Family:Lawrence Curtin and Mary Hearlihey (1)

Frances Elizabeth Curtin, their second daughter, was known as Lillian throughout her lifetime. She always said her folks came from Boston, MA. According to the 1900 NYC Census, Mary Hearlihey was born in Massachusetts, where the record of her birth must be located. Born in New York City, Manhattan, in 1859, according to the same Census Index, Lawrence Curtin married Mary about 1889, judging from the birth records of their 7 children, 5 of whom survived to adulthood. According to Francis William Herlihy's 1982 oral account, Lawrence was a man of large frame and stature. A commercial fisherman and tavern owner, he struggled to support his large family. They were impoverished, from Lillian's lifelong accounts. A seamstress by trade, Mary sewed all of the clothes for her children. She married Lawrence at about age 35 and worked very hard. According to Lillian's 1987 statement to granddaughter, Olivia Revits, Mary died Dec. 26 following hernia surgery; she failed to specify the year and was always extremely reluctant to discuss her nuclear family, so the subject was dropped. We assume she died abt. 1910, as Lillian said Mary urged her to take secretarial studies in preparation for the day she'd have to support herself. An asthmatic afflicted with a hernia, Mary knew she wasn't going to live much longer. Lawrence predeceased Mary. Lillian said he died of either a stroke or heart attack, some cardiovascular event that resulted in sudden death. Now orphaned, the Curtin kids banded together for dear life; there was no Social Security in those days, much less governmental agencies to help orphans. Either one worked to survive or one perished. Industrious and very cognitively gifted, each one except Mabel gave into the household. Mabel wanted nice things, but she didn't seem to understand she had to work for them. Instead, she used to 'borrow' Lillian's neatly-pressed white blouse that she needed for work the next day. When Lillian tried to buy Mabel a pair of shoes, the latter demanded the finest white boots, which were attractive enough, but highly impractical. Lillian clearly disliked Mabel. Will and Ella ran the household, and Lillian was afraid of Ella, but the reason remains unclear. Sometime in the decade 1910-1919, Mabel conceived and bore a child out of wedlock. The black sheep of the family, she was cast out by the Curtin clan, never to be seen or heard from again. We can only hop in our high-tech world there might be a chance of finding her progeny. (Olivia Brook Revits, 7 Aug 01)

1.   Curtain, Margaret: File 19: "Descendants of Lawrence Curtin"; curtain@@spiderweb.com.au, 28 JUN 2006
   Page 1.
2.   1900 Census
   C635, VOL. 174, E. D. 892, SHEET 9, LINE 62.

   HEAD OF FAMILY: Curtin, Lawrence
   DATE OF BIRTH: ? ? 1859
   AGE: 39 BIRTHPLACE: NEW YORK, NEW YORK COUNTY, MANHATTAN, NEW YORK
   STREET: East 100
   OTHER MEMBERS OF FAMILY:
   CURTIN, Mary; wife; BIRTH: May 1862; AGE: 38 BIRTHPLACE: Massachusetts
   CURTIN, William; son; BIRTH: Aug 1892; AGE: 7; BIRTHPLACE: New York
   CURTIN, Ella; dau; BIRTH: Oct 1893; AGE 6 BIRTHPLACE: New York
   CURTIN, Lillian; dau; BIRTH: Aug 1895; AGE: 4 BIRTHPLACE: New York
   CURTIN, Mabel; dau; BIRTH: Aug 1897; AGE:2 BIRTHPLACE: New York
   was #2
   CURTIN, Lawrence; son; BIRTH: May 1899; AGE: 1 BIRTHPLACE: New York
   CURTIN:

3.   1900 Soundex Census Cards
   C-635: Curtin, Lawrence; Vol 174? 674?; ENUMERATION DIST: 892; SHEET: 29? 39? 69?; LINE: 62?.

   Color: W; Moth: May? Mar?; Year: 1861 AGE: 39; Birthplace: New York; Vounty: New York; City: New York; M.C.D. Manhattan; Street: East 100; House No. ?
   Curtin, Mary: Wife; DOB: May 1862; AGE: 38; Birthplace: Massachusetts.
   Curtin, William; Son; DOB: Aug 1892; AGE: 7; Birthplace: New York.
   Curtin, Ella; Dau; DOB: Oct 1893; AGE: 6; Birthplace: New York.
   Curtin, Lillian; Dau; DOB: Aug 1895; AGE: 4; Birthplace: New York.
   Curtin, Mabel; Dau; DOB: Aug 1897: AGE: 2; Birthplace: New York.
   See #2
   Curtin, Lawrence; Son; DOB: May 1899; AGE: 1; Birthplace: New York.

4.   1886 NYC City Directory Vol. 100 Manhattan/Bronx
   page 864.

   "Herlihy Mary, dressmaker, 1391 Second av."

5. ↑ 1900 Census
   NEW YORK, C635, VOL. 174, E. D. 892, SHEET 9, LINE 62.

   East 100 Street

6. ↑ Certificate of Baptism, Church of St. Francis De Sales, 135 E 96th St, NY, NY 10128
   Official Copy, 2/26/01, signed by Pastor Robert V. Lott.

   This is to certify that Frances Elizabeth Curtin, child of Lawrence Curtin and Mary O'Herlihy, born in New York City, residing at 217 E 100th St. on the 15th day of September 1895 was Baptized on the 1st day of October 1895...

7. ↑ 1895 NYC City Directory Manhattan/Bronx
   page 308.

   "Curtin-Lawrence, bartender, h 217 E.100th"

8.   1896 NYC City Directory Manhattan/Bronx
   page 312.

   "Curtin-Lawrence, bartender, h 217 E. 100th"

9.   Certificate of Baptism, Church of St. Francis De Sales, 135 E 96th St, NY, NY 10128
   Official Copy, 2/26/01, signed by Pastor Robert V. Lott.

   This is to certify that Mary Mabel Curtin, child of Lawrence Curtin and Mary Herlihy born in New York City residing at 217 E 100th St. on the 26th of August 1897 was Baptized on the 19th day of September 1897...

10.   Certificate of Baptism, Church of St. Francis De Sales, 135 E 96th St, NY, NY 10128
    Official Copy, 2/26/01, signed by Pastor Robert V. Lott.

    This is to certify that Lawrence Thomas Curtin child of Lawrence Curtin and Mary Herlihy born in New York City residing at 217 E 99th St. born on the 31st day of May 1899 was Baptized on the 11th day of June 1899...

11.   1912 NYC City Directory vol 126 Manhattan/Bronx
    Page ?.

    Curtin-Mary wid Lawrence h158 E 103d

12.   Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census. (Provo, UT, USA: MyFamily.com, Inc., 2006)
    Manhattan, NYC, NY.
13. ↑ Curtain, Margaret: File 19, curtain@@spiderweb.com.au, 28 JUN 2006
    Descandants of Laurence Curtin, p. 1.