 Henry Harrison - Mary Zerelda Durham-Bumgardner and Children standing/left to right: Lee, Henry Harrison, Mary Zerelda, Buford. middle row/left to right: Charles, Henry Ernest, Percy, Harry front row/left to right: Cora, Elizabeth, Leona and Nina. Photo taken at Drury, Kansas 1917 |
 Mary Zerelda Durham-Bumgardner and Daughters left to right: Clara (Mrs.Porter), Cora (Mrs.Lohman), Josie, Elizabeth (Mrs.Batdorf), Nina (Mrs.Seaman). |
Mary Zerelda Durham was born December 4th, 1849(1852) in Bonnieville,Kentucky which is around the Bowling Green area. Her Grandfather, Thomas Lang, Jr. came from England in the late 1700's and purchased 19,000 acres outside of Bonnieville, Kentucky. He was a wealthy Scotchman and had also bought quite a large plantation in Virginia. This 19,000 acres in western Kentucky was extra land besides his Virginia plantation. The land was known as William Pollard's 19,000 acre survey. During this period of time the state of Kentucky was part of Virginia. The state of Virginia gave it's Revolutionary War soldiers land grants in the area. The grants were given to encourage settling of the area, but due to Indian troubles at this time, many sold their grants, some for as low as 10 cents an acre. A company was formed of nineteen citizens of Philadelphia who bought a tract of these grants covering 580,000 acres. William Pollard, one of the nineteen citizens acquired a tract of 31,000 acres and another of 19,000 acres. Pollard sold the 19,000 acre parcel to John Phillips in 1787 and in 1796 Phillips sold it to Thomas Lang who at that time was a citizen of Great Britain. It included fifteen of the original grants. Lang brought his family to America and settled in Virginia. They did not stay on the land much of the time because of Indian hostilities. It had only been a few years earlier (1779) that Daniel Boone had led a migration of about a hundred families through the Cumberland Gap at the lower corner of Virginia into Kentucky. A few years after Thomas and his wife passed away, his two daughters and son Alfred Lang came back to Kentucky to take possession of the land. When they arrived they discovered a number of squatters had taken possession of part of their land. Legal action was taken against these squatters. Some of them left their land, but many were able to keep what they had lived on for several years. Many of the families that squatted on the Lang land became leading citizens in the area through the years and many of their names appear in our family tree through the generations. Thomas Lang's daughter Mary, that our immediate family goes back to, made several trips back to England in her lifetime as she tended to be homesick for the old country. Another great-grandaughter of Mary's that was born in 1899 remembered her mother talking about conversations with Mary Lang and her sister Hannah Lang. They had talked about how they had worked very hard and many could not go to school. They helped the 'old folks' make a living as there was no social security. Mary Lang described what a long trip it was back to England on the boat. She was able to get her sister Hannah to go back to England with her once but Hannah was more content in this country.
Reference: 'My Life and Times' by Dr. Henry L. Bumgardner, Sr., O.D.
ciiisiii note: My Mother, Betty Alice Bumgardner-Shawbell's oldest brother.
1840 US Census:Hart County, Kentucky:
1850 US Census:Hart County, Kentucky: Enum. 3 Aug 1850 Dwelling: 388 Family: 389
|
1850 US Census:Hart County, Kentucky: Enum. 5th Aug 1850
Dwelling: 469 Family: 470
| 1860 US Census:
District No. 2, Hammonville, Hart County, Kentucky.Enum: 14 July 1860 Dwelling: 489 Family: 489
Dwelling: 490 Family: 490
Father: William B. Durham |
1860 US Census:
District No. 2, Bacon Creek, Hart County, Kentucky.Enum: 6 July 1860
Dwelling: 412 Family: 412
1870 US Census:
Munfordsville District, Hart County, Kentucky. Emun: 13 June 1870. Post Office: Munsfordville
Dwelling216 Family 214
Dwelling: 211 Family: 209
|
Dwelling: 218 Family: 216
1880 US Census:
Munfordsville District, Bonnieville Magistrate Dist., Hart County, Kentucky. Emun: 15 June 1880. Post Office: Munsfordville
Dwelling199 Family: 199