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Gideon Cornell

November 29, 2023

Gideon Cornell (1710–1766) was a farmer, trader and judge who became the first Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, serving from 1747 to 1749.

Gideon Cornell
1st Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court
In office
May 1747 – January 1749
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byJoshua Babcock
Personal details
Born5 July 1710
Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Died1766
Kingston, Jamaica
SpouseRebecca Vaughan
ChildrenGideon, Rebecca
Parent(s)Thomas Cornell and Martha Freeborn
OccupationDeputy, assistant, chief justice

Ancestry and early life edit

Born July. 5, 1710 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, Gideon Cornell was the son of Martha Freeborn and Thomas Cornell, who was elected several times as an assistant and deputy (representative) from Portsmouth.[1] Cornell descended from Thomas Cornell who came from Saffron Walden, County Essex, England, and settled in Portsmouth in the Rhode Island colony, and later in New Netherland.[2][3] He also descended from Thomas Hazard, one of the nine founding settlers of Newport, Rhode Island, and from William Freeborn, who was one of the 23 signers of the Portsmouth Compact which established the first government in the Rhode Island colony.

Upon his father's death in 1728, Cornell inherited a large amount of land in Rhode Island and Jamaica and a substantial sum of money. At the age of 21 in 1731 Cornell became a freeman of Portsmouth. On 22 February 1732 he married in Newport Rebecca Vaughan, the daughter of Captain Daniel Vaughan, a ship captain, and Rebecca Weaver. Governor William Wanton officiated the wedding.

Political and mercantile career edit

 
Gideon Cornell house, Newport

In 1732 Cornell began his public service as a deputy (representative).[4] From 1740 to 1746 he was elected as an "assistant" to the governor (according to Austin, or from 1739 to 1745, 1764 according to another source),[5] and in 1746 he was also on a committee to run the boundary line between Massachusetts and Rhode Island.[4] In 1738 Cornell served as one of the Justices of the Peace for Portsmouth, and in 1741 was selected as one of the Justices of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas and General Sessions of the Peace for Newport County.[6] He had initially been selected as the fifth justice "in room of" (replacing) William Ellery, Sr. who was "chosen assistant," and in 1742 Cornell was selected again to serve as a Justice of this court.[7]

In May 1747 Cornell was chosen as the first Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, which at that time went by the title of the "Superior Court of Judicature, Court of Assize, and General Gaol Delivery."[8] He was likely untrained in the common law. In the early days of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, the legislature was distrustful of an independent judiciary and non-lawyer farmers were appointed as justices as late as 1819 (although Cornell likely served as a judge prior to his appointment).[9] His name is misspelled as "Cowell" in Warren's history of the Harvard Law School.[9]

Cornell owned the sloop Jupiter which was seized in Jamaica for violating the Navigation Act, despite an unsuccessful appeal in 1758 to the Lords of the Committee of Council for Hearing Appeals from the Plantations for the Court at Kensington (28 July 1758).[10] Other ships of Cornell's were also accused of trading in foreign contraband according to the British laws.[11] Cornell was also involved in other legal entanglements, including a land dispute over mortgaged property in Newport, when in 1763 he filed a trespass and ejectment suit. The opposing party, Thomas Shearman, appealed the case to the Rhode Island Supreme Court and then eventually to the "King in Council" in Great Britain in 1767.[12]

Cornell died in Kingston, Jamaica in 1766 where he had gone to receive a large sum of money awarded to him by the British government.[13][14] His purported city house still stands at 3 Division Street in Newport, Rhode Island[15] Cornell was a co-founder of Newport's Redwood Library, which is housed in the oldest library building in America.[16] He was also one of the original signatories for the petition creating Brown University.[17] The Historical Society of Pennsylvania contains Cornell's commissions of appointment as judge from 1743 to 1748.[18]

Family edit

Cornell had two known children, the oldest being a son, Gideon, born 10 October 1740, who appears to have died in infancy. His only other known child was a daughter, Rebecca, born 17 February 1755, who married Colonel Clement Biddle of the Biddle family and had numerous descendants.[19]

Ancestry edit

Cornell's ancestry after the first generation comes mostly from John O. Austin's Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island.[20] The George Lawton ancestry is from Shurtleff and Shurtleff.[21]

Images edit

  •  
    NRHP plaque affixed to house

References edit

  1. ^ "family treemaker". Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  2. ^ Moriarty 1959, p. 107.
  3. ^ Austin 1887, pp. 54–5.
  4. ^ a b Cornell 1902, p. 46.
  5. ^ Palfrey 1890, p. 570.
  6. ^ Smith 1900, p. 79.
  7. ^ Smith 1900, pp. 86, 92.
  8. ^ Smith 1900, p. 122.
  9. ^ a b Warren 1908, p. 66.
  10. ^ Report and court opinion on the appeal of John Boutin, 1758. OCLC 064434449. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  11. ^ Pitman 1917, p. xxxx.
  12. ^ Washburn 1923, pp. 150–3.
  13. ^ Cornell 1902, p. 47.
  14. ^ French & French 1894, pp. 132–3.
  15. ^ . Archived from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  16. ^ Stockwell 1876.
  17. ^ Guild 1896, p. 517.
  18. ^ "Historical Society of Pennsylvania". Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  19. ^ Brownell 1910.
  20. ^ Austin 1887, pp. 29, 54, 121, 296, 320.
  21. ^ Shurtleff & Shurtleff 2005, pp. 73–4.
  22. ^ In 1959 genealogist G. Andrews Moriarty revealed that the Thomas Cornell who married Elizabeth Fiscock in New Amsterdam was not this Thomas, as stated in most genealogies of the family

Bibliography edit

  • Austin, John Osborne (1887). Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island. Albany, New York: J. Munsell's Sons. ISBN 978-0-8063-0006-1.
  • Brownell, George Grant (1910). Genealogical Record of the Descendants of Thomas Brownell, 1619 to 1910. Jemestown, New York.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Cornell, John (1902). Genealogy of the Cornell family, being an account of the descendants of Thomas Cornell.
  • French, Anne Warner; French, Abbie Maria (1894). An American ancestry. Higginson Book Company. pp. 132–3.
  • Guild, Reuben Aldridge (1896). Early history of Brown University: including the life, times, and correspondence of President Manning. 1756-1791 (Google eBook). Snow and Farnham. p. 517.
  • Moriarty, G. Andrews (April 1959). "Additions and Corrections to Austin's Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island". The American Genealogist. 35.
  • Palfrey, John (1890). History of New England. Vol. 5. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
  • Pitman, Frank Wesley (1917). The Development of the British West Indies, 1700-1763. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780722226889.
  • Shurtleff, William Roy; Shurtleff, Lawton Lothrop (2005). The Shurtleff and Lawton Families: Genealogy and History, second edition. Lafayette, California: Pine Hill Press. pp. 73–4. ISBN 0-942515-10-2.
  • Smith, Joseph Jencks (1900). Civil and Military List of Rhode Island, 1647-1800. Providence, RI: Preston and Rounds, Co. cornell.
  • Stockwell, Thomas B., ed. (1876). A history of public education in Rhode Island, from 1636 to 1876.
  • Warren, Charles (1908). History of the Harvard Law School and of Early Legal Conditions in America. New York: Lewis Publishing Company. ISBN 9781584770060.
  • Washburn, George Adrian (1923), "Imperial Control of the Administration of Justice in the Thirteen American Colonies, 1684-1776", Studies in History, Economics and Public Law, vol. CV, New York: Columbia University, pp. 150–3, ISBN 9781584776215

External links edit

  • Annals of the Redwood Library

November 29, 2023
gideon, cornell, 1710, 1766, farmer, trader, judge, became, first, chief, justice, rhode, island, supreme, court, serving, from, 1747, 1749, chief, justice, rhode, island, supreme, courtin, office, 1747, january, 1749preceded, byoffice, establishedsucceeded, b. Gideon Cornell 1710 1766 was a farmer trader and judge who became the first Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court serving from 1747 to 1749 Gideon Cornell1st Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme CourtIn office May 1747 January 1749Preceded byOffice establishedSucceeded byJoshua BabcockPersonal detailsBorn5 July 1710Portsmouth Rhode IslandDied1766Kingston JamaicaSpouseRebecca VaughanChildrenGideon RebeccaParent s Thomas Cornell and Martha FreebornOccupationDeputy assistant chief justice Contents 1 Ancestry and early life 2 Political and mercantile career 3 Family 4 Ancestry 5 Images 6 References 6 1 Bibliography 7 External linksAncestry and early life editBorn July 5 1710 in Portsmouth Rhode Island Gideon Cornell was the son of Martha Freeborn and Thomas Cornell who was elected several times as an assistant and deputy representative from Portsmouth 1 Cornell descended from Thomas Cornell who came from Saffron Walden County Essex England and settled in Portsmouth in the Rhode Island colony and later in New Netherland 2 3 He also descended from Thomas Hazard one of the nine founding settlers of Newport Rhode Island and from William Freeborn who was one of the 23 signers of the Portsmouth Compact which established the first government in the Rhode Island colony Upon his father s death in 1728 Cornell inherited a large amount of land in Rhode Island and Jamaica and a substantial sum of money At the age of 21 in 1731 Cornell became a freeman of Portsmouth On 22 February 1732 he married in Newport Rebecca Vaughan the daughter of Captain Daniel Vaughan a ship captain and Rebecca Weaver Governor William Wanton officiated the wedding Political and mercantile career edit nbsp Gideon Cornell house NewportIn 1732 Cornell began his public service as a deputy representative 4 From 1740 to 1746 he was elected as an assistant to the governor according to Austin or from 1739 to 1745 1764 according to another source 5 and in 1746 he was also on a committee to run the boundary line between Massachusetts and Rhode Island 4 In 1738 Cornell served as one of the Justices of the Peace for Portsmouth and in 1741 was selected as one of the Justices of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas and General Sessions of the Peace for Newport County 6 He had initially been selected as the fifth justice in room of replacing William Ellery Sr who was chosen assistant and in 1742 Cornell was selected again to serve as a Justice of this court 7 In May 1747 Cornell was chosen as the first Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court which at that time went by the title of the Superior Court of Judicature Court of Assize and General Gaol Delivery 8 He was likely untrained in the common law In the early days of the Rhode Island Supreme Court the legislature was distrustful of an independent judiciary and non lawyer farmers were appointed as justices as late as 1819 although Cornell likely served as a judge prior to his appointment 9 His name is misspelled as Cowell in Warren s history of the Harvard Law School 9 Cornell owned the sloop Jupiter which was seized in Jamaica for violating the Navigation Act despite an unsuccessful appeal in 1758 to the Lords of the Committee of Council for Hearing Appeals from the Plantations for the Court at Kensington 28 July 1758 10 Other ships of Cornell s were also accused of trading in foreign contraband according to the British laws 11 Cornell was also involved in other legal entanglements including a land dispute over mortgaged property in Newport when in 1763 he filed a trespass and ejectment suit The opposing party Thomas Shearman appealed the case to the Rhode Island Supreme Court and then eventually to the King in Council in Great Britain in 1767 12 Cornell died in Kingston Jamaica in 1766 where he had gone to receive a large sum of money awarded to him by the British government 13 14 His purported city house still stands at 3 Division Street in Newport Rhode Island 15 Cornell was a co founder of Newport s Redwood Library which is housed in the oldest library building in America 16 He was also one of the original signatories for the petition creating Brown University 17 The Historical Society of Pennsylvania contains Cornell s commissions of appointment as judge from 1743 to 1748 18 Family editCornell had two known children the oldest being a son Gideon born 10 October 1740 who appears to have died in infancy His only other known child was a daughter Rebecca born 17 February 1755 who married Colonel Clement Biddle of the Biddle family and had numerous descendants 19 Ancestry editCornell s ancestry after the first generation comes mostly from John O Austin s Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island 20 The George Lawton ancestry is from Shurtleff and Shurtleff 21 Ancestors of Gideon Cornell16 Thomas Cornell 1594 5 1655 8 Thomas Cornell 1627 1673 17 Rebecca4 Thomas Cornell c 1653 1714 9 Elizabeth not Fiscock 22 2 Thomas Cornell 1674 1728 20 George Lawton c 1580 1641 10 George Lawton 1607 1693 21 Isabel Smith 1585 after 1641 5 Susanna Lawton died 1712 22 Thomas Hazard by 1610 after 1677 11 Elizabeth Hazard23 Martha1 Gideon Cornell 1710 1766 12 William Freeborn6 Gideon Freeborn 1635 1720 13 Mary Willson3 Martha Freeborn 1671 1748 14 Thomas Brownell 1608 before 1665 7 Sarah Brownell c 1641 1676 15 Anne Bourne 1607 after 1665 Images edit nbsp NRHP plaque affixed to houseReferences edit family treemaker Retrieved 21 May 2012 Moriarty 1959 p 107 Austin 1887 pp 54 5 a b Cornell 1902 p 46 Palfrey 1890 p 570 Smith 1900 p 79 Smith 1900 pp 86 92 Smith 1900 p 122 a b Warren 1908 p 66 Report and court opinion on the appeal of John Boutin 1758 OCLC 064434449 Retrieved 26 May 2012 Pitman 1917 p xxxx Washburn 1923 pp 150 3 Cornell 1902 p 47 French amp French 1894 pp 132 3 Newport Restoration Archived from the original on 24 April 2018 Retrieved 25 May 2012 Stockwell 1876 Guild 1896 p 517 Historical Society of Pennsylvania Retrieved 26 May 2012 Brownell 1910 Austin 1887 pp 29 54 121 296 320 Shurtleff amp Shurtleff 2005 pp 73 4 In 1959 genealogist G Andrews Moriarty revealed that the Thomas Cornell who married Elizabeth Fiscock in New Amsterdam was not this Thomas as stated in most genealogies of the family Bibliography edit Austin John Osborne 1887 Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island Albany New York J Munsell s Sons ISBN 978 0 8063 0006 1 Brownell George Grant 1910 Genealogical Record of the Descendants of Thomas Brownell 1619 to 1910 Jemestown New York a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Cornell John 1902 Genealogy of the Cornell family being an account of the descendants of Thomas Cornell French Anne Warner French Abbie Maria 1894 An American ancestry Higginson Book Company pp 132 3 Guild Reuben Aldridge 1896 Early history of Brown University including the life times and correspondence of President Manning 1756 1791 Google eBook Snow and Farnham p 517 Moriarty G Andrews April 1959 Additions and Corrections to Austin s Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island The American Genealogist 35 Palfrey John 1890 History of New England Vol 5 Boston Little Brown and Company Pitman Frank Wesley 1917 The Development of the British West Indies 1700 1763 Yale University Press ISBN 9780722226889 Shurtleff William Roy Shurtleff Lawton Lothrop 2005 The Shurtleff and Lawton Families Genealogy and History second edition Lafayette California Pine Hill Press pp 73 4 ISBN 0 942515 10 2 Smith Joseph Jencks 1900 Civil and Military List of Rhode Island 1647 1800 Providence RI Preston and Rounds Co cornell Stockwell Thomas B ed 1876 A history of public education in Rhode Island from 1636 to 1876 Warren Charles 1908 History of the Harvard Law School and of Early Legal Conditions in America New York Lewis Publishing Company ISBN 9781584770060 Washburn George Adrian 1923 Imperial Control of the Administration of Justice in the Thirteen American Colonies 1684 1776 Studies in History Economics and Public Law vol CV New York Columbia University pp 150 3 ISBN 9781584776215External links editAnnals of the Redwood LibraryPortals nbsp United States nbsp New England nbsp Rhode Island nbsp biography Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gideon Cornell amp oldid 1176798784, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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