Cornelius, Thomas R.

Thomas R. Cornelius (1827-1890), emigrated to Oregon from Mississippi with his family in 1845 as a member of the Meek party. He participated in the Cayuse War of 1847-48 and the Yakima War of 1855-56 and served in the Oregon State Legislature for twenty years. In 1861 he was made a colonel by the U.S. War Department and ordered to raise a volunteer regiment, the Oregon First Cavalry, which he commanded at Ft. Walla Walla until his resignation the next year.

From the description of Papers of Thomas R. Cornelius, 1831-1925 (bulk 1864). (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 122445800

Thomas R. Cornelius (1827-1899) was born in Missouri, and came to Oregon with his parents in 1845. He enlisted in the Oregon Mounted Volunteers for the Cayuse Indian War and the Yakima Indian War. Later he ran a general store in the town of Cornelius and farmed.

From the guide to the Thomas R. Cornelius letter, October 20, 1855, (Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries)

From the guide to the Thomas R. Cornelius letter, February 20, 1856, (Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries)