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Research in Other Countries => United States of America => US Lookup Requests => Topic started by: flopster on Tuesday 14 August 12 08:03 BST (UK)
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Hello .. I am desperately looking for help with this one ...
I am looking for any information on my grandfather Salvatore (Salvan; Sam) Curcio s first wife, my biological grandmother.
After a few years I have finally been able to get a name, Joan Rachel Darr, she must have married my grandfather between 1943 and 1946, it is possible that she was married before, with children, so she might have had a different name when marrying Salvatore. She passed away sometime between 1948 and 1960 (though
i cant find anything in the social security death index). They lived in Schenectady NY - I think, but I have no idea where she came from.
I am looking for her dob, parents, date of death .. just anything really.
Thank you for any help you might be able to offer I really appreciate it.
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Hi flopster,
Unlikely you would find a SSDI entry. About 98% of the data included in the Index dates from 1962.
1962 is the year that the SSA began to use a computer database for processing requests for benefits. Many of the earlier records (1937-1962) have never been added to this computerized database.
Sandra
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There are articles in Schenectady newspapers on www.fultonhistory.com with references to Mrs. Joan Curcio from 1945 & 1950. The Jan. 1945 article mentions Salvatore convalescing in France & having joined the service about a year ago, so presumably he married her prior to that. You could request a look-up of the marriage date on the vital records index as described here: http://www.unyg.com/blog/index.php/2008/03/new-york-state-vital-records-microfiche-indexes-update/
There is also an obituary for Joan on fultonhistory.com dated Monday, November 24, 1952 which indicates she died the previous Friday. Her full name was given as Joan Rachel Plunkett Darr Curcio. It says she was born in York, Pennsylvania and she was survived by her husband, children, and her mother, Mrs. Olivia Darr of Pennsylvania.
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The army enlistment record for Salvan S. Curcio of Schenectady indicates that he enlisted on 15 Jan. 1944 and was single without dependents. Maybe he married Joan in between the time that he enlisted & shipped out?
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Hello, thank you for the responses.
I had seen the article about Salvatore, but had not been able to find an obituary..so thank you very much, I will look at it right now.
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Ok, so I have found her parents thanks to the article, and could work out her year of birth.
Since she is called Joan Rachel Plunkett Darr Curcio, would Plunkett be the name of her first husband?
I cannot find a J.R. Darr or Plunkett on the 1940 census.
Her sons Jack and Thomas are from her first marriage , I did not even know she had a daughter.
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I don't know if you saw it, but there was also a death notice for the infant daughter, who died on 29 Nov. 1952. Quite a tragic series of events for your family.
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No I did not see that, will I find that on Fultonhistory too?
I knew she died in childbirth, I was always told however she had had an infant son that died. I had also been told that Joan might have been adopted but nobody seemed sure.
Thank you so much for your help, I have been searching for this information for years.
Any idea how I could find out anything about her life before being called Curcio?
Some relatives told me her name was Myers (or similar) before marrying my grandfather, but where does the Plunkett come from then?
Joan has been confusing me for years ???
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Have you tried looking under Rachel ? Looks like there was a Rachel with Edwin and Olivia on the 1930 Census.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XHCZ-SN5
Olevia A Geiselman Darr - Burial: Christ United Methodist Cemetery Jacobus
York County Pennsylvania.
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0pxr/
Sandra
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Looking at Edwin and Olivia in 1940 Jacobus, York, Pennsylvania shows the Myers boys. Have removed there names incase still living.
Edward E Darr 54 and Olevia Darr 53
Son Myers 6 and Son Myers 4
Alma Geiselman 49
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KQWQ-SST
Sandra
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Thank you :)
I have found her parents, and noticed she is called Rachel in the census.
What I am still trying to figure out is her first husband and where the "Plunkett" comes from.
In a further newspaper article I have now managed to confirm that her first two sons (Jack and Thomas) are called Myers, so this must be the sirname of her first husband, but I seem unable to find out who he was.
Also the adoption rumour has been bugging me, would Plunkett perhaps be the name of her biological parents ???
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Thank you Sandra, that is a big help!!
So I assume they were without their father in 1940 allready!
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Hello again ..
first of all I would like to really thank you for all the help I found here, I really appreciate it and it has helped me fill quite the gap.
However, I am still having big difficulties tracing Joan Rachel (plunkett) Darr.
I cannot find her in the 1920 s census, her parents Edward and Olivia are living alone at this point, but there is a Rachel Plunkett in York, PA living with a Henry and mother (who s name I cant read) Plunkett.
After 1920 I find no more trace of Rachel Plunkett, instead I see Rachel Darr living with E. and O.
Could this be her? Or is it too much of a longshot.
I tried to find out if the Plunkett parents are still around after 1920 or might have passed away, but could not find anything.
Also, who is the father of her first sons J&T Myers?
They live with the Darr grandparents in 1940, but I cannot find Joan in 1940.
Any advice as to where I could look or how to continue??
Thanks for any ideas.
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Thats possibly the right connection - remember looking the other day. From memory Henry & Charlotte appeared in 1921 directory for York. Pennsylvania. Then Henry appeared on his own in 1923 and 1925 directory for York. Pennsylvania.
Never found the girls but wondered if an entry for John Henry Plunkett at the Pennhurst State School in 1930 was the brother. He was J Henry Plunkett in 1920.
Possibly all the girls were adopted ???
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XHD7-QN5
Sandra
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A family named Cramer in Manheim, York have two adopted daughters with them in 1930:
Effie F Cramer aged 15
Beatrice V Cramer aged 13
who may be the two sisters of Rachel Plunkett in 1920.
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Could this be a possibility for John Henry Plunkett ???
John H Plunkett - 5th Janauary 1919 and died 20 December 1996
Service Info.: CPL US ARMY WORLD WAR II
St Denis Cem - 2401 St Denis Lane Havertown, PA 19083
John H. Plunkett 5 Jan 1919 and died 20 December 1996
SSN: 161-03-9537
Last Residence: 19380 West Chester, Chester, Pennsylvania,
SSN was issued in Pennsylvania (Before 1951)
Sandra
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IF John H Plunkett is the right connection - there is anc family tree. Although it gives no further info on th Plunkett family, it gives a wife Regina E. Duffy
Born April 6, 1921 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and died 24 Sep 2000 in West Chester, Pennsylvania (Burial St. Agnes Cemetery, W. Goshen, Pennsylvania)
Couple had 2 sons and a daughter.
Regina E. Plunkett
born 6 th April 1921 and died 24 September 2000
Last Residence: 19380 West Chester, Chester, Pennsylvania,
SSN was issued in Pennsylvania (Before 1951)
Sandra
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Could this be a possibility for Florence Effie ???
Florence E. Cramer - Born: 1 Feb 1915 and Died 11 Oct 1989
SSN was issued in Pennsylvania (Before 1951)
Sandra
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George Alexander Cramer and Maimie M Cramer - the obit for Mamie mentions 2 foster daughters. ???
Mamie - http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=39975685
George Alexander - http://www.rootschat.com/links/0q3j/
Sandra
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??? Joan certainly seems a tough one..
ok, I am starting to get confused, so what do we have for sure?
Her name was definitely Joan Rachel Plunkett Darr , as given in her obituary
She was born about 1915 in York, PA
1920 census: There is no Joan or Rachel Darr, Olevia and Edward Darr are living alone, There is a Rachel R Plunkett (no Joan) living with her father Henry, mother (could anybody read her name on the census?), and siblings.
1930 census: Rachel is living with the Darrs and there is also no sign of her siblings going by the name of Plunkett
She has 2 boys with somebody called Myers
1940 census: again no sign of her and her sons are living with the Darrs.
What happened to the Plunkett parents? Who was Mr.Myers? and where is she in 1940? ??? ???
I have never done research for the PA area before and google hasn't been too big a help, are there any old newspaper archives online I can look at? Is there any way I can find out if she was adopted?
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Reply 13 gives the parents names as in the City Directory - Henry and Charlotte. Perhaps both parents died, hence the adoptions ???
It will probably be difficult to get information on the adoptions, perhaps Shelly will be able to give you a more positive answer on that ???
Family search will show you what marriage/death records are currently available in the USA -
https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list#page=1®ion=UNITED_STATES
Pennsylvania death indexes cover the years from 1906 to 1961 - there is a tutorial on the link below to help you
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,582973.0.html
There is more than a good chance that the Plunkett children have been found in 1930, albeit under adoptive name.
Did you notice that there were other Myers family on the same census sheet as the Darr family in 1940 ?
Marriage of Henry Plunkett and Charlotte Younker -
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VFSL-65P
Search U.S. Newspaper Directory, 1690-Present
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/search/titles/
Thank You
Sandra
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Thank you so much..
I am rather positive now, that this is the Joan (?) Rachel I had been looking for.
Henry Plunkett also appears to have been married before to Ida Fuller in 1808.
And I discovered he was arrested for desertion at least twice in 1911 and 1914.
Also just came across a Henry H Plunkett who died in 1925, so Im assuming thats him.
Charlotte s death I have not been able to find.
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I am wondering if you continue to work on this piece of your family puzzle as I see that you haven't posted in a few years. I came across your post this evening and want you to know that Rachael Plunkett was one of my brick walls for many years. She is my aunt; my mother's (Beatrice Valentine Plunkett Cramer) sister. I never met her because she died before I was born, but I have connected with other members of the family who have helped me to fill in some of the blanks. If you would like some more information about this branch of the Plunketts, please post again. I am more than happy to share the information that I do have. And, by the way, Rachael changed her name to "Joan" at some point along the way. I believe that her adoptive parents changed it but I am not sure. I await your next post. Plunkettsall