Janice: On ancestry.com we find several records for Cornelius in England as early as 1847 being indicted for larcensy and a later sentence of 4 years in prison. Can look these up and copy for you. Doesn't answer the question of parents. Also heis listed in Civil war lists in 1863 from Wayland, MA Names Start Date Location Record Type Age Sect House Hold Gender Race Occupation Place of Birth Place of Town Marital Status Poll Status Cornelius Randolph 1865 Wayland, Massachusetts, United States Census Record 26 n/a 198/234 m w Laborer Eng Wayland m p About Massachusetts State Census Transcriptions for 1855 and 1865 (Essex, Middlesex, and Plymouth Co.) Massachusetts took state censuses in 1855, 1865, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925, 1935, and 1945. General summaries have been published for most of these censuses, but the actual town-by-town census schedules exist for only 1855 and 1865. The original schedules for the other years appear to have been lost. This database contains Essex, Middlesex, and Plymouth counties only. The Berkshire Genealogist has published some of the towns in Berkshire county. Microfilms of the 1855 and 1865 Massachusetts state censuses are available at NEHGS, the Massachusetts State Archives, and through the Family History Libraries. There are three important features that make these state censuses different from the Federal censuses. First in 1865 is a column that asks whether the person is married, single, or widowed. This can help determine relationships in a household. Secondly, also in 1865, it asks whether a person is a ratable poll ('p'), ratable poll and legal voter ('p1'), or ratable poll and naturalized voter ('pn'). This can help to determine when someone became a citizen. The third feature is that 22 towns in 1855 and 96 towns in 1865 give specific town of birth rather than just state and some give town or county of birth for those of foreign birth. Some of these towns are among the ones transcribed here and a complete list can be found in Ann Lainhart's book State Census Records (HA215 / L25 / 1992), available in the NEHGS Research library. Explanations of record fields: Household: Dwelling number in order of visitation / Families numbered in order of visitation. Color: 'w' - White; 'b' - Black; 'm' - Mulatto; or 'I' - Indian. Asterisk following first name: Person over twenty years of age who cannot read or write. Marital status: 's' - single; 'm' - married; 'w' - widowed. (Note - marital status was recorded in 1865 only.) Citation Information Massachusetts State Censuses, 1855 and 1865. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org<="" div=""> theclown16