The following letter is from the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) membership application file in Washington DC. Applicants in this file are the descendents of William CORNELIUS, North Carolina Rev. War Soldier, who died 1842 in Blount Co., Alabama. This letter was attached to the application of Yolande (CORNELIUS) HASSON, dated 1937, Blytheville, Arkansas. (This is per original without corrections or deciphering. The comments handwritten on this letter by __?__ will be in italics. VC-C) O.B. CORNELIUS Attorney-at-Law 203-4 Clark Building Birmingham 3, Ala. July 5, 1955 Mrs. O. J. WALLS Guntersville, Ala. Dear Mrs. Walls: It seems from what I learn that you are a descendent of Wm. Cornelius, Sr. and wife Lettice Cargile Cornelius, through their son Jesse Cornelius, born Nov. 20, 1778. He was the oldest son, mentioned in the will of his father, “I give and have given to my eldest son, Jesse Cornelius, one negro boy named Isaiah, to be his and his heirs forever. This to be all of his share of my estate.” Then other bequests are made to the other children. Finally, near the end of the will is the further disposition mentions: Sale to be made by executors, debts collected and, “I wish to give one-half the remainder to my grand-daughter Lettie, the daughter of Abner Cornelius and the remainder to be equally divided between Alexander Cook’s two daughters, Melinda and Lucinda Cook, and to Jesse Cornelius’ three sons, William, Mattison, and James, and this division to be made hereafter by my appointed executors---.” Will dated Feb. 11, 1840, and recorded in Blount County Will Record Book 1837 – 1845, pages 140 – 142. I enclose you a letter written to me by Mr. Ernest Allen Connally of 1801 ½ Congress Ave., Austin, Texas, dated Feb. 4, 1950. Please copy it, and return the original to me. You will note an error in the name of the wife of William and the year she was born. She was not Lettice Murphree. The wife of the elder, William Cornelius was (no doubt) Lettice Cargile, born 1756, died in Blount May 11, 1834. This man Connolly no doubt is a descendent of the elder William. I wish you would correspond some with him, as I neglected our correspondence trying to get my book going. [In March 1925 I received a letter from Miss Minnie Anderson (Dead now I think) from Montgomery saying, “This letter is about the Corneliuses and Norrises. It is a reminder for you to ask your father what Norris your or his kinswoman married. I think I may be able to locate the first name of my great grandfather Norris in this way. I have unearthed some interesting fact about the old Norrises of Virginia in Revolutionary times and in pre-Revolutionary times. I find that the Corneliuses, Norrises, Kilgores, James and others immigrated to Pennsylvania and moved on down via Maryland into Virginia where they remained until after the revolution. They stuck pretty close together and all intermarried. Today I came across the official record of the death of Cornelius Norris at Quebec where he was fighting in the regiment of General Daniel Morgan. Will you please ask your father to tell you where the Corneliuses located after leaving Virginia and coming to Georgia, and whether or not some of them stopped for a time in South Carolina. I am especially anxious to know in what county or counties of Georgia they located--.”] Note discrepancies in the names of certain children of William and Lettice: From the Bible of Mrs. Tidwell: Oldest child, Ann Cornelius. Will of William Cornelius names oldest child as Amy Cargile, wife of Cornelius Cargile. Bible of Mrs. Tidwell names eldest son as Elsie, and Will of father names eldest son as Jesse Cornelius. Mrs. Tidwell’s Bible gives Amos Cornelius, while father’s Will gives name as Aaron Cornelius. The Bible gives the names of Lettice Cornelius, the father’s Will shows her name as Lettie Cook. The Bible gives Tabitha Cornelius, the father’s Will says Tabitha Hays. (Notice that Ernest Allen Connally is a descendent of this woman.) Notice that William Cornelius Sr. had third child Betsy Wade, who married Calvin Wade. Also William Cornelius Jr., son of Wm. Sr., by his first wife, Elizabeth Bethel, had second child Annie C. Wade, married to Hamp Wade, a farmer, who resided 6 or 7 miles East of Oneonta, on the road to Walnut Grove. This last one was a sister to my grandfather Bluford Cornelius. It may be that Solicitor Wade of Oneonta is a descendent of one of the two families. Six children are all we have found of the heirs of Jesse Cornelius: (a) Mattison, a boy Jesse: Ancestor of Mary C. (Mrs. O. J.) Walls (b) Sinas (c) Matilda (d) James (e) William (f) Settie This Jesse Cornelius, from whom you descend, was born Nov. 20, 1778, second child of Wm. and Lettiice. Aaron Cornelius was fifth child of William and Lettice. Notice his 10th child by second wife Sallie Stephens was John Cornelius, who died in 1881 at Guntersville at the home of his daughter Elizabeth Cornelius Elliot, who was the mother of G. S. Elliot, who compiled a great many records of the Cornelius family. Perhaps many descendents of that branch of the family (Aaron’s) are around Guntersville. I am a descendent of Wm. Cornelius Jr. by his second marriage to Miss Bethany Robbins, who came from Partridge Cross Roads, near Warrior River, Jefferson Co., Ala. Born to Wm. Jr. by first marriage to Elizabeth Bethel, was Harvey Cornelius of near Walnut Grove, Ala., second child, Annie C. Wade, who married Hamp Wade, third child, Wm. Hall Cornelius, who married Emily Thomas, and they resided in Fayette Co., Ala. By his second marriage, as stated above, were born Dr. Wilson Cornelius, who died single in Rock Island Prison, near Chicago, of small pox, while a prisoner of the Union Army. He went to war from Tallahassee, Fla. (5th child) Laura C. Hendrix, who married Moses Hendrix, a farmer, who resided in Cherokee Co., Ala. (6th child) Bluford Cornelius, born Aug. 2, 1825 at Chepultepec, in Blount Co. married Chloe Blackburn. Oldest and only son Felix G. Cornelius, who was my father, born Feb. 21, 1849, died Dec. 22, 1938. (7th child) Emily C. Wade, married Elijah Wade, a farmer, who died in the Civil War. Emily died about 1889 on Straight Mountain in Blount County. Born to third marriage to Mrs. Sarah Bostick Ingram from Tennessee (grandmother of Kelly Osmond Ingram, Ensign, killed on battleship in 1st World War) was born Wm. Bostick Cornelius 1847 or 1848. He married Louisa Murphree, daughter of Ellis Murphree of Blount County. Wm. Bostick died about 1930 at Jonesboro, Hamilton Co., Texas, R.F.D. No. 1. He moved to Texas in 1881. To help you identify some of the family, Asa Hays, once Judge of Probate of Cullman Co., Ala. was a son of Reuben Hays and Tabitha Cornelius Hays. Asa had a son who was a doctor and lived near Cullman. Lawyer Murphree of Gadsden, law partner of Oliver Hood, both now dead, was a son of Jesse Murphree and Helen Cornelius, who was a daughter of Harvey Cornelius of Walnut Grove (died in Fayette County) oldest son of William Cornelius, Jr.. Harvey C. married Elizabeth Fite, and related to the Fites of Fayette Co., Ala. A brother of this Lawyer Murphree was President of the University of Fla. and Wm. Jennings Bryan in 1915 selected him to run as Nominee of the Dem. Party for U.S. President, but he refused to run. Lawyer Tim Murphree, Judge of the U.S. District Court of the Northern Dist. Of Ala. when he died a few years ago, was a son of Linny Murphree and a Miss Hendrix. Linny Murphree was a son of Phenettie Cornelius and husband Alex Murphree. Phennettie Cornelius was a daughter of Beverly Cornelius, who was a son William Cornelius, Sr. Alex Murphree was killed during the Civil War, and they had three children. She then married Carol Cowden, and had one son, Will Cowden of Oneonta. History of the Cornelius family, B.B. Cornelius William Cornelius Line William Cornelius born 1752 (54) died 1848 (Ann Phillips was his mother – 1729-1807) Married 6-5-1774 to Lettice Cargile b. 1756 d. 5-19-1814 Children: 1. Moses 1781 – 1846 wife Cinthy _____ (Bynum) His children were: Zachariah – Elizabeth McGuire Joel md. Polly Easley 1-12-1832, Sally md. Hallmark Eliza, Champion – Martha McDonald, William, Mededith Andrew – 1824, Betsy - Wm. McGuire, Cargal, Dicie - ? Buckner, Cely Tillman – Arminda Glover – 4-24-1858 2. Abner – Rachel Reanolds 1-18-1858 His children were: Mack, William, Abner, Bart, Brit, Lettie, Susan, Cincinnatti 3. Champ b. 3-31-1792 His children were: Floyd, Huldie, Zion, Bailey, Houston, Marin, Champion md. Jane Bailey 1-16-1819 -Jeff. Co. Orlenie Cincinnatti md. Sam’l Jacks 1870 – Jeff Co. 4. William b. 8-21-1789 md. Thiah Robbins 10-9-1821 His children were: Laura – Moses Hendricks – Cherokee Co. Hall, William Mrs. Moor -> Harvey md. Elizabeth Fite (Etowah Co.) Bluford b. 8-2-1825 d. 12-25-92 md. Chloe A. b. 6-2-1829 d. 10-22-11 his children were: Octavie md. J.M. Poe 1867 Jeff. Co. Annie md. L.M. Cannon 1872 Jeff. Co. Eugenie Mary E. 12-14-1866 – 7-17-1878 Wilson William Bostick Annie – Hampton Wade Emily – Elijah L. Wade 5. Tabby – Hays Her children were: Harvey, Asa, Laura, Cinthy 6. Elizabeth b. 10-21-1781 md. Calvin Waid Her children were: Annie, Lucindie, Hulda, Emaline, Hampton 7. Lettie b. 1797 d. 1829 md. Cook Her children were: Jin, Bluford, Lucindie, Mahaly, Eliza 8. Beverly b. 5-12-1794 – d. 5-7-1880 md. Phobe (Febia) Moss 1-5-1858 1st wife Ephraimia Smith His children were: Sinsana md. Jas. K. Jacks Jr. 1868 – Jeff. Co. Indiana, Phenetti – md. 1sr Murphree, 2nd Carol Cowden Salemie – Cowden Christiana b. 2-13-1826 d. 8-7-1884 (buried Oak Hill) md. Wm Merideth Blaely b. 2-9-1826 d. 12-12-01 Their children were: John, Curt, Jim, Phennettu – Hood, Marietta – McRae, Senia Nancy – Anderson, Eliza Caroline – John N. Jenkins Louisiana md. Wade Children: Reese, Remus Child: Wilda Wade Cinciana md. Rowan Tidwell – Blockton, Ala. Hampton, Phelen, Manley, Mrs. Holden Benton B. md. Eliza A. Cowden 12-27-1865 John, Barney Manly 9. Aaron His children were: Nancy, Mahaly, Tabby, Jerimiah, Jefferson, Ross, Cargal Bradford, Abner, Zion, John, William 10. Amy Cargyle (oldest daughter) 11. Jessie b. 11-20-1778 md. Sarah Biggs 12-31-1826