Introduction
My Third Great-grandfather, Dr. Benjamin Carter, wrote in the early 1800s from his cabin on Carter's Creek, Tennessee:
"There are few persons but who desire to know something of the history of their ancestors. Yet there are but few who can trace back their ancestors to more than the second or third ancestory. And I myself am not able to tell you anything relative to my Great-grandfather or Mother. As far back as I can go is to make you slightly acquainted with my Grandfathers and Mothers, and I do hope that some of my children will continue this imperfect History which I have commenced, and not leave their offspring in the same state of ignorance relative to their ancestors which we find ourselves."
My Grandfather on my Father's side, Wallace E. Durst, created giant parchment scrolls and extensive typewritten notes detailing our family history.
My Grand-uncle on my Mother's side, William Rivers Pope, published a book in 1950 entitled "History of the Pope, Carter and McFerrin Families of Middle Tennessee".
Below is the entire book:
My interest in family history has been passed down to me, like a bad chromosome that gives an unfortunate member of the family big ears.
IMMEDIATE FAMILY
I have always been very close to my two older sisters, Dana Jeanne Durst Grassi, and Mary Margaret "Peggy" Durst Stromenger. People ask me why I moved from Hawaii to New York City. It was because they live here.
Dana lives in New York City with her husband, Robert Grassi. They are both retired senior VPs of HBO. 
My sister Peggy divides her time between Florida, where she lives with her husband Phil, and New York City. Peggy is a professional tennis player.
Here I am sandwiched between Dana, on the left, and Peggy, on the right. They are keeping me from falling over.
Here is the family, with my Grandmother, Mary Lesey Pope, in the middle.
MOM'S SIDE OF THE FAMILY 
Virginia Cartall (1921-1996)
My Mom, Virginia Cartall Durst was born in Pulaski, Tennessee.
Her Dad died while her mom was pregnant with her.
Her Mom, Mary Lesey Pope, moved the family to Marfa, Texas, and became a teacher.
My Mom met and married my Dad while he was stationed in Ft. Hood, Texas.
Cartall Death Story Moms Wedding Pic and Wedding News Story
Louis Cartall (1918-
Mom's brother, Louis Cartall, MD, lives on a large ranch near Austin, Texas, with his wife, Debbie.
Louis's son, my cousin Bryan Cartall, is a trial lawyer in San Antonio, Texas, with The Cartall Law Firm. He is an expert on train litigation, and specializes in FELA cases. We are working on a large class action together.
Louis's daughter, Cynthia Cartall Robinson, is also living in Texas. Cynthia carries on the name of a long line of Cynthia Carters.
CARTER LINEAGE
Mary Lesey Pope (1885 - 1960)
My Grandmother, Mary Lesey Pope, was the daughter of Gustavus Adolphus Pope and Myra Belle Carter.
Myra Belle Carter (1853-1926)
We visited Maplewood Cemetary in Pulaski Tennessee, and saw the Carter Family burial area.
There are many members of the family there.
Dr. G.A. Pope and his wife Myra Belle Carter are buried together in Maplewood Cemetary, Pulaski, Tennessee, along with Myra Belle's siblings, her parents, Benjamin Franklin Carter and Cynthia Holland Rivers, and her Grandparents, Benjamin Carter and Elizabeth Kinchen Lindsay. Three generations of Carters.
The Civil War
In November of 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States. A month later, South Carolina seceded from the Union. The following January six more southern states seceded.
My Third Great-grandfather, Benjamin Carter, was almost 70 when Tennessee was considering secession from the Union.
"The citizens and civic leaders of Pulaski were overwhelmingly against secession. Their grandfathers had fought in the Revolutionary War to make ours a free and independent nation. We were proud of our flag and we didn't want to lose it. Many political speeches against dissolution of the United States were given . . . Thomas Martin and Dr. Benjamin Carter were against secession and their influence on the citizens of our town was widely known."
. . . It has been said that Tennessee Gov. Isham G. Harris seceded from the Union and took Tennessee with him."
Giles County, Tennessee, by James McCallum, 1876.
But when Lincoln announced plans to invade the South, "many minds were quickly changed. Tennessee seceded from the Union on June, 1861, and many of our citizens who had been outspoken against secession became high-ranking officers in the Confederate Army."
Gustavus Pope served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He enlisted with his brother in May 1861 in Company A, 9th Tennessee Battalion of Cavalry, Confederate Army. He served under Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, and was captured on Feb 16, 1862. He was a prisoner of war for 7 months at Camp Douglas, then in Sept 1862, he was exchanged at Vicksburg, Miss. Then he was commissioned a captain of cavalry by Pres Jefferson Davis, and served as such until the end of the war, under Gen. Wheeler. Wheeler's cavalry was sent to the Carolinas. He surrendered with his command at Charlotte, NC, in May, 1865, and returned to Pulaski. He died when he was 90.
Myra Belle Carter's cousin, also named Benjamin Franklin Carter, moved from Maury County, Tennessee to Austin, Texas, when Texas was fighting for independence from Mexico, and became the 16th mayor of Austin (1-2 year terms back then).
When the Civil War started, he joined the Confederate Army, and served as an officer until he was killed at Gettysberg. He was at the Battle of Antietam, and his report of the battle is here:
Gustavus Pope's wife, Myra Belle Carter, was the daughter of Benjamin Franklin Carter, born 1828.
Benjamin Franklin Carter (1828-1910)
My Granduncle, William Rivers Pope, knew Benjamin Franklin Carter. "He was truly a Southern gentleman of the old school, courteous to all and beloved by his entire community. Some of the pleasantest memories of the writer's childhood center around the Carter grandparents."
Benjamin F. Carter enlisted in the Confederate Army in October, 1862, as a private. He was appointed captain on the staff of Brig. Gen. John C. Brown and, on April 11, 1863, was promoted to Major on General Brown's staff, the latter having been been promoted to the rank of Major General. He served in that capacity until the close of the Civil War, and was paroled May 2, 1865, at Greensboro, North Carolina, whence he returned to his home in Pulaski, Tennessee.
Benjamin Franklin Carter, born 1828, was the son 
of Benjamin Carter, born 1792.
Benjamin Carter (1792-1865)
Benjamin Carter was a Doctor and businessman in Giles County, Tennessee.
In "A Brief Sketch of the Settlement and Early History of Giles County Tennessee", written by James McCallum in 1876, it is written that
"a record of Giles County would be incomplete without a memorial of three of her citizens ... who for nearly 40 years filled a large place in her history; who, by their energy, perseverance, integrity, liberality and
enlarged view of public policy, left their impression for good on the present generation. I refer to Thomas Martin, A.M. Ballentine and Dr. Ben Carter. No men ever enjoyed more fully the confidence of the community in which they lived, and none ever more deserved it. They were leaders in their day in all the public enterprises in the county. As prominent and successful merchants, they exercised a large and controlling influence ..."
In "Our Town, a Look at Pulaski Tennessee", it is written that
"Thomas Martin, Benjamin Carter and Andrew Ballentine are the three men credited with doing the most to make our town grow and prosper."
"Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace"
Here are the original writings from Pulaski about Benjamin Carter and his family:
All Pages of Interest From Our Town and Early History
Revolutionary War
Benjamin Carter was born in Sumter, South Carolina, and was the son of Daniel Carter, born 1761, and Sarah Conyers, born 1762.
Daniel Carter (1761-1844)
Daniel Carter served six enlistments of three months each in the Revolutionary forces of South Carolina, the first being in November 1778, when he was seventeen.
He entered the service again in January, 1781, as First Lieutenant in Colonel Wade Hampton's South Carolina Regiment and remained until the close of the War.
Some of the major battles in which he participated include Hanging Rock, Camden, Ramsour's, Wahob, Forts Congaree and Mott, Orangeburg, Biggan's Church and Quinby. He also participated in many minor engagements. (Letter from the Bureau of Pensions dated April 3, 1929.)
Daniel's brother, Benjamin Carter, served in the Revolutionary Army as First Lieutenant, Fourth North Carolina Regiment, from Nov. 22, 1776, and as Captain from January 11, 1779, until the close of the War. He fought with Washington at all the major battles of the Revolutionary War, including the battles of Camden, Brandywine, Germantown and Valley Forge.
After the War Benjamin Carter received a grant of 5000 acres in Williamson County, TN.
From Historic Camden by Kirkland and Kennedy, page 359: "The Carter Family is one of the many once prominent in Camden now utterly vanished. Their early location was a Carter's Crossing in old Salem County, now part of Lee County. A few facts concerning the family can now be recorded.
In 1784 Joseph Kershaw conveyed Lots 635 and 636 to Robert Carter of Salem. On Lot 635 still stands an old house, probably one of the oldest in Camden, where once lived Benjamin Carter, son of Robert Carter. It will only be added here concerning Benjamin, the old Revolutionary hero of whom a full sketch will be found at the end of Chapter VII that he acquired wealth in the business of tanning products, fine leather and morocco. His vats were near the creek swamp at the terminus of York Street."
Same book, page 196: "Capt. Benjamin Carter (born 1756) for fifty years a resident of Camden, a gallant soldier of the Revolution, was at the battle of Camden. He had been at Brandywine, Germantown and Valley Forge. A native of Salem, Sumter District, he was a student at Charlotte, NC, in 1776 and enlisted for the War there. He died in Camden, January 20, 1830, at the age of 74. Commanded his company on the extreme left of Gage's line."
Benjamin Carter was an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati. Our family is currently represented in the Society by Gustavus Adolphus Pope IV, born 1909.
Daniel's wife's brother, my 4th Greatgrand-uncle, James Conyers, was a Major with Gen. Nathaniel Greene's Southern Command of the Continental Army.
He served with Gen. Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox" that the Mel Gibson movie "The Patriot" is about.
James Conyers wrote letters to General Marion and to General Nathaniel Greene, which are in the South Carolina Historical Society. He is mentioned in a number of letters from Gen. Nathaniel Greene to Gov. Matthews, and also in letters from Gen. Francis Marion, to Gov. Matthews. Here are the letters:
Capt Conyers DocumentsAfter the Revolutionary War, Daniel and many of his brothers went to Tennessee, and settled on the 5000 acres near Nashville granted to Benjamin Carter by the State of North Carolina for service in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.
That is how the family got to Tennessee. When they went there, they lived on land bordered on the west by Indian territory.
Virginia Plantars
Robert Carter (1731-1791)
Daniel Carter's father was Robert Carter, born 1731 in Lancaster, Virginia.
He emigrated to Sumter County, Camden District, SC, about 1752. He was a member of the Provisional Congress at Charleston in 1775.
This "Date Book" by John Carter, written in 1858, discusses the history of the Carter Family up until 1858. It explains the relationships between Robert Carter and his father, Daniel Carter, Sr., the relationship between George Washington and the Carter Family, and the stories of various members of the Carter Family "back in the day". The writing style of the day is very interesting.
John Carter of the Nest 1858 Date Book
Daniel Carter, Sr. (1700-1759)
Robert Carter was the son of Daniel Carter, Sr., born 1700 in Lancaster, Virginia.
Capt Thomas Carter, Jr. (1672-1733)
Daniel Carter, Sr. was the son of Thomas Carter, Jr. His portrait hangs in Christ Church, Virginia.
Capt Thomas Carter Jr was, like his father, a captain in the Lancaster Militia, and from Dec 12, 1705, to May 15, 1709, he was continuously a member of the County Court.
After his mother's death he inherited "Barford", the Carter home on the Carotom
an River where he died.
He was engaged in business for many years with Robert ("King") Carter of Corotoman.
Robert "King" Carter owned the largest tobacco plantation in Virginia in the 1700s.
Robert King Carter Diary and Papers
Capt. Thomas Carter Jr. of Barford was the "manager of accounts" for all matters of the King Carter Empire, and was named by the King to be the official appraiser of his estate.
Capt. Thomas Jr. was "not to be questioned in his appraisal", according to Robert "King" Carter's Will.
Thomas Carter, Jr. did all management for the King Carter's estate in Lancaster.
Thomas Jr. appeared in Court records as a lawyer. 
John Carter (1674-1744)
Thomas Carter Jr.'s brother, John Carter, married Francis Ball, (1691-1699). Joseph Ball, (1649-1711) was her father; her mother was Elizabeth Romney, who died in 1699.
When Elizabeth Romney died, Joseph Ball remarried Mary Bennett, and they had a child, Mary Ball (1708-1789).
Mary Ball was the mother of President George Washington.
I don't know what that makes the Carter side relative to George Washington, but its interesting. The relationship of John Carter to George Washington was also referred to in the Date Book of John of the Nest, above, written in 1858.
George is directly related to the Pope side of the family, as laid out below.
Capt Thomas Carter (1630-1700)
My 7th Great-Grandfather, Capt. Thomas Carter, was born in Kempston, Barford, Bedfordshire, England in 1630.
He came to America in 1635
on the ship the "Safety".
He bought land in Lancaster County from Col. John Carter (probably his brother or cousin) on June 1, 1654. He created a plantation called Barford Estate.
The Bible of Capt. Thomas Carter is on display at the Virginia Historical Society.
Here's the contents of the Bible:
The William & Mary Quarterly has extensive scholarly writings about Thomas Carter:
All Articles by Miller on Carter Genealogy
Capt. Thomas Carter married Katherine Dale, born 1649 in Prestwould, Leicestershire, England.
Major Edward Dale (1620-1695)
Katherine Dale's father, Major Edward Dale, was the Clerk of the Court of Lancaster County. Capt. Thomas Carter's Bible entry says, in Capt Thomas Carter's handwriting:
"Mr. Edw. Dale Departd this life on ye 2 Day Feb 1695 and Mrs. Diana Dale on ye last day of July. (Latin omitted). He descended from an Ancient Family in England and came into ye Colly of Virga after the Death of his Unhappy Master Charles First. For above 30 years he enjoyed various Employments of Public Trust and in ye Coty of Lancaster wch he Dischred wth great Fidelity & Satisfacn. to the Governor & People. As neighbor-Father-Husband he Excelleds and in early yeares Crownd his other Accomplishments by a Felicitous Marraige wth Diana ye daughter of sr Henry Skypwith of Preswold in ye Coty of Leicester Cart who is left a little while to Mourn him."
Diana Skipwith (1621-1694)
Major Dale married Diana Skipwith, born 1621 in Prestwould, Leicestershire, England. She is a recognized "Gateway Ancestor" to the Baronial Order of the Magna Charta, which many of my Carter relatives have been admitted to.
Secretary of the Jamestown Colony in Virginia
Cynthia Holland Rivers was the wife of Benjamin F. Carter. Her 6th Great-grandfather was William Claiborne.
William Claiborne (1587-1676)
William Claiborne came to Virginia with Gov. Wyatt in 1621, hired by the Virginia Company as a surveyor. He was made Secretary of the Colony, and was a member of the Council at various intervals from 1627 to 1660. On April 16, 1642 the King appointed him Treasurer for life, although he didn't serve that long. There are records of him commanding an expedition against the Indians in 1629, and again in 1644.
I know that these guys look like a bunch of dandies. But anyone who has read "Love and Hate in Jamestown" will understand the hardships the settlers in the Jamestown settlement suffered. To survive 89 years, like Claiborne did, is nearly miraculous.
Barons of the Magna Charta
Henry Skypwith (1598-1658)
Diana Skipwith's father was Henry Skypwith, who was born in 1598 in Prestwould, Leichestershire England.
Charles Warner, one of the senior genealogists of The Carter Society in Virginia, is a member of the Baronial Order of the Magna Charta. Members of the Carter Society related to Thomas Carter are all eligible to join.
It is a group composed of members who can prove descendency from one of the 25 Sureties who were responsible for holding King John to the terms of the Great Charter he signed on June 15, 1215 at Runnymede Meadow in England.
The Magna Charta resulted from the peace made between King John of England and about sixty of his rebelling barons in 1215. The King and his party met the barons on 15 June in a meadow known as Runnemede next to the Thames River. After several days of face-off discussions on the 19th the document language was agreed upon.
The "Great Paper" required King John of England to proclaim certain rights, mainly of his barons, and respect certain legal procedures. The Magna Charta required the King to provide religious freedom, due process, legal courts, trial by peers, proportionate punishment, and habeas corpus.
It established the Great Council, which consisted of Archbishops, Bishops, Earls and Greater Barons. The kingdom was required to seek the common consent of the Great Council.
The barons elected 25 of their number to be "Sureties", holding title to a few of the King's properties, including the Tower of London, to guarantee the King's compliance with the laws and liberties of the Magna Charta.
This was the first of the efforts of the "People" to put put limits on kingly (and hence, by later extension, governmental) authority. It gave explicit rights to the "ruled". From the time of its issue, the Magna Charta became a symbol of freedom to the barons and people alike, and kings during succeeding centuries were expected to affirm it.
The Magna Charta led to the English and later the United States Constitutions. It gave protection to the rights of the nobles and common citizens alike to be free of arbitrary actions against their persons or property by their sovereign. It has come to be recognized as the first cornerstone of liberty and justice in the western world.
It is the well-spring of modern concepts of free speech, free association, the right to petition the government for redress of grievances, the right of due process, the right to a public and impartial trial by our peers, the right to travel freely in the time of peace.
Most importantly, it establish that even the sovereign is subject to the law of the land. The Constitution of the United States of America refers specifically to the Magna Charta in section nine, amendments one, five, six, and eight, and implication is made in both documents to "No taxation without representation".
Family Tree back to Charlamagne
From Charlemagne to My Kids
Pope Lineage
Mary Lesey Pope (1885-1960)
My Grandmother, Mary Lesey Pope Cartall.
My Grandmother moved to Marfa, Texas with her two children, after the death of her husband.
Julia Pope (1881-1940)
Sister of my Grandmother. There is a Julia Pope Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
William Rivers Pope (1880-1974)
Brother of my Grandmother. He is the author of the extensive family history, "History of the Pope, Carter and McFerrin Families of Middle Tennessee".
He was a Colonel in the Army, and had a distinquished career. For example, he was instrumental, in 1935, in the success of the National Geographic-Army Air Corps Stratosphere Flight, in which the balloon ascended to a point 13.9 miles above the surface of the earth. He was rewarded with a Honorary Life Membership in the National Geographic Society.
He was given the Distinquished Service Medal for his service in France, and twice given the Silver Star for gallantry in action. Awarded the Croix de Guerre with Palm by the French Government.
He is a member of the Washington, DC Chapter of the Sons of the Revolution.
Myra Belle Carter (1853-1926)
My Great Grandmother, Myra Belle Carter, was born May 12, 1853. She married my Great Grandfather, Gustavus Adolphus Pope, and joined together the Pope and the Carter families.
Gustavus Adolphus Pope (1834-1923)
Dr. Gustavus Adolphus ("Gus") Pope, owned a Pharmacy in Pulaski, Tennessee.
More is set forth about him above, in the Carter Family and Civil War section.
William Rouse Pope (1803-1846)
Father of Gustavus Adolphus Pope, Mary Lesey Pope, Julia Pope, and William Rivers Pope.
Son of:
John Pope (1762-1828)
My 3rd Great Grandfather, John Pope, was born July 11, 1762 in Granville, NC.
He was a Methodist minister. He disposed of about 1500 acres in Granville County, NC, in 1800 and with his second wife and 7 children of his deceased first wife, Ann Whitaker, moved to TN. He then had 8 more children with the second wife, Ann Lucas.
They settled in Williamson County, where he obtained a large tract of land, about 2000 acres, near the Maury County line. The land was joined on the south by that of Daniel Carter, and by the land owned by Benjamin Carter, a brother of Daniel.
He gave a tract of land in Williamson County, TN, Sept 4, 1818, for a meetinghouse which was named Pope's Chapel.
The Chapel was "for the use of congregations which may assemble for the worship of God", and "it is to be further understood that the pulpit in said house is to be free and accessible to all ministers of the Gospel of a Godly and moral character of any sect or denomination that may think proper to occupy the same, so as not to interfere or raise confusions with each others' appointment."
Other relatives have written articles about Rev. John Pope and the pioneering days in Tennessee:
The Pope Chapel Cemetary is still at the house.
Rev. John Pope was the son of:
John Pope (1728-1799)
He was a planter who moved from Edgecombe County NC to Granville County in 1756. He was involved in many land transactions, with records dated from 1754 to 1800, including 6 grants from the Earl of Granville, the then Lord Protector of the Province of North Carolina. They total about 6000 acres located in Granville, Franklin, Wake and Durham Counties.
He was a Justice of the Peace, Edgecombe County, 1749, and Sheriff of Edgecombe County, 1753-55, and was paid a salary of 24 pounds.
He was a vestryman in St. John's Parish, 1758.
He was a Captain of a company of 120 men in Granville County, 1768.
He was Justice of the Peace, Granville County, in 1776-78.
The Popes and Jeffreys (Jeffries) are listed as among the earliest families in Granville County, NC, on page 304 of the "Lost Tribes of North Carolina". On page 210 it states that these men were leading residents and prominent men.
He was the son of:
John Pope (1692-1745)
"In lower Virginia Quakers flourished with the first generation, but with the second they began to decline - partly because of the great migration to North Carolina." Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy Vol 6. John Pope was part of this great migration to North Carolina.
John Pope, son of the Quaker Henry Pope and grandson of William Pope, moved from Isle of Wight County, Virginia, to Bertie County, NC, then Edgecombe County, then later Halifax County. He was known as "Colonel John of Edgecombe and Halifax" and was a man of much prominence in his community.
He received grants of land between 1720 and 1730.
In 1732, the History of Edgecombe County, NC states that he was appointed Justice of the Peace for Edgecombe Precinct, Chowan County, May 16, 1732, by Governor Burrington.
In 1743, the county elected John Pope, "an influential citizen," to appear before the Assembly and place before the session an actual acount of the state of affairs. He accepted a seat in the Assembly, from Edgecombe County.
In 1745, he was put on committees to regulate grievances. He was admitted to "prove rights" for 6 whites and 20 blacks for himself.
On April 9 1745, it was reported to the General Assembly (House of Burgesses) that John Pope, a member from Edgecombe, was dead.
John Pope was the son of:
Henry Pope (1663-1728)
Henry Pope owned 480 acres of land in Isle of Wight County.
Seventeenth Century and Isle of Wight County Land Grants: Book 8: Granted 187 acres, Book 9: 72 acres -
Isle of Wight Will Book, 3, page 127: The Will of Henry Pope, recorded 1728. He gave 5 shillings to each son, one cow and one calf to 2 daughters, land, cows, calves and horses to 4 kids, and the rest to his wife Sarah. Sarah, his wife, and son John were Executrix and Executor. The Will was recorded 1728 and in Isle of Wight Record Book, 1661-1719, page 386.
Henry Pope was the son of:
William Pope (1634-1700)
My 7th Great Grandfather, William Pope, received a grant of 200 acres in Pope's Creek area of Westmoreland County on 1655, near his older brother, Nathaniel Pope.
Nathaniel Pope's 2d Great-grandson was George Washington, first President of the United States.
He then patented 190 acres in Nansemond County in 1656, 200 acres in 1662, and 950 acres in Isle of Wight County in 1665.
William Pope and his family, and his sons Henry Pope and William Pope, were among the early Quakers. George Fox's renowned "letter from Elizabeth", written in 1672, is addressed to William Pope and other "Friends at Nansumun".
Below are selections from the Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy mentioning Henry Pope, my 6th Great-grandfather, and Sarah Watts Pope, my 6th Great-grandmother; William Pope, my 7th Great-grandfather, and John Watts, Sr, Sarah's Father and my 8th Great-grandfather, and John Watts Jr, Sarah's brother.
Ency and Wm Pope and Wm Pope Jr Quaker Records Combined From Jpeg
George Washington (1731-1799)
George Washington was born on Pope's Creek, Westmoreland County, Virginia. His mother was Mary Ball, born 1708, who was related to the Carter side of the family, as set forth above.
George Washington's father was Augustine Washington (1694-1743). The Washington family lived on Pope's Creek, where the Pope family lived.
Augustine Washington's father was Lawrence Washington (1659-1697), who was born on Pope's Creek. Lawrence Washington's father was John Washington (1633-1677). Lawrence Washington's mother was Anne Pope (1629-1667). Anne Pope's father was Nathaniel Pope (1603-1660). Nathaniel Pope was the brother of William Pope, my 7th Great-grandfather.
Dad's Side of the Family
My Dad, Col. John Edmond
Durst (1919-1987)
My Dad graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in Physics in 1940, and was an officer in the Army Artillery during the war.
At the end of the war, Werner Von Braun and 126 German rocket scientists were captured in Pennemunde, Germany, where they had designed the V2 rocket used to bomb Britain. They were brought to Ft. Bliss, Texas to create a guided missile program for the U.S.
My Dad was in the second class to go through the Ft. Bliss Army Missile School, and graduated second in his class.
As a young child, I was as likely to hear "Little John", "Honest John" (antiaircraft guns),"Nike Ajax", "Nike Hercules", "HAWK" and "Thor" (antiballistic missile weapons and rocket booster systems), as I was to hear Amos and Andy or Bugs Bunny.
My Dad spent lots of time at White Sands Proving Range, testing new rocket designs.
He is now considered a pioneer in rocket science, for his design of the Nike Zeus multiple stage rocket system. The Nike-Zeus was the first antiballistic missile, and was developed in 1957.
In 1958, my Dad was transferred to the North American Air Defense Command ("NORAD") in Colorado Springs. It was the first year of NORAD's existence, and my Dad was one of 15 officers in the Future Plans Department, responsible for planning the US and Canadian Air Defense System for the future 15 years.
The technological feasibility and political advisability of the Anti Ballistic Missile ("ABM") program was a major issue in the mid-to-late 1950s. Persuading politicians as to the need for Kennedy's "mutual deterrence" policy were major cold war issues at the time. My father spent a lot of time in Washington, giving briefings to the members of the Kennedy Administration. I remember him home preparing the briefings for McNamara and Kennedy. I remember meeting Edward Teller, "father of the hydrogen bomb", the "real Dr. Strangelove", at dinner at our house in Colorado Springs when I was 10.
My father died in 1987. Reagan had started the SDI, or "Star Wars", defense program in 1983. I asked my father, then retired for 13 years, what he thought of it, and he said "we just couldn't get it to work." He didn't think that the current administration could get it to work either. The problem was obvious - you can shoot down one missile, maybe, but you can't shoot down a mass attack. So neither side can survive a nuclear attack.
Mutual vulnerability thus deters first strike fantasies and paranoia that can lead to mutual nuclear destruction. My father played an important role in the Kennedy Administration's fashioning of this policy, which has prevented nuclear disaster for almost 50 years. He was right about the antiballistic missile potential even 13 years after retiring; the test results showing success of the SDI program were flawed, and Clinton said in 2000 that the technology just wasn't good enough yet.
The Bush Administration has changed that policy. It is a potentially cataclysmic reversal of fifty years of nuclear 
deterrence - a policy which I'm proud to say my father played a role in creating, and which is being reversed by Bush, much to the chagrin of the old school weapons men.
While my father was working at NORAD, he found the time to coach our 9-10 year old Little League baseball team, the Philco Phalcons. We came in second place in the State of Colorado.
That's about all I knew about my father's career, until I met Lt. Col. Jay Mosca at a recent party at our office. He is a retired weapons expert from the Army. He knew the details of what my father did in the missile program, because he studied my father's designs and writings. He said they were fundamental reading for weapons experts in the military. Click here to hear my interview of Jay during the party. The background noise is rambunctious, but if you care enough to listen carefully, you'll hear..
He said my father was a pioneer in the field of rocket design for his work in the design of the Nike Zeus missile, and was especially known for his work in the design of multiple stage rockets. He said my father was among the key players, the early legends, in rocket science, and that his design for the multi-stage booster system remains the foundation for the rockets being used today. It was nice to hear.
Rita Kathryn Durst Blum (1921-
My father's sister is Rita Kathryn Durst. She is alive and well in Framingham, Mass. Goes to show what clean living, working for good causes, and a liberal political approach does for a person.
Kathryn Blum (1951-
My cousin Kathyrn is the daughter of Rita Durst. She is a Nurse Practitioner in Newton, Mass. Her husband John Castillot is a Professor of Medicine at Tufts Medical School. They have three kids, Michael, Ben and Jenna. Michael graduated from Brown in 2005, Ben is a student and star soccer player at Tufts, and Jenna goes to Andover.
The picture shows four generations of Durst Women: cousin Kathryn, Aunt Rita, Grandmother Jeanne Marie Mouledoux, and my Great Great Great Grandmother.
My closest cousins, Bryan, Cynthia, Kathryn and her brother Michael, and I share a similar 60's generation background.
My cousin Michael, Kathy's brother, now called Mukta, was one of the early devotees of the Krishna Consciousness movement in Boston, and now sells flowers in Pennsylvania.
My cousin David Blum, born October 1, 1949, passed away in Massachusetts on September 16, 2000. It's a source of great sadness.
Col. John Edmond Durst, Col. Wallace Edwin Durst, and Col. Wallace Durst, Jr.
Wallace Durst, Jr.
Dad's half brother, was a test pilot and pilot instructor in the Air Force.
His daughter (my cousin) Cathy graduated from the Air Force Academy and was a test pilot and commercial pilot as well.
Patty, his other daughter, lives in Georgia.
DURST LINEAGE
Wallace Edwin Durst (1882-1967)
This is a picture of my Great Grandfather, John Hilbert Durst's, family.
My Grandfather told me his ears were big because ears are designed to grow all your life, so you learn to listen.
But as you can see his whole family had big ears from childhood.
My Grandfather Wallace Edwin Durst graduated from Georgetown Law School. LLB, 1913, LLM, 1914
My Grandfather was captured in the Philippines during WWII and spent three years as a Prisoner of War in Bataan. He was one of the oldest
surviving officers of the Bataan Death March.
A book was written about the experience by Irvin Alexander, my Grandfather's junior officer when they were captured. Surviving Bataan and Beyond (Stackpole Books 1999).
For some vignettes from that book about my Grandfather 's life during his three years as a Prisoner of War, click here.
My Grandfather Wallace E. Durst was interested in family histories. He left behind loads of documents and 4 ft. x 8 ft. scrolls of family trees going back to the 1500s in Ireland.
Johann Dorsch (1817-1847)
My 2d Great Grandfather, Johann Dorsch, and his wife Anna Marie Hilbert arrived from Bavaria in 1846, and settled in Cincinnatti, Ohio. He died in 1847 in a cholera epidemic months after the birth of his only son, Johann Dorsch.
John Hilbert Durst (1847-1922)
Johann's name was changed to John Durst when he enlisted in the Ohio Volunteer Infantry at age 17.
This is a picture of my Great Grandfather, John Hilbert Durst, taken in Greenville, Mississippi in 1882.
Same guy, taken 1915.
MOULEDOUX and DUMESTRE LINEAGE
Jeanne Mouledoux (1887-1923)
My Grandmother, Jeanne Mouledoux of New Orleans,died when my father was just 4 years old.
My Dad at age 4, his sister Rita, 2, and their Mom. His Mom died a few months after this photo was taken.
Because my Grandmother Mouledoux died when my Dad was only 4, we only know her from the writings between her and her husband. I have correspondence between my Grandfather and my Grandmother, as well as other writings of my Grandfather. It wouldn't be of interest to many people, but it was to me.
I have a large extended family in New Orleans from my Grandmother, Jeanne Mouledoux. Here is a story passed down to me by my Grandfather about the New Orleans family history:
Edmond Pierre Mouledoux (1856-1904)
Father of Jean Mouledoux. His story is set forth above. He emigrated from France in 1884.
He married his first cousin, Blanche Ernestine Dumestre.
As a result, my sisters are also my 4th cousins. My children are also my 4th cousins once removed. Kathryn Blum, my 1st cousin, is also my 4th cousin.
Also, Jean-Marie Mouledoux and Marie Jeanne Dumestre were cousins, and they were parents of Edmond Pierre Mouledoux.
So I am also 7th cousins with my sisters. I am 1st cousin/4th cousin/7th cousin to Kathryn and Michael Blum.
Blanche Ernestine Dumestre (1862-1931)
Wife of Edmond Pierre Mouledoux.
Edmond Pierre Mouledoux's parents were:
Jean-Marie Mouledous (1812-1872) and Marie Jeanne Dumestre (1822-1880)
Father and Mother of Edmond Pierre Mouledoux. He was born in Leebret, Hautes Pyrenees, France.
She was born in Mazerolles, Hautes Pyrenees, France.
They were cousins. Alexis Dumestre (1836-1884) was the brother of Marie Jeanne Dumestre (1822-1880).
Alexis Dumestre (1836-1884) and Blanche Eulalie Bailly (1839-1887)
Father and Mother of Blanche Ernestine Dumestre.
His story is set forth in the Dumestre History above.
He was born in France, came to New Orleans, and died during a return trip to France.
They had 12 children.
One of the children, Marie Jeanne Dumestre (1796-1855) married Jean-Marie Mouledous (1812-1872). They were the parents of Edmond Pierre Mouledoux (1856-1904), above.
Alexis Dumestre's parents were:
Jean Baptiste Dumestre and Dominiquette Domenge Dazet
These are my 3rd Great Grandparents on my Grandmother's side. They lived in France. They had 9 children.
French Relatives
My cousin Alexis Dumestre, of Houston, Tx., went back to France and met a number of my French relatives. Here's the story:
Alexis Dumestres Account of 1999 Visit to HP
SULLIVAN LINEAGE
Delia Donohue Sullivan (1857-1934)
She was the wife of John Hilbert Durst, my Great Grandfather on my Dad's side.
My Great Grandmother, Delia Donohue Sullivan, came from County Cork, Ireland.
My Great Grandmother was Delia Donahue Sullivan, who was born March 15, 1857, in Ft. William, County Cork, Ireland. There are a large number of relatives on the Sullivan family tree.
This document is my Grandfather Wallace E. Durst's very extensive study of the Sullivan side of the family:
Conclusion
As you can tell, I get a kick out of my family. I'd like my kids to live as happily and as energetically as their ancestors, despite the influence of TV and video games and brain-numbing creature comforts. I have gotten to know many members of my extended family, and I really feel very close to them in some strange way.
If you are a member of the family, however extended, please drop me a line.