Petheric McCurdy (abt. 1640 - abt. 1700)

Born about 1640 in Isle of Bute, Scotland

Ancestors

Husband of Margaret Anne (Stewart) McCurdy — married 1668 in Ballintoy, Antrim, Ireland

Descendants

Died about 1700 at about age 60 in Cairn, Ballintoy, County Antrim, Ireland

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Biography

Pethrick McCurdy was probably born about 1648. His father's name undoubtedly was Daniel, the son of Donald and Peggy MacKirdy. In the latter part of November, 1666 the five MacKirdy brothers, Pethrick, David, William, John and Daniel escaped in an open boat and through a blinding snow storm sailed across the turbulent sea and after a dangerous voyage they sought shelter from the storm on one of the rocky islets near the north coast of Ireland, sailing on the third day to the mainland, they landed near the Giant's Causeway. After they located in Ireland they changed the spelling of their names to McCurdy. Pethrick located on a farm near Ballintoy in "The Cairne"; Daniel settled at Ahoghill; David went to Ringsend, County Derry and then to America where he lived in Pennsylvania; John went to Derry but later went to America and William died unmarried. Pethrick McCurdy married Margaret Stewart, a descendant of King Robert II of Scotland.

Petheric McCurdy had five sons: James, David, William, John and Daniel. ^[1]

Escape

On pages 30-31 of his book The Ancestral McCurdys Their Origin and Remote History H. Percy Blanchard relates in dramatic and gripping fashion the tale of the five brothers who escaped from Scotland and found refuge in Ireland. (According to Wikipedia H. Percy Blanchard was a Canadian lawyer and science fiction author who is best known for his novel After the Cataclysm: A Romance of the Age to Come.) ^[2]

Marriage to Royalty

The following story of Petheric McCurdy's marriage to a descendant of royalty is on pages 32-33 of The Ancestral McCurdys Their Origin and Remote History by H. Percy Blanchard (Covenant Publishing Company, London, 1930). It is in Chapter VIII "Petheric, 'the Refugee'". It may or may not be true. Note the phrase 'it is related that'. No sources from the period are cited. A facsimile copy of the book can be seen at

https://ia800905.us.archive.org/27/items/ancestralmccurdy00blan/ancestralmccurdy00blan.pdf

"Of Petheric, it is related that he married Margaret Stewart, a direct descendant of the Stewart King Robert II. This is the lineage:

"Margaret Stewart was the daughter of Charles Stewart of Ballintoy, who was the son of Ninian Stewart of Kilchattan and his wife Grisel. Ninian was the son of Sir James Stewart, who was the son of Sir Ninian Stewart, of Nether Kilmory; who was the son of Sir Ninian Stewart, born in 1460, Sheriff of Bute, and made Castelan of Rothesay by James IV. This Sir Ninian was the son of Sir ______ Stewart, Sheriff of Bute; who was the son of Sir James Stewart, Sheriff of Bute. Sir James was the son of Sir John Stewart, born in 1360 and died in 1449, who was Sheriff of Bute and who married Janett Semple of Eliotstown. Sir John was the son of King Robert II of Scotland.

"There seems to be a flavour of romance hidden here. Back in Bute, in a previous century, the McCurdys had been unfairly crowded out of much of their lands by the Stewarts; as witness the Grant from the Scottish Crown in which the Stewarts participated so generously. Doubtless, or naturally, the best of feelings would not exist between the two families. Then, around 1640, came the religious controversy; and the Stewarts of Bute would, as a whole, be expected to side with their Royal cousins and adopt Episcopacy. But, as the struggle grew fiercer, it is known that a few of the Stewarts of Bute espoused the cause of their Chieftain, Argyle, and stepped into the ranks of the Presbyterians. Among these latter was this Charles Stewart; but when disaster crowded upon misfortune, he, and his family, escaped the slaughtering dragoons of Sir James Turner by having crossed over to Ireland a year or two previous to the going of Petheric. Here, in Ireland, Charles Stewart settled in Ballintoy. So it was only natural that Petheric, a stranger in a strange land, should seek out his former neighbour and make his new home beside the Stewarts. The proverb "Misfortune makes strange bedfellows" evidently had its literal fulfilment; and it did not take long, among those fellow refugees, for friendship to ripen into a warmer passion as regards that Scottish lassie Margaret Stewart. Very few weeks, it is evident, sufficed for their courtship, for the pressure of dates forces the conclusion that Petheric and Margaret were married in the summer of 1667. Possibly because some tenant was leaving for America, the farmstead at Ballintoy, known as the "Cairn," was vacant, and Petheric immediately took the lease and settled down on that property with his bride.

"Of the children of Petheric and Margaret there is a little confusion. It is not questioned that there were at least James, John, and Daniel. It is probable that there were also David and William. Admitting all five, they range in parallel order to Petheric's brothers, and would be James, David, William, John, and Daniel.

"Twenty-five years after Petheric's arrival in Ireland came the great struggle between James II of England, leading the Roman Catholic forces, and William of Orange, at the head of the resisting Protestants.

"Into this great fight, as it centred round the North of Ireland, many of the McCurdys threw themselves vigorously. Among these were Petheric and his two sons, John and Daniel, who fought in the famous Battle of the Boyne, and who are accounted to have been in the siege of Londonderry."

Sources

1. ↑ page 33 in Chapter VIII "Petheric, 'the Refugee'" of The Ancestral McCurdys Their Origin and Remote History by H. Percy Blanchard (Covenant Publishing Company, London, 1930). A facsimile copy of the book can be seen at https://ia800905.us.archive.org/27/items/ancestralmccurdy00blan/ancestralmccurdy00blan.pdf
2. ↑ pages 30-31 in Chapter VII "The Escape from Scotland" of The Ancestral McCurdys Their Origin and Remote History by H. Percy Blanchard (Covenant Publishing Company, London, 1930). A facsimile copy of the book can be seen at https://ia800905.us.archive.org/27/items/ancestralmccurdy00blan/ancestralmccurdy00blan.pdf

• WikiTree profile Mccurdy-59 created through the import of Nixon Family Tree 100211.ged on Oct 2, 2011 by Susan Shirey. See the [http://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Special:NetworkFeed&who=Mccurdy-59.
• Source: S-2082102353 Repository: #R-2141902781 Title: Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com.
• Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, etc.. Chicago: J.H. Beers, 1898 https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/26685/images/dvm_LocHist011366-00991-0?pId=283.
• Family histories and genealogies : a series of genealogical and biographical monographs on the families of MacCurdy, Mitchell. Pages 46-48. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/45:21484?ssrc=pt&tid=1834967&pid=25785792601.
• Historical Genealogy of the McCurdy Family: A Concise History of the Mccurdys Dating From 1489. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/19989/images/dvm_GenMono004679-00008-0?pId=11.
• Pethric McCurdys Family History: https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/1834967/person/25785792601/media/a8543ba0-e8eb-4f29-a50e-fb618a8b76b8 _phsrc=ANd1&usePUBJs=true&galleryindex=2&sort=-created.
• McCurdy Pioneers of America," Clyde McCurdy refers to the "Family Histories and Genalogies" written by Edward Elbridge Salisbury and Evelyn McCurdy Salisbury published in 1892. https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/1834967/person/25785792601/media/24bb6039-b45c-41a2-9865-56712ae1a561?_phsrc=ANd5&usePUBJs=true&galleryindex=6&sort=-created.
• McCurdy family and name, Wikipedia 2015. https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/1834967/person/25785792601/media/e096e4df-691c-4e81-9f55-f4d7b0acf319?_phsrc=ANd6&usePUBJs=true&galleryindex=7&sort=-created.
• The Ancestral McCurdys, H, Percy Blanchard, published Ellershouse, Nova Scotia, Canada. Page 32, 33. https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/1834967/person/25785792601/media/11cdec14-28e6-4e24-bfee-bbc27a334caa?_phsrc=ANd7&usePUBJs=true&galleryindex=9&sort=-created.
• Penthric McCurdys Family. https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/1834967/person/25785792601/media/d6e6f713-b548-4fa4-b9f4-ee0ac56fd9ee?_phsrc=ANd11&usePUBJs=true&galleryindex=17&sort=-created.
• Family histories & genealogies; Historical Genealogy of the McCurdy Family: A Concise History of the McCurdys Dating from 1489; Ireland, Select Marriages.