Three Hundred Years with the Corson Families in America
Sherry Stocking Kline
February 18, 2010
Oh, be still my heart! This might not be quite good enough to do a Happy Dance, but almost! I was doing research on Ancestry.com on my father. I hadn’t done that because I knew who my father was, where he was born, where he died, that he had heart disease, and where he is buried.
So I hadn’t done census research on him. Big mistake! I did the census research, and learned that in the 1930 census, shortly before he and mom married, he was living with another family as their farm worker. That wasn’t surprising news.
But the next thing that popped up on Ancestry was a “Corson” family book that stated that it listed my father, his siblings, and his parents, etc.
That’s where the Happy Dance comes in.
The book is titled “Three hundred years with the Corson families in America” by Orville Corson, Middletown, OH., 1939 (2v). V2: 161, 205
Now, all I need to do is beg, borrow, or maybe even purchase this book at Higginson Book Company, and I’ll have a springboard to research my Great-Grandmother Margaret “Maggie” Corson McGinnis, mother of my Grandma Maud McGinnis Stocking, and their ancestors. (I’ve already called my favorite local librarian!)
And if I’m really lucky, there may just be a few glimpses into their personal lives, occupations, and military service in this book, giving me numerous clues to where to research and flesh out who they were. Woo Hoo!
Yeah, maybe this is enough for a “Happy Dance”!
Posted in Corson Family, Family Tree, Happy Dances, McGinnis Family, Sherry's Family Tree, Stocking Family Genealogy | 
Tags: family history
Dannncccinnnn’ on the Ceilllinnnn’
Congrats, I love that happy dance stuff!
Dancin’ on the ceiling is right! I connected with a Corson who hosts a Corson website and he’s going to connect me with ‘my’ branch. They are also in the process of making a new family book, so I can share with them, and put into the book what info I deem good (and safe). At one time, that would have been a lot. Now, I’m not so sure about living family going into the book, y’know?
WAH HOO! What a great find. I can hardly wait to hear your stories when you actually get the book in hand. Good hunting.
Thanks, Joan! I can’t wait to get the book in hand, either! They are working on an update, and one guy has offered to scan some of the pages for me, so may wait till they get the update done and purchase it.
He also told me that it is on-line at Ancestry so I’m gonna check that out as well. Be interesting to see if the book has my dad’s family info ‘right,’ too…
o, those “few scanned pages” can taunt and torment one! At least the 2 pages of the 1842 diary certainly torment me.
Hi Joan! I rec’d those few scanned pages last week, and they are most interesting, and even better the person who did it in the 1930’s mentioned his Sources! Praise the Lord, so I know where to go to verify, etc. Now, that makes me realize how remiss I’ve been in not making sure even the current family info is documented for those who follow us! There are a couple of pages missing about my dad’s siblings, and I’m going to ask for those, as I found some surprising info about early places of residence and also jobs that I didn’t know, so it’s been a good thing. I’m going to submit info for the update that is coming out, so this is GREAT! Thanks for stopping by!
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Where in the world can I find a copy of that book? I have researched MOST of the genealogy from current to about 1600 but there are some questions and missing items. Seems like the line that I am attached to is from Belgium in 1620/25 (Hendrick Corssen). I have found it fascinating how the name has changed in spelling over the generation’s and even, sometimes, by the same person who when writing a will wrote it in two different ways…
I must sound a bit long winded but I am on this tiring search for the book and cant find it at all…any advice or knowledge of where I could find a copy?
Thank you
-Brian
Hi Brian! Thanks for ‘stopping by’ and especially thanks for leaving your name and e-mail address so we can share info should it turn out that we have common ancestors. If I understand it right, I descend from a New Jersey branch, but I need to look over the information a little better before I can be certain.
I’ve written a new blog post that answers the “where can I find the book question, and also that mentions the Corson Family Association website. The dues are quite reasonable, and Michael Corson was quite helpful as well.
Here is the link to the blog post: http://www.familytreewriter.com/2010/03/the-corson-family-association-website/
I realized that I was getting a lot of traffic on that Corson post, and that I should follow it up.
Good Luck in your search!
Sherry
PS I’m going to send this to your e-mail address, too, so you do not miss it!
I have just read most of this book as my mother is a Corson. Her older brother has ownership. The Corson family has been found to have been here since 1652 or 56 (can’t remember right now) and may have been here for the very first settlement. The last name has changed in spelling a few times from karstensen and the like.
I would very much like to see a copy of the book, but I believe that Michael Corson of the Corson Family Association said that someone was working on making an updated version! I am thrilled that you stopped by my website, and left a note! I don’t remember my great-grandmother at all, and am glad to connect with someone in the Corson family!
Hello Sherry,
Yes, the Corson/Colson Family History Association (CCFHA) is still collecting and organizing information about Corson, Courson, Coursen, etc. families worldwide, most of whom descend from about 8 male progenitors mostly born in the 17th or 18th centuries. It is progressing slowly due to the small number of volunteers working on it, but once we get it all together, it should be a nice update of the 1939 book.
I am looking forward to the Corson book when it is updated, and need to send in our family’s info! Thanks for the work that you do! It has to be a daunting task!
My mother was a Corson and I own the book. Just Visited Corson’s Inlet State Park in New Jersey. Allegedly named after my ancestors Peter and John Corson who landed in American there.
My gr-grandmother was a Corson, and it has only been in the past year, perhaps two that I’ve explored the Corson lineage at all! Interesting!
I have been doing research and now am at an unsure point. Do you have any information on this new book? I have my dad (James), grandpa (sim Elda)’ his dad (Arthur), then Alexander, five Benjamin’s and two Cornelius’s. I have the book by Hiram Corson and it us helpful but very difficult to read. Do you have other suggestions as to information before the first Cornelius came here?
Thank you!
I think your best bet would be to go to this Corson Family website, join, and ask for help there. They are helping with more than one Corson ‘line’ and might have all the answers that you seek.
http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ccfha/
Hi,
I was just trying to research my great grandfather’s French horn origins and stumbled across this site. My great grandfather was Orville Corson, the author of “300 Years With The Corson Family” and I own a copy. I am very interested in the new Corson book work and will check into the link provided. It truly is a small world!
Cheers!