Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of Catherine Cook

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Descendants of Catherine Cook

Generation No. 2

2. JAMES³ MCCURDIE (CATHERINE² COOK, JAMES¹) was born 1838 in Dalhousie, NB, Canada, and died 1898 in Oconto, Oconto, WI. He married ADELINE TAPPA September 13, 1873 in WI. She was born 1847, and died 1931 in Stiles, WI ?.

Notes for JAMES MCCURDIE:
James settled at Dalhousie, New Brunswick by 1832. They were part of the Highland Clearances, in their case from the Isle of Arran in the Firth of Clyde. Fortunately, their laird, the Duke of Hamilton, with others had a plan for developing the south shore of Chaleur Bay located between the Gaspe Peninsula and NB, Canada. The plan included lumbering, ship building, and salmon fisheries. As more laborers were needed, tenants from Hamilton's various holdings in Scotland were brought over.
In 1871, James followed his older brothers, William and Thomas, to the new lumbering area of Oconto Co. Near Little River, he acquired land and built an Inn, a large, two story structure that was patterned on Nathaniel Hawthorne's home at Raymond, MA. It was successful until the RR arrived. The inn was in the wrong location after that and failed about 1872. At the same time, Adeline Tappa divorced him to marry the former hired man, Mr. Charles. She took the children, but soon the two girls were placed in the Good Sheppard home in Green Bay. The boys lived with various of her relatives but not permanently with any one family. The McKivers, seeing what was happening to these young boys, took young James in to rear. William went to live with his father. Young John may have stayed with his mother. At 12 or 13, James joined John and William with their father in Stiles.

The Highland Clearances: by Eric Richards "The Island of Arran, the southerly margin of the Highlands. Here the owner, the Duke of Hamilton, decided on a substantial reorganization of his estates in line with the current impulses of improvement farming. As early as 1773 he made a direct effort to abolish communal farming throughout the island in favor of enclosed agriculture with increased rents. The process was intermittent but all in the same direction: by 1829 the entire island was converted, apart from a few spots in the north and northwest. Parts of the island were completely cleared in favor of sheep, notably at Glenree in 1825. Then in 1829, the rest was cleared including Glen Sannox, for sheep. At this point the transformation was accompanied by an offer from the lord to pay half the fares of the displaced tenantry to Upper Canada, together with the offer of 100 acres of colonial land from the government. Eventually seventeen families took advantage of this offer."

Notes for ADELINE TAPPA:
French Canadian Family

Children of JAMES MCCURDIE and ADELINE TAPPA are:

	i.	WILLIAM⁴ MCCURDIE, b. 1874; d. 1942; m. JULIA CHALPH, 1902; b. 1883; d. 1939.
4.	ii.	JAMES ALEXANDER MCCURDIE, b. November 28, 1876, Little River, Oconto, WI; d. February 13, 1956, Oconto Falls, WI.
	iii.	JOHN MCCURDIE, b. 1880; d. 1907.
	iv.	MAE MCCURDIE, b. 1881; d. 1944; m. ROBERT CADIUX, 1907.
	v.	ELIZABETH MCCURDIE, b. 1882.

More About ELIZABETH MCCURDIE:
Placed in orphanage: Green Bay, WI

3. THOMAS³ MCCURDIE (CATHERINE² COOK, JAMES¹) was born 1835 in Arran, Scotland, and died 1902.

Notes for THOMAS MCCURDIE:
Source: Norman's photo of headstone from the family plot in Evergreen Cem at Oconto, WI (S 1/2 of lot 4, block 16). McCurdie - Pioneer sons of John and Cathrine Cook McCurdie - Natives of Arran, Scotland

More About THOMAS MCCURDIE:
Burial: Marienette, WI

Child of THOMAS MCCURDIE is:

LAURA⁴ MCCURDIE, b. 1870; d. 1878.

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