Ray Corneil

I continue work started by Robert Corneil (b1855), continued by Marshall Warren Corneil (b 1881), then Olive Stewart Corneil (Shea, born 1906), my mother. Marshal had assumed that the Corneil family were part of the Huguenot exodus from France, shipwrecked in Ireland. That's what was accepted by the widespread Corneil family. However, some details did not mesh, and I, with help from distant Switzer and Southam relatives, began to pursue it further. The Switzers found a document confirming the birth of Adam Cornelius (born about 1680), and were able to identify that he was the father of Adam Cornelius, born about 1700 at Killeheen, County Limerick, Ireland, who we could show to be the grandfather of Samuel, my great grandfather (well documented). I found that John Cornelius (born 1600 in England) was rewarded the Killeheen estate, for service as an Officer of Cromwell in the "taming" of Ireland (1649-1652) about 1656. A search of English Church records has allowed me to identify Harmon Corneille (born about 1495 in the Rouen district of France) as John's great grandfather. Pursuing the John Cornelius connections has greatly expanded my knowledge of the Weaving business in Stepney, Middlesex, England, and in Ireland (John's connection), and the merchant marine operations of 17th century England. John was known as "The Master Mariner from Stepney". The Cromwell family and the Cornelius family grew up together - same church, same schools, etc. As the war in Ireland ended, John's father died, and John took over the family weaving business. John's (illegitimate) son, born in Ireland, took over the Killeheen Estate, and it remained in the Cornelius family until Adam Cornelius sold it in the late 1700's (no male heir).

The Cornelius family was very successful in business in England, and they were close friends with the Cromwells, the Southwells, and other influential people in England and Ireland during the 17th and 18th centuries. Following this group has been my interest in English history.

Thank you, Rhonda, for the welcome. My interest is "problem solving" - I taught a course at Queen's University (Kingston, Ontario) for many years; for final year Engineering students on large scale problem solving. I have been retired since 1992. I continue work on the Corneil Family Tree that was started by Robert Corneil (born 1855), continued by Marshall Warren Corneil (b 1881), then Olive Stewart Corneil (b1906, a Shea), my mother.

Marshall assumed that the Corneil's (Corneille) had set out from France for North America during the Huguenot exodus, and had been shipwrecked on the Irish coast. This was accepted by the Corneil extended family. However, some things didn't fit, and I searched for other possibilities. I discovered that an Officer of the Cromwell army that "tamed" Ireland in 1649-1652, John Cornelius, received an estate near that of Thomas Southwell, also an Officer of Cromwell and a close friend, in lieu of pay and expenses during the war. The Southwell Estate and the Killeheen Estate are both close to Rathkeale, County Limerick, Ireland. We knew that Adam Cornelius, and his father, also Adam, were born at Killeheen. We were also able to confirm our direct lineage from Adam Cornelius. The "Limerick" Cornelius family sprang from an illegitimate (but recognized - he inherited the estate) son of John Cornelius. I did a comprehensive search of the Cornelius name in England, using the English Ancestry site. After sorting records chronologically, I was able to identify John's ancesters, starting with Harmon Corneille (born about 1495 in the Rouen district of France). His son Jhon Cornelius died in England (church records) 28 Jul 1599. Examining the history of the Rouen district of France, and of London England, I concluded that the family exodus from France to England was between 1532 and 1535. The family was Protestant, followers of Calvin, and as the turmoil in France began, they took their weaving business to England, where they had "shopped" for weaving supplies for many years. They were a part of a larger group, but the group left too early to be identified as Huguenots by the Society. The weavers from Rouen set up a weaving business in Stepney, just downstream from London, and were so successful that eventually Scottish weavers began to join them. In 1709, when the Palatinate Adam Corneille settled in Rathkeale, we have an Adam Cornelius and an Adam Corneille starting their own families in Rathkeale. Because of political pressures, each family began to use the name "Corneil" (not French or Roman). Genealogic problems began when Jason Corneil (son of Adam Cornelius) married a Dorothy Dolmage 7 Oct 1766; and Jacob Corneille, grandson of Adam Corneille, married Dorothy Dolmage 7 Oct 1766 in the church of Ireland, Rathkeale, County Limerick, Ireland. It wasn't the same girl, the two Dorothy's were first cousins, one born 19 Feb 1747, the other in 1749 (christened 10 Dec 1749). It took a lot of searching through Irish and German state and Church records to sort out that problem - a lot of people still believe the two families should be one! To compound the ongoing problem, Irish records show father as Jacob Corneil, and mother Dorothy, for both families. This type of problem is common; the records of Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada show two Christopher Corneil's, and one Christopher Corneille (using Corneil) of contemporary age settling in the County between 1823 and 1828. I have just resolved that mess, using only State documentation. There are still questions among descendants. I abandoned Ancestry. Com, My Heritage.com, and even WikiTree (I was a member in 2015) because too many "experts" were changing information based on State records, without discussion. There has to be a mechanism for "proposing" a change, and providing discussion, before the change is actually made. I posted both my Corneil (Huguenot) tree and the Corneille (Palatinate) tree on Ancestry. There was some useful information, which could be verified, but there were far too many destructive changes.