William W. Durant, a former minister, worked on his family history in the 1890s. This collection consists of his correspondence with the Interior Department for pension records, with individuals, and with the Adjutant General's office in Connecticut; forms filled out by descendants of the original John Durant of Massachusetts, handwritten copies of the inventory of Edward Durant of Newton, Massachusetts, in 1740, and the will of a later Edward Durant, dated 1782, and family charts. As part of his research, Durant apparently collected original manuscripts which are also part of the collection. These include family news-related letters to and from Mary Durant, 1762-1794, who lived in Bridgewater, Newton and Fitchburg, Massachusetts; letters from Edward Durant in Tennessee to "brother" Reuben Moore of Newton, Massachusetts, 1818-1848, mostly regarding money, or the lack thereof; and letters to Sarah Durant from her brother Samuel, dating 1828-1832, and from a cousin, Augustus Durant of Boston, which date 1852-1857, when she was subscribing to the Missionary Herald. Of note is the conversion statement given by Nabby (Abigail) Fuller, who married Edward Durant in 1790, and then two pages of diary entries mentioning births and deaths within her family, along with a list of births and deaths. Also, three documents related to land and a church in Albany, New York, which currently appear to have no relation to the Durant family.
