George Henry Durbin (abt. 1859 - abt. 1906)

Born about Feb 1859 in Louisiana

Descendants

Died about 1906 at about age 46 in San Bernardino CA

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This profile is part of the Durbin Name Study.

Biography

George Henry Durbin was born Februrary, 1859, in Louisiana. Fredonia remembered him talking about the tall grass and moss in the trees of Louisiana. George was one of 13 children. His mother’s name was Fredonia. He was 6 feet tall and slender. He had dark wavy hair and a mustache. He had deep set blue eyes, was very good looking and had lots of friends. He and Mattie had 5 children.

George and Mattie first lived in San Bernadino where George worked for the Santa Fe railroad. When their first child, Mack, was born, Mattie moved back to Santa Ana. Later all three families, Mattie and George, Mattie’s aunt and uncle Semco, and her cousin Georgie Perry’s family, moved near Fallbrook, San Diego, to homestead. Mattie’s family settled in the town of Temecula close to a bridge. George also worked in the mines near Temecula. Fredonia and her sister Mary were born in Temecula. They belonged to a Spiritualist church with a woman minister. The Spritualist chuch used Owigi boards and dream interpretation. In 1891, Mattie had a dream of the baby in a coffin. The woman minister advised them that if they stayed the baby would die. At that time Mack was in the First Grade, Fredonia was 3 and Mary was 6 1/2 months old. The family moved back to San Bernardino and George got a job as a brakeman on the Santa Fe railroad.

In 1906, George Durbin was killed on the job - a switch mistake made him fall off the train and the train ran over his legs. He was 47 years old; Mack was 13 and Fredonia was 11. After his death, the railroad company had Mattie sign papers absolving the railroad company of his death. With the $1000 Lodge insurance payment Mattie bought a lot for $700 and George’s friends built the family a house. The house was at 771 Harris Street, San Bernardino and was situated next to an orange grove. The family was poor but having an orange grove nearby helped. Their neighbors helped the family a lot. One family took in one or some of the children. Their daughter, Louie, stayed a life-long friend of Fredonia’s and they later lived together for some years during their elder years.

Sources

• "California Great Registers, 1866-1910," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VNN8-D2S : 26 November 2014), George Durbin, 05 Oct 1894; citing Voter Registration, Vallecitos, San Diego, California, United States, county clerk offices, California; FHL microfilm 977,095.
• "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M959-36V : accessed 20 February 2016), George Durbin, San Bernardino Township, Mt. Vernon Precinct San Bernardino city Ward 5, San Bernardino, California, United States; citing sheet 3B, family 60, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,240,097.