Looking for Curtin family connection

[corky3]

I have been looking ( including contacting Margaret Curtin in New Zealand to no avail) for some sort of lead as to where my Curtin branch comes from in Ireland. The only thing that we, our lost and unconnected branch of the family Curtin,"know" is that Michael J. Curtin born sometime around 1861 was born in the County of Clare.

His parents were John and Bridget nee Daly Curtin. We know little about John except that he never immigrated to America, was probably a farmer and died before Bridget and John, his eldest son immigrated around 1887 to Boston, Massachusetts. Bridget was born around December 1832,probably in Clare, lived in Boston on 70 Carver Street and died July 5, 1900 and is buried in what essentially an unmarked grave with her son at St. Joseph's Cemetery, Field of Nazareth which is now Newton, Massachusetts. John, who worked as a porter and baker in Boston, was born March 1855 in County Clare and died at the state hospital of Tewksbury, Massachusetts on October 1, 1911. From her death record I know that Bridget's parents are Michael Daly and Nora Burke.

The present Curtin clan descended from Michael J. Curtin who first left Ireland around 1880 to serve in the Cold Stream Guards. He spent some time in London with that unit-I have found him in the 1881 Census and, according to family lore, served under Gordon in Egypt. By 1883 he was finished with the army and immigrated to Boston where, according to his marriage license, worked as a waiter. He married Margaret Maroney February 13, 1889 in Boston and soon after moved to Worcester,Massachusetts where Margaret's sister Mary Maroney Hoy and her brother's Cornelius and Jeremiah lived. I suspect that the Maroneys also come from Clare but have no confirming evidence-her parents were Michael Maroney and Lucy Killeen. There was another brother Patrick who remained in Boston. He married a Delia Downes and that family name permeates the genealogy-for example, Bridget Downes was Margaret's marriage witness-so perhaps they -the Downes as well. Cornelius married Margaret Mulville and I have traced her family to Miltown Malbay, Clare since according to her death obituary one of her brother's Bartholomew and mother were still living there.

Michael and Margaret had three children, John Francis (12/4/1889)my husband's grandfather, . Ethel (12/14/1890-first two born in Worcester) and Lucy (9/4/1894 born in Providence Rhode Island, where the Curtins lived for a short time). Michael died October 9, 1933 in Worcester, Massachusetts-he worked for the city as a general laborer and later for the Park department. Margaret died October 7 1932 in Worcester, both buried in St. John's Cemetery, Worcester, Massachusetts.

I am hoping that, perhaps, that John or Bridget, may have had siblings who remained in Ireland, in Clare, with whom any of this connects. I have researched sources as Griffiths Valuation and School Registers but John Curtin seems to be a very common name. Does any of this information connect with any one. Margaret Curtin of New Zealand tells me we are an odd branch of the Curtin family and we don't appear to connect with any one she has documented.