Thanks to the Currie Family Home Page - http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~curriecousins/genealogy/index.html
DOMM
John Domm (Damm)
BIRTH 25 JAN 1834 • Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany
DEATH 6 AUG 1900 • Santa Barbara d'Oeste, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Married: 21 Oct 1858 • Grimes, Texas, USA
Augusta C Bohne
BIRTH Germany
DEATH 12 DEC 1906 • Decatur, Texas, USA
History of the Domm (Damm) Family
Dietmar and Anna Catharina Siebert Damm immigrated from the village of Nieder-Vellmar in Hessen-Kassel, in what is now known simply as Germany. They left Bremen aboard the Friedrich on 13 August 1846 and arrived at Galveston on 24 October. With them were their five children Anna Gertrude, Johann, Adam, Gertrude Anna, and Christofer.
Dietmar and Anna had one more child in America, Catharina Paulina Hester Damm, on 6 March 1848. By summer, they and their eldest daughter, Anna Gertrude, were dead from one of the many epidemics that swept the country in those years. The rest of the children were taken in by neighbors. The 1850 Federal Census of Grimes County, Texas, gives a brief but telling account:
John, or Johann, no doubt a man at 17, was a live-in farmhand for G.R.A. Whiting from Virginia (Household #233).
Adam, age 14, lived with Henry Phal (Household #34), a German-born tailor, and his family. Henry had a son, also named Henry, who was twelve.
Ann, age 12, lived in the household of Henriette Bohne (Household #56), along with Paulina Bohne, age 13, probably a relative of Mrs. Bohne's and a friend of Ann's; also Joseph Streetmater, a rock mason; and A. Black, a carpenter.
Christofer, age 9, born in Germany, was listed with the family of farmer James R. Bennett (Household #235) who had a wife and six daughters ranging in age from 11 down to 1 (no sons).
Little Catharina Paulina, age 2, the only one born in Texas, was only a few months old when her mother died. She was taken in by Tany Ann Hanes, Mrs. Washington, and Mrs. Harrison in Household #232. Also in the household were Cecilia Runnels, age 12, and B.S. Whiting, a male age 24, born in Virginia--perhaps a younger brother of G.R.A. Whiting. The census says B.S. Whiting has "no profession".
MAKING NEW LIVES IN A NEW LAND
On October 21, 1858, John Damm married another German immigrant, Augusta C. Bohnee (Bohne), and they had a baby daughter named Helen Paulina Damm on August 1, 1859. John worked as a blacksmith and gunsmith.
In 1860, brother Adam was working as a baker and living with barkeeper J.S. Black and his wife. He listed personal property worth $600.00.
When war broke out, Adam joined the 4th Texas Infantry, Co. H at its original organization on May 1861 in Walker County. Two months later, on July 19, brother Christofer "Frank" Damm signed up for the 4th Texas, Co. G.
Adam's military career was short: he was hospitalized in October of 1861 and again in the spring of 1862, dying of disease in Richmond on April 25. He is buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Richmond, in grave AJ168. A letter from a kind man at Richmond National Battlefield Park says, "It is unlikely that he has his own headstone; more probably, he is buried with one or two other soldiers and they all share a numbered stone to mark the spot. The cemetery has more than 15,000 Confederate soldiers in it, of which about one-half are identified. So you are fortunate to have found him." Fortunate, and grateful for the help of a stranger.
Frank also spent much of the war sick and in hospital. He was captured at the battle of Sharpsburg on September 17, 1862 and exchanged as a P.O.W. on November 10 at Aikens Landing, VA. He was subsequently in and out of hospital again, but well enough to fight again and get wounded in battle.
From autumn of 1863 through at least August 1864, Frank was at the hospital at Emory, Virginia, where from March on he was attached to the hospital as a cook, and listed as absent from his company.
Frank Damm surrendered on May 7, 1865 in Georgia, and signed his X mark on the oath of allegiance on May 22.
According to his service record, "Franklin" H. Damm was 5'8" tall and had fair hair and blue eyes.
THE NEXT CHAPTER
In 1868, Frank and John Damm joined thousands of other displaced and disenchanted southerners in emigrating to Brazil to start over. For more on this story, go here.
At some point, Frank returned to Texas. He married Mary Willenberg on March 23, 1880. Their baby Mary P. Damm was born April 19, 1881, in Fayette County. Mary Willenberg Damm died April 28, 1881, at the age of 22. Her baby lived until June 17, then also died. Frank passed away on March 4, 1889, at the age of 49. They are buried in LaGrange.
Gertrud Anna, or Ann, married Hermann Hüttel. They had 8 children and have many descendants. She died on December 15, 1899.
Hester, whose full name was Catharina Pauline Hester Damm, married Augustus Edward Willenberg on March 6, 1866 in LaGrange, Texas. They had five children and now have many descendants. Hester died March 3, 1931 and is buried in LaGrange.
DESCENDANTS OF DIETMAR DAMM
1 Dietmar Damm, m. Anna Catherina Siebert, 6 November 1827, d. 24 July 1847
Anna Catherina Siebert d. 1 July 1848
1 Anna Gertrude Damm, b. 29 August 1829, d. 29 November 1846
2 John Damm , b. 25 January 1834, m. Augusta C. Bohne, 21 October
1858, d. 6 August 1900 1 Helen Paulina Damm, b. 1 August 1859,
m. Abram Whitaker Currie, 12 December 1878, d. 7 August 1940 ...
3 Adam Damm, b. 10 November 1835, d. 25 April 1862
4 Gertrude Anna Damm, b. 6 March 1837, m. Hermann Huettel, 8 September 1854, d. 15 December 1899
1 Heinrich Huettel, b. 15 May 1856, d. 1856 ...
2 Carl Julius Hermann Huettel, b. 1857
3 Anna Albertine Huettel, b. 1860, m. Moritz Carl Lueders ...
4 Julius Wilhelm Huettel, b. 1862
5 Richard Theodor Huettel, b. 1864, m. Christina Knigge ...
6 Friedrich Wilhelm Huettel, b. 1866
7 Henriette Huettel, b. 1866
8 Florentine Huettel, b. 1876
5 Christopher Franklin "Frank"Damm, b. 28 December 1840, m.
Mary Willenberg, 23 March 1880, d. 4 March 1889
1 Mary P. Damm, b. 19 April 1881, d. 17 June 1881 ...
6 Catharina Paulina Hester Damm, b. 4 March 1848, m. Augustus Edward Willenberg, 6 March 1866
1 Anna Dorothea Willenberg, b. 14 January 1867, m. Joseph Frank Kainer, 27 December 1905, d. 16 August 1929 ...
2 Augusta Pauline Willenberg, b. 21 August 1868, m. William Hermes, Jr., 18 October 1892, d. 18 February 1923 ...
3 Charles Robert Edward Willenberg, b. 25 May 1871, m. Mary Emma Boykin ...
4 Gustav Adolph Richard Willenberg, b. 9 November 1873, m. Marie Louisa Heissig, d. 30 March 1932 ...
5 Mary Adeline Willenberg, b. 26 August 1881, m. Christopher H. Steinmann, d. 14 May 1933 ...
Pauline was the youngest child of Dietmar and Anna Damm, born in Texas and orphaned as an infant. She was taken in by neighbor Tany Ann Hanes* of Anderson, Texas, who shared her household with Mrs. Wash-ington and Mrs. Harrison, Cecilia Runnels, age 12, and B.S. Whiting, a male age 24.
*Possibly Tiney Hines, b. 1804 in Hampshire, VA to John Hines and Mary Roderick.
In March of 1857, Pauline's brother-in-law Hermann Huettel appealed to the courts to become the 9-year-old girl's guardian, but two years later pled to be released from guardianship because her share of her parents' estate had run out.
On March 6, 1866 Pauline married August Willenberg, another German immigrant. They raised five children in LaGrange, Texas. August died in 1888, Pauline in 1931. Today August and Pauline have many fine descendants that offer a testament to their perseverance, hard work, and high standards.
The Damm Family in Brazil
We are deeply grateful to the Confederado descendants of Santa Barbara d'Oeste and Vila Americana, Brazil, for keeping alive the memory of their southern ancestors who settled there. Heartfelt thanks to Judith McKnight Jones and Betty Antunes de Oliveira for all their help; to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, #1653; and especially to Fernando, Daniel , Francisco and Thomas.
John Damm, or Domm, his wife Augusta Bohne Damm and their daughter Helen Paulina, and John's brother Frank left Texas for Brazil in 1868.
The Damms settled near Santa Barbara, and their home was a popular gathering place for their fellow immigrants. They had "a great orchard and very well-maintained garden. It had many leafy arbors with swings and seesaws in the shade. It was a favorite place for the Americans to have picnics, being centrally located between the main American settlements. Like many other southerners, John was a member of the Freemasons in Santa Barbara.
"Other work for rainy days was to prepare implements.
The blacksmiths had to improvise, heating the points
of the plows until they were red hot and then beating
them at the edges until they were suitably sharp. These
chores could be done at home. For bigger jobs such as
the construction of ploughs, etc., there were the brothers
Domm, Frank and John, who had established themselves
in the village with a well-equipped blacksmith shop." The
Damms were "very good blacksmiths", according to Mrs.
Jones in Soldado Descansa.1
John Damm manufactured the first steel ploughs in Brazil, together with Henry F. Steagall, who was a woodworker and made the handles. "So many ploughs were needed in the beginning!"1
In August of1900, John Domm died, he who "had made so many ploughs and taught so many people to use them...." When John Domm died, "a great friend disappeared, and the picnics at his place came to an end. Of course the picnics continued, but thereafter without the delightful presence of this family."1
After John's death, his widow Augusta returned to Texas with daughter Helen Damm Currie (widowed in 1889) and grandsons Von Rehder, Bertie and Bruce. They sailed from Rio de Janeiro on the Hevelius, arrived at Ellis Island on May 25, 1901, and were discharged on the dock as American citizens.
Augusta died at her home in Decatur, Texas, in 1906 and is buried in Oaklawn Cemetery.
Helen lived in Cleburne for a time, and owned a boarding house. She eventually applied for her late husband Abe Currie's Civil War pension - an interesting story in itself. Helen lived in Port Arthur, Texas, with her unmarried son Bruce until he died in 1936, then with her daughter-in-law Clara Currie, wife of Von Rehder, in Houston until her death in 1940. She is buried beside her husband in Houston.
1Jones, Judith MacKnight, Soldado Descansa! uma epopéia norte americana sob os céus do Brasil, 1967.
John and Augusta had at least one child
1.
Helen Paulina Damm
BIRTH 01 AUG 1859 • Anderson, Grimes, Texas, USA
DEATH 7 AUGUST 1940 • Houston, Harris County, Texas, USA
Married: 12 Dec 1878 • Santa Bárbara d'Oeste, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Abraham "Abram" Whitaker Currie
BIRTH 18 MAR 1838 • Meridian, Madison, MS USA
DEATH 27 SEP 1889 • Santa Bárbara d'Oeste, Sao Paulo, Brazil
He was the son of William Cromartie Currie and Adelina Whitaker
Abe was born in Madison County, Mississippi, on March 18, 1838, to William Cromartie Currie and Adeline Whitaker.
In 1847, William Currie bought land in northeast Louisiana, near the Mississippi, and the family moved onto it soon afterward. William and Adeline had two surviving children--Abe, and little Huldah Amanda Divine Currie, born in Louisiana on June 6, 1848.
In 1849, when Abe was 11 and Huldah barely a year old, their mother died. The next year, William Currie married a neighboring widow, Hester Ann "Nancy" Selser Richards. She had three children by her first marriage to George Richards: George S., Sue, and Mary.
Abe's father and new stepmother had more children together: Howard Cromarty, Kate S., Sybelia Antoinette, Leila Ada, and Annie Eliza. The house was full of children, and as in other wealthy plantation families, the Currie children had their own teacher, a Yankee schoolmarm from New Hampshire named Miss Frances Springer.
Abe married Delia Selser on April 5, 1860, and entered the practice of law. Delia was Nancy Currie's younger sister--Abe's step-aunt.
When war broke out, Abram enlisted in the 3rd Louisiana Infantry, Company H. Over the next four years he was promoted to Captain. He was captured on July 4, 1863, at the fall of Vicksburg. Abe could probably see his family's home across the river from Vicksburg's high bluffs and must have been heartbroken to think of what had happened there: his family had fled westward, away from the fighting; the plantation was overgrown and possibly flooded, the house looted and burned.
After the war, we are not yet sure where Abe was during the next few years--probably in Texas. We know that he sailed to Brazil with his aunt Jennie Whitaker, wife of Adeline's brother Orville, in July of 1878. Many thousands of Southerners went to Brazil and other countries after the war to start a new life. (If you don't know about this fascinating part of American history, see the bottom of this page for bibliography.)
Abe and Delia were divorced on February 16, 1871. The papers are in Portuguese.
In December 1878, Abe married his second wife, Helen Paulina Damm, in Santa Barbara d'Oeste, Brazil. Helen was the daughter of a very prominent citizen of Santa Barbara, blacksmith John Damm and his wife Augusta Bohne Damm.
John and Augusta were both born in Germany, had settled in Texas, and emigrated to Brazil in 1868. When they were first married Abe and Helen lived with her parents. Later they got their own home. Abe opened a shop where he sold dry goods, groceries, and iron tools.
Abe and Helen had three sons: Bruce, Bertie, and Von Rehder, born in 1880, 1882, and 1884. Abe died in 1889, at age 51, of "torpidity of the liver" or cardiac arrest, possibly liver and/or heart failure. He is buried at Campo, the Confederate cemetery and meeting ground near Santa Barbara.
Helen and her boys stayed in Brazil until her father John Damm died in 1900; he too is buried at Campo. Helen sold her property in Brazil and returned to Texas via New York. Her mother Augusta Damm, now also a widow, came back to Texas with her. She died in 1906, according to the family Bible, but we have not found her final resting place.
Helen settled in Cleburne, Johnson County. Bertie (who went by Albert) attended Texas A & M and studied mechanical engineering. Eventually, he and Von Rehder both worked for the new Texas Company, which soon became Texaco. Von Rehder worked as secretary to the Vice President, and Albert was a draftsman and began by mapping Indian lands. Von Rehder entered a contest to create a logo for the new company; he designed it and had Bert draw it. Their design, the Texaco Star logo, is recognized around the world.
Neither Bruce nor Von Rehder Currie left any known heirs. Helen Paulina Damm Currie was the only known child of John Damm and Augusta Bohne Damm.
Helen Pauline and Abram
would have three sons:
1 Bruce Domm Currie.
2 Albert Whitaker Currie.
3 Von Rehder Currie
EARLY YEARS
HELEN & ABE
1.
Bruce Domm Currie
BIRTH 17 APR 1880 • Santa Barbara, San Paolo, Brazil
DEATH 20 JAN 1937 • Port Arthur, Jefferson, TX USA
Unmarried
He was 21 when he arrived at Ellis Island on May 25, 1901. As an American citizen, he was "discharged on the pier."
Bruce was never married. In January 1937 he was living in Port Arthur, Texas, and had been working at the Texas Can Company for 12 years. On January 15 he got off a streetcar and was hit by an automobile; his skull and right leg were badly broken, and he died on January 20 at St. Mary's Hospital in Port Arthur. He is buried near his parents in Greenlawn Cemetery, Port Arthur.
2.
Albert Whitaker Currie
BIRTH 21 NOV 1882 • Santa Bárbara d'Oeste, San Paulo, Brazil
DEATH 15 JUN 1966 • Bridge City, Orange, Texas, USA
Married: 18 Oct 1911 • Illinois, USA
Lettie Leora Admire
BIRTH 22 AUG 1882 • Carrollton, Greene, Illinois, USA
DEATH 16 FEB 1948 • Port Arthur, Jefferson, Texas, USA
She was the daughter of John Allen Admire and Mary Catherine Buck
Albert was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil. His Dad died when he was just 5 years old. His father and grandfather had both owned plantations near Vicksburg, which they lost in the Civil War. They decided to relocate to Brazil with many other Southerners due to the carpetbaggers and also the king of Brazil at that time was looking for skilled planters. His dad became an overseer of a plantation near Sao Paulo. Brazil did not support slavery, the labor for the plantations were locals who applied for the jobs available. When Albert was about 18 or 19 years old, his mother brought him to the United States and settled in Texas. Albert went to A&M college and spent 3 years learning mechanical drawing and engineer related courses. When the Texaco Oil Company was formed in the early 1900's, he was offered a job in the engineering department which he accepted. He and his brother Von Rehder, (who also worked for Texaco) entered a contest to design the Texaco Star logo. Their entry won. Albert's wife, Lettie, died just a few weeks before Albert retired and he moved back to Houston, where he had kept a home all the years he worked for Texaco in Port Arthur. When he became about 80 years old, he moved from Houston to my Dad's house in Bridge City, Texas. He passed there when he was 83.
More:
Bertie (later Albert) Whitaker Currie was born in Santa Barbara d'Oeste, in the state of Sao Paolo, Brazil. His parents were Abram Whitaker Currie and Helen Damm, whom both lived in Texas until they emigrated to Brazil.
Bertie's father died in 1889. After his grandfather John Damm died in 1900, Helen sold her property in Brazil and took her boys and her mother-in-law back to Texas via New York.
Helen settled in Cleburne, Johnson County. Bertie (who now went by Albert) attended Texas A & M and studied mechanical engineering for three years; apparently, he did not finish his degree but went to work for the new Texas Company, as did Von Rehder. The company soon became Texaco. Von Rehder worked as secretary to the Vice President; Albert was a draftsman and began his career by mapping Indian lands. Von Rehder entered a contest to create a logo for the new company; he designed it and had Bert draw it. Their design, the Texaco Star with the T in it, is recognized around the world.
In a letter dated March 17, 1962, A.W. wrote: "I hope I made it clear that the 'idea' of the trademark was not mine. -- I said I made the finished drawing for V.R. because he did not have any instruments and was no draftsman."
Albert married Lettie Leora Admire of Carrollton, Illinois, on October 18th, 1911 at Carrollton, Illinois. They settled in Houston, where they welcomed the birth of twin sons, John Admire Currie and Albert Domm Currie, on May 27, 1916. Albert W. worked for Texaco Houston in the Pipeline department. He transferred to Port Arthur in 1927 and worked in the Engineering department until his retirement in1947. Unfortunately, the happy retirement years he had looked forward to were denied him: Lettie died at home on February 16th,1948 of a heart attack.
Albert moved back to Houston, eventually returning to the Golden Triangle to live in Bridge City with his son John and his family.
Albert and Lettie would have two sons:
1.Albert Damm Currie
2.John Admire Currie
1.
Albert Damm Currie
BIRTH 27 MAY 1916 • Houston, Harris,
Texas, USA
DEATH 17 MAY 1984 • Nederland, Jefferson,
Texas, USA
Married: 14 Oct 1950 • Jefferson, Texas, USA
Francis Irene Schell
BIRTH 29 JUL 1923 • Elton, Jefferson Davis
Parish, Louisiana, USA
DEATH 28 FEB 1997 • Nederland, Jefferson
County, Texas, USA
She was the daughter of Earl Buford Schell
and Thelma mariam Norris
Albert and Frances had one daughter:
1. Leta Eileen Currie
1.
Leta Eileen Currie
BIRTH 20 APR 1956 • Jefferson County, Texas, USA
DEATH 20 FEB 2009 • San Juan, Washington, USA
Married: 12 May 1979 • Orange, Texas, USA
Stewart Dixon Marshall
Leta Currie-Marshall20th April 1956 -
20th February 2009The morning of
20th February was incredibly lovely,
with almost Spring-like weather, and
Leta had gone for a walk in the sun-
shine to a neighbor's house. She had
a cup of tea and a great visit with our
good friend Suzie Teague. She made
it almost home afterward and I found
her lying within twenty feet of our back
door. Her heart had stopped and I did
not see her laying there soon enough
for anything to be done to save her. She
was 52 years old and had lived under
the threat of something like this happening most of her adult life. She had Hodgkin's when she was twelve and almost died from it, but massive radiation treatments saved her and gave her forty more years of life. But with a price. She had serious damage to her heart and lungs, and her chances of living to any great age were not good.
The Island Sounder, Wed Feb 18th, 2009
Leta Eileen Currie Marshall, 52, died Feb. 18 from cardiac arrest while walking back from a friend’s home. A long-time resident of Lopez Island, Marshall is survived by her husband, Stewart Marshall, and daughter Wendy.
Marshall was known for her reporting in the Islands’ Weekly and her beautiful singing voice as a member of Lopez Sound. She was also active in Grace Church and her writers’ group. From 1983 until 2002, Marshall was an assistant and later a full-time writer at the Islands’ Weekly, using typesetting equipment and wax to get the paper out every week, before the days of computer software that could align a paragraph with a couple of keystrokes. For more than 10 years her writing sustained the paper and gave it her particular flavor of dry wit that Lopez Islanders came to love.
Marshall began working for the local Lopez paper, known back then as the Shopper, in 1983. Owned by Steve Hill, the paper was just coming into existence. It had formerly been Island Graphics, a print shop. Hill hired Marshall as a bookkeeper and to perform office administration, and she ran the typesetting machine before Apple computers came out.
“Leta had a real love and knack for the typesetting and paste-up. The final product came out of the machine on paper film back then, and she would cut and paste the artwork physically onto the page,” said Hill.
According to Hill, by 1985 the Weekly had gone county-wide and was competing with other papers, such as the Islands’ Sounder and the San Juan Journal. Marshall began writing for the Weekly in 1997.
“We needed to have intellectual content in the paper. We were moving away from only advertising and pictures. We wanted to focus on the softer side of life, and so Leta interviewed people and brought out why people moved here, and their stories. She was a wonderful person to work with. She made excellent use of her time, as time was a very precious commodity to her. She was very connected to the island through her music and her writing, which got better and better.”
Marshall went freelance after Hill sold the Weekly to Sound Publishing in 2000. The company also owns the Sounder and the Journal. Hill said, “I still worked at the paper from 2000 to 2003, and Leta began doing more and more freelance work and less office and administrative work. She could focus on her interviewing and writing skills more effectively as a freelancer.”
But Leta began singing more, spending more time with her child, and working more for her church. Gradually she cut back on the amount of writing she was doing for the Weekly, but she still contributed semi-regularly. What many people do not know about Marshall was her bout with Hodgkin’s lymphoma when she was 12 years old. Marshall was born on April 20, 1956, in Port Arthur, Texas. It was the radiation she received from the early treatments for cancer that damaged her heart. Marshall wrote a huge variety of stories for the paper and she rarely wrote about herself. But this piece she wrote about the M. D. Anderson Clinic carries her flavor and adds insight into her life.
“I was at M. D. Anderson Hospital in 1968 with Hodgkin’s disease when I was 12 years old. How different things were then – how clinical, how isolated! No summer camps, no video games, just a lot of very sick kids fighting for life, and a lot of very scared parents. I underwent radiation and after years of checkups, was declared ‘in remission.’ In my mind, that meant ‘well’! When I look back on myself as that terrified girl, wracked by nausea and enduring endless needles and institutional food, I know what got me through was my mother by my side, giving me the will and the belief to get better, the friends I made and the caring people who surrounded me. Because of that experience, I learned early what’s important, what life and love, courage, and faith are all about, and how to face life head-on, to live joyfully in the present, and the value of a sense of humor.”
2.
John Admire Currie
BIRTH 27 MAY 1916 • Houston, Harris County, Texas, USA
DEATH 3 JUN 1977 • Rural Precinct 3, Orange, Texas, USA
Married: 21 Mar 1946 • Jefferson, Texas, USA
Martha Elzina Harvey
BIRTH 17 FEB 1923 • Kinder, Allen, Louisiana, USAs
DEATH 26 MAY 1975
Daughter of Charles Elsworth Harvey DVM and Zella
Mae Bolles
John and Martha would have three sons:
1. Gary "Wayne" Currie
2. Ronald Russell Currie
3. Phillip Dean Currie
1.
Gary "Wayne" Currie
BIRTH 9 APR 1944 • Kinder, Allen Parish, Louisiana, USA
DEATH 21 AUG 2019 • Orange, Orange County, Texas, USA
Married:
Mariam Ouida Brunston
BIRTH 24 MAR 1948 • Cario, Illinois, USA
DEATH 6 DEC 1976 • Houston, Harris, Texas, USA
Wayne Currie, 75, of Orange, Texas, passed away on August 21, 2019, in Beaumont, Texas. Funeral services will be at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, August 24, 2019, at Little Cypress Baptist Church. Officiating will be Reverend David Turner. Burial will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Orange.
Visitation will be held prior to the s
ervice, beginning at 10:00 a.m. and
ending at 12:00 p.m.Born in Kinder,
Louisiana, on April 9, 1944, he was
the son of John Currie and Martha
(Harvey), Currie.
Wayne attended Bridge City High
School and Lamar University. He
worked as an engineer and drafts-
man for Levingston Shipyard for
23 years and later went to work for
Huntsman. Wayne was a faithful
member of Little Cypress Baptist
Church and volunteered with the
stewardship committee. He en-
joyed collecting Texaco items,
watching the Blues Brothers and
old western shows on TV, and read-
ing. Wayne was a master gardener
and also enjoyed birdwatching.
He was a family man and loved to
spend time with his loved ones.
Wayne will be missed by all who
knew and loved him. He was prec-
eded in death by his parents, John
and Martha Currie; his late wife,
Mariam (Ouida) Currie; his grand-
daughter, Abbey Case; and his bro-
ther, Phillip Currie.
He is survived by his loving wife of
42 years, Linda Currie; his children,
Jeff Morris and wife Karen of Orange,
Laura Chapman and husband James
of Orange, Robert Currie and wife Mindy of Orange, Lanette Anderson and husband George of Bridge City, and Stacey Case of Palestine; his grand-children, Heidi Thomas and husband Scott, Tyler Chapman and wife Diana, Chase Chapman and wife Brianna, Sydnie Anderson, Brooke Dixon and husband Todd, Wayne Currie and wife Karen, Peyton McKee, Paige McKee, Caleb Anderson and wife Carly, Cameron Anderson and wife Amelia, Keegan Anderson, Autumn Singelton, Walker Case, Parker Case, Valarie Morris, and Joshua Morris; his siblings, Ronnie Currie and wife Barbara, and Vaughn Currie and wife Debbie; and many great-grandchildren and other loving extended family members. Serving as pallbearers will be his grandsons, Tyler Chapman, Chase Chapman, Caleb Anderson, Cameron Anderson, Keegan Anderson, Josh Morris, Parker Case, Walker Case, Peyton McKee, and Wayne Currie.
2.
Ronald Russell Currie
BIRTH 12 APR 1947 • Port Arthur, Jefferson County, Texas, USA
DEATH Unknown
Married:
Barbara Ann Gamble
BIRTH 3 SEP 1946 • Longview, Gregg County, Texas, USA
DEATH Unknown
RONALD RUSSELLCURRIE
I was the 2nd of 4 sons to my Mother, Martha Harvey Currie, and the 1st of 3 sons to my Father, John A. Currie. I was born on April 12th, 1947 in Port Arthur, Texas, in a garage apartment on Thomas Blvd. .
I have had an amazing life. I grew up in Bridge City, Texas at a house on Lake Street, which bordered the marshes and had direct access to Sabine Lake. The Silver Slipper saloon was next door. Summers were spent fishing, swimming, and hunting for Indian artifacts, searching for glass soda bottles to cash in for a few pennies, finding an occasional hub cap, gathering mayhaws, blackberries, and muscadines for canning, and getting that first car, Gramps '52 Olds Rocket 88. Winters were spent hunting & trapping animals for their fur, (I am not so proud of that now). We would find coins and other items in the saloon parking lot on weekends. I married my high school sweetheart, Barbara Gamble Currie. We both lived in Germany after I had joined the Army in 1966. We have traveled to 60+ countries, climbed mountains, hiked the back trails, driven the backroads, visited both poles, swam with the sting-rays, and made friends on all 7 continents. We have been blessed and were able to do everything we ever wanted to do. My wife's remains and mine are scattered in some of our most favorite places. Life is short, celebrate it as much as you can.
BARBARA GAMBLE
Barbara was the second of 8 children born to Exie Obine (Whitworth) Gamble and Lawrence M. Gamble. She was the oldest girl. When she was about 3 years old, she was bitten by a dog and permanently lost vision in her right eye. Her father was a house painter and her mom stayed at home.
As years went by, many more children were born and Barbara became a second mother to the younger ones, helping in their care and upbringing. She was a vociferous reader throughout her life. In high school, she was awarded a nursing scholarship but was unable to take advantage of it due to the limited income of her dad and having no transportation. She married her high school sweetheart, Ronald Currie, on April 3, 1966. Barbara worked in many fields during her life and was successful in each. From sales to manufacturing lighting for emergency vehicles, and later over 20 years in the healthcare industry, to owning her own daycare for children.
She was not afraid of any challenge. She was a stained glass artisan who made many pieces of work that were sought after, crocheted dozens of items for children and families, and a craftsperson who enjoyed making wooden gifts for others. She enjoyed the holiday seasons and would decorate her home lavishly each year for the different holidays. Barbara & her husband traveled extensively all over the world where she loved to interact with children and take their photographs. Her smile would dissolve any barrier with children or adults. She is sorely missed and will never be replaced for the matriarchal role she provided for the rest of the family.
3.
Phillip Dean Currie
BIRTH 23 AUGUST 1956 • Jefferson
County, Texas, USA
DEATH 15 APR 1995 • Beaumont,
Jefferson County, Texas, USA
No further information
I began employment at Livingston Shipyard as a fitters helper, but as the Vietnam war heated up, I found myself serving in Germany in the 4th Armored Division. Upon discharge from the Army, I was employed at Dupont Sabine River Works, working as a quality analyst in the lab for many years. This was not satisfying, and I became self-employed in the construction business, working for many years building homes and other projects in Connecticut. I later went back to a quality lab working for Ausimont and later Solvay. I retired when I was 53, and my wife and I began traveling all over the world for the next 20 years.
I have had an amazing life. I grew up in Bridge City, Texas at a house on Lake Street, which bordered the marshes and had direct access to Sabine Lake. The Silver Slipper saloon was next door. Summers were spent fishing, swimming, and hunting for Indian artifacts, searching for glass soda bottles to cash in for a few pennies, finding an occasional hub cap, gathering mayhaws, blackberries, and mus-cadines for canning, and getting that first
3.
Von Rehder"Vic" Currie
BIRTH 1 DEC 1884 • Santa Barbara, San Paolo, Brazil
DEATH 3 MAY 1940 • Angleton, Brazoria County,
Texas, USA
Married 1st:
Lena Wood Greer
BIRTH 15 JAN 1888 • Corsicana, Navarro, TX USA
DEATH 18 FEB 1956 • Houston, Harris, Texas, USA
Married 2nd:
Clara L Brown
BIRTH 14 AUG 1881 • Huntsville, Walker, Texas, USA
DEATH 10 SEP 1960 • Houston, Harris, Texas, USA
Vic was born in Brazil and came to the United States with his widowed mother and two brothers in 1901. settling in Texas. He would work got the newly est-Texas Oil Company (Texaco). He would marry twice, the first one ending in divorce. He had no children from either spouse.
Albert and his brother, Von Rehder, both worked for the new Texas Company, which soon became Texaco. Von Rehder worked as secretary to the Vice President, and Albert was a draftsman and began by mapping Indian lands. Von Rehder entered a contest to create a logo for the new company; he designed it and had Bert draw it. Their design, the Texaco Star logo, is recognized around the world.
Von Rehder Currie worked for Texaco in Houston for 35 years. He was a member of Gray Lodge No. 329, A.F. and A.M., Ruthven Commandery No. 2, Knights Templar, and Arabia Temple Shrine.
He had a fishing cabin on Bastrop Bayou near Angleton, Texas.
Corsicana, Texas, 16 Oct 1909
FRANK DOMM
Christopher Franklin "Frank" Damm
BIRTH 28 DEC 1840 • Germany
DEATH 4 MAR 1889 • Fayette County, Texas, USA
Married: 23 Mar 1880 • Fayette, Texas
Mary Willenberg
BIRTH 22 MARCH 1859 • Bastrop County, Texas, USA
DEATH 28 APR 1881 • La Grange, Fayette County, Texas, USA
Mary was the daughter of Augustus Edward Willenberg Sr. and Mary. They were natives of Prussia and immigrated to Texas in 1849 through the port of Galveston. They settled in Bastrop County Texas where his occupation was that of a farmer. Mary's brother Audustus E. Willenberg Jr. married Catharina Paulina Hester Damm in 1866, the younger sister of John and Frank Domm.
Not much is known about Frank, but what we do know is:
Frank was the third and youngest son. His parents were dead from an epidemic and the Domm children were taken in by various families. In the 1850 census, Christofer, age 9, was listed with the family of farmer James R. Bennett (Household #235) who had a wife and six daughters ranging in age from 11 down to 1 (no sons).
His brother, John, was the oldest and the next oldest brother was Adam who died during the war and is buried in the Confederate Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. Two months after Adam enlisted, Frank joined him. On July 19, Frank Damm signed up for the 4th Texas, Co. G.
Frank spent much of the Civil War sick and in hospital. He was captured at the battle of Sharpsburg on September 17, 1862, and exchanged as a P.O.W. on November 10 at Aikens Landing, VA. He was subsequently in and out of hospital again, but well enough to fight again and get wounded in battle.
From autumn of 1863 through at least August 1864, Frank was at the hospital at Emory, Virginia, where from March on he was attached to the hospital as a cook, and listed as absent from his company.
Frank Damm surrendered on May 7, 1865, in Georgia, and signed his X mark on the oath of allegiance on May 22.
According to his service record, "Franklin" H. Damm was 5'8" tall and had fair hair and blue eyes.
In 1868, Frank and John Damm joined thousands of other displaced and disenchanted southerners in emigrating to Brazil to start over. For more on this story, go here.
At some point prior to 1880, Frank returned to Texas. He married Mary Willenberg on March 23, 1880. Their baby Mary P. Damm was born April 19, 1881, in Fayette County. Mary Willenberg Damm died April 28, 1881, at the age of 22. Her baby lived until June 17, then also died. Frank passed away on March 4, 1889, at the age of 49. They are buried in LaGrange, Fayette County, Texas, USA.
Frank apparently has no living descendants.
BROTHER OF JOHN DOMM
