Joseph Terrell "Joe" Durham (9/13/02 – 9/23/95) and Jessie Vera Shirley (2/4/00 – 2/27/96) were married on December 31, 1925, at Union Hill Baptist Church just across the line in Forsyth County. This began a life long partnership that lasted almost 70 years. With the exception of a short time living in Valdosta, Georgia, and their last days spent in a Roswell nursing home, Joe and Jessie lived the rest of their married life in Alpharetta.
Joe was born in Forsyth County near Sawnee Mountain. He was the first of four children born to Archibald Benson "AB" Durham and Frances Elizabeth Bryant Durham. AB (1835 – 1933) was a Civil War veteran, fighting for the Confederacy. He and his first wife had nine children. They moved from Pickens County, SC, to Forsyth County in the 1870's and joined Friendship Baptist Church. Upon Mrs. Durham's death in 1899, 64 year old AB married Elizabeth Bryant, who was 22 at the time. The couple raised four children. Elizabeth died in 1917 at the age of 40. AB died just four days before his 98th birthday in 1933. Both are buried at Friendship.
Jessie was born in Milton County. She was the third of ten children, and one of eight girls, born to John Robert "Bob" Shirley (1873 – 1949) and Jennie Belle Webb Shirley (1878 – 1957). Both of Jessie's parents were lifetime residents of Milton County. Bob was the son of John Franklin and Mary Catherine Shirley. John Franklin Shirley was a Civil War veteran who moved with his family from Abbeville County, SC, to Milton County in the 1850's. The Shirley's owned a lot of land which is now part of the Windward Development. Jennie Belle was the daughter of Civil War veteran and local Baptist preacher, John M. Webb.
Jessie never learned to drive a car. She was a stay at home mom, who never had a job outside the home. She was an excellent cook and canned many vegetables. I especially enjoyed her homemade cornbread dressing and whole dill pickles.
Joe was a quiet man and a loving father and wonderful grandfather. I remember he had a temper and although it was rare that he got upset, you knew when he was. My dad, Donald "Doodle" Durham, claims that Joe never spanked him. If you know Doodle, you will find this hard to believe!
Joe worked for the Fulton County Department of Public Works building roads and he was also a security guard at the prison camp that used to be on the site where the Fulton County bus yard is now. He later had a similar job working for the city of Atlanta before retiring in the mid 1960's.
When I was a little boy, I would visit my grandparents often at their home at 56 Canton Street, in front of Milton High School. Their property is now under a parking lot for high school students. My brother, sister, and I would spend a lot of time sitting on the front porch talking with my grandparents and waving at cars as they passed. Often, my grandmother's sister, Mert Southard, who lived next door, would sit on the porch with my grandmother for hours.
My grandfather had a large garden that he continued to plant until he was into his late 80's. I have fond memories of sitting in the back yard shucking corn, snapping green beans, and shelling peas under a large pecan tree. I never liked peas, but I always enjoyed shelling them.
My grandparents were two of the most godly people I ever knew. I don't ever remember my grandmother saying a cross word. My grandfather was deacon at Union Hill Baptist Church. I remember sitting with them in that small church and listing to my grandmother sing the old hymns. She was a member of that church all of her life.
Joe and Jessie had five children, my father being the youngest and the only boy. They had nine grandchildren, who now have children and grandchildren of their own. Both lived well into their 90's. They did not know a stranger, and everyone who knew them loved them dearly.
Submitted by:
Michael N. Durham
Cumming, GA