Sapper Daniel Curran Born approx 1885 Omoa, ( Now Cleland) L

[rosieno1]

Hi, wonder if anyone can help me.

On looking for a possible marriage for Daniel, My grand-father's Uncle, his mother's brother, I was happy to find a certificate.
The certificate advised that Daniel was a miner/sapper with the New Zealand Tunneling Company. It was only today when I looked this up on the web, that I realised what he had been involved in. The NZTC was a company of miners/sappers involved in all the tunneling at the front-lines, involved in tunneling, and also blowing up the oppositions tunnels. Coming from a long line of miners on all sides, I still can't imagine anything more frightening. From the marriage certificate, it seems he was resident in Greymouth New Zealand, I thought the place name was Blackhall - but it was difficult to read, and I see on Google there is a place called Blaketown that is part of Greymouth. I did't copy the certificate (idiot!), so can't go back and check that out. So it looks like he had emigrated at some point earlier, and he left NZ as part of the 5th reinforcement in April 1917.

I wonder if anyone 'over there' would be able to help me to find out more details. I assume he went back to NZ, did he stay? and did he have family? Unfortunately, I have missed all the recent Ancestry freebie searching facilities, and don't have free access myself! Any info on his original emigration, and his possible return after getting married to Annie Taggart at St Patrick's R C Church, Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, close to where he was born.

Thanks for any help available!

[Alan SHARP]

Greetings.

In New Zealand PAPERSPAST there were no hits for ‘Daniel CURRAN’ and 18 for ‘D CURRAN’ none of which were on the West Coast.

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bi ... D+Curran--

However for ‘Blackball’ there were over 44,500, as it was a very active mining area on the West Coast. There are very good REFINE SEARCH controls that would allow you to zoom in to your area of research, re time and re enlisted men being farewelled etc etc.

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bi ... -&x=30&y=5

All the best.

Alan SHARP.

[rosieno1]

Thanks for the info Alan
Jane

[Alan SHARP]

No problem. Have you found these records ?

http://archway.archives.govt.nz/SimpleS ... l%20curran

Not sure what records you have already found.

Alan SHARP.

Probate for a Annie CURRAN, Wanganui District Court 1967 [1st page]

http://archway.archives.govt.nz/SimpleS ... PublicApp1

Then Annie CURRAN again in 1968, and Daniel CURRAN in 1972, in the Auckland District Court. [page 4 in a ‘CURRAN’ search of 296 hits]

[Currie]

Hello Jane,

You may have seen some of these.

WW1 Service information.
http://muse.aucklandmuseum.com/database ... rch=curran

More WW1 info here, he worked for the Blackball Coal Mining Company and had been in NZ four years, etc. http://www.nztunnellers.com/roll/details.php?id=177

Note the links to Military Personnel File and that you can ask for the file to be digitized and put online. They probably intend to eventually put all their WW1 files online with free access. Here’s an example of one that’s been done. http://www.archway.archives.govt.nz/Vie ... igital=yes

Their death registrations are here.
https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.go ... e%3Ddeaths

And their cemetery here.
http://www.waitakere.govt.nz/cnlser/cm/ ... fault.aspx

All the best,
Alan

[rosieno1]

Thanks so much for your information and web sites! I will investigate further tomorrow!

Jane