Our Unique Stories

eugene carlton curry

1916-1918

Life Story

A Brief Life in Lawrence

Eugene Carlton Curry was born on September 17, 1916, in the state of Arkansas. He was the son of Carlton Curry and Sarah Williams Curry, members of a longstanding farming family deeply rooted in the rural communities of eastern Newton County.

Born into a large and growing household, Eugene entered a family network that included grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings who lived and worked within the close-knit Lawrence community. His earliest years were spent surrounded by the love and support of a family whose roots in the area stretched back generations.

Illness and Death

Tragically, Eugene’s life was brief.

In October 1918, after an illness lasting only a few days, he became seriously ill with peritonitis, a severe inflammation of the abdominal cavity that was often difficult to treat in the era before modern antibiotics.

Despite medical attention, Eugene passed away on October 20, 1918, at just two years of age.

His death occurred during a period when childhood illnesses frequently proved fatal, particularly in rural communities where access to advanced medical care was limited. The year 1918 was especially difficult for families throughout Mississippi and the nation as disease and hardship touched countless households.

The death certificate records that he was attended by Dr. E. W. Handnall, who certified the cause of death.

Final Resting Place

Following his passing, funeral arrangements were handled by local undertaker W. R. Windham.

Eugene was laid to rest on October 21, 1918, at Union Chapel Methodist Church Cemetery in Lawrence, Newton County, Mississippi, among family members and neighbors whose lives were closely intertwined with his own.

Though his life lasted only two years, the official records preserve his place within the Curry family and ensure that he is remembered among the generations who came before and after him.

Legacy

The life of Eugene Carlton Curry reminds us that family history is not measured solely by longevity. Every life, no matter how brief, forms part of the larger story of a family and community.

Though he never had the opportunity to grow into adulthood, Eugene remains a cherished member of the Curry family lineage. More than a century after his passing, the records of his birth, death, and burial continue to preserve his memory and his place within the history of the Lawrence community.

Resting Place

Union Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery

Photos/Albums

Eugene Carleton Curry
Eugene Carleton Curry, 1916-1918

Sources

  1. Mississippi Death Records identify Eugene Carlton Curry as having been born on September 17, 1916, in Arkansas to Carlton Curry and Sarah Williams Curry.
  2. Family records and census records identify Eugene as a son of Carlton Curry and Sarah Williams Curry, members of a longstanding farming family in the Lawrence community of Newton County, Mississippi.
  3. 1920 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, household of Carlton Curry; documenting the Curry family in the years immediately following Eugene’s death and placing the family within the agricultural community of Beat 4.
  4. Mississippi Death Certificate, Eugene Carlton Curry, October 20, 1918; documenting his death in Lawrence, Newton County, Mississippi, at the age of two years.
  5. Mississippi Death Certificate, Eugene Carlton Curry; recording his date of birth as September 17, 1916, and his date of death as October 20, 1918.
  6. Mississippi Death Certificate, Eugene Carlton Curry; identifying peritonitis as the cause of death following an illness of several days’ duration.
  7. Peritonitis, an inflammation of the abdominal lining, was often difficult to treat in the early twentieth century before the development of antibiotics and modern surgical interventions.
  8. Mississippi Death Certificate, Eugene Carlton Curry; identifying Dr. E. W. Handnall as the attending physician who certified the death.
  9. Eugene’s death occurred during 1918, a year marked by widespread illness and mortality throughout the United States. However, his death certificate specifically identifies peritonitis rather than influenza as the cause of death.
  10. Mississippi Death Certificate, Eugene Carlton Curry; identifying W. R. Windham as the undertaker responsible for funeral arrangements.
  11. Mississippi Death Certificate, Eugene Carlton Curry; documenting burial on October 21, 1918, at Union Chapel Methodist Church Cemetery in Lawrence, Newton County, Mississippi.
  12. Union Chapel Methodist Church Cemetery Records, Lawrence, Newton County, Mississippi; documenting the burial of Eugene Carlton Curry among members of the Curry family and the surrounding community.
  13. Family records, cemetery records, Mississippi vital records, and genealogical research collectively preserve the memory of Eugene Carlton Curry and his place within the Curry family lineage.

Sources Consulted

Mississippi Death Certificate of Eugene Carlton Curry (1918); Mississippi Birth Records; Union Chapel Methodist Church Cemetery Records; 1920 U.S. Federal Census; Newton County Genealogical Research Collections; Curry Family Records and Oral Histories.

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