David Curtin

  General Notes:

David Curtin was tried in Cork on 23 February 1841 at age 43 and found Guilty of Murder and sentenced to Death. This sentence was commuted to transportation for life. He was transported to Tasmania in Australia on the Prince Regent II departing Dublin on 7 August 1841, arriving Hobart 2 January 1842. In today's terms his crime would be regarded as "Accessory to Murder" - he handed a stick to his co-accused to beat a process server, Michael Bennett to death. He was Transported with his co-conspiritors William Curtin (no relation) and Cornelius Guince. The crime took place in 1839.

According to his convict records he was 5' 8 1/2" tall, complexion, fresh; head, large; hair, sandy; Whiskers, redddish; face, long; forehead, high and broad; eyebrows, sandy; Eyes, blue; nose, long; mouth, large; chin, large. He was recorded as married to Mary, father of 9 children and Roman Catholic. He was able to read and write a little, and his Trade was Ploughman and Labourer. He was able to milk and make butter.

He was released from the first stage of Probation on 2 July 1844. He was recorded as being very drunk on December 23rd 1849. His Conditional Pardon was approved on 31st May 1853. An Application for Free Passage of his family was recommended on 26 July 1853.

David married Mary Brown about 1820 and it was her family who had land which David took over through the marriage. They had 10 children up to 1838. After several years of being in Tasmania David was granted limited freedom and his wife was invited to come out but refused a number of times. Some of David's children came out and there are a lot of descendants in Australia from this line. David died as a well respected farmer in 1874 at his farm named "Meelin", in country Tasmania.

David married Mary Catherine (Kate) Brown, daughter of Patrick Brown and Ann Tobin, about 1820 in Ireland. (Mary Catherine (Kate) Brown was born in Knockduff Townland, Meelin, Co Cork.)