Susan Curtis

Other Events:

• Military: American Civil War - chaplin
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-73877
• Occupation: 1840, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; potter
• Occupation: 1851, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1857, Olive Township, Elkhart Co., Indiana

Notes:

B. S. Curtis, father of subject, was married in Canada, and there made his home until 1857. He was a potter by trade. While a resident of Canada he was quite prominent in politics, was justice of the peace for about twelve years, and held other local positions. In 1857 he emigrated to Olive township, Elkhart Co., Ind., and settled on a farm of 100 acres which was partly improved. Previous to this, in 1845, while residing in Canada, he became a minister of the Gospel, and was active in this noble work for twenty years. In the year 1864 he enlisted as chaplain of the One Hundred and Forty-second Indiana, and remained with that regiment until the close of the war. He was in a number of prominent engagements, and served his country faithfully. Returning from the war, he turned his attention to the improvement of his farm. He also carried on his ministerial duties for a number of years. After residing in Elkhart county, Ind. , for twenty-two years, he passed to his final reward on October 20, 1886. In politics he was a "black Abolitionist," bitter against slavery, and a firm believer in the rights of the negro to have freedom.

After coming to this country he held no public offices, but was ever a public-spirited man, interested in educational as well as religious affairs. Socially he was a Master Mason. In 1880 he left Elkhart county, went to La Grange county, this State, and later to Reed City, Mich., where he died. He was a man of some property and was generous and free hearted, giving freely of his means to support all good enterprises. His wife was a native of Canada, and the eldest of four children born to Mr. Kupland, the other children being Elizabeth, Susan and Levi. Her death occurred in 1885. Mr. and Mrs. Curtis were the parents of seven children, two dying when small; Clara, now Mrs. Frank; Freedman; Susan died when small; Leah, married Joseph Musser, and they make their home in Harrison township, this county; Elizabeth, married and resides in Van Buren county, Mich., on a farm (she has a family); Berton, died when a small boy; Clanden (subject), and Julia. The latter resides in Branch county, Mich., and married Adam Heltzel, a farmer.


Pictorial and Biographical Memoirs of Elkhart and St. Joseph Counties Indiana, together with biographies of many prominent men of northern Indiana and of the whole state, both living and dead (1893), pg 378

Burton married Elisabeth Koplin 29 Jul 1841, Greenbush (Kitchener), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. Elisabeth (daughter of Koplin) was born Abt 1818, of, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 1885. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Elisabeth Curtis
• Name: Elisabeth Kaplin
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-73878
• Residence: 1840, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada

Other Events:

• Military: War of 1812
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-86933
• Occupation: 1834, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; potter
• Occupation: 1861, South Easthope Twp., Perth Co., Ontario, Canada; potter

Notes:

NEW LAND REGISTRY RECORDS: WATERLOO NORTH
by Brenda Merriman

An "unheralded" discovery in Record Group 61 at the Ontario Archives (AO) has been catalogued there in a finding aid called Preliminary Inventory of Property Rights Registration, RG 61. First let me say that this finding aid is an attempt by AO to catalogue everything in their institution that relates to local county land registry offices. This includes not only original material, but also microfilm copies that the LS Church made yeas go in those registry offices, and copybooks of deeds.

Original copybooks of deeds have been and will continue to be distributed from the custody of AO to regional libraries (e.g. those for Waterloo County at the University of Waterloo; for Wellington County at the University of Guelph. We have heard some details about this in earlier issues of Branch Notes.) It is perhaps unclear to many people that microfilmed copies of these copybooks for all counties have been available for searching for years past at AO. County copybooks generally ended in 1847 when property registration started to become recorded in township copybooks. However, just to confuse the issue, some township copybooks refer to deeds made much earlier than 1847.

What Ryan Taylor's eagle eye spotted in an article by Ian Wilson, Archivist of Ontario, was a reference to many original unregistered documents of the Waterloo North Land Registry Office. Upon investigation with some aid from Richard Ramsay, the Archivist in charge of land registry office collections, I had a look at a box (#3) stuffed with these documents which had not gone through the relatively expensive legal process of registration, but had been stored at the office.

As just a small example of the content, the first document in Box 3 was dated 19 March 1830, a sale by Jacob ERB Sr. to Samuel BOWERS (both of Waterloo Township) of part of lot 20 concession 3 for the construction of a sawmill and pond. An apprenticeship document was dated 11 Oct 1834 whereby George McCONNELL of Berlin agreed to work for and serve Gad CURTIS, potter in Berlin, for a period of one year......<sup>1

1</sup>Branch Notes, newsletter of the Waterloo-Wellington Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Vol. 16 No. 3

_______________________________

Clanden K. Curtis, a substantial farmer of Union township, Elkhart Co., Ind., resides in the northeastern part of the township, eight and one-half miles from Goshen, where he receives his mail. He was born in Canada West, or Ontario, July 27, 1850, and was the eldest son born to B. S. and Elizabeth (Kopland) Curtis. B. S. Curtis was a native of Orange county, N. Y., born May 20. 1815, and the son of Gad and Mary (Hitchcock) Curtis. Gad Curtis was a New Yorker by birth, born March. 1791, and was reared and married in his native State. Soon after his marriage he went to Canada, and reared a family of children, five of whom were boys, viz. : Burtin S. ; Clanden; Julia, who married a Mr. Jacob Wismer; Gad; Milin; Margaret and Moses. Of these children our subject's father was the eldest.

The Curtis family is of English origin. Gad Curtis served in the War of 1812, and lived to a good old age, passing away in 1869. He was a strong and powerful man, even in his old age. His wife was a New York lady, and she, too. lived to an advanced age. The family emigrated to Canada at an early day and there the children grew up, married, and scattered. The second son. Clanden. became a minister of the Evangelical Association. He has reared a family, and still lives in New York State. Julia is a member of the Church of England. B. S. Curtis, father of subject, was married in Canada, and there made his home until 1857. He was a potter by trade. While a resident of Canada he was quite prominent in politics, was justice of the peace for about twelve years, and held other local positions.

In 1857 he emigrated to Olive township, Elkhart Co., Ind., and settled on a farm of 100 acres which was partly improved. Previous to this, in 1845, while residing in Canada, he became a minister of the Gospel, and was active in this noble work for twenty years. In the year 1864 he enlisted as chaplain of the One Hundred and Forty-second Indiana, and remained with that regiment until the close of the war. He was in a number of prominent engagements, and served his country faithfully. Returning from the war, he turned his attention to the improvement of his farm. He also carried on his ministerial duties for a number of years. After residing in Elkhart county, Ind. , for twenty-two years, he passed to his final reward on October 20, 1886. In politics he was a "black Abolitionist," bitter against slavery, and a firm believer in the rights of the negro to have freedom.

After coming to this country he held no public offices, but was ever a public-spirited man, interested in educational as well as religious affairs. Socially he was a Master Mason. In 1880 he left Elkhart county, went to La Grange county, this State, and later to Reed City, Mich., where he died. He was a man of some property and was generous and free hearted, giving freely of his means to support all good enterprises. His wife was a native of Canada, and the eldest of four children born to Mr. Kupland, the other children being Elizabeth, Susan and Levi. Her death occurred in 1885. Mr. and Mrs. Curtis were the parents of seven children, two dying when small; Clara, now Mrs. Frank; Freedman; Susan died when small; Leah, married Joseph Musser, and they make their home in Harrison township, this county; Elizabeth, married and resides in Van Buren county, Mich., on a farm (she has a family); Berton, died when a small boy; Clanden (subject), and Julia. The latter resides in Branch county, Mich., and married Adam Heltzel, a farmer. They have a family. Clanden K. Curtis remained in Canada until seven years of age, and then came with his parents to Indiana.

His early days were passed on the farm and in the school room, and when nineteen years of age he started out to make his own way in life. As he had been reared to farming, it was but natural perhaps that he should choose that as his occupation in life, and he engaged in tilling the soil on his father's place. Later he moved to another county, resided there for eight years, and then returned to this county, where he settled in Union township or a farm of 208 acres. He has now resided on this place for about thirteen years, and it is one of the best improved places in the county, and the largest tract owned in the township. Farming and stockraising have been his chief occupation, and he has met with good success.

For sixteen years Mr. Curtis has been a member of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ, and for the past eight or nine years he has been preaching, part of the time in Michigan, where he now has a charge. He devoted a large part of his time to the church, and hopes in the future to devote his entire time to the good work. In politics Mr. Curtis is a Republican, and is deeply interested in the affairs of his State and country, particularly in educational matters. He was married in June, 1869, to Miss Leah Blosser, a native of Mahoning county, Ohio, born November 27, 1850, and one of eight children born to Reuben and Barbara (Metsler) Blosser. Her brothers and sisters were named as follows: John, Tobias, Abraham, Peter, Elizabeth, Samuel, Scotland Noah. All but John, Tobias and Samuel, are still living. When fifteen years of age Mrs. Curtis went to Canada with her mother, her father having died many years before, and settled on a farm. In 1869 she was married to Mr. Curtis. She was a member of the Mennonite Church, and died on January 25, 1879, leaving four children: Lucinda, who was born in 1870, and who is now the wife of Samuel Hoover, of Harrison township, and the mother of one child, Armilla, who was born December 3, 1891; Ella, who was born August 22, 1871, and is now in Chicago; Joseph, born June 3, 1873, is at home; and Barbara, born May 22, 1877, is at home. Mr. Curtis was married September 22, 18-- , to Miss Rebecca Blosser. a cousin of his first wife, and a daughter of Peter and Mary A. (Reed) Blosser. Mrs. Curtis was born October 27, 1850, in Mahoning county, Ohio, and was one of three children, the others being Amos and Susan. She came to this county with her parents about forty years ago, and her father died in 1855 or 1860. To Mr. and Mrs. Curtis have been born six children, as follows: Viola, born October 8, 1882; Eva C, born February 14, 1884; Otho, born February 12, 1886; Ruel M., born September 20, 1889; and a boy baby, born June 4, 1892. Mr. and Mrs. Curtis are among the representative citizens of the county and are highly esteemed by all.


Pictorial and Biographical Memoirs of Elkhart and St. Joseph Counties Indiana, together with biographies of many prominent men of northern Indiana and of the whole state, both living and dead (1893), pg 378

Gad married Mary Hitchcock , New York State, USA. Mary was born Abt 1790, Of, New York State; died Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Mary Curtis
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-115468

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-86935