THE HISTORY OF THE WILLIAM C. CORUM CHAPTER
The William C. Corum Chapter SAR was organized on September 26, 1981. The first elected officers of the chapter were: R. Kenneth Elliott, President; John B. Wymore, Vice President; John M. Mason, Sr., Secretary; William E. Eldridge, Registrar; Kenneth R. Corum, Genealogist; Kirk McDaniel, Historian; J. David Goodell, Publicity; Rufus B. Burrus, Chancellor; and Arthur M. King, Honorary Vice President.
Judge R. Kenneth Elliott, who transferred from the Delaware Crossing Chapter KSSAR, was elected by acclamation as the first president of the chapter. Arthur M. King, immediate Past President General of the National Society SAR, was the organizing officer, and presided at the organizational meeting which was held at Liberty Hills Country Club. The newly elected officers were installed by MOSSAR President Burton Mayfield.
Chapter meetings originally meet at the Liberty Hills Country Club on the second Saturday. The chapter now meets at the Second Baptist Church for breakfast and programs on the second Saturday of each month. The chapter also joins with the Alexander Doniphan Chapter DAR in an annual luncheon in November to honor the veterans of both chapters.
The interest and discovery of Patriot William C. Corum came about largely through the efforts of Kenneth R. Corum, a direct descendant, and his wife Amy. It was through their genealogical research that William C. Corum was discovered, and the combination of the Alexander Doniphan Chapter DAR, the Corum family, and many interested individuals, that the William C. Corum Chapter came into being.
BIOGRAPHY OF WILLIAM C. CORUM
William C. Corum was born in Virginia circa 1760. He enlisted in the Continental Troops in 1777, serving as a teamster in the Virginia Continental Line. He was soon recruited from his regiment to join the Commander-in Chief’s Guard. “The Lifeguard”, as they were known, accompanied General Washington and his possessions throughout the war. The requirements to be in the Guard were to be colonial natives, at least five feet nine inches but no more than five feet ten inches tall. They were also men known for their honesty, good behavior, and sobriety.
William C. Corum was in several major engagements during the war. He was involved in the Battle of Brandywine, the Battle of Germantown, the Battle of Connecticut Farms in New Jersey, the Skirmish of King’s Bridge, and he was in Yorktown, where the British surrendered. After the surrender of Cornwallis, Corum wintered at Germantown where General Washington established his headquarters. That spring the Guard retired to the Hudson Highlands. In June 1783 he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant.
In 1805 he married Barsheba Bloyd and migrated west and entered 233 acres in Green County, Kentucky on a Federal land grant. From there he moved to Cooper County, Missouri in 1820 and then in 1825 the Corum’s relocated to Clay County, Missouri on land near present day 1332nd and N. Virginia in Smithville, Missouri. They had six children that prospered in Clay County. Their son Thomas Corum was a founding father of Excelsior Springs, Missouri. Milton Corum was a distinguished agriculturalist and businessman in Clay County. William C. Corum passed away in August of 1853 at the age of about 90. He and his wife are buried in the farm cemetery.
There are several notable descendants of William C Corum: The Honorable David Boren, former governor of Oklahoma, former United States Senator, and former president of Oklahoma University; the Honorable Ike Skelton, long serving United States Congressman from the ninth district of Missouri and member of the William C Corum chapter; the Honorable R. Kenneth Elliott, a long serving Clay County Circuit Court Judge and first president of the chapter; Jack Corum, who served four terms as Sheriff of Clay County, Missouri and a member of the chapter; and Robert J Corum who served as president of the chapter from 2012 thru 2015. He was also the Missouri Society SAR President for the 2015-2016 term.