THE CURTIS FAMILY

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.  This may link him to another Roger  Curtis mentioned in a  Settlement certificate of 1740; Roger Curtis was apprenticed to a Cordwainer called Daniel Bryant of Mosterton.     (There are other Rogers but as yet I am unable to link them). There is also an Edward Curtis, Clothworker who moved from South Perrott to Beaminster in 1716 together with a wife Elizabeth and children Edward, John and Roger (bp 13th May 1716 at South Perrot). This Edward appears to have died intestate (buried 1743 at Beaminster?) and his son Edward Curtis, Woolcomber was mentioned in the Admon in 1754. 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? And how do these Rogers and Edwards fit together?  Answers on a postcard!!

The Roger we have traced married Dinah Saint on 8th September, 1763 at Broadwindsor.  He could have been the same Roger who was the apprentice Cordwainer, in which case he would have married pretty late.  But in any case these are the children of Roger and Dinah: 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 Betty Curtis bp 1.3.1773 South Perrott William Curtis bp 16.6.1776 South Perrott                          bur 21.4.1784 South Perrott James/Joseph? Curtis bp 5.9.1779 South Perrot                                         bur 25.4.1782 South Perrott 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) We cannot find any record of the burial fo Roger.  There is a Roger Curtis burried at Corscombe St Mary on 17th Feb, 1824, aged 73 (this would make him born abt 1751).  This is likely to be a different Roger. 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. 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.

Charles Curtis was born in 1853 at Mosterton.  He married Georgina Perry, daughter of Francis Perry and Lucy, in 1876. They had the following children: Augustus Charles Curtis (butcher)  bp 27.5.1877 Mosterton George Francis Perry Curtis (butcher) born 1878 Broadwindsor (known as Francis) Mable Curtis born 1882 Reginald Curtis born abt 1883 Daisy Curtis born abt 1885 Florence Curtis born 1887 Islington? Sometime before 1881, Charles, Georgina and Charles' brother Robert Groves moved to Islington. The birth place of these children may narrow that move, to between 1878 and 1881.  In 1881 they were living at 405 Liverpool Road, Islington.  Robert and Charles' younger brother William was also a butcher and living with them.  Apparently, the meat was originally  supplied from Dorset but we do not know for how long this continued. By 1901, the family were living in Tottenham. I have recently discovered, through the internet, the grand-daughter of Augustus Charles Curtis; Vicki Harris, and we hope to pool our resources and continue the search beyond Roger. Thanks Vicki and John, for your help, so far.  Robert Groves Curtis was born on 22nd September 1858 at Mosterton. Robert and his brother Charles (above) moved to Islington to set up a butcher's shop. In 1887 Robert married Sarah Jane Bugler, daughter of Thomas Bugler and Ann Perry at Weymouth.  They had two children: Augustus Thomas George Curtis born 6.11.1888 Highbury (my great grandfather)                                                                 m 1908 to Louisa Gravatt (born 9.3.1887 Islington)                                                                 d 10.5.1962 Worthing Ethel Violet Curtis born 1894 Islington                                    m ? Len Renolds It is believed that the family ended up with two or three butcher shops in the Islington area and that they were sold about 1922.  This would be about the time when Robert's wife Sarah died at 19 Narford Road, Upper Clapton.  Robert died in December 1940 at Hackney Hospital.  Both are buried in Abney Park Cemetry.

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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