Showing posts with label Big Timber Montana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Big Timber Montana. Show all posts

Sunday, May 01, 2011

Autobiography of Grace Fincher Curtis

An autobiography of Grace Fincher Curtis, titled, "The Winding Trail", was published in 1991 by Diana Dekoeyer.

The dedication states, "Diana, bless her, has always been so good to old Grandma Grace. She is making a book out of my life. That is, if she can make heads or tails of my crazy writings."

Grace Amy Fincher was born 9 August 1895 R Manfred, North Dakota. She married Sherman James Curtis on 7 April 1915 at Harve, Hill county, Montana. Sherman was born on 3 June 1892 in Preston, Idaho, the son of Oscar Benjamin Curtis and Esther Mary Thompson. Sherman died 25 January 1970 and Grace died in 1998, both in California. The book is 147 pages and includes:
  • The children of Herbert and Liza Fincher
  • Michigan to Canada 1910-1914
  • A Short History of Sherman James Curtis
  • Boy Meets Girl 1915-1922
  • Journey to Idaho 1923
  • Coeur d'Alene
  • On to Washington
  • Orient, Washington
  • British Columbia to Yakima then to Spokane 1925-1926
  • Big Timber 1927
  • Caliente, Nevada 1928
  • California 1929
  • Antelope Valley 1930-1944
  • Burbank and Vista 1945-1948
  • Aguanga 1950-1955
  • Vista 1956-1957
  • Grapevine 1958-1960
  • Sonora 1961-1963
  • Vista 1964-1990
I do not have a copy of the autobiography and I believe the book is out of print. If anyone knows where a copy can be obtained or viewed, please add comments to this post. Thanks so much!

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Cyrus Jerome Curtis Land Patent

Cyrus J. Curtis received a land patent for a homestead. The information about this land patent, including the original certificate can be found on the BLM website. A transcription of the certificate is as follows:

Homestead Certificate No. 3032
Application 4396

Whereas, There as been deposited in the General Land Office of the United States a Certificate of the Register of the Land Office at Bozeman, Montana, whereby it appears that, pursuant to the Act of Congress approved 20th May 1862, "To secure Homesteads to Actual Settlers on the Public Domain," and the acts supplemental thereto, the claim of
Cyrus J. Curtis
has been established and duly consummated, in conformity to law, for the north half of the southeast quarter and the south half of the northeast quarter of Section thirty-one in Township one north of Range fifteen east of the Montana Meridian, Montana, containing one hundred sixty acres, according to the Official Plat of the Survey of the said Land, returned to the General Land Office by the Surveyor General:

Now Know Ye, That there is, therefore, granted by the United States unto the said
Cyrus J. Curtis
the tract of Land above described: To have and to hold the said tract of Land, with the appurtenances thereof, unto the said Cyrus J. Curtis and to his heirs and assigns forever; subject to any vested and accrued water rights for mining, agricultural, manufacturing, or other purposes, and rights to ditches and reservoirs used in connection with such water rights, as may be recognized and acknowledged by the local customs, laws, and decisions of courts, and also subject to the right of the proprietor of a vein or lode to extract and remove his ore therefrom, should the same be found to penetrate or intersect the premises hereby granted, as provided by law. And there is reserved from the lands thereby granted, a right of way thereon for ditches or canals constructed by the authority of the United States.

In testimony whereof, I, Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, have caused these letters to be made Patent, and the seal of the General Land Office to be hereunto affixed. Given under my hand, at the City of Washington, the twenty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and seven, and of the Independence of the United States the one hundred and thirty-second. By the President: signature Theodore Roosevelt By F. M. M. Kean, Secretary.

Two other records are listed for Cyrus J. Curtis on the BLM index and are in the process of being digitized and added to the website: 30 March 1900, for 80 acres; and 21 Aug 1907 for 160 acres.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

William Rushmer Curtis family

From Benjamin Kingman Curtis

William Rushmer Curtis and his wife Ella May Canfield wife five of their children. The original was a postcard photograph. The family is standing on their farm in Big Timber, Sweet Grass county, Montana. The girl in ringlets is Ada. The young boy is Reed Josiah. The young girl on the left of Ada is Ina and on her right is Etta. The youngest girl in front is Orpha.