The Cornelius Family - The First Two Generations

The Cornelius family can only be traced back two generations in Wales. William Cornelius was born about 1750, was married to Elizabeth Rees in Llansamlet, Glamorganshire, Wales on July 2, 1783 and died there on October 16, 1827. There were six children in the family: Esther, baptized February 6, 1785; John, baptized June 4, 1786; Martha, baptized May 11, 1788, William , baptized May 1, 1790; Cornelius, baptized May 8, 1792 and buried May 22, 1792; and Morgan, baptized August 28, 1794 and buried May 9, 1796. These last two children have the same tombstone with their father William senior who was buried at the age of seventy seven on October 16, 1827.

William was born on May 1, 1790 in LLansamlet, married Rachel Williams on December 25, 1823 and emigrated to New York in 1831 with their two daughters, Ann Elizabeth, who was born on April 25, 1823 and Martha Jane who was born on December 26, 1829. Two children, William, born March 20, 1826 and Hester, born May 27, 1826 both had died before the family moved to America.

Rachel Williams was the daughter of Lewis and Ann Williams, who had been baptized on December 18, 1803 in Llangyfelach, another suburb of Swansea. She had two brothers John, born February 22, 1804 who married Hannah David, and lived in Morriston, and William, who married Martha and lived at Half Way House at Landore.

IN MEMORY OF CORNELIUS
THE SON OF WILLIAM AND
ELIZABETH CORNELIUS OF THIS
PARISH DIED THE 22ND OF MAY
AGED 2 YEARS
ALSO MORGAN, THE SON OF THE
ABOVE NAMED DIED THE 15TH
OF JANUARY 1796 AGED 1 YEAR
AND 5 MONTHS
ALSO THE ABOVE WILLIAM
CORNELIUS DIED OCTOBER
16TH 1827 AGED 77 YEARS