His maternal grandfather was Daniel Sargent, close friend of American President, John Quincy Adams.

The Curtises begun a thorough restoration and kept the palace with love and dedication bringing it back to social and cultural life and making it the meeting place for some cosmopolitan Americans of the time.

[10] Other non-American visitors were also there to visit or entertain the hosts, among others the British poet Robert Browning who was a regular at the Palazzo during his stays in Venice.

Daniel developed a true friendship with the poet, and they spent many hours together including casual walks at the Lido.

Other members of the "Barbaro Circle" included Bernard Berenson, William Merritt Chase and Edith Wharton.

[21] Owen was a descendant of Richard Stockton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and David Rittenhouse, an early professor of Astronomy at the University of Pennsylvania.