How to Read this Report

This genealogical report should not be read with the expectation of finding a balanced, coherent story about any person, much less about any branch of our extended family. Instead, the reader should expect to see something like a jigsaw puzzle of unlimited size. Enough pieces have been assembled in some parts of the picture to justify the distribution of this progress report. In many cases, however, I have found only records of birth, Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, and death. In addition, I have added some speculation based on my personal knowledge of the people, the history, and the culture of the era. The raw data and my speculations will not make much sense unless you apply your own knowledge and speculations to interpreting the meager facts.

Identification Numbers

Denis, the patriarch of our branch of the Curran family, is identified as [D] while Sarah, our matriarch, is identified as [S]. The identification number for each of their descendants has the prefix "DS" which stands for Denis and Sarah. Their children are numbered DS.1, DS.2, DS.3, etc. For each descending generation, I have added a dot and another numeral. Thus, my personal identification number is DS.4.5.7.4. The addition of an "S" indicates a spouse.

I have used an analogous system for designating people who are not descendants of Denis [D] and Sarah [S]. Thus, Loretta McGrath, my most prolific source of oral history, is designated as [WM.6.5] since she is descended from William Thomas Payne [W] and Margaret Banks [M].

Mistakes

With the sole exception of tombstones, I have found numerous mistakes in every type of document that I have quoted. In order to get closer to the "truth", the reader should look for confirmation (or contradiction) of every purported fact.

Documentary Sources

I have retained the original spelling and usually represented hand-written text in italics.

Census records have been abridged in order to fit the screen width of most monitors. I have photocopies of most of the census records quoted and can provide more information if requested.

Since records of census, baptism, and marriage usually contain supporting details, there is seldom any doubt about the identity of the principle persons mentioned. Indices of birth or death, city directories, and Confirmation records are less reliable and should be accepted only as clues until corroborated.