In 1949, teenagers Bill Durbin and Lorraine Kalish met at Jimmy’s Malt Shop in East St. Louis, Illinois. They later married and had ten children—nine boys and one girl—of whom I am the seventh. What follows is a narrative history of this family of twelve, spanning more than three hundred years.
I am fortunate to have learned these stories, mostly from my parents and relatives who patiently answered my endless questions, and from other family historians to whom I will express my gratitude in due course. My aim here is to share, mostly as a progression of interconnected stories, what I have learned about our known ancestors and the lives they led.
The stories are organized into three main sections: one for Bill Durbin’s family history, one for Lorraine Kalish’s, and one for the history they made together. Each section is subdivided chronologically. There is also a family reference that summarizes the essential facts of each family line—significant dates, locations, lists of children, and so forth.
To establish some boundaries on a subject that is theoretically boundless, this history begins as far back in time as we can trace, then largely concludes with the generation preceding mine—that of my parents and their cousins.
The history of this family is, of course, still unfolding. Bill and Lorraine Durbin’s ten children now live across six states, and each of our families represents a story in progress. I leave to others the telling of those stories.
Next: The Story in a Nutshell
Michael Durbin 