The information I plan to post here relates mostly to Vines Collier and his descendants, of which I am one. Those that come from other Collier lines are welcome and urged to provide their materials, also.
Isaac Cuthbert Collier, Confederate soldier, successful planter and merchant of Piedmont, Georgia died in 1908. After his death, his son, Jena Cuthbert (J. C.) Collier began trying to find out more of his family’s history. His inquiries led him to locate and mark the grave of Vines Collier, his great, great-grandfather. He enlisted the services of professional genealogists to trace his ancestry to Europe and to research and document the service of Vines Collier in the French & Indian War, as well as his contributions to the American Revolution. Not content to depend strictly on genealogists, he sent out hundreds of letters to anyone he thought might be related. A man of organization, he sent his letters with a discussion of his own background and attached an ancestry form to be filled out by the possible relative. I believe he often included a self-addressed stamped envelope for the return of the form. When on business trips, he contacted Colliers he found in telephone directories or those he heard about through word of mouth. Jena was eventually assisted in his pursuit of family history by his son, Durward Cuthbert (D. C.) Collier. Durward’s investigation led him to visit Collier historical sites in England.
With the recent death of J. C.’s granddaughter, the Collier Heritage Foundation came into possession of the extensive genealogy papers of Jena and Durward. It is a treasure trove of information. The wealth of the family allowed them to use stenographers, not only to type and send out dictated letters, but also to transcribe and type the handwritten returns. The typing was done on onion-skin paper using carbon paper to make several copies. Letters of inquiry went out throughout the Deep South and to more distant states, such as Texas, Arkansas, and California. If any of the correspondence was thrown away, it is not obvious.
Return letters came from all over. Some of the them provided no genealogical link, but some were more fruitful. J. C. connected up with previously unknown relatives in Texas. He visited them in Texas at least once and opened up a line of written correspondence that extended until his death in 1944.
Early in the quest for his roots, J. C. wrote that he hoped to publish a book on Collier history “this fall”, then “next year”, and then “soon”. Finally he realized, and put into writing, that the task was so overwhelming he would never get it finished. It is probably no less overwhelming today….Glen A. Collier
J. C.’s connection to Vines Collier is:
Vines>Robert>Robert Marshall>Isaac Cuthbert>Jena Cuthbert Collier
Jena Cuthbert Collier as a Young Man (b. 1866, d. 1944)
Example of Exploratory Letter Sent By J. C. Collier
Ok, so I did a little research on a few names from the document posted here and I have found a few nuggets of information that, on the surface, seem to be pretty interesting. Here are a few links from the research for you to view at your leisure.
The first link will take you to the village of Coliere (first version name of Collier) and possibly, the beginning of the Collier name.
The second link is a history of Sir Robert Collier. Very interesting read.
The third is a picture of England. In the center of the country is a place called Nottinghamshire, burial place of John and Agnes Colier. Their names are on this 31 page document, page 3.
One last interesting nugget. One of our ancestors was a discoverer at the same time as Christopher Columbus. In the document, it reads that the work of our ancestor was much longer lasting than Christopher Columbus. That’s pretty awesome! Our ancestors sailed to the new world and continued bringing people here long after Christopher Columbus quit.
As my newly found love for this research continues, I will be glad to share it. If I post something and it is incorrect, please advise me. It will be much appreciated.
Copy and paste the following links to a new search engine bar to see the results.
http://www.map-france.com/Caulieres-80590/
http://www.curtisamerica.com/getperson.php?personID=I2179&tree=colyer
http://www.census-online.com/images/countries/England.gif
Thanks Glen for peaking my curiosity into our past. It is simply an amazing past so far.
The above information was much appreciated. I give thanks for Jena’s investment in our heritage. I was able to determine the identity of the widow Revell who married Robert, father of our ancestor Isaac. Researching from the above pedigree, Collections for a History of Staffordshire, The William Salt Archaeological Society’s The Heraldic Visitations of Staffordshire in 1614 and 1663-64 published 1884 and The Topographer and Genealogist Vol.III 1858, I find all agree with Revell as Robert’s wife. This was confirmed at Nationalarchives.gov. uk, Derbyshire Record Office. The widow Revell was Margaret Beighton. Her husband John died December 1592. Robert married Margaret and lived in the Revell manor in Ogston, Derbyshire until 1605 when Margaret’s son Edward Revell claimed his inheritance. Since Isaac was born @1606 it is quite possible that he and his syblings were born in Ogston.
Linda Bennett
From Andrew Cameron via email:
Hello,
I am a descendant of John Collier, b. 1788 England, died, 1850 Hillside, Albert, New Brunswick, Canada. I am wondering if there is anyone who has found any information connected to where in England he may have been from?
Thank you.
Hello from Lionel Collier in Toronto b1960 My line is from Peter Collier born at Astley, 8 miles from Manchester UK in 1754. The COLLIER ancestor left Antwerp in 1579 as did half of the population because of the Spanish decree that Calvinism was no longer allowed in Antwerp, only Catholicism. The Parish of Leigh has COLLIER entries beginning in 1580. COLLIER is a common name in the Manchester area.