Captain Jesse Durrence (1784 – 1865) married Elizabeth Sands (1802 – 1875), the daughter of Tattnall County pioneers John and Polly Whitehead Sands. By the time of Tattnall County's creation in 1801, Jesse Durrence owned 2,300 acres of land there. He eventually came to own nearly 3,500 acres worked by 16 slaves. He served as a captain in the Georgia Militia during the War of 1812 and was stationed at Fort James on the Altamaha. After the war, his rank seemed to have stuck to his name, and he was thenceforward always referred to as Captain Durrence. The Durrences lived in what is now Evans County, six miles south of present-day Claxton, one mile east of Hwy. 301. It should be noted that although Jesse's father and prior generations spelled Durrance with an "a," Jesse and his descendants spelled Durrence with an "e."

The first Durrence in Georgia was Jesse's father, Welcome William Durrance (about 1740 – 1810), a Revolutionary War veteran from Tyrell County, North Carolina. After dropping Welcome (a common Puritan name) from his name, he became William Durrance. William was in Effingham County, Georgia by 1787, when he became a First Lieutenant in the Effingham County Militia. Because land was readily available on the Georgia frontier, William, like many other early settlers, received numerous land grants, which were meant to promote settlement. He acquired large amounts of land in Effingham, Bulloch, Liberty, and Tattnall (now Evans) Counties; much of his property was along the Canoochee River. William married Elizabeth Williams, the daughter of early settler Seth Williams. Some sources say that her father's name was not Seth Williams, but William Williams, who in 1792 founded the town of Williamsburg on the Altamaha, which was the first incorporated town in Wayne County, GA. It is not known if this William Williams was the father of Elizabeth Durrance, but it has been suggested.

William's father was an Englishman by the name of Samuel Durrance (1702 – 1756), who was thought to be the first Durrance in America. Samuel spent his early years in London and was a member of St. Giles Cripplegate Church—a Puritan congregation. In 1726 or 1727, Samuel made the voyage to Virginia as an indentured servant and eventually settled on Abermarle Sound in present-day Tyrell County, North Carolina. Samuel became prominent in Tyrell County, and he is listed as a schoolteacher. After settling in North Carolina, he married Elizabeth Swinson, the daughter of William and Mary Bengall Swinson.

Samuel's parents were Christopher and Joyce Durrance, both of whom were Puritans. Christopher was thought to have been born in Suffolk and later moved to London, where he and his wife joined St. Giles Cripplegate.

Although the Durrance family had been living in England for centuries prior to Christopher Durrance's birth, the family is of French origin (the French name was Durance), though it is unknown exactly when they left France for England. It has been suggested that they came with the Normans as early as 1066, but some say that they were Huguenots who arrived later. Whatever the case, the only thing that matters is that this illustrious family made its way to Tattnall and Evans Counties, where, as they have for over two centuries, they will continue to make their mark.

Contributed by Dylan Edward Mulligan

UPDATE: 20 Jul 2014 from contributor R. Eric Rubio:

He was a member of the Brewton Methodist Church in Hagen, Evans Co., GA