The Sons of Charles Vines Collier, Sr. and Rebecca Owen Collier

 

 

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Confederate Iron Cross at the grave of Sgt. Isaac Peterson Collier

The thread of the Confederacy is prominent in the tapestry that is the history of the Southern Collier family.   A preliminary count reveals over 25 grandsons and great-grandsons of Vines Collier who served in the Army of the Confederate States of America.  (As a side note, some came from slave holding families, some did not.)  Perhaps no where is the thread more evident than in the sons of Charles Vines Collier, Sr. and Rebecca Owen Collier.  Most of the information for this post comes from a compilation by the late Ramon Collier, a descendant of Charles Vines and Rebecca Collier.

Charles Vines Collier, Sr. was the son of Isaac Collier and the grandson of Vines Collier (see post “Isaac Collier, Son of Vines & Elizabeth Collier”).   He was born in 1793 in Oglethorpe County, Georgia and married Rebecca M. Owen on June 4, 1829.  Charles and Rebecca had twelve children.  Seven of the 12 were sons.  All wore Confederate gray.  From youngest to oldest they were:

  1. James Glenn Collier – born Oct. 2, 1848 in Upson County, Georgia; enlisted in the Confederate Army at the age of 15;  saw action around Atlanta in the last months of the war.
  2. Charles Vines Collier, Jr. – born in Upson County, Georgia Oct. 10, 1846; enlisted in Co. B, 2nd Battalion, Georgia Sharpshooters on April 16, 1864 at Dalton, Georgia at the age of 17; was captured at Nashville, Tennessee on Dec. 16, 1864; spent the remainder of the war in prison (including Camp Douglas, Illinois); was discharged on May 17, 1865; reportedly walked home, travelling mostly at night; was never paid for his service to the Confederacy.
  3. Pascal Smith Collier – born in Upson County, Georgia Oct. 29, 1844; was wounded at the Seven-Day Battle of Richmond and died of those wounds July 4, 1862 at the age of 17; buried in an unmarked grave (approximate location known) at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia.  Named for his uncle, Paschal Smith, who reportedly served with his father (Charles Vines Collier, Sr.) in the War of 1812. UPDATE See Addition at the End of this Post
  4. John Brackett Collier – born in Upson County, Georgia Feb. 22, 1840; rode horseback from Thomaston, Georgia to West Point, Mississippi and enlisted in the 14th Mississippi Regiment; was wounded at Franklin, Tennessee; spent 6 months in a Union prison in Chicago.
  5. Hardeman Owen Collier – born 1838 in Upson County, Georgia; was 3rd Lieutenant and 2nd Captain of Co. A, 46th Georgia Regiment of Gist’s Brigade and General Walker’s Division;  died June 20th, 1864 of wounds received at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain in the defense of Atlanta; he is buried in an unmarked grave (approximate location known) at the foot of the mountain;  The story of his death is found in the Diary of Sgt. Jim White:  “(Captain) Collier was killed near our breastworks.  I heard and saw where the minnie ball struck him before he fell, dropping on the knee.  I asked if he was hurt much, in response, running up to our breastworks we secured a litter and bore him over the works while minnie balls flew thick and fast.  He died in about an hour without speaking.”
  6. William Thomas Collier – born March 27, 1835 in Upson County, Georgia; was a member of Co. B, 2nd Battalion, Georgia Sharpshooters
  7. Isaac Peterson Collier – born July 7, 1831 in Upson County, Georgia; joined Co. K, 5th Georgia Volunteer Infantry along with two of his cousins  (Charles V. and Cuthbert Hicks Collier, sons of Cuthbert S. Collier); was recognized for heroism and offered a battlefield commission for his actions at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain in the defense of Atlanta.  He eloquently declined the promotion.  Brigadier General John King Jackson reported the act in a general order recognizing the deed as an “act of distinguished valor”:

IPC official desc

Here is an eye witness account by John H. Harp, one of the men saved by Isaac Peterson Collier.  It was written years later, and this explains the inconsistency in the date.

IPC eye witness account

Sgt. Collier was offered a battlefield commission in Company E, but declined with the following statement on June 24, 1864.

Captain:  I have the honor to most respectfully decline the above promotion.  In throwing the shell from the ditch, I am conscious of having done nothing but my duty in attempting to save my life and the lives of the men around me.  I prefer to remain in my company with my comrades, whom I left home with on the 7th day of May, 1861.

Isaac Peterson Collier’s brave deed took place on June 21, 1864.  Sgt. Collier’s brother, Hardeman Owen Collier, had been killed only the day before in the same battle.  It is not known whether he was aware of his brother’s death.

For his bravery, Isaac Peterson Collier was nominated for the Confederate Medal of Honor in 1996.  The vote to approve failed with a 3 – 3 tie.  Subsequent efforts to approve the recognition were even less successful.  In the Kennesaw Mountain Battleground Museum, the bravery of Isaac Peterson Collier is acknowledged by a plaque on the informational rail.

 

IPC rail

 

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Grave of Sgt. Isaac Peterson Collier, Isaac Collier Cemetery, Upson County, Georgia.

 

After publishing this post, I received the following email from Kathleen Collier Burgess, daughter of the late Ramon Collier and his wife Carol.  Kathleen, I believe, is the great-granddaughter of  Charles Vines Collier, Jr.  I hope she corrects me if I am wrong.

Mom forwarded your email about the post regarding the sons of Charles Vines and Rebecca Owen Collier. She asked me to give you the following information:

In 2003 Dad, Mom and I went to Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond and found the grave of Pascal Smith Collier. There was a number for him (471, section M) recorded in the office which was also on a very small marker. The identification number was available because Pascal was injured and hospitalized there before dying from his wounds. Dad and Mom sent ~$100 to a government organization and had a marker erected at the grave site, so it is no longer unmarked.

Here is a link with a photograph for your records:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=9747032

Thank you for keeping up the historical record.

– Kathleen Collier Burgess

Thank you, Kathleen, for this additional information.  Here is the marker.

9747032_121529345418

 

4 Thoughts on “The Sons of Charles Vines Collier, Sr. and Rebecca Owen Collier

  1. Wayne Collier on September 15, 2015 at 8:44 am said:

    Very interesting, thanks for sharing!

  2. Just discovering my Colliers on the tree outside of Indiana. I used to live in Kennesaw when my spouse was stationed at Ft McPherson, never knew…

  3. Greg C. White on August 13, 2018 at 10:08 pm said:

    Hello,

    Can you provide me with details about the nomination of Isaac P. Collier for the Confederate Medal of Honor, and was there a reason it failed?

    I’m not a Collier family member, but a published Civil War author, and I’m also a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

  4. collierheritage on August 14, 2018 at 8:03 am said:

    First of all, we welcome all who have an interest in Collier family history. Starting in Virginia in the mid-1600s, Collier history is the history of this nation.

    CHF has a file on the subject of Isaac Peterson Collier. The information will be put up as a new post in the near future, so please “subscribe” so that you will be notified.
    Thank you,

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Jena Cuthbert (J. C.) Collier, son of Isaac Cuthbert (I. C.) Collier and Sarah Elizabeth Means Collier

Jena Cuthbert Collier, merchant, planter, textile manufacturer, industrialist, city councilman, mayor, State Senator.  His papers are extensive and will be the subject of several posts.  I’ll make the introduction with the following note penned by his wife, Jessie Stephens Collier, upon his death, and the newspaper clipping of his obituary.

JC Collier obit by JSC

JC Collier obit 1

 

JC Collier obit21

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One Thought on “Robert Marshall, Isaac Cuthbert, Jena Cuthbert Collier

  1. Elaine on August 9, 2015 at 2:10 pm said:

    If Jena is an executor of the estate, he is paid by the estate some percentage (3 -6 percent), so he would have a credit of x dollars and the difference (overage) in the receipt might be his fee.

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Home Site of Isaac Cuthbert Collier now Piedmont Park? – Maybe!

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Home of Isaac Cuthbert and Sara Means Collier, Piedmont, Georgia

The back of this photo bears the following note:

“The home of Isaac Cuthbert Collier and Sara Means Collier back in the early 70’s” (meaning 1870’s) “where J. C. Collier resided until he was thirteen years old, the front porch being torn away, now used as cattle barn.  Photo taken Dec. 12, 1943”

The home site was in the community of Piedmont, next to the dry goods store and cotton gin owned by IC Collier and within his 3000-acre farm.  Over the years, all the land of the farm was sold away except one acre where the store and gin stood with the home site immediately adjacent.  None of the buildings are there today.

In May 2015, the following letter was presented to the Lamar County Board of Commissioners.

Piedmont_Page_1Piedmont_Page_2

In June 2015, the Commissioners voted to accept the donation.  The site lies about four miles north of The Rock on Piedmont Road.

Capture

One Thought on “Home Site of Isaac Cuthbert Collier now Piedmont Park? – Maybe!

  1. Elaine on July 15, 2015 at 5:09 pm said:

    Dear Glen, I am delighted and impressed by the land donation and the Commissioners response. That’s great news. Good work.

    Cousin Elaine Collier Neal

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2 Thoughts on “New Facebook Page

  1. John Collier on November 5, 2015 at 5:01 pm said:

    I descend from the Efford Cobb Collier line that moved to Texas. My dad got extensively into genealogy in the 80’s and compiled a large document of the family line in Texas and some of Efford’s siblings that he obtained from Georgia distant relatives doing the same thing. It must be a descendant of Jena Cuthbert Collier as there is an extensive section.

    I’ve been putting all this work into Family Search, scanning photos and have even scanned most of his volume.

    The articles here are very interesting but I haven’t found any “trees” of family data. Are there?

    Is there interest in the “Texas” cousins and how could I best share it?

  2. collierheritage on November 5, 2015 at 11:08 pm said:

    Welcome! And thanks for your interest and inquiry. Efford C. Collier was the son of Robert Collier, and the grandson of Vines Collier. One of Efford’s siblings was Robert Marshall Collier. Robert Marshall was the father of Isaac Cuthbert Collier and the grandfather of Jena Cuthbert Collier. So, Efford C. would have been Jena’s great-uncle.

    If you haven’t done so, please take a look at the archived posts for January and
    February 2015. The post entitled “Background” tells how this site was started. I think it will be helpful moving forward for there a lot of things to post and tie together for your Texas branch. In short, Jena and Elmer (a descendant of Efford C.) separately sought out their ancestry. Jena made a least one trip to Texas to introduce himself to his relatives descended from Efford C. There was much correspondence between the two lines and CHF has many of the letters. Many of the them date to the 1920s and are no doubt to or from your ancestors or relatives.

    I am excited to have you join this website for I was hoping to attract the interest of the Central Texas line. There is much to share. I am in East Texas and also a descendant of Vines Collier through his son, Williamson.

    I will try to post something of specific interest in the next few days Please “subscribe” so you will be notified. Also, if you will select “contact” at the top of the page and send an email I will provide additional information.

    Glen Collier

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