Aunt Georgia's Story

In the Friday, January 29, 1926 edition of the Tampa, Florida Tribune,
page 19, Aunt Georgia revealed to the world what she heard about our
royal heritage. Here is the article, pieced together from the somewhat
scrambled optical-character-recognizer used by
http://newspapers.com....

Waitress Here Calls Self French Queen Descendant

Someday She Hopes to go to France And See Whether Her Noble Lineage
Entitles Her to Share in Big Estate

By ROSE LACK

In a downtown restaurant is a 17-year old waitress who dreams of tht
time when she can go to France. Not for sightseeing-, not for the
purchase of splendid gons. not, for a. multitude of other reasons that
tourists annually crowd the fcUiropean continent. It is to make a
search that will brins her closer to an outstanding figure in the
world's history, and from whom she is descended. Vtueen Elizabeth of
France, ruler in the eighteenth century. Is claimed as the great-great
grand- ! mother of Miss Georgia Mary Curnlck. of 104 W. North street,
1 waitress In Gordon's restaurant.

' Tells of Noble Lineage

Miss Curnick's eyes light with pride as he recounts tho tale of her
lineage, established, she s says, without chance ior douht, Uiiring
the war between the Hugenots and tha Catholic in France, Duke William
de Aydelot-te and his wife, Hugenots, fled to America where they hoped
for safety from religious presecution, ! The duke, who was tho son of
Queen Elizabeth, settled in New Albany, Ind. His daughter, Mary
Georgia, married Theophlus Edward Cur-nick, grandfather of the Tampa"
girl. They had two sons, Wil-!'liam 'Aydelotte Curnlck, father of Miss
Curnlck, and George Ed-wm-d Curnlck her uncle. I'ntil last year, the
CurnickV were In possession of a heav cold bracelet and a lavelliere
whicii Ihe duke brought with him from France and which has descended
to each generation since then, but It was destroyed In a fire which
taxed the Curnick home, Miss Curnick said. Her uncle, who resides in
Louisville, still has in his possession pistols, a French flag and
other articles which were brought over by the duke. Learns of Estate
In 1916, the father and uncle of Miss Curnick were visited by a
Frenchman who declared he had come over to this country in the
interest of 'settling an estate that had belonged to Duke William de
Aydelotte ana of which they were the heirs. " He wa conducting an
investigation when the United States entered the World .War, and then
he mysteriously disappeared and has never been heard of since, "Some
day I will go to France to see if there really Is this estate," Miss
Curnick- declares. "J Ihope it will be before I am 30." It has been
the custom of the desoenilents of the duke to name their children
nfter him or the duchess. Miss Curnick said. She bears the lame name
as the duke's daughter. Miss Curnick's fathar, who died a year ago. Is
buried in the family burial plot at New Albany, where also rests the
remains of the duke.