Through review of land records in Lincoln County MO where Millwood is located, we found a land transfer from Henry Corley to Thomas Corley in September 1857. The discovery also of a reference in "The Mudd Family of the United States" that Henry Corley was from Monaghan County, as was Thomas Corley, led us to think they were probably related, though we have not found the relationship. But this is a clue as to how Thomas Corley's children ended up in Millwood.
I had also found a marriage record of Mary Ann Corley to James Nurse in Skaneateles, NY on Sep 2, 1861. This led me to an e-mail correspondence with the historian in Skaneateles NY, who sent me several pages from "Skaneateles, History of its Earliest Settlement; Reminscences of Later Times." In this book was the story of James Nurse Burdette, and included in the story was a sentence on his marriage to Mary Ann Corley at the home of her father, Thomas Corley.
On page 187 of this book, there is the story of "Sir James Nurse Burdette, A Remarkable Skaneataeles Character". It goes on to say:
During the month of October, 1861, two well-dressed young men appeared as guests at the Lake House, then kept by C.C. Hadcock, on a Saturday. They immediately made diligent inquiry for a young man, a laborer, by the name of James Nurse, who they stated had inherited a baronetcy in England. The two young Englishmen who were in search of Nurse had the reputation, or had the name, of belonging to the nobility. They brought with them a certain legal document, on parchment, which authorized James Nurse to draw drafts on certain named parties in England for three thousand pounds sterling.
Charles Pardee immediately took James Nurse under his special charge, advanced Nurse money on his sterling drafts, and stated publicly that, in his opinion, there was not the least doubt that Nurse was a veritable baronet. The Cayuga County Bank, in Auburn, also cashed Nurse's drafts. James Nurse had an unlimited credit with all the Skaneateles merchants....
It was very natural, as the old saying is, "Where the carrion is, the vultures will come," consequently all the money-jobbers became very attentive and polite and even loving, to the newly fledged baronet, and they immediately sought his acquaintance and "drafts". They made just as liberal offers to cash his drafts and advance him all the funds he wanted, even without his signature. his kindly nature induced hm to accept all their offers, and at once he began to expend the proffered money in extravagant purchases. He sent one of his friends, of whom he had many, to New York with carte blanche, or in other words, unlimited authority, to purchase an elegant carriage of the most fashionable style, which was accomplished satisfactorily to Sir James Nurse, and he immediately purchased the finest span of carriage-horses that was to be found in this section of the State. Sir James Nurse soon became the most prominent figure in Skaneateles and surrounding country, riding in his superb equipage.
James Nurse was first noticed in the Democrat, June 10, 1861, although he had lived hereabout for a number of years, earning a precarious livelihood by brewing domestic beer, in a hogshead kept for that purpose. September 2, 1861, before he had become a baronet, he was married, by Rev. mr Searles, at the residence of the bride's father, Thomas Corley, to Miss Mary Ann Corley, all of Skaneateles.
It was not very many weeks before Mr Pardee began to suspect that there was something suspicious about the story of this young sprig of nobility, and he suggested to Sir James the idea of an introduction to his banker in New York, to which Sir James assented, and without further ceremony they both proceeded to New York. It so happened, luckily for Sir James, that the day after their arrival a severe northeast rain-storm was prevailing at the time, and the temperature very cold. Sir James trotted Pardee all over the city, and at every place they called Nurse's friends happened to be absent. Nurse kept his bosom friend on the move until he tired him completely out, when, having been unsuccessful in finding the coveted banker, they returned to Skaneateles. C. Pardee then began to consider the propriety of protecting himself against ultimate loss. He did not impart his suspicions to others. On the contrary, he led others to believe that his visit to New York to be introduced to Nurse's banker was a very satisfactory one. He must secure himself, no matter if others who had similar claims were likely to lose. One of the latter class was George Francis, who held a promissory note which Sir James had given to him, in payment for the settlement of a long standing account due Francis.
George Francis boarded at the Lake House at that time and he had constantly urged Nurse to settle his account, and finally Nurse gave him a note, drawn by Matt Clapp, in liquidation of Nurse's indebtedness. It happened that George Francis was not entirely satisfied with this note, being suspicious of its genuineness so he called to see Nurse at his room, for he also boarded at the Lake House. Nurse happened to be absent, but the door of his room was open. Francis entered, and noticing some writing materials on the desk, and evidently some of the same kind of paper that Matt Clapp's note had been written on, this rather confirmed his first suspicions that the note was a forgery. He then took the note and compared the edge of it with the edge of the paper on the desk, and found it fitted exactly where it had evidently torn off. Francis thereupon called upon Sir James' friend, Charles Pardee, and imparted his suspicions as to its being a forgery. Without the least hesitation, Nurse's friend took the note, placed it in the drawer of his desk, took out the amount of the note in money, and paid it to George Francis, to his astonishment. This note to Charles Pardee (although about twenty-eight dollars in amount) was worth hundreds of dollars to him He, of course, made no explanation to Francis. He had the implement, then, to secure himself against all possible loss. It would not do to let this transaction become public until he had fully secured himself in all particulars. Charles Pardee was well acquainted with Matt Clapp's signature and knew what he was about when he got possession of the note.
George Francis thought Pardee ought to have had Sir James arrested, but Charles knew better than that, and the payment by him of the note led Francis to think that the signature of Matt Clapp was all right. This is what Pardee also thought. Pardee immediately confronted Sir James, and, exhibiting the note pretended to be executed by Clapp, declared to Nurse that it was a forgery and a State Prison offense, and further, that, if he did not want it made public, and would at once deliver over his carriage and horses, and in fact, all his movable property, he (Pardee) would not prosecute or make any complaint. Sir James, of course, was astonished and completely broken up, and he at once consented to Pardee's demand, and as a matter of course Charles Pardee became the owner of all Nurse's property. The elegant carriage, then stored in Jon Packwood's shop, was at once secretly shipped to New York, to the party from whom it was purchased, and was sold at a large discount to the original owner. The horses were secretly placed in the hands of one of Pardee's reliable friends, who could be depended upon to dispose of them in Syracuse, where the transaction would not be known. The other victims of Sir James' duplicity hereabout, who had claims against him, were kept in ignorance of this transaction until the property, especially the span of carriage-horses, had been sold, without being made public here, by Pardee's trusty agent.
Sir James Nurse Burdette very soon left town, disappeared, and has never been seen or heard of since. Nurse's brother, William Nurse, whose occupation was a house painted, lived here before and during his brother's career, yet received no aid from him, has always been in needy circumstances, and was an inmate of the County Poor House....
It may be well to mention that there is no doubt that Sir James Nurse Burdette had plenty of money. This was indisputable, and further, the source whence he obtained it. his mother died while he was an infant. She had property, and she made a will bequeathing her savings to this boy when he had attained a certain age, which occurred at the time he was notified by the two young men who came here in the year 1861. The original bequest was not as large as the amount stated he was authorized to draw against, but, the original sum having in the mean time been invested on interest, it had assumed the proportions of three thousand pounds sterling.
So, was this the reason that Mary Corley, her father and sister left Skaneateles? We'll never know, but it does seem this might have been traumatic enough for the Corley family that they would have found it was a good time to go to Missouri and escape from this scandalous event. I was unable to find any record of divorce, nor any record of Mary Corley's next marriage to James Crider, nor of any further record of James Nurse.
