Disclaimer: Please note that ALL of the
information presented here about Matthias has been compiled and written by other
people. Take note of and visit the source pages, for it has not been my intention to plagerize
in any way, merely to archive the data for "safekeeping". Countless
times I have chosen to place links to other pages only to
subsequently discover that the pages have vanished along with the precious
information therein contained.
Article 1: A 'traditional' biography of Matthias,
as presented by Longislandgenealgoy.com
Descendants And Ancestors of Matthias Corwin
Matthias Corwin was an early Puritan settler who participated in the settlement
of first, Ipswich, Mass and then Southold, Long Island, New York (then part of
the New Haven, Conn colony).
Among the earliest settlers of the Massachusetts Bay
Colony, we find a Matthias Corwin, (pronounced Currin.) The Commoner's Record, at Ipswich, yet preserved, says, "Given and granted to Matthias
Currin, two acres of land, lying unto his house, on the east end thereof, to
him, his heirs, and assigns," etc. This was in 1634, and seems to be a second grant of land.
The name in the same records is also spelled Curwin, and they note, concerning
him, that he finally removed to Southold, Long Island.(*) The first grant was probably the
fifty or two hundred acres given to all the first settlers.(+)
It is said that
he came from Warwick, England.?? Fourty three years before his death. In (1655,) no less than nineteen plots of land
are described as belonging to him, situated in Southold, on the northern shore,
on Tom's Creek, toward the north-west and the north-east, at Oyster Pond, toward
the south-west, at Pechaconnicke River, and at Corchack, (Cutchogue.) His will mentions John,(*) Martha, and Theophilus as his children, all of whom seem to
have been of age at the writing of his will in 1658. Hence they were probably
born at Ipswich, before 1637, or possibly some or all of them in England still earlier.
The families of the two sons were large, embracing seven or eight children each,
all of whom continued to reside at Southold or immediate vicinity. The names of John's
children are positively known by his will, which has also been found.(+) The
other names therefore of the third generation, which are recorded in the census list
of 1698, must belong to the family of Theophilus. Most of these removed eight or
ten miles west of Southold, to Mattituck.
In the fourth generation removals from the Island began to be made, though to a
very limited extent, until the breaking out of the Revolution. Before that
event, however, Amaziah, 1, had removed to Maryland, about 1750; Jesse, 2, to
Connecticut, about 1760; Theophilus, 4, to Orange Co., N. Y., about 1760;
Gilbert, 1, to Rockland Co., N. Y., about 1768; while David, 2, in his old age, accompanied
his children to Orange Co., N. Y., about the opening of the war. But with the Revolution removals became frequent. That really broke up the family on Long
Island.
In April, 1775, a meeting was held at Southold, to secure the signatures of
those who would support Congress. The list is preserved and printed in the
Calendar of Revolutionary Papers. In May, the paper was carried around to get the
signatures of those not present at the meeting. About 223 people, in the little town of
Southold, L.I., agreed to support Congress, while only 40 declined. Among those who
signed were most of the Corwins.
After the battle of Long Island, 1776, great consternation seized the people of
Suffolk County. The American army being obliged to abandon the island, the more prominent Whigs of Suffolk County fled across the sound to Connecticut, carrying
with them what they could, leaving their houses and farms to the enemy. The convention aided the removals. Many of these joined the American army. Some
crossed over to the Hudson River and settled in Orange County, N. Y., while others afterward returned to the Island.
(Prime's Long Island, p. 65.
Onderdonk's Revolutionary Incidents in Kings and Suffolk Counties, L. I.)
Among those who never returned were James, 1, who settled near Middletown,
Orange Co., N. Y.; William, 1, his brother, and a Benjamin, who settled near Chester, Morris Co., N. J.; Joshua and Eli, with their father (*)
Several of the
inhabitants of Southold consented to be made free of this colony, unless any
thing appear to interrupt the same. Among these was John Corwin, 1662. (Col. Rec. of
Ct.)David, who settled near Scotchtown, Orange Co., N. Y., while their brother
Phineas removed to Central New-York; Stephen went to Essex Co., N. J., near Springfield, and subsequently to Ohio; while Jesse, already in Connecticut, had,
about 1767, removed to the vicinity of Flanders, Morris Co., N. J., and about
the opening of the war proceeded to Fayette Co., Pa., and in 1789 to Bourbon Co.,
Ky.
Since this first general scattering, the migrations have continued in every
direction for a century, but the reader is referred to the particular names for
further information. New-York State has always been the chief home of the family,
especially the counties of Suffolk, Orange, Sullivan, Ulster, Cayuga, and other
counties in Central New-York. New-Jersey has had the next share, perhaps, especially
Morris County. Ohio stands next, until now fully three fourths of the States
have members of this family for citizens. They are found in each of the New-England
States, excepting Maine, and in all the others, except, perhaps, Utah, Nevada, Delaware, and West-Virginia.
Much of the above information comes from "Settling the Massachusetts Bay
and New Haven Colonies from the Corwin Genealogy, 1872."
Another online source for Corwin Genealogy and links as well as additional Long
Island families can be found at Our Heritage a web page by Norris M. Taylor, Jr.
Article 2:
IN CONSTRUCTION
