Born in Northampton, England in August 1611, Cory received a customary baptism at the Holy Sepulchre church. Not much is known about his early life, but historians believed that he had moved to America, married his first wife Margeret, and relocated to Salem Town by 1640.

When he was living in Massachusetts, he acquired land and became a wealthy farmer. He and his wife eventually had four children together. After his first wife passed away, he married fellow British ex-pat Mary Bright on April 11, 1664. The two conceived another child together.

By 1676, Cory was already in hot water with the local authorities. The 65-year-old faced his first court trial for the violent death of his indentured servant, Jacob Goodale. Several witnesses testified that Corey had beat his farmworker to death with a stick after catching him plucking apples from his brother-in-law’s property.