McCurdy Family

The McCurdy family of Santa Rosa is large. And I know probably more researchers for this line than any other. There are several trees out there who have Elijah McCurdy having two families. He did not. There are also several trees that have Elijah as the son of Elijah and Ann Handy McCurdy. He is not.

We don't know who Elijah's parents are. I have thought that either he is illegitimate or his mother was remarried by 1800. His war of 1812 enlistment says he was born in Chester, and the discharge Abbeville, yet no probate or any documents for his father have been found in either.

Plina McCurdy my ancestor was one of 15 children of William Marion McCurdy (the Jackson is on his death certificate, but in all other documents he uses M or Marion) and Amanda Palestine Beck. After the death of Amanda, Bill married his wife's sister Nancy, but they soon divorced. He then married Florence Morris, the granddaughter of his brother George Washington McCurdy with whom he had an additional 10 children.

William Marion McCurdy  was born in 1849 and died in 1939. He applied for and received a pension for CW service for the Florida Home guard, though the information in the application is a bit sketchy. He had two brothers die before the Civil war, one who was to young to serve and four brothers that served. Of those four brothers, one would come home crippled and two would die in the same hospital in the same week.

As I mentioned, William Marion McCurdy had 25 children, contributing more than his fair share to the over 100 grandchildren of Elijah McCurdy and Barbara Sunday. As I said, it's a rather large family.

So the children of Amanda Beck and Bill McCurdy are Sarah Palestine, Elizabeth Janette, Josephine, Mary Anna, William Henry, Plina Pauline, Francis Marion, Carrie Corene, Jesse Elijah, Alfred Roy, Grover Cleveland, Bama Josephine, Benjamin Lawrence, Reuben A and Bernard Taylor McCurdy.

The children of Florence Morris and Bill McCurdy are Elsie, Ola Mae. Leroy Leslie, Mamie, Howard, Katie, Luverne, William Irvin, Elma and Julia McCurdy.

Whew.. got that over.

So the siblings of William Marion McCurdy whose parents were Elijah McCurdy and Barbara Sunday are George Washington, John V,  Elijah, Charlotte, Francis Marion, Barbara, Thomas Jackson, Cornelia, Julia Ann, Elizabeth Josephine, Mary Evaline, and Reuben McCurdy.

Prior to his marriage to Barbara Sunday, Elijah was married to Martha "Mattie" Bowen and they had two children, Joseph McCurdy and Anna McCurdy. Anna married Barbara's brother Thomas Sunday.
We just like to keep it all in the family.

Before I go into Elijah McCurdy and the Sunday family, Amanda Beck was the daughter of Jesse Beck and Sarah, who researchers have as Woodstock but I can't find a source. I am hoping X dna may help us figure more out on that front. Amanda was born in 1854 and died in 1895. Her father was born in 1799 and researchers have he died in 1883 but it looks like he is just in another county in 1900. Sarah was born in 1818 and died in 1894 per researchers. Again no source. I do know I found a document were several of the children, were the name of Lewis and the name was changed in 1848. The Alabama archives had no more information when I queried them.

The full siblings of Amanda Beck are Sarah Isabelle, Elizabeth, Nancy Ann, Alfred Darling, and Mary Florence. The siblings by her father's first wife are Cordelia "Delia", William Columbus and Ike B. Beck. The "Lewis" Beck (Half siblings versus illegitimate full siblings) are Matilda Jane, Mahala Susan, Jesse Bryant, Zilla Belle, and Zella Belle.

Elijah McCurdy was born in 1793 in South Carolina. It is clear he is related to the other McCurdy's but thus far, we have not had any documentation to firmly place him with a set of parents. Descendants are matching McCurdy's from Pennsylvania, Georgia and the other Elijah who was born in 1796 and IS the son of Elijah McCurdy and Ann Handy Harris.

Elijah's first wife Martha "Mattie" Bowen was a daughter of Joel Bowen. Mattie had had an illegitimate daughter with James Brewster, Cleopatra who married Willis Jones. Elijah's second wife was Barbara Sunday, who I don't think was 13 when she married Elijah, I do think she was about 16 and a lot younger than him. I also think his first wife Mattie had died. Barbara was the daughter of John Sunday and his wife Barsheba Collins. Barbara died between 1860 and 1866 as there is no female in the household for Elijah of her age group on the state census. 

Barbara's father John Sunday is found in the 1820 census of Wilkinson county, Georgia which is next to Baldwin county where he married Barsheba Collins in 1809. I believe she is the daughter of the elderly Thomas Collins living in Wilkinson county in 1820. John Sunday won but never claimed land in the land lottery.In the 1820 he has two females under 10, they would be Charlotte and Barbara. In 1830 he has two daughters 5-9 which are unknown because both Charlotte and Barbara would be over 10. I did find a Barshala Sunday born around 1830 that is listed as a parent in Baldwin County.

John Sunday also had children with his mulatto slave whom he freed named Jinny. Barbara Sunday's full siblings were William, Francis, Thomas, Charlotte, George Washington, John, Andrew Jackson and Barshala Sunday. Her half siblings were Harrison, Merced, David Thomas and John Sunday Jr.

Note, John Sunday Jr the son of Barsheba lived in Georgia and eastern Florida, John Sunday Jr the son of Ginny lived in Pensacola.

I believe Barsheba Collins had three siblings marry within a year of her in Georgia. They are Absey Collins Pearman, James Collins, and Polly Collins Owens.

I believe that William H. McCurdy who lived for a while in Santa Rosa and what is now Escambia and moved to Sumter County in 1840 is a brother of Elijah McCurdy. His daughter Abasheba was once thought to have belonged to Elijah's family.

Nancy who was married to Joshua Bowen, may or may not be a relative. It is not conclusive at this point and DNA is not showing support or lack of support for the relationship.