J. Seymour Currey

J. Seymour Currey was born Josiah Seymour Currey on October 2, 1844, in Peekskill, New York. His family moved to Evanston in 1867. Currey served in the U.S. Army in the 67th Regiment of Illinois Volunteers during the Civil War. He married Emma Corell in 1875.

Currey was a talented writer and historian with a deep-seated commitment to Evanston’s history. Currey worked at and utilized the resources at the Evanston Public Library to develop his knowledge about Evanston. His passion for Evanston's history and its library led to his election as President of Evanston’s Library Association in 1886, a position he held for twenty-two years. 

Currey worked as an accountant from 1890-1895, but as his career continued, he found greater significance in his work with historical writing. He wrote and published a number of historical articles and books, and was a founder of the Evanston Historical Society. He served as the Society’s first Secretary and later as its President in 1906. J. Seymour Currey passed away on Christmas Day in 1928 while in Vancouver, British Columbia, at the age of 84.