Jemima Cornwall Bradley

There are several interpretations for the ancestry of Jemima Cornwall. Her story derives from her connection to two very prominent Connecticut families, the Cornwalls and the Bradleys. There are a number of family histories and genealogies written about the two families. Yet despite the available information there still remains some confusion as to her true identity. The histories all agree that Jemima married Stephen Bradley in Guilford, Conn. There are very few original town or church records of their marriage or early life in Guilford. There are traces of their membership in the Second Congregational Society. Most of what has been written by the Bradley family historians is based on the material written by Alvan Talcott. Talcott’s information looks like it is probably derived from the oral history of the early Bradley family. Looking at Talcott’s notes concerning Stephen Bradley’s family he makes the notation “Jemima of L.I.”. He includes a marriage date “1718” and her date of death Jan 16, 1787. At the top he lists East Guilford as the place where they lived. The Cornwall history is based on very detailed town and church records from Middletown, Conn. The Cornwall history lists her as the daughter of William Cornwall 1672-1704 and his wife Esther. “Children born in Middletown, Conn. 96. Jemima, bapt, Feb 4, 1700; m. Stephen Bradley of Guilford, Conn.” The history also records a sister Lois (97.) who was baptized Feb. 8, 1702. They note that Lois married Daniel Collins also of Guilford. What is written in most modern family trees is a description of Jemima Cornwall born in Long Island, christened in Middletown February 4, 1700, the daughter of William Cornwall of Middletown 1671-1747 and his wife Ester Ward 1669-1734. A few histories directly quote the Cornwall history listing her parents as William 1672-1704 and simply Ester. So why the confusion? The confusion arises from the fact that living in Middletown as contemporaries were three first cousins all named William Cornwall. Two of the cousins married women named Ester. When most modern genealogist went looking for the historical Jemima, the daughter of William and Ester, they found the most widely document of the cousins William Cornwall, the son of William Cornwall and his wife Mary Bull, who married Esther Ward. This William was born September 13, 1671, died July 16, 1747. The Barbour collection lists a marriage in Middletown between William Cornwall and Ester Ward 1692. The Cornwall history notes that the above named William (1671-1747) married Ester Ward the daughter of John Ward. The Long island connection comes from the Bradley tradition, based on the Talcott history, that lists her as Jemima Cornwall of (L. I.) or Long Island. ___________ To unravel Jemima’s story we need to start with the history of her great Grandfather William Cornwall. We have posted his will on the Blog. William Cornwall was born in England. His first stop was in America was in Roxbury, Mass. From Roxbury he was in the early wave of settles to arrive in the area of Hartford, Connecticut where his children were born. In the 1657 he relocated to Middletown. As one of Middletown’s earliest settlers his family is listed on the first page of the First Congregational Society records. They are also listed in his will. The Cornwall’s used three different spellings for their name, Cornwall, Cornwell and Cornell. The town clerks in Middletown gathered the key dates for his children and recorded his family in a single concise entry in the town records. They listed John, William, Samuel, Jacob, Sarah, Thomas, Esther and Elizabeth. It is the three oldest boys’ John, William and Samuel that are part of our story. John had a son who he named William born August 17, 1673. William’s son William was born September 13, 1671. The town clerks recorded the family of Samuel in the town records. We have posted his will on the Blog. Samuel’s son William was born January 22, 1672. The baptismal records for all three are found in the Congregational records. All three of these sons named William lived in Middletown. The church clerks were very careful to distinguish between the three in the church records. John’s family was recorded by the town clerks. John's son William is always referred to as William son of John. For example we find the record of the birth of William's daughter Martha, “William Cornwall son of John Cornwall owning ye covenant had his daughter Martha baptized”. The town clerks have also created a record for William the son of William. They also gathered a record for his son William ( William / William / William). The record for the 3rd William starts with a record of his marriage to Ester Ward, “William Cornwall / Cornell & Ester Ward were joined in marriage covenant January 22, 1692”. The record also notes his death in July of 1747. They list the children of the 3rd William as, William, Mary, Andrew, John, Sam, Esther and Jacob. The church records note the birth of Ebenezer who died as an infant. The Cornwall history has the same information. In the church records this William is referred to as the couple, William & Esther, or as William (son ) & Esther. The (son) indicating that he was William the son of William who was the son of William the ancestor. For example the birth of his son Samuel is recorded, “Samuel ye son of William Cornell (son) & Esther”. The third William, the son of Samuel, is always referred to as William Cornwall son of Samuel Cornwall. Thus the clerks created three separate easy to follow identities for the three different William grandsons. Of the three families William the son of Samuel has the least documentation. There are no references in the town records. But, as we previously noted the Cornwall history notes that “William, son of Samuel, grandson of William was born in Jan. 22, 1672 and died Dec. 25, 1704: married Esther.” They note that he lived in Middletown and his children were born there. They list “Jemima, bapt. Feb. 4, 1700”and “Lois, bapt. Feb. 8, 1702”.. We do find the baptismal records for the two girls in the Congregational records. “Jemima ye daughter of William Cornwall Jun. viz son of Samuel Cornwall was baptized Feb. 4, 1700”. “Lois ye daughter of William Cornwall son of Samuel Cornwall was baptized Feb 8 1702”. The reason for the lack of family records for this William is his early death in 1704. We have posted his probate file on the Blog. The cover for his probate file has the date 1704/05. A notation on the bottom of a document listing his assets records his two children “Jemima Aged 5 years” and “Lois aged 3 years”. The court clerks refer to William’s wife as “Ester”. However “Ester” signed her name twice both times using the spelling “Hester”. The convention of the day used the two names interchangeably. There is no reference in any of the histories or documents to “Esther Ward”. As a follow on we find an entry in the will of Samuel Cornwall (full will posted on Blog) the father of the above mentioned William, “To my two granddaughters Jemima and Lois I give 35 pounds………..that I had designed to give to my son William Cornwall the father of the said Jemima and Lois”. These two wills support the Cornwall histories’ description of Jemima as the daughter of William, the son of Samuel Cornwall, who married Ester/ Hester last name unknown. Both the Cornwall history and the various Bradley histories register the marriage of Jemima to Stephen Bradley in Guilford. In the case of the Bradley’s, Stephen Bradley to Jemima Cornwall daughter of William Cornwall of Middletown. In the absence of original town records it seems that this information was very much a part of each families’ oral tradition. ___________It is interesting to note that independent of the Bradleys and Cornwalls the Collins family hold the same tradition for Jemima’s sister Lois who married Daniel Collins. Lois’ son-in-law Oliver Wolcott was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Because of his connection to those events his life has received a good bit of attention. From the Biographical record of Hartford County, “Daniel Collins, son of John Collins born 1701 at Guilford, Connecticut married in 1725, Lois Cornwall, of Long Island, a daughter of William Cornwall, of Hartford and Middletown, She was born at Middletown in 1702”. Their marriage is found in the town records in Guilford, “ Daniel Collins & Lois Cornell both of Guilford were married March 15, 1725”._____________ An updated biography for Jemima should probably read, Jemima Cornwall / William-Hester / Samuel- Rebecca Bull / William- Mary. Jemima was born in Middletown into the prominent Cornwall family. She was the daughter of William Cornwall who was born January 22, 1672 and died December 25, 1704 in Middletown, Conn. There is very little to identify her mother. The Cornwall historians spell her name Esther the probate clerks use the Ester spelling. She signed her name Hester on her husband's probate documents. There are no hints for her maiden name. Jemima was baptized in the First Congregational Society in Middletown February 4, 1700. “Jemima ye daughter of Willm Cornwall Jun. (viz son of Samll Cornwall) was baptized Feb. 4, 1700”. Her father died when she was still very young. Her father’s probate file lists her as” Jemima aged 5”. Her grandfather Samuel identifies her as a granddaughter and leaves her 35 pounds in his will. Jemima moved with her mother Hester and sister Lois to Long Island, New York. They later resettled in Guilford, Connecticut. In Guilford she married Stephen Bradley. Alvan Talcott in his notes list a marriage date in 1718. Her first child Joseph was born June 24, 1720. Joseph was followed by Freelove, Esther, after her mother, Clotildah, Stephen, Lois, after her sister, Benjamin, Timothy, Zenas, Zimri and Eber. There are very few documents from her life that have survived. Gathered together in Volume-2 page 77 of the Guilford town records is a list of her children and their dates of birth. Each entry contains the phrase “Of Stephen Bradley by Jemima his wife”. Her death is recorded in the Guilford Record of Mortality. It reads “ 1787 Jan 16 Stephen Bradley Wid.”____________ The same biography describes Jemima’s sister Lois. Lois married Daniel Collins in Guilford. Daniel died in 1751. At the time of her death Lois was living with her daughter Lorraine / Laura who married Oliver Walcott. Oliver was destined to play a major role in Connecticut politics. Lois would have had a front row seat to the events leading up to the American Revolution. She died nine years before her son-in-law signed the Declaration of Independence.