Division XI

Division XI groups African-American Corson families. U.S. Census reports show that Corson families of African ancestry lived in the U.S. at least as early as 1820, when three free black families were enumerated in New York City.  By 1840, free African Americans were also living in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and in later years the pattern continued to spread. Following the U.S. Civil War and emancipation, still more Corson families of African extraction appear in the record, especially in the southern U.S. Further research is needed to determine if the surname was adopted from former slave owners, admired acquaintances, or other sources. More research is likewise needed to see if any of these families were related, and if any of the lines continue to the present.

Variations: CORSON, CORSAN, CORSEN, CORSON, COURSAN, COURSEN, COURSON, CURSON