Born on July 14, 1810, in the Governor Wentworth House in Portsmouth, New Hampshire,[1][2] Durell attended Phillips Exeter Academy,[2] then graduated from Harvard University in 1831, and read law in 1834.

[1] Durell received a recess appointment from President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1863, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana vacated by Judge Theodore Howard McCaleb.

[1] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 17, 1864, and received his commission the same day.

[4][3] Following his resignation from the federal bench, Durell returned to private practice in Newburgh and Schoharie, New York from 1875 to 1877.

The book deals with Durell's experience when arriving at New Orleans and how things are different from other places in the United States.

[5] Published in 1867, Durell participated in the formation of Rules, Orders and Regulations in Bankruptcy : Adopted by the Hon.