Cornute Family History
Summary
John Cornutt was born in 1783 and acquired a young slave named Rebecca between 1811 and 1820 Virginia. John and Rebecca had five children, four boys and a girl, Henry born in 1822, George Washington born in 1823, Frances born in 1838, Tate born in 1842 and Clark born in 1845. John emancipated Henry and his family circa 1846 and they moved to and settled in Troy, Ohio around that time. He then emancipated his remaining slave family in November 1851 and sent them north to Ohio in early 1852. They settled in Lawrence County, Ohio and this family unit was the genesis of the Cornute lines.
The descendants of John and Rebecca now extend to eight recorded generations.
John Cornutt
John Cornutt married Mourning Bedwell on June 23, 1814. He acquired his first slave, a female named Rebecca, between late 1810 and 1820. Rebecca would have been between 8 and 18 years old. She was probably acquired to cater to and provide his wife with whatever support she needed. As it turned out, Mourning was unable to have any children for reasons unknown and this must have been a very difficult situation for John as his brothers and sisters had rather large families of their own.
Although John obviously loved his wife the pressures of not having any children like the rest of his family or any to grow up to help work the farm must have been troubling. Whether the above factors or the typical white male slave owner lust drove John; he drifted to the bed of his young slave.
John became exposed to the abolitionist movement and this exposure began to reshape his fundamental philosophy about slavery and he began forming stronger relationships in these circles. These new relationships and their influence on John’s fundamental belief system had a profound impact on his approach to life and his relationship with his own slave family. John’s association with Jarvis Bacon and his abolitionist preaching, in the slave state of Virginia, proved to be a major inflection point in his life.
Rebecca Cornute
John Cornutt’s first slave, Rebecca, was acquired sometime after the taking of the 1810 census and before the 1820 census in Virginia. Based on the census information she was born ca 1802 probably also in Virginia. We haven’t found any additional information on her since the emancipation in 1851.
Henry Cornute
Henry Cornute was born ca 1821/22 in Virginia and married Percilla ca 1842. Their first child, Martha, was born ca 1843 in Virginia. Henry and his family were emancipated and relocated to Concord, Miami County, Ohio sometime between 1843 and 1848. Their second and third children, James and William were born ca 1848 and 1850 respectively in Ohio.
George Washington Cornute
George Washington Cornute was born ca 1823 in Virginia. We haven’t found any additional information on him since the emancipation in 1851.
Frances Cornute
Frances Cornute was born ca 1838 in Virginia. We haven’t found any additional information on her since the emancipation in 1851.
Tate Cornute
Tate Cornute married a liberated slave named Maria Wilson June 1865, in Raleigh, North Carolina, as the Civil War was ending. They had two daughters and two sons; Frances born December 29, 1865, Clark T. born May 7, 1867, William L. born April 7, 1869 and Addie born June 7, 1871. They were living in South Point before moving to Ironton. Tate died in Ironton, Ohio February 1, 1916 from diseases contracted during the Civil War.
Clark Cornute
Tate’s younger brother Clark Cornute married Malissa Ann Roberts on May 2, 1867; they had two children, Ida, born on May 2, 1868 and William Otha., born on February 1, 1870 and were living in Burlington, Ohio. Clark died in Cincinnati, Ohio December 7, 1871 when he fell overboard, into the Ohio River, while working on the wheels of the steamboat Fleetwood. His death was also contributed to diseases contracted during the Civil War, he was only 26 years old.
Pictured to the left is Clark’s son William Otha Cornute with his wife Malissa Ann Roberts.