Our Curtis line orginated from South Perrot, Dorset and Mosterton. Some members
of the family moved to Islington, London prior to 1881. These we have traced,
but we know little about those that stayed in Dorset. I have managed to trace our line to a Roger Curtis who married Dianah Saint (daughter of Henry Saint and Dinah Frampton) at Broadwindsor in 1763. I believe this to be the same Roger who was a Cordwainer, and mentioned in the 1807 Dorset Poll Book living at South Perrot. In a Settlement certificate of 1740; Roger Curtis was apprenticed to a Cordwainer called Daniel Bryant of Mosterton. As most apprenticeships took place at the age of about 14, this would fit in with Roger being born in 1725. This being the case, he was most probably the Roger Curtis was baptised on 26th December, 1725 at South Perrott, the son of Roger Curtis and (? possibly Agnes or Mary). This being the case then another will dated 1736 and proved 1746 exists for a Roger Curtis, Clothworker of South Perrott and mentions sons Roger, Thomas and John. Agnes Curtis was a witness to this second will. Who was she? Wife or sister? But it is clear that Roger Curtis, clothworker had the following children: Roger Curtis bp 26.12.1725 South Perrot m abt 1750 to Sarah m 8.9.1763 Broadwindsor to Dinah Saint bur 15.11.1809 South Perrott Thomas Curtis bp 24.11.1728 South Perrott John Curtis bp? From his Will we also know that his brother-in-law was John Ham, of Haselbury Plunkett in Somerset. He had at least three sons all born before 1736: Roger Curtis, Thomas Curtis and John Curtis. All of them were minors at the time of the will, although he made his son Thomas sole executor. The will was not proved until 1746. Why did this taken 10 years? Roger was buried on 29th December, 1736. There was also a Mary Curtis buried on 9th May, 1736. Was this a wife or a daughter? |
Roger Curtis born 1725 appears to have married a Sarah about 1750. Roger had the following children, and Sarah was named as the mother
of all baptised in the Cheddington registers; Roger Curtis bp 14.10.1750 South Perrott m 29.10.1772 Corscombe to Elizabeth Ellis bur 17.2.1824 Corscombe aged 73. John Curtis bp 27.3.1757 Cheddington Thomas Curtis Private bp 16.9.1759 Cheddington bp 11.11.1759 Cheddington m 4.5.1788 South Perrott to Elizabeth Cleale William Curtis bp 11.11.1759 Cheddington bur 16.3.1760 Cheddington At this point we had found another Roger Curtis, also a Cordwainer married to Dinah Saint in 1863. Was this the same Roger who had lost his wife and remarried? A will of 1810 was found - it was an important find as it proves that this Roger was the same Roger who also married Dianah Saint, mentioning her in the will and all the children including those of his previous marriage and a daughter Mary which has not turned up in the parish records. There is a gap in the parish records that could prove that his first wife sarah was buried between 1759 and 1763. However, Roger married Dinah Saint of Wayford, Somerset (daughter of Henry Saint and Dinah Frampton) on 8th September, 1763 at Broadwindsor. They had the following children: Robert Curtis bp 2.8.1766 South Perrott m 4.4.1791 South Perrott to Susanna Cleal Sarah Curtis bp 19.6.1768 South Perrott William Curtis bp 25.12.1769 South Perrott bur 2.3.1771 South Perrott Mary Curtis b ? m ? to Spurdle by 1809 Betty Curtis bp 1.3.1773 South Perrott m 21.3.1797 at South Perrott to John Silby William Curtis bp 16.6.1776 South Perrott bur 21.4.1784 South Perrott James Curtis bp 5.9.1779 South Perrot bur 25.4.1782 South Perrott Joseph Curtis (Cordwainer) bp 5.9.1779 South Perrott * mentioned in 1798 Militia List m to Mary Cottle at Misterton? m 4.5.1829 Broadwindsor to Hannah Elliot Samuel Curtis (Dairyman) bp 15.4.1781 South Perrot m 20.11.1809 Mosterton to Charlotte Dawbney (bp 29.12.1788) bur 23.3.1851 Mosterton Sarah Curtis bp 15.4.1781 South Perrott (a possible twin) Roger was mentioned in the 1807 Poll Book of Dorset as being a Freeholder living in South Perrott. He died there aged 83 in 1809. He was buried on 15th November 1809. He left a will dated 11th October, 1809 and in proved in 1810. However, it looked likely that Dinah Curtis was buried on 26th July, 1821 aged 83 at South Perrot, St Mary. (ref NBI version 2). |
Samuel Curtis was baptised on 15th April 1781 at South Perrott. He married Charlotte Dawbney, the daughter of Henry Dawbney and Sarah, on 20th November 1809 at Mosterton. From the Mosterton Parish records, we have
learnt that Charlotte Dawbney had two illegitimate children before her marriage: Charles Dawbney bp Sept 13 1807 Mosterton Charles Dawbney bp 6 May 1809 Mosterton I have been unable to find these children in the burial records. Charlotte and Samuel would then have just had time to have Henry who was buried in April 1810, if he died soon after birth. They had the following children, all baptised at St. Mary's church, Mosterton: Henry Curtis b abt 1810 Mosterton bur 11.4.1810 Mosterton Ann Curtis bp 25.12.1811 Mosterton m 1832 South Perrot to Edmund Hockley Henry Curtis (private bp 23.9.1813 Chilton) bp 10.9.1814 Mosterton Sarah Curtis bp 31.1.1819 Mosterton m 1840 Mosterton to Henry Richards John Curtis bp 31.1.1819 Mosterton bur 11.1.1867 Mosterton George Curtis (Dairy Farmer) born abt 1821 Thorncombe, bp 2.7.1826 Mosterton m 17.2.1846 Powerstock to Sarah Groves (b 1823) m 21.1.1876 Broadwindsor to Lucy Perry (widow of Francis Perry) d 7.2.1881 Forest Gate, West Ham Samuel was a dairyman at Chilton, Somerset in 1813, where his son Henry was privately baptised. On the 1841 census Samuel was shown as an agricultural labourer living in Mosterton with his son John, a shoe maker. There was no mention of Charlotte, so we assume that she had died before 1841. The NBI version 2 confirms this with a burial of Charlotte Curtis on 9th Oct, 1823 at Mosterton St Mary. She was only 35 years old and must have died soon after the birth of George or perhaps a later child. Samuel was buried at Mosterton on 23rd March, 1851 aged 71. |
George Curtis was born in Thorncombe in about 1821, according to the 1861 census, although he wasn't
baptised until 1826 at Mosterton. In 1841 he was living at Chapel Court
Farm, Mosterton. His furture wife, Sarah Groves, daughter of John Groves and Elizabeth Walden (info many Thanks to Don Groves), lived at the neighbouring Bluntmoor Farm. They married at Wytherstone parish
church, Powerstock near Beaminster on 17th February, 1846 (the witnesses
were Henry Curtis and Hester Groves). George and Sarah had the following children: Ester Curtis bp 10.1.1847 Kimmeridge John Groves Curtis bp 21.1.1849 Mosterton d 1851 Beaminster bur 31.7.1851 Mosterton William John Groves Curtis bp 18.7.1852 Mosterton bur 16.12.1873 Mosterton Charles Curtis (butcher) bp 25.12.1853 Mosterton m 1876 Beaminster to Georgina Perry (1856 South Perrott) George Curtis b jun 1856 (reg Beaminster) Robert Groves Curtis (butcher) bp 25.12.1858 Mosterton m 1887 Weymouth to Sarah Jane Bugler (born 1860 Misterton) d 12.1940 Clapton, bur 2.1.1941 Abney Park Cemetry Elizabeth Sarah Curtis bp 8.9.1861 Mosterton William John Curtis (butcher)born 1863 Littlewindsor, bp 24.5.1863 Mosterton Susan Daubeny Curtis born 1865 Littlewindsor, bp 27.8.1865 Mosterton Sarah Deborah Curtis born 1869 Littlewindsor, bp 31.10.1869 Mosterton George was a dairyman at Chapel Court farm, the tenant of which was William Daubeny. The owner of the farm was Rev'd W.T. Cox who was also the owner of Potwell Farm, Littlewindsor. George obtained the tenancy of Potwell farm around 1863. Sarah died in 1874 and was buried in Mosterton on 1st December, 1874. George then married a widow, Lucy Perry (nee Hawkins), daughter of John Hawkins and widow of Francis Perry on 21st March 1876 at Broadwindsor parish church. Lucy was also the mother of his daught-in-law Georgina. At some stage they moved to London where George died on 7th February, 1881, at 50 Chatsworth Road, Forest Gate, West Ham, aged 61. His widow Lucy then lived with her son-in-law/stepson, Charles, in Islington. |
Augustus Thomas George Curtis (known as Tom) was born at 22 Elfort Road, Islington, on 6th November 1888,
the only son of Robert Groves Curtis and Sarah Jane Bugler. He started out with the London, Edinburgh and Glasgow Assurnace Company,
which was later taken over by the Pearle Assurance Company, on 15th November 1903
when he was 14. He married Louisa Gravatt, daughter of Robert Gravatt and Elizabeth Jesse James in 1908. They had two daughters: Edna Irene Violet Curtis, born 2.10.1909 North Leyton m 1934 to Robert Streatfield d 1985 Blandford Doreen May Curtis born 10.7.1912 North Leyton m 1932 to Laurence Stanley Dellor Howard d 1984 Christchurch Edna was my grandmother and she married Robert William Streatfield. See the Streatfield family from Chiddingstone in Kent.. Doreen, my great aunt, was born in 1912 at 'Saxilby', Colchester Road, North Leyton. She married Laurence Stanley Dellor Howard. See the Howard family from Cambridgeshire.. |
By 1932 Augustus and his family were living at 19 Narford Road, Stoke Newington. At the beginning
of the War, Augustus went to Crawley with the Ordinary Branch Valuation Department.
He and Louisa moved to a bungalow at 13 South Drive, Cuffley, Herts in 1945/6.
He retired from the Pearle on 30th November, 1953. Later, in 1959 they moved
to 27 Haynes Road, West Worthing, where they lived until his death on
10th May, 1962. Louisa continued to live in Worthing until her daughters
moved to Bridport, Dorset where she eventually died in 1973. The photo opposite is one of Augustus TG Curtis taken in about 1953, when he retired. |
LINKS: Curis-Curtiss Genealogy pages (http://www.curtis-curtiss.com/) Dorset Family History Society website Dorset On-line parish Clerks project The Saint Family website by Alan Coombs |
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