Husband E. S. Durban 1 2
Born: 2 Mar 1822 - Chichester, Sussexshire, England 1
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Father: James Durban ( - ) 1
Mother:
Marriage: 20 Nov 1845 - Franklin, Venango Co, PA 1
• Residence: : New Castle, Lawrence Co, PA.
Wife Amelia T. Dodd 1 3
Born:
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Father: Levi L. Dodd (1799-1881) 4 5 6
Mother: Julia Ann Parker ( -1857) 6 7
Children
1 M [Infant] Durban 1
Born:
Christened:
Died: in infancy
Buried:
2 M John D. Durban 1
Born: Abt 1850
Christened:
Died: 8 Jun 1874 1
Cause of Death: Drowning
Buried:
3 M Levi D. Durban 1
Born:
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
4 M Edward Durban 1
Born:
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
5 M Charles Durban 1
Born:
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General Notes: Husband - E. S. Durban
In 1835, he began an apprenticeship to the printer's trade in Zanesville, Ohio. He received four dollars a month, and boarded himself. After learning the business he repaired to Marietta, Ohio, and for four years was employed as journeyman, during which period he performed some service in the editorial line. In 1843 he went to Franklin, Venango County, Pennsylvania, and engaged upon the Democratic Arch.
In 1848 Mr. Durban started the publication of the Franklin Advocate and Journal, which paper was later known as the Venango Citizen. This paper he edited and published for nearly eight years, for the first two of which he performed nearly all the work in the office, including the editing, composition, and job-printing. He worked as high as eighteen hours a day, and had but one assistant, and he an apprentice.
In the Spring of 1857 he came to New Castle, and purchased what was then called the American Freeman (published by William P. Clark), changed the name of the paper to the New Castle Courant. [HLC 1877, 193]
The Advocate and Journal (Temperance Advocate and Agricultural Journal) was published from 1847 to 1854 by E. S. Durban. Although devoted mainly to the topics indicated in the title, the editor was an ardent Whig and occasionally expressed his views upon political questions. A personal letter from Mr. Durban gives the following interesting particulars regarding the manner in which the "art preservative" was acquired in those days and the difficulties under which his paper was established:
I learned the printing trade in the office of the Democratic Union and Zanesville Advertiser, at Zanesville, Ohio, beginning in the spring of 1835. My age then was thirteen years. I was regularly apprenticed for five years, and received for my services four dollars per month, without board. My employer sold out before my time expired and I finished with Hiram Robinson, who had been a "jour" in the office and had started the Muskingum Valley at McConnellsville, between Zanesville and Marietta on the Muskingum river. I afterward worked as a journeyman printer at various places, of which my most distinct recollection is Lancaster, Zanesville, Cincinnati, Coshocton, and Marietta, Ohio, and Buffalo, New York. While at the latter place an application came from John W. Shugert, who was then sheriff of Venango county and owner of the Democratic Arch, for a printer capable of taking charge of the mechanical department of the paper and doing some editorial work. I responded and took the position, which I held for a considerable time. A consolidation of two Democratic papers threw me out for a while; but afterward I did some work for John Haslet and George P. Humes. I was working for Haslet when I married Miss Amelia T. Dodd, oldest daughter of Levi Dodd, now deceased. Afterward Humes got the office, and as he could not afford to pay the enormous sum of six dollars a week, I was out of work again, poor and very much discouraged. Finally I determined to start a paper on my own account. But how to do it? I believed in hard work and perseverance. So I laid in enough provisions to last my little family a week, and started on a Monday morning without a cent in my pocket on foot to canvass the county for subscribers, so that I should have enough prospect to warrant somebody who believed in me in lending me enough money to make some kind of a start. It was a hard winter and I tramped the county through snow and mud the entire season, coming home very tired Saturday evenings\emdash on one occasion so fatigued that the only way I could get into my own door was to lift one foot on the step with both hands and then get the other up by taking hold of both sides of the door frame. In this way I put in the winter.
In the spring I had, by hard work, secured about three hundred subscribers, none of whom paid in advance, so that I still had no money. The next thing was to secure means to buy something with. I had spoken of that to some during the winter. One very particular friend had said: "O, you go ahead; a man who works as hard as you do will find plenty of friends to furnish funds. I have money!" I knew he had, and was much encouraged by his words. Another friend, who was not a moneyed man, but a true friend, when I spoke to him about the probability of borrowing money, said: "Well, Durban, I have been thinking of that and saving what I could; I have twenty dollars, and I wish it were five hundred. But you are welcome to it." This was entirely unexpected, and the exhibition of genuine friendship affected me deeply. Another came to me, unsolicited, with eleven dollars, all he had. Then there were fifty dollars in the hands of some one as academy funds which they wished to loan. Doctor N. D. Snowden went security for that and I got it. Some other small sums were secured, and still my liberal friend, who had so kindly informed me that he "had money," had not been called on; I was saving him for a grand dash on the home stretch. At last I went to him and was blandly informed that all he could possibly do was to lend me five dollars in county warrants (then worth about seventy-five cents on the dollar), and take a judgment note for five dollars with interest.
I secured one hundred and six dollars, all told, and all borrowed. I did not consider it my money, to pay expenses with, so I made an arrangement with steamboat captain Hanna to take me to Pittsburgh and back, and I would pay for it in advertising his boat after the paper started. In Pittsburgh I bought some second-hand type and rules and a small font of wood type for a head for the paper.
After returning I offered a stock company, who owned the plant of the Gazette, to take care of their type if they would let me use the press. They accepted; I had the use of a double-pull wooden Ramage press with a stone bed, and started up. My office force, typesetters, pressman, and editorial staff, consisted of one small boy and myself. I worked eighteen hours a day, and did editorial duty at the case, setting up my editorials without writing. Finding the labor of working the old screw press very hard and slow, I got my father-in-law to make a wooden platen, full size, to take off half the work. It did reasonably well while warm weather lasted; but when winter came it was almost impossible to make a good impression, and many numbers were sent out that could not be read at all. This was disastrous. When April came again everybody who came in to pay ordered the paper stopped. At last a week came when nearly every one who came in was a subscriber who wanted to pay up and stop. More than one hundred stopped that week and there were less than one hundred names left on the list. Saturday night I locked the door and felt a relief in the fact that one day intervened before any more could get away. I told no one, not even my wife, of the calamity. I went to church the next day but didn't hear the sermon. Knowing I was broken up, I debated with myself whether to try to go on or not. About the time the doxology was sung I had determined to "die game." At the rate they had been going, there were not enough to last one week; but till they were all gone I would be there. I went to the office as usual before six o'clock Monday morning, looking as cheerful as I could. About nine I sat down to the table, and soon heard a step coming toward the door. I listened, and sure enough the latch clicked, and some one came in. I did not look round, but said: "Well sir, what's your name?" He told me. "What post office?" He told me. I looked. "Why sir, there is no such name on my list at that office!" "I know it," said the man, "I have called to have it put on."
This was a new sensation. I looked at the man. He seemed to be sane, so I put his name on and actually took his money. The weather was warmer and the paper had become readable. That week not a man discontinued and thirteen new names were added to the list by voluntary subscription. The calamity had culminated. In fact, it was not a calamity. People in those days never paid cash for their papers unless they wanted to "stop." I had charged every man two dollars, because it was not paid in advance. The result was that I had money enough to buy a first class iron hand press, which I did, changing defeat into victory. I also bought more second-hand type and enlarged the paper. From that time on the Advocate and Journal prospered.
In 1855 the paper was sold by Mr. Durban, who purchased the American Farmer at New Castle, Pennsylvania, and founded the New Castle Courant in the following year. It is still controlled by him and is a stanch Republican organ, one of the most influential county papers in western Pennsylvania. [HVC 1890, 248]
He and his wife had six sons and a daughter.