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Continued: Dorleski was the granddaughter of one of Henrietta Twp.'s first pioneer families. Her grandfather was Simeon Durand who came to Ohio with his family in 1817. They settled on lot 98. They lived under a shelter made of poles and covered with bark until a more civilized building could be provided. Simeon bought 160 acres of land at the center of Henrietta, known as Henrietta Hill, and on it was located the first school house, church and store. The first settlers of Henrietta lived in almost complete isolation. There were other settlers in Brownhelm, but they lived on the lake shore and an unbroken forest of five miles lay between them. Provisions were sometimes scarce and hard to obtain. The nearest gristmill was not far away, Colonel Brown's on the Vermilion River, but much of the time it was not in operation on account of lack of water, and long journeys had to be made to get the grinding done. The earlier settlers frequently carried their grain to mill at Cold Creek, near Sandusky. Simeon Durand once carried a bushel of wheat on his shoulders to Rocky River to get it ground. It must have been twenty five miles or more. Indians annualy visited Henrietta for many years. They would come in the fall and remain through the winter to hunt. They had a little camp on the East Branch of the Vermilion River, and one of twelve or fifteen families on Chance Creek. They were peaceable and caused no annoyance. The children of Simeon Durand settled at first in the vicinity of Henrietta Hill. The history and growth of Henrietta is largely the history of the activities of the Durand family. Simeon Durand died on the original farm May 25th 1831, aged 63 years, and was buried in the cemetery west of Henrietta Hill. (taken from the: Genealogy of the DURAND FAMILY; by Celia C. Durand: published in Oberlin in 1925. Copies of this book can be obtained from the Higginson Book Co.) It has been written that Simeon Durand's father, Francios Joseph Durand, was the interperator for LaFayette during the Revolutionary War. Francios was married to Patience Weed and this makes it a very big possibility as the Weed family was very involved in the Revolution. It is written that at least 23 members of the Weed family, from Fairfield Co. Connecticutt alone, fought in the War. ( The cemetery is located just north of Route 113 on Gore Orphanage Road. It sits up on a hill about 60 feet or so north of 113 on the right. The stone of Simeon is quite impressive as it remains in wonderful condition and is very legible. The engravings on the stone are still as sharp as when they were made. You have to park off to the side of the road and climb several steps to reach the cemetery, Simeon's headstone is just off to the right as you enter. There are quite a few Durand family members buried there.)
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