Cornelius Davis (1761 - 1812)

Born 13 Dec 1761 in Littleton, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 17 Jul 1812 at age 50 in Cavendish, Windsor, Vermont, United States

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Biography

Cornelius Davis served with 15th Massachusetts Regiment (1777), Continental Army during the American Revolution.

Cornelius Davis was born December 13, 1761 at Littleton, Massachusetts son of John Davis and Huldah Thayer. ^[1].

In his early married life he and his wife Mary, removed from Shirley, Massachusetts to Cavendish, Vermont. which became his home for life. He died 1816. He had a family of several children among whom were Hiram, Luther, and Lucy, all of whom removed at the death of their father to some home in Upper Canada where they were lost from the sight and knowledge of their friends and relatives. ^{[2] [3]}

Children

1. Lucy Davis, born October 28, 1795 at Reading, Vermont. ^[4]
2. Hiram Davis born March 24, 1799 at Reading, Vermont. ^[5]

Military

Shirley men enlisted for three years into the Continental army, from the regiment under the command of Col. Jonathan Read; Capt. Smith's company in the Fifteenth Continental Regiment, under the command of Col. Timothy Bigelow of Worcester.

John Davis, John Davis, Jr., Cornelius Davis, Jonathan Davis.

The fifteenth regiment, in which most of the men above named served, was recruited from Worcester and Middlesex counties in the early part of the year 1777, and was distinguished both for its good discipline and for valor upon many of the hardest-fought fields of the Revolution. The regiment assisted in the capture of Burgoyne at Saratoga, endured the trials and sufferings of Valley Forge, fought on the plains of Monmouth, and participated in the crowning glories of Yorktown. "A braver band," says Lincoln in his History of Worcester, "never took the field or mustered to battle. High character for intrepidity and discipline, early acquired, was maintained unsullied to the close of the service."

Jonathan Davis, 43 months, John Davis, 30 months, John Davis, Jr., 36 months, Cornelius Davis, 36 months. (p. 124) ^[2]

Davis Cornelius of Shirley:

• Private: Capt. John Minott's co., Col. Dike's regt: service from Dec. 1, 1776 to March 1, 1777.
• Return of men enlisted or drafted to serve in the Continental Army from Lieut. Holden's co., Col. Jonathan Reed's 6th Middlesex Co. Regiment dated Littleton, Dec. 2, 1777. residence Shirley, engaged for town of Shirley joined; Capt. Smith's co., Col. Bigelow's regiment; term 3 years.
• Private, Light Infantry co., Col. Timothy Bigelow's regiment, Continental Army pay accounts for service from March 15, 1777 to Dec. 31, 1779.
• Capt Sylvanns Smith's co., Col. Bigelow's regiment muster roll for Jan. - Aug., 1777, dated Van Schaick's Island, and sworn to in camp at Stillwater, enlisted March 15, 1777.
• Same company and regiment; muster roll for Nov., 1777, dated Camp near Gulf.
• Same company and regiment; muster rolls for Dec., 1777- May, 1778, dated Valley Forge.
• Rreported sick in camp in April 1778.
• Same company and regiment; muster roll for June, 1778, dated Camp Greenwich, reported acting as auditor's guard.
• Same company and regiment; muster rolls for July, 1778 - June, 1779, dated Providence; reported on furlough in Dec., 1778.
• Same company and regiment; muster roll for July, 1779.
• Same company and regiment; muster roll for Aug., 1779, dated Camp at Salem.
• Reported transferred to Light Infantry co., Sept. 1, 1779.
• Light Infantry co., Col. Bigelow's regiment; Continental Army pay accounts for service from Jan. 1, 1780 to March 15, 1780.
• List of men raised to reinforce Continental Army for the term of 6 months, agreeable to resolve of June 5, 1780, returned as received of Justin Ely Commissioner by Brig. Gen John Glover at Springfield.
• July 12, 1780, marched to camp under command of Ensign Gilbert.
• List of men raised for the 6 months service and returned by Brig. General Paterson as having passed muster in a return dated Camp Totoway, Oct. 25, 1780.
• Pay roll for 6 months of men raised by the town of Shirley for service in the Continental Army during 1780, marched July 8, 1780; discharged Dec. 12, 1780; service 5 mos 13 days. (p. 476/7) ^[6]

Afterwards was and ensign in Shay's rebel army. (p. 1739)^[3] (p. 377) ^[2]

^[7]

Cornelius was born in 1761. He passed away in 1813.

Sources

1. ↑ Records of Littleton, Massachusetts Births and Deaths: From the earliest Records in the Town Books begun in 1715, Patriot Press, Concord, Massachusetts, 1900, p. 76
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Chandler, Seth, History of the Town of Shirley, Massachusetts: From Its Early Settlement to A.D. 1882, p. 377
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Cutter, William Richard, New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of Commonwealths and the Founding of a Nation, Volume 4 , Lewis historical publishing Company, 1913, p. 1739
4. ↑ "Vermont, Births and Christenings, 1765-1908," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F8LH-RSH), Cornelius Davis in entry for Lucy Davis, 28 Oct 1795; citing READING TWP,WINDSOR,VERMONT, reference ; FHL microfilm unknown.
5. ↑ "Vermont, Births and Christenings, 1765-1908," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F8LY-6X3), Cornelius Davis in entry for Hiram Davis, 24 Mar 1799; citing READING TWP,WINDSOR,VERMONT, reference ; FHL microfilm unknown.
6. ↑ Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War: A Compilation from the Archives, Volume 4, Massachusetts. Office of the Secretary of State Wright and Potter Printing Company, State Printers, 1898
7. ↑ Entered by Chris Hoyt, Dec 27, 2011

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