The brief history of the Corbett family, descendants of Obediah Corbett of Staffordshire, England

Unlike the Westfall's, Trowbridge's, Walls and most other branches of our family tree, the Corbett limb presented here is a very short branch. Mostly that is because they arrived in America relatively recently in 1881 from England and lived quiet lives in Ohio, California and Arkansas.  Although I have been able to find some records from England, many are not easily accessible from the Internet. Hopefully, this situation will improve in the not too distant future.

The name Corbett, and its variations, is probably Norman in origin derived from French for "black bird" or "raven." It may have been applied to any number of people in ancient times based on physical characteristics such as black hair or dark complexion.   It is also a very common name in England, Ireland and Wales. The Corbett's have been in America since the earliest times. Today they can be found in every state and province in North America.  In my office at IBM I once worked with Dane Corbett whose Corbett ancestors came to Nova Scotia from England.  Dane's other ancestry was Native American.  The main variation of the name is "Corbitt."

I first discovered our Corbett family in American records in the census returns of 1900 in Ohio.  There I found James Corbett and his sons and daughter, John, Arthur and Sarah (Sadie).  The first English record I obtained was the birth certificate of Arthur, which listed the names of his parents, date and place of birth.  Recently, English censuses for years beginning in 1851 through 1881 became available on the Internet.  These records provided me the names of the parents of James, his wife Anne Beckett and his brother and sisters.

Obediah Corbett was born about 1816 in West Bromwich in Staffordshire, England.  On the 1851 and 1861 censuses, his wife's name is listed as Mary, born about 1821 in West Bromwich or Wedensbury, Staffordshire.  Obediah apparently moved his family to the London area from West Bromwich between 1844-1846.  In 1851 they were living at No. 5 Grundy St., Middlesex, Popular District near London.  He was employed as a ship's caulker.  This was of course in the days of wooden ships.  There were four children in the family when the census was taken:  Phoebe, age nine who was born in Tipton, Staffordshire; James, age seven who was born in West Bromwich; Mary A., age four, born in Middlesex, Bromely District; Elizabeth, age 1, born in Middlesex, Popular District. 

When the 1861 census was taken Obediah and his family were living at No. 17, Rathborne Lane, West Ham, Parish of Plaistow in Essex, north west of London.  This was the dawn of the age of steamships and Obediah was working as a boiler maker.  His son James had now taken over as a ship caulker.  Added to the family was Sarah, age eight; John, age six; Esther, age three; Harriet, age one.  All were born in Plaistow Parish in Essex.  The oldest daughter Phoebe had apparently married by this time as she is not listed in the family.

By 1871 James had moved back to West Bromwich.  I have been unable to find Obediah on a census after 1861.  James had married about 1867, probably in West Bromwich, to Anne Beckett.  James and Anne were living with Anne's parents, James and Ann Beckett at No. 91 Bridge Road, Lee's Field, West Bromwich.  James Beckett, a wagoner in 1871, was born about 1825 in Shropshire, England.  His wife Anne was born about 1825 in Staffordshire.  By 1871 James and Anne Corbett had three children: Sarah Maria (Sade), age four, born in Staffordshire; John, age two, born in Staffordshire; Lydia, daughter age four months, born in Swan Village, West Bromwich.  James had apparently moved back to West Bromwich by 1867.  West Bromwich, which is near Birmingham, was (and still is) the iron and steel center in England.  When the family returned there from the London area, James went to work in the industry working as an "iron bundler."  This is the same occupation he gave on the 1900 census in America.

By 1881 Anne (Beckett) Corbett and daughter Lydia had died.  James and his surviving children Sarah, John and Arthur were still living with father-in-law James Beckett.  In 1881 James Beckett's wife's name is listed as Caroline possibly indicating that his first wife Anne had also died.  James Corbett was still working in the iron and steel industry.

Family tradition says that our immigrant ancestor was James Corbett who, along with his son Arthur and daughter Sarah (called Sade, pronounced Sadie, by her family) arrived in America in 1881 and settled in Ohio. Tradition also states they were from Wells, England, which is about seventy miles south of Bristol and southwest of Bath. This is a mistake.   They were actually from West Bromwich, Stafford, England as demonstrated in the censuses mentioned above. The US census of 1900 supports some of this tradition. James Corbett, age 56 and widowed, is listed in the household of his daughter "Sady" and son-in-law Thomas Andrews in Ruggles Township, Ashland County, Ohio. It states that he came to the United States in 1881 and had lived in the U.S. for nineteen years.  It is from direct family knowledge that we know Sade married Thomas Andrews in Ohio.

The 1900 census also has a John Corbett who came to the United States in 1877 and had been living in the U.S. for twenty-three years. This woud be very odd if this is our John, since he would have been only eight years old when he immigrated, four years before his father, James.  From the 1881 census of West Bromwich, Stafford, England that lists James (widower) and three of his children, it is seems apparent that John actually came to the U.S. in 1881 with the rest of his family, and the John Corbett on the 1900 U.S. census is not one of our immediate family.

Family tradition says that James' son Arthur returned to England about 1886 and returned to the United States about 1896.  It doesn't say when he first arrived in the U.S.  It would be very strange for a twelve year old child (Arthur's age in 1886) to make a return trip to England on his own. Arthur supposedly returned to America when he was an adult.   Whatever the truth, it does not seem that it is a simple explanation.  

There are other mysteries. On James Corbett's death certificate, recorded in Akron, Ohio in January 1921 his wife's name is listed as Mary. It is certain that Arthur's mother was Annie Beckett.  Anne Beckett died before 1881 in England, the year James brought his family to the U.S.  Was James married more than once?  Did he remarry after arriving in the U.S.? 

These are the facts that we know for sure. James Corbett was born in England on May 11, 1844. On September 18, 1874 Arthur Corbett was born at Swan Farm (John Corbett stated it was Swan Village), Stafford County (Stafford shire), England in the district of West Bromwich North East, to James and Annie (Beckett) Corbett. James' occupation at the time was "iron bundler." Today West Bromwich is located within the environs of Birmingham, England.

In 1900 James is listed on the U.S. census in the household of Thomas and "Sady" Andrews as I've stated earlier. On the census of the same year for Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio is John Corbett (misspelled as Corbitt), his wife Elizabeth and daughter "Mary." The daughter's name was Maime but mistakes like this are common on census returns. In Akron, Ohio Arthur Corbett, wife Clara and son Arthur Jr. are listed in the household of Arthur's father-in-law Charles Fridinger. Also in the home are Charles' wife Daisy and daughter Ethel. When the census was taken on June 12, 1900 they were living on Cleveland Street in Akron.

The certified death certificate for James Corbett was recorded in Akron on January 13, 1921. His date of death is given as January 12, 1921. The cause of death was a cerebral hemorrhage. Apparently his death was not unexpected because Doctor C. W. Millitis states that he attended the deceased from December 20, 1920 until his death. The underlying cause is listed as "softening of the brain." This may be an indication that James had Alzheimer's disease, a condition not generally recognized at the time. James was buried in east Akron with the Sweeny Brothers funeral home handling the arrangements.

There are other details on this document. The informant was Arthur Corbett who lived at 1043 Ackley Street in Akron. At the time of James' death he was living at 1043 Ackley Street. His wife's name is given as Mary. He was born on May 11, 1844 and his age at death was 76 years, eight months and one day.

The remaining information on the certificate is misleading. It implies that James' father was James Sr. and his mother Annie Beckett, both of whom were born in England. Now that I have Arthur's registration of birth I know that he mistakenly thought that the document was asking for his (Arthur's) mother and father. In the lower left corner of the certificate is the line that asks for the informant's name and address. Immediately above it are some boxes that ask for "parent's names." One can understand such a mistake at a time of grief.

I believe that James, as well as son John, were iron and steel workers. James was a resident at least for a time near Birmingham, England where the principal industry is iron and steel. He lists his occupation on his son's certificate of birth as "iron bundler." In Ohio in 1900 his occupation is listed as "yarn bundler" rather than "iron bundler" which I suspect was the result of an English accent and a not too careful census taker. John was living in Warren near Youngstown, Ohio, which was the principal iron and steel-producing city in Ohio for many, many years. John lists his occupation on the 1900 census as (steel) roller.

On October 31, 1950 John Lawrence Corbett made an affidavit in Los Angeles to the birth of his brother Arthur. The affidavit states that it was to be used by a title company for deed searches; however, it may have simply been a convenient form and used by the family for other purposes. On this form John states that Arthur was born in Swan Village, Stafford shire, England on September 8, 1875. This piece of erroneous information nearly derailed my search for documentation of Arthur's place of birth in England. Swan Village is no where to be found on the maps of England that I have, Stafford shire is no longer called that, and the year of Arthur's birth is wrong. But, without it I would have had no where to start from in my search.

In August of 1998 I paid a genealogy research company a large fee to find Arthur's birth registration in England. They sent me a letter a couple of months later listing two Arthur Corbett's born in the general area of Stafford, England. The index that they used had the birth date of one as December 1876 and the other in September 1874. They would send for either one if I told them which one, or they would send for both for another forty dollars. I crossed by fingers and hoped that the month of birth on the affidavit was correct and the year wrong. To my great relief the certificate I got back from England listed James and Annie Beckett as the parents and the date, except for the year, matched that on the affidavit from Los Angeles. It is problems like these that make genealogy so rewarding. If you have ever enjoyed playing detective, this is the hobby for you.

I've pieced together as much of the Corbett family history as I can from information given to me by my grandmother, Osa Corbett; a letter from Sade Corbett Andrews in Venice, California to my mother dated November 1947; census records; and death certificates of James and Arthur Corbett. I collected additional information from a family reunion at my mother's home in Roland, Oklahoma in 1984. I leave it to you to add the names and dates of Corbett descendants who have arrived on this earth since that date.

The documents from England probably contain enough information to trace the Corbett line back further in England. Unfortunately, the expense of doing so from the United States is prohibitive, at least for me. Perhaps I can add a bit of the puzzle one piece at a time when I have the time and money. But, for now the information on our Corbett heritage is listed below. I've also included a family album of pictures that I have and I hope you enjoy them.

Letter of Sade Andrews to Clara Wall

This letter was mailed from 718 Marco Place, Venice, California on November 28, 1947 to my mother. Sady (or Sade as she spelled it) used no punctuation in her letter. I've added it to make it a little easier to read.

Dearest Clara

Received your welcome and lovely letter a few days ago. Was so glad to hear from you. Hope these few lines will find you well. It was so nice to have your dear ear little boys with you maybe sometime you will have for always. Well, yesterday was Thanksgiving day. I was all alone. Do wish I could be near some of my own folks. Uncle John was here for eight days. The other lady went to Seattle and she got back last Friday. It was hard for me to cook for two but managed. Was so glad to have him here and he enjoyed it too. He went last Thursday. It rained here last night but the sun is shining today. Clara dear you letters are beautiful you write me and thank you. Do you think your mamma will come to Calif. When the event takes place [Linda Stockton's birth] or will Elinor go home? Do hope they will like it and stay in Calif. Do wish she would write me. Only wish I could have them for a nice dinner. It is so hard for me to go out and get the things I want but I could [take them] out to dinner right around the corner and would be glad to. Now Clara dear look to God always for strength. He is able to help you if you only trust in Him and be sure I am always praying for you. Do wish I could send you a few dollars but every thing is so high. Am so sorry for your mother and dad. Wish they had not moved to Ark. But they know their own business best. Hope you can read this scribbling. My hand is not steady any more. I will say goodbye and God bless you and keep trusting. With lots of love and kisses your old aunt Sade. P.S. write soon.

Ronald N. Wall
Copyright © 1999. All rights reserved.
Revised: August 22, 2004