Person Page 3,679

Obituary -- The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Illinois; Monday, 29 JUL 1946, p.5 (Newspapers.com):

Sylvester N. Curry

ELLSWORTH. -- Sylvester N. Cuyrr (sic), 85, died at 6:05 a.m. Sunday at St. Joseph's hospital. The body was taken to the Beck Memorial home. Funeral services will be held at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Methodist church in Ellsworth. Interment will be in Frankeberger cemetery.

He was born Jan. 14, 1861, the son of George W. and Mariah Irwin Curry. He was married to Mary Elizabeth Riddle April 27, 1884. She died in 1904. He served for many years as highway commissioner of Arrowsmith Township and was a member of the Sangamon school board.

Surviving are three sons, Clifton, Jefferson, Ia.; Clyde C. and Norris, Colfax; two daughters, Mrs. Gussie Brown, of California and Mrs. Harry Marquardt, 1107 Fell avenue, Bloomington, with whom he made his home; one brother, John R. Curry, Boone, Ia.; one sister, Mrs. Arthur McCullom, Grand Junction, Ia.; nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren. One daughter preceded him in death.

He was a member of the Ellsworth Methodist church and of the IOOF lodge.

OBITUARY OF JAMES ALBERT CURRY, SR:

J. A. Curry 78 dies in hospital at Lincoln. Burial to be at Lynden.

JA Curry 78 died Saturday evening at 9:20 in the Deaconess Hospital at Lincoln, Illinois. He had been ill for 3 days of a heart ailment. The body was removed to The Dudley Mortuary in Prophetstown where friends may call.(He died of myocardial failure, mitral insufficiency)

Funeral services will be held Tuesday at 2 p.m. in The Dudley Chapel with Reverend LC Campbell pastor of the Congregational Church officiating. Burial will be in Lynden Cemetery.

James Albert Curry was born October 9th, 1864, at Lawrenceville, Illinois the son of George William and Maria Irvin Curry. He was married to Emma Isadora Riggs March 31st, 1889. He later married Irene Althea Bull who died January 25th, 1932. He was a resident of this state except for one year spent in Colorado, (In La Junta, Colorado, 4 months prior to having first child, Charles Bernard in Jan 26, 1890, so would have been there about Sept/Oct of 1889. If they spent a year there they could have left about Sept/Oct 1890) a year and a half in Kansas, (Could have then been in Kansas between May/June of 1891 or later in year until birth of daughter, Fern, on Nov. 11, 1892), and two years in Indiana.

Survivors from his first marriage include three sons, William Albert, of Langdon, North Dakota, Taylor R. and Warren are of Prophetstown, three daughters, Mrs. Forest Lyon and Mrs. Charles Sibley of Prophetstown, and Mrs Loyal Hammer of Morrison, as well as three children by the latter marriage James Albert, Leila Belle, and Norma Jeanne of Lincoln. Also surviving are three brothers, Sylvester of Bloomington, John R. of Boone, and Kyle of Jefferson, Iowa, as well 1 sister Mrs. Lou McCollum of Grand Junction, Iowa. He also is survived by 15 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by an infant son of his first marriage, (Charles Bernard born Jan. 26, 1890, Ill.), a brother George, and a sister Nancy.

Per Rosalind Pellikaan:

I spoke to Dorothy Curry Rush on Jan 16, 2021, and she said James Albert, Sr. is buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Prophetstown, Ill., and Lynden is across the Rock River from Prophetstown a few miles.

Information from Rosalind Pellikaan's research:

On Mar 31, 1889, James Albert Curry married Emma Isadora Rigg,(b. 3 Dec 1861 in Mt.Carmel, Ill.) daughter of Charles Rigg and Gabrella Brown, at Mount Carmel, Wabash Co., IL., at the home of her parents.

At this time James was living in Ellsworth, Dawson Township, McClean Co., Ill, age 24. Emma was living in Maude, Wabash Co., Ill., age 27. (The couple met in Coolidge,(most likely), Hamilton Co., Kansas, when Emma was homesteading with her sister. Her older sisters's names were Rachel Ellen, Eliza Marie, Sarah Priscella, and Annie Melissa, however, it is unknown which sister lived in Coolidge, Hamilton Co., Kansas. It is evident that the couple went back to Illinois after they married, as they had their son, Charles Bernard, there on Jan.26, 1890.

On Jan 26, 1890, James and Emma Isadora had a son, Charles Bernard, in Ill. He died Feb 1, 1890. (1890 Census unavailable). After Charles Bernard died, they may have visited Emma's sister in Kansas again on their way to LaJunta, Colorado, (possibly March,1891), about 4 months before having their next child William Albert Curry, Jr., Aug. 17, 1891, in LaJunta, Otero Co., Colorado. (According to Emma Isadora's obituary the couple lived in Colorado a year and a half), (possibly leaving Colorado after William Albert Curry, Jr. was born in Aug, 1891 and possibly returning to Coolidge, Kansas, to Emma's sister's place.)

On Aug 17, 1891, the couple had a son, William Albert Curry, Jr., in LaJunta, Otero Co., Colorado. They were in Colorado 4 months prior to his birth, possibly March, 1891. They lived in Colorado 1 1/2 years, returned to Coolidge, Kansas after William Albert was born, staying in Kansas for a year.

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After Irene died, James first hired a housekeeper to care for the children, then he placed them in the Mount Carmel Orphanage in Whiteside County in 1937. It was a conservative religious institution. He later moved them to the Odd Fellows Orphanage in Lincoln, Illinois, where he found work, and the children were well cared for and graduated from the public school system there, per James' granddaughter Rosalind Pellikaan. Some of the children of James' first marriage maintained contact with the children of his second marriage.

MEMORIES OF HIS DAUGHTER LELIA:

Sept. 19, 1989 Divorce papers were obtained on James A. Curry and Emma Isadora Rigg Curry which occurred May 5 or 12, 1926. these are in the Curry file.

Oct. 19, 1989 James A. Curry made sugar cookies and gooseberry pie for Fern and also Lelia when they were growing up.

Feb. 8, 1990 James A. always dressed up for holidays and walked to the orphanage in the freezing cold to be with his children. James Albert, Jr. and Lelia Belle lived there 11 years and Norma Jeanne lived there for 12 years.

NOTE FROM ROSALIND -- My mother, Lelia, remembered her father was loving to them. She recalled thinking that when she saw him haul foundation blocks in a wheel barrow he would stack them in rows as high as your head in the sweltering heat. She wanted to grow up in a hurry and take care of her dear father. He was a terrific gardener and hoed it with a harrow that had a V-shaped blade to turn ground for planting.

He built a mobile home himself and moved to Lincoln, Ill in 1937. He had bad luck with the hills around Peoria, Ill., pulling the trailer. It overturned before he made it into Lincoln. He tried to sell his garden vegetables and the officials threatened to place him in jail for not buying a license to sell them. He supported himself at the advanced age of 78. He also never went to town without being quite tidy and never showed up there in overalls or dirt on him. When he came for his last meal with us he brought his appetite and wore a nice suit and tie, but he was very shaky coming in from the cold. He never gave up, and he always saw that we had a good home and visit often.

Obituary -- The Daily Oklahoman, 18 MAY 1986, p.31:

GRAHAM

Katherine Elizabeth, died May 15, 1986 at Mercy Hospital. She came to Oklahoma City in 1945 at which time she was a helpmate to her husband through Law School. She then worked as a Legal Secretary in his practice until her demise. She is survived by her husband, Randle L. Graham J.D., daughter Janice G. Morton D.D.S., sons Randle L. Graham II, J.D. of Oklahoma City and Gregory Joe Graham J.D. of Denver, Colorado. Grandchildren, Angela Graham, Matthew Graham, Shawn Morton, Holly Graham, Melissa Graham, and Nathan Graham. A host of relatives and friends. Services will be at Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, 1 PM Monday, May 19, 1986, with burial at Resurrection Cemetery.