Samuel ("Sam") Benton Curtis was the fifth child born to Dr. Samuel Curtis and Nancy (Petty) Curtis. He was born on Saturday, May 31, 1862 in northern Louisiana. Sam was named after his father, Samuel Curtis, and his uncle, Benton Petty. When Sam was a young boy his father died so he grew up without a father. When Sam was a young boy, their family moved west to Anderson County, Texas, and settled around Montalba.
Samuel Benton Curtis first married Sarah Ann Shaw who was born in England. Sam and Sarah started their family in Anderson County. Their firstborn was Bertha Iona Curtis, born in October of 1890, and then in July of 1892 William ("Willie") B. Curtis was born. Sometime in about 1892 Sarah contracted tuberculosis. The doctors suggested that a higher climate would help her, so Sam, Sarah and their two children started going north, however Sarah died while they were in Kaufman County. Sam and his two young children then moved back to Anderson County and lived near Montalba.
Sam Curtis worked as a mail carrier in that area of Anderson County. On his delivery route at Concord Community, west of Montalba, lived the John Fitzgerald family. One day Sam was delivering their mail and Betty Jane Fitzgerald went out to the mailbox bare footed to buy some stamps from him. They met and talked a little, and from then on they began meeting regularly at the mailbox, but after that first meeting, Betty made sure that she always wore her shoes when going out to the mailbox. And so their courtship began.
Samuel Benton Curtis and Betty Jane Fitzgerald were married on Saturday, May 4, 1895, in the Concord Community of Anderson County, Texas. Sam was 33 years old and Betty was 18, almost the same ages that Sam's parents were when they were married, forty five years earlier.
Betty Jane Fitzgerald was a daughter of John Edgar Fitzgerald and Elizabeth "Lizzie" (Lunsford) Fitzgerald. She was born on Saturday, September 9, 1876 at the Concord Community in Anderson County, Texas.
Sam and Betty Curtis started their family in Anderson County. Upon marrying Sam, Betty became an instant mother of two. Sam and Betty had their first child together on August 16, 1896. She was named Beula Benton Curtis. The family soon moved north to Kaufman County where their second child, Viola ("Ola") was born on January 10, 1899. By 1900 they were living in Van Zandt County, near Grand Saline, and Sam was making a living as a farmer.
On August 12, 1901, Sam Curtis bought 25 acres of land from the Shockley family for $200.00, to be paid over a period of five years at 10% yearly interest. The land was located in the Nacogdoches District of Van Zandt County, west of Canton, on the waters of Caney Creek. Sam and Betty didn't keep the land for very long, for on August 6, 1902, they sold the 25 acres of land to Mr. J. Bates for $290.00, to be paid off over a five year period at 10% yearly interest.
James "Oliver" Curtis was born to Sam and Betty on February 15, 1902. Nearly four years later Jessie Conley ("Con") was born on December 12, 1905. On May 19, 1907 Bertha Curtis married John Dunbar there in Van Zandt County. The next year, on May 2, 1908, Sam and Betty had another son whom they named Lloyd.
Christmas time for the Curtis family was much the same as with other families of that era and locale. They generally could not afford nice, expensive gifts. Most Christmases the children received an apple, an orange and a handful of nuts. They would oftentimes also buy a coconut which Betty would cut up into several pieces for the children to enjoy, and she herself usually drank the milk.
In about 1908 or 1909, Sam Curtis and his family moved to Royce City, in Rockwall County, Texas. There Sam ran a general store for about a year. They lived on the edge of town, near some cotton fields. Sam and Betty's oldest daughter, Beula, who was about 12 or 13 years old then, decided one day that she wanted to make some money by going to work in the cotton fields. Sam told her that it was okay with him, and that she could keep all of the money that she earned. After working in the fields for some time, she earned quite a bit of money and was able to buy some new clothes, a trunk, and a center table.
The next year, the Curtis family moved back to Van Zandt County and they continued farming. Since they owned no land of their own at that time they farmed "thirds and fourths" where they lived and worked on someone's land and paid the owner one third of their yield of corn and one fourth of their yield of cotton.
Franklin ("Frank") was born on October 20, 1910, and Jeffie Mae was born on November 25, 1912. In June of 1915 Betty gave birth to a baby boy who didn't live past birth. His little body was buried at Starr Cemetery in the Starr Community of Van Zandt County.
In about 1916, Sam and his family moved to Ellis County and lived in the town of Garrett, Texas. They lived there for one or two years, farming thirds and fourths. It was there that Betty gave birth to their last child, Annie Bell Curtis, born on July 24, 1917.
Then in about 1918, they moved back to Van Zandt County and lived near Willow Springs. They farmed "thirds and fourths" on Fred ("Fed") Guillium's land for about two years. During the early-to-mid 1920's, Sam and his family moved to Bob Brodnax's place and farmed there for eight years. They did quite well farming there and prospered. Sam bought a Model T Ford car while they lived there.
During the early 1930's, Sam and Betty separated. They had been having trouble getting along for quite some time. It is said that they argued and fussed a lot, and Sam did not treat Betty very well. Sam then went to live with his oldest daughter, Bertha Dunbar and her family at Fruitvale, Texas. Betty lived with one of her daughters, "Ola" Weathers and her family for a time, and later she stayed with her daughter Jeffie Heddins and her family. Sometimes she would go to live with some of her other children for a few weeks at a time.
It wasn't long before Sam and Betty got back together, and they lived and farmed on Dick Roseman's place. Their youngest daughter, Annie Bell, was the only one left at home at that time. After about a year, Sam and Betty separated again, and never reunited, although they never legally divorced. Sam went back to live with Bertha, and later with his oldest son, Willie, in Wood County. After a time, he went back to live with Bertha in Fruitvale. Betty then went to live with her son, Con Curtis, and his family. Later she went back to live with Ola and her family.
Samuel Benton Curtis died at the age of 74, on Friday, October 23, 1936 in the hospital in Terrell, Kaufman County, Texas. He was buried at Craegleville Cemetery in Van Zandt County near Grand Saline, Texas. His daughter, Bertha Dunbar, was later buried to his right, and her husband, John Dunbar, to her right.
Betty Jane Curtis died at the age of 73, on Monday, March 6, 1950. She died of a heart attack in the home of Sam and Ola Weathers where she had been living. Betty was buried at Starr Cemetery in Van Zandt County, between Canton and Grand Saline, a few miles from where Sam had been buried.
The children of Samuel Benton Curtis and Sarah Ann (Shaw) Curtis were:
1. BERTHA IONA CURTIS, born Oct. 1890, Palestine, Anderson County, Texas; married JOHN DUNBAR; buried at Craigleville Cemetery, near Grand Saline, Van Zandt County, Texas. (Her body is buried in an unmarked grave to the left of her father, Samuel B. Curtis).
2. WILLIAM ("WILLIE") B. CURTIS, born July 1892, Palestine, Anderson County, Texas; married MOLLIE DUNBAR; died and buried at Dallas, Texas.
The children of Samuel Benton Curtis and Betty Jane (Fitzgerald) Curtis were:
3. BEULA BENTON CURTIS, born 16 Aug. 1896, Van Zandt County, Texas; married THOMAS ("TOM") MARION STANBERY, 13 May 1911, Van Zandt County, Texas; died 21 Aug. 1972, Grand Saline, Van Zandt County, Texas; buried at Starr Cemetery, Van Zandt County, Texas.
4. VIOLA ("OLA") CURTIS, born 10 Jan. 1899, Kaufman County, Texas; married SAMUEL ("SAM") WEATHERS, 10 Sept. 1922, Quitman, Wood County, Texas (double wedding with her brother, Jessie Conley Curtis); died 4 May 1985, Grand Saline, Van Zandt County, Texas; buried at Woodside Cemetery, Grand Saline, Van Zandt County, Texas.
5. JAMES "OLIVER" CURTIS, born 15 Feb. 1903, Van Zandt County, Texas; married JENNIE AGNES RUSHING, 20 Mar. 1919, Van Zandt County, Texas; died 8 July 1929, Van Zandt County, Texas; buried at Starr Cemetery, Van Zandt County, Texas.
6. JESSIE CONLEY ("CON") CURTIS, born 12 Dec. 1905, Van Zandt County, Texas; married EMMA ELIZA LEE, 10 Sept. 1922, Quitman, Wood County, Texas (double wedding with his sister, Viola Curtis); died 11 July 1956, Grand Saline, Van Zandt County, Texas; buried at Oakland Cemetery, Oakland, Van Zandt County, Texas.
7. LLOYD CURTIS, born 2 May 1908, Van Zandt County, Texas; married ELLA KING, 6 July 1927, Van Zandt County, Texas; died 31 May 1961, Van Zandt County, Texas; buried at Starr Cemetery, Van Zandt County, Texas.
8. FRANKLIN ("FRANK") CURTIS, born 20 Oct. 1910, Van Zandt County, Texas; married EFFIE PHILLIPS, ___ Jan. 1944, Van Zandt County, Texas; died 19 July 1944, Palagio, Italy (World War II); first buried at the U.S. Military Cemetery at Vada, Italy; reburied at Starr Cemetery, Van Zandt County, Texas on 1 Dec. 1948.
9. JEFFIE MAE CURTIS, born 25 Nov. 1912, Van Zandt County, Texas; married PERCY HEDDINS (son of John Iven Heddins and Mary Ellen Barber), 7 Dec. 1929, Van Zandt County, Texas; died 21 Jan. 1982, Bowie, Montague County, Texas; buried at Haven of Memories Cemetery, Canton, Van Zandt County, Texas.
10. Infant Son, born and died June 1915; buried at Starr Cemetery, Van Zandt County, Texas.
11. ANNIE BELL CURTIS, born 24 July 1917, Ellis County, Texas; first married BUCK HASIERT, __________ 19___, _________, Texas; then married GENE LAPPE, 22 Mar. 1945, Mills Co., Texas; died 26 Apr. 1980, Van Zandt County, Texas; buried at Woodside Cemetery, Grand Saline, Van Zandt County, Texas.
This biography was compiled and written by Roland J. Heddins, copyright 2002. As further details are discovered, this biography will be updated. If you have any details to add or correct, please email me. No part of this biography may be published (in print or on the internet) without written permission. Thank you. -RJH
