Mr. & Mrs. Thomas J. Durfee

27 June 1940
The Sacramento Bee
Sacramento, California

Lassen Couple, 50 Years Wed, Will Celebrate
Bieber (Lassen Co.), June 27.- Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Durfee will celebrate their golden wedding Saturday with a family dinner at the home of Mrs. Durfee's brother, R. E. Dunlap, and open house at the Durfee home in Bieber in the afternoon.

The couple have resided in Bieber since their marriage on June 29, 1890. Mrs. Durfee was Miss Lizzie A. Dunlap and was born in Sutter Creek, Amador County, in 1865. She came to Big Valley with the Dunlap family in 1884 and taught school in this vicinity.

Durfee was born in Providence, R.I., on September 27, 1864. He started west when he was 19, lived for a time in Spokane and San Francisco, and came to Bieber in 1885.

He worked at first as a ranch hand, then became a carpenter's helper, learned painting and paper hanging, clerked in Bieber's general stores, built two or three houses and finally, about 1898, opened a harness shop, which he continued to operate in the same quarters until automobiles put an end to the business. He was appointed postmaster of Bieber January 15, 1914, and held that office continuously until he was retired at the end of January of this year.

The Durfees have three daughters, Mrs. B.F. Gassaway of Pittville, Mrs. David Fitzwater of Fall River Mills, and Mrs. Carl Rosten of Pondosa.


Note: The last paragraph of the story refers to three daughters. Mrs. B.F. Gassaway [Benjamin Franklin Gassaway] was known as Frances Agnes (Durfee) Gassaway (1892-1981) [no children]; Mrs. David Fitzwater was known as Esther Durfee Fitzwater (1897-1982); Mrs. Carl Rosten was known as Dorothy Durfee Rosten (1905-1984). There was one other daughter not mentioned here, Mrs. Fred Wemple known as Grace Durfee Wemple (1900-1923).