| State | Maryland |
|---|---|
| County (Primary) | Dorchester |
| Other Counties | Kent |
| Family Name | Cornish |
| Family History Notes | 1. Jack Cornish, born about 1682, was a "Negro" man slave, 77 years old, listed in the inventory of the Dorchester County estate of Colonel John Eccleston in 1759 [Prerogative Inventories, 68:59-68]. He may have been the ancestor of i. William1, born say 1715, a brick maker sued in Dorchester County by John Carville in March 1755 for a debt of 2 pounds, 8 shillings which William had owed since 1753 [Judgment Records, 1754-5, 241-3], probably identical to the William Cornish who was imprisoned for debt in Sussex County, Delaware, and petitioned the court in February 1750 to serve Jacob Kollock, Esq., to pay the debt. The court charged him with assault in August 1757 [RG 4815.017, General Sessions Court, 1741-53, frame 516; 1753-60, 381, 384, 403, 421, 446]. He owed the estate of Peter Beckett of Worcester County 2 pounds, 5 shillings on 23 January 1754 [Prerogative Inventories 60:89]. He died before 19 March 1760 when his debt of 4 pounds, 4 shillings to the Dorchester County estate of Colonel Joseph Ennalls was determined to be unrecoverable because of his death. Perhaps his widow was Elizabeth Cornish who owed the estate 9 shillings [Prerogative Inventories 76:169-183]. 2 ii. Esau, born say 1718. 3 iii. Samuel1, born say 1720. iv. John1/ Jack, born about 1728, living in Dorchester County on 20 October 1745 when Charles Hudson and Thomas Stewart posted bond for his good behavior and appearance in November Court [Judgment Record 1744-5, 468]. He ran away from his master John Turner in September 1762 according to an ad placed by Turner in the 28 April 1763 issue of the Pennsylvania Gazette: run away from the subscriber, living in Dorchester County, Maryland, in September last, a Mulatto Fellow, called Jack Cornish, about 35 Years of Age, and by Trade a Weaver, about 5 feet high, his Visage is round, his Complexion light for a Mulatto, and his Carriage very stately, pretending to be very genteel, talkative and complaisant [Pennsylvania Gazette, http://www.accessible.com]. He was head of a Transquakin Hundred, Dorchester County household of 2 "Negroes" in 1776 [Carothers, 1776 Census of Maryland, 53]. He may have been the John Cornish who was charged with felony by the Kent County, Delaware court in August 1790. He pled guilty and was ordered to wear a Roman T [RG 3805.002, 1787-1803, frame 156]. 4 v. Sidney, born say 1724. 5 vi. Rebecca, born say 1742. 2. Esau Cornish, born say 1718, was bondsman for the appearance of (his brother?) Samuel Cornish in Dorchester County court in November 1742 [Judgment Record 1742-3, 43-4]. He owed 5 pounds of tobacco to the Dorchester County estate of Howels Goldsbrough in 1761 [Prerogative Inventories 75:303-5]. He was taxable in Indian River Hundred, Sussex County, Delaware in 1770. He left a 7 December 1770 Sussex County will in which he named his wife Mary, son Samuel, son Amos, and daughters Sarah and Elener. His wife Mary and son Samuel were executors [WB B:408-9]. He was the father of 6 i. Samuel2, born say 1742. ii. Amos, charged with felony in Sussex County court in February 1773. Mary Cursey was a witness against him [RG 4805, General Sessions 1767-94, frames 126, 154, 167, 181]. He called himself a "Mollatto" in the 14 July 1786 Worcester County deed by which he sold half the corn and crop on Thomas Benston's land that he owned by agreement with Benston for 8 pounds, 13 shillings [DB L:400]. iii. Sarah, head of a Sussex County household of 4 "other free" in 1810 [DE:458]. iv. Eleanor. 3. Samuel1 Cornish, born say 1720, was sued in Dorchester County court in November 1742 for a 32 pound debt [Judgment Record 1742-3, 43-4]. He may have been identical to ____ Cornish who married _____ in Lewes and Coolspring Presbyterian Church, Sussex County, in 1768 [Wright, Vital Records of Kent and Sussex Counties, 124]. He was taxable in Indian River Hundred, Sussex County, Delaware, from 1773 to 1790 and head of an Indian River Hundred, Sussex County household of 11 "other free" in 1800 [DE:437]. He may have been the father of i. Sally, born say 1750, married Moses Parkinson ("Molattoes") on 7 January 1771 in Sussex County, Delaware [Records of the United Presbyterian Churches of Lewes, Indian River and Coolspring, Delaware 1756-1855, 282]. 4. Sidney Cornish, born say 1724, a "Spinster," was living in Dorchester County in March 1744/5 when she was found not guilty of having an illegitimate child by a "Negroe." She was assessed court costs which Lewis Griffith agreed to pay [Judgment Record 1744-5, 347]. She may have been the mother of 7 i. Ann1, born say 1744. 8 ii. Christianna, born say 1747. iii. Daniel, born about 1749, a "Mullatto Boy" aged fifteen years and bound until the age of thirty-one on 4 December 1765 when he was listed in the Queen Anne's County estate of Henry Costin, Jr, [Prerogative Inventories 94: 211-2]. iv. Ebby, head of a Dorchester County household of 1 "other free" and a slave in 1800 [MD:684]. v. Samuel3, head of a Dorchester County household of 4 "other free" in 1790. vi. Sol, head of a Dorchester County household of 4 "other free" in 1800 [MD:684]. 5. Rebecca Cornish, born say 1742, was the spinster servant of John Ross of Talbot County in November 1763 when the court convicted her of having a child by a "Negro." The court ordered that she be sold for seven years after the completion of her indenture to her master and sold her son Levin Cornish to her master for 3 pounds. She admitted in August 1766 that she had another child by a "Negro" and paid twice the normal fine of 1 pound, 10 shillings because she would not identify the father. In June 1767 she was convicted of fornication and found guilty of stealing gloves, brass buttons, a handkerchief and several other items from Cornelius Dailey. The court ordered that she receive 15 lashes, stand in the pillory and pay four times the value of the goods or 1,500 pounds of tobacco. She was convicted of assaulting Elizabeth Heels in November 1770 and ordered to pay a shilling fine [Criminal Record 1761-7, 235-6, 465; 1767-74, n.p.]. She was a "free Mulatto" head of a Bay Hundred, Talbot County household of 1 male under 16, 1 female under 16 and a "Black" in 1776 [Carothers, 1776 Census of Maryland, 156]. She was the mother of i. Levin, born about 1763, indicted for an unspecified offense in Sussex County in May 1780 [RG 4805, General Sessions 1767-94, frame 243], a delinquent taxable in Lewes and Rehoboth Hundred, Sussex County, in 1781, head of a Mispillion Hundred, Kent County, Delaware household of 8 "other free" in 1800 [DE:83]. 9 ii. ?Charles, born say 1764. 6. Samuel2 Cornish, born say 1742, was taxable in Indian River and Angola Hundred, Sussex County, from 1773 to 1790 [Levy List 1767-83; 1780-96] and head of an Indian River, Sussex County household of 11 "other free" in 1800 [DE:437]. He died before 12 April 1811 when his Sussex County estate was administered by Rachel and William Cornish. His heirs were Rachel, William, John, Elon, Mary, Samuel, Rachel, Hetty and James Cornish, Sarah Morris and Nancy Gurley. Rachel was head of a Sussex County household of 4 "other free" in 1810 [DE:468] and an Indian River, Sussex County household of 2 "free colored" in 1820 [DE:222], perhaps the Rachel Cornish who was head of a Talbot County, Maryland household of 4 "free colored" in 1830 or the one who was head of a Dorchester County household of 7 "free colored" in 1830. Their children may have been i. Nancy Gurley, probably the wife of Bryan Gurley, head of a Sussex County household of 5 "other free" in 1810 [DE:425] and 8 "free colored" in 1820 [DE:218]. ii. William, taxable in Indian River Hundred in Sussex County in 1797 [RG 4200.027, Levy Court, reel 2, frame 176]. iii. John2, born 1776-1794, head of a Sussex County household of 4 "other free" in 1810 [DE:427] and head of an Indian River, Sussex County household of 7 "free colored" in 1820 [DE:220]. iv. Rachel. v. Samuel. vi. Hetty. vii. Sarah, married Nathaniel Morris, "free Mulattoes," on 5 December 1802 [Records of the United Presbyterian Churches of Lewes, Indian River and Cool Spring, Delaware 1756-1855, 315, 318]. viii. James. 7. Ann Cornish, born say 1744, paid a 1 pound, 10 shillings fine in Talbot County court in November 1761 for having an illegitimate child [Criminal Record 1755-61, n.p.]. She was head of a Dorchester County household of 7 "other free" in 1790 and 6 in 1800 [MD:685]. She was the mother of i. ?Elisha, head of a Dorchester County household of 1 "other free" and a slave in 1800 [MD:684]. On 15 August 1806 he manumitted his forty-year-old slave Thomas Jolly by Dorchester County deed [DB HD 23:446-7]. ii. Lisbon, born about 1790, obtained a certificate of freedom in Dorchester County on 13 September 1815: of a blackish colour ... born free ... son of Ann Cornish who was also born free, aged about 25 years [Certificates of Freedom for Negroes 1806-64, 29]. 8. Christianna Cornish, born say 1747, was the mother of 9 i. David, born about 1768. 10 ii. ?Henny, born say 1770. 9. Charles Cornish, born say 1764, was listed as one of the recruits from Caroline County in the Revolution "to the 10th December on 14 August 1781 [Archives of Maryland, 18:385]. He was head of a Talbot County household of 3 "other free" in 1790 and 6 in Baltimore City in 1800 [MD:169]. He may have been the father of i. Rachel, a "free black" who married Isaac Elzey, the slave of George Hall in St. Paul's Parish, Baltimore on 28 June 1795 [Reamy, Records of St. Paul's Parish, I:88]. 10. David Cornish, born about 1768, obtained a certificate of freedom in Dorchester County on 24 September 1821: of a light chesnut colour ... free born and is the son of Christianna Cornish who was free born, was raised in Somerset County ... aged about 53 years. He was head of a Dorchester County household of 4 "free colored" in 1830. He and his wife Nancy were the parents of i. Ann2, born about 1806, obtained a certificate of freedom in Dorchester County on 10 September 1822: yellow complection ... raised in Dorchester County and born free and is the Daughter of David Cornish and Nancy his wife, aged about 16 years [Certificates of Freedom for Negroes 1806-64, 45, 47]. 11. Henny Cornish, born say 1770, was the mother of i. Amelia, born about 1791, obtained a certificate of freedom in Dorchester County on 24 October 1816: of a chesnut colour ... born free and is the Daughter of Henny Cornish who was also born free, aged about 25 years. ii. Milley, born about 1794, obtained a certificate of freedom in Dorchester County on 10 August 1821: of a dark chesnut colour ... born free and is the daughter of Henny who was also born free, aged about 27 years [Certificates of Freedom for Negroes 1806-64, 34, 44]. |
| Additional Notes | – |
If you are citing this record, please use the following format:
[Author (if known)], Free Black Families of Colonial Delmarva (abstracted by Paul Heinegg), [Date (if known)], Enduring Connections: Exploring Delmarva’s Black History, Nabb Research Center, Salisbury University.
Pinned records can be viewed at any time by clicking the More menu in the top right corner of the page, then selecting My Pinned Records.