william thomas currie

[lilac care]

I would be grateful to hear from anyone who knows about the family of The Rev William Thomas Currie, born Co Derry in 1863. Who were his parents? Did he have any siblings? He married a Queenie Spreull in 18796 and went to New Zealand in 1904. How many children did they have?

[aghadowey]

Welcome to Rootschat. Currie is a common Co Londonderry surname and civil registration of births in Ireland started 1864. To trace the family in Ireland you'll need to know both their religion (to search for church records) and where they lived (parish if not actual townland).
Fortunately ministers can be fairly easy to trace. William T. Currie was minister of Ballywatt Presbyterian Church (outside Coleraine)- lic. Coleraine Presbytery, ordained 31 Mar.1891, emigrated to N.Z. 1904 according to History of Congregations.
Another source, The Presbytery of Coleraine, gives more details: William Thomas Currie, from Ballinteer and member of 1st Dunboe "though the family presumably had been Covenanters [Reformed Presbyterian] for in the Presbytery minutes in 1881 his older brother Samuel was accepted by the Presbytery as a student from the Reformed Church.
Rev. Samuel Curry (later D.D.) ordained 1st Dunboe 1883 as missionary to N.Z.
A sister married Joseph Longwell of Waverley Terrace in Coleraine.
William Thomas Currie married 1896 Queene (only daughter of Dr. John Spruell, Richmond, Vrginia, U.S.A.) and had a son and a daughter.

[aghadowey]

Sarah Currie m.1898 Co. Derry to Joseph Longwell.

Picture of Queenie Spreull mentioned in Virginia collection here:
www.vahistorical.org/research/photo_individuals_s.htm

1891 Census for Scotland lists Queenie Spreull born Virginia with parents John (born Lerwick, Shetland) and Mary (born Virgnia) as well as brothers James & George (also born Viriginia) and sister Bessie (born Scotland).

Added- marriage of William and Queenie seems to have taken place in Scotland (which makes sense if her family were living there). Scottish marriage certificates have lots of details like names of both parents. See Scotland's People website to purchase credits to view certificate.

[qattusakat]

I am also looking for information on William and Queenie - I have their lineage downwards - but am looking for anything before them - their parents, grandparents etc

William Thomas Currie m. Queenie Spreull
b. 1863 Clergyman

- had a son John Viera Spreull Currie who married Mary Donaldson Semple

- John Viera and Mary had son John Lennox Currie married to Patricia Roberts - my grandparents

[NZ Kiwi]

Hi All,
I have just found a newspaper cutting from NZ were the Rev William Thomas Currie married his nephew in Auckland NZ as follows:


Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 215, 8 September 1917, Page 12
MARRIAGES.
Currie-Ross On September 5th at St Andrew's Church Symond Street Auckland by the Rev William Currie (Uncle of the bride groom) Edward Currie Lieutenant N.Z.D.C, thirid son of John Currie, Ponsonby, to Marjorie Constance, second daughter of G. R. Ross, Stanley Point. Devonport.

That would make Rev William Currie a brother to my Currie family, John Currie who married Sarah Keyes and Joseph Lyons Currie who married Sarah's sister Eliza Jane Keyes.
I know that John & Joseph was from Coleraine Ireland in fact both brothers married there before leaving for NZ

Apart from this cutting I have no proof as yet that this is correct, would love to hear back what others have.
Thanks.
Noel

[lilac care]

I have found an immigration record for Joseph Curry, aged 28 farm labourer from Derry arriving on the Dover Castle with assisted immigration on 27th May 1875. He is accompanied by Eliza Jane, aged 23 and George, aged 1.

I have found a record for the death of Joseph Lyons Curry in the New Zealand BMDs in 1917.

There are cemetery records for Waikaraka (Area 1 Block 1 Lot No 144B for John Currie died 17.04.1921 aged 70. The transcribed inscription reads "In loving memoery of John Currie died 17 April 1921 aged 70 yrs. And his dearly loved wife Sarah died 11 Nov 1932 aged 80 yrs. Also their beloved sons John Guthrie died 10 Nov 1932 aged 37 yrs. And William Alexander died 9 Jan 1926 aged 42 yrs."

This is all very exciting! I thought I had lost the trail on the Curries. If you can identify any other children for William Guthrie Curry and Isabella I would love to know!

[NZ Kiwi]

Have a look at my web site on the following link opening at the Currie surname list: http://homepages.vodafone.co.nz/~noelkeyes/names3.htm#currie.

Still looking into see if William Thomas Currie was a brother to John & Joseph, can anyone confirm this.
I have found the graves in the Otahuhu Cemetery as below and as luck happens I am traveling to Auckland tomorrow and will only be a stones throw away from the Otahuhu Cemetery so will see if I can find the graves and take some photos.
They have made a typo error in entering the data online Lula should be Lulu, I have some other info on Lulu and her brother that I will post later on in the week as I have to look for it.

Name  CURRIE, WILLIAM THOMAS 
Details M: died 20-05-1930: aged 67 
Place Otahuhu 
Location Area 2 Lot No 635 
Remarks Burial Register has aged 67 yrs died 20.5.1930
 Transcription " Rev. W T Currie, died May 30, 1930, also Maria Elizabeth Spreull Currie, died 15th Dec, 1961. Lula Annette Currie, died 10th March 1964." 

Name  CURRIE, MARIA EIZABETH S 
Details F: died 15-12-1961: 
Place Otahuhu 
Location Area 2 Lot No 635 
Remarks Burial Register has aged -- died 15.12.1961
 Transcription " Rev. W T Currie, died May 30, 1930, also Maria Elizabeth Spreull Currie, died 15th Dec, 1961. Lula Annette Currie, died 10th March 1964." 

Name  CURRIE, LULA ANNETTE 
Details F: died 10-03-1964: 
Place Otahuhu 
Location Area 2 Lot No 635 
Remarks Burial Register has aged -- died 10.3.1964
 Transcription " Rev. W T Currie, died May 30, 1930, also Maria Elizabeth Spreull Currie, died 15th Dec, 1961. Lula Annette Currie, died 10th March 1964." 

[lilac care]

Yep, I had the cemetery records for William Thomas, thank you. Actually, Lula is right - it's not Lulu. Isabel was known as Sybil and I gather she was killed in a house fire in Dunedin.There was another daughter, Queen Marea Ramos (b. 1906) married Kenneth Arnold North in 1931 and they had a son, Roger Kenneth, who suffered from microcephaly and died from an epileptic fit in 1954, aged 17. He was resident at the Farm School, Templeton. Queen died on 20th December 1970 at Mercy Hospital Palmerston North of intestinal cancer. Kenneth died in 1991.

Your tree links up to the wrong Currie, which is worrying! But Guthrie is the second given name of William Thomas's father, William Guthrie Curry.

Have you found the Rev Samuel Wilson Currie? He is the Rev William Thomas' brother. He married a Katherine (possibly Fleming). Their daughter, Hilda, married into the Milne missionary family and their son was William Fleming Currie, a surgeon. they also had a daughter, Kate. They were also in New Zealand.

There is also a son, Adam, who went to New Zealand and then came back to Glasgow (they appear on the 1901 census). His wife was Maggie and they had five children: Lizzie, Mary, William, Esther and Sarah. I think it was Esther who married a Mr Wilson and was a witness at the marriage of my grandparents, Vieira and Mary Donaldson (nee Semple).

I have tracked three sisters: Annie, who married Robert McClelland, Margaret, who remained unmarried, Esther, who married Robert Hyndeman, and Sarah, who married Joseph Longwell. They all stayed in N. Ireland and can be found on censuses for 1901 and 1911.

I wonder if a Dr Robert Currie on the 1901 and 1911 census is also a brother.

There is also a Catherine Currie, who appears on the 1901 census as a widow, with two children, Isabella and Samuel. I think she is a sister-in-law of my great grandfather.

You might be interested to read my grandfather's WW1 diary. It is to be found on the Europeana website. His name was Vieira John Spreull Currie.

Good luck in Auckland (my father's birthplace!)

[NZ Kiwi]

Well back again from Auckland and sorry that I have no cemetery info as it never stopped raining or blowing while in Auckland and did not feel like walking around a cemetery in the pouring rain sorry perhaps next time.
OK Lula Lulu info the paper must have got that one wrong (a typo) as I did see her name printed as LuLu my mistake - sorry.
Now I am most interested were you say my tree links up with the wrong Curries as far as I was aware in my research I had it correct however could you please advise as I do agree if I have got it wrong it is a worry.
Just to make it clear I have never said for sure that John and Joseph Currie was any relation to the Rev William Currie, I was only exploring the possibility as the Currie/Ross wedding notice states married by Rev William Currie uncle of the bride groom.