From the OHS PC Database, derived from A Guide to North American Organbuilders,, rev. ed., by David H. Fox (Organ Historical Society, 1997). Son of Christian Durner; brother of J. Christian Durner, father of Charles E. Durner; he apprenticed with his father, Christian, at age 14 in Germany. He emigrated to United States in January, 1859, landing in New York; he established his firm in Zion Hill (Quakertown area), Pennsylvania, in 1861; he relocated the firm to Quakertown, Pennsylvania in 1861; he was a maker of reed and pipe organs; he was succeeded by his son, Charles E. Durner.

Sources:

• Raymond J. Brunner, That Ingenious Business--: Pennsylvania German Organbuilders (Birdsboro, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania German Society 1990), 195.
• The Diapason: January 1915.
• Robert F. Gellerman, Gellerman-s International Reed Organ Atlas (Vestal, NY: The Vestal Press, 1985) , 38.
• Martin Kares, The German Element in American Organbuilding, 1700-1900 (dissertation, Marburg 1990).
• Piano and Organ Purchaser-s Guide, Purchaser-s Guide to the Music Industries, (New York: Music Trades )
• Elizabeth Towne Schmitt.
• The Tracker: 8:4 (Richmond, Va.: Organ Historical Society, 1965), 11.
• The Tracker: 20:2 (1975), 8.
• The Tracker: 32:1 (1987), 27.
• The Tracker: 37:3 (1993), 20.

"Durner's instruments have a widespread fame, and, since locating at Quakertown, he has turned out a large number of them. He will doubtless be remembered by many when we say that he was the maker of one of the mammoth church organs exhibited at the Centennial exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876, and for which he was awarded the first prize medal." From an article in The Allentown Democrat, Allentown, Pennsylvania • Wed, Apr 23, 1884, Page 2.