The Durfee Name

The First Durfee to arrive in Granite County was Francis M. Durfee. He was born in New York, relocated to Colorado in 1861 and in 1864 arrived in Alder Gulch. His exact date of arrival to Granite county is not certain but persons attempting to take over claims of Francis are posted in the Montana Post on February 12, 1869 leading me to believe he may have left Alder Gulch before then. Newspaper articles have him prospecting near Clancy in September 1873 and according to the Helena Weekly, November 29, 1877, “F.M. Durfee. who furnishes lumber to the Philippsburgites, was in the city today. Mr. Durfee will leave for the West Side tomorrow.”(Note the correct spelling of Philippsburg.) 

 It is known that a Durfee (usually spoken of as a Judge) brought Annie Morgan to Granite county to care for an uncle with a drinking problem, and located them in a cabin on Rock Creek.. The story goes that Durfee had met Annie during travels between Fort Benton and Alder Gulch, but the dates are not certain. We know that Francis’ brother David who did become a judge arrived in Montana after he completed Law school and passed his Bar Exam, in 1882. He was elected Deer Lodge County Attorney in 1886 and served two years. Then he was elected the First Judge of Deer Lodge County in 1889 and served three years. It was not until 1897 that David was elected Judge for Granite county and then became Attorney for Granite county in 1900. He was also elected Mayor of Philipsburg in 1901. David’s election history was full of wins and losses. Losses for county attorney: 1904, 1908, 1920, 1938; Wins for County Attorney: 1906, 1910 through 1918, 1922 through 1936. 

Francis was very involved in mining and was often mentioned in the newspapers because of law suits over mine shares, such as the Sunrise Mine during 1894 and 1985 when McLure and Sherman were in a dispute about 95,000 shares that McLure, representing Combination Mining Company gave Sherman two $2,000 checks for and Sherman refused to present them to a bank for collection. The Montana Circuit Court refused the injunction against Sherman so he continued to hold his stock. Francis was a Trustee for Sunrise and was elected president according to the January 25, 1894 Philipsburg Mail. 

Francis had returned to Lorain County, Ohio in February 1882 to marry Miss Eve Eliza Rohrbaugh and the newly weds returned to Granite county where Francis set up ranching west of Philipsburg. To this marriage was born three children: Marion (1882- 1980), Ruby (1887-1904) and Leonard (12,1888 – 8,1889). 

The 1900 Federal Census shows the family living in South Philipsburg on Brown Street. They must have moved to town while still ranching as Francis was at the ranch dismantling a scaffold used to stack hay on July 31, 1901 when the “…framework refused to yield. Mr. Durfee then went on top and was in the act of loosening some braces when the affair collapsed. Mr. Durfee falling with the timbers, which stood thirty feet high….(he) suffered internal injuries and made his last will and testament before 4 o’clock when he passed away.” Mrs. Durfee and son Marion were at the bedside but Miss Ruby was in Anaconda and did not reach the bedside before his passing. Francis was 61 years, 10 months and 13 days of age and after a large funeral was buried in the Philipsburg cemetery. 

 Ruby became ill with tubercular meningitis in October and succumbed from the disease on October 28, 1904. Mother Eve, suffered severe grief over the loss of her husband and then her daughter and after contracting a severe cold never became well again. She died on March 3, 1907. She was a member of the Eastern Star and had become Worthy Matron in December, but was never well enough to attend to her duties. Survivors were son: Marion and brother and sister- in- law Judge David and Elizabeth Durfee. 

Marion married Myrtle Archmire from a local ranching family that was involved in the dairy business. David, either took over Francis’ Ranch or had his own beside Francis as token’s have been found on the Vietor ranch stating “Good one quart of milk E D Durfee”. Since there was no one named Ed this must have meant Elizabeth and David Durfee and given out during the time when the area was trying to become a dairy producing enterprise. 

                                      David Durfee Campaign photo in his Law Office 1936

David’s first wife Emelie did in 1902 and he then married Elizabeth Kelly who died in 1938. After David long career as Judge and County Attorney, he continued to practice law until he became ill in 1941. He died at Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane on April 28, 1942.