Ancestors Descendants

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Birth in Virginia, Move to Kentucky 1.2 Move to Northwest Territory (Ohio) 1.3 Marriage, Children in Ohio 1.4 Move to Indiana 1.5 Move to Iowa, Death 2 Research Notes 3 Sources

Biography

Birth in Virginia, Move to Kentucky

Cornelius Cain, eldest son of James A. Cain and Elizabeth Custer, was born in the Virginia Colony, 31 May 1770, apparently in Brocks Gap, Rockingham County,^[1] which, at his birth and until 1788, was part of Augusta County.^[2] He did not remain there long. His parents considered settling in Harrison County, Virginia (today, West Virginia) but, given hostilities with Native Americans, thought better of it, "and proceeded south where a new German settlement had been established in the New River and Greenbrier Valleys [of the Virginia Colony]."^[3] "In 1772, [Cornelius's father,] James[,] and [paternal uncle] Edmond [Cain], William Custer, James Scott, William McCoy, James Jordan, John Patton, and the Jones families settled near Lewisburg in the Greenbrier Valley, and in 1774, James [had] 275 acres surveyed on Warrior Road adjoining [Cornelius's paternal grandfather] Arnold Custer and Danial Murley."^[4]

Several of Cornelius's siblings were born in the Greenbrier Valley. There were "many hardships and sorrows ... expected in frontier life," but it seems his family contended with unusual danger posed by "marauding" Native Americans, possibly fueled by the American Revolution. William Custer's wife disappeared, likely at their hands.^[5] So, Cornelius's family moved again, taking the Winderness Trail through the Cumberland Gap, eventually settling in about 1780 near a stream known as Cain Run, east of today's Harrodsburg, Kentucky, and close to today's Burgin, Kentucky.^[6] They remained there until the spring of 1786, moving then northeast to Bourbon County, Kentucky, settling on 175 acres of land purchased from George Ruddle, north of today's Paris, Kentucky, where Townsend Creek enters of the South Branch of the Licking River.^[7] They "set orchards in the bend of the Licking River," and "Cornelius ... shouldered much of the responsibility of hunting and maintaining the frontier way of life."^[8]

"However, the years from 1786 until 1799 were not prosperious years for the young United States, and the economy on the frontier suffered more than usual. Even though the Cain family had grown and Cornelius' father was accumulating personal possessions and had become a substantial citizen in the community, they were looking for more and better opportunities."^[9] Land to the north beckoned.

Move to Northwest Territory (Ohio)

Kentucky, founded in 1792, was bounded on its north by the Ohio River.^[10] To its north was the Northwest Territory, formed in 1787 from unorganized western territory that had been part of the United States since the Revolutionary War.^[11] Within the Northwest Territory was Adams County, formed 10 Jul 1797 and encompassing most of what is now south-central Ohio.^[11] There, in 1799, Cornelius relocated with his brother, Jesse.^[12] Their destination was the Brush Creek area of Adams County, what was at the time in Iron Ridge township, formed in 1797 as one of the six original townships in the county:

Iron Bridge, probably so named from the vast deposits of iron ore found in the hills of what is now Jefferson and Meigs townships, began at the south-east corner of Manchester [township], at Island Creek, thence up the river to the first large branch above the mouth of Salt Creek in Scioto county, thence nearly northwardly to the north line of the county, thence west to the Manchester township line, thence south the place of beginning.^[13]

There, Cornelius acquired (by a decree from the Court of Common Pleas against one Benjamin Goodin, who had failed to settle and make improvements) 250 acres of land,^[14] on Blue Creek, apparently.^[15] "After acquiring this land, Cornelius induced his father and his brothers-in-law to move into Adams County where he proceeded to divide the land with them."^[16] "[S]elling their equity in the Kentucky land, James Cain, with his sons and sons-in-law and their families, all moved to Ohio and settled in a section of Brush creek area in a section which is known as the Cain-Jones Hollow to this day."^[17] "James Cain, Sr., [and Cornelius aunts and uncles,] Uriah Humble and Bridget [Cain], Joseph Scott and Mary [Cain], Andrew Jones and Sarah [Cain], and Edmond Cain and his family, all were among the first settlers that moved into the Blue Creek area of Adams County."^[18] They all apparently farmed their new lands, though Cornelius and Jesse each were paid in Adams County, two dollars each, for killing "old wolves," 18 Dec 1801.^[19]

Marriage, Children in Ohio

The State of Ohio was formed from a part of the Northwest Territory in March 1803.^[20] In what had become Adams County, Ohio, before Rev. Jason Moore, 15 Jul 1804, Cornelius married Elizabeth Newman, with whom he'd have twelve children.^[21] They resided for many years in Adams County, and, at least after 1806, in its newly formed Meigs Township, where they remained through at least 1817.^[22] In Adams County, they had a daughter, Elizabeth, 25 May 1805,^[23] a son, John, 6 Jun 1807,^[24] a daughter, Hannah, 10 Mar 1809,^[25] and a son, James, 26 Jan 1811.^[26] During the War of 1812, Cornelius served in Captain Robert Kerr's Company of the Ohio Militia, formed from Adams County, from 28 Jul 1813 to 8 Sep 1813.^[27] Within the Ohio Militia, Kerr's Company may have been part of Colonial William Key's Regiment.^[28] Beginning right after his enlistment ended, in Meigs Township, they had four more children: their daughter and fifth child, Indiana, 14 Oct 1813,^[29] daughter, Dorcus, 7 Dec 1815,^[30] daughter, Mary, 19 Sep 1817,^[31] and son, Ruel, 25 Jul 1819.^[32]

Move to Indiana

Indiana Territory was cleaved from the Northwest Territory in 1800,^[33] and, from that, 11 Dec 1816, the State of Indiana. Indiana's founding coincided with more federal land grants, sparking a new wave of settlement.^[34]

In October of the year 1820, a government land office opened at Brookville; the surveyed land was ready for settlement and the tide of immigration began. ... Probably the first to reach Decatur county was John Fugit and his son, John. Griffy Griffiths, with his wife and son, Ishmael, came next. Then came the remainder of the Fugit family; the wife, four sons, a daughter, and a Mrs. Garrison. Later in the spring Cornelius and Jesse Cain, Elias Garrard, William McCoy and their families arrived settling in the vicinity of Clarksburg. ... Early in the spring of 1820, a number of families settled in the Clarksburg and Springhill neighborhoods, among them Dr. Andrew Rankin, David Vartin, Cornelius Cain and Andrew Rankin. About the same time Seth Lowe and William Custer settled in the Kingston neighborhood. From the date of the first entry to the end of the year there were eighty-nine land entries. Some of these were for as much as half a section, but most of them were eighty-acre tracts. The entries this year, by township, follow: Fugit township John Hicklin, Nathan Lewis, John Schultz, Robert Lochridge, John Lochridge, William Henderson, George Kline, George Bryson, Edward Jackman, Jesse Robinson, William Penny, Griffe Griffiths, Cornelius Cain, George Craig, John Short, Jesse Cain...^[35]

Officially, "Cornelius Cain of Adams County, Ohio," received fifty-seven acres of land in Decatur County, Indiana, 5 Dec 1821,^[36] and the next day, his brother, "Jesse Cain of Adams County, Ohio," was granted eighty acres there.^[37]"Jesse and Cornelius Cain ... settled near Spring Hill [in Fugit Township, Decatur County], but a few years later moved into Rush county, where Jesse lived until his death. George Cain emigrated to the west and within a few years the family name disappears from the records of both Decatur and Rush counties."^[38] Near Spring Hill, in Fugit Township (which, for reference, is about 50 miles southeast of Indianapolis), Cornelius and Elizabeth had three more children: their son, Burgess, 24 Oct 1821,^[39] son, George, 15 Nov 1824,^[40] and daughter, Rebecca, 16 Feb 1826.^[41] Their daughter, Hannah, married in Decatur County, Indiana, 24 Sep 1827, Bluford Dulin.^[25]

In 1828, Cornelius and Elizabeth sold their farm in Decatur County and moved about 100 miles northeast to Jackson Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana. There, 26 Mar 1829, their daughter, Indiana, married David Farnsworth.^[29] Their land ownership was confirmed, 10 Apr 1829, on which day "Cornelius Cain of Decator County, Indiana" was formally granted 130 acres in Tippecanoe County, Indiana,^[42] and 100 acres in adjoining Fountain County, Indiana.^[43] Then, 29 May 1829, they had the last of their twelve children, their son, Cornelius Wheeler.^[44]

Much of interest in unwraveling what later happened to the Cain family is revealed by the 1830 Census for Jackson Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana. Cornelius and Elizabeth reside there with eleven persons, including all of their children other than Hannah and Indiana, who had had married.^[45] Next door, in sequence, was the family of Cornelius's brother, James,^[46] and, next to him, the family of their recently married daughter, Hannah, and her husband, Bluford Dulin.^[25] The next door down was the family of their recently married daughter, Indiana, and her husband, David Farnsworth.^[29] Next door to Indiana's family was the family of Levin Wheeler. The Wheeler family had significance because, as noted, Cornelius and Elizabeth had named their twelfth and final child, Cornelius Wheeler Cain, and, as will be discussed below, one of their daughters was about to marry Levin's son. Immediately next door to Levin Wheeler, according to the 1830 Census, was Levin's son-in-law, William L. Newman, husband of Levin's daughter, Vernilla (Wheeler) Newman, and, possibly, a relation of Cornelius's wife, Elizabeth, whose maiden name was Newman. Three doors down from them was a "Nathaniel Newman."

That they named their final child Wheeler suggests a connection with the family of Damas Wheeler, who, 22 Mar 1831, married their eldest child, Elizabeth, in Tippecanoe County.^[23]

Move to Iowa, Death

12 SEP 1844 Davis Co., IA ^[47]

Nov 1844 Davis County, Iowa, USA ^[48]

Research Notes

Blue Creek? The claim that the Cain family settled on Blue Creek in Meigs Township doesn't square with where Blue Creek is found today. Today, that creek is wholly in Jefferson Township, abutting Meigs Township on the south. See Google Map showing Blue Creek in Jefferson Township, here, and Google Map showing Meigs Township here. An atlas from 1880, here, likewise shows Blue Creek to be in Jefferson Township, and not close to its border with the Meigs Township. So, did they really purchase on Blue Creek, or, perhaps, is the source wrong? After all, tax records from 1810-1817 show them in Meigs Township. Or, perhaps, did the begin in Meigs and move to Jefferson? Or did the boundaries of the two townships change between the early 1800s and 1880?

Note: Moores Chapel Cemetery (where his father and mother are interred) is 3000 feet from the Village of Blue Creek here).

Also assessed in Adams County in 1810 were Cornelius's likely brothers, James and Jesse. Jesse also appears on the tax records, immediately next to Cornelius, in 1809, 1810, 1811, 1812, 1813 and 1814.

Family-Search here.

Great Indiana State Library Recource here.

Map showing IN counties here.

Meigs Township, Adams Co OH map here

It is not known where Cornelius' wife, Elizabeth died. By 1850, the family is scattered. Some are in Indiana, some in Illinois and some are in Iowa. At this writing there are some descendants in the State of Washington and they are still growing orchards which the Cains started on the hillsides of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia some 250 years before." ^[49]

Possible DNA descendant (through his daughter, Elizabeth, who married a Wheeler): GEDmatch for Heather Wheeler Coit (RR3310767 and WE9396956).

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Rockingham County, Virginia," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed October 9, 2021.
2. ↑ 1986 Cain Genealogy, page 21 ("Cornelius Cain ... born 31 May, 1770, Va.") and page 22 ("[Cornelius Cain, the] oldest son of James and Elizabeth Custer Cain was born, probably in the Brock's Gap area of what is now Rockingham County, Virginia.").
3. ↑ 1986 Cain Genealogy at page 17.
4. ↑ 1986 Cain Genealogy at page 17.
5. ↑ 1986 Cain Genealogy at page 17.
6. ↑ 1986 Cain Genealogy, pages 20, 22.
7. ↑ 1986 Cain Genealogy, pages 20, 22.
8. ↑ 1986 Cain Genealogy at page 22.
9. ↑ 1986 Cain Genealogy, page 22.
10. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Kentucky," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, accessed October 9, 2021.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Wikipedia contributors, "Northwest Territory," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, accessed October 9, 2021.
12. ↑ 1986 Cain Genealogy, page 22 ("In 1799, hearing that a section of land north of the Ohio River would be made available for settlement, Cornelius and his younger brother, Jesse, left Kentucky and went into the Virginia Military District of Ohio scouting for available land.").
13. ↑ 1880 Adams County Atlas (citation) at page 13.
14. ↑ 1986 Cain Genealogy at page 22.
15. ↑ 1986 Cain Genealogy at page 20 ("Cornelius was able to acquire land on Blue Creek in Adams County. This land was in Meigs Township and later became known as the Cain-Jones Hollow.").
16. ↑ 1986 Cain Genealogy at page 20.
17. ↑ 1986 Cain Genealogy at page 22.
18. ↑ 1986 Cain Genealogy at page 20.
19. ↑ Adams County OH History. Page 107.
20. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "History of Ohio," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, accessed October 9, 2021.
21. ↑ Sources: (1) Adams County OH History. Page 59. (2) 1986 Cain Genealogy at page 22 ("In 1804, Cornelius married Elizabeth Newman and in the course of 20 years, they had 12 children").
22. ↑ Cornelius was taxed on 100 acres of land in Adams County in 1806 and 1808, most likely in Meigs Township. While residing in Meigs Township, he was assessed for taxes for nine persons in 1810, and on 100 acres there in 1809, 1811, 1812, 1813, 1814, 1816 and 1817. Sources: (all available by clicking links below from "Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850," database with images, FamilySearch, on dates shown, taken from tax records indexed by Ohio Genealogy Society, citing multiple county courthouse offices, Ohio; ORIGINAL AVAILABLES, all accessed 8 Oct 2021): 1806 Tax Record (20 May 2019); 1808 Tax Record (29 March 2019); 1809 Tax Record (20 May 2019); 1810 Tax Record (20 May 2019); 1810 Tax Record (29 March 2019); 1811 Tax Record (29 March 2019); 1812 Tax Record (29 March 2019); 1813 Tax Record (20 May 2019); 1814 Tax Record (20 May 2019); 1816 Tax Record (29 March 2019); 1817 Tax Record (29 March 2019).
23. ↑ ^{23.0 23.1} See Daughter Elizabeth Alice Cain's Profile.
24. ↑ See Son John Cain's Profile.
25. ↑ ^{25.0 25.1 25.2} See Daughter Hannah Cain's Profile.
26. ↑ See Son James Cain's Profile.
27. ↑ Sources: (1) Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War of 1812 (citation), page 25. (2) 1986 Cain Genealogy at page 22 ("Cornelius served in the War of 1812 in Captain Robert Kerr's Company of the Ohio Militia").
28. ↑ Sources: (1) Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War of 1812 (citation), page 4. (2) 1812 War Record. "United States War of 1812 Index to Service Records, 1812-1815," database with images, FamilySearch (11 March 2016), C - Camo > image 598 of 2460; citing NARA microfilm publication M602 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.)..
29. ↑ ^{29.0 29.1 29.2} See Daughter Indiana Cain's Profile.
30. ↑ See Daughter Dorcus Cain's Profile.
31. ↑ See Daughter Mary Cain's Profile.
32. ↑ See Son Ruell M. Cain's Profile.
33. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Indiana Territory," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, accessed October 9, 2021.
34. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Indiana," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, accessed October 9, 2021.
35. ↑ Decatur County IN History. Pages 70-71.

    The first land entry was made on October 9, 1820, by James Wiley, who entered one hundred and sixty acres in section 1, township 10, range 11. John Shelhorn and John M. Robinson entered tracts shortly afterwards. From the 9th of October. 1820, to December 31. there were forty-eight entries in what is now Fugit township, while tbere were only forty-five entries made in all the rest of the county. These forty-eight pioneers were as follows: James Wiley, John Shelhorn, John M. Robinson, George Kline, John Bryson, James Saunders, Joseph K. Rankin, Thomas Martin, Griffy Griffith, David Martin, Cornelius Cain, Joseph Henderson, Edward Jackman, William Henderson, William Lindsey, George Marlow, Adam Rankin, Joseph A. Hopkins, Thomas Throp, Samuel A. Githens, Robert Imlay, Daniel Swem, John Hicklin, Aquilla Cross, William Custer, John Shutz, Martin and Alexander Logan, James Logan, William Pruden, John Dawson, Elias Garrard, Charles Collett, John Linville, James Hobbs, Jr., Robert E. and Henry Hall, Thomas Hall, Moses Wiley, George Donnell, John Smart, Robert and John Lockridge, Richard Tyner, George Cowan, James Henderson and Nathan Lewis. The striking fact of these entries is that practically everyone entering the land was a bona fide settler on the land he entered. Only two or three never became residents of the townships. ... The fifty-nine entries of 1821 were as follow: ...Jesse Cain....

    Decatur County IN History. Pages 122-123.
36. ↑ See 1821 Land Grant conveying E½ of NE¼ of Section 3, Township 11, Range 10 East. Available online without restriction at U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
37. ↑ 1821 Land Grant conveying W½ of SE¼ of Section 34, Township 12, Range 10 East. Available online without restriction at U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
38. ↑ Decatur County IN History. Pages 121-122.
39. ↑ See Son Burgess Cain's Profile.
40. ↑ See Son George Lee Cain's Profile.
41. ↑ See Daughter Rebecca Cain's Profile.
42. ↑ 1829 Land Grant conveying to "Cornelius Cain of Decator county, Indiana," 130 and 53 hundreths acres, being the SE "fractional" ¼ of Section 22, Township 21 North, Range 6 West. Available online without restriction at U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
43. ↑ 1829 Land Grant conveying to "Cornelius Cain of Decator county, Indiana," 100 and 40 hundreths acres, being the W "fraction" of NE¼ of Section 21, Township 21 North, Range 6 West. Available online without restriction at U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
44. ↑ See Son Cornelius Wheeler Cain's Profile.
45. ↑ 1830 Jackson Township IN Census (citation): "Cornelius Cain," aged 60-69 (born 1760-1770), heads a household of twelve unidentified persons (but almost certainly the persons shown below): a woman aged 60-69 (born 1760-1770; no doubt his wife,Elizabeth (Newman) Cain), one woman aged 40-49 (born 1780-1790; unknown), one male and one female aged 20-29 (born 1800-1810; John Cain and Elizabeth Alice Cain, Hannah Cain having married in 1827), one male and one female aged 15-19 (born 1810-1815; James Cain and Dorcus Cain), one male and one female aged 10-14 (born 1815-1820; Mary Cain and Ruell M. Cain), two males aged 5-9 (born 1820-1825; Burgess Cain and George Lee Cain), and one male and one female under age 5 (born 1825-1830; Rebecca Cain and Cornelius Wheeler Cain). Note: Birth ranges above calculated online here using enumerated census date and reported ages.
46. ↑ See Profile of Brother James Cain (1781-1861).
47. ↑ Broderbund WFT Vol. 2, Ed. 1, Tree #0894, Date of Import: Dec 30, 1997
48. ↑ "The descendants of Nicholas Cain 1736-1986" book, page 22-23
49. ↑ "The descendants of Nicholas Cain 1736-1986" book, page 22-23

• Cain, Wayne R. and Evans, Shirley J. 1986. The Descendants of Nicholas Cain, 1736-1986]. Haysville, Kan.: W.R. Cain. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 86-82914.

• Evans, Nelson W. and Stivers, Emmons B. 1900. A History of Adams County, Ohio: From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time. West Union, Ohio: E. B. Stivers. Available online without restriction courtesty of Hathitrust at the link above.

• Caldwell, J. A. (Joseph A.). 1880. Caldwell's Illustrated Historical Atlas of Adams County, Ohio: 1797-1880. Cincinnati, OH: Krebs Lithographic Co. Available online without restriction courtesty of Hathitrust at the link above.

• Ohio. Adjutant General's Office. 1916. Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War of 1812. Columbus, Ohio: Press of the Edward T. Miller Co. Available online without restriction courtesty of Hathitrust at the link above.

• Harding, L. A. (Lewis Albert). 1915. History of Decatur County, Indiana: Its People, Industries and Institutions. Indianapolis, Indiana: B.F. Bowen & Co., Inc. Available online without restriction courtesty of Hathitrust at the link above.

• 1830 Jackson Township IN Census. 1830 US Census, Population Schedules for Jackson Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana. National Archives Microcopy 19, Roll 31, Page 131. Available online without restriction here, courtesy of the Internet Archive (archive.org).