Moses Cornelius 1732 - circa 1770

5th Great Grandfather - Paternal Side

After a frustrating month of digging into any information that I could find, buying more books with little information in them it gives me great pleasure to introduce "Characters Month". Not that they were necessarily bad (well, maybe one or two were misguided) but these gentlemen stick out in my mind for one reason or another.

As of the date of this post I have no knowledge of where Moses Cornelius began his life or who his parents were. There has been speculation all over the place but nothing can be proven. The descendants of this family have DNA roots from Great Britain, West Europe, Scandinavia, & Ireland.

Moses married Anne Dodson Fowler before August 1767 but the exact date is unknown. They had two sons:

1. William Cornelius (1754-1842) married Lettice Cargile 
2. Jeptha Cornelius (1758-1818) married Margaret "Peggy" Everett

The first appearance of whom I believe was our Moses is on two jury lists in Halifax, Virginia during the September 1760 court. The first case was John Owen vs Thomas Terry and the second case was Cornelius Cargill, Sr. vs Thomas Cobb and wife. This would have meant that Moses was a productive member of society and would have been paid with 30 pounds of tobacco for each appearance (See Source 1).

In the 1767 List of Tithables for Pittsylvania County, VA taken by John Dix, Moses Cornelius is listed as having paid one (1) tithe. He would not have been taxed for his wife or sons but could have been taxed for any livestock.

Note: This William Cornelius is not Moses' son but could be an uncle or father of Moses.

Later in the same year, December 17, 1767, Virginia Gazette Newspaper, Pg. 3 “Committed to the Publick Gaol (note: public jail), on Friday last, Moses Cornelius, from Charlotte for passing bad money”(See Source 2). This seems to have been the start of a trend in his life. Just a few months later on April 21, 1768, Virginia Gazette Newspaper, Pg. 2 “Moses Cornelius, from Charlotte, for felony, lies over until June court”. I presume this was from the previous mentioned article: June 16, 1768, Virginia Gazette Newspaper, Pg. 2, “Moses Cornelius, from Charlotte, for felony, recommitted.” There were two court cases filed against him in Pittsylvania County days after: Pittsylvania County Court Book 1, June 24, 1768 Richard Conner vs Moses Cornelius and on June 25, 1768 William Wynne vs Moses Cornelius.  Again, Moses seems to be in ill favor of someone on July 1768 in Pittsylvania County, there was another legal action of William Cornelius** vs Moses Cornelius.

It appears that Moses was in some sort of kerfuffle with Samuel Johnston in January, 1771:

See Source 3

Transcription of Chancery Court Causes: Moses Cornelius vs Samuel Johnson Charlotte County, Virginia 1771:

To the worshipful Court of Charlotte County Sitting in Chaneory

                                                                Humbly Complaining

Herewith unto your worships your orators, Moses Cornelious that some time past in this worshipful there was a certain suit depending and undetermined between on Saml Johnson Plf and Nathl Williams Defendant, in and concerning the taken up of your Orator, which of them was entitled to the reward of 20 pounds that was offered for the taken up of your Orator in the Virginia Gazette by the Honourable Francis Fauquier, Esq. Luitenant Governour of Virginia and while the said suit was depending for the reward aforesaid, the said Samuel Johnson came to your Orator and told him, Moses you know that I am entitled to the reward for the taken of you up and I intend to call on you as a witness and if you’l tell the truth so that I git the suit I will give you five pounds of the said money. I am to have but ten pounds of the money if I get it. If I do I’ll give you half of it which your orator agreed to John V. Henry. Now so it is may it please your worships that when the said suit was tried the said Johnson called on your orator as a witness in said suit, which your orator knowing the bargain of attended, and gave in his evidence as near the truth as he could remember, and after your orator had gave in his evidence the jury returned and found for the said Samuel Johnson, the Twenty Pounds of and as your orator has been informed the said Saml has recd the money of the said Nathaniel Williams.

But now so it is the said the Samuel hath not made payment to your orator of the five pounds according to his bargain of only let your orator have a horse. Some time ago your orator thought, and also as the said Samuel agrees should go in lieu of the five pounds after but to your orators great surprise has brought suit in this Worshipful Court for the horse as he gave to your orator for the money of which suit is now defending, and utterly denies payment to your orator which is no ways convenient to your orator.  In consideration where of and for as much as there is no relief in cases of this sort but in around of equity. To the end therefore that the said Samuel may on his corporal oath  true testament and parpet angr make to all and singular the premises aforesaid whether he did not bring suit of the aforesaid Nathaniel Williams for the reward aforesaid, whether he did not come to your orator and agree to give him five pounds if he would be a witness for him and tell the truth so that he could gain the suit but by of award the said Nath Williams and I get the money from him the said Nathaniel and when your orator and he did not bargain, and your Orator agreed to take the five pounds and stay be a witness, and also sit forth when there your Orator was not an evidence for him and that’s the truth as near as he could, and also set forth when then  he did not tell your orator have the horse aforementioned in lieu of the five pounds, and whether he has not since brought suit against your orator for the horse aforesaid in this Worshipful Court, also sit forth if his has no recovered the money of the said Nathaniel Williams and received the same and also set forth if he was to have any more than ten pounds of the money when got and if he did not promise your orator half when recovered, and by advice of this Worshipful Court the said Samuel Johnson may be compelled to pay to your orator the aforesaid five pounds as he agreed to pay or such other decree as to your Worships shall sum just and agreeable to Equity.

May it please your worships to grant you orator his majesties writ of Sus. Pevetes to the said Samuel Johnson commanding him to appear and answer.

Signed Williams (Mead or Hood – it is very blurred)

August 13, 1773, Virginia Gazette Newspaper, Pg. 2, “Williamsburg – The following prisoners have been brought to the publick jail: Moses Cornelius, and Richard Williamson, for theft.” Finally things begin to turn around for Moses: On October 22, 1773 they are acquitted from grand larceny charges. Does this mean he was acquitted because he had died earlier? Unless and until there can be found a record of his death we may never know for sure.

The last piece of information that I have is in the September Court of 1773 Pittsylvania County Virginia (Deed Book 2, Page 246) William and Jeptha (both under 21) are bound out, meaning their father had died or could no longer provide for them. (See Source 4) It is speculation that Moses had been branded due to his many run-ins with the law.

Further reading on the convicted criminals of the day can be found at:  https://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/Summer11/prison.cfm

Again I would like to thank Francis Cornelius Douglas & Robert Johnston, Jr. for all of their hard work and research. If not for them I would have not known where to look for any of this information.


**It is only speculation on my part that this is one of his relatives, but since his first son's name is William I would suspect it to be a close one.

Sources:

1.  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~jcat2/18centvalaw.html

2. http://research.history.org/DigitalLibrary/va-gazettes

3, Ancestry.com

4. Virginia State Archives

5. FamilySearch.org