Patrick may be my my paternal 3rd great-grandfather. Some of the data I've collected doesn't correlate properly so I have some more digging to do to be 100% positive. But now I have a townland I can look for him and his marriage to Mary Kavanagh when I'm in Ireland later this summer. Yeehaw!!
References
Patrick was born in Derrylin, County Fermagh, Northern Ireland
Patrick came to Canada in 1838 with brothers Frank and Thomas and cousin Christopher.
Pat settled on the current Currie farm which he bought for 45 pounds in 1841.
Frank and Thomas settled in Renfrew County near Douglas ON. Canada.
| Additional Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 1st Jan 1800 (circa) | |
| Date of Death | 1st Jan 1887 (circa) | |
| Townland born | Derrylin, county Fermagh, Northern Ireland | |
| New Type | ||
Comments
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Jan in Kelowna
Wednesday 23rd May 2018 02:48AM -
Hi Jan
I hope you'll be sharing your findings, if Patrick is a relative of yours then you should get in touch with my (our?) cousin Terry who lives in the original Curry homestead in eastern Ontario. , He is a storehouse of family information and is currently writing a book on the subject. The story of how the Curry surname became Currie in our branch of the family is very interesting. Good luck in Ireland!
wally89
Friday 25th May 2018 03:11PM -
I LOVE to share what I find! (I just get a little irked when it's stolen - one of my first cousins grabbed a family photo from Facebook that I took at a family event that she didn't bother to attend, and without permission, then used it to put faces - including MINE - onto her tree at My Heritage. My trip to Ireland in July is focused on the family of Patrick's daughter-in-law Elizabeth Byrne/Burns who married Patrick's son John. Their daughter Bridget married into my other Curry line, to Thomas Joseph Curry (whose father's name was ALSO Patrick!) for whom my father is named. I've tracked that branch to Clare and will be spending a couple of days in the area while I'm there as well. If you're referring to Terry Sarsfield, I've already been in touch, albeit years ago. Terry, Brian and their siblings are my 3rd cousins... but through my other Currys.
Jan in Kelowna
Saturday 26th May 2018 12:04AM -
Last weekend I booked my flight and some of my lodgings for my visit to Ireland. I'll be spending 2 nights in Sligo (July 12 and 13/18) so I can get to Derrylin easily by bus via Enniskillen. My plan is to visit the Roman Catholic church there (St Ninnidh) and explore the cemetery there. Even if I don't find anything specific, it will be worth it.
Jan in Kelowna
Monday 18th June 2018 01:03AM -
Hi Jan,
I hope you had a great trip to the emerald isle, did you find out if Patrick was an ancestor of yours? Any luck at St Ninnidh's?
Thank you
wally89
Thursday 26th July 2018 04:13PM -
I've had a look at some documents that didn't entirely clear up my questions. I have a number of Patricks in my Curry/Currie lineage so untangling them is an uphill endeavor. St Ninnidh's cemetery gave me some clues to follow up on and I have several photos from my day in Derrylin. But I didn't realize I was going to be there on a national holiday (Battle of the Boyne) so I didn't get the chance to really do much digging. I've only been back a day and half and am suffering pretty badly with jet lag so I'm going light on the thinking at the moment.
This is the inscription from one of the headstones I found:
Pray for the soul of Peter Curry, Aughintra, who died 20th April, 1849 aged 70 years. Also his grandson Francis Curry, Drumlught, who died 2nd June 1927 aged 67 years. And his wife Ellen, who died 10th June 1954 aged 85 years. Their sons Francie died 12th July 1965. Pat died 5th April 1975. Hugh Joe died 20th December 1980. Arthur died 13th September 1993. Roseann died 5th June 1956. Mary died 22nd May 1974. Ellie died 2nd March 1982. R.I.P. Erected by Peter Curry, New York. (Francis repeats in more than one generation of my tree so this is a promising lead.)
Another says this:
In Loving Memory of Annie Curry, Carragole, who died 5th January 1936. Her son John who died 25th November, 1937. Her husband James who died 19th December 1945. Her son James who died 7th Januray 1990. Her son Peter who died 22nd May 2005. Peter's wife Kathleen who died 16th September 2008. Rest in peace.
And a third:
In loving memory of Eugene Curry, Corraveigha, died 30th August, 1994 aged 79 years. His wife Mary, died 17th January 2012, aged 95 years. These last two are very close to each other in the newer section of the cemetery.
Then finally: In loving memory of a loving husband and father Owen Curry, Tranquil House, Derrylin. Died 1st June 2002, aged 75 years.
However, I found nothing related to Cavanagh/Kavanagh.
Jan in Kelowna
Thursday 26th July 2018 08:10PM -
Yes, our branch of Curry's has no knowledge of the family after Patrick emigrated to Canada. I was told that Patrick may have been from Kinawley Parish of Eniskillen.
wally89
Wednesday 22nd August 2018 03:32PM -
Kinawly is very close to Derrylin, about 4 mi northwest. I'll see if the records from St Naile's RC Church are online in case there's treasure there.
Jan in Kelowna
Wednesday 22nd August 2018 08:26PM -
wally89
Tuesday 4th September 2018 04:13PM -
So, thanks to Wally's information (shared privately with me), I've proven definitively that this Patrick Curry is NOT a direct ancestor of mine. Too many inconsistencies in data rule it out completely. One of my aunts gave me a newspaper clipping about the Patrick Curry/Mary Kavanagh family and the 150th anniversary of their arrival in Canada. She told me the article was about our family. This Patrick Curry did have a son John, who was born in 1846 in Fitzroy Township (Ontario), who married Mary MacDonald and lived his whole life in Fitzroy. This John changed the spelling of his surname to Currie after a dispute with family.
My 2x great-grandfather John was born in Ireland either in 1826 or 1829, depending on which reference I look at. He definitely married Elizabeth Byrne/Burns in about 1870 in the area of Admaston/Esmonde (Ontario), and appears on the 1871 census in Admaston. The entry immediately following John and Elizabeth is for a James Curry, age 67 (which would be appropriate), wife Catherine, age 60 and two younger children. No other Currys in Renfrew County match.
But I haven't totally given up on finding a connection to this family (and would hate to think I wasted my time visiting Derrylin) and it's possible that my John was a brother, cousin or nephew to Patrick Curry, who emigrated with two brothers (Frank and Thomas) and a male cousin (Christopher). I've not found any Christopher Currys who meet the criteria of birth in Ireland; lived in Renfrew County, Ontario as per Wally's data; Roman Catholic - which all of my Curry ancestry were.
Jan in Kelowna
Sunday 23rd September 2018 11:38PM -
A follow-up... In looking into the James CURRY family mentioned above, I had a peek at Griffiths and found only 15 James CURRYs listed. One that jumped out was from 1833, and the townland was Greaghrahan, Drumgoon, Co Cavan. Which is FOURTEEN KM from Derrylin. I think I'm onto something! Perhaps Patrick and James were either brothers or cousins! It appears, from the 1881 census, that James and his wife Catherine had taken their children to Scotland before coming to Canada; their daughter Catherine and son Patrick were said to be born in Scotland ca 1855 and 1857. It doesn't agree with the 1871 census which says they were born in Ireland, but that's not a deal-breaker here. Like ages, birthplaces are often erroneous.
Jan in Kelowna
Saturday 13th April 2019 01:25AM -
Hi, the grave Owen Curry in derrylin (tranquil house) belongs to my grandfather, I have a tree done and also the dna test done, my email is mcmorrc32@gmail.com
Tuesday 23rd April 2019 11:30PM -
Thank you for your comment. Are there any Christophers hiding in your tree, by chance?
Jan in Kelowna
Wednesday 24th April 2019 03:29AM -
The gravesite you mention above (erected by Peter Curry - New York) belongs to my family. My grandfathers parents and son brothers and sisters are on the gravestone. You can reach me at Mdcurr@yahoo.com
Tuesday 18th June 2019 01:19AM -
Today it's been exactly a year since I spent the day in Derrylin. I have to say that even though it was the hangover day for Battle of the Boyne day, I still enjoyed my visit. The weather was perfect - I even got a bit of sunburn on my neck - and the village is quaint. I didn't find what I was hoping to, but I will never feel like the day was wasted.
I'm beginning to wonder if Catharine, married to James Curry of Greaghrahan, might have been his second wife. Referring to the same 1871 census, there is a significant age gap between my 2xGGrandfather John Curry (b either 1826 or 1829) and the two children living with James and Catharine: Catharine (b approx 1855) and Patrick (b approx 1859). Another rabbit hole for me to tumble into...
Jan in Kelowna
Sunday 14th July 2019 02:19AM
