Emma was the daughter of Kelsey Curtiss and Eliza Sutliff. She was the second wife of Rodolph Spencer, and the daughter she is holding, Lilla, was their only child.
These connections are important to me. Lilla was my great-grandmother. Emma and Rodolph were my 2nd great-grandparents. Kelsey and Eliza were my 3rd great-grandparents. The connections are important, but there is one name to keep in mind - Kelsey Curtiss.
Kelsey was the son of Joel Curtiss and Mary Hall.
This is Joel
and Mary.
The Minnesota Death Record for Kelsey names his father as Joel Curtiss, but does not name his mother.
Joel and Mary may have had as many as eleven children. According to the 1830 U.S. Census, there were 7 children under the age of 20 years old living in their household. I can only account for 5 of them. The 1850 U.S. Census includes 4 more children born after 1830.
So, I have confirmed 9 out of a possible 11 children. They are: Emeline, Laura, Cynthia, Kelsey, Mary, Esther, Catherine, Darius, and Harriett.
Emeline died at the age of 28 years, and even though she was married to John Russell, they had no children. Esther died at the age of 21 years, unmarried.
Laura died in 1907. She had been married to William Kibbs. They had two children.
Cynthia married Henry Fowler. They had 5 children. Their youngest, Etta, had married Charles Wever and moved to Alameda County in California where Charles was a coroner. Cynthia lived with them in her later years and died in Alameda County.
I don't have much information on Mary, Darius, or Harriett, although Darius may have fought during the Civil War.
Catherine married D. J. Slicer and had three children. Her portrait is displayed below.
Catherine Curtiss Slicer
This branch of my family tree - Emma, Kelsey, and Joel - leads to extraordinary people in European history. And not just one branch, but several. So, this is the path I'll be following for awhile on this blog.
Next post, I'll be switching branches over from the Curtiss' to the Kelseys, and why I believe Joel's mother, Hannah Kelsey, was the daughter of Jonah Kelsey and Martha Nettleton.
