The patriarch was (Henry) Hilliard Durdin, a slave owner. He should not be hard to find. He was born in North Carolina and married Sarah Richardson in Georgia (she was born in Bulloch County). Some Richardsons accompanied the Durdin family when they left Simpson County, lived in Washington Parish, LA and then came to Jasper County, Republic of Texas in 1838.
At least two of the Durdin children were born in Simpson County---1831 and 1833.