Crawford Co., AR - Biographies - Nicholas F. Cornelius

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SOURCE: History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford,
Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas. Chicago: The Goodspeed 
Publishing Co., 1889.
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Nicholas F. Cornelius, dealer in merchandise and clothing, was born in Hanover, 
Germany, in 1838, and is a son of Gerhardt D. and Margeret D. (Jontzen) 
Cornelius, natives of Hanover, born in 1813 and 1811, respectively. The father 
was a merchant and farmer, and died in 1851, his wife surviving him but eight 
years. She had three children, two of whom are living: Augustus D., dealer in 
agricultural implements at Rochester, Ind., and our subject. He lived upon the 
home farm until fourteen years of age, and then worked in a dry goods store at 
Bremen until 1854 as an apprentice. He then immigrated to the United States, and 
for three months clerked in New York. He then went to Indiana and clerked in a 
dry goods store until 1857, and then went to St. Louis and from there to New 
Orleans. After a three months' visit to Hanover in 1858 he returned to America, 
and for one year dealt exclusively in clothing at Buffalo. He then went to New 
Orleans, and in 1861 established himself in business in Van Buren. During war 
times he passed twelve months in Rochester, Ind., but with that exception has 
since been a resident of Van Buren, where he is held in high esteem, and ranked 
among its prosperous business men. In 1865 he visited Germany again for six 
months. In 1863 he married Miss Annie Hodges, daughter of John Hodges, and who 
was born in Louisville, Ky., in 1838. Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius have five living 
children: Frederick Marion, Rosena, Benjamin Augustus, Augustus Claude and Edna 
Daugherty. Mr. Cornelius is a Master Mason and a Democrat. In religion he is a 
believer of the German Lutheran creed, and his wife is a Presbyterian.