Curnow George William
George William Curnow’s parents John James Curnow and Caroline May were married in the Reeves Plains Chapel in 1873. George was born in 1876, the second of eleven children born to the couple (although registered ‘William George’ he went by ‘George William’).
From 1888-1891 the family were living in two small rented cottages at Lot 49 Jacob Street, the 1860 built cottages were originally only 2 rooms,[1] so multiple cottages would have been required to accommodate larger families like the Curnows (this site is now the Big W complex/carpark).
George married ‘Nellie’ Ellen Maria Knibbs, at his father’s home in July 1898; they welcomed their first son William George Curnow in October, and went on to have 3 more children (see details below).
George’s father John James Curnow died in 1902 aged 58 and was buried at Willaston Cemetery. By 1904 George’s widowed mother was in ‘poor circumstances’; she had three children under 18, required relief from the Destitute Board and her 18 year old unmarried daughter Florence was admitted to the Destitute Asylum pregnant, where she remained for 8 months (Florence was able to keep baby Herbert, they went to live with her mother at her home ‘The Junction’ near Gawler Railway when he was six months old).[2][3]
George went on to become manager at the Gilbert & Co Chaff Mill. Mill owner, William Gilbert Payne’s daughter’s, Clethra and Enid, who spent their childhoods at the family’s Orange Grove homestead by the mill, recalled manager Mr Curnow and his family lived in one of the mill cottages and Mrs Curnow did the Payne family’s washing for many years.[4][5] The Payne and Curnow children must have played together, as second youngest daughter Enid Payne recalled that when they were six, ‘Arnold’, the youngest Curnow son was her very first boyfriend.[5]
Clearly George Curnow was a good and trusted employee, as William Gilbert Payne had George move out to his Aylesbury Farm at Kangaroo Flat to assist Payne’s young sons with the running of the farm.[4][5] (see Payne William Gilbert for more details about the Aylesbury Farm.)
In his later years, George and family resided at Owen, where he worked as a labourer. He died in 1947, aged 71 and is buried in the Owen Cemetery. His widow Nellie died in 1959, aged 79 and is buried with her husband.
Curnow Family Birth, Death & Marriage Information
CURNOW George William
b. 1876, SA, son of ‘John James CURNOW’ & nee ‘Caroline MAY’ (Reg. Barossa 168/106)(Registered ‘William George’ but went by ‘George William’)
m. 21 Jul 1898, ‘Nellie Maria KNIBBS’, Res John James Curnow, Gawler, SA (Reg. Barossa 196/241)
d. 1947, SA, aged 71 (‘George William Curnow’, Reg. Gilbert 721/6061)
Buried Owen Cemetery, Owen, SA (‘George William Curnow’ - with wife Ellen)
KNIBBS Ellen Maria ‘Nellie’ (CURNOW)
b. 20 Jan 1880, Willaston, SA, daughter of ‘William KNIBBS’ & nee ‘Elizabeth WILLIS’ (Reg. Barossa 233/433)
m. 21 Jul 1898 ‘George William CURNOW’, Res John James Curnow, Gawler, SA (Reg. Barossa 196/241)
d. 6 Dec 1959, SA, aged 79 (‘Ellen Maria Curnow’, Reg. Hindmarsh 900/7765)
Buried Owen Cemetery, Owen, SA (‘Ellen Maria Curnow’ - with husband George William)
Children of George William Curnow & nee Nellie Knibbs
William George Curnow (1898–1959)
Stella Gladys Curnow (BOCKMAN)(1902–1970)
Frederick Arthur Curnow (1904–1985)(Buried Willaston Cemetery)
Lionel Charles Curnow ‘Arnold’ ‘Arn’ (1910–1979)
- ↑ Gawler Environment & Heritage Association Inc (2004) Gawler Historical Rates Assessment Database https://gawlerhistory.com/index.php/Gawler_Historical_Rates_Assessment_Database_Project
- ↑ Register of Admissions-Destitute Asylum 1870-1911 via Ancestry
- ↑ Register of Infants Born in the Destitute Asylum Later the Magill Home 1880-1909 via Ancestry
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Clethra Spilsbury nee Payne (1987) Family History & Recollections – Unpublished (from the collection of Miriam Smith nee Cheek – Clethra’s niece)(Gratitude from GHT for access to this resource & to the late Clethra Spilsbury for recording her recollections, aged 84)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Enid Cheek nee Payne (date unknown) Enid the early years – unpublished recollections (from the collection of Miriam Smith nee Cheek – Enid’s daughter)(Gratitude from GHT for access to this resource & to the late Enid Cheek for recording her recollections)
Support our sponsors!
