Samuel Currey Death

I kept seeing dates given for Samuel Currey’s life on Ancestry but nothing to back them up.  So I decided to have a looksee and find something, anything, to support these dates.  Here is what I have found:

Birth – I have seen dates ranging from 1700 to 1717.  According to the Currey Family website, both he and his wife Jane were born before 1710.  That makes sense to me because Samuel and Jane received their letter of dismissal from the Rosemary Street Third Presbyterian Church in Belfast dated June 6, 1729 (though it appears to have been transcribed as 1727 at one point).  Either way, the likelihood of Samuel being married at 12 years of age (if you believe the 1717 date of  birth) and coming to America is very, very slim.  SO, I agree with James Currey, the owner of the Currey Family website, that they were both born before 1710, most likely in Northern Ireland.  I also keep seeing that his some people have names for his parents, but again…no sources.

Marriage – This is one of the more amusing things I have seen.  James Currey does point out that on several records Jane is listed as just Jane, and sometimes “Elizabeth (Eliza) Jane”.  At some point someone decided her name was Eliza Jane Grey.  I can’t help but wonder if the surname is just being mixed up with their grandson Robert Brownlee Currey’s wife, Jane Grey Owen.  I have seen no source for this name yet.  As I understand, with the exception of the letter of dismissal containing permission to join a colonial church, all of the records for the Curreys from Rosemary Street were destroyed by the Germans in 1941 in the Belfast Blitz.  Now, the reason I mention that they were given permission to join a colonial church is because a lot of people have this attached to their tree as proof of marriage:

This is where fact checking comes in, people.  The dismissal letter, which I stated was signed in 1729 starts “I hereby certify that the bearer hereof, Samuel Currey, and his wife, Jane…”  They were already married.  And if their son Ezekiel was born ca. 1735 in Pennsylvania…I could go on, but I think the point is made.

Death – I was most interested in finding sources for his death.  And I did!  Well, what I really wanted was to find his will, and I almost kinda sorta did…in a way.  On Family Search in Decedents records 1744-1782 and 1804-1810 B-C, Chester County, Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683-1994 I found a receipt document dated June 21, 1763 that reads:

The Accompt John Currey and Samuel Currey Administrators of all and singular the Goods and Chattels Rights and Credits of Samuel Currey – late of Londonderry Township in the County of Chester, yeoman, deceased…

Other names listed on this receipt:

Robert Allen

John McDonnell

Mary Wiley

William Steel

David Long

Archibald W Michael

Robert Bines

David Hughs

William Johnston

William Miller

Robert Griffin

Thomas Montgomery

James Willson

Samuel McMullan

John Strawbridge

William Alexander

Samuel Young

John Deal

Susanna Barry

Thomas Miner

John Campbell

Archibald Anderson

James Todd

Samuel Smith

Evan Rice

James Satimore

Alex Johnston

Catherine Rice

Henry Viney

Thomas Strawbridge

Ezekiel Corry (Samuel’s Son)

John Todd

Samuel Houlton

Now, the reason I have pointed out Ezekiel in red is because that name Corry is pretty important.  This might be why there is such a problem finding much information about the family.  It is generally thought that the surname may have been variations of Currey/Curry/Currie.  However, it was pointed out to me by a woman named Imogene that most of the information she has found for the family contains the surname Correy, or variations.  Even though the receipt starts out as Currey, John and Samuel (administrators, and Samuel’s other two sons) signed their surname as Corry.  And, according to the date the will was originally filed (April 21, 1758):

Correy, Samuel April 21 “ (1758) John and Samuel Correy

So, to an certain extent I have a death date for him.  And if I had to take a guess I would assume that he, and his wife Jane, are quite possibly buried in the cemetery or around the Fagg’s Manor Presbyterian Church (founded as the New Londonderry Congregation of Fagg’s Manor in 1739, source).

What I am really hoping for is to come across his actual will.  It has a number, along with the book it is actually in, but either that page has gone missing or my eyes haven’t caught it yet.

Comments

[Heather L. Wallace]

I am very interested in reading your page dedicated to the Curreys. I am the 3 x Great Grand Daughter of Robert Brownlee Currey and fascinated by their stories.

Thanks for allowing us some insight into these folks.

[Stephanie @ Digging Up Your Family]

Hello cousin! Fantastic, I'm glad you found my page. I haven't written about some new developments yet, but one interesting thing is that they were originally Correy. I think the Irish brogue may have affected the name. I have tried to practice, but alas! I have a horrible Irish accent, lol