Individual Details
THOMAS COREY
(Ca 1790 - 1857)
Early life in New Brunswick
He inherited from his father "all my lots back of Carlton, St. John and one-fifth of value of my farm at Washademoak Lake, and my broad ax." It's possible that in his early life Thomas farmed the Washademoak property.
In 1810 he married his cousin Elizabeth Wiggins. She was the granddaughter of Esther Corey, sister to Gideon. The line is Esther m. Ebenezer Slocum - Ruth Slocum m. Jacob Wiggins - Elizabeth m. Thomas Corey. Elizabeth was therefore Thomas's cousin once removed. This connection with the Slocum family must have been close, as Thomas and Elizabeth named their only child in honor of Charles Slocum, a son of Esther's.
The move to Ontario
In 1903 Thomas's grandson, William Thomas, wrote a letter, stating that "my grandfather was a farmer in New Brunswick; during the Rebellion of 1837 he was a Captain of a Cavalry Co. The winter of 1840 & '41 he moved to Ontario and was a Hotel Keeper until his death."
Later, E. Stone Wiggins, in his History of Queen's County N.B., written in 1876, says that "Thos. went to Western Canada and settled in Bloomfield, Township of Hallowell, where he died of cancer in the face in 1857. Ezekiel Keith, who married his granddaughter Robina Corey, now occupies the homestead in that eminently beautiful country town."
The 'homestead,' as it turns out, was not a piece of land, but a tavern. Bloomfield, in the township of Hallowell, is situated in the County of Prince Edward - that peninsula jutting into Lake Ontario south of Belleville, Ontario. Hallowell encompasses the County seat of Picton, and the near-by-smaller town of Bloomfield. The exact location of Thomas's tavern is not known.
The Ontario Land Grant Index shows no homestead grant to Thomas, and he is not found in the 1851 census for Hallowell. The 1861 Hallowell census shows Elizabeth Corey, a widow aged 68, and Robina, aged 23. Elizabeth's occupation is that of "Innkeepe." These are presumed to be Thomas's widow, and his granddaughter. The residence was described as a two storey brick structure, housing two families as part of a "tavern." Keith Book identifies the daughter as "Robina Georgianna, b. 1838, d/o Charles Slocum Corey and Elizabeth Maybe."
A case of mistaken identity
In some genealogies Thomas is said to have had a second son, one Edward Smith Corey. The confussion is explainable, if not justifiable. Our Thomas Corey lived his early life in New Brunswick in the area of Waterborough. There also lived Thomas Cory, of no relationship, who had a son Edward Smith Cory. This Edward was in fact born about 1790, but to "fit" him in as a son of Thomas, son of Gideon, compilers have given him a birth date of 1814. The matter ought to have been corrected and put to rest in 1903. Then, a grandson of Gideon, William Thomas Corey, was asked to comment on this 'second' son, and replied, "The Pittsburgh young lady is certainly mistaken about my grandfather Thomas Corey having a son Edward, as I know my father was his only child, having lived with my grandfather from the time I was six years old until his death." The 'Pittsburgh young lady' of 1903 was a descendant of the 'other' Thomas. Despite William's correction, Edward Smith Corey has become 'attached' to our Thomas, and, as Stanley Corey remarks, the error has "taken on a lifeof its own" and can't be killed off. The error was repeated in a genealogy as recent as 1994, in Al B. Corey, The Corys of America, Volume II.
References: E. Stone Wiggins, History of Queen's County N.B. 1876: Keith Book p. 236: Ontario Land Grant Index: ONHallowell census returns 1851, 1861: Index of Ontario Census Returns for 1871: Hastings and Prince Edward Counties; 39, March 1989; Thomas William Corey letter to E. Robinson dated 1 Nov 1903, now in the possession of D.T. Lahey; Stanley Corey letter to D.T. Lahey dated 14 July 1995. [Corey Book]
He inherited from his father "all my lots back of Carlton, St. John and one-fifth of value of my farm at Washademoak Lake, and my broad ax." It's possible that in his early life Thomas farmed the Washademoak property.
In 1810 he married his cousin Elizabeth Wiggins. She was the granddaughter of Esther Corey, sister to Gideon. The line is Esther m. Ebenezer Slocum - Ruth Slocum m. Jacob Wiggins - Elizabeth m. Thomas Corey. Elizabeth was therefore Thomas's cousin once removed. This connection with the Slocum family must have been close, as Thomas and Elizabeth named their only child in honor of Charles Slocum, a son of Esther's.
The move to Ontario
In 1903 Thomas's grandson, William Thomas, wrote a letter, stating that "my grandfather was a farmer in New Brunswick; during the Rebellion of 1837 he was a Captain of a Cavalry Co. The winter of 1840 & '41 he moved to Ontario and was a Hotel Keeper until his death."
Later, E. Stone Wiggins, in his History of Queen's County N.B., written in 1876, says that "Thos. went to Western Canada and settled in Bloomfield, Township of Hallowell, where he died of cancer in the face in 1857. Ezekiel Keith, who married his granddaughter Robina Corey, now occupies the homestead in that eminently beautiful country town."
The 'homestead,' as it turns out, was not a piece of land, but a tavern. Bloomfield, in the township of Hallowell, is situated in the County of Prince Edward - that peninsula jutting into Lake Ontario south of Belleville, Ontario. Hallowell encompasses the County seat of Picton, and the near-by-smaller town of Bloomfield. The exact location of Thomas's tavern is not known.
The Ontario Land Grant Index shows no homestead grant to Thomas, and he is not found in the 1851 census for Hallowell. The 1861 Hallowell census shows Elizabeth Corey, a widow aged 68, and Robina, aged 23. Elizabeth's occupation is that of "Innkeepe." These are presumed to be Thomas's widow, and his granddaughter. The residence was described as a two storey brick structure, housing two families as part of a "tavern." Keith Book identifies the daughter as "Robina Georgianna, b. 1838, d/o Charles Slocum Corey and Elizabeth Maybe."
A case of mistaken identity
In some genealogies Thomas is said to have had a second son, one Edward Smith Corey. The confussion is explainable, if not justifiable. Our Thomas Corey lived his early life in New Brunswick in the area of Waterborough. There also lived Thomas Cory, of no relationship, who had a son Edward Smith Cory. This Edward was in fact born about 1790, but to "fit" him in as a son of Thomas, son of Gideon, compilers have given him a birth date of 1814. The matter ought to have been corrected and put to rest in 1903. Then, a grandson of Gideon, William Thomas Corey, was asked to comment on this 'second' son, and replied, "The Pittsburgh young lady is certainly mistaken about my grandfather Thomas Corey having a son Edward, as I know my father was his only child, having lived with my grandfather from the time I was six years old until his death." The 'Pittsburgh young lady' of 1903 was a descendant of the 'other' Thomas. Despite William's correction, Edward Smith Corey has become 'attached' to our Thomas, and, as Stanley Corey remarks, the error has "taken on a lifeof its own" and can't be killed off. The error was repeated in a genealogy as recent as 1994, in Al B. Corey, The Corys of America, Volume II.
References: E. Stone Wiggins, History of Queen's County N.B. 1876: Keith Book p. 236: Ontario Land Grant Index: ONHallowell census returns 1851, 1861: Index of Ontario Census Returns for 1871: Hastings and Prince Edward Counties; 39, March 1989; Thomas William Corey letter to E. Robinson dated 1 Nov 1903, now in the possession of D.T. Lahey; Stanley Corey letter to D.T. Lahey dated 14 July 1995. [Corey Book]
Events
| Birth | Ca 1790 |  | |||
| Marriage | 1 Feb 1810 | Waterborough, Queens County, New Brunswick - ELIZABETH WIGGINS | | ||
| Death | 1857 | Bloomfield, Prince Edward County, Ontario | |
Families
| Spouse | ELIZABETH WIGGINS (1793 - 1862) |
| Child | CHARLES SLOCUM COREY (1814 - 1899) |
| Father | GIDEON ELISHA CLARK COREY (1757 - 1824) |
| Mother | ABIGAIL CLARKE (1766 - 1849) |
| Sibling | ELISHA CLARKE COREY (1784 - 1836) |
| Sibling | HANNAH COREY (1786 - 1853) |
| Sibling | ELIZABETH COREY (1789 - 1875) |
| Sibling | ESTHER COREY (1794 - 1861) |
| Sibling | GARDNER COREY (1794 - 1864) |
| Sibling | STEPHEN COREY (1797 - 1840) |
| Sibling | ABIGAIL COREY (1798 - 1861) |
| Sibling | WILLIAM COREY (1801 - 1850) |
| Sibling | DANIEL COREY ( - ) |
Endnotes
1. RYDER GENEALOGICAL FILES.
2. RYDER GENEALOGICAL FILES.
3. RYDER GENEALOGICAL FILES.