John Curran (1867-1944) of Lawrence and Lynn
John Joseph2 Curran (Kate1 Houlihan),
the eldest child of John and Catherine (Kate) (Houlihan) Curran is my first
cousin three times removed (1C3R). He was born 8 February 1867[1]
at the Commons of Milltown, Dingle, County Kerry and baptized on 10 February[2]
of the same year. His sponsors were Thomas Grady and his maternal aunt,
Honora Houlihan.
John left Queenstown aboard the
S S Atlas, which arrived in Boston on 6 May 1883.[3]
He settled first in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He is listed in the Lawrence
City Directory from 1885 to 1894, on Oak Street, first at 202, then 242 and
later, until moving to Lynn, at 261.[4]
His occupation was listed as laborer.
On 24 July, 1888[5]
John married Mary M. Kelleher, daughter of James and Kate (Buckley) Kelleher at
St Mary's Church in Lawrence. Mary was born in Ireland in January 1865.[6]
Witnesses were Bartholomew Creeden and Ellen Curran, John's sister.
The
Augustinian Friars staffed St. Mary’s Church. At the time of John’s
marriage, one of the priests assigned to the parish was Fr. James Curran.
Fr. Curran was born in Milford, Massachusetts, and it is not clear if there was
a family connection.
 |
| St Mary's Church, Lawrence |
On 11 June 1889,[7]
John's daughter Catherine Zita Curran was born in Lawrence. Catherine's
middle name is clearly written as Zither on the Massachusetts Vital Record
ledger, but she used the middle name of Zita later in life. Her mother
had an older sister named Zita, so that is most likely the intended name.
She was baptized on 16 June with only a middle initial which could be
interpreted as a Z. Her sponsors were Michael Shea and her paternal aunt,
Helen (Ellen) Curran.
On 31 January 1891[8],
John and Mary's second daughter, Maggie, was born in Lynn. Maggie died
the same day[9].
I have not located a baptismal record for Maggie.
Sometime between 1891 and 1895, John and Mary moved to Lynn. They are recorded at 45 Amity Street, Lynn
when Maggie was born, and in 1896,[10]
they purchased land and a house at 43 Norton Street.[11] . It is not clear exactly when they
moved, as they were in Lynn when Maggie was born, but are shown as leaving
Lawrence in the city directory in 1895.
In 1892 Edison General Electric company of Schenectady, NY and the Thomson-Houston Company of Lynn merged to form the General Electric Company. As the company grew, it offered security and the opportunity of advancement to its employees. John was one who took advantage of this. The house he purchased in 1896 was a stone's throw from the side gate to the plant. Eventually John became a foreman in the iron foundry. By the time John died in 1944, General Electric employed upwards of 20,000 employees at the Lynn location.[12]
In 1892 Edison General Electric company of Schenectady, NY and the Thomson-Houston Company of Lynn merged to form the General Electric Company. As the company grew, it offered security and the opportunity of advancement to its employees. John was one who took advantage of this. The house he purchased in 1896 was a stone's throw from the side gate to the plant. Eventually John became a foreman in the iron foundry. By the time John died in 1944, General Electric employed upwards of 20,000 employees at the Lynn location.[12]
 |
| 43 Norton Street, Lynn |
On 10 October 1896,[13]
John Joseph Curran was sworn in as a citizen of the United States at U. S.
District Court in Boston. His witnesses were D. F. Eagan and Edward
Ellsworth, both of Lynn. Since he had arrived in the U. S. before the age
of 18, no additional forms were required. The passenger list shows his
age as 14, but he was actually 16.
John's wife Mary died on 11 June 1928,[14]
age 63. He married, as his second wife, Mary Ellen (Mame) Buckley,
daughter of John and Eliza (Flynn) Buckley. Mary Ellen was born 29 April
1869,[15]
in Lynn, the daughter of Irish immigrants.
I have only heard two stories over the years about John, but I think they speak to his generosity and love of extended family. My mother's father took her to visit John often. She remembers him as a big man who loved to talk. They would sit on the enclosed front porch to visit and he had a big spittoon, which intrigued her.
The other memory of John was shared with me by Mary Leahy, granddaughter of John's sister Catherine. When her father, John Bernard Leahy graduated from Saugus High School there were not many opportunities open to him. His father had remarried after his mother's death, and since he did not particularly get along with his stepmother, he did not like to spend too much time at the home.
John was hanging out with friends on the street corner one day, when he met Aunt Margaret, his mother's sister. She asked what he was doing and he said he was waiting to enroll in the apprentice program at the G E. Margaret, who was unmarried, had a good paying supervisory job at a shoe shop[16]. She offered to pay John's tuition if he wanted to go to college.
John went home and spoke to the father of a friend, a local pastor at a church in Saugus. This gentleman contacted his connections at DePauw University in Indiana and arranged for John to be admitted. His tuition was paid in full by his aunt and uncle, Margaret Curran and her brother John.
When John Leahy graduated from DePauw University, John Curran, who didn't drive, purchased a car, hired a driver, and was chauffeured to Indiana to attend his nephew's graduation.
I have only heard two stories over the years about John, but I think they speak to his generosity and love of extended family. My mother's father took her to visit John often. She remembers him as a big man who loved to talk. They would sit on the enclosed front porch to visit and he had a big spittoon, which intrigued her.
The other memory of John was shared with me by Mary Leahy, granddaughter of John's sister Catherine. When her father, John Bernard Leahy graduated from Saugus High School there were not many opportunities open to him. His father had remarried after his mother's death, and since he did not particularly get along with his stepmother, he did not like to spend too much time at the home.
John was hanging out with friends on the street corner one day, when he met Aunt Margaret, his mother's sister. She asked what he was doing and he said he was waiting to enroll in the apprentice program at the G E. Margaret, who was unmarried, had a good paying supervisory job at a shoe shop[16]. She offered to pay John's tuition if he wanted to go to college.
John went home and spoke to the father of a friend, a local pastor at a church in Saugus. This gentleman contacted his connections at DePauw University in Indiana and arranged for John to be admitted. His tuition was paid in full by his aunt and uncle, Margaret Curran and her brother John.
When John Leahy graduated from DePauw University, John Curran, who didn't drive, purchased a car, hired a driver, and was chauffeured to Indiana to attend his nephew's graduation.
John Curran's only surviving child, Catherine3 (John2,Catherine
Houlihan1), married 26 November, 1906[17],
at Lynn, to American born Michael Francis Dooley, son of Michael and Mary
(Leahey) Dooley of Lynn.
I would love to know why John Curran originally went to Lawrence. I know his first cousin, Pat Griffin, emigrated around the same time and lived in Lawrence before moving to Westfield by 1889. I am sure there were others there from the Dingle area. Some of the sponsors or associates named above may be worth investigating, including Thomas Grady, Bartholomew Creeden, Fr. James Curran, Michael Shea, D. F. Eagan and Edward Ellsworth.
Next time, more about John's daughter Catherine.
I would love to know why John Curran originally went to Lawrence. I know his first cousin, Pat Griffin, emigrated around the same time and lived in Lawrence before moving to Westfield by 1889. I am sure there were others there from the Dingle area. Some of the sponsors or associates named above may be worth investigating, including Thomas Grady, Bartholomew Creeden, Fr. James Curran, Michael Shea, D. F. Eagan and Edward Ellsworth.
Next time, more about John's daughter Catherine.
[1]
Irishgenealogy.ie
[2]
Irishgenealogy.ie
[3]
Ancestry.com, Massachusetts Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1963
[4]
Ancestry.com, U S City Directories, Lawrence, Massachusetts
[5]
Ancestry.com, Massachusetts Marriage Records, 1840-1915
[6]
Ancestry.com, 1900 U S Federal Census
[7]
Ancestry.com, Massachusetts Birth Records, 1840-1915
[8]
Ancestry.com, Massachusetts Birth Records, 1840-1915
[9]
Ancestry.com, Massachusetts Death Records, 1840-1915
[10]
Ancestry.com, Massachusetts Birth Records, 1840-1915
[11]
MassLandRecords.com
[12]
Wikipedia
[13]
Ancestry.com, Massachusetts State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1798-1950
[14]
Ancestry.com, Massachusetts Death Index, 1901-1980
[15]
Ancestry.com, Massachusetts Birth Records, 1840-1915
[16]
At this time in Lynn, a shoe shop was a place where shoes were manufactured,
not a retail establishment
[17]
Ancestry.com, Massachusetts Marriage Records, 1840-1915
Copyright 2019, Kathleen Sullivan. All Rights Reserved
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