Side Note:
Bank Mergers
Bank of Commerce
RI Hospital Trust National Bank (1949)
Bank of Boston (1985)
Fleet Boston Financial Corp
(1999)
Bank of American (2004)
B.D. Morton, who fought in 22 Civil War Battles. (CLICK PDF TO OPEN)
Reads like "Little House on the Prairie," with wagon trains, home-steading, gold rush...! (CLICK ON PDF TO OPEN)
OBITUARY OF B.D. MORTON - MENTIONS THAT HE FOUGHT IN 22 CIVIL WAR BATTLES. (CLICK PDF TO OPEN)
Shirley Rae Gage of Milwakee, WI (2/5/1929-?) married Rodman Hopewell Durfee (7/23/1926-1/6/2008) on January 5, 1951. They had three children: Thomas Gage Durfee (9/2/1956-?), Elaine Wymore Durfee (9/9/1962-?), who after her marriage changed her name to Elaine Durfee Leach, and Nathaniel Briggs Durfee III (7/22/1964-?).
Gage Family Bible
Young Rodman H. Durfee & Shirley R. Gage
Young Adult Rodman H. Durfee & Shirley R. Gage
Young Family of Rodman H. Durfee & Shirley R. Gage
Children Left to Right: Elaine Wymore Durfee Leach, Nathaniel Briggs Durfee III, Thomas Gage Durfee
Quincy E. Gage and Rodman H. Durfee
Left to Right: Quincy E. Gage, Jasper D. Gage, Clare?, Purly
The Morton to Gage Tree
Benjamin Dexter Morton,Sr. (10/1796-?) of Scotch-English descent, from Utica, NY, married Caroline ? on 6/22/1834. They had one child, Benjamin Dexter Morton, Jr.
Benjamin Dexter Morton, Jr. (5/9/1835-?) at age 21 married Elizabeth "Lizzie" Wheeler, age 20, on 12/20/1856, in Mayville, WI. They had five children: Ella Morton (4/26/1958-?), Frank Morton (2/22/1860-?), Elizabeth "Lillie" May Morton (7/18/1862 - 9/16/1926), Fred Morton (1866-?),Clara Morton (1868-1870).
Nathaniel Gage (5/5/1812-10/19/1867) married Lodoiska D. Rose (5/1/1839-9/1900) on 10/16/1839. They had twelve children: Jasper Douglas Gage (6/16/1841-7/28/1841), Lydia Savisia Gage (6/10/1842-7/10/1842), Walter Marion Gage (9/9/1843-?), Phebe Dorlesca Gage (9/14/1845-5/3/1881), Harriet Newel Gage (?), Mary Lodoiska Gage (3/24/1849-9/5/1874, Nathaniel Quincy Gage (7/2/1851-?), Hatty De Ette Gage (10/24/18853-?), Jasper De Witte Gage (1/1/1856-?), Nelly De Sight Gage (10/22/1857-?), Joseph Henry Gage (?), and Colonel Osmond Gage (6/11/1861-?).
Quincy Eugene Gage (5/29/1887-?), married Elaine Wymore (?) on ?. They had one child, Shirley Rae Durfee (2/5/1929-?). Photo Left: Quincy Gage, DDS holding his daughter Shirley Rae. Photo Left & Below: Quincy Gage, Elaine Wymore, and young Shirley Rae.
The Gage to Durfee Tree
Jasper "Jep" De Witte Gage (1/1/1856-?) married Elizabeth "Lillie" May Morton (7/18/1862-9/16/1926)on 4/3/1879.They had 7 childen: Hattie Emma Gage, (1/10/1880-?), Lizzie Lodoiska Gage (6/22/1881), Phebe Dorlesca Gage (12/31/1882), Orma Delight Gage (11/29/1885-?), Quincy Eugene Gage (5/29/1887-?), Purly Walter Gage (7/21/1889-?), and Ella Mildred Gage (6/1/1891-?).
Jasper "Jep" De Witte Gage (1/1/1856-?) married Elizabeth "Lillie" May Morton (7/18/1862-9/16/1926)on 4/3/1879.They had 7 childen: Hattie Emma Gage, (1/10/1880-?), Lizzie Lodoiska Gage (6/22/1881), Phebe Dorlesca Gage (12/31/1882), Orma Delight Gage (11/29/1885-?), Quincy Eugene Gage (5/29/1887-?), Purly Walter Gage (7/21/1889-?), and Ella Mildred Gage (6/1/1891-?).
THE GAGE FAMILY
SHIRLEY RAE GAGE FAMILY TREE
Family Tree: Starting with the joining of the John York & Bernard Lingenfelter families down to the joining of the marriage of Elaine Wymore to Quincy E. Gage, the mother and father of Shirley Rae Gage Durfee.
Below is the will of Bernard Lingenfelter. Note: The last line of paragraph one, reads, "I also give to my wife Barbarah my negro woman and her increase at her own disposal forever."
DURFEE & GAGE FAMILY
HISTORY
Click on PDF to Read Even More
COLONEL JOSEPH DURFEE & THE BATTLE OF
FALL RIVER, REVOLUTIONARY WAR - IN HIS OWN WORDS
LAFAYETTE STAYS IN FALL RIVER WITH
THOMAS DURFEE
(LAFAYETTE-DURFEE HOUSE BELOW LEFT)
THE BATTLE OF
FALL RIVER, REVOLUTIONARY WAR
FALL RIVER NEWSPAPER
CIVIL WAR CAPTAIN GEORGE NIGHTINGALE
DURFEE DIES
Click PDF forFall River Newspaper
Story
Old Globe or Durfee Mill built by Col. Joseph Durfee in 1811.
Durfee Mills
B.M.C. Durfee High School
Civil War Cadets at B.M.C. Durfee High School
Durfee Textile School
Durfee Movie Theatre
Nathan Durfee House - Fall River, MA
Matthew Chalonder Durfee Borden
Lizzie Borden
Borden Durfee House
Borden House Where Murders Took Place - Now a B&B!
From the N.B.D. old wooden box - Everett B. Durfee's autograph of Civil War Major General and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, Daniel E. Sickles. It is part of the Rodman Hopewell Durfee Collection in St. Louis, MO.
Click PDF to see autograph.
Tiverton, RI
RODMAN HOPEWELL DURFEE & SHIRLEY RAE GAGE
SCROLL DOWN FOR DURFEE OR CLICK ABOVE "GAGE" BUTTON FOR
THE GAGE FAMILY.
Thomas Durfee - Born in Exeter, England in 1643 and came to Freetown (later called Fall River) sometime before 1664.
The PDF on the left is a letter to Nathaniel Briggs Durfee, Esqu. It is written by R.W. Humphrey describing his prairie homestead in Northern IL. It is part of the Rodman Hopewell Durfee collection in St. Louis, MO.
Job Durfee, U.S. Representative, Chief Justice of the R.I. Supreme Court, son of Thomas Durfee & Mary Lowden.
Thomas Durfee, Chief Justice of the R.I. Supreme Court, son of Job Durfee & Judith Borden.
Entries in the Durfee Family Bible begin with the birth dates of Nathaniel Briggs Durfee & wife Harriet Maria Greene. The Bible is part of the Rodman Hopewell Durfee Collection in St. Louis, MO. Pages showing entries are presented in a section to follow. The section found directly below this box provides information about the Durfees who preceeded Nathaniel Briggs Durfee & Harriet Maria Greene.
Josesph Durfee, Eldest son of Thomas Durfee & Mary Lowden. Captain in the Revolutionary War.
Thomas Durfee and his first wife (name unknown) had six children: Robert, Richard, Thomas, William, Ann, and Benjamin. His wife died in 1712.
He remaried Deliverance Hall Tripp and they had two daughters: Patience and Deliverance.
William Durfee (1673-1727) married a woman named Ann (last name unknown) and had three children: David (3/1/1700 - 3/1/1788), Samuel (3/1/1702-?), and Joseph (1705-1733).
After his wife died (date ?), William remarried a woman listed as "Probably Abigail," with no last name provided. No children are listed from this marriage.
David Durfee (3/1/1700-3/1/1788 [died on his birthday]) married Abigail Wing (1701-1792) of Dartmouth, MA, on April 16, 1726. They had seven children: Rebecca, David II, William, Elizabeth, Mary, Wing, and Abigail.
David Durfee II (4/9/1739-4/7/1824) married Mary Brayton (10/21/1740-11/19/1815) on January 24, 1760. Together they had nine children: William (6/18/1761-?), Thomas (8/9/1763-?), Ruth (10/23/1765-?), Christiana (2/5/1768-?), Abigail (12/19/1770-?), Joseph (1/13/1776-?), Mary (10/11/1778-?), David III (3/3/1781-9/1876), and Wanton H. (10/23/1783-?).
David Durfee III (3/3/1781-9/1876) married Mrs. Patience Cook Gray Briggs (6/17/1779-10/7/1851), widow of Major Nathaniel Briggs and daughter of Col. John Cook & Sarah Gray, on October 1, 1807. David & Patience had six children: Nathaniel Briggs Durfee (9/29/1812-?) and five others who died young. Note: Though the Briggs name carries forward in the family lineage, there is no genetic link to the Briggs family.
Lineage Continues with Entries Into Nathaniel Briggs Durfee's Bible Which Follow the Link Section Below.
Entries from Nathaniel Briggs Durfee's Bible are shown below. The entries were handwritten on pages in a section separating the Old and New Testiments. The Bible is part of the Rodman Hopewell Durfee Collection in St. Louis, Missouri.
Nathaniel Briggs Durfee I (9/29/1812-9/9/1872) married Harriet Maria Greene (5/2/1814-?), daughter of Simon Ray Greene and grandaughter of Col. William Greene, on May 16. 1832. They had four children: William Ray Durfee (3/15/1833-?), Maria Macy (6/23/1835-?), George Nightingale (12/16/1843-1914), and Edgar (9/8/1847-?).
Nathanial Briggs Durfee (I) served as Rhode Island's Representative in the U.S. Congress. A historical quote about him is as follows:
"Mr. Durfee was a man of sterling worth and unsullied reputation throughout a long eventful life of ninety-five years."
Captian George Nightingale Durfee (12/16/1843- 1/15/1914) married Julia Watson Carder Hazard (1845-1921) on April 18, 1866. They had five children: George Nightingale, Jr. (11/12/1867-?), Charles Hazard (10/12/1870-?), Nathaniel Briggs II (4/5/1874-2/21/1959), Julian Huntington (9/16/1878-?), and Edgar Greene (4/1/1884-?).
George Nightingale Durfee served under his brother-in-law, Cap. R.G. Rodman (wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg), during the Civil War. They served in Company K, 7th Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry, which was part of the Army of the Potomic. Their company performed well during the Battle of Fredricksburg.
In 1881 he returned to Fall River, MA, and started a business with W.B.M. Chace, "Durfee & Chace." In 1894, George bought out Chace, and the business continued under his own name. The business involved realestate, insurance, and mortgage loans.
Nathaniel Briggs Durfee II (4/5/1874-2/21/1959) married Helen Hopewell? on ?. Together they had two childen: Rodman Hopewell Durfee (7/23/1926-1/6/2008) (shown standing in photo below) and his friend [name?] (shown sitting in the photo below). Also, photo of Alice Hopewell, mother of Helen Hopewell, shown left. Need to get Rod's friend's name from Shirley.
Rodman Hopewell Durfee (7/23/1926-1/6/2008) married Shirley Rae Gage of Milwakee, WI (2/5/1929-?) on January 5, 1951. They had three children: Thomas Gage Durfee (9/2/1956-?), Elaine Wymore Durfee (9/9/1962-?), who after her marriage changed her name to Elaine Durfee Leach, and Nathaniel Briggs Durfee III (7/22/1964). More on Rodman & Shirely Durfee may be found in a later section.
Rodman Hopewell Durfee (7/23/1926-1/6/2008) married Shirley Rae Gage of Milwakee, WI (2/5/1929-?) on January 5, 1951. They had three children: Thomas Gage Durfee (9/2/1956-?), Elaine Wymore Durfee (9/9/1962-?), who after her marriage changed her name to Elaine Durfee Leach, and Nathaniel Briggs Durfee III (7/22/1964). More on Rodman & Shirely Durfee may be found in a later section.
Durfee Lineage Continued - handwritten by Shirley Rae Durfee.This is part of the Rodman Durfee Collection in St. Louis, MO.
Side Note: Legal documents that are part of the Rodman Hopewell Durfee Collection in St. Louis, MO, are the work of Thomas Durfee, Nathaniel Briggs Durfee, and David Durfee, Jr.
List of Last Names Connected to the Rodman Hopewell Durfee Line Through Marriages
These names appear BOLDED in the lineage flow chart outlined above. Any one of them could be researched backward to find a possible connection to the Aldens who arrived on the Mayflower, per Durfee Family oral tradition. We should ask Shirley and other Durfee cousins for their insights.
* Ann Borden of Tiverton,RI * Abigail Wing of Dartmouth, MA (1701-1792) * Mary Brayton (1740-1815) * Patience Gray Cook (married name of Briggs from deceased first husband, but not connected to Briggs blood line) (1779-1851) * Harriet Maria Ray Greene 1814-?) * Julia Watson Carder Hazard (1845-1921) * Helen ? Hopewell (?-?) * Shirley Rae Gage (2/5/1929-?)
Side Note: This is the only appearance of the name Rodman yet found in the Rodman Hopewell Durfee line. Problem: Not sure how he could be a brother-in-law, as George did not have
any sisters. Maybe it was a term extended to husbands of cousins at that time?
The Mysterious Captain Samuel Edgar Cooke of Tiverton, R.I.
Captain Cooke: relative? family friend? law client? Whatever the case, documents from Nathaniel Briggs Durfee's old wooden chest (part of the Rodman Hopewell Durfee Collection in St. Louis, MO), indicate he was a very interesting man. He was the captain/master of several whaling ships, including the Mercantor, mentioned in one of the letters below. Another document, also included below shows the transfer of a signifant sum of money from the sale of gold dust in San Francisco in care of Nathaniel Briggs Durfee.
Searches of the Cooke family of Tiverton, come up with numerous Durfee's hanging from the Cooke Family Tree. We need to ask Shirley about the Cooke connection and conduct additional research to find out how/why documents related to Captain Cooke ended up in N.B.D.'s old wooden chest.
"I do not even know where you are or when this letter will find you as it is some two or three years since we have heard from you. Whether you are now on the mighty deep driving the harpoon or seeking wealth untold in California, or living quietly in some snug corner of New England I do not know...." Letter to Cap. Samual E. Cooke, from his nephew Richard W. Humphrey, dated December 31, 1849.
The mystery of Captain Cooke's whereabouts is perhaps, partially solved by another document found inside Nathaniel's old wooden box. "Received of Capt. Samuel E. Cooke a package marked "Nathaniel B. Durfee, Providence" "...containing sixty two and one half ounces Gold Dust, amount, at Sixteen Dollars per ounce,...." Cooke, Baker & Co. - San Francisco, May 28th 1850.
Click the link below to see there was a gap in Captain Cooke's voyages out of New Bedford at this time. Perhaps he took a break from whaling to try his hand at searching for gold in California?
From the N.B.D. old wooden box - This letter is from A. Packer (or Packes?) to Captain Cooke, dated May 16, 1843, in preparation for an upcoming voyage of the Mercantor to India. The letter was found in Nathaniel Briggs Durfee's old wooden box, which is part of the Rodman Hopewell Durfee Collection in St. Louis, MO. Click the link below to learn more about this voyage.
Nathaniel Briggs Durfee's old wooden box is literally stuffed with a treasure trove of historic documents: wills, letters in search of long heard from sea captains, Civil War letters , newspapers, etc. The box and its contents are part of the Rodman Hopewell Durfee Collection in St. Louis, Missouri. A duplicate old wooden box was recently discovered. Its contents will be covered in a later section.
Nathaniel Briggs Durfee's Old Wooden Box
Below is a photograph of a second old wooden box that was located among the artifacts of the Rodman Hopewell Durfee Collection in St. Louis, MO. It is identical to the N.B.D. box, except the name plate does not have any engraved initials.
Framed photo of Lemuel Hopewell, with insciption on the back noting he was the father of Helen Hopewell, the wife of Nathaniel Briggs Durfee II, and the mother of Rodman and David Durfee. It is part of the Rodman Hopewell Durfee collection in St. Louis, MO.
A note handwritten by Shirley Rae Durfee placed insided the box indicates that all of the contents are related to the trip in Europe where she and Rodman Durfee met. It is interesting to note that Rodman Durfee's mother and father met on a similar cruise to Europe! The box and contents are part of the Rodman Hopewell Durfee collection in St. Louis, MO.
Birth certificate of Helen Hopewell, the wife of Nathaniel Briggs Durfee II, and the mother of Rodman and David Durfee. It is part of the Rodman Hopewell Durfee collection in St. Louis, MO.
A bank statement made out to Nathaniel Briggs Durfee, dated April 10, 1858, showing ownership of 32 shares of stock in the Bank of Commerce. (32 shares X $50 per share = $1,600). $1600 in 1858 is worth about $47,000 in 2015 dollars. It is part of the Rodman Hopewell Durfee collection in St. Louis, MO.
Side Note: Click the link below to see the street view of the house where G.N. Durfee died.
An issue of the Boston Sunday Herald, dated February 15, 1863 was found in N.B.D.'s old wooden box. The paper provides updates on the Civil War. It is part of the Rodman Hopewell Durfee collection in St. Louis, MO.
Captain Nathaniel Briggs: David Durfee, III married the widow of Captain Briggs, and had a son Nathaniel Briggs Durfee, I. Thus, though the Briggs name was carrried forward into Durfee family names, there is no blood connection between the Rodman Hopewell Durfee family and Captain Briggs. Legal papers from the settlement of the estate of Captian Briggs, found within the Nathaniel Briggs Durfee old wooden box, indicate that Thomas Durfee (related, but not a direct ancestor - son of David Durfee, II [a direct ancestor] & brother of David Durfee, III [a direct ancestor] acted as the executor of Captain Briggs' will. Included in these papers is a document dealing with expenses related to building a sloop (ship) named Sally. This may have been a rebuild of an earlier ship mastered by Captain Briggs used in the African slave trade. NO EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT THE DURFEES WERE INVOLVED IN THE SLAVE TRADE. THOMAS DURFEE'S ONLY INVOLVEMENT WAS IN ACTING AS THE EXECUTOR OF CAPTAIN BRIGGS' ESTATE.
FAMILY TREE CONTINUES AFTER THIS INFORMATION ABOUT
NATHANIEL BRIGGS DURFEE
FAMILY TREE CONTINUED
NATHANIEL BRIGGS DURFEE
Gray Family Legal Papers from Nathaniel Briggs Durfee's Old Wooden Box
There are at least two family connections between the Durfees and the Grays. Elizabeth Durfee (daughter of David Durfee, Jr. (II) and brother of David Durfee III) married John Gray (1772-1841). David Durfee III married Patience Cook Briggs in 1807 (widow of Nathaniel Briggs and daughter of Col. John Cook and Sarah Gray).
Click the link below to review the Gray Family Tree followed by the Durfee Family Tree.
Seaman, Lewis Albert Legal Papers from Nathaniel Briggs Durfee's Old Wooden Box.
The papers include a detailed inventory of Lewis Albert's estate performed by appraisers Joseph Durfee, Pardon Gray, and George Lawton in 1819. David Durfee, Jr. served as the executor of the estate.
Little is known of Lewis Albert. He was born in about 1791. He married Hannah ? and had six children: Martha (6/16/1805), Roy (11/12/1808), Asher (2/28/1811), Dewitt (6/17/1813), Aurwanda (4/26/1815), and Susanna (2/9/1817).
He served in the military during the War of 1812 (Info. from Enlistment Papers Below)
Albert, Lewis residence at Tiverton, RI; age 23; height 5’ 5 ¾”; complexion light; eyes light; hair light; occupation sailor; July 19, 1814, enlisted as Corporal with 3rd Company of Infantry, town of Tiverton, Captain Samuel Warren commanding; attached to 10th Regiment of Detached Militia in United States service commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Stall; assigned to defense duty at Brenton’s Neck, Newport Harbor; service of fourteen days; Aug. 11, 1814, volunteered at Newport for a term of one year; served as Private with Artillery Company of Captain John Wood, Rhode Island State Corps; Sept. 1, 1814, joined as Private with Company of Captain Adam S. Coe; discharged Feb. 23, 1815 (Military Papers, v. 1, p. 1; v. 2, pp. 313, 333, 335; v. 3(2nd), pp. 3, 5, 7, 9, 33, 35 - RISA)
Lastly, he was a seaman (Info. from his Seaman's Protection Certificate Below)
Seamen's Protection Certificate Register Database
Lewis Albert
Birth Place (City, State or Country): Tiverton, Rhode Island
Age: 28
Complexion:
Height:
Hair:
Eyes:
Other:
Certificate Information:
Customs District: Newport
Date Issued: 01/09/1818
Certificate Number: 5
Durfee Mills
Rod, David, and their mother, Helen.
Elaine Wymore Gage
Notes from the above will.
Below: Notes and family tree made by the person who sent the above will to Shirley Rae Gage Durfee.