The family of Durkee trace their ancestry back to about the year 1715, when two brothers of the name came to America from Wales, one settling in Vermont and the other in the State of New York, from which last named is descended the subject of this sketch, William P. Durkee, who was born in Scipio, Cayuga county. New York, June 16, 1807, and in the sixteenth year of his age came to Michigan with his father, Wilkes Durkee, who brought with him something over one thousand dollars in silver money, and purchased a large amount of land from the government. He built his log house on section 33, where George W. Durkee now owns. In this he lived for eight or ten years, and then erected a large double house, of oak logs, which was one and a half stories high at one end and two and a half stories at the other, the diiference being on account of the inequality of the ground on which it stood, and in this he lived the remainder of his life. He died of apoplexy, on the 22d of December, 1844, aged seventy-eight years. Mr. Durkee was an extensive farmer, having sometimes a hundred acres in wheat, and keeping large numbers of cattle and sheep. He was twice married, the children of the first marriage being Almeron, Stephen F., William P., Rial, and two daughters, and those of the second marriage being John F., Wilkes W., and two daughters. Almeron, full brother to William P., never came to Michigan, and died in New York State ; Stephen F. died in Bloomfield, in January, 1 877, aged seventy-two years ; and Rial is living at Long Lake, Genesee county, Michigan.

Young William Durkee remained with his father in Bloomfield until he attained his majority, when he returned to New York and made a stay of a few years, then came back and received from his father a gift of one hundred acres of land (the tract on which he now resides), and to this he has added by purchase from time to time, until he is now probably the largest land owner in Bloomfield, his home farm being five hundred and sixty acres in extent, all cleared and under cultivation except about eighty acres, which is in fine timber.

Mr. Durkee has been twice married, the first marriage being with Miss Caroline Warner, in the year 1833, and of which were born three children, namely: John G., born February 14, 1834; George W., born November 28, 1838; and Caroline A., born April 27, 1842.

The mother of these children died December 27, 1850, and Mr. Durkee was married to Polly Ann Pratt, May 10, 1851 The children of this marriage have been Emily, born December 25, 1853 ; Walter, born July 22, 1856 ; Charles Philo, born January 29, 1859, and died February 13, 1861 ; Amos R., born November 18, 1862"; and Hattie B., born August 26, 1864.

ilkes Durkee, was married to Eveline J. Buel, June 4, 1861 ; John G., the eldest, was married on the 31st of December, 1855, to Miss Mary Ann Boughner ; Caroline A. became the wife of George German, October 8, 1876, and, on the same day, Emily was united in marriage to Frank German.

Mr. Durkee is a consistent Christian, a member of the Methodist Protestant church of Franklin. Through life he has never been an aspirant to public place or ofiice, but has lived honestly and industriously, giving to every man his due, and attending strictly and constantly to the business of his great farm ; and he has his reward in the respect of his fellow citizens, and in his enviable position of the first agriculturist of the township of Bloomfield.