Category Archives: Uncategorized

In 1975, some 50 years after J. C. Collier made contact with the Texas descendants of Efford Cobb Collier, Elmer Roy Collier compiled his Collier Family History.  The document was privately published and provided to relatives. Elmer Roy, a great-grandson of Efford Cobb, conducted extensive research and visited sites important to our Collier heritage.

John Howard Collier, son of Elmer Roy Collier, has made available for posting the manuscript produced by his father.

From John Howard Collier:

This electronic PDF document is the result of my dad’s, Elmer Roy Collier, extensive work on his Collier family history in the 1980’s after he retired. His original focus was on the Efford Cobb Collier descendants (son of Robert Collier, son of Isaac Collyer) who left Georgia to emigrate to Texas where extensive descendants still resided.

He always had an interest in photography and had gathered many of the old family photos. He had camera setup for making copies of other’s family photos. He enjoyed gathering family stories.  He and my mom did a lot of genealogy research while traveling to visit my family from Salt Lake City to cemeteries and distant relatives through the south.

Finding distant relatives with the same interests as listed on page 4, he “swapped” genealogy and added many sections to other Collier members and to the Collier ancestors. In addition he would find other family names through marriages such as Vines, Peirsey and Draper which he would include. He then typed all the material from genealogy to family stories to other historical references, and copied photos into this document which he then bound for each of his three children. He would make copies for other interested relatives. This was released in 1975 with a major update in 1987.

He and my mother also did the same research on the other three family lines of their parents and published similar volumes. When going through all his material, I found the original unbound copies and scanned into this PDF document to share his work.

CHF is grateful for this addition to our website.  The arrows at the bottom of the page can be used to scroll through the document.

The entire document is available for download at the following link:

Download

Many thanks to John Collier for sharing this important work.

Efford Cobb Collier

Efford Cobb Collier was the son of Robert Collier and the grandson of Vines Collier.  Robert Marshall Collier and Isaac Cuthbert Collier were his brothers.  Jena Cuthbert (J. C.) Collier was nephew of Efford Cobb.

Efford Cobb left Upson County, Georgia in 1857 and relocated his family in Texas.  In 1912, J. C. Collier began trying to locate the family of his Uncle Efford.

The following is from the typed notes of J. C. Collier

J. C. reportedly sent letters to anyone in Texas he found with the Collier name.  Here are some samples of letters he sent in 1912.

Having no luck locating Efford’s family directly, J. C. sought information from the Powells and McCoys, who were reported to have left Georgia for Texas along with the Collier family.

This produced results and, in November 1923, J. C. made contact with J. J. Collier of Corpus Christi, Texas and grandson of Efford Cobb Collier.

There followed connecting with other members of Efford Cobb Collier’s widespread family,

Mrs. S. E. Collier:

Mrs. Fannie Jackson:

Edward Fluellen Collier:

R. O. Jackson:

Hardy R. Collier:

A. M. Harryman:

John Howard Collier:

Fannie Collier Preslar:

Mrs. Robert Redding Collier:

Mrs. Efford Collier Presler: