The first 'official' record I have of him is his marriage with Sarah PEACH on 6 April 1813 at Carisbrooke, Isle of Wight (ENG) where he was described as a local. Assuming he did indeed hail from Dorset, how did he come to get married in the Isle of Wight? Maybe he was in military service and sent to the Isle of Wight during the Napoleonic Wars?
Cornelius and Sarah had various children born at Whippingham on the Isle of Wight between 1814 to 1821. However, a most extraordinary thing happened next: they moved to Douai (FRA) between 1821 and 1824. Two children were born there: Louise in 1824 and Caroline in 1826. I visited the town archives at Douai to get a copy of the birth certificates only to discover that Cornelius was employed as a tulle worker in the local textile industry.
By 1828, the family were back on the Isle of Wight again when their last child was born at Newport. The two children, born in France were baptised at Newport in September 1828.
Pigot and Co.'s National Commercial Directory for 1830 shows a Cornelius KEARLY living at Pyle Street, Newport as a shopkeeper and dealer in sundries.
It would seem that fortune smiled on him because the 1841 census shows him to be a butcher in Pyle Street, Newport.
Not bad for someone who was described as a textile worker only 15 years previously!
Incidentally, the same census shows his son Cornelius and family to be living at a separate address in Pyle Street.
The 1851 census shows only Cornelius, his wife Sarah and their daughter Caroline living at 3 Pyle Street, Newport.
He is given as a master pork butcher whose birthplace was Dorset.
1854 must have been a sad year for Cornelius as his wife Sarah passed away aged 63, see the death certificate for further information.
Fortune smiled again in 1858 when Cornelius married the widow Caroline LINEY née HOWELL at the Congregational Church in Ryde (IOW).
The 1861 census shows Cornelius, his wife Caroline and his daughter Caroline living at 3 Pyle Street, Newport.
He is given as a master pork butcher whose birthplace was Cranborn in Dorset.
Cornelius KEARLEY passed away in 1866 at the age of 75, see the death certificate for further information.
His will, written on 11 May 1865, was proved on 12 December 1866.
He is undoubtably one of my more mysterious ancestors and many questions still remain to be answered!
Dossiers
Cornelius KEARLEY (c1791 - 1866)
My 3x great-grandfather Cornelius KEARLEY was born between 1791 and 1792, most likely in Dorset (ENG) if census information is anything to go by, I'll talk about this later on.
The mind boggles as to how and why he and his family undertook such a journey from England to France, a considerable achievement in those days! One might suppose that if he had indeed been in military service, he might have been in France before, this is all speculation of course.
It should also be pointed out that all their children were baptised in the Independant Chapel in St James Street at Newport. This would indicate that at least one of the parents was raised in non-conformist faith.
Presumably, his other children had moved out of the family home.
The same census shows his son Edward and family to be living next door. Edward is described as a lacemaker and one cannot help wonder if he learned his craft from his father who had once worked as a tulle worker!
The marriage certificate shows his father's name to be Cornelius KEARLEY, this was a stroke of 'genealogical' luck!