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Messages - iggie23

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United States of America / Re: James Neil Currie
« on: Wednesday 07 May 14 03:36 BST (UK)  »
Hi Ambly

I've been looking at everything for so long, it's helpful to have a new perspective.  Thank you.

I agree that Neis is probably Neil.  You are correct that his mother's birthplace is given as Scotland, and his father's birthplace is given as Ireland.  His father was in fact born in Scotland.

The family eventually moved back to the family home.  The youngest daughter Ruby never married and she lived in the family home at 684 Balliol Street until her death in 1997.

As for the daughter Julia Saunders, when she moved back, she brought her two young children with her.  I can't find any info on what happened to her husband Cecil Saunders (Sanders).  She too eventually moved back to the family home at 684 Balliol Street.  She was living with them at the time of the murder in 1922.

After Julia Currie's release from jail, she worked in a fish and chip store on Dundas Avenue, and she lived above it.  She eventually returned to her home on Balliol Street.  I remember visiting that house as a child/teenager but my memories of it have faded.  I remember it had a huge yard, and the house seemed to be divided.  I don't mean like two apartments, but it was somehow "blocked off."  It was very odd, and I don't really know how better to describe the set up. 

I realize that immigration dates can be off, but in James' case they have varied greatly, sometimes by several years and he has given different ship names for his voyage to Canada. 

My grandmother told me that one of James' sons took the blame for something his father did, but she didn't tell me what happened.  I've often wondered if that was a reason for one of his disappearances.

Family members didn't want to talk about James.  I remember one relative trying to talk about James and everyone getting very upset and angry.  The trouble that James got into went far beyond the incest, and physical abuse at home.   


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United States of America / Re: James Neil Currie
« on: Tuesday 06 May 14 02:29 BST (UK)  »
Thanks for all the info.  If James married Hazel when she was 25, the marriage would have been approx. 1926.  This would have been after his release from jail, and the period of time that we can't account for his whereabouts.

On September 28, 1922, James' wife Julia was charged with the murder of her 16 month old daughter Pearl.  James was arrested and charged with incest.  In October 1922, James pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years in jail plus lashes.  His daughters and sons testified to the horrors at home.  Julia  has no memory of what she had done.  She was in a mental health facility until April, 1925.  Julia went on trial in May, 1925 and was eventually found not guilty by reason of temporary insanity.  The doctors believe that the shock of finding out about what James had done had pushed her over the edge. The judge called the case one of the most tragic in Toronto history.
   
The Toronto Star newspaper covered the story extensively.  The original story and photos can be found on the front page of the September 28, 1922 edition.

James had disappeared many times, only to reappear and terrorize his family. 

At the time of the 1921 Canada census, James took his family from their home on Balliol Street and moved them to George Street (still in Toronto).  He lied on the census and gave their last name as Neis.  I believe he came up with the name by changing the "l" in Neil to an "s".  He came to Canada in 1903 from Scotland.  He lied and said he came to Canada in 1904.  He said his parents were both born in Ireland, but they were really born in Scotland.  I found him by searching for his married daughter.  His daughter and her two children are listed as boarders in his house.  It doesn't make sense that his daughter would return home with her children, knowing the abuse that he inflicted.  Something happened that caused James to go into hiding.  At this point, I wouldn't be shocked at anything that James did.

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United States of America / James Neil Currie
« on: Sunday 04 May 14 01:11 BST (UK)  »
I'm trying to find out what happened to James Neil Currie.  He was born in Glasgow Scotland on March 12, 1878.  He arrived in Canada in 1903 and lived in York (Toronto) Ontario with his wife Julia and their many children.  He deserted his family on multiple occasions to live in the USA.  His wife died in June, 1947.  The last trace I can find of him is a border crossing to the USA at Niagara/Buffalo in 1946.  The document said that he was returning to the USA after visiting his married daughter in Toronto.  I'm trying to find out when and where he died.  He was in trouble several times and served time in prison in Canada.  He gave the name of Mike Cair of Buffalo as his contact.

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Scotland / Re: Help....can't find James Currie's mother!
« on: Saturday 03 May 14 00:15 BST (UK)  »
Thanks to everyone for all the help.  I'm researching from Canada using ancestry.ca, family search, and the resources of my local library.  James Neil Currie, his wife Julia Hilley Currie, and their children lived in York (Toronto) Ontario.  The family home was on Balliol Street, and their youngest daughter Ruby (who never married) lived there until her death in 1997.  James was always deserting the family for extended periods of time.  He spent a lot of time across the border in the Buffalo/Niagara area of New York state.  The 1921 Canada census is now available and it was difficult to track the family down.  Apparently they were trying not to be found.  James lied about the family name and their last name is given as Neis.  They had left their family home on Balliol Street and they were living at 278 George Street.  James Neis is listed as head of the house, and his wife Julia was listed along with their children Mary, John, George, Frances, Walter, Robina (Ruby), and Pearl.  The way I found them was by searching for their married daughter Julia Saunders.  Julia Saunders was back living with her parents and she had her two children with her.  I haven't been able to find out what happened to Julia's husband Cecil Saunders.  At the time of the 1921 census, their son James was an inmate at the Toronto Industrial Farm for stealing cars, and his home address was given as 278 George Street.  On September 28, 1922, the family made headlines in all the Toronto newspapers.  The youngest child Pearl was murdered in the family home on Balliol Street.  Julia Hilley Currie was charged with murder.  A couple of days after her arrest, she was transferred to a mental health facility.  She was kept there until April, 1925.  She went on trial in May, 1925 and she was found not guilty by reason of temporary insanity.  The judge called this one of the most sordid, tragic cases in Toronto history.  Julia's husband James Neil Currie was charged with incest and was sentenced to two years in jail plus lashes.  The doctors at the mental health facility said that the shock of finding out about  about what James had done had pushed her over the edge, and she had no recollection of the murder.  The Toronto Star newspaper has extensive coverage of the case.  The story can be found on the front page of the newspaper on September 28, 1922 (evening edition).  I had heard about what had happened years ago, but it was still a shock to see the actual newspaper coverage.  I'm still trying to find out what happened to James.  He crossed the border into the United States in 1946, and then disappeared.  I'm also trying to find out why he used an assumed name on the 1921 Canada census.  As well as lying about his last name, he lied about the year he immigrated (he said it was in 1904 instead of 1903) and he said that his parents were both born in Ireland.  Obviously he was hiding from someone or something.  This also makes me wonder if he had been in any trouble in Scotland.  There is a lot of mystery surrounding James.  My grandmother told me that one of James' sons took the blame for something that the father did, but she didn't tell me what it was.  My grandmother had married into the family, and I think she wanted to tell me, but couldn't do it.  I know the original post was about finding James Currie's mother, but this tells some of what happened to her son James and his family in Canada.  It makes me wonder if there is a criminal history in Scotland of the Currie family.

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Scotland / Re: Help....can't find James Currie's mother!
« on: Monday 17 March 14 23:32 GMT (UK)  »
I have been searching for the parents of James Neil Currie, as well as trying to find out what became of him.  He was my great grandfather.  He was born in March 1878, and he married Julia Hilley who was born Nov 20, 1877.  Julia came to Canada on the Corinthian in Sept 1903, along with her children Margaret, Mary, Julia, Ellen (Nellie), Agnes, and James.  James Neil Currie arrived in Canada a couple of months before his wife.  They settled in Toronto and had several more children: John (Jack), George, Francis, Walter, and Robina (Ruby).  There were two children who died as infants: Elizabeth and Thomas.  There was also a baby named Pearl who was killed under tragic circumstances at the age of 1 1/2.  I know that James Neil Currie served time in prison, as did his son James.  James Neil has lied numerous times in an attempt to avoid detection, at one point using the last name "Neis."  I'm also trying to find out what happened to James Neil Currie.  The last I can find of him was a record of a border crossing to the USA in 1946.  My dad said that he died there, but I can't confirm it.  Julia Hilley Currie passed away on June 8, 1947.

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