Colonel James W. Curry

My 5th great Grandfather was a man named James W. Curry.  He was born in Belfast, Ireland, on January 29, 1752.  His family wanted him to be a minister, and he went to school for such; however, at 10, his father packed the family up and boarded the Good Return- a ship headed for Philadelphia.  From there, the family made their way to Staunton, Virginia, and at 14 James was teaching a school for the children in the area.  He spent his adolescence trading farm work in the summer for teaching in the winter.

According to his children, he had very traditional values and "insisted on perfect obedience", yet was kind and giving. Curry was an avid reader as "about every newspaper then published in America
came to him as a regular subscriber". He took great care of his appearance unless he was working on the farm.  He is said to have been about "5'10", 200 pounds... hair... dark and coarsely cut... eyes hazel".

At 22, he enlisted as a private, and fought in the Battle of Point Pleasant on October 10, 1774.  After suffering a shot to the right arm, Curry returned home for 2 years- only to reenlist for the Revolution.  He became Lieutenant in the Eighth Virginia on June 24, 1777, and a Captain in the Fourth Virginia on September 23, 1779.

In February 1781, Curry was one of 700 veteran soldiers to march from Philadelphia to Charleston.  They entered the city by boat on April 7, 1781, and fought until May 12, when the General surrendered.  He apparently stayed there as a prisoner of war for some time, yet he is reported to have been at the Battle of Yorktown on October 19, 1781.

After leaving the army, he married a woman named Mary Burns on November 20, 1784.  He convinced her to change her name to Maria Magdalene because he did not like how her original name sounded.  
A year later, the couple and their first child moved to Harrisonburg, a town around an hour and a half away- by car, at least.  Here they had several children, many of whom died, and on October 5, 1797, began their six month journey to Ross County, Ohio after James received a large land grant in the area.  For two years, the family lived in a cabin without a door, floor, or window before relocating to Highland County.  

Land given to Curry (outlined in blue)

He worked as a Brigade Inspector while he lived there, sometimes as a physician as well because the nearest doctor was miles away.  
After some time, he followed his son, James, to Jerome Township- a nearly completely unsettled land that all of Curry's neighbors warned him about.  

He served as a representative in several legislation sessions and as a judge when he returned home.  He retired at 67.

On July 5, 1834 at 10 am, Curry died from an attack of apoplexy, or a stroke.  

I found a majority of my information through talking to my Dad, who had to write a history of the Colonel in order to be accepted into the Society of the Cincinnati, and this amazing excerpt I found from a History of Union County, where James Curry died.