Author Topic: What happened to the kids? Curtis family in Missouri.  (Read 4240 times)

Offline Phil Goater

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What happened to the kids? Curtis family in Missouri.
« on: Monday 13 April 15 22:14 BST (UK) »
My great great grandfather Harry Curtis left his wife and six children in England and went to Canada where he married again in 1863 to Lily Bruce. He appears to have had another four children in Canada - Christopher Fitz Harry, William Fitz Harry, Nancy Read and Lillie Elizabeth. The family moved to Vernon County, Missouri in 1871 where Harry Appleton and Idella May were born. Lily died in 1873. The 1880 census reveals Harry senior farming with his sons(aged 16,14 and 9) and his daughter Lillie(12) living with the family of William Lawyer. A biographical sketch in a book published in 1887 lists all the children and in his will he refers to the fact that his daughter Idella May had been adopted by the family of William (Henry?) Rogers. I am having great difficulty tracing what happened to the children afterwards. Can anyone help?

Regards,
Phil.
Goater, Smith, Henning, Scarlett, Lucas, Abraham, Langdale, Parker, Read, Curtis, Arm, Franklin, Bryant, Hart, Earl, White, Welch, Howard, Bateman, Hutchinson, Hunter, Lawes, Rogers, Brixey......

Offline Lisa in California

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Re: What happened to the kids? Curtis family in Missouri.
« Reply #1 on: Tuesday 14 April 15 07:04 BST (UK) »
They certainly are difficult to find.

You may already have this, but online is an index of wills:
Harry Curtis, date of death/probate: 1887
Administrator given name: Christopher Litz Harry
Administrator surname: Curtis
Heirs given name: Christopher Litz Harry
Heris surname: Curtis
Rel to deceased: son

So, Christopher was apparently alive as of 1887.

Also, no date, but
Harry Curtis, will.
Heirs name:  Annie May, wife
Harry Appleton Curtis, son
Nancy Reed, daughter
Lilly Elizabeth, daughter
Idella May, daughter
Victoria Mary, daughter

I have not yet been able to find any of his children.   :-\
Ellison: Co. Wicklow/Canada       Fowley: Sligo/Canada       Furnival: Lancashire/Canada       Ibbotson: Sheffield/Canada       Lee/DeJongh: Lancashire & Cheshire       Mumford: Essex/Canada       Ovens: Ireland/Canada       Sarge: Yorkshire/Canada             Stuart: Sligo/Canada       Sullivan: Co. Clare/Canada      Vaus: Sussex/Surrey      Wakefield: Tuam or Ballinasloe, Ireland              (Surname: Originated/Place Last Lived)  (Canadians lived in Ontario)

Offline *Sandra*

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Re: What happened to the kids? Curtis family in Missouri.
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 14 April 15 09:44 BST (UK) »
They are certainly well hidden Lisa - had my second go at tracing them earlier and found nothing again  ::)

Sandra
"We search for information, but the burden of proof is always with the thread owner"

Census information is Crown Copyright  http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

British Census copyright The National Archives; Canadian Census copyright Library and Archives Canada

Offline Phil Goater

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Re: What happened to the kids? Curtis family in Missouri.
« Reply #3 on: Tuesday 14 April 15 10:02 BST (UK) »
Thanks very much for looking Lisa and Sandra. Lisa I would note that it is definitely 'Fitz' not 'Litz' which is a name the family also used back in England. You've also opened up another mystery concerning the relationship with Victoria Mary - the book article doesn't mention her and in the will, unlike the others, she is not specifically referred to as Harry's daughter. His wife Lily(Lillie) died in 1873 and according to the biographical sketch he didn't marry Annie May Ellis (nee Pearce) until 1886.

Regards,
Phil   
Goater, Smith, Henning, Scarlett, Lucas, Abraham, Langdale, Parker, Read, Curtis, Arm, Franklin, Bryant, Hart, Earl, White, Welch, Howard, Bateman, Hutchinson, Hunter, Lawes, Rogers, Brixey......


Offline jorose

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Re: What happened to the kids? Curtis family in Missouri.
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 14 April 15 17:51 BST (UK) »
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-45910-13424-86?cc=2399107&wc=SHJV-MNL:1328765401,1328772102
 - here is the original will.

Of Idella it says "having lived with my neighbour Wm H. Rogers since she was an infant and being now a member of his family" - but cannot spot them on 1880?

Victoria Mary is not listed as "daughter" so could be a grandchild, niece, daughter-in-law or other relative?

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6NN-H53
Lillie is with the "Lawyer" family, not "Farmer".

http://www.bushwhacker.org/probatesearch1/bushwhackertable1_list.php?a=search
 - but William Lawyer d. around 1880
(possibly a coincidence - son John J. Lawyer moves to Montana and names his first daughter "Idella").

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~movernon/marriages.htm
Vernon Co., MO Marriage Book D Index 1885-1888 does show
Curtis, Harry
Ellis, Anna May
(both page references 199)
 - not sure how much information you would get by sending away for the actual record.

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K83S-HGP
 - Anna May Curtis, widow of Orlando Ellis, was still in Vernon Co in 1890.

Trying to traces the Ellises:
1855 marriage:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XZK6-8TY
1860 in Indiana?
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4F8-DQ7
1870 Illinois?
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6H3-7SR
Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline Phil Goater

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Re: What happened to the kids? Curtis family in Missouri.
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 14 April 15 20:39 BST (UK) »
Thanks Jorose. Sorry about the error - I have corrected my original post. Victoria Mary Curtis is most unlikely to be a niece since Harry left a big debt and six children behind in England and committed bigamy when he married Lily Bruce. However his older sons in his second family were old enough by the time he died to have fathered children. Another possibility is that she was his third wife's child who took the Curtis name on her mother's marriage. But where did they all go?!
Goater, Smith, Henning, Scarlett, Lucas, Abraham, Langdale, Parker, Read, Curtis, Arm, Franklin, Bryant, Hart, Earl, White, Welch, Howard, Bateman, Hutchinson, Hunter, Lawes, Rogers, Brixey......

Offline Lisa in California

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Re: What happened to the kids? Curtis family in Missouri.
« Reply #6 on: Wednesday 15 April 15 01:21 BST (UK) »
This could be a wild goose chase, but:
1920 Harrison, Vernon, Missouri
Lon W Truskett age 42, Farmer, General Farm  (Possibly Lonnie Walton Truskett)
Victoria Truskett, age 43, born in Missouri, father born in England, mother born in Missouri
Seven children are listed

Unfortunately, her death certificate does not list her parents; she was born in Vernon County, Missouri.  She passed away in 1948.

An online tree shows her maiden name as Curtis.

1910 Bachelor, Greenwood County, Kansas
Lon W. Truskett, age 32, Farmer, General Farm
Mary Truskett, age 33, married 10 years, mother of 5 children; born Missouri, father born England, mother born Missouri
Ellison: Co. Wicklow/Canada       Fowley: Sligo/Canada       Furnival: Lancashire/Canada       Ibbotson: Sheffield/Canada       Lee/DeJongh: Lancashire & Cheshire       Mumford: Essex/Canada       Ovens: Ireland/Canada       Sarge: Yorkshire/Canada             Stuart: Sligo/Canada       Sullivan: Co. Clare/Canada      Vaus: Sussex/Surrey      Wakefield: Tuam or Ballinasloe, Ireland              (Surname: Originated/Place Last Lived)  (Canadians lived in Ontario)

Offline Lisa in California

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Re: What happened to the kids? Curtis family in Missouri.
« Reply #7 on: Wednesday 15 April 15 01:35 BST (UK) »
Could the Curtis group have gone to Kansas pre-1900?
Ellison: Co. Wicklow/Canada       Fowley: Sligo/Canada       Furnival: Lancashire/Canada       Ibbotson: Sheffield/Canada       Lee/DeJongh: Lancashire & Cheshire       Mumford: Essex/Canada       Ovens: Ireland/Canada       Sarge: Yorkshire/Canada             Stuart: Sligo/Canada       Sullivan: Co. Clare/Canada      Vaus: Sussex/Surrey      Wakefield: Tuam or Ballinasloe, Ireland              (Surname: Originated/Place Last Lived)  (Canadians lived in Ontario)

Offline Lisa in California

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Re: What happened to the kids? Curtis family in Missouri.
« Reply #8 on: Wednesday 15 April 15 01:40 BST (UK) »
1900 Lincoln, Crawford Co., Kansas
Alonzo Trusket, born July 1876, age 23, Farmer
Victoria Trusket, born Apr 1876, age 24, married 0 years, born Kansas, father born England, mother born Missouri
Ellison: Co. Wicklow/Canada       Fowley: Sligo/Canada       Furnival: Lancashire/Canada       Ibbotson: Sheffield/Canada       Lee/DeJongh: Lancashire & Cheshire       Mumford: Essex/Canada       Ovens: Ireland/Canada       Sarge: Yorkshire/Canada             Stuart: Sligo/Canada       Sullivan: Co. Clare/Canada      Vaus: Sussex/Surrey      Wakefield: Tuam or Ballinasloe, Ireland              (Surname: Originated/Place Last Lived)  (Canadians lived in Ontario)