WE ARE THE DESCENDANTS OF THE 11 CHILDREN OF LEWIS CURTIS, PENNY, AND ADELINE ALBRIGHT OF NORTH CAROLINA…
For decades, the Curtis Family Reunion has been proudly held on the first Saturday of August each year, often bringing together over 200 family members.
In 2024, the Albright name was thoughtfully added to the celebration.
As a result, this opened the door to identify, honor, and warmly welcome the Albright relatives of our cherished matriarchal roots. By doing so, we seek to recognize those who, through love and legacy, birthed our first generational line of Curtis children.
Consequently, it is from these beginnings that we continue to trace, embrace, and proudly celebrate our enduring family lineage.
OUR BEGINNINGS…
Lewis Curtis — whose surname was once believed to be Respess — was born around 1845 in Alamance County, North Carolina. As time went on, he became a helper to the Curtis family of Climax in Randolph County during the era of slavery. Before long, in the 1860s, Lewis formed a union with Penny Albright, who was born about 1839. She, too, hailed from Alamance County and the mother of Adeline Albright.
From that point forward, their family began to grow, and eventually, they welcomed four children from their union:
- Emily J. “Em” Curtis, born 1866
- John W. Curtis, born 1869…married to Rosa B. Bass
- William H. “Bill” Curtis, born 1878…married to Geneva Jones
- Louisa E. “Lou” Curtis, born 1874
A few years after Penny’s passing, Lewis later married Penny’s daughter, Adeline Albright, in August of 1877. Through this new chapter, seven more children were born to this union:
- James Ernest Curtis, born 1878…married to Mary Emma Shoffner
- Charles Verney Curtis, born 1880…married to Annie Bray
- Mary Ida Curtis, born 1887…married to Jerry Smith
- Gurney Lewis Curtis, born 1890, in union with Estelle Taylor
- Estella Mae “Stella” Curtis, born 1891…married to Arthur Bass
- Lester Curtis, born 1893…married to Lucy Cassady
- Coy Cecil Curtis, born 1897…married to Edna Alston.
Ultimately, Lewis Curtis passed away on Christmas Day, December 25, 1922, at the age of 77. He was laid to rest at Stoney Hill Cemetery of Bethel AME Church in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Over the generations, many of the descendants of Lewis Curtis, Penny, and Adeline Albright have carried their proud legacy forward. Through skilled trades, entrepreneurial ventures, and years of service at the Curtis Packing Company — founded in 1915 by John Alexander Curtis in Greensboro, North Carolina — their names and contributions remain part of our rich family history.
As we now plan for our 2025 Family Reunion celebration, we remain committed to learning about, honoring, and inviting every branch of our cherished family tree.
By coming together, we strive to build a firm, knowledgeable foundation of legacy, unity, and strength that will empower and uplift the generations of Curtis-Albright descendants and relatives yet to come.
Our Curtis-Albright drive is simple, “We are Past-proven… Present-focused…and Future-driven…together!”
