John Henry Durbin (1842-1907) was born in Aurora, Indiana, to John Bingley Durbin and Mary Durbin. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1861 and was discharged in 1862. He reenlisted in 1862, then in 1863 became a sergeant in the 83rd Indiana Infantry Regiment, with whom he served with his future brother-in-law, Benjamin Bainum (1844-1907). Bainum married Durbin's sister, Alice (1857-1934) in 1876. Durbin and Bainum's war service included the Atlanta Campaign in 1864. On June 1, 1865, both men mustered out of service. Durbin married Emeline Griffin (1848-1895) in 1872. The couple moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where Durbin became a successful cattle rancher, and they had three children, including Grace Benton (1873-1960). In Wyoming, Durbin and other cattlemen entered into a land dispute with two white homesteaders, Ella Watson and James Averell. In 1889, Durbin and five other cattlemen lynched Watson and Averell and framed them as cattle thieves. The cattlemen were arrested, but their case was dropped due to lack of evidence. In 1891, he moved to Denver, Colorado, where he ran a meat packing company. After Emeline’s death in 1895, Durbin married Emma Wilson Pollard (1849-1920) in 1898. Durbin died in Denver, Colorado.