The following sketch of one whose career dates back to the beginning of
the Revolutionary War, who suffered imprisonment, endured great privations
and persecutions, and even banishment from home and estrangement of family
ties for the cause of freedom, but who came out of the ordeal unscathed
and purified--like gold tried by fire--with character strengthened and
patriotism intensified, and, after the clouds of war had rolled by and his
beloved country no longer required his services, became the most noted
physician of his time in this section of the State, and a strong and
honored pillar in the Presbyterian Church, is written with a desire to
revive and perpetuate the memory and deeds of a good man, and a noble
patriot, who was an honor to his country, to his profession, and to
Christianity, and whose life was an inspiration and a blessing to his
fellow men.
Such was Dr. Elias Cornelius, who for over forty years (1781-1823) filled
a prominent place in the active life of Putnam County and Northern
Westchester, and whose name in those olden days was a household word in
the communities through which he moved and practised his profession.
Elias Cornelius was born on Long Island in the year 1758. Besides Elias,
his father's family consisted of another son and several daughters. His
paternal ancestors came from Holland, and a coat of arms once in the
possession of Dr. Cornelius, of which we have seen a copy, indicates that
they were people of rank and distinguished for military achievements and
religious zeal which had won for them this honorable heraldic emblem.
Beyond this we know nothing of the family history, nor of Elias' boyhood
or educational advantages, except that he had not received the benefit of
a collegiate education.
At the commencement of the Revolutionary War, we find him studying
medicine under the direction of Dr. Samuel Latham, a physician of repute,
in New York City, who not only initiated his pupil into the mysteries of
the healing art and sought to convert him into a worthy disciple of
Esculapius, but also instilled into his youthful mind the principles of
patriotism and implanted in his heart the love of freedom to such an
extent, that, in spite of the persuasions and remonstrances of his parents
and other relatives, all of whom were devoted Loyalists, he resolved to
cast his lot with the Patriots.
The outgrowth of this was that he enlisted in the American Army, Jan. 1,
1777, being then only twenty years of age. On April 15, 1777, he was
appointed Surgeon's Mate in the Second Regiment of Rhode Island troops
under the command of Col. Israel Angell. His appointment was signed by
John Cochran, Surgeon General; James Craik,[1] Chief Physician and Surgeon
to the Army; Col. Israel Angell and others. Four months after this, Aug.
22, 1777, while on a reconnoitering trip, Dr. Cornelius was surprised and
taken prisoner by the British, at East Chester. He was robbed of all his
belongings, and then marched to New York under charge of Hessian Guards by
whom he was treated in an insulting and cruel manner. On his arrival there
he was lodged in the Old Sugar House prison, in which the private soldiers
were kept. Soon after he was removed from that prison and thrown into a
dungeon in the Provost Jail.
[1] It will be remembered that Dr. Craik was the physician who
attended Gen. Washington in his last and fatal illness, December,
1799. Dr. Craik was then residing at Alexandria, Va.
Concerning this Jail, Mary L. Booth, in her History of New York City,
quotes from a published document of John Pintard, one of the founders of
the New York Historical Society, as follows: "The Provost was destined for
the more notorious rebels, civil, naval and military. An admission to this
modern Bastile was enough to appall the stoutest heart."
The Jail was under the superintendence of the notorious Provost Marshal
Cunningham, and no greater brute, or demon in human form, ever had charge
of captives of war. The barbarities practiced on the defenceless prisoners
by this man stand unparalleled in the history of war. It is stated that he
treated them with the utmost cruelty, heaped every possible indignity on
them, and while his victims were dying off from cold and starvation, like
cattle, he actually mingled an arsenical preparation with their poor food
in order to kill them off quicker. It is also recorded that he openly
boasted that "he had killed more of the rebels with his own hand than had
been slain by all the king's forces in America." Such was the Provost Jail
and its keeper.
Among Dr. Cornelius's friends and fellow prisoners in the jail, he
mentions Ethan Allen, the hero of Ticonderoga, and Majors Williams, Paine
and Wells.
Here he languished until Sept. 20, 1777, suffering for the necessaries of
life and receiving like all confined there, most cruel and inhuman
treatment from the jailers and guards. He was then transferred to the
upper rooms of the prison where he was confined until Jan. 9, 1778. About
this time Dr. Cornelius received a visit from his father, who, as we have
stated, was a Loyalist and a most faithful adherent of King George. In the
journal which he kept during his imprisonment (which we shall publish
later) he makes mention of this visit and records the views which his
father then expressed of his conduct. He writes that he reproached him for
his treasonable action and wept over the trouble it had brought him into,
ascribing the whole as a result of the influence which Dr. Latham, whom he
styled "a bad man," had exerted over his son. He then urged Elias to avail
himself of a free pardon which had been offered in a proclamation by the
Governor, Sir William Howe, to all who would come in voluntarily and "quit
the rebels." The young man, however, turned a deaf ear to his father's
entreaties, who left him uttering dire predictions of the results that
would follow. England, according to his views, must surely conquer the
rebellious Colonies, and his erring son would then, when it was too late,
realize the folly of his course, and without doubt meet the fate due a
traitor to his king and country.
Soon after his father's visit, he was again consigned to the dungeon, but
a few days later, on account of sickness, was removed to the hospital
which he states was "in the brick meeting house." Watching his
opportunity, he made his escape from there, Jan. 16, 1778, three days
after his arrival. He then wandered about for a number of days and endured
much exposure and suffering, but finally found, to use his own language,
"the house of some friends to America," who took him in, and afterwards
aided him to reach Long Island.
When he arrived on Long Island, he writes in his Journal that he walked
nine miles and passed his grandfather's house but did not dare go in to
ask relief for fear that the old gentleman, who was a strong Tory, would
deliver him up to the British. Shortly after, in his wanderings, he again
found friends to the American cause, and also met two men who had been
prisoners of the British, and like himself, had been fortunate enough to
make their escape without detection.
Cornelius, in company with these men, then went into the woods where they
built a hut in which they passed the remainder of the Winter, living in
constant fear, however, lest they should be discovered by the Tories in
the vicinity, and information given which would lead to their recapture by
the British soldiers. By hunting, and with occasional supplies stealthily
furnished them by a few faithful friends they managed to eke out an
existence until March 19, 1778, when not deeming it safe to remain longer
in that location, the party separated.
After this Dr. Cornelius took refuge in the house of one of his friends,
where he met two other men who had been his fellow prisoners in the
Provost Jail. As all three men were desirous of leaving Long Island, in a
few days, with the aid of friends, a boat was secured in which Cornelius
and his two companions rowed across the sound to Norwalk, Conn., where
they found shelter in the house of Capt. Rogers, one of the party. Dr.
Cornelius remained at Captain Rogers's residence only long enough to take
needed rest and refreshment, then proceeded on his way, and after a
journey of seven days, rejoined the American Army which was then in those
memorable headquarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. He continued in the
service until Jan. 1, 1781, and received an honorable discharge.
On retiring from the service in 1781, Dr. Cornelius settled at Yorktown,
Westchester County, and entered on the practice of his profession. Amid
the hardships and dangers of his life in the army he received vivid
religious impressions and came to be known as the "beloved physcian,"
which led him after settling there to unite with the Congregational
Church, and in 1787 he was honored with the office of deacon.
Some years later he removed from Yorktown to the northwest part of the
town of Somers, which is now known as Baldwin Place, and located on the
farm at present owned by Samuel M. Lounsbury, where he resided to the time
of his death.
Here he devoted himself with renewed energy to his profession and acquired
a large practice extending over the towns of Carmel, Somers, Yorktown,
Philipstown, and Fredericksburg. He was a close student, and by patient
study and industry accumulated a large fund of general and professional
information. Many young men studied medicine under his superintendence and
became able and successful practitioners.
Though Dr. Cornelius was an energetic man and possessed great firmness of
character, he was also very kind hearted and generous--the poor received
gratuitous medical attendance from him to a great extent, and while he
ministered to the physical ailments of his patients, like his Master, the
"Great Physician," he was ever ready to offer spiritual comfort to those
who stood in need, and kind words and advice were freely bestowed on rich
and poor alike, in such measure as the case required.
His generosity was not alone confined to individuals but the church as
well found him a faithful servant, a cheerful giver and an industrious
worker. The Presbyterian Church Society, of Mahopac Falls (formerly known
as Red Mills), to-day stands in part as a monument to his zeal and
devotion to the cause of Christ, for in 1790, he in conjunction with a few
other faithful ones effected its organization, and to the day of his death
his contributions to its support were most liberal and his interest in its
welfare unabated. He was a prime mover, too, in securing for the society
its first house of worship, taking a very active part in raising funds for
the erection of a suitable edifice, and its completion was to him a source
of pride and satisfaction. When the church was incorporated, April 7,
1806, he was chosen one of the Trustees.
In his Will he bequeathed legacies to the following religious and
charitable societies: The American Bible Society; The United Foreign
Mission Society; The American Education Society, and the American Board of
Commissioners for Foreign Missions.
His creed was loyalty to his country and to his God, and all through his
eventful and useful life his words and deeds alike attested his sincerity.
His view of life was evidently embodied in the following lines of verse
which were found pasted in the inside covers of all his books.
"SOON will this glass of mortal life be run
And all its fleeting vanities be gone.
Then may I feel no more sins cruel fire,
But to the grave in faith and peace retire;
And weep no more for the licentious wrongs
Of judgments rash or scourge of slanderous tongues."
Dr. Cornelius married for his first wife the daughter of a brother
physician, Dr. Brewer, who bore him several children, all of whom died in
childhood, and his wife also passed away in early life. Some years after
her decease, he married Miss Rachel Stocker, who is described as
possessing many excellent traits of character, and as being a woman of
enlarged Christian experience. She died about the year 1833. By this
marriage, five children were born to him, one son, Elias Cornelius, and
four daughters: "Sally," who married Tallman Perry, Sept. 13, 1824;
Betsey, who married Ira Tompkins, March 8, 1820; Polly, who became the
wife of Rev. William Lewis, and Nancy, who died unmarried at the early age
of nineteen years.
The son, Elias Cornelius, who was graduated from Yale College, Sept.,
1813, studied theology under Dr. Dwight, and became an eloquent and
influential minister of the Congregational Church, being licensed to
preach the Gospel, June 16, 1816, at Litchfield, Conn. For five years
(1826-1831) he filled the office of Secretary to the American Educational
Society, and through his influence and earnest labors the work of
preparing young men for the ministry received a notable impetus. In
January, 1832, he was chosen one of the Secretaries of the American Board
of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, to succeed Jeremiah Evarts.
But it had been foreordained that his life work, so earnest and
successful, should be accomplished quickly, even before he had reached his
prime, for he died at Hartford, Conn., Feb. 12th, 1832, one month after
his appointment, at the age of thirty-eight years. The talented poetess,
Mrs. Sigourney, wrote some touching lines on his death. One son, Jeremiah
Evarts Cornelius, of Boston, Mass., and two daughters, Mary Cornelius and
Mrs. Sarah E. Little, of Newton Centre, Mass., are now the only living
members of his family.
The daughters, reared in this Christian home, were also noted for piety,
and like their father and brother, their walk in life abounded in good
deeds. Their highest aim seems to have been to aid and comfort those less
fortunate than themselves. They were women highly respected in the
communities where their lives were spent, and valued and devoted members
of the churches with which they were connected.
Of these, Betsey, who died Sept. 28, 1852, wife of Ira Tompkins, left
three sons and four daughters: Eli C. Tompkins, of Fond du Lac, Wis.;
Judge Charles M. Tompkins, of Washington, D. C.; Augustus Tompkins,
Burlington, Kansas; Mrs. Amelia Travis, Burlington, Kansas; Mrs. Julia
Moore, Baldwin Place, N. Y.; Mrs. Elizabeth Hyatt, Jefferson Valley, N.
Y.; and Mrs. Sarah F. Hyatt, New York City, all of whom are now living.
Mrs. Sally Perry lived and died in Bridgeport, Conn., the last member of
Dr. Cornelius' family to pass away. She left an only son, Rev. Tallman C.
Perry, now living at La Prairie, Canada.
Mrs. Polly Lewis, wife of Rev. William Lewis, died at Rising Sun, Ind.,
many years ago, leaving one son, William, who when last heard from, was
living near Auburn, N. Y.
Nancy, the youngest child, died March 23rd, 1822, aged 19 years.
Dr. Cornelius was a member of the order of Cincinnati, and his certificate
of membership bears the signatures of Washington and Knox, who were his
personal friends. This, with the "Journal" to which we have alluded, is
now in the office of the R. I. Society, of Cincinnati.
Gen. La Fayette was also an intimate friend of Dr. Cornelius, and
presented him with a sword as a token of his esteem, which is now in the
possession of his grandson, Rev. Tallman C. Perry, of La Prairie, Canada.
Dr. Cornelius died in 1823, and lies buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery
at Mahopac Falls. His tombstone bears the following inscription: