Seeking Curtiss Cousins

This post is primarily an attempt to connect with my Curtiss relatives. I've added your names to this list hoping that you have done a web search of your own name or the names of your parents to see what may be out there. If you find your name in this list on this blog, you are my cousin and I would love to make a connection.  You can send an email to this blog and I can then get in touch with you. Here's the list of Cousins I've found:

Virginia Dale (Curtiss) Thorp
Rodney K. Thorp
Letitia C. Thorp (Allan, Ferry, Graybill)
Linda K. Thorp (Crandell)

Norma Dixon (Curtiss) Donat Joiner
Ronald Floyd Donat
Ronald J. Donat
Patricia Ann Joiner

HENRY HATCH CURTISS

My 2xGreat Grandfather's brother, Henry H. Curtiss was born in Crawford County, Pennsylvania 1829. His parents were Alfred and Charlotte (Hatch) Curtiss.
He married a local girl named Varilla W. Waid on the 4th of July 1849. They had four daughters named Ada Evangeline, Alma Bernice, Adelma Clarabell and little Hattie May who died by age 3.

In 1850 at age 21, Henry was a Blacksmith and lived in Randolph Township, PA, close to where his father had a farm in Guys Mills. He moved his family to Allegany Township, PA where he was farming. In 1863 he registered in the Civil War Draft Registration but did not serve. That same year Hattie May died. Henry made a career change and moved to Pleasantville, PA where he became a News Dealer. He stayed in Pleasantville for the remainder of his life which ended suddenly one night in 1878.

On the night of October 18th, Henry had invited guests to his home for dinner. Dr. William A.Glover, Miss Theresa Lay and Mary A. Lay were there in the sitting room with daughter Dell (Adelma) enjoying a conversation about the scenery in Arizona. Everyone was having a good time and according to Mary Lay, Henry was in his usual happy entertaining spirits. They mentioned some relics that they had gotten and Henry got up from his seat and went to his desk. He said he had some interesting relics from a nitroglycerine explosion to show Dr. Glover. As he pulled the bones out of his desk drawer Dell said she didn't like having them in the house as they were skull bones. They were looking at the bones and heard the sound of a pistol firing. Henry said, "Who loaded this pistol?" He got up, walked to the lounge where he had been sitting earlier and sat down. Everyone thought he had exploded something to frighten them until he slumped over on the lounge. Dr. Glover said, "I thought he had exploded something to frighten us; then I got up and just as my back was turned I heard their screams, and as I turned around I saw him falling and caught him and put him on the lounge, and found life extinct." They called for Dr. Benedict who did a full examination and found a wound in his left side. The bullet had passed through his heart. Dell said that her father "was in his usual good spirits" and that it was her pistol that was kept in the desk drawer and she had been the one to load it about a year before the accident. He apparently didn't know it was loaded when he put it back in the drawer and it fired off a round into his side. The Coroner's Inquest concluded it was an accidental shooting.

Edward H. Curtiss - Navy History Part 2

Bikini Experience

December 15, 1947 - USS PASIG AW-3

On the way to the atoll we made a brief stop at the island of Roi. I have no conformation of the name but it is what we were told. We came to a stop and were soon joined by a smaller cargo type vessel. The big black box was off loaded onto this ship along with the security marine group. We then proceeded to Bikini, took up our assigned station and dropped anchor. The next morning ( July 26 ) we got underway and took up patrol station among all the rest of this operations ships. I cannot remember how many ships were anchored in the test area but there were a lot of them. All doomed to be sacrificed to further our country’s need to know the effectiveness of the bomb on ships at sea. The German battleship Prinz Eugen ( pronounced Yoygen) which was captured during WWII and our old retired aircraft carrier Yorktown.

We were all very nervous about this test. Thinking about the radioactivity and the force of the blast but here we were determined to make the best of it come-what-may. My normal sea detail was in the forward engine room but when the captain requested anyone that could draw sketches of the explosion should “lay up”to the bridge. This was to be an opportunity of a lifetime that I was not about to miss so up to the bridge I went. I was handed a sketch pad , a pencil and a pair of special dark glasses to protect the eyes from the intensity of the blast. When the bomb exploded it was so fascinating it took me a few minutes to get to working on the sketches but I did. They were good enough to be entered into Naval records and I got a thank you letter from the Admiral in charge of this operation. Believe me it was an unforgettable experience.

Helen Francis "Babe" (Curtiss) Conner

9 May 1912 – 14 May 2014

Helen Frances “Babe” Conner was born May 9, 1912 in Omaha, Nebraska. 

Her father was Arthur Darby Curtiss and mother Lata LaVesta Launder. Her father was a florist who did landscaping work and worked in greenhouses. 

Helen was the third child with two older sisters, Ethelyne N. Drake and Ruby L. Grandfield, both now deceased. 

In the early 1920s the family moved to Los Angeles and lived on Idaho Avenue. In 1924 Helen’s brother Edward H., whom many of you know, was born. Ed would go on to marry Helen Tollefson – and the sisters- in-law were very close friends. Sadly, Arthur Curtiss never knew his son because Arthur was in the hospital from early 1924 to mid 1925, when he died. Helen was 12 years old. 

In 1929 Ethelyne married Elvin “Ducky” Drake who was a beloved figure in UCLA athletics for his entire career – Drake Stadium was later named after him, and the players loved him. 

 

Everyone had a nickname in this family. Ruby was called “Sis”; Lauren, Ruby’s husband, was called “Red”; you heard about “Ducky”; Ed was and is called “Bud”; of course there was “Babe”.

Babe graduated from University High School. She was  in its first graduating class. She was

extremely social and had some wonderful friends. They started a high school philanthropy club called Cosmos. She graduated right around the time of the Great Depression, and after graduation, Helen worked at the Tivoli Theater on Santa Monica Blvd for 25 cents per day. 

She met her husband John Wesley Conner who of course had a nickname – he was called “Wes” - and they were married in 1931. Both ended up working for Tucker McClure, Corporation which was a General Contracting business. Wes was an electrician and Helen was an excellent secretary who was an expert in short hand. During this time, even though World War II had not started yet, Tucker McClure was building military bases, and there was a lot of military activity going on in Ecuador. Helen and Wes transferred to the jungles of Ecuador around 1933 and they would live there for almost a decade.  

Interestingly enough, the doctors had told them they would not be able to have children, and for quite some time they didn’t. But in 1943 they decided to leave Ecuador to have their first child, John, here in the United States.  Helen was VERY pregnant. On the way home from Ecuador, their plane actually crashed in Mexico because of a landing gear failure. Amazingly, no one was hurt, but there was still this little matter of getting to Los Angeles to have their baby. Fortunately, they got here just in time. 

Wes and Helen ended up having two children – John Arthur born in 1943 and David O. born about a year and half later. The doctors were wrong.  John is married to Patricia Johnson and David is married to Jill Fry. 

While back in Los Angeles, Helen continued working for Tucker McClure as executive secretary. She used to ride the red car trolley from Venice Blvd to downtown LA, where she handled the company payroll. She always made sure her kids had their lunches packed before school, and would send the kids to school before she headed off to work.  

In 1960 Tucker McClure the owner of the business, passed away, and his son Allan took over. Allan ended up closing down the business and Helen helped with that process. Allan was also really into astronomy, and Helen helped him get some of his work published. He gave Helen and Wes a telescope, and this became one of her hobbies and interests. 

However, the closing of the business meant Helen needed a new job, and so she became the executive secretary for the California State University Chancellor’s Office, from 1960 to 1974. She worked for the President of the Council.  

She finally retired in 1974, age 62.  

She and Wes’s life in retirement was extremely enjoyable. She had a lot of friends, and she was still friends with some people from Uni High School, in fact the Cosmos philanthropy club kept going up until the 1970s. They met once a month. She and Wes were also involved in a club called the Huff and Puffs which was a square dancing club. They were part of a poker club, and she was a member of the philanthropy club called PEO International.

Helen and Wes traveled all over the world including Germany, England, Australia, Ireland, they even went to China in the 1970s which was pretty much unheard of. Their favorite place was Italy. They were both healthy and able to enjoy clubs, social events and they loved having the family, including their sons, daughters-in-law, and granddaughters Samantha, Cassandra, and Alexandra, and extended family over for family dinners. Babe hosted nearly every wedding shower, baby shower, anniversary party and many birthdays for the family. 

They were blessed with good health and a fun retirement together which they enjoyed until the 1990s, when Wes Conner died in 1994 at age 87. 

Helen was a member of the West LA Methodist Church on Butler Ave, then University Bible Church on Wilshire Blvd. In the few years I knew her, she asked me to call her Helen, I think she thought it wasn’t good for the pastor to call her Babe. 

The biggest spiritual influence in her life was Community Bible Study. Helen Curtiss first invited Babe to join in the late 1970s, and she really enjoyed it. Over time, her understanding of the Bible grew and she began talking more and more about the Lord Jesus as her Savior. She was faithful in doing her lessons and homework. After a while, she was asked to serve in the leadership group, as Dottie Larson’s transcriber in shorthand, which she did even into her 90s. She would type up her notes and send them to Dottie, and those teachings would end up all over the country. Babe loved the women of CBS and it made a huge impact on her life. The other CBS women really loved her, too.

In her last years, Helen was eager to go be with the Lord in heaven. Sometimes she would wake up in the morning and say “Oh darn, I’m still here.” She had no doubts about where she would spend eternity, not because she was a good person but because she had faith in God’s Word, that whoever truly calls upon and believes in the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved. Well, she’s finally there. 

Her Memorial Celebration was held at the Woodlawn Cemetery in Santa Monica, California May 28, 2014. 

 

Eulogy by Rev. Rob Brooks, University Bible Church

Helen Francis Curtiss Conner

Helen Francis "Babe" & her Mother c1919.

Helen Francis Curtiss Conner is known as 'Babe' to her friends and family. She was born 100 years ago on the 9th May 1912 in Omaha, NE to parents Arthur D. and Vesta Curtiss. She is the youngest daughter of 3 girls and has a little brother Edward. 
Her family moved to Los Angeles when she was about 7 years old and she has lived there her entire life.
She was married to John Wesley "Wes" Conner for 63 years and has two sons, John Arthur Conner and David O. Conner of Los Angeles and Havasu, AZ. 
She worked as a stenographer for the UC Board of Regents until she retired. 

Babe's family and friends gathered at her home in West LA on May 12, 2012 to celebrate her and shower her with much love and affection. She thanked everyone for coming and said that she was grateful to God for the wonderful life He has given her. She made a joke and said that "time has passed so quickly since I was 80 cause I can't remember the last 20 years!" Everyone toasted her with champagne.

EDWIN HENRY CURTISS (Part 2)

An Unhappy Ending

Edwin Curtiss c1897

“Pursuant to your request, please find enclosed copies of the Coroner paperwork on the above referenced case” read the cover letter I received attached to a bulk of papers.  I had almost forgotten about sending my letter to Kern County, CA Sheriff’s Office last October and was surprised when a thick envelope appeared in my mailbox yesterday. 

I had found evidence leading me to the suicide death of my Great Uncle Edwin Curtiss in 1932 in Kern County outside Bakersfield, CA.  The words, “white man, probably Ed Curtiss” and other coincidental references caused me to believe this was my Uncle Edwin’s death certificate.  When I reviewed the certificate I learned there was an inquest held into his death to make sure it was not murder.  

Included in the packet was a report titled INVESTIGATION OF DEATH OF ED or E. H. CURTISS.  Apparently, the Sheriff’s had interviewed his Ex-wife,  his Landlord,  a friend and his ex-wife’s brother to find out what they knew in regards to his emotional disposition in the weeks prior to his death.  Everyone, except Alice, believed he was depressed, despondent and capable of the act.  His landlord also knew he owned a gun.  One remembered him saying, “I think I will get in my car and drive down to the ocean and end it all”, and another “Well, you’ll never see me again. Only mother will know.”

His ex-wife Alice (Reeder) Curtiss whom he called by her middle name Leota, “doubted if Curtiss had committed suicide. She made arrangements to come to Bakersfield, but on the morning of May 6, 1932  . . . she had received a letter from Curtiss . . . had changed her opinion and was satisfied that he had killed himself”.  A photo copy of the hand written letter was included in the report.

Here’s what the letter read:

“My Dear Leota,

By the time this reaches you I will be in no need of help and I want you to read it over, and sit down, and pray  for me, as I have done many times for you, and I have asked you to forgive me, and you kept silent. I didn't want you to live with me, just to say you forgave me, but now see what has happened, and as I write this I’m lonesome, and blue, no money, no house (home), no work, and no one to confide in, so why struggle on longer. I have asked God many times for advice and he has not pointed out a different life for me. I am in good health, but oh so hungry for food, and a kind word, I can’t longer go on.

Alice Leota in 1918

I have told Will (Reeder) about our life a long time ago, also about Feb. 20, 1911 (their wedding date), and that I was sorry and wanted to be forgiven. As I had always tried to do the right thing by you. He said your law suit cost you $250. You sure wanted it bad didn't you? Well I hope you are a good Bridge player by now dear.

I am writing this the same also the papers, as I want my side known also. It has been a one sided affair up to now. When what is left is found you will believe me when I say that I still love you and want you to forgive me and God bless you. I have been told only a coward would do such a thing. Just try it and see if a coward could. Now dear will you please pray. 

(This part of the letter has the left side missing)

“… a very dear friend ….have known for about …I was out with her …just the same type  … dear Norma (Tisher, first wife who died) was.  … no work and no money … go on, I just can’t  …er, all she will have…it.   ..ear if you care to know …ow I feel toward you … the song, “The Red ....lley and read it every ...just as I feel toward

…good Bye Dear

Ed. “

After reading the full INQUEST HELD UPON THE BODY OF White man, probably ED CURTISS DECEASED. IN THE CORONER’S COURT OF THE COUNTY OF KERN, STATE OF CALIFORNIA

Edwin was … found in a burned Ford Model T Coupe. He had a bullet hole in the top of his skull and he was burned to such a degree that nobody could identify the body.  There was also found in the car a 32 caliber Iver-Johnson revolver. 

Thus concludes the sad story of my Great Uncle Edwin Henry Curtiss.  Death is never a happy thing, but a suicide death ending the life of a despondent family member is very very sad. 

Edwin Henry Curtiss (Part 1)

For the last 5 years I have been trying to discover the birth and death information for my family tree. This is not always easy for me as most all my elder relations have passed. (I wish I would have begun this genealogy quest in my early 20s) All my grandparents, and most of my aunts and uncles are gone now and the few that remain were too young to remember events in their past with any clarity. But, occasionally I get a fact or hint from someone that leads me to a find.

At my families first ever Family Reunion this last summer I asked my 85 year old father if he remembered anything about his Uncle Edwin. He was only 8 years old when Edwin died and I was having a very hard time finding the facts attached to his life and death. Dad said he remembered his mother receiving a phone call and crying and crying, saying "Uncle Edwin is dead".

Uncle Edwin H. was the oldest brother of Dad's father, Arthur D. Curtiss. Born in Laurel, Maryland 30 June 1879.  He was the first child (to survive) of  Alfred Leroy and Mary Ella (Darby) Curtiss. They moved to St. Joseph, Missouri when he was one 1 yr. old and had the rest of their 6 children there.  He married Norma A. Tisher in 1903, but she passed in 1908 leaving Edwin a childless widower. In 1911 he married his second wife Alice Leota Reeder.  He worked for Richardson D G & Co. first as a trunk-maker and then became a photographer. They moved to Omaha, Nebraska around  1918 and then to Los Angeles about 1921 when his brothers family moved there. He worked as a carpenter, was divorced from Alice L. and had no children. He died at age 52.  My father and Aunt both said that they believed he had committed suicide. I had collected all the facts I could about him searching every possible lead in discovering his death certificate to no avail.

At the Family Reunion I asked my Dad if he could remember anything else about Edwin concerning his death. He remembers he heard Uncle Edwin was in Bakersfield when he shot himself.  Since I had searched every possible option in Los Angeles, his last residence this was a new lead.

Bakersfield is in Kern County so I began to check out the online death indexes for California looking for anything in Kern County between 1930 - 1940. I found one that I thought was possibly his. Recorded May 5, 1932 with the name Ed Curtiss, age 41. Spouse initial listed as "L".  I knew that Alice Leota some times went by A. Loeta , so this was possibly his death certificate. I sent for it.

When the certificate arrived I found that this was a "white man, possibly Ed Curtiss", a suicide victim shot to the head and found in a car on the hwy. Spouse name "Lata" (coincidentally, my grandmothers' name) and divorced. Buried in Delano, CA. No other records stated. I had enough information to conclude that this indeed was Edwin Henry Curtiss' death certificate.

I was very happy with my discovery, but it left me with another question. How did the suppliers of facts on the certificate know that he was "divorced"? Did he leave a suicide note? Did he have his divorce papers with him in the car? Did he write the note to my grandmother, Lata Lavesta stating he was distraught over his divorce from Alice? It did state there was an inquest held. This will be my next search.