I have chosen to accept the spelling of the last name as “Corsey” because that is how it is spelled in several city directories.”Coursey” is used in the 1847 African American Census and we see that the hurried physician spelled it “Cansey.”
Trim* Corsey lost his 7-month-old son to Pneumonia on this date, April 12th, in 1849 and had the infant buried at Bethel Burying Ground. Mr. Corsey supported his family as a coachman making $15 a month. Ms. Corsey was a washerwoman adding to the family’s income that paid their rent of $56 a year for a room at 15 Watson’s Alley in the Cedar Section of the City. The alley ran south from 104 Locust Street and no longer exists.
In the 1847 African American Census, there were 104 Black Philadelphians who listed their occupation as “coachman.”
*Ancestry.com reports that the name “Trim” is a nickname for someone who is known as “a well-turned out person.” The name was first reportedly used as far back as the 16th century. I have not been able to locate any documents that reveal another first name if there is one.
Bethel Burying Ground Project 