Bio: Durham, Steven Collet & Jemima A. Pinkston

Transcriber: Janet

Surnames: Durham, Lyman, Odriskell, Pinkston, Regine, Russell, Swigert

----Sources: Census & family records, Clark Co. Press, March, 1883; Postcard sent from Greenwood, WI in 1910 from the Steve Roberts Collection; The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Missoula, Montana, City Directories

Steven Collet Durham (Aug 1832–1914)

Mrs. Jamima (Jemima) Durham, (Aug 1840, Louisiana-1917)

Children of Mrs. Jamima Durham and Steven C. Durham
Elizabeth Durham (Sep 1861–15 Jul 1946)

Residences

1860 Federal Census; Bourbonnais, Kankakee, Illinois, 6 August, enumerated by N. Wittemore, Marshal.

Household
Head: Collet Durham 28, (1832) b. IL; $30,000 - $15,000
Wife: Jemima Durham 19, b. (1841) female, b. IL (should say Louisiana)
Christopher ("Kit") Durham 2, (1858) b. IL
Elizabeth Durham 7/12, b. IL
Margaret Durham 64, b. Tenn.
Batise Russell 50 male, b. Canada, day laborer
Augustine Regine 28 male, b. Canada, day laborer
Michael Odriskell 21, b. Canada, day Ireland

Early News Items from Bourbonnais, Kankakee, IL (Birthplace of Kit C. Durham)

              Wyandot pioneer., 30 Jun 1853

   Weekly Minnesotan, St. Paul Minnesota Territory, 4 July 1857

Press and Tribune, Chicago, IL (19 Apr 1859)--History of Bourbonnais, IL

1870 Federal Census, Wisconsin Clark Eaton

Stephen C. Durham Male 37 (1832) Illinois White
Jemima Durham Female 29 (1841) Louisiana White
Kit Durham Male 12 (1858) Illinois White, attending school
Elizabeth Durham Female 10 (1860) Illinois White, attending school
Alga D Durham Female 7 (1863) Illinois White, attending school
Joe Male 20 (1850) Wisconsin Indian, works on the farm

John Lyman Male 17 (1853) Michigan White, Works in the Pinery

1875 Wisconsin State Census, Eaton, Clark county

S. C. Durham, 2 white females 4 white males

Bio: Durham, Kit Christopher & Alice

Transcriber: Janet

Surnames: Durham

Kit Durham’s saw mill, in Weston, has been sold to Thos. Miller and Charley Kayhart.  The logs, there at the mill, will be sold under the hammer, March 5. Clark Co., Press, March 1883

Asa C. Griswell, formerly of Cedar County, Iowa, has purchased of Miller & Kayhart, their saw mill in Weston.  Mr. Griswell is an experienced mill man and will make the mill a success. Clark Co., Press, May 1884

1880 Federal Census

Weston East Cemetery, "Chapel Hill"
Weston Township, Clark County, Wisconsin

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1927 Marriage of Kit Durham to Maggie Swigert

BioM: Swigert, Maggie Burch (1927)

Groom: Kit Durham, 59 yr. old male (should be 69 yrs.)
Father's Name S. C. Durham; Mother's Name Jermima Pinkston
Date: 20 Augl 1927
Place: Ravalli, Montana
Spouse's Name Maggie Swigert, 62 yr. old female (1865)
Spouse's Father's Name Vincent Burch
Spouse's Mother's Name Mary Jane Jones

1930 Census, Montana Ravalli Co., Stevens Twp. Sheet B, #2

Kit Durham, Prospector, 72 yr. old (1858), white, male
Birthplace Illinois
Father's Birthplace Illinois; Mother's Birthplace Indiana

Discovery of Gold in Montana Monument

Alder Gulch (alternatively called Alder Creek) is a place in the Ruby River valley, in the U.S. state of Montana, where gold was discovered on May 26, 1863, by William Fairweather and a group of men including Barney Hughes, Thomas Cover, Henry Rodgers, Henry Edgar and Bill Sweeney who were returning to the gold fields of Grasshopper Creek, Bannack, Montana. They were on their way to Yellowstone Country from Bannack but were waylaid by a band of Crow Indians. After being ordered out of Crow hunting grounds, they crossed the East Slope of the Tobacco Root Mountains and camped for the night in Elk Park, where William "Bill" Fairweather and Henry Edgar discovered gold, while the remaining party was out hunting for meat. Agreeing to keep the new discovery quiet the group of miners returned to the town of Bannack for supplies. However, word leaked out about the new strike, and miners followed the Fairweather party out of town. The party stopped at the Point of Rocks, part way between Bannack and Alder Gulch, and established the Fairweather Mining District in a miners meeting. It was agreed that the discoverers were entitled to two claims and first choice. The first stampede of miners reached Alder Gulch June 6, 1863, and the population swelled to over 10,000 in less than 3 months. The "Fourteen Mile City" ran the length of the gulch, and included the towns of Junction City, Adobe Town, Nevada City, Central City, Virginia City, Montana, Bear Town, Highland, Pine Grove French Town, Hungry Hollow, and Summit. Upon arrival the miners lived in brush wickiups, dugouts and under overhanging rocks until cabins could be built. The first structure built in Virginia City was the Mechanical Bakery. Virginia City, and Nevada City were the centers of commerce during the height of the Alder Gulch gold rush. In the first year the area had over 10,000 people living there. Montana Territory was established in May 1864, and the first territorial capital was Bannack. The capital then moved to Virginia City, where it remained until 1875. The Alder Gulch diggings were the richest gold placer deposits ever discovered, and in three years $30,000,000 was taken from them, with $10,000,000 taken out in the first year. Nowadays, except during summertime, the streets of Virginia City are usually quiet and relatively few visitors find their way to the 16 ton granite monument that marks the spot of that incredible discovery of May 26, 1863.

Alder Gulch is named for the alder bushes that grew along the creek, Wikipedia

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Going back to the year 1862, when the home of “Aunt Hattie” was completed, brings us to a time when lumbermen began coming here to work in the Eaton Bros. mill, and between the years 1862 and 1871, four more settlers cleared their tract of land and built their rude but comfortable homes.  They were Messrs. Bauman, Steven Andrews, C. Durham and Wm. Begley, the latter of whom was the first to erect a hotel, W. R. Howard & Son, proprietors.

BioM: Durham, Elizabeth (1 Jan 1879)

Groom: Moses D. Baird
Sex Male
Birthplace Burkshire Co., Mass.
Race white
Ethnicity American
Father's Name Daniel L. Baird
Father's Sex Male
Mother's Name Martha M. Baird
Mother's Sex Female
Bride: Lizzie (Elizabeth) Durham
Spouse's Sex Female
Spouse's Race white
Spouse's Father's Name S.C. Durham
Spouse's Father's Sex Male
Spouse's Mother's Name Jemina A. Durham
Marriage Date 1 Jan 1879
Marriage Place Greenwood, Clark, Wisconsin, United States

Obit: Durham, Steven Collet (Aug 1832 - 1914)

----Source: Montana Death Index, 1860-2007

Montana Death Index, 1860-2007

Burial Place: Victor, Ravalli, Montana, United States of America
Cemetery Victor Cemetery
Death Date 1914
Birth Date 1832

Obit: Durham, Jemima A. Pinkston (Aug 1840 - 1917)
 

Steven Durham
Sex Male
Age 82
Death Date 21 Jan 1914
Marital Status Unknown
Birth Year (Estimated) 1832

Death: 1917 (aged 76–77)
Burial: Victor Cemetery
Location: Victor, Ravalli County, Montana, USA

Obit: Durham, Maggie Swigert (18 Mar 1865 - 4 Augl 1956)

Maggie Durham 18 Mar 1865 4 Augl 1956, stone says "John G and Maggie L Swigert"

Burial: Maplewood Cemetery, Stevensville, Ravalli County Montana

347-399 South Avenue
Stevensville, MT 59870

Obit: Durham, Kit (1858-10 Mar 1934)

Montana Death Index, 1860-2007
 

Kitt (Kit) Durhem (Durham), 79 yr. old male, died 10 Mar 1934

Marital Status: Unknown
Birth Year (Estimated): 1855

Ravalli County, Montana

Actual birth date: 1858

Actural age: 75-76