| Notes |
- The conventional wisdom is that John Peter and Sophia (HUBLEY) CORKUM had 19 children. However, the original NW Baptist Register says the following:
"Children Born unto Peter Corkum [sic] and his Wife Sophia.
Alexander Corkam, Born 15th February, 1816. Dublin
Jacob Corkam, Born 30th March, 1817. Do.
John Corkam, Born 20th December, 1818. Do.
Sophia Corkam, Born 2d May, 1820. Do.
Barbary Corkam, Born 5 June, 1822. Do.
Mary Corkam, Born 5th March, 1826. Do.
Susana Corkam, Born 27th April 1827. Do.
Daniel Corkam, Born 29th September, 1828. Do.
Peter Corkam, Born 23d June, 1830. Do.
Joel Corkam, Born 15th May, 1832. Do.
Ann Corkam, Born 13 April 1834. Do.
Benjamin Corkam, Born 17 May, 1835.
Sarah Corkam, Born March 14th, 1837.
Rachel Corkam, Born 21st October, 1838.
Breseles Corkam, Born 10th Feb 1939." [which should more likely be 1840]
and then later, by a different clerk, comes this entry:
"Children born to Peter Corcum, & his wife Sophia, Township of New Dublin.
Samuel Corcum, born Decr. 29th, 1844."
Since we know that Priscilla Corkum did exist, Breseles appears to be a garble of Priscilla by the register clerk. But that leaves the widely reported John 1836 and his supposed twin Elizabeth 1836, as well as Russell 1840 unaccounted for. So where do they come from.
We know that the John CORKUM who is b. 1818 marries Ann DOREY on 22 Dec 1842 and he then dies on 22 Aug 1845, whereupon Ann remarries, on 31 Dec 1850, Isaac JOUDREY, by whom she has 4 children. So this John cannot marry Mary O'CONNOR in 1851. Also, if John 1818 is still very much alive in 1836, why is a second son given the name John, and why is he missing in the listing of children in the register?
The source of this John is apparently an Ancestral File and IGI entry which has him marrying Mary O'CONNOR in 1851. But one of the witnesses to the marriage of John and Elizabeth O'CONNOR is William CORKUM. There are no William's in the family of John Peter and Sophia, but William is the father of John 1827, and I believe it is this John 1827 who dies in 1858. So I suspect that John 1836 is a self-perpetuating error, as is his twin, Elizabeth, whose sole claim to existence seems to be another Ancestral File/IGI entry.
As to the third missing child, Russell, it seems highly unlikely to me that the birth of his twin sister would be recorded, but not his. The only other source of his existence seems to be a World Family Tree entry; however, such entries are usually less reliable than a coin toss. One source has him marrying a Myrtle LOHNES with no date; however, the only known marriage of a Russell CORKUM to a Myrtle LOHNES occurred 40 years later.
So I tend to think that John Peter and Sophia had 17, not 19, children.[Bob H]
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1837 - 1905 (67 years)
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