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Mary Cornelius Lewis
Other Name:
Mary Cornelius; Polly Cornelius; Polly Lewis
Gender:
Female
Born:
January 17, 1799
Died:
July 17, 1837
Home Town:
Somerstown, NY
Marriage(s):
William Lewis (unknown)
Biographical Notes:
Mary Cornelius Lewis was born on January 17, 1799 in Somerstown, New York. She and her sister, Betsey Cornelius Tompkins, attended the Litchfield Female Academy in 1816. She later married former law school student William Lewis. Mary died on July 17, 1837.
Education
Years at LFA:
1816
Immediate Family (Why only immediate family?)
- Betsey Cornelius Tompkins
Sister
LFA (1816) - William Lewis
Husband
LLS (1817) - Elias Cornelius (1758-1823)
Father - Rachel Stoker Cornelius
Mother
Related Objects and Documents
Other:
The Citation of Attendance provides primary source documentation of the student’s attendance at the Litchfield Female Academy and/or the Litchfield Law School. If a citation is absent, the student is thought to have attended but currently lacks primary source confirmation. Records for the schools were sporadic, especially in the formative years of both institutions. If instructors kept comprehensive records for the Litchfield Female Academy or the Litchfield Law School, they do not survive. Researchers and staff have identified students through letters, diaries, family histories and genealogies, and town histories as well as catalogues of students printed in various years. Art and needlework have provided further identification of Female Academy Students, and Litchfield County Bar records document a number of Law School students. The history of both schools and the identification of the students who attended them owe credit to the early 20th century research and documentation efforts of Emily Noyes Vanderpoel and Samuel Fisher, and the late 20th century research and documentation efforts of Lynne Templeton Brickley and the Litchfield Historical Society staff.
CITATION OF ATTENDANCE:
1816 Litchfield Female Academy Catalog (Vanderpoel, Emily Noyes. Chronicles of A Pioneer School From 1792 to 1833. Cambridge, MA: The University Press, 1903).
A "Miss Cornelius" is mentioned in Charlotte Smith's 1816 diary. This entry likely refers to Mary or her sister Betsey (Connecticut Historical Society).
A "Miss Cornelius" is mentioned in Charlotte Smith's 1816 diary. This entry likely refers to Mary or her sister Betsey (Connecticut Historical Society).
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