Durrett was a son of William and Elizabeth Rawlings Durrett. His father, a wealthy farmer, built the first brick house in Henry County about 1813 some 2 miles north of New Castle and is where Durrett was born and raised. Francis Durrett, the father to William Durrett and grandfather to the subject of this article, served under George Rogers Clark during the Illinois campaign. After the campaign Francis went back to his home in Henry County, which was then part of Virginia. This is where William Durrett, father to the subject of this article, was born and raised.