About the Curtin Clan

The Curtin Clan

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Curtin Clan Inc.

Left to right: Hugh Curtin, Ted Curtin, Larry Curtin,

Daniel M. Curtin, Anne Emperor, Curtin Winsor,

Margaret Curtain and Neal Curtin

A modern embodiment of the ancient Curtin sept took form at the turn of the century in Burlington, Massachusetts, USA. The brainchild of Neal Curtin of Seattle, Washington, a U.S. Air Force retiree, his brothers and some Curtin friends he had contacted, the Curtin Clan Association held its first Gathering in Burlington in 1999, at which time the first officers and board of directors were confirmed.

A nucleus membership of about 60 selected the following officers and board members:

Chief of Clan – Curtin Winsor of Pennsylvania, descended from a Curtin of County Clare,

Vice Chief – Daniel M. Curtin of California,

Secretary/Treasurer – Neal Curtin of Washington

Clan Genealogist – Margaret Curtain of Queensland, Australia

Board of Directors:

Hugh Curtin of New Mexico, Lawrence Curtin of New Hampshire, Ted Curtin of Massachusetts,

Paul Curtin of Texas, Anne Emperor of New York, descended from a Curtin of County Cork.

The post of Genealogist was soon made permanent, at Margaret’s discretion. A constitution was proposed and distributed, to be ratified through electronic and postal means. It was agreed to hold a Gathering every two years, at which officers and board members would be elected. It was further agreed that Gatherings would be alternated between North America and Ireland. The site chosen for the next Gathering was Lisdoonvarna, County Clare, Ireland, close to the ancestral seat of the McCruitins of Thomond.

Clan business between Gatherings was to be conducted by the officers and the board by mail and e-mail or telephone. Neal Curtin established a journal, available to members by mail or e-mail, and an internet web site. These have been modified and updated from time to time. Later, “members-only” e-mail sites were set up for the board and general membership by Dan Curtin of California, when he became Chief.

In addition, Neal Curtin incorporated the group as the Curtin Clan Association in the State of Washington and had it recognized as a non profit organization for the United States Internal Revenue Service

The new Clan Association adopted as its symbol the arms of the distinguished County Clare sept, the MacCruitins, who, in olden days, were the hereditary bards/historians to the great O’Brien family of Thomond, (present-day Clare.) The lands of the MacCruitins were around Ennistymon, thus it was appropriate that the first Gathering of the modern Clan in Ireland was held in that neighborhood, where many Curtins reside to this day.

At Lisdoonvarna, the original slate of officers and board were reconfirmed, and two new members added to the board: Peter Curtin of County Clare, the organizer of this Gathering, and Frank Curtin of County Cork.

Peter Curtin, Lisdoonvarna, Peter Curtin, Rochester, NY

and Peter Curtin of Cork

In 2003, at the third Gathering, organized by Anne Emperor and her cousin Peter Curtin, held in Skaneateles, NY, in the Finger Lakes region, the sitting officers and board members were again confirmed, and Dan Murphy, of Massachusetts, descended from a County Cork Curtin, was added to the board. Peter Curtin of New York was made Assistant Genealogist. Unfortunately, Peter died suddenly within a year.

Board Members - in back Ted Curtin, Dan M. Curtin, Curtin Winsor, Neal Curtin, Dan Murphy, Peter Curtin,

in front Larry Curtin, Frank Curtin, Anne Emperor, Margaret Curtain, Hugh Curtin

The Curtin Clan returned to Ireland in 2005, holding its fourth Gathering at Mallow, County Cork,

Our welcoming at the Gathering in Mallow, 2005

and elected a new group of officers:

Chief of Clan – Daniel M. Curtin of California

Vice Chief – Ted Curtin of Massachusetts

Sec./Treas. – Neal Curtin of Washington

Frank Curtin of County Cork, organizer for this Gathering, and Hugh Curtin of New Mexico stepped down from the board, and Barbara Fageol, descended from a Curtin of County Kerry, and Dan Curtin of New York were appointed to the board. Barb was also named Editor of the Clan’s newsletter. Sadly, shortly after returning from Mallow, Larry Curtin of New Hampshire, died. His wife, Carole, was named to fill his place on the board. Neal resigned in September as secretary/treasurer and Dan Curtin was selected by the board to replace him.

Music from Curtin families at the Hooley

For its fifth Gathering, in 2007the Clan went to Canada, assembling at Peterborough, Ontario, which is central to the area inhabited by a large number of Curtins descended from families who arrived in the early 19^th century, in a group organized by a Peter Robinson.

Changes to the board were in store, as Ted Curtin stepped down from his position as Vice Chief, Carole Curtin, Dan Murphy and Peter Curtin of County Clare left the board, and Lisa Wylie agreed to stand for Secretary.

Officers elected:

Chief – Dan M. Curtin of California

Vice Chief – David J. Curtain of

Queensland, Australia

Treasurer – Dan J. Curtin of New York

Secretary – Lisa Wylie of New York,

descended from a Curtin of

County Kerry

Frank Curtin of County Cork returned to the board, joined by new members Peg Curtin of Connecticut, Richard Curtin of California, Gerard Curtin of Ontario, who, with his wife, Andrée, organized this Gathering, George Thompson of Washington, England, and Jo-Anne Wylie, sister of Lisa.

Board members Gerard Curtin, Jo-Anne Wylie, Lisa Wylie, Richard Curtin, Dan J. Curtin,

Dan M. Curtin, Margaret and David Curtain, Anne Emperor, Frank Curtin, Barb Fageol,,

Peg Curtin abd George Thompson

At the Gathering, the Clan recognized Neal Curtin, the Clan’s founder, as “Founder Emeritus”. He was presented a plaque in recognition of this endeavor.

In 2009, the Clan traveled back to Ireland, to the little town of Templeglantine, in County Limerick, which is near “Curtin Corner” where many Curtin families dwell, the corner where Counties Cork, Kerry and Limerick meet. Joanne Curtin Linehan and her father Liam Curtin were the organizers of this Gathering.

David Curtain stepped down as Vice Chief, and Frank Curtin of County Cork was elected to replace him. Barb Fageol stepped down from the board and as newsletter editor. She was replaced on the board by Joanne Curtin Linehan of County Kerry; and Anne Emperor assumed the duties of editor. Changes to the Constitution were approved to aid in the designation of the Clan as an educational institution, and to revise the structure of the board.

Board Members - Lisa Wylie, Joanne Curtin Linehan, Margaret Curtain, Dan M. Curtin, Anne Emperor, Dan J. Curtin, Gerard Curtin, Lisa Wylie

In 2010, The Clan was re-incorporated in New York as the Curtin Clan, Inc. to facilitate annual renewal. New By-Laws were adapted. Request for non profit status was submitted to the United States Internal Revenue Service.

The Clan returned in style to the US in 2011 for its seventh Gathering in the famed “Windy City” of Chicago. The many Irish families in the city have set up a fine Irish Cultural Center that served as a hub of the doings of the Clan. Chief Dan Curtin stepped down, to be succeeded by Anne Emperor of New York, descended from a Curtin of County Cork. Lisa Wylie also stepped down as Secretary, and was replaced by Heidi Welch of New Hampshire, descended from a Curtin of County Cork. Jo-Anne Wylie, Peg Curtin and Rich Curtin also left the board, to be replaced by Gerry Curtin of North Carolina, Lisa Curtin of California and Pat (PJ) Curtin of County Cork. The new Chief relinquished the reins of the newsletter to Joan Curtin and her husband, Neal, of Virginia.

A high point for the Clan was the recognition of the work of our hard-working and very knowledgeable Genealogist, Margaret Curtain, and her induction as a Companion of the Order of the Clans of Ireland. She was presented with her regalia at the Gathering by the Vice Consul of Ireland, the Honorable Tim Reilly.

In photo Vice Consul Tim Reilly of Ireland, Margaret Curtain and Clan Chief Dan M. Curtin

The new organization and format seem to be working smoothly, as the Clan makes plans for its return to the ancestral home for the next Gathering, in 2013.

To view the Clan's By-Laws click here

Curtin Clan Board of Directors

Board Elected

June 25, 2011 at Chicago, Illinois Gathering

Clan Chief

Anne Emperor

Skaneateles, New York

Anne is a retired teacher and computer programmer. The "teaching" came first and then moved to the computer field for less stress and more money. Anne lives not far from Bear Swamp in the Finger Lakes region of New York where her great, great grandparents bought a farm. They came from near Rockchapel in 1855 with 5 of their children including her great grandfather, Batt Curtin. The Curtins had 14 children in Bear Swamp. One was her grandfather Peter. Grandpa bought his farm in Skaneateles in 1908. Anne's mother was Agnes Curtin and that’s why she is in the Clan! Anne belongs to the Irish American Cultural Institute and has taught some Irish History Classes for her chapter. Currently Anne is working on a lecture on "Irish Women".

Vice Chief of the Clan

Frank Curtin

Freemount, Co. Cork, Ireland

Frank is a retired Police Officer, in England

Treasurer

Dan Curtin (Albany Dan) Adirondack, New York, USA

Dan splits his time between his home in the Adirondack Mountains and Kinderhook, New York near Albany, New York, USA with his wife Anne. He retired from New York State Government in 2002. In addition to genealogy, he enjoys running, hiking and snowshoeing. He has 2 sons and 3 granddaughters. Dan's great-grandparents settled in Lafayette, New York, near Syracuse, New York in 1880. Thomas Curtin was from Brosna, County Kerry, and in about 1855 he married Johanna Curtin the daughter of James Curtin and Johanna Casey of Newmarket, County Cork.

Dan currently leads the Clan DNA Project

Secretary

Heidi Welch

Manchester, New Hampshire, USA

Heidi works as a Scientist for Pfizer. She has a daughter, Alysan, who attends the University of New Hampshire as a student of Medical Microbiology. Heidi was introduced to the Curtin Clan on-line in 2004. In 2005 she organized a trip for 9 members of her family to attend the 2005 gathering at Mallow. It was an amazing experience for her where the organization inspired so many of her family to attend, including foreign first cousins her father had never met before. It was a delightful experience for her to introduce her family to Rockchapel, the birthplace of her grandmother, Elizabeth Curtin Welch (b. 16Dec1892) where she lived for the first 16 years of her life before leaving Ireland for the United States to work as what she called a nurse (nanny in America) for 16 years. Heidi has attended every gathering since and has had a lot of fun meeting other Curtins, taking boat trips, learning about and visiting new places she has never been where Curtins have made themselves at home.

Dan Curtin, (LA Dan)
Los Angeles, California USA

Past Clan Chief

Dan Curtin is the Human Resources Director for Minuteman Holdings LLC, in Los Angeles, CA which consist s of several entities in the parking and logistics and hospitality industy. He also has his own consultilng firm called HR4LA LLC in Los Angeles, providing HR support to small businesses. Dan lives with his wife Joan, and their dogs, Katie and Pete, in Los Angeles, California. They have two sons, one in Manhattan, NYC and another in San Francisco. They have 4 grandsons.

Dan has long been active in community affairs. Presently, Dan also serves on the board of the PIHRA Foundation, after being its Secretary for over 10 years, a non profit which helps greater Los Angeles area youths obtain and retain employment. He is also active in several professional human resources groups and Chambers of Commerce in the Los Angeles area. Dan's grandfather and grandmother emigrated from the Rockchapel area in 1912. Dan is one of the founding members of the Clan.

Gerard Curtin

Lindsay, Ontario, Canada

Gerard and his wife Andrée hosted and chaired the 2007 Gathering in Peterborough. Gerard is a semi-retired farmer and a descendant of one of the two Curtin families that emigrated from Cork, Ireland in 1825 to Ennismore, Ontario. He enjoys fraternal work with the Knights of Columbus and traveling with his wife Andrée.

Gerry Curtin

Southport, North Carolina, USA

Membership Chair

Joan Bentley Curtin

Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA

Newsletter Editor

oan discovered the Curtin Clan in 2007 at the beginning of her genealogical research of her husband Neal’s family. Participating in the Clan’s DNA Project, Neal learned that his ancestors are from “Curtin Corner”. Neal's great grandfather Cornelius emigrated to Niagara County, New York in 1850, before settling in Sterling, Illinois in 1862. Before becoming the family genealogist, Joan worked as a school secretary and at a large bank. In addition to genealogical research, she enjoys golfing and gardening.

Lisa Curtin

Poway, California, USA

Lisa Curtin has always had a passion for Family History, so it was only a matter of time before she began working on her husband Gerry Curtin’s family who came to CT, USA from north County Cork, Ireland in the 1870’s. It has not been easy to find these roots but with the help of the Clan genealogist and others in Ireland we have discovered a lot of information about our Curtin ancestors. Lisa worked in the Mental Health field for many years and then taught Elementary School. She looks forward to working on the next Curtin Clan Gathering to help make it a rewarding time for all.

Margaret Curtain
Gympie, Queensland, Australia

Clan Genealogist

Margaret lives in Queensland, Australia, with husband David, on a small beef cattle property, 10 miles from Gympie. Margaret has been researching Curtin lines worldwide since 1978, when she began the paternal line for the children. Margaret has researched all surnames within her children's ancestry back as far as possible. She travels to Ireland at every opportunity (usually 2 yearly when Clan Gatherings are on), to collect and find more early data on Curtin families. She has also collected a wealth of information from buying up thousands of documents for Curtin families worldwide. She is a founding member of the Clan, and became the official Clan Genealogist at the first Gathering in 1999. Margaret has self published 4 Curtin related books and is working on a 5th book at the moment.

Margaret was presented the insignia appointing her as a Companion of the Order of Clans of Ireland (CIOM) by the Irish vice counsel at the Chicago Gathering in June 2011.

Patrick "PJ" Curtin

County Cork, Ireland

Special Mention

Neal Curtin Seattle, Washington State, USA

Neal is Founder Emeritus of the Clan and mover of the clan serving as Secretary-Treasurer from 1997 - 2005, the first eight year's of the Clan's existence. He is retired from the Boeing Corporation.

Curtin Clan, Inc.

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