Curry, Joseph

Joseph Curry lived in Number 6 Percy Terrace at the time of the 1911 Census. He was born on 6 March 1877 in County Durham (No two records give the same birthplace!) but his birth wasn’t registered until the fourth quarter of 1878 in Easington. He was the second child of James and Catherine. James Curry was a mason/bricklayer and worked at a number of collieries. Joseph Curry had ten siblings and before Joseph left home, he had lived in Wingate and various addresses in Seaham. When he was fourteen, he was working as a coalminer and surprisingly his younger brother, William Curry aged thirteen was also a miner. Members of the family had found a variety of jobs by 1891 – ThomasCurry (15), a mason’s apprentice, Joseph Curry (14) and William Curry (13), coalminers. Ten years later (1901) the variety was even greater – Thomas had left home, William was an underground hauling engineman, Edward Curry (17) was a commercial clerk and Isabella Curry (15), a schoolteacher. Joseph had removed himself from the mines and was an agent for the Prudential Insurance Company. On 1 June 1904 Joseph married Jane Ellen Wilson in Thornley, County Durham. The birthplaces of their children suggest that they had a spell living in Gosforth before moving to 6 Percy Terrace in 1909/10. In the 1911 Census Joseph was an Assistant supervisor for the Prudential Insurance Company. There were four children – John Curry (5), James Curry (3), Joseph Curry (1) and Thomas Curry (2 months). In 1921 he had moved again and was living at 42 Orchard Road Darlington, working as an insurance clerk for the Prudential Assurance Company. He gave his work address as 1 Elvaston Road, Hexham. Son, Thomas was an apprentice cabinetmaker in Darlington whilst the others were scholars. In 1939 Joseph and Jane were living at 271 Stanhope Road, South Shields with his occupation being given as ‘retired insurance supervisor. In 1968 his death was recorded in Sheffield.