Montgomery County PA Archives Biographies.....Corson, George Norman March 11, 1833 - April 12, 1902
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Source: Biographical Annals of Montgomery County Pennsylvania, T. S. Benham & Company and the Lewis Publishing Company, 1904
Author: Ellwood Roberts, Editor

THE CORSON FAMILY. The pioneer ancestor of the Corson family 
was Cornelius Corsson, who emigrated to America in 1685 on a 
vessel bound for South Carolina, the passengers being 
principally French Huguenots from Vendee, France, but for 
some unknown reason the vessel landed at Staten Island. 
Among his children was a son, Benjamin Corson, who removed 
to Bucks county, Pennsylvania, from Staten Island, about the 
year 1726. Among the children born to Benjamin and his wife 
Nelly Corson was a son, Benjamin Corson, who was united in 
marriage to Maria Sedam (or Suydam), and among the children 
born of this union was a son, Benjamin Corson, who married 
Sarah Dungan, and their son, Joseph Corson, was born March 
15, 1764, in Dublin township, Philadelphia county, 
Pennsylvania. He married Hannah Dickinson, and among their 
children was a son, Charles Corson.

Charles Corson was born at the Hickorytown home of the 
family in Plymouth township, Montgomery county, 
Pennsylvania, January 22, 1801. He resided for more than 
forty years on a farm located at the junction of Skippack 
and Perkiomen creeks, in Lower Providence township, 
Montgomery county. He was an ardent anti-slavery man, and an 
efficient agent of the "Underground Railroad," as were also 
his brothers, George, Hiram, and Alan W. Corson. Charles 
Corson married Sarah Egbert, who was born March 17, 1801, 
and their children were: Richard R., who married Louisa 
Williams; William E., who married Hannah Highley; George 
Norman, mentioned hereinafter; Adelaide, who became the wife 
of Albert Crawford; Susan Rogers, who became the wife of 
Felix F. Highley; John J., who married Rebecca Freedley; 
Mary Francis, and Lawrence E. Charles Corson, father of 
these children, died May 5, 1878, aged seventy-six years; 
his wife died August 23, 1864. Both were interred in 
Montgomery cemetery, Norristown, Pennsylvania.
 
George Norman Corson, third son of Charles and Sarah 
(Egbert) Corson, was born March 11, 1833, on his father's 
place, at the mouth of the Skippack, on the Perkiomen creek, 
in Lower Providence, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania. He 
served in the capacity of teacher in the public schools for 
a period of time, after which he commenced the study of law 
and was admitted to the bar. He volunteered at President 
Lincoln's call for 75,000 men and served the term of three 
months in the Fourth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers. On 
being mustered out he was about to re-enlist in the 
Fifty-first Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, when he was 
thrown from his horse and received a compound fracture of 
the right arm, incapacitating him for further military duty.

Returning home he resumed his professional duties. The 
practice of law in 1865-1867 was not what it is at the 
present time. Then there were but fifty state reports in 
Montgomery county, and in those days a lawyer found it 
difficult to consult books and find precedents to cover the 
case in hand, and it required ingenuity to develop the 
application. This Mr. Corson possessed to a wonderful 
degree, and it was to this characteristic that he owed his 
brilliant success. He had a wonderful capacity for work and 
study. He was not a case lawyer who hunted precedents to 
cover all points of the case under consideration, but was 
guided by well defined principles which he discovered in the 
issue, and was always successful in perceiving the 
application of the matter in all its bearings.

He was one of the first members of the Republican party in 
Montgomery county, and an active member, and for many years 
his eloquence from the rostrum was a potent and much sought 
factor in the strife. He took an active part for Fremont, 
Lincoln, Grant, Hayes, Garfield and Blaine. In 1862 he was 
appointed notary public by Governor Curtin, when there were 
but two in Montgomery county.

In 1867 he was appointed register in bankruptcy for 
Montgomery and Lehigh counties, and in that position 
adjudged millions of dollars of property, and in no decision 
ever given by him was his opinion reversed. In 1869 he was 
nominated by acclamation for law judge in Bucks and 
Montgomery counties, and in the year 1873 was a member of 
the constitutional convention of Pennsylvania. He was the 
first to move the expurging of the word "white" from the 
fundamental law of the state, the word having been inserted 
in the old constitution for the purpose of disfranchising 
the negroes. He was active in the construction of the great 
enactment under which the Keystone State has ever since been 
so admirably governed. He contributed a series of articles 
descriptive of the convention, and the "Pen Portraits" were 
widely read and admired. As each member died he republished 
his pen portrait and wrote a touching obituary. He was a 
writer of marked ability, and his numerous instructive and 
interesting newspaper articles on almost every subject 
abounded in wit and humor. During his active political 
career he stood up manfully for the principles which he 
thought were right, and it was largely through his efforts 
that the provision was made advocating the right of the 
minority to he represented on the supreme and superior court 
benches of the state of Pennsylvania. He numbered among his 
lifelong friends Hon. Wayne MacVeagh, who was his classmate, 
and a member of the constitutional convention; and Hon. 
Simon Cameron, at one time secretary of war, and who acted 
as godfather to his eldest son, S. Cameron Corson.

On September 29, 1859, George N. Corson married Maria Hurst, 
and their children were Georgine, who became the wife of J. 
S. Singer; S. Cameron, mentioned hereinafter; Rosalie, who 
became the wife of George N. Weaver; Harold, a conveyancer 
and justice of the peace in the sixth ward of Norristown, 
Pennsylvania. He married Carrie Gautier, now deceased, who 
was a daughter of Ephraim and Margaret Gautier Chalfred, who 
married Bertha Eckhardt, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 
George N. Corson died April 12, 1902; he survived his wife 
several years, she having passed away September 21, 1899. 
The death of Mr. Corson, who was a man of brilliant mind and 
rare attainments, was sadly deplored by the journalistic 
world and the community at large.
 
Maria (Hurst) Corson, wife of George N. Corson, was the 
eldest child of Alfred and Wilhelmina (Smith) Hurst, whose 
other children were as follows: Georgine, who became the 
wife of Dr. Louis W. Read; Wilhelmina H., who became the 
wife of Judge William H. Yerkes, of Philadelphia; Alice, who 
became the wife of Henry R. Brown, of Norristown. Alfred 
Hurst was born August 12, 1806, and died December 30, 1890. 
He was the son of Jonathan Harvey and Patience (Wescott) 
Hurst, and the grandson of Timothy and Mary (Brownjohn) 
Hurst, the latter named having been a daughter of Dr. 
William Brownjohn, of New York. 

The family have in their possession a genealogical table 
based on authentic researches showing the descent of Timothy 
Hurst from the royal line of England, both from Richard, 
King of the Romans, and Edward IV, King of England, and also 
from the noble families of Beaumont or Bellamont, Earls of 
Warwick and Leicester, who were descended from the royal 
lines of France; also from the Beauchamps, the Earl of 
Warwick, the famous John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, the 
Greys from Edward Grey, Viscount Lisle, son of Edward L., 
Lord Grey, of Grooby; and from Frances Monk, daughter of 
George Monk, Duke of Albemarle, through the ancient family 
of the Herveys. Also from the families of Hastings and 
Ferrers. Wilhelmina (Smith) Hurst, wife of Alfred Hurst, was 
a daughter of Captain William S. Smith, of Glasgow, 
Scotland, and Maria C. Smith, whose mother, Elizabeth 
(Rawle) Steinhauer, was the daughter of Francis and Martha 
(Turner) Rawle. Martha Rawle was the daughter of Robert and 
Martha (Fisher) Turner. Robert Turner was an early Friend of 
Dublin, Ireland, a minister in the society, who in 1683 came 
to Pennsylvania, purchasing a large tract of land from 
William Penn.

Simon Cameron Corson, eldest son of George Norman and Maria 
(Hurst) Corson, was born February 12, 1863, in the dwelling 
at the south corner of Main and Cherry streets, Norristown, 
Pennsylvania, now occupied by L. G. Stritzinger, a 
confectioner, then owned and occupied by his parents. He was 
educated in the public schools of Norristown, and in 
Treemount Seminary. 

In 1881 he entered the office of an architect in 
Philadelphia to finish his education, or rather to continue 
it. It soon became necessary, however, for him to earn his 
own livelihood, and on July 1, 1883, he accepted the 
position of rodman in an engineering corps of the 
Pennsylvania Schuylkill Valley Railroad, then in course of 
construction, and was stationed at Pottstown, Pennsylvania. 
In October, 1883, he was ordered to assist in preliminary 
and location work between North Reading and Auburn, 
Pennsylvania. In 1885 he accepted a position with Alan W. 
Corson, then borough engineer of Norristown, and continued 
as his assistant until, September, 1887. During this period 
he was employed in laying out nearly all of West Norristown, 
including the Griffith farm, purchased by Evans, Yerkes and 
the Robertses, and the tract laid out by Haines & Brown, 
beyond Basin street, between Markley and Powell streets.

In 1887 Mr. Corson was again employed by the Pennsylvania 
Railroad Company. He was stationed at Baltimore, Maryland, 
during the construction of the large piers and bonded 
warehouses of the Northern Central Railroad Company, at 
Canton, which adjoins Baltimore, and is opposite the 
historical Fort McHenry. He continued in this work and in 
other surveys, including the elevated roads through 
Baltimore and several changes of line north and south of 
Baltimore, until the famous Johnstown flood. In June, 1889, 
he was ordered to South Fork, along with all the other 
available engineers who could be spared, for the 
reconstruction of the destroyed property of the Pennsylvania 
Railroad Company. He had charge of the construction of the 
new Conemaugh river channel, the Conemaugh round house, and 
the rebuilding of the embankment from Johnstown station to 
the famous stone bridge. Mr. Corson was promoted, February 
11, 1890, to the maintenance of way department, and 
stationed as assistant engineer at Altoona, Pennsylvania, in 
the office of the general superintendent. 
 
On August 1, same year, he was ordered to the Tyrone 
Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad, but resigning his 
position there in March, 1891; he accepted a similar 
position with the Philadelphia and Reading Railway Company, 
being stationed at Pottsville, Pennsylvania. He held this 
until the following November, when he was appointed 
assistant engineer of construction of the Sigua Iron 
Company, of Santiago, Cuba, where a railroad, ore pier, 
breakwater and inclined planes were constructed. On 
completing this work he sailed for home just prior to the 
first shipment of iron ore to this country, which was 
unloaded at Norfolk, Virginia.

In December, 1893, after his return from Cuba, Mr. Corson 
was employed by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and 
stationed at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as a member of one of 
the largest construction corps ever collected by that 
company, under William Pritchert, assistant engineer. During 
the following March he was again sent to the Altoona office, 
remaining there until December, 1893. From January 1, 1894, 
until September, 1897, he had an office at Altoona, where he 
attended to all kinds of surveying, and was borough engineer 
of Juniata, which town lies northeast of Altoona. He was 
special assistant engineer in the construction of the fourth 
district sewer of Altoona, and assistant engineer tinder 
Chief Engineer Knight, of Altoona, in the construction of 
the new reservoir built by the city of Altoona. He also made 
the first surveys for the Lewistown Water Company. In 1897 
he was again employed by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company 
and stationed at Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he had 
charge of the rebuilding of all the bridges and culverts and 
their extensions from Egg Harbor City to the drawbridge, 
serving under William H. Brown, chief engineer.

When war was declared between the United States and Spain, 
in April, 1898, Mr. Corson tendered his services as an 
engineer to Major Craige of the recruiting office in 
Philadelphia, explaining to Mr. Craige how he acquired a 
knowledge of Sigua Harbor and vicinity and thought that 
knowledge would be of service to the government. Major 
Craige said to him, "Mr. Corson, Adjutant General Corbin is 
looking for just such men who have a knowledge of the 
Santiago province, and at you have resided, surveyed and 
handled men in that district, I am sure he will be more than 
pleased to enlist you by a special commission. Please 
communicate with him at once in person, or by letter." Mr. 
Corson did so by letter, then by representatives, and 
finally by a personal visit to Washington, D. C., but there 
was too much red tape, and the war was practically over 
before the received a copy of a letter of apology. General 
Corbin had written to Adjutant General Thomas J. Stewart, N. 
G. P., concerning his discourtesy to him. When Mr. Corson 
was located at Sigua, he was only twelve miles from 
Daiquiri, where the army landed, and forty miles by water to 
Santiago de Cuba. He had made the survey and soundings of 
Sigua harbor, and had maps and plans of that vicinity which 
were considered of the greatest value to this government in 
the early stages of the war. 

Since March 1, 1899, Mr. Corson has served as borough 
engineer of Norristown, and in that capacity has had charge 
of the construction of improved permanent pavement and 
separate sewer system authorized under loans voted upon by 
the citizens of the borough. He has given excellent 
satisfaction in this position, and has been elected from 
year to year, usually by the unanimous vote of the town 
council. As an engineer, Mr. Corson's wide experience in 
railroad and other surveys has made him thorough, and the 
office was never conducted more efficiently than it is at 
the present time.

Mr. Corson is a Republican in politics, and an earnest 
worker in behalf of the principles and candidates of the 
party. He is an active member of the Engineers' Club of 
Philadelphia; Lodge No. 620, Free and Accepted Masons; 
Beaver Tribe, No. 62, Improved Order of Red Men; John F. 
Hartranft Lodge, No. 714, Order of Heptasophs; the 
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; and the Norristown 
Hose Company. All of the above named organizations are of 
Norristown.
 
On July 19, 1899, Mr. Corson married Anne Eliza Ramey, of 
Altoona, Pennsylvania. Their children are: Mary Pauline, 
born August 10, 1903; David Ramey, born September 13, 1902; 
and S. Cameron (second), born September 16, 1904.

The Ramey family, of which Mrs. S. Cameron Corson is a 
member, are descended from Francis Remote 
(great-great-grandfather), who emigrated to this country 
from the province of Alsace-Lorraine in 1788. He purchased 
and settled on an extensive tract of land near Huntingdon, 
Pennsylvania, and his house has been noted as one of the 
frontier forts of Pennsylvania. Frederick Ramey 
(great-grandfather), a son of Francis Remme, was born in 
Alsace-Lorraine, in 1785, and was only three years old when 
he came to America with his father. He was with Commodore 
Perry on the "Niagara," Lake Erie, in 1813. In 1807 he 
married Martha Keller, and they were the parents of seven 
children. David Keller Ramey (grandfather), fourth child of 
Frederick and Martha Ramey, was born in 1821. He resided in 
Altoona, Pennsylvania. 

His first wife, Catherine (Leamer) Ramey, bore him seven 
children; his second, wife, Rebecca (Knight) Ramey, bore, 
him five children, David K. Ramey died in the spring of 
1904, aged eighty-three years. Frederick Ramey (father), 
first child of David K. and Catherine (Learner) Ramey, 
married Mary Taylor, and they were the parents of the 
following named children: Jean, who became the wife of Dr. 
Collier F. Martin; Anne Eliza, aforementioned as the wife of 
S. Cameron Corson; Thomas, who died at the age of one year; 
Helen, and Ruth Ramey.


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