1960s that there were "at least six generations. Nova Scotia & Scotland, eldest son called Samuel

& a doctor." There is as yet no proof of that but there are at least two Dr. Samuels on the family

tree. And the references to "Nova Scotia & Scotland" are close as Nova Scotia is near New

Brunswick, and Northern Ireland where Belle's grandfather was born was settled by many Scots.

There is no doubt that Belle's father and grandfather were doctors. The death certificate for

her father, Samuel H., says he was born in New Brunswick, Canada, April 9, 1847. Dorothy says

his grave marker at the Presbyterian Cemetery in St. Helena CA incorrectly states 1834.

That Samuel's father, Dr. Samuel M. McCurdy, was born in Londonderry, now in Northern

Ireland, in 1805, according to a 1937 book - "By Juan de Fuca's Strait", authored by James G.

McCurdy (no relation). In a 1966 paper, Isabel Learned Mintz of Tacoma, a great

granddaughter, pinpointed the place as the parish of Tim Lathe Flimlagen near Londonderry.

With that clue, it might be possible to check records there and even determine the names of his

parents. Possibly, as Alberta believed, he was descended from a long line of doctors named

Samuel. At any rate, Samuel M. received medical training at Trinity College, Dublin, and

migrated to Canada. By 1836 he had reached St. Andrews, New Brunswick, where in 1840 he

married Catherine (possibly Catharine) Boyd, who had been a school teacher in Ireland and was

the first woman seminary teacher in New Brunswick, according to Isabel Mintz. Another

descendant, Birdeen Wilson King, thought Catherine also came from Dublin.

Attracted by the California Gold Rush, Dr. McCurdy came west alone by the Santa Fe Trail,

and began practicing medicine in Marysville by spring, 1850, according to Mrs. Mintz. In 1854

or 1855 he relocated to Port Townsend, building a wooden home where the brick McCurdy

Block is now located (at Water and Taylor streets). (The brick building was constructed in 1887

by his descendants). The property was given to Dr. McCurdy to induce him to settle there, as

doctors were in short supply, according to a 1908 obituary in the Port Townsend Leader for one

of his children, Annie McKnight.

In 1989, Doug Dempster took a photo of that building with the prominent wording

"McCurdy Block" at the top. In the Jefferson County Courthouse in Port Townsend, Doug found

a description of the elder Dr. McCurdy's impact in the community. He established the first

hospital in 1854 or 1855 and in 1859 co-founded the first newspaper. He was among the

organizers of St. Paul's Episcopal Church. (The Mintz report said Samuel's brother, Daniel

McCurdy, was an Episcopal vicar who remained in Ireland). During Indian-fighting in 1855-57,

Dr. McCurdy volunteered for service. Later he treated more than 600 Indians in a smallpox

epidemic. In 1859 he was elected sheriff of Jefferson County, serving two years, and he also

served as a U.S. court commissioner.

By 1856 he felt himself well enough settled to send for his wife, Catherine, and family, who

arrived via the Isthmus of Panama. The Mintz report says they had eight children, two of whom

died in infancy. At least five were probably born in New Brunswick, although the first, James,

may have been born in Maine. (St. Andrews, New Brunswick, a village of only 357 persons in a

recent atlas, is very close to the Maine border). James did not arrive with the family in

Washington Territory until 1859 after working in the East a few years.

While much revered as the town doctor, Samuel M. apparently could be quite outspoken.

Sometimes he lapsed into his native Irish brogue, according to the 1937 book, "By Juan de Fuca's

Strait."

long-standing, begorry. But I'm down on old Squire Frost and ivry mothers' son of his

employees, yes begorry. And I'm down on the custom-house like a damn."

The elder Dr. Samuel's health began to fail in the 1860s. He took an ocean voyage to

Hawaii, to no avail, and set sail for home via San Francisco. On board he made his will and died

May 10, 1865 shortly before the ship arrived at Port Townsend. He was buried in Laurel Grove

Cemetery in PT. A 1997 photo shows the stone for "Samuel McCurdy Sr." and gives his age to

be 59 years, 10 months, meaning that he was born in the middle of 1805. The Mintz report said

the stone was damaged severely in the 1962 Columbus Day hurricane.

His wife, Catherine Boyd McCurdy died April 26, 1892. A descendant thought she was 84,

meaning that she was born in about 1808. However, census records for 1851, 1860 and 1870 for

Washington show ages that correspond with her having been born about 1814. At her death, she

had been living with her daughter, Catherine McCurdy Diggs, in San Francisco). The elder

Catherine is thought to be buried also in Laurel Grove Cemetery, but no marker or record

remains.

Despite the presence of the abbreviation "Sr." on the elder Samuel M's grave, the younger Dr.

Samuel McCurdy apparently had a different middle initial - H. He studied medicine at Lane

College, forerunner of Stanford Medical School. According to a 1992 recollection by a

granddaughter, Eleanor Robinson Engstrand, he finished his studies before the regular graduation

so that he could take a job as ship's surgeon between San Francisco and Central America.

On Nov. 23, 1876, when he was 29, he married Cora Lovie. Although barely 18, she may

have attracted him because, despite her age, she had a medical background of sorts. Her father,

William Lovie, was possibly a medical student in Scotland before coming around the Horn during

the Gold Rush. Her mother died when she was about 8 and when an older sister went off and got

married, Cora, then about 9, was left to manage herself and three younger siblings including a set

of twins as best she could.

The 1992 recollection by Eleanor Engstrand says that when one of the twins had stomach

trouble, Cora consulted her father's medical books. Deciding that cold compresses were called

for, "she took the unfortunate child to the creek in the backyard and applied them. The water in

Nevada City creeks is cold!"

The family believes this and other experiences served Cora well when she helped Samuel with

his medical practice. At one point, recalled Evelyn Robinson Lyser, another granddaughter,

Samuel was breaking in a new pharmacist when Cora said she could handle the job - and did,

studying hard and passing the exams. A variation on this story has it that Cora coached the

wouldbe employee to pass the exams. At any rate, Samuel's and Cora's was both a marital and

medical partnership. And Cora was happy to leave home at age 18. After her father died when

she was 14, her older brother, George Lovie, who was carving a career for himself on the

Peninsula, took in her and the younger children. Another granddaughter, Dorothy Jones Goetz,

believes Cora was burdened down helping her young siblings as well as George's small children.

George eventually became San Mateo County assessor.

Samuel H. and Cora had three children - Belle, Samuel and Evelyn (Eva). The family

moved around quite a bit. The first, Belle, was born in Sept. 7, 1877 at Cambria near Hearst

Castle. Later they lived in Azusa, where Samuel, said to have "a terrible temper," according to

Eleanor Engstrand, severely castigated his wife for strapping on his boots and working to divert

flood water from their home while he was away during a storm.

In later years, the family believed that most of his outbursts against Cora stemmed from his

frustration that she did not take care of her health or that he could not cure her. She had several

bouts of tuberculosis, finally dying of that disease at the age of 37. The St. Helena Star of May

24, 1895 - a day after she died - said that she also became stricken with typhoid about four years

earlier while McCurdy was a surgeon for the Southern Pacific Railroad at Truckee. Trying to find

a climate that would improve her health, the family moved around the state for a time, finally

settling in St. Helena.

Dorothy recalls that Dr. McCurdy was beside himself after his wife's death, left his three children

and like his father went to the Sandwich Islands (the former name of Hawaii). Later he returned, lived

with his son, Samuel, for a while in the San Joaquin Valley[Patterson?] helped his daughter, Evelyn Robinson

(known as Eva), with medical advice regarding her premature baby, Evelyn, who still lives in

Sacramento (Jan. 2002), then lived some years in the Calistoga area near St. Helena and died of

stomach cancer in Berkeley CA Oct. 26, 1911.

Cora's parents were William Lovie (b. about 1816 in Scotland, d. Jan. 3, 1873 in Nevada

City CA of "hemorrhage of the lung") and William's second wife, Mary Fuller, possibly born in

England, who died in 1867 in Nevada City. Dorothy's note for the 1880 census for San Simeon,

San Luis Obispo, however, shows Cora's mother born in Iowa. There may be confusion as

William was married twice.

William Lovie is believed to have received some medical training at Edinburgh, and lived in

Ohio, where George and perhaps a second child were born. A fraternity biography of George

Lovie says William crossed the Plains in 1849 and the rest of the family joined him in 1850. It

said he grew up in mining areas of Placer, El Dorado and Nevada counties. Cora, the third child,

was born in Nevada City. The 1852 census lists William as a miner in Nevada County. A record

at the Nevada County Courthouse after he died identifies him as a bookkeeper.

Coincidentally, back on the Jones side, records show that when J. Claude Jones' parents

were married Sept. 14, 1876, John Dorence Jones was listed as a druggist.

And the son of Dr. Samuel H. and Cora, also named Samuel, is listed in some sources as a

pharmacist. Alberta Jones McVarish thought that Samuel was in the life insurance business.

Notes by the author, Doug Dempster of Carmichael (suburban Sacramento), 2002:

Primarily written for my stepchildren

Jan, Linda, and Ivor McVarish, children of
Ian McVarish and
Betty Carender McVarish (later Dempster)

and
Kay McVarish, child of
Don McVarish

Ian and Don are the sons of
Alberta Rosella Jones McVarish and
John A. McVarish

Alberta was a first cousin to
Evelyn Robinson Lyser.

And notes by Chris Lyser, 2002: