CURTIS, John A., b 1858; 1905 Bio, Delta County, Colorado http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/delta/bios/curtisja.txt --------------------------------------- Donated September 21, 2001 Transcribed by Judy Crook from the book: Progressive Men of Western Colorado Published 1905, A.W. Bowen & Co., Chicago, Ill. --------------------------------------- John A. Curtis John A. Curtis, the accomplished and accommodating county surveyor of Delta county, who is now serving his twelfth consecutive term in the office, having been continuously re-elected since his first term, which began in 1889, is a native of the historic town of Bowdoin, Maine, born on December 20, 1858, and the son of John and Pauline (Hall) Curtis, also natives of that town, and members of old colonial families who bore a conspicuous part in the Revolutionary war. The father was a farmer and also a shipbuilder. During the Civil war he built monitors for the United States government, working at the navy yards at Kittery, Maine, and East Boston, Massachusetts. He now lives at Bowdoin, where his wife died in September, 1903. They had five children, all of whom are living, John A. being the third born. He grew to manhood in his native place, attended the public schools there and an academy at Litchfield, and afterward entered the engineers department of the Maine University at Orono. When he reached the age of twenty, and before being graduated at this institution, he joined the Untied States Engineers Corps under General Warren. After serving three years in that corps along the coast of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with headquarters at Newport, he came west to Wyoming in 1881, and during the next six years was employed on government surveys in the wilderness. The life was one of hardship and toil, and frequently every hour was fraught with danger from hostile Indians. In the autumn of 1887 he settled at Delta and engaged in general engineering work. In the fall of 1889 he was elected county surveyor of Delta county, and at every succeeding election he has been re-elected. In the public improvements made in the county during his incumbency of this office he has borne an important and serviceable part, making survey for all ditches, reservoirs and similar enterprises and directing their construction. He has also been deeply and actively interested in other local affairs of importance, his skill and judgment being generally recognized as of a high order. In 1892 he helped to organize the Delta Improvement Company, which owns a portion of the townsite, and has been president of the company almost throughout its existence. He also assisted in organizing the volunteer fire department of the town and was its first captain. He is in addition a stockholder in various enterprises for promoting the welfare and development of the community, and takes an active interest in their work. In political affairs he is an earnest and serviceable Republican, and besides being county surveyor has served on the local school board for a number of years. On February 20, 1894, he was married to Miss Catherine Bradney, a native of Clayton, Illinois, and daughter of Sylvester and Nancy (Davis) Bradney, the former born in Ohio and the latter in Kentucky. They are now living at Clayton, Illinois, where the father is a prosperous farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Curtis have two children, George W. and Esther M. Mr. Curtis is an enthusiastic Knight of Pythias and aided in organizing Grand Mesa Lodge, No. 84, of the order at Delta in 1892. =================================================== Contributed for use by the USGenWeb Archive Project (http://www.usgenweb.org) and by the COGenWeb Archive Project USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access.