The Curtis Boys

Nick Curtis and his sons. William Rushmer Curtis, aka Nick, proudly stands with his three boys. Date unknown. Please add a comment to this post if you know anything about the event that brought father and sons together for this photograph. From left to right are:

• Delbert Canfield Curtis
  
• Rushmer Guy Curtis
  
• William Rushmer Curtis
  
• Reed Josiah Curtis
  

Hunters of History, photo 2

From Benjamin Kingman Curtis

This is my favorite photo out the four that were taken. Ada and Reed are on the floor, completely engrossed in their family history records and photographs. They are taking time to record their family history and identify people and places in their photographs. It's so much easier to share photographs today - like these that I simple took a picture of with my digital camera. I'm in the process of taking pictures of every page in the 1 scrapbooks that my grandfather Roy Johansen compiled. Today I finished another two albums and noticed a whole page of pictures of the room and the card table that Roy used to compile the scrapbooks. Some of the scrapbooks are complete and displayed nicely on the bed. It is amazing that grandpa took the time to document his actual work, his scrapbooking efforts. He was truly a man ahead of his time! What a blessing and legacy we have today because of the time, effort, and expense he sacrificed to record his history for us, his family.

Hunters of History, photo 1

From Benjamin Kingman Curtis

Ada Curtis and her brother Reed Josiah Curtis studying the family records, photographs, and genealogy. The photo was taken by Ada's husband, Roy Johansen. I sure hope the pictures stacked on the floor are still within the family today. Seeing that stack of pictures makes me wonder if some of them are ones that I've never seen before.

Hunters of History

The title of the scrapbook page that my grandfather created was "Hunters of History." Grandpa is not in any of the pictures, but he completely documented the hunt his wife and her brother were on for their ancestors. Four simple pictures taken about 1960, and 50 years later we can tell the story just by looking at the pictures.

Ada Curtis and Reed Josiah Curtis were brother and sister. Ada was older than Reed by almost two years. Ada was born in 1904 and Reed in 1906. They had 10 other siblings, but in this story it is Reed and Ada that spent their vacation hunting history. First, I'll share the scrapbook page in this post. The following posts will share the four photographs that were taken by my grandfather Roy Johansen.

Roy and Ada were living in California and Reed was living in Oregon. While on vacation, Roy and Ada went to visit Reed. These photos were taken in Reed's home.

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.

Reed Josiah Curtis and Ella May Canfield Curtis

This history was written 1 December 1977 by Reed Josiah Curtis and was supposed to be an autobiographical history, but instead the main focus of the history was Reed's mother, Ella May Canfield Curtis:

I Reed J. Curtis the nineth child of William Rushmer Curtis and Ella May (Canfield) Curtis, shall write a little about my mother. My first recollection of her was as a small child perhaps about four years old in Parker Idaho, where we had moved to from Big Timer, Montana at age two and a half. We lived in a log house where two of my younger sisters were born. I remember her at that time as a busy loving mother with a large family to care for.

We lived close to the church, which was the hub of most all our activity. I remember the "Ward Teachers" coming to our home and we allways had prayer, kneeling down to chairs. It has had a lasting impression on my life. Also Christmas time at the Church brings fond memories. Mother was always the spiritual one in the family. Teaching us to pray and always keep the commandments which she taught us. She taught us how to work and be honest.

After moving back to Montana in 1910 my youngest sister was born. Mother worked real hard with such a large family, washing, cooking, bakeing and many other duties that go with a large household. We always had a clean home no matter how humble. Dad used to say mother could make a palace out of a pig pen.

Mother took a lot of pride in her personal appearance, keeping herself always looking nice and prim.

Most all her life while raising the family we lived where we had no contact with the church, only as missionaries came through our part of the country. A few families of Saints who lived in the area would gather at one of the homes on the Dry Creek School House and hold meeting.

We had just built a new home in 1916 at Big Timber, Montana and mother had been ill for some time, finally the doctor told her she would have to move to a lower altitude as it was over four thousand feet at Big Timber. So in spring of 1917 mother, dad and the three youngest sisters left for Long Beach California. The population of Big Timber at that time was 1500, now sixty years later it has grown to 1550, an increase of 50.

Mothers health improved rapidly, and she enjoyed pretty good health the balance of her life. We lived on three different ranches as dad had charge of 400 poland China hogs for Freeman A. McKinzie the first ranch was 40 acres at Lywood, Ca., next we moved to a place temporarily on Willow Ave in Long Beach, a sandy river bottom, it is now solid city in that area. Next to a place one mile west of Westminister, had a 40 acre place, it also is solid city now.

After I had married and moved to Fresno California in 1929, entered into business "Meat Market" Mother and dad came up to Fresno and dad worked with me in the market for a year or so. Then returned to Long Beach. After dad died Mother lived with my oldest sister where she passed away following dad after twelve years. Mothers kind and loving personality has made a deep impression on my life, for which I shall always be greatfull.

Signed by Reed J. Curtis.

In the sketch Reed wrote about his father William Rushmer Curtis, he included this short paragraph about himself:

I Reed J. Curtis was born at Big Timber, Sweet Grass County, Montana 25 January 1904 the nineth child, I have no physical defects, about 18 years ago I lost partial vision in my left eye, I have only tunnel vision in that eye.

Biographical sketch of William Rushmer Curtis

William's son, Reed Josiah Curtis, wrote his autobiography on 22 Nov 1977 which included a short biographical sketch of his father:

"My name is Reed Josiah Curtis. I am one of twelve children, my parents were William Rushmer Curtis and Ella May (Canfield) Curtis. I shall try to write a few things about my father. William Rushmer Curtis, born 12 Aug 1866 Talmage, Ottawa, Michigan. He emigrated to Utah at the age of fourteen with his parents. He married Ella May Canfield 23 March 1890 at Preston, Franklin, Idaho. He died 10 Dec 1938 at Long Beach California. He was always known as "Nick" Curtis.

"My father was a man of medium height 5 ft. 8 or 9 [inches]. Weight around 175 pounds . A well built man, with black hair and brown eyes, (was regarded by the ladies as a handsome man). In his younger days was quite talented as a "step dancer" as it was known those days . He was a kind man, but burdened with a large family to provide for. He became irritated at times. He loved to fish and was very proficient at it, he would fish a little most every day. One year he won first place catching the largest trout of the year a little over eight pounds, the prize was a fly rod and other gear.

"We all knew he was the head of the household. He occupied that roll in a Patriarchal manner. My memory of him shall always be of a kind loving father, he was especially good to me, and always tried to do as he told me, I perhaps had a longer association with him than some of the other children.

"When father passed away in 1938, we children were all gathered together for the first time in our lives. One sister "Etta" was in the hospital in Los Angeles with a new baby, we all gathered at the hospital and had a picture taken. The only one missing was Dad and a younger brother "Floyd" who died at age two and a half years.

"I do not remember my grandparents as they had all died before I was born. I shall tell more about them or what I know from information by word of mouth from Mother and Dad Curtis in my personal autobiography which I am in the process of writing." Signed by Reed J. Curtis.