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There are no letters from Archie except a school letter written to his parents when he was 7. However, we do have intriguing references to his problems in letters from James in 1860 and 1861 and a funeral notice from 1873. The story has been pieced together from census records and newspaper clippings. Many thanks to Lynne Rooney of Ontario for her invaluable research help.

England and Canada 1845 - 1873

Archie is the second youngest child (the 11th living child and 8th son) of James Charters Currie and wife Rosanna, born around 1844 and only 5 or 6 when his mother dies. In 1851 he is staying with "Cousin Janet" in Southampton, age 6 and no doubt enjoying being the 'big boy' to her 2 little sons. [Cousin Janet was a Clement, probably the illegitimate daughter of Rosanna's brother Robert, who married a draper and tea dealer Matthew Mair from Ayrshire who ran a profitable business in Southampton. In 1854, Archie's sister Rosanna also stayed with Cousin Janet, helping to look after their new baby]

We know that he has problems as a teenager and gives his father much cause for concern. Big brother James, writing from Australia, supposes that Drink is at the root of the problem -

"I am truly sorry to hear such an account of Archie. I am truly sorry for the sake of Father who I am sure has had enough of this world's troubles and at his age is not able to bear up so well as a younger man. I did fondly hope these things had come to an end but that cursed Drink seems to be the root of most of it. I did hope I had heard the last of bad news of that sort ".

Archie is only about 16 at this point so it is a shocking report. In the same year, October 1860, things seem to be even worse, though it appears that this is a serious illness rather than debauchery -

"I am sorry poor Archie is so far from being well, it is a great loss to a youth just entering into life but it is to be hoped he may yet recover the use of his limbs."

Next year things must have picked up, for Archie is recorded in the April 1861 census as being a Commercial Clerk, still living with his dad and the 2 other children left at home, sister Margaret and little brother Allan, an apprentice engineer.

We know that he is still in London in 1863 as he is mentioned in passing in a letter.

We jump to 1871 and Archie is shown in the Canadian Census to be living as a book keeper in Perth, Lanark County, in Ontario, in the household of Thomas Jamieson age 43, Saddler and Harness Maker, and wife Jane 34, both born in Ontario of Irish extraction. We do not know if this is his employer or merely a landlord or how long Archie stays with them. Thomas Jamieson himself goes on to become Mayor of Napanee, Ontario. In view of Archie's previous problems, it is encouraging to read that Thomas "has been a life long Temperance man".

We know that Archie's older brother Matthew arrives in Perth in 1872, but there is no record of whether they enjoyed each other's company or not. Archie is not a witness at his brother's second wedding in October 1872.

If Archie had indeed begun to turn his life around, it is all too short-lived. In 1873 he dies after a three week illness ("inflammation of the brain") and is buried (from the house of W F Allan of Caroline Village, Perth) in the Old Craig Street Cemetery also in Perth. A notice is put in the Perth Courier -

"Died at Perth on Thurs 21st Aug, Archibald Ritchie Currie, book-keeper, age 27 years, a native of Deptford England"

- and someone (Matthew?) sends the funeral notice back home to brother Alexander.

Questions: What was the mysterious illness? When and why did he emigrate? Who was W F Allan? (there is an 1871 census record for Wm F Allan, age 33, Scotch, Gentleman). How did he die and was it in any way related to his teenage illness? Was he still a wild child or had he settled down?

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Funeral notice sent from Ontario to London

Biography of Thomas Jamieson, with whom Archie lived for a while in Perth, Ontario "Thomas Jamieson, Esq., who assumed the duties of mayor of Napanee on Monday last has been one of our well known, active and successful businessmen for the past 25 years.  Although of Irish parentage, he is a thorough Canadian both by birth and by sympathies. His parents when quite young married people, moved from the north of Ireland with their children and over 80 years ago were among the early settlers on a farm in Lanark County (Bathurst) near Perth where our present mayor was born and spent all his early days... Mayor Jamieson is now in his 70th year having been born in 1828.  Before coming to Napanee in 1873 he was for years a resident of Perth where he was for a time a member of the town council.  He began a bakery and confectionary business here 25 years ago and by his diligence became prosperous in his business and has since done well in building up the business interests of the town and has become one of our considerable property holders and tax payers.  He is a member of the Methodist Church and has always taken a lively interest in the Sunday school and the various societies and movements in connection with its work.  He has been a life long Temperance man." From the Napanee Beaver, quoted in the Perth Courier, Jan 28, 1898 [Many thanks to Jean Nielsen]