Darley Curran?

Wonder if this is "Darby Curran"?

Found at: http://www.ontarioobits.com/genealogy/dufferincht.htm

As published in the Orangeville Banner on April 20, 1911 (Page 6, Column 3)
THE FIRST SETTLERS
Melancthon Gravel Road Was Chopped About 1848.
Editor of the Banner.
Dear Sir, - The Banner of last week contained an interesting account of the pioneer days of Melancthon, written by the facile pen of Mr. w. L. Smith, editor of the Toronto Weekly Sun. The Shelburne Free Press also recently published brief accounts of the early days in this northern township, but both the Banner and the Free Press are somewhat mistaken. The Banner said something about someone drawing hay to Shelburne, and getting stuck in the mud and remaining there all night. As a matter of fact, where Shelburne stands was an unbroken wilderness at that time, and there was no hay market there until about 20 years afterwards. The late Wm. Jelly built the first Mansion House on the present site about the year 1864, and this was the first progressive business place of the now progressive town of Shelburne.

Last week a Free Press correspondent published the names of those settlers, who are supposed to be the first settlers, namely: -- Lewis Gant, Thos. Doyle, Robt. Atkinson, David Biggar, Wm. Gant, Michael Shoaf, John Johnton, Darley Curran and John Hodgins. Now, the earliest of these men came in about 1851, and the others not until three or four years afterwards. The "Toronto Line," now the Gravel Road, was chopped out in '47 or '48, and the men who were engaged on that contract were the first settlers, among whom were Mr. Atcheson, Andrew Darrah (the latter took up and settled the hill where the Gravel Road Church now stands), Jas. Watson, first clerk of Melancthon, and others who settled about Dundalk were the McDowell, Connor and McAuley families. These were really the first settlers. James Beachell came shortly afterwards, and opened the first Post Office in Atcheson's Hotel, which stood on what was known as Beachell's Hill.
READER.
Corbetton, April 18th, 1911

Hefenieder Origins in Germany?

I've found a bit of information from the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia suggesting that the original Hefenieder / Hefeneider / Hefeneder family that settled in Russia originated in the town of Schlitz, Germany.

Information found at: www.ahsgr.org/findancestors/GO/goNi.htm

This is a photograph of Schlitz from a German tourism website at Christmas time. An old watchtower is decorated as a candle.

Schlitz is about an hour and a half northeast of Frankfurt am Main. Binsfeld, believed to be the ancestral home of the Hammer family (mom's side) is about an hour and a half south of Frankfurt am Main.

There is an article in the "Stars and Stripes" with a couple of photos of Schlitz:
www.stripes.com/military-life/travel/drink-in-the-ancient-german-origin-of-schlitz-beer-1.79062

Curran Marriages and a Baptism

These are from an Irish records site. These records are not old enough to include any ancestors, but they might certainly be related, as these are Cahirciveen Currans:

Kerry Marriage Records, Cahirciveen

Jeremiah Curran m. Catherine Garvey, 10 Feb. 1881
Fathers: Jeremiah Curran, William Garvey (from Kimego)
Witnesses: Denis Garvey, John Clifford.

John Curran m. Mary Sullivan, 2 Mar. 1889
Fathers: Finanean Sullivan (from Meelagoleen)
Witnesses: Daniel Connor, Finan Sullivan

John Curran m. Ellen Sullivan, 16 Jan. 1891
Fathers: Patrick Curran, Mortimer Moriarty
Witness: Daniel Clifford

Eugene O'Sullivan m. Bridget Curran, 31 July 1897
Fathers: Eugene O'Sullivan (from Filemore, John Curran
Witness: Daniel O'Sullivan

Baptised: Michael Curran, on 18 April 1877
Father: Denis Curran
Mother: Honora Lucey
DOB: 17 April 1877
Sponsors: John Curran, Mary Curran

A Tragedy

A tale from "Memories of Norka," by Conrad Brill. Found here http://cvgs.cu-portland.edu/colonies/russia/mother_colonies/colony_norka_memories.html

The Hefenieder branch in Portland spells their name, to this day, as "Hefeneader."

“A family named Hefeneader lived in the first row in Norka, at Unterdorf and Mitteldorf line. For years as a boy I heard gossip about how they got their wealth, so I always consider that part of it as a ghost story, but their death, later on, while I was a boy, and described to our villagers by a family friend, Adam, Soie ohmer schiezer Schwartz, was a truly tragic ending.

“The Hefeneader’s neighbors, the Aschenbrenner’s, used to tell that back in the 1860 70's, a Russian peasant came to the Hefeneader’s door on a cold rainy night, seeking food and shelter. They fed him and gave him a place to sleep in the cellar. At that time they had a poor man’s home like most of the neighboring villagers. What I can remember of the home in 1905 era, is a beautiful brick place, with brick or cement block outbuildings, a building with hewn, notched logs, (log cabin style) all with metal roofs, which was a sign of wealth. The place also had a solid wood fence around it, covered with metal.

“The story was that in those earlier days, the Hefeneaders were rewarded by this peasant, who stayed on with them, with money he made for them in appreciation for the food and lodging. As the story went, he had just been released from confinement for counterfeiting and supposedly had treasury plates or counterfeit plates in his possession. He was supposed to have made money for them, but was ready to leave, but they decided to keep him as a secret prisoner, forcing him to make more money. They built the nice brick home, then the outbuildings and fence. Later they built a flourmill in a Russian village near Saratov. Mrs. Aschenbrenner could tell for hours of the trips from cellar to house the Russian must have made dragging chains, which they could hear rattling as he was hauled back and forth in the night. She said he must have died and was eventually thrown into an old well and the log shed built over it when he died.

“In about 1905-09 period . . . a group of Russian bandits rode into the mill property shooting all of the employees and the old Hefeneader couple, too. Adam Schwartz was there working for them and was in his bedroom getting dressed when he heard the hoof beats of the riders coming into the yard, then screaming and shooting started, so he crawled into the bedding drawer under the bed, pulling a quilt down over himself, so he wasn't discovered.

“He walked back to Norka to inform our village councilors of the raid, and they sent three wagons to go to the mill and bring back any salvageable property they could. My brothers John and Conrad took a wagon, as did a neighbor Hessler, who was a relative of Hefeneaders. Garte Krieger was married to the Hefeneader’s daughter. The home of the Hefeneaders was taken over by the Russian government and used as the State owned liquor store after the death of the old couple. It was situated next door to the Aschenbrenner’s home. “