History of Richmond County, New York, 1887



Conner Family

This is one of the oldest and at one time among the most influential families on the island. In this instance, as in. most of the other old families, we have been able to obtain only shreds of its history, none of those now bearing the name being in possession of a genealogical descent. From 1650 to 1690 we find the names of Hendrick, Peter, Jan, Philip, etc., as residents of New York, or some parts of Long Island.

The first mention of the name in connection Genealogy with Staten Island occurs December 30, 1680, in a patent bearing that date, conveying to Cornelius Corsen, Andries Juriansen, Derrick Cornelison and John Peterson 180 acres of land, 60 acres of which belonged to Corsen, and 40 acres to each of the others. This land is referred to in the patent of Governor Dongan to Palmer, and mentioned as land belonging to Cornelius Corsen and company. Another patent to the same parties, of the same date, conveyed 320 acres of land lying westward of and bounded by the Mill creek, besides 32 acres of salt meadow "where most convenient."

This Cornelius is designated as captain in a record in Albany, dated December 21, 1680. We find him mentioned again in the county records as being plaintiff in a suit in January, 1681. He died December 7, 1693, as his will was proved on that day, He had at least three sons; Christian, second judge and lieutenant- colonel in 1738, Cornelius, a justice, and Jacob, who made his will October 8, 1742, by which he makes the following bequests: his homestead to his son Jacob, £70 ($175) to his daughter Suster, wife of Johannes Simonson; £70 to his daughter Mary, wife of Joshua Mersereau; £70 to his son Douwe; £70 to his son Benjamin; £70 to his daughter Rebecca, wife of John Blom; to his sons Douwe and Benjamin all his lands in Hunterdon county, N.Y.; to his daughter Suster all his lands on the west side of Staten Island; to his son Jacob his silver- hilted sword and silk sash, and all his other goods to Iris children equally. Daniel Corsen, who was county clerk in 1739, was probably another son of Captain Cornelius.

In the church yard of the Reformed church at Port Richmond there are still to be seen two headstones Genealogy with the following inscriptions in the Dutch (Holland) language:

Hier oncler rust het lyk. van
CORNELIUS CORSEN, Esq.,
overleden den 26 Maart
A.D. MDCCLV on
- ynde LIII.

Here under rests the body of
CORNELIUS CORSEN, Esq.,
who died the 26 March, 1755,
in his 53d
Hier legt het Lighaam van
JANNETIA VAN BOSKERK,

Huys vrouw van Cornelius
Corsen
Overleeden den
MDCCXLIX Zyude L Jaar

Here lies the body of
JANE VAN BUSKIRK,|
wife of Cornelius Corsen
died the ____, 1749, in her 50th year.



This good old lady was probably a native of Bergen, N.J., where there were several families of the Van Buskirks, there being none of that name on the island at that date.

Cornelius and Jannetje Van Buskirk had the following children: a daughter, baptized November 24, 1723; Peter, baptized August 13, 1725; Christian, baptized February 26, 1727; Cornelis, baptized February 23, 1729, died an infant; Cornelis, baptized February 21, 1731; Jacobus (Jacob), baptized October 22, 1732; Daniel, baptized March 9, 1735, died May 22, 1801; a daughter, baptized September 19, 1736; and a daughter, baptized September 23, 1738.

We append the following, collected chiefly from church records: Cornelius, son of Benjamin, baptized May 4, 1714; Daniel, born 1714, died January 26, 1761; Captain Jacob, born 1707, died 1772; Benjamin and Blaudina Vile (Viele) had a son Benjamin, baptized August 3, 1718; Jacob and Cornelia Cruser had the following children: Jacob, baptized October 13, 1747, and three daughters, between 1739 and 1754; Douwe (son of Jacob) and Jannetje Cosin, had a child baptized October 5, 1755; Daniel and Maria Stilwell had Sons Richard and Daniel, both baptized November 7, 1753; Cornelius, Jr., had son Cornelius, baptized September 2, 1787, and a daughter Jannetje (Jane), baptized October 17, 1790; Richard had a daughter Catharine, baptized August 30, 1789; Daniel and Elizabeth Bogart, had a son Cornelius, baptized September 17, 1758, and a son William Howe, born November 24, 1776.

Daniel and Elizabeth Bogart his wife, had also three other sons, John, Daniel and Richard; Richard married Elizabeth Egbert, and they were the parents of Mr. Abraham E. Corsen, of Mariners' Harbor. Daniel built the stone house still standing near the Richmond turnpike, and since the property of A.C. Bradley, Esq.; subsequently he owned a farm on the Clove road, now or recently the property of Haynes Lord, Esq., where he died, and the place came into the possession of his son Richard. William Howe Corsen lived to have a family of his own; a short time previous to the war of 1812, he was murdered and his body concealed under a bridge on the public road. Evidently he had been robbed. The perpetrators of the crime were never detected.

Jacob had a daughter, baptized March 25, 1701, a son Jacob, baptized October 21, 1707 (see Captain Jacob, above) and a son Benjamin, baptized April 1, 1710. ____ Corsen and Elsey Ayro were married November, 1801; Hiram J., of New Springville, is the son of Cornelius V.B.; he was the son of Richard; and he was the son of Cornelius.



Source: History of Richmond County, (Staten Island) From its Discovery to the Present Time: Richard M. Bayles: New York: L.E. Preston & Co.; 1887












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