Cornelius Crowley : Short Biography

Family stories tell that Cornelius Crowley came from Bantry, Cork, but there are no solid records confirming this. He first appears in the records when he marries Catherine (Kate) O'Bryan in Glasgow on 12 May 1856. The marriage certificate states that he was 22, which would mean he was born in 1834, and that his father "Cornelius Crowley" and mother "Catherine Crowley" were both dead. Cornelius was a listed as wood turner and Kate as a dressmaker. They lived at 27 Back Wynd, a hovel in central Glasgow. Cornelius went on to work as a wood turner or cabinet maker in Edinburgh, Dublin, London and Melbourne (via Christchurch New Zealand). In future years, they did the best to cover their tracks, so much of this may not be true. However Y-DNA testing of a male descendent put Cornelius plumb in the middle of the Crowley line, most of the closest relatives also bearing the Christian name Cornlieus.

Naming their first-born son Cornelius (b. Edinburgh 1856, d. Melbourne 1929) and their second-born daughter Catherine (b. Dublin 1859, d. Melbourne 1947) lends support to the parents' Christian names being Cronelius and Catherine.

Little else casts light on his origin. Family legend is that he gained his wealth from the Ballarat goldfields, but the timing of his emigration from London to New Zealand in 1864 and his establishment as a show-stand manufacturer in Melbourne, Victoria in 1866 make this unlikely.

A now-deceased great grandson said that Cornelius was a relative of John Crowley (b. Cork 1827, d. Bendigo, Australia 1899), and claimed a great grandson of James Crowley (b. Enniskeane, Cork 1836 to James Crowley and Joanna Tobin, d. Yarra Junction, Victoria 1921) as a cousin. This James did have a brother called Cornelius who was born in 1834, also at Enniskeane.

Only two Cornelius Crowleys born around 1834 have parents called Cornelius and Catherine. The first was born at Cooranig in Dunmanway Parish on 29 May 1833 to Cornelius Crowly and Catharine Crowly. The second was born in Desertserges Parish on 28 April 1833 to Cors Crowly and Cate Keeffe. The first couple are the most promising as parents, partly because although Bantry is the closest port to both locations, it is closer to Cooranig (30 km) than to Desertserges (54 km), and partly because of the mother's maiden name on the marriage certificate being Crowley.

The Cooraning Crowly couple was married at Keelaraheen on 15th Feb 1831 and had six children: John and Honora (b.1831), James (b. 1834), Cornelius, David (b. 1836) and Margaret (b. 1839). The Desertserges Crowlys had five children: Mary (b. 1821), James (b 1826), Cate (1829), Cornelius and Daniel (1842). Of these names only Cornelius, Mary and Margaret appear in the family of Cornelius Crowley and Catherine O'Bryan.

Where to go from here? The closest relative identified through Y-DNA testing are likely to be no closer than 15th cousins. There are no perfect matches for birth dates or places, and no strong indicators through Christian names, but we have placed our bets on Cooranig Cornelius. Perhaps someone else can disprove us and make a stronger claim to him based on better documentation than we have. Or perhaps this story rings true with another line of Crowleys, who could confirm our conclusions through firm documentation or at least a family likeness to the gentleman pictured above.

We would welcome any suggestions.