Cornelius Indian
Cornelius--possibly surnamed Hannable--was the husband of a Native woman named Eunice, and the leader of those Tunxis or Tunxis-related who resided in a village of about twenty wigwams on West Mountain on Indian Hill in New Hartford. He and Eunice were uncle and aunt to Amy, Patience, Christian, Sunkaway, and possibly John Pewampskin and to Elijah and Hannah Wampey.
At New Hartford, Cornelius owned property on both sides of the river and was a neighbor and contemporary with Cherry. In 1740, Cornelius began amassing his property by purchasing 40 acres there for 30 pounds acres from Samuel State. Seven years later, he and his relatives from the Pewampskin family sold property to Jonathan Merrill, while on the same day, Merrill did the same to them. The following year in 1748, he purchased two tracts of land from his nephew, Sunkaway. By terms of her will, his niece Amy Pewompskin provided him with some land at New Hartford in 1752.
Three years later in 1755, Cornelius served as a private in Captain Samuel Dimock's Company, New York Regiment, enlisting on July 10th and serving for twenty-two days. He reenlisted on November 30th. Among the other Natives in his unit were Andrew Curricomp, John Indian, John Chops. Thomas Sherman, Charles Poheague, and Japhet Pompey, Benjamin Harry, Benjamin Waugs. They were part of the New England expedition force against Crown Point.
On his return, Cornelius may have used some of the money he earned as a soldier to add to his land holdings at New Hartford by purchasing, with other members of his extended family, 37.5 acres of land there from John Merrill in 1758. He and his wife most likely removed to Farmington around 1763 and purchased a farm and part of a house with his kinsman, Elijah Wampey. Over the next few years, Cornelius and Eunice began to sell off their property in preparation to remove to Brothertown in Oneida Country. It is unknown when he left for Oneida and whether his wife left with him. On October 19, 1786, Occom wrote in his journal that they received news of the death of "old Uncle Cornelius."
New Hartford Land Records 1:13, 63, 164, 221-3, 223-4; 2:108; 3:41, 92, 93, 113, 219; 6:232. Cynthia Griggs, Canton Land Trust Conservation Trust, Inc. Member Newsletter Spring 1997, History of Indian Hill, p. 3-4. Hartford County Probate Records, Vol 14-16, 1742-1753, Connecticut, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999, Ancestry. Bates, Rolls of CT Men in the F&IW, 1755-1762, Vol. 1, p. 73, 75.Find A Grave (Occum Grove Burial Ground, Marshall, NY).