An arborist who knows Scottish and Australian sources is required

Question

I have found MacCurry-1 and Corry-11. I am certain they are duplicates but I am not game to make the call as to which is the correct surname. Would a Scotsman with a dinkum Aussie accent please have a look. Neither has a PM so they are still floating free.

Comments

There is nothing I can see to explain where the MacCurry name came from, and when (and why) it was changed to Corry.

---

The MacCurry name came from the NSW BDM marriage entry to Alice Quinn as shown on MacCurry-1

---

That doesn't explain its origin, only a single appearance.

---

You are right.I agree . I think they are the same person but it is a bit confusing as to which is the right LNAB. I just felt that when I created the profile that the earliest record I could find  showed MacCurry so I went with that.

---

I agree -- all you can do is use the earliest known.  I really wish there was some indication of just where it was from.  And the Corry, as well.  Frustrating!

Answer 1

Hi Jean,

They certainly look like the same person going by the death date and also the Findagrave link on Corry-11. One profile says that he spent most of his 77 years in Lachlan county, which is where Cowra is located, and both say his father was Nicholas. I have also found, who I think maybe his father, Nicholas "Curry" on the NSW BMD, who died in 1879 at Young, aged 65 years.

I hope that helps.

Comments

Hi David, no, he was definitely a ‘Curry’, not ‘Corry’. There is nothing in the inquest into his death linking the profiles: 

• The Burrangong Argus (NSW : 1865 - 1913) 
•  Wed 24 Dec 1879 
•  Page 2 

Answer 2

Hi Jean, that’s a great pick-up. Yes, based on the death details and children they are duplicates. I have just set them as an Unmerged Match.

Looking at Scotland’s People (https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/) there are no immediately obviously relevant birth records. I searched MacCurry/ MacCorry/ Corry/ Curry and used the ‘fuzzy logic’ name setting.

I’ll keep looking to see any secondary sources that might give us some hints.

Comments

Add to the above fuzzy logic - M*C*rr* which also covers such names as McQuarrie, McWharrie, McHarrie, etc.

Plenty of possibles, but not with father Nicholas.

---

You will not believe this - well Yes you probably will. We need someone who lives near a major library in Australia to go in and look at the book "The Family of Alice Mary and John Nicholas Corry of Carcoar, NSW" by Jane Corry. I am not having much success with World Cat at the moment so I cannot tell you which libraries might have it. Apparently the book is in New Zealand, but I cannot see that either.

---

I'm not having any luck finding this book in a library catalog. Any idea which libraries have a copy?

---

It was likely published in NSW, so the State Library of NSW should have it as legal deposit.

---

https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Family_of_Alice_Mary_and_John_Nichol.html?id=Hlc5MQAACAAJ

No ebook available.

---

Actually the National Library of NZ has the publisher as "Wellington Jane Corry". I suggest asking for an explanation, as I suspect she lives in NZ, hence the reason why it is at the NZ National Library.

---

You have all beaten me to it. I am wondering if this Jane Corry (not to be confused with the English Jane Corry who writes suspense type novels) is a descendant of John Joseph Corry, the oldest son of John Nicholas, who lived in Blenheim. So now I will see if I can get the book on interloan

Answer 3

Definitely not straightforward Jean! Thanks for an excellent question. I notice that the NSW Birth death and marriage indexes have his marriage under 3 names: McCurry, MacCurry and Curry. The McCurry and MacCurry entries just use his name as John. He is John W Curry under the Curry entry, which makes me wonder if the transcriber wasn't sure if the squiggle before Curry was a letter or Mc.

As far as I can see, all his children's births were registered under 'Corry'. 

From the newpaper report of his inquest, the Nicholas Curry who died in 1879, mentioned by David above as a possible father, was from Cornwall. I'm not sure if he is related or not. 

All in all, very confusing. Ideally it would be great to see the actual marriage and death certificates, which may (or may not) shed some more light on things. At this stage, I'm not sure that he is necessarily from Scotland at all. Has anyone seen any sources to confirm that?