Lang, H. O., ed.  "The History of the Willamette Valley, Being A Description 
of the Valley and its Resources, with an account of its Discovery and 
Settlement by White Men, and its Subsequent History; Together with Personal 
Reminiscences of its Early Pioneers."  Portland, OR, Geo. H. Himes, Book and 
Job Printer, 1885.  p. 634.

T. R. CORNELIUS

     Born in Missouri in 1827; is the son of Benjamin Cornelius.  He came with
his parents to Oregon, and three years later entered the Cayuse war as a
volunteer and was in all the actions with the Indians during that war.  In 1855
he enlisted in the Yakima war and served as captain of a company three months
when Col. Nesmith resigned and he was elected to fill the vacancy, and held that
position during the remainder of the war.  In 1856 was elected to the
Territorial Council, and served until the State was admitted; was then sent into
the State Senate and elected to every session of the Legislature until 1876, but
was out one term during the war, when himself and two others were authorized by
President Lincoln to raise a cavalry regiment.  The regular troops being ordered
east, Col. Cornelius was placed in command of the post at Walla Walla in 1862;
during the summer he resigned and returned to his home.  He has twice served as
President of the Senate.  In 1876 he resigned public duties and returned to
private life.  In 1872 he had removed from his farm to the town of Cornelius, in
Washington County, it having been laid out the preceding year and named for the
colonel.  A large warehouse had been built in 1871 and the railroad was built
through the town in 1872.  The colonel opened a store there in 1872, which is
now conducted by his son, Thomas S., and his son-in-law, G. H. Shaw.  The
colonel was married in 1850 to Miss Florentine Wilkes, by whom he had six
children; she died in 1864; he married again in 1866 to Miss Missouri A. Smith.
The colonel is now a resident of Cornelius; owns three farms aggregating eleven
hundred and forty-eight acres, and two unimproved farms of three hundred and
sixty acres, a saw mill, warehouse, and store.


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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in June 2005 by Diana Smith.  Submitter
has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.