An Illustrated History of Baker, Grant, Malheur and Harney Counties, 1902
published by Western Historical Publishing Company

CASPER J. DURBIN

Our subject was born near Belleville, Richland county, Ohio, on April 26, 1822, his parents being John and Sarah (Fitting) Durbin. He worked on a farm, attending school a few months out of each year, until about nineteen years old, then accompanied his parents to Clinton county, Missouri, remaining a period of two years. He then returned to Ohio, but the year 1845 found him again in Missouri. His parents crossed the plains that year to Polk county, Oregon, finally locating in Marion county.

In 1853 our subject also crossed the plains with ox-teams, rejoining the remainder of the family at Salem, Oregon, where he became a partner of his brother in the hotel and livery business. In 1855 he engaged in farming in the vicinity , and in 1862, he removed to Auburn, Baker county. He ran a feed stable at that place until 1864, then entered a homestead about a mile northwest of Huntington, where his home has ever since been. As may be supposed from the length of time spent in this one spot and the progressive character of Mr. Durbin, his place has been improved by the erection of a comfortable house, a fine large barn, all needful fences and everything which goes to make rural life attractive, and has been brought to an excellent state of cultivation. It produces an abundance of hay and fine fruit of many varieties, as well as other crops of different kinds.

Mr. Durbin once returned to his old home in Ohio, intending to find a location there and dispose of his property in the west, but like most of those who go east with similar intentions, he soon concluded that he would not exchange his occidental home for any farm in the east, if one condition should be that he should live there.

On March 1, 1849, our subject married Miss Julia Anne, daughter of William and Betsey Draper, a native of Canada, and to their union were born nine children only two of whom are living, John B., living at the head of Durbin creek, and Alice B., at home. Mrs. Durbin died March 28, 1884.

Our subject's father died at Salem, Oregon, at the age of none hundred and three, and his mother at ninety-eight. The latter was a first cousin to the late President William McKinley. It is of interest also to record that Mr. Durbin cast his first vote for William Henry Harrison, in 1844, and has supported the Republican ticket ever since. Mr. Durbin was in the employment of the United States government for five years and helped build the first house in Grand Island, Nebraska, it being built for the government, and he also was one of the first at Fort Laramie, Wyoming, being in the quartermaster's department.

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