Notes |
- Cornelius Atkinson is said to have been born in Ireland in 1732, a son of Robert Atkinson. He settled in a region colonized by fellow Scots-Irish Presbyterians. He was in active service in the French and Indian Wars as a frontier ranger stationed at Ft. August on the banks of the Susquehanna and later received a land warrant presumably because of this service.
Cornelius Atkinson is listed as a private in Capt. Joseph Shippen's company of the First Pennsylvania regiment in April of 1756, and on April 20 was issued clothing consisting of one coat, two pairs of leather breeches, one white shirt, and 2 pairs of shoes. (Pa. Archives, 5th series, Vol. 1, pages 59, 66, 74, 80 & 84).
In January 1757 he married Mary (Stephens?) Cross in Northumberland Co., then a part of Lancaster Co. and within the next 3 or 4 years exercised his land warrant by settling on the south side of the Juniata River, just west of its junction with the Susquehanna where his immediate neighbors were the Baskins, Karl and Ellis families. This locality was then in Cumberland Co., but now in Perry Co., Pa. (See Pa. Archives 34d Series, Vol. 1, page 152)
Land records for 1774 show grants of land to Cornelius Atkinson of 320 and 120 acres under warranty. Survey dated June 20, 1774. Pennsylvania Archives. 3rd. Series Vol. 25 P. 56 f854.67. In 1774, Cornelius Atkinson was granted two tracts of land under warrant in Northumberland Co. and probably moved his family there as they were residents of that county at the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Cornelius Atkinson enlisted on January 14, 1776, as First Lt. in the First Co. of 2nd Batt. of the Northumberland Col Associates (Pa. Archives, 3rd Series, Vol. 22, pp. 245, 338, 711, 797).
James and Charles Atkinson enlisted with their father, Cornelius. These boys started careers as frontiersmen patterned after that of their father and for the next 20 years or more were frequently engaged in military service, against the Indians or otherwise in defense of their country.
Later in the Revolution, another brother, William Atkinson, enlisted in the Pa. Militia, as member of Robinson's Rangers (Pa. Archives - 34d Series, Vol. 23, 196). For other sources of information, see Cumberland Co. Pa. Deed and Orphan Court Records - Dauphan Co. Pa. Orphan Ct. records; Hains History of Perry County, Pa., DAR Book 140, page 235.
In the last years of the Revolution, Cornelius and his older sons were enrolled in the Cumberland County militia, and presumably returned to that county to live about 1781. Cornelius and some of his children continued to reside there until about 1800. After the Revolution, the older children of Cornelius married and founded homes of their own. Charles married Sara McKnight, But she died in childbirth, leaving a son, Henry Sebastian, who was reared in the home of his uncle, Cornelius, Jr.. This Henry Sebastian was not the famous US commander of an expedition in the so-called Black Hawk War.
Raymond Martin Bell reports that: On July 22, 1760, Cornelius Atkinson, wife Mary, son Robert were civilians at Fort Pitt - possibly trading with the Indians.
First Census of the United States shown Cornelius Atkinson located in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, 1790.
How long he had been in the country is unknown, however some researchers suggest he arrived in Pennsylvania about 1750.
Cornelius Atkinson, St. remained on the Susquehanna in Pa. with several of his other children, including Cornelius, Jr. who had no children of his own, but he and his wife reared Henry Sebastian Atkinson, motherless son of his brother Charles. Keziah Atkinson and her husband, James Martin, lived near the original home site. Jane Atkinson Robinson and Rebecca Atkinson Clark lived in PA. too after their marriages.
Sometime after 1780, Cornelius, Sr. and his wife moved across the river to Halifax Township, Dauphine County, PA, where the wife died in 1807. Cornelius died in 1815 and his son-in-law, James Martin was appointed administrator of his estate. The following year his heirs sold Sheel Island at the mouth of the Juniata River, which he had owned from 1767 until his death. (Source: Catherine Fedorchak, Vol. II, p. 60-62 - furnished by Robert Guilinger).
Family Research in Monroe County ...by Catherine Foreaker Fedorchak
(20 Aug 1918 - 14 Oct 1994) 7590 West 85th Avenue, Crown Point, Indiana 46307
Newspaper Column Appearing in "The Spirit of Democracy"
Woodsfield, Ohio (Column probably appeared - 2 Mar 1972)
ATKINSON FAMILY - 1st Installment
There were four Revolutionary Soldiers in the ATKINSON FAMILY, Cornelius, and his three sons, Charles, James, and William. Cornelius Atkinson never lived in Monroe Co. but his sons were among the very early settlers here.
Cornelius served as First Lt. in the First Co. of 2nd Batt. of the Northumberland Co. Associators and enlisted Jan. 14, 1776. (See PA Archives, 3rd Series, Vol. 22, pp. 245, 338, 711, 797). James and Charles, his sons, served along with him. They had careers as frontiersmen patterned after that of their father, and for 20 years after the Revolution they were frequently engaged in military service against the Indians or otherwise in defense of their country. Later in the Revolution another brother, William Atkinson, enlisted in the Pa. Militia as a member of Robinson's Rangers (PA Archives, 3rd Series, Vol. 23, p. 196).
In the last years of the Revolution, Cornelius and his older sons were enrolled in the Cumberland Co. Pa. Militia and presumably returned to that county to live about 1781. From there they lived at various other places including Greene Co., PA and near Wheeling, and about the end of the 18th century, Charles and James moved to what is now Monroe Co. near Sunfish Creek. They were soon joined by their brothers William, Isaac, and Mitchell, and their sister Mary. Cornelius Atkinson remained in Pennsylvania with several of his other children. Cornelius was born in 1732, probably in Ireland, and died in 1815 in Dauphin Co. PA. His wife was Mary Cross, whom he married in 1758 in Northumberland.
In the 1820 census for Monroe Co. we find listings for families headed by James, Sr. and Jr., Charles, Sr. and Jr., Stephen, William and Isaac, and another Cornelius. The Jr. designation does not necessarily mean a son of a father of the same name, but simply means a younger man of the same name as an older one.
Information on this family in book; Monroe Co., Ohio Records, Vol. II, page 60, 61, and also the pension application of Charles Atkinson on page 97. Charles was born in 1760 and James in 1762. Since publishing of that book, information found in court records to indicate that additional heirs of Charles may have been Elijah and Abel Atkinson.
Journal 2, June term, 1835 (Court of Common Pleas) indicates that Elias Conger and wife sued Elizabeth Atkinson, Elijah Atkinson, Abel Atkinson et. al. The Elizabeth in this record is the widow of Charles, and her maiden name was Stephens. Elias Conger was married to Margaret Atkinson, a dau. of Charles. The suit was brought to prove whether the purported will of Charles Atkinson was true. Page 131 of the same Journal 2 indicates that the court found the will to be valid. The court records also show that Elizabeth, the widow, had declined to act as executor of the will, and the court appointed John Watson. He was married to Rebecca, another dau. of Charles and Elizabeth Atkinson. Perhaps he was a brother of David Watson who was possibly married to a Duvall - see the column on Conrad Duvall.
Also at the June term of court, 1835, Elizabeth Atkinson appeared and proved to the satisfaction of the court that Charles Atkinson, late a Revolutionary pensioner, had died 25 April 1834, leaving her, the said Elizabeth, his widow.
The Court records show that an Abel Atkinson died by 1843 - (Record Book 6, page 170 - April term, 1843). Also in May 1844, it was noted in this paper that Martin Troy was appointed administrator de bonis non of Abel Atkinson. This indicates that there had been a previous administrator or executor of Abel's estate, who for some reason, had not finished the job. Then in October 1844, a notice appeared in the paper advertising that land from Abel's estate was to be sold subject to the dower estate of Mary Mays. Other records show that she had married David Mays by 8 June 1844, and that she had a daughter, Matilda Atkinson.
A check of the 1830 census reveals no family headed by an Abel Atkinson. However, there was one for a William Atkinson, aged 20/30 with a wife of the same age, and one female under 5. Charles Atkinson was supposed to have had a son named William who died Mar. 31, 1832. Since Abel also seems to have had only one daughter, it could be that his name was William Able Atkinson. However, to be certain, one should check out the 1840 census too.
Cornelius Atkinson was son of Robert Atkinson of Ireland. The children of Cornelius Atkinson and Mary Cross from Vol 2 of Catharine Fedorchak's Monroe County Records and 1882 Hardesty's History of Monroe County are:
James born 1762 married Mary Brown;
Charles 1760 - 1834 married Sarah McKnight and Elizabeth Stephens;
Robert;
William married Mary McCoy;
Mary married a Jones and an Ingram;
Margaret married a Baskins;
Keziah married James Martin;
Jane married a Robinson;
Rebecca married a Clark;
Michael 1783 - married Margaret;
Isaac married Margaret Holmes
Cornelius, Robert, Mary, Jane, Rebecca, and Cornelius remained in Pa., the others came to Monroe County.
Cornelius and Mary (Cross) Atkinson, emigrated from Ireland to America a few years before the revolutionary war, and settled in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania.. ( This may not be true there are records of a Cornelius Atkinson being born in Surry, Virgina whose father’s name was Robert. There are also records of Cornelius and Mary Cross being born in Northumberland Co. Pa.)
James and Charles were the two oldest children of Cornelius and they and their father enlisted in the American army, and served the entire time of the revolutionary war; Cornelius was a lieutenant; Charles was about sixteen years old at the time of his enlistment. Cornelius and his wife died in Dauphin county. But little is known concerning the father of Cornelius, only that his name was Robert, and that he was a native of Ireland.
December 8, 1770, Cornelius Atkinson of Berks county, for 15 shillings, sold to Hawkins Boone of Berks county, his right to an application by me entered in the Land Office April 3,1769, for land near the head of Limestone run, for 300 acres. Witnesses Isiah Jones, James Parr.
December 13, 1770, James Parr appeared before William Lyon, a Justice of Cumberland county, and stated that he saw Cornelius Atkinson sign his name to above.
- NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY DEED BOOK C, page 166.
Comment: Limestone Run is on the east side of the West Branch of the Susquehanna, just south of Warrior's Run. James Parr served in the Northumberland Militia and the 12th PA.
August 29, 1775, Hawkins Boone of Buffalo township, Northumberland county, yeoman, and Jane his wife, sold to William Cook of Turbutt township, Northumberland county, a tract "Goudys Plaines" on a branch of Limestone run in Turbutt township for L40, 164 acres. Witnesses Robert Aurthur and Cornelius Atkinson.
- NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY DEED BOOK A, page 280.
Comment: Cornelius Atkinson was a first lieutenant in Captain Taggart's company of the Northumberland Militia when Hawkins was a second lieutenant in Captain Dale's company, 1776. Robert Arthur is believed to have been Hawkins brother-in-law, having been married to Susan Boone. [1, 2]
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