CorneliusHistory6

~ CORNELIUS ~

A genealogical voyage with one of the descendants

of Captain Aaron Cornelius

PART 8 - AFTER THE WAR AND TO THE PRESENT

After the Civil War Jacob Cornelius married Maria Augusta Payne whom everyone called Gussie. This occurred on May 19th 1866. Maria was the only child of William and Keturah [Tillotson] Payne. She was born in Huntington, Suffolk, New York on March 22nd in 1844. Jacob and Maria later move to West Haven, Connecticut and took up residency at 432 Campbell Avenue. We are told that Jacob owned a restaurant in the area but we're not quite sure where it was located. Jacob and Maria had six children, three girls and three boys.

9. Jacob and Maria 'Gussie' Cornelius

1. Arthur born July 5th 1867 died 1926

2. Lillian born Jan. 24th 1869 died ..........

3. Bertha born Sept. 8th 1873 died 1952

4. Hattie born Jan. 18th 1876 died June 14th, 1932

5. Wilbur born Feb. 9th 1878 died 1900 ?

6. Percy born Aug. 17th 1881 died September 30th 1914

Jacob died in New Rochelle, Westchester, New York on December 20th 1909 and was buired in Oak Land Cemetary in West Haven, Connecticut. Maria lived for a few more years and died on June 14th 1932 in Cromwell, Middlesex, Connecticut.

Their youngest child was my great grandfather, Percy Edward Cornelius. He would grow up and become a New Haven policeman. Percy married my great grandmother Margaret Jenny Murray in 1903. She was the only child of James and Anna [Mead] Murray. Her father had been born in Ireland and her mother was born in Hartford. Margaret was also born in Hartford, on January 8th 1880. Margaret and Percy would have only two children, both of whom were born in Hebron, Ct.

10. Percy and Margaret Cornelius

1. George Edward born May 15th 1903 died May 3rd 1977

2. Ethel born 1904 died 1908

Percy died of typhoid fever on September 30th 1914 and was buried in the Oak Grove Cemetery in West Haven, Connecticut. His wife Margaret would live another thirty-four years. She died on February 28th 1948 and was buried in St. Bernard's Cemetery in New Haven.

Together with her husband, Vera and George Edward Cornelius Sr would have three children.

11. George Edward Sr and Vera Cornelius

1. George Edward Jnr born Jan.12th 1928 died Jan. 21st 1978

2. William born .......... died [still alive]

3. Robert Arthur born Aug. 14th 1936 died August 15th 1986

During the Great Depression George Edward Sr worked extremely long hours to feed his children and although he was smart, he was not a rich man. He took many filthy, low paying jobs; like shoveling snow off roads with a hand shovel during dark winter nights, just to make a buck. For the record, his children never went hungry. George Edward Sr was my grandfather. When I first met him in the early sixties he was working long hours at a gas station. Often when he came home, he would be so tired that all he could manage would be to sit himself down in his special chair in front of the TV to watch bowling, or some other sport. I have vivid memories of both him and my grandmother going bowling every weekend.

On May 3rd 1978 George Edward Cornelius Sr suffered a massive heart attack and was rushed to the hospital where he died. His wife, Vera May Fowley-Cornelius would later die on August 27th 1983 in New Haven, Ct.

Their eldest son, George Edward Jnr, or my father, never finished High School. World War II was almost over and he desperately wanted to be involved before it was too late. So he lied about his age, claiming to be eighteen when in fact he was only fifteen, and he joined the Merchant Marines. He was stationed aboard a freighter in the Pacific but the first time out a Japanese submarine sank his ship. Within months his second ship was also sunk. On January 12th he turned seventeen. Wanting a boat with guns prompted him to sign on for a brief stint with the US Navy. This began on January 23rd 1945. Again he lied about his age and, this time, his parents signed the papers. According to my brother's genealogical research, George was stationed aboard a troop ship named the U.S.S. Roosevelt. This ship was also sunk. I cannot find any record of a troop ship by that name being sunk but I have no reason to doubt my brother's records. Be that as it may, after the ship was sunk German fighter planes strafed the waters trying to kill the survivors. Many died but George survived, although he received a bullet wound that tore open his left leg between his knee and his ankle, for which he was awarded the Purple Heart. He was discharged, honorably, as a Seaman Second Class, Serial Number #643-77-66 on May 29th. He had served briefly for four months in the U. S. Navy. That was George Jnr's war years.

After returning to New Haven he briefly took a job at a company called JBT Instruments Inc [Triplett Meter Company ] in New Haven, which was located on Chapel Street. It was here that he met Barbara Pricilla Baribault, one of eight daughters born to Jules Baribault and Elberta Elizabeth Stowe.

The Baribaults were originally very wealthy French aristocrats who had fled during the French Revolution in the late 1790's to settle in Quebec Canada, some in Hartford and others finally in the New Haven area. My Great grandfather was named Jules Joseph Baribault. He was born on August 6th in 1844 in Ste Anne, de la Perade, Quebec. He died on July 3rd in 1909 in New Haven, Connecticut of cancer of the stomach. He, along with most of his family, is buried in the St. Lawrence Cemetary on the West Haven-New Haven border in Connecticut. After reaching adulthood Jules married Mary J. Lanquette (born: March 13th 1849 in Ste-Anne-de-la-Perade, Quebec) on January 20th 1867 in Meridan, New Haven, Connecticut. They had eight children.

1. Jules Joseph and Mary J. Baribault

1. Arthur

born Oct. 23, 1868 died March 23, 1924

2. John

born Jan. 9, 1870 died Nov. 6, 1898

3. Edward

born Jul. 17,1872 died Aug 1926

4. Louis

born July 1873 died April 16, 1929

5. Victor

born Feb.3 1885 died 1970 [aka Dona]

6. Mary A. Pricillla

born May 3, 1888, died 1955

7. Mary Louisa E.A. born June 2, 1889, died ?

8. Paul George Jules Louis b. July 4th 1894, d. August 16, 1969

My grandfather Paul George Jules Louis, the youngest of the eight children, was simply called Jules. He married Elberta Elizabeth Stowe on September 15th 1917 in New Haven.

Jules Baribault's wife, Elberta Elizabeth Stowe, also comes from an old well documented family. The earliest recorded Stowe in my family's bloodline was John Stowe. John was born in 1581 in Biddenden, Kent, England. He died in 1653 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts. He married Elizabeth Bigge on September 13th 1608 in England. John Stowe immigrated to America along with his wife and their first six children, aboard the ship Elizabeth. They landed in Boston, Massachusetts on the 17th of May, 1634. Also immigrating with them was his wife's mother, Rachel Bigge. His wife' sister, Patience (Bigge) Foster and her child Hopestill Foster, age 14. They all settled in Roxbury, Massechusetts. John was admitted a freeman on September 3, 1634 and was a proprietor in Roxbury, as well as a Representative to the General Court for two sessions, and was, together with his son Thomas, a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Co. of Boston, Massachusetts. He was also an early teacher in the Roxbury Grammar School. He was granted eighty acres of land for transcribing the Roxbury official public records.

All in all, John and Elizabeth had nine children. One of them, named Samuel, would have a descendant known as Professor Calvin Stowe. His claim to fame was marrying Harriet Beecher, who became a rather famous writer known to the world as Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896). The author of Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Another of John and Elizabeth's children, or their fourth, was named Thomas. He was born on April 2nd 1615 in Biddenden, Kent, England. Thomas married Mary Griggs on December 4th 1639. As already noted, Thomas was a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Co. of Boston, Massachusetts. He joined with his father in 1638. Thomas died on 1684 in Middletown, Connecticut. Thomas and his wife Mary had seven children. Their fifth child was also named Thomas. He was born around 1650 in Concord, Massachusetts. When he reached adulthood he married Elizabeth Stocking on October 16th 1675. They had eight children, the third child was named Samuel. He was born in October of 1681. His father, Thomas, died on March 19th 1730.

Samuel married Esther Mould on February 8th 1705. They had ten children and they named their youngest child Stephen. He was born on May 22nd 1726 in Middletown, Connecticut. His father, Samuel, died on September 28th 1740. Stephen was married to Freelove Baldwin in 1752. Stephen was a well known Deacon in the local church and a drummer in the local Train Band. Stephen died in Milford on February 8th 1777. Stephan and Freelove had seven children. The fifth they named John and he was born in Milford, Connecticut on March 1st 1761.

John fought in the Revolutionary War, ironically, enlisting five different times. The first time he enlisted was on August 25, 1777. Here he fought as a private. This enlistment lasted for only three months. The second term of enlistment began on June 10, 1778 and it too lasted for only three months. His third term began on April 5, 1779 and lasted for nine months. His fourth term lasted only two months and began on June 14, 1780. His final stint began on March 1, 1781. For the first two months of his final enlistment he was raised to a Corporal and for the last ten months he was a Sergeant. John Stowe was present at the Surrender of General Burgoyne to the American General Gates at Saratoga, New York which marked the end of the Revolutionary War.

John later married Sarah Gillett on September 11th 1785. They had ten children. They named their third child Frederick. He had been born in Milford on August 26th 1793. He enlisted in the Sea Fencible which had been an organization developed for the naval defense and it was made up of seafaring men who voluntarily enrolled themselves to serve in case of invasion. At the end of his term of enlistment he joined the U. S. Navy where he served as Boatswain's Mate. He was a veteran of the War of 1812. Following the end of this war Frederick proceeded on an expedition under the command of Commodore Decatur to Algiers to fight the Turkish pirates that had been preying upon the ships of many different nations, including American. Decatur inevitably conquered Tripoli and put an end to the pirate's reign. After thirteen months of service Frederick received his discharge. He had been wounded in Tripoli during a skirmish on a Turkish frigate where he received a saber cut across his face.

Soon after his retirement Frederick was given the command of a merchant vessel which was engaged in the West Indian trade. Unfortunately his ship was caught in a terrible hurricane where it was blown ashore and wrecked. Luckily, since he was a FreeMason, his brethren assisted him in salvaging much of the cargo and even supplied him and his crew with the means to return to his home port. He was later given command of a second ship but never again did he have any mishaps. After forty years of service he retired due to a serious hearing loss. As far as his family life, Frederick had married Lois Somers on January 29th 1827. She was born on July 20th 1804. I have conflicting information on the number of children they had. I'm told that he assisted one of them for a short time on a ship which ran cargo between Milford Connecticut to New York but when he became totally deaf he was forced to give this up and remain ashore. Here he took up the business of house painting, which he continued until age itself forced him to retire. It is also said that three of his sons fought in the Civil War, two of them for over three years and one for only nine months.

The only child of Frederick's that I know by name is Thomas W. Stowe. He had been born in Milford Connecticut on May 4th 1842 and he died there on June 7th 1920. Earlier he had married Ellen A. Nettleton. This occurred on May 16th 1867 in Milford. They had only one child whom they named Cecil Augustine Stowe. He was born on January 5th 1870 in Milford and died on June 14th 1913. Cecil was married twice. His first wife bore him no children and the marriage ended in divorce. His second marriage was to Henrietta Augusta Hitchcock. This occurred around 1890 in New Haven, Connecticut. They had only two children, both of whom were born in New Haven. One is, of course, is Elberta Elizabeth, and the other is her younger brother, Cecil Eugene Stowe. He was born on January 22nd in 1891. He never married and he died in August of 1974 in East Haven, Connecticut.

At this point I'd like to go back and talk a little about Thomas Stowe's wife Ellen A. Nettleton. She was born on April 4th 1844 in Orange, Connecticut and died on 18th of May 1934 in Milford. Her father was William Harvey Nettleton. He was born on September 7th 1811 in Orange. He had married Maria Gordon. William's father was named David Nettleton. He was born on November 21st 1778 in Milford. He married Mable Sanford. She was born on June 11th 1781 in Milford. She died on September 2nd 1849. The Sanford family is also a unique historical New England clan. The next generations go as follows; Mabel's father was Elisha Sanford, born October 6th 1751. Elisha's father was John Sanford born July 1st 1720, who was the son of Andrew Sanford III, who was born in Milford Connecticut on July 13th 1673. He of course was the son of Andrew Sanford the IInd who was born in 1643. His father, or Andrew Sanford, married a woman by the name of Mary, was born on February 16th 1620 in Stanstead, Mountfitchet, Essex, England. She and her husband were some of the first generations of Sanfords who moved to the New World.