Volume II of History of the Town of Cornish, New Hampshire, with Genealogical Record, 1763–1910, compiled by William Henry Child and published in 1911, presents a detailed genealogical account of the families who settled in Cornish from its founding through the early 20th century. Intended to include every family that established permanent residence in the town, the work documents approximately 250 family names, over 1,000 individual family units, and nearly 10,000 persons. While recognizing gaps and limitations due to lost or incomplete records, migration, and the natural challenges of historical research, the author draws from a broad range of sources including town and church records, cemetery inscriptions, personal correspondence, and family documents. The genealogies trace each family line from the earliest known ancestor to their settlement in Cornish and, where possible, to later generations.
See Volume 1 as it contains biographies of many leading men of Cornish as well as a complete history up until publication.
Volume 2
Introduction
The genealogical record of the families of Cornish New Hampshire is not the least interesting portion of its history.
“If you would know who you are, Learn whence you came.”
Genealogical study is regarded by most as dry and unprofitable, but this is due to misapprehension of its importance. One author declares that “the keeping of family records is a criterion of the difference between worthy fami-lies and all other kinds.” Sure it is, that with few exceptions the illustrious and honorable can trace their ancestry back for generations. Believing in the law of heredity, they have been, and still are, increasingly inspired with an ambition to sustain the honor of their family name. Such carefully preserve their records, while others are indifferent about the matter. The goodness of a family depends more on the number of its generations than on any other condition.
We regret that our record of the families of Cornish is so incomplete. It was purposed from the first to include that of every family that ever became permanently resident of the town. It was a colossal undertaking under the circumstances. Had every family preserved their full data of events, and, upon call, have forwarded us a copy of the same, the task, though great, could have been accomplished much easier and quicker.
The records of a large number of families are broken and lacking much important data, but this is unavoidable for several reasons. Quite a number of families who once lived in town evidently moved away, leaving no posterity behind them. Other families once prominent in town, have here become extinct, and their descendants are scattered world-wide and beyond our knowledge. We have been enabled to find many of them, but the larger portion is still unknown. This accounts, in a measure, for the incompleteness of the work.
The material for these genealogies has been obtained from town records, inscriptions from cemeteries, family records, church records, old writings, besides extensive correspondence and interviews.
These authorities often fail to agree on dates of events. As there can be but one date for the same event, we have elected the one most probable and have marked it uncertain (?).
Thus the difficulties of this compilation have been many, but these must make the value of the work more apparent.
The plan has been to give the line of descent from the earliest known ancestor to the first settlement of the family in town, and from that time to give as full a record as possible to the present, provided the family continues to remain in town. In case they remove, the children, and, in some cases, the grandchildren of natives are given though born out of town.
From the nature of the case the work of the genealogist is never complete. Changes are constantly occurring. If up-to-date yesterday, today brings a change that the record will not show.
With all these considerations and lack of perfection, the compiler takes pleasure in showing the following results: About 250 family names, over 1,000 families and nearly 10,000 individual names.
Many families have apparently taken a deep interest in this work, and have rendered all the aid in their power to further it. To these especially, and to all others who have contributed to the success of this work, we tender sincere thanks.
Instructions
Names of towns given are understood as belonging to New Hampshire, unless otherwise indicated, except Boston and New York.
Arabic figures at the left of a name indicate the individual number. Roman figures at the left are the children of the said couple. Arabic figures over the right end of a name indicate the generation. ? implies uncertainty on what immediately precedes it.
b. signifies born.
bap. signifies baptized.
d. signifies died.
dau. signifies daughter.
div. signifies divorced.
m. signifies married.
ord. signifies ordained.
rem. signifies removed.
res. signifies reside, resides, resided.
unm. signifies unmarried.
wid. signifies widow.
History of Cornish New Hampshire Genealogies
Abbott, Alden, Atwood, Austin, Ayers, Babcock, Bachelor, Badger, Bailey, Baker, Balloch, Barker, Barnard, Barrows, Bartlett, Barton, Beal, Beaman, Bean, Bemis, Bengham, Benway, Blake, Blanchard, Blood, Boardman, Bradley, Breck, Bryant, Bugbee, Burnap, Burr, Butman, Butterfield, Cady, Carpenter, Carroll, Carter, Cate, Chadbourne, Chaffin, Chapman, Chase, Chellis, Child, Choate, Churchill, Clark, Clement, Cobb, Coburn, Cole, Collins, Comings, Cook, Corbin, Couch, Cowles, Cross, Currier, Dame, Dana, Davidson, Davis, Day, Dean, Deming, Dodge, Dole, Dorr, Doten, Dow, Downs, Dunbar, Dunsmoor, Dustin, Edminster, Ellis, Fairbanks, Farnsworth, Farrington, Fellows, Fifield, Fitch, Fletcher, Fling, Ford, Foss, Freeman, French, Furnald, Gage, Gates, Gleason, Glines, Gordon, Gould, Goward, Greene, Gustin, Hall, Hamblet, Hammond, Hardy, Harlow, Harrington, Hart, Haskell, Hastings, Hebard, Heywood, Hildreth, Hilliard, Holbrook, Hook, Howard, Huggins, Hunt, Hunter, Huntington, Hurd, Hurley, Hutchinson, Jackson, Jacobs, Jenney, Jirauld, Johnson, Jones, Jordan, Kelley, Kendrick, Kenyon, Kidder, Kimball, Kinsman, Knight, Lamberton, Lane, Lear, Leavitt, Leslie, Lewis, Lindsay, Little, Lothrop, Luey, Luther, Lynds, Mace, Marble, Martindale, Mason, Melendy, Mercer, Merrill, Mitchell, Morgan, Morse, Murray, Nelson, Nevens, Newell, Newton, Norris, Norton, Nutter, Page, Paget, Palmer, Palne, Pardy, Parker, Peaslee, Penniman, Pierce, Pike, Plaistridge, Poole, Powers, Putnam, Quimby, Rawson, Raymond, Raynsford, Read, Rice, Rich, Richard, Rickard, Ripley, Roberts, Robinson, Root, Rowell, Royce, Saint-Gaudens, Sanderson, Sargent, Sartel, Sherburne, Sisson, Smith, Spaulding, Spicer, Squires, Stearns, Stevens, Stone, Stowell, Stuart, Sturtevant, Swinnerton, Tabor, Tandy, Tasker, Taylor, Thompson, Thrasher, Tracy, Truell, Tucker, Tuxbury, Tyler, Vincent, Vinsen, Vinton, Wakefield, Walker, Watson, Weld, Wellman, Westgate, Whipple, White, Whiting, Whittaker, Whitten, Whittlesey, Wickwire, Wiley, Williams, Wilson, Witherell, Wood, Woodbury, Wright, Wyman, York, Young,
Source
Child, William Henry. History of the town of Cornish, New Hampshire, with genealogical record, 1763-1910, vol 2. Concord, N.H., Rumford Press. c1911.