Friday, June 18, 2010

Charles Cornwallis Rowlinson

Charles Cornwallis Rowlinson was born on August 11, 1836, in New York, the son of James (1801) and Fanny (b. 1807) and stepson of Sophronia (b. 1811).

New York natives Charles and Fanny were married, probably in New York where they lived for some years. Sometime between 1837 and 1843 James moved his family to Ohio and by 1846 they were living in Michigan, probably in Ottawa County. By 1850 James had remarried to a Vermont native named Sophronia (b. 1811) and Charles was living with his family on a farm in Chester, Ottawa County and in 1860 Charles (listed as “Cornell”) was working as a farmer and living with is family in Chester.

Charles was 23 years old and possibly living in Chester, Ottawa County, Michigan, when he enlisted in Company I on May 13, 1861. He was reported sick in the hospital from August of 1862 through April of 1863 when he allegedly deserted on April 1, 1863, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

There is no further record, and no pension seems to be available.

However, it appears that Charles returned to his home in Michigan. He was married to Pennsylvania native Anna Elizabeth Jones (b. 1844), possibly in Pennsylvania -- which is where he was when he deserted -- and they had at least two children: Melissa May Mary (b. 1868) and Charles (b. 1870). By 1870 Charles (or Cornwall) had returned to Ottawa County and was working as a farmer and carpenter and living with his wife and daughter in Chester; his father was also living with them.

Charles died of typhoid fever, at his home in Chester, on August 22, 1870, in Chester and was presumably buried there, or possibly in South Casnovia cemetery, Muskegon County (as “Rowland”).

Anna remarried in 1874 to Jasper McClain and by 1890 was still living in Chester, Ottawa County.

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