Robert McCurdy and Clarissa Harlowe Burford

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Husband Robert McCurdy ¹

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           Born: 11 Dec 1804 - (Elbert Co., Georgia)
     Christened: 
           Died: 7 May 1848 - DeKalb Co., Georgia 2
         Buried:  - Decatur Cem., Decatur, DeKalb Co., Georgia

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         Father: John McCurdy (1762-1837) 3
         Mother: Elizabeth Groves (Abt 1765-1825) 4

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       Marriage: 29 Dec 1848 - Oglethorpe Co., Georgia 5

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Wife Clarissa Harlowe Burford

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           Born: 1807
     Christened: 
           Died: 1880 6
         Buried:  - Stone Mtn. Cem., Stone Mountain, DeKalb Co., Georgia

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Children

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General Notes: Husband - Robert McCurdy

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Chapter VI of The McCurdys of Stone Mountain, Georgia (Julius Augustus McCurdy; 1979, Collegiate Press, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia) is devoted to Robert McCurdy. Some portions are quoted here.

"Robert McCurdy was born December 11, 1804. On January 1, 1829, he was married to Clarissa (sometimes spelled Claricy) Harlowe Burford in Olgethorpe County. The marriage was performed by the Reverend J. J. Alexander, who at that time served both the Presbyterian Church at Lexington in Oglethorpe County and the New Hope Presbyterian Church in Madison County, where Robert's parents had been members since it was organized.
"His bride was the daughter of Dr. Philip H. Burford and his wife, the former Agnes Bullock. Where Dr. Burford acquired the title "Doctor" is not known. In those days many men applied themselves to learning the effectiveness of home remedies and roots and herbs in treating illness. Some gained experience by working with older doctors. Very few graduated from medical colleges. At the time of his death, Dr. Burford had a sizeable library of medical books.
"Dr. Burford had considerable land holdings in Olgethorpe and adjoining counties. But for some reason, he decided to move to the newly formed DeKalb County.
"Dr. Burford is listed in the 1830 census as a resident of DeKalb County, but Robert McCurdy's name does not appear anywhere in the 1830 census, and we can only assume that he was overlooked. Evidently, Dr. Burford moved to DeKalb County shortly after the marriage of his daughter, and she and Robert may have accompanied him or followed soon after. So we find Robert and Clarissa starting their married life in DeKalb County, less than ten years after it had been ceded by the Indians. Their eldest daughter, Agnes Bullock McCurdy, was born in DeKalb County on November 3, 1832; . . .
"It is difficult to determine exactly where Robert and Clarissa established their first home. A courthouse fire destroyed early deed records.
"His father-in-law established his home on the road leading from Decatur to Covington. It seems likely that Robert and his wife settled close to them. There are records of the purchase and sale of land by Robert McCurdy in this area, the last sale having been made on November 5, 1847, less than a year before his death.
"Like his father, he also served as Justice of the Peace. His jurisdiction was the 649th Militia District, commonly known as Evans District, which is in the southeastern part of the county. It seems likely that, until his death or shortly before, he lived in this area of the county.
"He also served as Tax Collector for DeKalb County, which at that time included all of present DeKalb and a large part of present Fulton County."

"Robert McCurdy died on May 7, 1848, when he was less than 44 years of age. He must have been a leader, because at a rather young age, he had been named as Justice of the Peace in this district, which was still an office of considerable importance. He also had been named as Tax Collector of his County, an indication of the trust and confidence in which he was held by his fellow citizens.
"He was a member of the Pythagoras Lodge No. 41, Free and Accepted Masons, located in Decatur. This lodge had been constituted less than four years before his death, and his funeral was the first Masonic funeral conducted by the lodge. The minutes of the Lodge show that a committee was appointed to prepare the casket, and that on May 9, 1848, the lodge was assembled to perform the ceremonies and to accompany the body to the burial ground for internment[sic]. This burial must have been in the Decatur Cemetery, although the actual site of the grave has never been determined."

CENSUS:

<pre>1840 DeKalb Co., Georgia, District 563
Robert McCurdy 210001 -- 010001; 1 slave
male female
2 < 5
1 5-10 1
10-15
15-20
20-30
1 30-40 1
40-50 </pre>

1 Mac McCurdy, "http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com db: mactex."

2 "Find-a-Grave," Memorial # 104402265.

3 Clyde W. McCurdy, "McCurdy Pioneers of North America," 1990, pgs 82-86.

4 Clyde W. McCurdy, "McCurdy Pioneers of North America," 1990, pg 86.

5 Georgia, U.S., Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828-1978, Oglethorpe > Marriages (White), Vol. 1, 1794-1832; pg 247, image 139/198. Repository: http://www.ancestry.com.

6 "Find-a-Grave," Memorial # 9728100.