Thomas Cornelius (abt. 1841 - 1924)

Born about 2 Jan 1841 in Lanteglos by Camelford, Cornwall, England

Ancestors

Husband of Ellen Elizabeth (Eagle) Cornelius — married 9 Apr 1863 in Residence of Richard Eagle (Father), McLaren Hill, South Australia, Australia

Husband of Elizabeth May (Batchelor) Cornelius — married 26 Dec 1885 in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Descendants

Died 20 Jul 1924 at about age 83 in Unley, South Australia, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Dave Roberts [send private message]

Biography

Thomas Cornelius was born in Cornwall, England.

Thomas Cornelius was allegedly born on 2nd January 1841 and was baptised on 24th January 1841 at Lanteglos by Camelford, Cornwall, England. His parents were James Cornelius and Elizabeth Marks. ^{[1] [2]}

Thomas was listed in the 1841 (aged 5m) and 1851 (age 10) census returns, living with his parents and siblings in Lanteglos by Camelford, Cornwall. ^{[3] [4]}

Thomas emigrated to South Australia in 1858, accompanied by his parents, four siblings and grandmother. They departed from Plymouth on 11th May, onboard "General Hewett" and arrived at Port Adelaide on 11th September. ^[5]

Thomas Cornelius married Ellen Elizabeth Eagle on 9th April 1863 at the residence of Richard Eagle at McLaren Hill, South Australia, Australia. ^[6] Their marriage was announced in the "Adelaide Observer" on Saturday 18th April 1863.

• Cornelius—Eagle - On the 9th April, at the residence of the parents of the bride, Maclaren Hill by the Rev. Charles H. Goldsmith, Thomas, second son of Mr. James Cornelius, of Willunga, to Ellen, eldest daughter of Mr. Richard Eagle. ^[7]

Thomas and Ellen Cornelius had eight children, including a set of twins.

1. Alice Annie Cornelius b. 1864 d. 1864
2. Alfred Thomas Cornelius b. 1865
3. Mary Ellen Cornelius b. 1866
4. Edward Arthur Cornelius b. 1868
5. Alice Anna Cornelius b. 1870
6. Charles Herbert Cornelius b. 1872 d. 1873
7. Emily Ellen Cornelius b. 1873 d. 1874
8. Herbert William Cornelius b. 1873 d. 1874

Thomas's wife, Ellen, died in 1873. ^[8]

It is alleged that Thomas Cornelius married for a second time to Mary Rebecca Abbott. This may have been a defacto relationship, as no South Australian marriage record has been found. Refer Research Notes and G2G question.

Thomas and Mary Cornelius had five children.

1. Emily Maude Cornelius b. 1875
2. Florence Elizabeth May Cornelius b. 1876
3. Fanny Cornelius b. 1879
4. Francis William Cornelius b. 1881 d. 1882
5. Horace James Cornelius b. 1882 d. 1883

Thomas's wife, Mary Rebecca, died in 1884. ^[9]

Thomas Cornelius married for a third time to Elizabeth May Batchelor on 26th December 1885 at the residence of William J Gard at Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. ^[10] Refer Research Notes.

Thomas Cornelius died on 20th July 1924 at Unley, South Australia, Australia. ^[11]

He was buried on 21st July 1924 in West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. ^{[12] [13]}

Research Notes

Birth date of 2 January 1841 is yet to be verified by a credible source.

No firm evidence is available to confirm that this Thomas Cornelius was the husband of Mary Rebecca Abbott. A marriage record would be enlightening if it identified the groom's father's name. The dates of birth of the offspring of this union certainly fit into Thomas's timeline; first wife died in 1873, children to second wife from 1875 to 1882, second wife dies in 1884, and married third wife in 1885. Cannot find a list of Thomas's children on a death notice or an obituary to make the link and at this time, he is the best candidate from several Thomas Cornelius living in the state at the time.

Third wife was Elizabeth Batchelor, as named on the marriage registration. Some claim her name at birth was Elizabeth Whitehead. She had a son to William Henry Batchelor and apparently used the name Batchelor thereafter. He was already married, so this was a defacto relationship.

Sources

1. ↑ UK GRO Births 1841 Mar qtr, Thomas Cornelins, mother's maiden name Marks, The Camelford Union, Vol 09 page 58 [1] Accessed 1 Mar 2023.
2. ↑ Baptism of Thomas Cornelius, 24 Jan 1841, Lanteglos by Camelford, James(F), Elizabeth(M), Source: Exeter BTs, Transcriber Sue Mutton; [2] Accessed 27 Feb 2023.
3. ↑ Source Citation: Class: HO107; Piece: 140; Book: 8; Civil Parish: Lankeglos By Camelford; County: Cornwall; Enumeration District: 1; Folio: 4; Page: 1; Line: 20; GSU roll: 241262. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1841 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2010. Original data: Census Returns of England and Wales, 1841. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1841. Data imaged from the National Archives, London, England. Accessed 24 Jan 2023.
4. ↑ Source Citation: Class: HO107; Piece: 1898; Folio: 129; Page: 6; GSU roll: 221049. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1851 England Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Original data: Census Returns of England and Wales, 1851. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1851. Data imaged from the National Archives, London, England. Accessed 24 Jan 2023.
5. ↑ Passenger list of "General Hewett", 1858, James Cornelius 43, Elizabeth 42, James Marks 19, Thomas 17, Elizabeth 14, Emily 7, Annabella 2, Frances 71; Transcribed and submitted to TheShipsList by Robert Janmaat, [3] Accessed 25 Jan 2023.
6. ↑ Thomas Cornelius in the Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950
   Name: Thomas Cornelius
   Marriage Date: 9 Apr 1863
   Marriage Place: Res of Richard Eagle McLaren Hill, South Australia
   Registration Place: Willunga, South Australia, Australia
   Father: James Cornelius
   Spouse: Ellen Eagle
   Spouse Father: Richard Eagle
   Page number: 133
   Volume Number: 54
   Source Citation: South Australia-Marriages 1842-1916. Source Information: Ancestry.com. Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Compiled from publicly available sources. Accessed 1 Mar 2023.
7. ↑ "Adelaide Observer" (SA : 1843 - 1904) Sat 18 Apr 1863 Page 5 Family Notices; NLA trove newspapers [4] Accessed 2 Mar 2023.
8. ↑ Ellen Elizabeth Cornelius in the Australia, Death Index, 1787-1985
   Name: Ellen Elizabeth Cornelius
   Death Age: 36
   Birth Date: abt 1837
   Residence Date: Abt 1873
   Residence Place: Kent Town
   Death Date: 26 Nov 1873
   Death Place: Kent Town, South Australia
   Registration Place: Adelaide, Australia
   Spouse: Thomas Cornelius
   Page number: 434
   Volume Number: 54
   Source Citation: South Australia-Deaths 1842-1915. Source Information: Ancestry.com. Australia, Death Index, 1787-1985 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Compiled from publicly available sources. Accessed 1 Mar 2023.
9. ↑ SA BDM Index Deaths 1884 140/194 Mary Rebecca Cornelius, F, Adelaide; [5] Accessed 3 Mar 2023.
10. ↑ Thomas Cornelius in the Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950
    Name: Thomas Cornelius
    Marriage Date: 26 Dec 1885
    Marriage Place: Res of Wm J Gard Adelaide, South Australia
    Registration Place: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
    Father: James Cornelius
    Spouse: Elizabeth Batchelor
    Spouse Father: William Batchelor
    Page number: 1124
    Volume Number: 145
    Source Citation: South Australia-Marriages 1842-1916. Source Information: Ancestry.com. Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Compiled from publicly available sources. Accessed 1 Mar 2023.
11. ↑ Thomas Cornelius in the Australia, Death Index, 1787-1985
    Name: Thomas Cornelius
    Death Date: 20 Jul 1924
    Death Place: South Australia
    Registration Date: 1916-1925
    Registration Place: Australia
    Page number: 471
    Volume Number: 471
    Source Citation: South Australia Indexes to Death 1916-1925. Source Information: Ancestry.com. Australia, Death Index, 1787-1985 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Compiled from publicly available sources. Accessed 1 Mar 2023.
12. ↑ West Terrace Cemetery Records, Thomas Cornelius, age 84, dod 21/07/1924, dos 21/07/1924, Location Road 1 South, Path A1, Aspect E, Site Number 2; [6] Accessed 1 Mar 2023.
13. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/158658995/thomas-cornelius) accessed 01 March 2023, memorial page for Thomas Cornelius (unknown–21 Jul 1924), Find A Grave: Memorial #158658995, citing West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide, Adelaide City, South Australia, Australia; Maintained by Dwight Baker (contributor 47306645).