Joan Rachel Darr - my brick wall ?!

[flopster]

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.

[*Sandra*]

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

[shellyesq]

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.

[shellyesq]

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?

[flopster]

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.

[flopster]

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.

[shellyesq]

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.   

[flopster]

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 

[*Sandra*]

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