Cornelius Leary - Cornelius Leary 1650

There seem to be two Cornelius Leary 1650. Some claim One was married to Mary Bentley (Bentley family records), and others claim one married to Elizabeth Latham. What Is the above claim of marriage between Cornelius Leary and Elizabeth Latham based upon? Diary, old family records, or best guess based upon various records that do not spell things out clearly but leave hints.

One line of thought is that there could have been two Cornelius Leary born around 1650. Leaving Ireland because of Cromwell etc was a strong motivation at that time. Cornelius is not necessarily a unique name. Edenton, NC was established as a town around 1700 and served as the capitol of the Carolina territories. Therefore, it is possible that there was some record of Cornelius Leary in legal documents since owning land was a step towards wealth and leaving servitude.

I have been struggling with this issue for more than 10 years. I trace my ancestry back to a Cornelius Leary (1720) with reasonable documentation. Unfortunately, from that point back the evidence is scant. just hints here and there.

Rick Leary, Seattle, WA