The Duryea family were a multigenerational Brooklyn family of Dutch origin. The family's earliest ancestor in the region, Joost Duryea, settled in the town of New Utrecht, Kings County as early as 1672. Isaac Duryea, a 19th-century Duryea descendant, was a Colonel in the 5th Brigade, 2nd Division of the New York State Militia and resided in the town of New Lots in Brooklyn. Biographical details regarding John and Henry Duryea are not known. The precise nature of the familial relation among Isaac, John, and Henry Duryea is also not known.
From the guide to the Duryea family papers, circa 1850-1859, (Brooklyn Historical Society)