared it and erected a comfortable home to which to take his bride. Settling down to the realities of pioneer life, he began clearing and improving his land with the result that within a very few years he had a well improved farm. In 1881 he purchased an additional forty acres from his sister, Mrs. Patterson. It also was woods, but having now acquired taste for the subjugation of the forest, Mr. Durr lost no time in reducing it also to fertility and productiveness. He owned, at the time of his death, one hundred and twenty acres of as fine land as Indiana could boast of, ninety-five acres of which were-cleared, drained and fenced by his own hand and constitutes a farm, whose superior, acre for acre, cannot be found in Wells county.
Politically Mr. Durr was a Democrat, well posted in the principles of his party and always firm in the advocacy thereof. He took a deep interest in the work of each campaign and always did much, personally and with his means, to advance the interests of the ticket. He was a genial, kind, good natured gentlemen, who loved his friends and never lost an opportunity of doing a kind turn even to a stranger. His death, which occurred December 8, 1902, was mourned by his many friends, and was looked upon as the loss of one from their midst, whose life had been an example of all that was good and noble.