Durley, Williamson

Born: 1810-01-07 Caldwell County, Kentucky

Died: 1901-01-14 Hennepin, Illinois

Flourished: 1845-10-03 Hennepin, Illinois

Brother of Madison Durley, Williamson Durley moved to Sangamon County, Illinois, with his parents in 1819. In 1831, he moved to Putnam County and became a merchant, selling primarily to Native Americans. He built a storehouse and moved his business to Hennepin after the village became established. In 1834, he married Elizabeth Winters, with whom he had eight children. Durley bought a nearby farm in 1837 and retired to it in 1844. He was a Liberty Party supporter, Republican, and leading member of his local Union League. Durley was rumored to be active on the Underground Railroad. During the Civil War, he served as an internal revenue assessor and helped enlistments. He was a Congregationalist and a temperance advocate. In 1850, he owned $4,500 in real estate.

Spencer Ellsworth, Records of the Olden Time; or, Fifty Years on the Prairies (Lacon, IL: Home Journal, 1880), 639-40; U.S. Census Office, Seventh Census of the United States (1850), Putnam County, IL, 365; Abraham Lincoln to Williamson Durley; Gravestone, Riverside Cemetery, Putnam County, IL.