Collins-Reed Family Research: From Colonial Virginia to the American West

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As written

Collins-Reed Family Research: From Colonial Virginia to the American West

READ THIS FIRST: where the research stands (23 September 2026; Reed passages revised 27 September 2026)

This block was written after the September 2026 rewrite of the book (Molata, 1st ed., v1.3 rewrite) and its line-by-line source audit. It is the current position. Where anything later in this file disagrees with it, this block wins: the older passages have been corrected in place or marked [Superseded 2026-09-23], and the changelog at the end lists what changed. The master family tree (Collins_Reed_Master_Family_Tree.md) was brought into line on the same day. On 27 September 2026 the Reed passages were brought into line with the Reed investigation (claude/Reed_Family_Investigation_Addendum.md) and the revised master tree (Collins_Reed_Master_Family_Tree-op5.5update.md): the block "James Reed, Mary's father" below gives the current reading, and later passages are corrected in place or marked [Revised 2026-09-27].

The line

Thomas Collins "Molata" (c. 1700 - c. 1770) > John Collins [or Samuel] > Meredith Collins (c. 1760 - 1841) > Jesse Collins (c. 1804 - 1847) = Mary Reed (1804 - c. 1852) > Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Collins (1827 - 1887) = Eli Woodruff Bruner > Mariah Emma Bruner = John Marshall Clifford > Jessie Lorene Clifford = Richard Blackmer Holbrook Jr. > Richard Clifford Holbrook = Lucille McMillan > Frances Fairchild Holbrook

Reed side: William Read (c. 1673) [?] > [generations missing] > Hugh Reed Sr. (d. bef. end of 1786, Rowan Co NC) [?] > James Reed/Read (b. c. 1766-75; d. c. 1841, Clay Co KY [or bef. 6 Jan 1845, Morgan Co IN]) > Mary Reed

  • Meredith's father is still open between two of Thomas's sons, John and Samuel. The book leans to John. Lewis Collins, recorded as John's son, stands beside Meredith on musters, tax lists, and land entries for twenty years (on McDaniel's company list their names are on consecutive lines), and a daughter of Moses Riddle born c. 1740 would be the right age to have married John. Heinegg places most of the New River men under Samuel. A John and a Samuel both took the oath of allegiance with the Riddles in Captain Cox's company in 1777 (Kegley, Militia, p. 51), so these lists don't decide it. The deciding record would be a Montgomery County tithable list of the late 1770s showing a teenage Meredith in somebody's household.
  • Jesse was Meredith's son by Polly Holloway, not Bradley's. Bradley was about seventeen when Jesse was born, and Jesse fits the run of Polly's children. The chain "Meredith > Bradley > Jesse" in older passages (and in some online trees) is withdrawn. Bradley and Jesse were half-brothers.
  • Thomas's wife was not a daughter of Moses Riddle. Moses was the only taxable man in his 1755 household, and his son John Riddle was born c. 1750 (pension S9069), so Moses was born c. 1715-25, too young to be the father of the woman who bore Thomas's sons in the 1720s and 1730s. The old tradition has the right families and the wrong generation: the Riddle link most likely belongs to a daughter of Moses, born c. 1740, marrying one of Thomas's younger sons, possibly Meredith's father.

Meredith's wives and children (current reading)

  1. First wife, unnamed in every record, m. c. 1782-85: Bradley (b. 1787, on the North Carolina side of the mountains) and probably a daughter (the female aged 16-25 in the 1810 household).
  2. Polly (Margaret?) Holloway, b. c. 1780, m. c. 1799 (Eula Conley's DAR application, national no. 562294), d. bef. 1840, probably c. 1812: Archibald (c. 1800), James, Jesse (c. 1804; strong evidence, no birth record), William (13 Apr 1806, Russell Co VA), Hiram (c. 1804-06). Edward "Ned," John W., and Reuben rest on the Conley list alone [?].
  3. Milly Johnson, his companion in later life: a son b. c. 1818, "aged about eleven" when the Pike County court bound him out in June 1829 (summons March 1829).

Cautions: the DAR's Bradley-line papers name Polly as Bradley's mother, which can't be right, since she was about seven in 1787. In the DAR GRS listing, "BRADLEY, spouse [1] X X" is Bradley's own first wife, not Meredith's. The FamilySearch profile "Margaret Holloway 1765-1812" came in with the demolished Hampshire graft; don't use it. Older passages giving Polly's marriage as c. 1790-95 or her birth as c. 1765 are superseded.

Bradley: married at least four times, to Jane Ray in 1817 (Conley list only; county uncertain, given as Clay in the main file and Floyd in the addendum; not yet seen in a register), and in Clay County to Catherine Barney (1831), Betsy Griffin (1833), and Elizabeth Lunsford (1836); a daughter, Nancy (c. 1822), with Sarah Reid (Nancy Williams's 1909 Iowa death certificate). West in 1839 (by flatboat, per Eula Conley); 1840 in Chariton Co, Missouri (the census page's margin; "Callaway" was an indexing slip); Appanoose Co, Iowa, 1844; 1850 in son Andrew's household, Center Township, counted white (sheet dated 29 Nov 1850).

The Revolution and the militia records

  • 1776: the family's record (Blackburn, Conley) has Meredith enlisting at sixteen with George, David, and Lewis. No record gives the place. Montgomery County wasn't formed until 1777 and Christiansburg wasn't founded until 1792, so "enlisted at Christiansburg, Montgomery County" in older notes is an anachronism; drop it. Lewis was living in South Carolina that year and served with the South Carolina forces; John Riddle went with the Virginians to the Long Island of the Holston (Christian's campaign) under Capt. John Cox.
  • Kegley, Militia of Montgomery County, Virginia, 1777-1790 (Dublin, Va., 1975; FamilySearch Digital Library, book 1033071; pages viewed by the user 23 Sept 2026):
    • pp. 23-24 (images 34-35), "A List of Capt. James McDaniell Company": "Mendaby Collens" (Meredith) and "Lewies Collens" on consecutive lines; David Collens; George Collens; a deleted "---- Collens"; Benjamin Sexton; Charles Sexton (deleted on p. 23, re-entered on p. 24); John Sexton; James Cox. No date on the page. Kegley's note: "This list is very poorly spelled, and very difficult to read. Many names were deleted and are impossible to decipher." This is the page the DAR cites for Meredith's service. There are no Riddles on it, no William Bowlin, and no Elisha, Samuel, or John Collins.
    • p. 50 (image 61), Kegley's introduction to the oath lists: Montgomery County kept lists of the men who took the oath of allegiance to the Commonwealth, 1777-1779 (originals at the courthouse in Christiansburg). One was kept by James McCorkle, assigned "to record the names of the men who swore allegiance to the State from several companies"; its entries begin 30 September 1777, and McCorkle signed and dated it 5 December 1777. At its end he listed the refusers: "Those that refused in Capt. Ozburns Compy. Joseph Caldwell, Robert Ozburn, James Sturgill, an old innofencive Ignorant man, Elisha Collins, Coxes Compy. Solomon Reddick, Do. (Ditto), William Reddick, Do." So Elisha's refusal is now seen in Kegley: he refused before McCorkle as a man of Cox's company (the Collins Timeline's "30 Sept 1777" is the list's opening date). The two Reddicks are probably a different family, but note that a William Reddick refused in the same company where a "William Ridel" swore.
    • p. 51 (image 62), McCorkle's oath list itself. Under "Capt. Coxs Compy.": David Cox, "Jno. (his mark) Riddle," John Cox, James McDaniell (swearing as one of Cox's men, before he had a company of his own), Geo. Reves, Daniel and Jno. Blevins, "William Ridel," Harman and Samwill Cox, "Jno. Collens," and "Samuel Collens"; then men "of Thompson's Compy.," "of Draper's Co.," "of Stephens Co.," "a traveller," one from "Surry Co., Car.," and "Peter Hutcheson, of my own" (McCorkle's own company); "Capt. Ozburn's Compy." heads the right-hand column. So John and Samuel Collins and William and John Riddle took the oath of allegiance together in the fall of 1777, John Riddle making his mark. This is an oath list, not a muster roll. Meredith, Lewis, David, and George aren't on it.
    • p. 52 (image 63): a separate "List of persons who took state oath before James McGavock, September to December, 1777," with no Collinses or Riddles.
    • Riddles in the whole book: the user searched every spelling on 23 Sept 2026. John and William on p. 51 are the only Riddles, and there is no Moses. The index (image 88) gives "Riddle, John, 51" and "Ridel, William, 51"; the entry just above them in the index is a different surname.
    • [Superseded 2026-09-23] the single roster in Blackburn and in the saponitown "Collins Timeline," labeled "Osborn Company," "Osburn & Cox," or "McDaniel's Company," that puts Meredith, Lewis, David, George, Elisha, Samuel, and John Collins with Benjamin, Charles, and John Sexton, William Bowlin, and William and John Riddle. It runs together McDaniel's militia list (p. 23), McCorkle's 1777 oath list (p. 51, whose two company headings are Cox and Ozburn), and McCorkle's note of refusers (p. 50, Elisha). William Bowlin's source is still unlocated. The Riddles were Cox's men, and no list puts them beside Meredith.
  • Court martial of 23 April 1783, at Patrick Campbell's house (Kegley, Early Adventurers, vol. 2, p. 218): Meredith in McDaniel's company among the men "under similar orders," just after James Cox; John Saxton also; Ozburn's refusers ordered aboard "the armed vessels for the defence of Chesapeake Bay." The older dating of this page to "c. 1780-81" is wrong.
  • Elisha Collins refused the oath of allegiance before James McCorkle in the fall of 1777, as a man of Cox's company (Kegley, Militia, p. 50; see above).
  • Lewis Collins, pension S21142 (Will Graves transcription): aged 80, Grainger Co TN, August 1834. In August 1776 he was living in South Carolina, on the waters of Broad River, was drafted (Capt. James Steen), and "marched against the Cherokee Indians that were doing mischief on the frontiers of South Carolina." In 1778 he hired out to make a crop with Charles Tompson, "not then a man of a family," was drafted again, and was dismissed. He then went "to my father's house in Montgomery County," Virginia; drafted a third time in June 1781 (Capt. Gordon), he joined Greene at the High Hills of Santee, fought at Eutaw Springs in September 1781 ("a severe battle"), marched prisoners to near Salisbury, and was discharged there (Col. Locke). Older summaries that leave out Eutaw Springs, or say he saw no battle, are wrong.
  • Joseph Collins's affidavit, 27 Jan 1849, Grainger Co TN, in Salathiel Martin's pension W1044 (NARA M804, roll 1642, frame 0730; transcribed at joepayne.org): in 1780 a party of Tories was taken at a "Rock House" on the New River, and "Two of said company of tories escaped the night after their capture. One of them was by the name of David Gibson the other was named Lewis Collins." The "stone fort" of older notes is a paraphrase; use "Rock House."
  • War of 1812: the NARA index card for a Meredith Collins, 2nd Regiment of Mounted Gunmen (Williamson's), Tennessee Volunteers, belongs to a namesake. Our Meredith was about fifty-two and living in Floyd County, Kentucky. Don't use it.

Dates and citations corrected in the audit

  • The Orange County, Virginia court that described eleven men as Indians (John Collins, John Bowling, and Charles Griffin among them) sat on Thursday, 27 January 1742/43, which is 1743 by the modern calendar (Order Book 3, 1741-1743, p. 309; Virginia DeMarce's transcription marks it "[1743 NS]"). Not 1742.
  • The 1729 sale by William Read and his wife Mary of 100 acres on both sides of Sappony Creek is a Surry County record (Deeds, Wills &c. 8:22). The "Brunswick County" of older notes isn't supported (Brunswick had no court of its own until 1732); leave the county unstated unless the deed itself gives one.
  • The 1755 Orange County NC tax list: Thomas and Samuel on p. 19, John on p. 15.
  • The 1813 Stony Creek minute ("harboring them Melungins"): cite Estes et al. 2011, Table 1.
  • Moses Riddle's supposed parents, Margaret Ridley and Edward Buss, come from WikiTree (profiles Riddle-158 and "Margaret (Redley) Buss," Redley-1), not from the Empty Branches post. The court records they cite haven't been found.
  • Estes et al., Journal of Genetic Genealogy 7(1), Fall 2011: of the paternal lines assigned, 12 European, 8 African, and 1 Native American (a Sizemore line, Q1a3a); every maternal line European. Vardy Collins's Y line is R1a1, European (Table 11), not African. "Predominantly African paternal lines" in older notes is wrong.
  • Heinegg, Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina, 6th ed., 3 vols. (Clearfield, 2021).
  • Kegley, Early Adventurers on the Western Waters, vol. 2 is subtitled The New River of Virginia in Pioneer Days, 1745-1800 (1982; reprinted 2003).

James Reed, Mary's father (revised 27 September 2026)

The detail, the sources and the ranked next steps are in claude/Reed_Family_Investigation_Addendum.md (S66). The master tree's Part Two follows the same reading.

  • James Reed (Read) was Mary's father. His note of 25 November 1827 asking the Clay County clerk to license Jesse Collins to marry "Mary Red" (S60) is still the only record that names her as his daughter.
  • Born c. 1766-1775, by his census ages: 26-44 in 1810, 45 or over in 1820, 55-100 in 1830. The Attride compilation's "born about 1765" (S51) sits at the edge of that range.
  • His parents are unproven [?]. Only the Attride compilation makes him a son of Hugh Reed Sr. of Rowan County, North Carolina (d. bef. the end of 1786), and a James named at the 1786 sale of Hugh's estate is not thereby shown to be a son. The 1783 Rowan grant of 130 acres on Dutchmans Creek needs a man born by about 1762, so it, and perhaps the other Rowan entries, may belong to another James Reed. William Read "Malatta" (b. c. 1673) is likewise unproven as the root of this Reed family: Heinegg lists James and Stephen Reed of Ashe County only among the "other members of the Reed family" and does not trace their parents.
  • In the censuses: head of a free colored ("other free") household of six in Ashe Co NC, 1800; a household of eleven counted white there in 1810; a free colored man 45 or over in Clay Co KY, 1820. In 1830 (Clay Co KY, p. 172, re-read from the image on 26 September 2026; S65), James is the man aged 55-100 entered in the slave column, four young men of his household aged 10-24 are also in the slave columns, the one free colored man in the house is aged 24-36, and his wife, aged 50-60, is the one person counted white. Earlier versions of this file and of the origin-line addendum had James as the free colored man, which was a misreading. On the same page Hiram Collins and his wife Elizabeth are also entered in the slave columns, with their small son in the white column.
  • Where and when he died is open between two readings.
    • (A) He stayed in Clay County and died there c. 1841. This rests only on the Attride compilation's account of an 1841 Clay estate, appraised at about $800, with parts sold to "Mrs Reid," Samuel Reid and William Reid. Its source record has not been seen.
    • (B) He is the James Reed who moved from Clay to Morgan County, Indiana, in 1831 and bought the SW quarter of Section 17, Township 11 North, Range 1 East, near Martinsville (the purchase deed has not been seen). His will, signed on 19 July 1836, leaves 103 acres of that quarter, his home farm, to "my two sons," Elisha and John (James in one transcription), and refers to land conveyed to "my other sons." It was recorded on 6 January 1845 (Deed Book J, p. 522), so he had died by then (JoEllen Reed's notes give December 1845; the recording date is the better evidence). He is buried in Reed's Chapel Cemetery. In 1840 he heads a free colored household of seven there, and Hiram Collins heads a free colored household on the page after his (S67).
    • The Reed addendum leans to (B). It is not proven.
  • His wife was born c. 1770-80 and is the one person in the 1830 household counted white. Under (A) she is the "Mrs Reid" who bought part of his estate in 1841. Under (B) she is Susannah (a Morgan County land transfer names Naaman Reed as "son of James and Susannah"), alive in 1846, and the free colored woman aged 55-100 in the 1840 household fits her age. Her maiden name is unknown; the Hollingsworth name in online trees is unsupported.
  • His children, as the master tree now has them: Mary (proven by the consent note); Stephen, who married Nancy Powell on the day of Mary's wedding and witnessed her consent note (probable); Elizabeth, Hiram Collins's wife (probable); Benjamin, Tilford and Randolph (possible); Naaman, Elisha and John [or James] (reading B); Samuel and William (reading A); Sarah Reid, the mother of Bradley Collins's daughter Nancy [?]. Patsy Reed (m. James Hollinsworth 1822), listed in older passages as a daughter or candidate daughter, is more likely a daughter of Stephen Reed Jr.

The Reeds in Iowa

  • Tilford Reed was the first to reach Iowa, by about 1836. His son Harman was born in Iowa c. 1836 (1856 Appanoose County census, age about twenty). The residence figures the brothers gave in 1856 (Tilford 14 years, Benjamin 18) were round numbers from men asked how long they'd lived in a territory whose borders were still unsettled, and they understate Tilford's time. Older notes placing Tilford's arrival c. 1842, or saying Benjamin came first, are superseded. The 1840 census of Iowa Territory has "Tifford" Reed under "Van Buren, Iowa Territory," p. 282 (NARA M704, roll 102), with Benjamin two pages away (FamilySearch indexes them under other counties).

Later generations

  • Eli Woodruff Bruner d. 27 July 1879, Colorado City, Colorado, of rheumatic fever (1880 mortality schedule, Benton Co, Arkansas); buried with Masonic honors (Colorado Springs Gazette, 29 July 1879) in Evergreen Cemetery, Colorado Springs, Potters Field (Find a Grave 176564833).
  • 1880, Gothic, Gunnison Co, Colorado (28 June 1880, pp. 247-248): Emma Clifford, 26, housekeeper, with Orlando, Eli, and Jessie; E. G. Bruner, 20, blacksmith, enumerated alongside them. Older notes disagree on the line numbers and on which page ("same page, line 11" against "page 248, line 11"); settle it from the image if it ever matters.
  • Emma's Clifford children: Orlando Hines, b. 20 Oct 1873; Eli Woodrie, b. 25 Mar 1875; Jessie Lorene, b. 6 May 1876 (not c. 1874 and c. 1877).
  • 1920: Jessie heads her own household in Grays Harbor County, Washington, with her two sons, her mother Emma, and roomers, and is marked married, not widowed (file Mariah-Emma-Dunlap-Bruner-Census-1920.pdf). Not Seattle.
  • Richard Blackmer Holbrook Jr. d. 23 Sep 1923, Bismarck, Burleigh Co, North Dakota; cause unknown.
  • Richard Clifford Holbrook: 1940 census, associate engineer, U.S. Navy (a civilian post); at Pearl Harbor by 1941 (his line is struck through on the June 1941 USS Wharton manifest, so the family didn't sail); in the Seabees after the attack, a lieutenant by the family's account, remembered on Midway and later Guam; June 1949, Lucille and Frances to Guam on USS General George M. Randall; April 1950 census on Guam; the Navy's Fena dam, the likeliest "first dam on Guam," was completed in 1951 (Guampedia); family left Guam December 1951 on USNS General D. I. Sultan for the Naval Ammunition Depot at Shumaker, Arkansas; d. 30 Nov 1955, Hot Springs.
  • Harriet L. Holbrook, Frances's sister: b. Honolulu, 1941 or early 1942 (age eight on the USNS General Edwin D. Patrick manifest, arriving San Francisco 26 April 1950).
  • Spencer Collins is the soldier of Co. H, 46th Missouri Infantry, enlisted at Springfield 17 Aug 1864, killed in action 3 Nov 1864 at Vera Cruz, Missouri, and buried at Parsons Cemetery, Ozark Co. The muster card's age of 44 is a slip for 24, and no later record of any Spencer who could be ours turns up. Working hypothesis: he had joined distant Collins kin in that region (Parsons Cemetery is also the burial place of Isaiah "Cuppy" Collins, son of David Collins and Thompsey Posting, the Branch A family).
  • DNA (23andMe, Sub-Saharan African): Frances 2.1%; John Ellingwood 1.5% (older notes say 1.7%); John's sister 1.3%; Jordan's sister 1.2%; Jordan 0.5%. No Native American assignment in any test.

Statements in the book that still need a source

  • Adam Peter Bruner's service as a private in the Revolution.
  • "The county's marriage book for that year didn't survive to be filmed" (Appanoose County, 1850).
  • The obituary of Capt. Richard B. Holbrook Sr. (d. 1898) calling him "a man of absolute integrity."
  • Bradley's 1817 marriage to Jane Ray (see above).

Open leads, roughly in order of payoff

  1. Kegley's Militia: search Bowlin/Bolin/Bowling (the one name from the compilers' merged roster still unaccounted for), and Collins/Collens across the other oath lists of 1777-1779, where Meredith, George, David, or Lewis may have sworn before another justice.
  2. Montgomery County tithable and personal property lists, late 1770s to 1782: the household where a teenage Meredith first appears.
  3. Eula Conley's 1971 DAR application (no. 562294) and its twenty-five supporting documents, in the DAR archive.
  4. Court records of Margaret Ridley and Edward Buss (Bass?) in the Southside Virginia order books.
  5. The 1756 Granville grant to a William Reed on the Eno River: is he one of ours?
  6. Raw DNA from Grandmommie and John Ellingwood, phased, to see which side the eastern traces came from; an mtDNA test on a cousin descended in an unbroken female line from one of the Reed sisters; Y-DNA from a male-line descendant of Kalaska or Lloyd, or of Edward "Ned."
  7. For the living witness: whether the family stayed in Hawaii through the war; the sukiyaki dinner photograph (who and where); Richard's Seabee battalion book (unit and rank); Harriet's exact birth date.
  8. Jesse's and Mary Reed's graves (Appanoose County); Eli Bruner's Masonic lodge; Mr. Dunlap's first name; the cause of Richard Holbrook Jr.'s death at Bismarck.
  9. Carlson's dissertation (Dr. Richard Allen Carlson; title not yet identified).
  10. The Reed side (ranked in the Reed addendum, section 12): the 1850 Morgan County, Indiana, census pages around Naaman Reed's household, for James's widow Susannah, whose age would test reading (B) against the 1830 Clay wife; a letter to JoEllen Reed (Ancestry: joellenreed), who has a copy of the will; and one Morgan County records request for Deed Book J, p. 522 (the will as recorded) and the deed by which James bought the SW quarter of Section 17, which may say where he was living when he bought. The Morgan County deeds and probate for those years are on microfilm, not online.

Purpose of this file

This document compiles what is known from primary sources about the Collins and Reed ancestral lines converging on Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Collins (1827-1887), and about Mary Elizabeth's confirmed descendants through her daughter Mariah Emma Bruner (1853–1933). The investigation traces both families from their colonial Virginia origins through the Appalachian frontier to the American West.

The colonial origins: Thomas Collins and William Reed

Both the Collins and Reed families trace their mixed-race ancestry to colonial Virginia, documented by Paul Heinegg in Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina [S52].

Thomas Collins (b. c. 1700): Appeared in Louisa County, Virginia court in 1745. Sold 184 acres on Turkey Run in 1747. Listed as a "Molata" taxable on 3 Black tithes in Orange County, NC in 1755. Granted 700 acres on Dial's Creek of the Flat River, 13 October 1761 (Gv579; warrant of December 1760). Heinegg identifies him as the probable father of Samuel Collins.

Samuel Collins (b. c. 1724): Appeared in Louisa County, VA in 1745 (same court presentment as Thomas). Listed as a "Molata" taxable on 2 Black tithes in Orange County, NC in 1755. Probably the Samuel Collins in Wilkes County, NC in the 1787 state census. Heinegg groups the Wilkes and Ashe County Collins men (David, George, Martin, Valentine, Vardy, Ambrose, Charles, and others) as Samuel's "descendants." Meredith and Lewis Collins are not in Heinegg's list by name but appear on the same militia and tax lists as David.

The community these families came from (Louisa County, VA: Gibson, Bunch, Collins, Hall, Branham, Donathan) is the one Saponitown researchers connect to the Orange County, VA court of 27 January 1742/43 (1743 by the modern calendar), which described eleven men, a "John Collins" among them, as Indians. Heinegg's view is that the families descend from free or enslaved African men and white servant women in 17th-century Virginia. Both explanations may apply to the same community.

William Reed (b. c. 1673): A mixed-race child born to a white servant woman in Charles City County, Virginia. Called "Wm Read a Malatta" in Surry County in 1699. The Reed family spread through eastern North Carolina and Virginia, with a western branch (possibly through Hugh Reed Sr. of Rowan/Burke County, NC [?]) reaching Ashe County by 1800 and Clay County, Kentucky by 1820. [Revised 2026-09-27: neither the link from William to the Ashe County Reeds nor Hugh as James's father is proven; see READ THIS FIRST.]

The demoted branch (Branch A)

An earlier hypothesis traced Mary Elizabeth Collins through David Collins (m. Thompsey Posting, Rowan Co NC, 1772) → Solomon "Old Sol" Collins (b. 1789, m. Delilah Nichols 1812) → Jesse Collins. This branch was demoted because Jesse's 1804 birth predates Solomon's 1812 marriage, Solomon was in Indiana while Mary Elizabeth was born in Kentucky, and the Clay County marriage register places Jesse's 1827 marriage in Bradley Collins's community, not Solomon's.

The confirmed line (Branch B)

Thomas Collins "Molata" (c. 1700) → John Collins [or Samuel] → Meredith Collins (c. 1760) → Jesse Collins (c. 1804, m. Mary Reed 1827) → Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Collins (1827, m. Eli Woodruff Bruner 1850).

DNA evidence

DNA testing across three generations (five 23andMe tests) confirms the mixed-race ancestry:

  • Frances Fairchild Holbrook (Mary Elizabeth's great-great-granddaughter): 2.1% Sub-Saharan African (chromosomes 7, 11, 13, 10)
  • John Ellingwood (Frances's son): 1.5%
  • John's sister: 1.3%
  • Jordan's sister: 1.2%
  • Jordan Ellingwood (John's son): 0.5%
  • No Native American ancestry detected, despite family lore. Mary Elizabeth's photograph shows darker complexion. The DNA points to Sub-Saharan African ancestry, consistent with the "Molata" and "Malatta" designations in colonial records.

1. Biographical timeline

Date Event Source
c. 1760 Born, Virginia (calculated from age at enlistment) S1
1776 Enlisted at age 16; the family's record (Blackburn, Conley) names David, George, and Lewis Collins with him but gives no place, and Lewis was then in South Carolina S1, S2
Undated (after 1777) In Capt. James McDaniel's Company (Kegley, Militia, pp. 23-24), on the line beside Lewis, with David and George Collins; still in McDaniel's company at the court martial of 23 April 1783 S2
1799 On the Upper District Russell County, Virginia tax list as a tithable S3
1799–1809 Russell County, VA tax rolls continuously S1, S3
by 1810 In Floyd County, Kentucky (1810 census) S4
18 May 1816 Purchased 50 acres on Shelby Creek, Floyd Co KY, from Richard Damron for $100 S5
29 Jan 1818 Named as a corner holder in adjacent Floyd Co deed (Morgan heirs to Booker Mullins) S6
c. 1821 Pike County formed from Floyd; Meredith's land is now in Pike without any physical move —
Feb 1826 Petitioned Pike County Court for a road survey from near Isham Hall's field to Edmond Clark's S7
14 Sep 1827 Sold land in Pike Co to Harrison Newsom for $500 S8
27 Jan 1829 Exempted from Pike County tax "in future" (age-related) S9
Mar 1829 Named with Milly Johnson in Pike County Court order to show cause why their children should not be bound out; George Collins & Patsy Kirk and Martin Collins & Mary Collins named in the same order S10
Jun 1829 Commonwealth v. Meredy Collins: court ordered his child (son of Milly Johnson, age ~11, born ~1818) to be bound out S11
1830 On the 1830 Pike County census, page 366; George Collins appears on the same page S12
1831 Three parcels listed on Pike Co tax roll (50 + 50 + 80 acres on Shelby Creek area), but no poll tax (exempted) S13
1838 Described as a "poor man"; Richard P. Robinson appointed his overseer; accused his sons of stealing his land S1
1841 Died, Pike County, Kentucky S1

War of 1812: a namesake, not our Meredith

The NARA General Index Card for a Meredith Collins, Private, 2nd Regiment of Mounted Gunmen (Williamson's), Tennessee Volunteers (War of 1812), belongs to a namesake: our Meredith was about fifty-two and living in Floyd County, Kentucky. Don't use it. [S14]

2. Known and probable family members

Wives and partners

Name Relationship Evidence Source
Unknown first wife Wife; mother of Bradley and possibly others Per Eula Conley's account S1
Polly (Margaret?) Holloway Second wife, b. c. 1780, married c. 1799 (Eula Conley's DAR application, no. 562294), died before 1840, probably c. 1812 Per Conley and compiled sources S1
Milly Johnson Partner (late life); had at least one child with Meredith Named in March 1829 court order and June 1829 court ruling S10, S11

Children

Children are listed from three categories: (a) the Eula Conley list as cited in secondary sources, (b) Pike County tax lists, and (c) court records. Where a child appears in more than one category, all are noted.

Name Birth year Evidence Notes
Bradley Collins 1786/87, Wilkes Co NC Conley list; Pike Co tax lists (50 acres, Shelby Creek, 1829); 1850 census Appanoose Co IA Confirmed son. Married Jane Ray 1817, then three more wives in Clay Co KY. Son Andrew (b. 1811 Russell Co VA) was in Center Twp, Appanoose Co IA in 1850, same township as the Bruner family. Jesse's widow and children were in Wells Township of the same county, and Mary Elizabeth married Eli Bruner there in 1850.
Reuben Collins — Conley list No records found in these documents.
Edward "Ned" Collins — Conley list Family story (Harold Talbot, Vernice Trimble) says Edward was "half Indian," Meredith having married an Indian woman in an Indian ceremony. Recorded as story only.
John W. Collins — Conley list No records found in these documents.
Archibald Collins c. 1800 Conley list; Pike Co tax lists (no land, $50–$60 valuation) Appears on tax lists 1825–1831.
James Collins c. 1804 Conley list; Pike Co tax lists (no land) On tax lists. James and Jesse were different sons of Polly Holloway; Jesse (c. 1804) was Mary Elizabeth's father.
William Collins 13 Apr 1806, Russell Co VA Conley list; Eula Conley's DAR application (no. 562294) Son of Polly Holloway.
Jesse Collins c. 1804 Strong evidence; no birth record Son of Polly Holloway; Bradley's half-brother; Mary Elizabeth's father. Married Mary Reed, Clay Co KY, 13 Dec 1827.
Hiram Collins c. 1804-06 Witness to Jesse's 1827 license Son of Polly Holloway. Married Elizabeth Reed, Clay Co KY, 8 Dec 1829.
George Collins — Pike Co tax lists (no land, $25 valuation); March 1829 binding-out order (with Patsy Kirk); 1830 census same page as Meredith NOT on the Conley list. Grouped with Meredith in the March 1829 court order, strongly suggesting a family relationship.
Martin Collins — March 1829 binding-out order (with Mary Collins) NOT on the Conley list. Grouped with Meredith and George in the same court order.
Son of Milly Johnson c. 1818 June 1829 court ruling describes child as "son of Milly Johnson, aged about eleven years" Child apparently took the mother's surname. Bound out by order of the court.

Griffin Collins Sr. (c. 1773-1851): brother or cousin, not son

An earlier hypothesis placed Griffin Collins as a possible son of Meredith. Review of the full document set (six primary sources spanning 1795–1860) has revised this. Griffin is now understood as a brother, half-brother, or cousin of Meredith, both descending from Thomas Collins; whether they were brothers or cousins depends on Meredith's father, still open between John and Samuel.

FamilySearch lists Griffin Collins Sr. (b. 1773, d. 1851, Russell, Virginia) with a father named Samuel Collins and a wife named Martha Rose (also called "Massie"), with seven children. A Griffin Collins Jr. (b. 1796, Wilkes, NC; d. 1866, Johnson, KY; m. Matilda Mackey) is listed separately. The documents below pertain to Griffin Sr. unless otherwise noted.

What the documents show

1795 Wilkes County, NC tax list [S21]: Griffin Collins appears with 1 poll and 50 acres. On the same list: Collins David (1 poll, 100 acres) and Collins Valentine (1 poll). Gibson Isaac also appears. This places Griffin alongside David and Valentine Collins in Wilkes County, firmly within the New River Collins family group, alongside the Gibson family that Heinegg documents as part of the same Louisa County, VA origin community.

1830 census, Grainger County, Tennessee, page 325 [S22]: "Griffin Collins Senr" appears as a head of household under "FREE WHITE PERSONS." The "Senr" designation confirms a Griffin Collins Jr. was already present. Lee Collins appears immediately below him. Tinsley Reed appears on the same page.

1840 census, Grainger County, Tennessee [S23]: Griffin Collins appears as a head of household. Joseph Collins and Morgan Collins also appear on the same page. Enumerated under "FREE WHITE PERSONS."

1850 census, Russell County, Virginia, 5th District, page 323 [S24]: This is the most detailed record. Family 129/1129:

Name Age Sex Occupation Birthplace
Griffin Collins 77 M None North Carolina
Massie [Collins] 77 F — North Carolina
Nancy Robinson 50 F — North Carolina
Betsy Collins 33 F — North Carolina

Next household (Family 130/1130): Rial Collins, 38, M, Laborer, born Tennessee (likely a son of Griffin); Emeline, 25, F, born Tennessee; Patsey, 1, F, born Russell Co VA.

Two families earlier (Family 127/1127): Alexander Collins, 34, M, Laborer, born Tennessee (possibly another son of Griffin); Elizabeth, 28, F, born Tennessee; and four children all born Tennessee.

Griffin's age of 77 in November 1850 puts his birth at c. 1773. He died three months later, on 16 February 1851 [S15]. His wife "Massie" is Martha Massie Rose Collins.

Nancy Robinson (50, born NC) may be a married daughter. Betsy Collins (33, born NC) may be a daughter or daughter-in-law. Rial Collins (born Tennessee) and Alexander Collins (born Tennessee) were likely born during Griffin's Grainger County years.

1857 widow's pension deposition, Grainger County, TN court records [S15]: Martha Collins (née Rose), about 75 (born c. 1782), living in Wise County, Virginia, declared herself the widow of Griffin Collins, a War of 1812 private under Captain Richardson in Col. Samuel Bunch's regiment. Griffin was drafted at Thorn Hill, Grainger County, Tennessee, c. 1814 for six months. They married in Ashe County, North Carolina. Griffin obtained an 80-acre land warrant under the act of 18 September 1837.

1860 census, Wise County, Virginia, page 66 [S25]: Family 434/434: Martha Collins, 90, F, Housekeeper, personal estate $20, marked "Pauper." In her household: Nancy (55, F, born NC) and Elizabeth (40, F). Next household: Riley Collins (38, M, Farmer). The age of 90 puts her birth at c. 1770, which conflicts with the 1857 deposition (born c. 1782) and the 1850 census (born c. 1773). Ages for elderly people in this era are frequently inconsistent. Martha was living as a pauper in Wise County, consistent with the pension application.

Why Griffin is Meredith's brother or cousin, not his son

If Griffin was born c. 1773 (per the 1850 census, age 77) and Meredith was born c. 1760, the gap is only 13 years. A 13-year-old father is technically possible but implausible. The sibling interpretation is far more likely.

Additional evidence favoring a sibling relationship:

  • In 1795, Griffin had his own poll tax listing in Wilkes County, NC, alongside David and Valentine Collins. By this time Meredith was already heading toward Russell County, VA (he appears on the Russell tax rolls by 1799). A 22-year-old son would typically follow his father; a younger brother establishing his own household would not.
  • FamilySearch assigns Griffin to "Samuel Collins" as father. Heinegg places most of the New River Collins men under Samuel Collins of Orange/Wilkes County (b. c. 1724), though Lewis is recorded as John's son. If Samuel fathered Griffin at age ~49, that is late but plausible. This would make Griffin a younger son of Samuel, and Meredith's brother only if Samuel, not John, was Meredith's father.
  • Griffin's marriage in Ashe County, NC (border of Wilkes/Grayson) places him in the New River community from which all these men originated.

Martha Rose: Griffin's wife, not Meredith's

The documentary evidence is unambiguous: Martha Rose was Griffin Collins Sr.'s wife. She is named as his widow in the 1857 pension deposition, and she appears as "Massie" in his household on the 1850 Russell County census. Any FamilySearch tree that connects Martha Rose to Meredith Collins is a misattribution. Meredith's documented wives/partners were his unknown first wife, Polly Holloway, and Milly Johnson.

The 1830 Grainger County census: Griffin, Larkin, and Levi classified as Free Colored

The second page of the 1830 Grainger County, Tennessee census (not initially indexed on FamilySearch) reveals that the free white columns for Griffin Sr., Larkin Collins, and Levi Collins are deliberately zeroed, with all household members counted on the right side as Free Colored Persons:

Larkin Collins (Total: 7, all Free Colored):

Category Count
FC Male under 10 1
FC Male 10-24 2
FC Male 24-36 1
FC Female under 10 2
FC Female 24-36 1

Griffin Collins Sr. (Total: 7, all Free Colored):

Category Count Notes
Slave Male 55-100 1 → 0 Initially marked 1, corrected to 0
FC Male under 10 2
FC Male 55-100 1 Griffin himself (~57)
FC Female under 10 2
FC Female 10-24 1
FC Female 24-36 1

Levi Collins (Total: 5, all Free Colored):

Category Count
FC Male under 10 1
FC Male 24-36 1
FC Female under 10 2
FC Female 24-36 1

The enumerator's correction on Griffin (initially slave, corrected to free colored) mirrors the 1820 Floyd County pattern where Bradley's household was initially classified as white, then reclassified. Different enumerators, different states, the same hesitation.

Larkin Collins is a previously unrecorded member of the New River Collins family, listed between Griffin Sr. and Levi. His FC Male 24-36 (born c. 1794-1806) places him in Bradley's generation. Levi Collins (FC male 24-36, so born c. 1794-1806) is not one of Meredith's known sons; there is no Levi on the Conley list.

Racial classification comparison across all known censuses

Year Location Person Classification Corrections
1810 Floyd Co, KY Meredith All free white (10 people) None
1820 Floyd Co, KY Bradley Colored/Slave (6 total) White → Colored
1820 Floyd Co, KY Meredith Colored/Slave (7 total) None (never attempted white)
1830 Clay Co, KY Bradley White, no colored None
1830 Pike Co, KY Meredith White (3 people) None
1830 Grainger Co, TN Griffin Sr. Free Colored (7 total) Slave → Free Colored
1830 Grainger Co, TN Larkin Free Colored (7 total) None
1830 Grainger Co, TN Levi Free Colored (5 total) None
1850 Russell Co, VA Griffin Sr. White ("Free Inhabitants") None
1850 Russell Co, VA Griffin Jr. White ("Free Inhabitants") None
1850 Appanoose Co, IA Bradley/Andrew White None
1850 Appanoose Co, IA Mary Reed Collins Mulatto None

The same extended family is classified as white, free colored, or mulatto depending on who is doing the counting and where. In Kentucky (1830), Bradley and Meredith pass as white. In Tennessee (1830), Griffin, Larkin, and Levi are free colored. By 1850, most are back to white, but Mary Reed Collins is mulatto. The family's racial identity was genuinely ambiguous to outsiders, consistent with descent from Thomas Collins "Molata" (1755).

Relevance to the Mary Elizabeth Collins investigation

Griffin Sr. is now understood as a member of the same New River Collins generation as Meredith, not as Meredith's descendant. His family trajectory (Wilkes NC → Grainger TN → Russell VA) is parallel to but separate from Meredith's (Wilkes NC → Russell VA → Floyd/Pike KY). Griffin's line is not currently a candidate for Mary Elizabeth's ancestry. However, his documented presence alongside David and Valentine Collins in the 1795 Wilkes County tax list is important corroborating evidence that all these men belong to the same extended family.

3. The 1810 census household

The 1810 census for Meredith Collins (indexed by FamilySearch as Harrison County, KY, but the page content and surrounding names are consistent with Floyd County) shows the following household [S4]:

Category Count
Males 45+ 1 (Meredith himself, age ~50)
Males 10–15 2
Males under 10 4
Females 26-44 1
Females 16-25 1
Females 10-15 1

Per the Conley list, the sons born by 1810 would be Bradley (23, likely on his own), Reuben, Edward, John W., Archibald (10), James (6), and William (4). Archibald falls in the 10-15 bracket; James and William account for two of the four males under 10. The other two are Jesse (c. 1804) and Hiram (c. 1804-06), Polly Holloway's sons.

4. The 1820 census household

The 1820 census (indexed by FamilySearch as Franklin County, KY, but the surrounding names, including William Mays and Harrison Mayo, place it in Floyd County) shows two Collins entries appearing consecutively [S16]:

  1. "Bradley Collins"
  2. "Meridith Collins"

Critical note: The Meridith Collins entry appears to have marks in the far-right columns of the census form. In the 1820 census format, these columns include "Free Colored Persons" (by age and sex) and "Slaves." The image quality does not allow a confident reading of which specific columns contain entries. [Verified 13 Sept 2026, Section 9.8: both households are entered in the free colored and slave columns.]

5. The 1830 census

"Meredy Collins" appears on page 366 of the 1830 Pike County census, enumerated in the division allotted to John Burns [S12]. The entry is sparse, consistent with an elderly man (age ~70) with perhaps only a wife. George Collins appears on the same page.

The census schedule is headed "FREE WHITE PERSONS, (INCLUDING HEADS OF FAMILIES)." Meredith was enumerated under this heading, not under "Free Colored Persons."

6. Tax records: what they show and what they don't

What they show

Across the Pike County tax lists from c. 1823 to 1831, Meredith consistently held land on Shelby Creek under Preston warrants/patents. By 1831, he had three parcels totaling approximately 180 acres. His property valuations ranged from $150 to $525 depending on the year.

Other Collins men appearing alongside him on the same lists (George, James, Archibald, and later Bradley) held little or no land of their own, suggesting they were younger family members who had not yet acquired property or were landless.

What they don't show

The tax lists include a column labeled "Total Blacks" (and in some years, "Blacks over 10"). No entries appear in these columns for any of the Collins households. This means Meredith and his sons did not own slaves.

However, these columns count enslaved persons (and possibly free Black dependents) for tax purposes. They do not indicate the taxpayer's own racial identity. A free man of mixed-race heritage who was the head of household would appear as the taxpayer, not as a "Black" in someone else's column. The absence of entries tells us about slaveholding, not about Meredith's ancestry.

7. The court records: poverty and binding out

The March 1829 and June 1829 Pike County Court records [S10, S11] are among the most genealogically revealing documents in this set.

March 1829: the collective order

A subpoena was issued ordering multiple individuals to appear at the next May term to show cause why their children should not be bound out. Among those named were three Collins households listed together:

George Collins & Patsy Kirk, Martin Collins & Mary Collins, Meredy Collins and Milly Johnson

Binding-out was a court-ordered apprenticeship for children whose parents were deemed too poor to support them. That three Collins households appeared in the same proceeding strongly suggests they were kin. Other families named in the same order include Newsom, Mullins, Potter, Cantrell, Elswick, Belcher, and Adkins, all common Pike County names.

June 1829: the ruling

The Commonwealth brought suit against Meredy Collins to bind out his child. The court ruled the child should be bound out by James Honaker, clerk of the court. The child is described as a boy, the son of Milly Johnson, about eleven years of age (born c. 1818).

This confirms that Meredith fathered a child with Milly Johnson. The child carried the mother's surname, which was common in situations where the parents were not formally married, where the mother was of a different racial status, or where the father was significantly older and the mother's family was more present.

Context

Binding-out proceedings disproportionately targeted mixed-race free families in Appalachia, though they were also used against poor white families. The pattern here, three related Collins households all too poor to keep their children, combined with the New River Collins family's documented mixed-race origins (Thomas Collins "Molata" 1755, Samuel Collins "Molata" 1755; see Purpose section above), is circumstantially consistent with the economic marginalization that mixed-race free families experienced. It is not proof of racial identity on its own.

9. Key deductions and inferences

9.0 Jesse Collins's parentage and identity

Jesse Collins married Mary Reed on December 13, 1827 in Clay County, Kentucky [S45]. His birth year of c. 1804 places him in the generation of Meredith Collins's younger children through his second wife, Margaret "Polly" Holloway (b. c. 1780, married c. 1799, died before 1840, probably c. 1812). Her children were Archibald (c. 1800), James, Jesse (c. 1804), William (13 Apr 1806, Russell Co VA), and Hiram (c. 1804-06); Edward "Ned," John W., and Reuben rest on the Conley list alone. Jesse at 1804 fits directly into this sequence.

Jesse and James are not standard nicknames for each other. The Clay County marriage register clearly writes "Jesse Collins." The Conley list's "James Collins, b. 1804" is a different person from Jesse: a James Collins married Martha Ann Cotton in Clay County on July 24, 1839, twelve years after Jesse's marriage [S45]. Jesse and James were brothers, both sons of Meredith through Polly.

In the 1810 census, Meredith's household contains 4 males under 10 (born c. 1800-1810). Jesse, born c. 1804, would be about 6 and is one of these four boys. He would have been about 8 years old when his mother Polly died c. 1812.

Jesse was Meredith's son by Polly Holloway, not Bradley's, which makes him Bradley's half-brother; the chain Meredith > Bradley > Jesse is withdrawn. The evidence: (a) Jesse's birth year fits the Polly children sequence; (b) a 17-year-old father in 1804 is possible but uncommon; (c) the 1810 census shows Jesse-aged boys in Meredith's household, not Bradley's (Bradley had already left).

9.05 The naming pattern: Mary Elizabeth and Elizabeth Reed

Mary Elizabeth Collins (b. c. 1827) was likely named after her mother Mary Reed and her aunt Elizabeth Reed, who married Hiram Collins in 1828-29. The name "Polly" (her lifelong nickname) may additionally honor her grandmother Margaret "Polly" Holloway, Meredith's wife. Her sister Delilah Susan Collins (b. October 1828) also reflects naming within the extended family. The multigenerational naming pattern reinforces the family connections.

9.06 DNA analysis: estimating Mary Elizabeth's non-European ancestry

Each generation, non-European ancestry approximately halves when the other parent is fully European. Frances Holbrook is 5 generations from Mary Elizabeth:

If Mary Elizabeth was... Mariah Emma (gen 2) Jessie Clifford (gen 3) Richard C. Holbrook (gen 4) Frances Holbrook (gen 5)
30% 15% 7.5% 3.75% 1.9%
33-35% 16-17.5% 8-8.75% 4-4.4% ~2.1% ✓
40% 20% 10% 5% 2.5%
50% 25% 12.5% 6.25% 3.1%

Frances's measured 2.1% Sub-Saharan African points to Mary Elizabeth being roughly 33-35% non-European. This is higher than a simple quarter (25%) because both parents carried mixed-race ancestry:

  • Jesse Collins carried Collins line heritage from Thomas Collins "Molata" (1755). Through several generations of intermarriage within the mixed-race community (Collins families marrying Reed families rather than fully European partners), Jesse was likely ~10-15% non-European.
  • Mary Reed was listed as mulatto in 1850, suggesting roughly 40-60% non-European. Her father James Reed was counted as free colored in 1800, white in 1810 and free colored in 1820; in 1830 he was entered in the slave column, with his wife counted white.
  • Mary Elizabeth Collins = roughly (12% + 50%) / 2 ≈ 31-35%

This estimate is consistent with both the genealogical evidence and the DNA measurement.

9.07 Jesse and Mary's family: migration, dissolution, and dispersal

The migration route (corrected from 1850 census birthplaces)

Close examination of the 1850 Wells Township census handwriting [S48] reveals the following birthplaces for Mary Collings and her children. The enumerator's abbreviations were matched against clear examples elsewhere on the same page (Ky for Kentucky, Ia/Ind for Indiana, do for ditto, Mo for Missouri).

Child Age in 1850 Born approx. Birthplace Notes
Mary Elizabeth — c. 1827 KY Not in this household (married Eli Bruner 1850). KY from later censuses.
Delilah Susan — c. 1828 KY Not in this household. Per FamilySearch.
Matilda 20 c. 1830 Ind (Indiana) Enumerator wrote "Ia" which matches his Indiana abbreviation
Reuben 16 c. 1834 do (ditto = Indiana) Listed as Farmer. At 16, running the family farm.
Lloyd 14 c. 1836 do (ditto = Indiana)
Kalaska 12 c. 1838 Ill (Illinois) Later served 118th Illinois Infantry, Union Army [S screenshot]
Spencer 10 c. 1840 Mo (Missouri) 1856 census erroneously says "North Carolina." Missouri confirmed here.
Mary Reed Collins 46 c. 1804 Va (Virginia) Listed as mulatto. Cannot read or write. Birthplace consistent with Reed family's Virginia/NC border origins.

Spencer's "North Carolina" birthplace on the 1856 census is resolved as an enumerator error. The 1850 census clearly shows Missouri. Spencer was 14 in 1856 with both parents dead; he likely didn't know his own birthplace accurately.

The corrected migration route:

Period Location Evidence Significance
1827-1828 Clay County, KY Mary Elizabeth and Delilah born KY; Jesse married Mary Reed there Dec 1827 Jesse and Mary in the Collins-Reed community
c. 1830-1836 Indiana Matilda, Reuben, and Lloyd born Indiana The Bruner family was also in Indiana. Eli Woodruff Bruner was born there. This may be where the Collins and Bruner families first met.
c. 1838 Illinois Kalaska born Illinois Family passing through
c. 1840 Missouri (probably St. Louis area) Spencer born Missouri. Probable match: J. Collins in St. Ferdinand Township, St. Louis Co, 1840 census. Bradley Collins also in Missouri by 1840.
1840-1847 Missouri, then Iowa No confirmed records. Jesse dies 1847 (per FamilySearch, location unknown). The family seems to have been farming in Appanoose County by the time Jesse died in 1847.
By 1850 Appanoose County, IA Mary Collings (46, mulatto) in Wells Township with 5 children. Bradley/Andrew Collins in Center Township. Hickman Bruner in Center Township. The family had turned north to Iowa by the mid-1840s, near Tilford Reed (in Iowa by about 1836) and Benjamin Reed (by 1838), possibly Mary's brothers.

The Indiana overlap with the Bruners (REVISED). Jesse and Mary's family was in Indiana from roughly 1830 to 1836 (Matilda, Reuben, Lloyd born there). The Bruner family was in adjacent Daviess/Martin counties during the same period (Eli born c. 1827, confirmed in Daviess County 1830 and Martin County 1840). However, the 1840 Martin County census rules out Mary Elizabeth Collins living in the Bruner household: Hickman Bruner's household contains exactly 6 people, all his own family, with no extra females. There is no confirmed evidence that the Collins-Reed and Bruner families knew each other in Indiana. They had similar migration routes (Kentucky → Indiana → Illinois/Missouri → Iowa) and converged in Appanoose County in the mid-to-late 1840s, where they became neighbors and the 1850 marriage took place.

The family after Jesse's death (1847)

Reuben Collins, age 13 at his father's death, stepped up. By the 1850 census, he is listed as a Farmer at age 16, the only person in the household with an occupation. His mother Mary (46) and sister Matilda (20) are keeping house. Lloyd (14), Kalaska (12), and Spencer (10) are helping but not listed with occupations. The enumerator wrote "do" (ditto for Farmer) for Reuben, linking his occupation to the entry above, meaning he is running an actual farming operation at 16.

Jesse died in 1847 when Reuben was only 13. He likely assumed his father's responsibilities immediately, farming to support his widowed mother, his older sister Matilda, and three younger brothers. No property is listed (no real or personal estate value), so they were probably renting or sharecropping. The entire household is illiterate.

The dissolution after Mary's death (c. 1852)

When Mary died c. 1852, the children's ages were: Matilda (22), Reuben (18), Lloyd (16), Kalaska (14), Spencer (12). The three oldest were old enough to be independent. The two youngest needed care.

By the 1856 Iowa State Census (Wells Township), only Spencer Collins (14, mulatto, listed as born "North Carolina" in error) remains, living with the Hendon family; Eliza Collins (20, mulatto, Kentucky) was recorded separately. The older siblings have scattered:

Child Age in 1856 Known whereabouts
Mary Elizabeth ~29 Indiana with Eli Bruner (Illinois by 1857, Missouri by 1859)
Delilah Susan ~27 Missouri (married George Herman/Harman in Schuyler County, MO, 1851, died 1899). By 1860 in South Fork Township, Wayne County, Iowa (borders Appanoose to the west), age 30, with husband George (40) and children. 1870-1880 in Buchanan Township, Sullivan County, Missouri. Stayed within 100 miles of the Appanoose network her whole life.
Matilda ~26 Later in northern Missouri; died at Kirksville
Reuben ~22 Still unaccounted for
Lloyd ~20 Later found in Kansas (daughter Clary born there c. 1866), then Vernon County, Missouri by 1880 (married Mary from Alabama, 3 children)
Kalaska ~18 Schuyler County, Missouri (married Margaret King Aug 24, 1862 in a double wedding; Catherine Collins married Samuel Swinney same day, officiated by Richard A. Collins, M.G.). Enlisted weeks later in 118th Illinois Infantry, Company E; served through the Vicksburg campaign and came home to Margaret to raise a family.
Spencer ~14 Wells Township, taken in by the Hendon family (mulatto household, landowners). Enlisted 17 Aug 1864 at Springfield in Co. H, 46th Missouri Infantry; killed in action 3 Nov 1864 at Vera Cruz, Missouri; buried at Parsons Cemetery, Ozark Co.

Without property, without literacy, and without parents, the children went where they could find work or family. The farm Reuben was running in 1850 apparently couldn't be sustained. Kalaska made his way to Illinois, Spencer was taken in by the Hendon family (a mulatto household with a farmer and blacksmith) in Wells Township, and the others dispersed into the broader Midwest.

The brothers in the Civil War

The two youngest brothers, Kalaska and Spencer, both enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War, fighting from different states:

  • Kalaska Collins: Private, Company E, 118th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (organized Camp Butler, Springfield, IL, 1862). Served in the Vicksburg campaign and operations in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas.
  • Spencer Collins: 46th Missouri Infantry (Union), enlisted 1864.

The significance of their service runs deep. Their family had originated in Virginia and North Carolina, well south of the Mason-Dixon line, in communities where their ancestors were classified as "Molata," "free colored," and "mulatto" across seven generations. Their grandfather Meredith had seen a son bound out by the court, their mother was listed as mulatto, and their grandfather James Reed was counted as free colored in 1800. The family had made their way along the border between slave states and free territory, finally clearing just north of the Mason-Dixon line in Appanoose County, Iowa, on the Missouri border.

And then two brothers, orphaned as children, enlisted to fight for the Union and the emancipation of enslaved people. They served from different states because the family had been scattered by poverty after their parents' deaths. Spencer was killed in action at Vera Cruz, Missouri, on 3 November 1864 and is buried at Parsons Cemetery, Ozark County; Kalaska came home from the Vicksburg campaign and raised a family. They were two mixed-race men from a family that census takers could never quite categorize, fighting in a war over the very question of who was free and who was not.

The 1840 census: J. Collins in St. Ferdinand Township, St. Louis, Missouri

A J. Collins appears on the 1840 census in St. Ferdinand Township, St. Louis County, Missouri. The household:

Category Count Possible match
Males under 5 3 Lloyd (~4), Kalaska (~2), Spencer (newborn) ✓
Males 5-10 1 Reuben (~6) ✓
Males 30-40 1 Jesse (~36) ✓
Females under 5 1 Unknown (possibly an unlisted daughter who died young)
Females 5-10 1 Matilda (~10, borderline)
Females 20-30 1 Mary Reed (~36, undercounted by one bracket)

The male side is a strong match. The female side has discrepancies: Mary Elizabeth (~13) and Delilah Susan (~12) are missing from the household, and Mary Reed's age bracket is low. The older daughters may have been living with relatives in Indiana or working as household help elsewhere, which was common for girls aged 12-13 in this era. St. Ferdinand Township is in eastern Missouri, exactly where a family entering from Illinois would arrive. This is a probable but not definitive match for Jesse Collins.

If this IS our Jesse, the migration route refines to: Clay County, KY → Indiana → Illinois → St. Louis area, Missouri (1840) → Appanoose County, Iowa (by 1845-46).

9.1 The Conley list is incomplete

Eula Conley's list of Meredith's sons (Bradley, Reuben, Edward, John W., Archibald, James, William) does not include George or Martin, both of whom appear to be family members from the court records. It also does not include Griffin (a brother or cousin, not a son). The list likely reflects one oral tradition or compiled genealogy that captured some but not all of Meredith's children, though it spans both of his first two wives (Bradley by the first, the rest by Polly Holloway) and omits Jesse and Hiram.

9.2 Jesse Collins confirmed (RESOLVED)

The "Jesse or James" question has been resolved. The Clay County, Kentucky General Index to Marriages [S45] records the marriage of Jesse Collins and Mary Reed on December 13, 1827. Jesse is a real, documented person, not a tree fiction. He married in the same county where Bradley Collins had his multiple documented marriages, and his children ended up in Appanoose County, Iowa, with Bradley's family.

The Conley list's "James Collins, b. 1804" may be a different person. A James Collins married Martha Ann Cotton in Clay County on July 24, 1839 (from the same marriage register), twelve years after Jesse's marriage. Jesse and James were brothers, both sons of Meredith by Polly Holloway.

9.3 Mary Elizabeth's parentage (RESOLVED)

Jesse Collins and Mary Reed are confirmed as Mary Elizabeth Collins's parents. The evidence:

  1. Clay County marriage register (December 13, 1827): Jesse Collins married Mary Reed, with a later note beside Mary's name in the general index tying her to James [S45]; James Read's own consent note to the clerk (25 November 1827) confirms he was her father.
  2. 1850 Appanoose County census: Mary Collings (Mary Reed Collins), age 46, listed as mulatto, living in Wells Township with children Matilda, Reuben, Lloyd, Calaska, and Spencer, all also mulatto [S48]. Jesse died in 1847; she is his widow.
  3. Nancy Williams death certificate (1909): Names Bradley Collins as father and Sarah Reid as mother [S47]. Sarah Reid was Bradley's partner, and the Reed/Reid surname connects both sides of the family.
  4. DNA evidence: 2.1% Sub-Saharan African in Frances Holbrook (5 generations from Mary Elizabeth) is consistent with Mary Elizabeth being roughly 25-35% non-European, which fits a daughter of Jesse Collins (carrying Collins mixed-race ancestry) and Mary Reed (listed as mulatto).

Bradley Collins is Mary Elizabeth's half-uncle, not her father as hypothesized in Section 9.7 or her grandfather as proposed later. The earlier hypothesis was based on Bradley's 1830 household containing daughters the right age. The actual relationship is: Meredith → Jesse → Mary Elizabeth, with Jesse as Meredith's son by Polly Holloway and Bradley's half-brother. Jesse married in Clay County where his half-brother Bradley lived, and the families converged on Appanoose County.

9.4 Racial designation: comprehensive evidence now documented

The 1820 census question has been verified and the results are extraordinary. Far from having "no direct evidence," the records now show a consistent pattern of mixed-race classification across both the Collins and Reed families:

Collins family racial classifications:

  • 1755: Thomas Collins listed as "Molata" on the Orange County, NC tax list of 1755 (Heinegg) [S52]
  • 1810: Meredith's Floyd County household counted as all free white, zero slaves
  • 1820: Meredith's and Bradley's Floyd County households classified as free colored and slave (Bradley's initially marked white, then crossed out and reclassified) [S49]
  • 1830: Bradley and Meredith classified as white in Kentucky; Griffin Sr., Larkin, and Levi classified as free colored in Tennessee (Griffin initially marked slave, corrected to free colored)
  • 1850: Bradley and Andrew classified as white in Iowa; Mary Reed Collins classified as mulatto in Iowa [S48]

Reed family racial classifications:

  • 1673: William Reed born as "a mixed-race child born to a white servant woman," called "Wm Read a Malatta" in 1699 (Heinegg) [S52]
  • 1800: James Reed's household counted as free colored ("other free") in Ashe County, NC [S51]
  • 1810: James Reed listed as white in Ashe County (same person, different enumerator)
  • 1820: James Reed listed as "free colored male 45+" in Clay County, KY [S51]
  • 1830: James Reid entered in the slave column (aged 55-100) in Clay County, KY, with four young men of his household also in the slave columns, one free colored man aged 24-36, and his wife counted white [S65]
  • 1840 (reading B only): James Reed's household of seven in Morgan County, IN, all free colored, including a woman aged 55-100 who fits his wife [S67]
  • 1850: Mary Reed Collins listed as "mulatto" with all children also mulatto in Appanoose County, IA [S48]

Both families occupied the ambiguous space between white and black throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Their classification shifted depending on the enumerator, the location, and the decade. The evidence is now overwhelming and documented from primary sources across 175 years.

9.5 The 1850 Appanoose County census: mapping the Collins presence

The 1850 federal census for Appanoose County, Iowa, enumerated in November 1850 by Samuel T. Caldwell, reveals four Collins households spread across three townships (Mary Collings's household in Wells Township, enumerated 3 December 1850, is detailed in Section 9.8), plus a young Collins man boarding with another family. Together with the Burner (Bruner) household, these entries establish the community from which Mary Elizabeth Collins married into the Bruner family.

Center Township (Division: Center 3), pages 31B–34B

William Collins (page 31B, line 28): Age 17, M, born KY, occupation "None." Living with the McClure family (Family 29), not in his own household. A young Collins man from Kentucky, possibly a laborer, relative, or boarder.

Burner (Bruner) family (page 32, Family 37/37):

Name Age Sex Occupation Value Birthplace
Hickman Burner 45 M Farmer $400 KY
Sarah 47 F — — KY
Adam 15 M Farmer — IN
Absalom 12 M — — IN
Sarah 9 F — — IN
David M 4 M — — IL

This is Henry Hickman Bruner and Sarah Ann Bridges, Eli Woodruff Bruner's parents. "Burner" is a phonetic spelling of Bruner; by later censuses the family is consistently "Bruner." Eli himself does not appear because he had already married Mary Elizabeth Collins and established his own household (enumerated in Indiana). The children's birthplaces (IN, IN, IN, IL) trace the family's movement before Iowa.

Collins family (page 34B, Family 70/70):

Name Age Sex Occupation Birthplace R/W
Andrew Collins 39 M Farmer KY X (cannot)
Betsy 35 F — VA X
Lewis 13 M — KY —
Sampson 9 M — MO —
Archibald 4 M — IA —
Polly A 2 F — IA —
Bradley Collins 63 M Farmer NC X

Andrew Collins (b. c. 1811, KY) is almost certainly Bradley's son. Bradley Collins (b. c. 1787, NC) is Meredith Collins's confirmed son. The children's birthplaces trace the migration: KY → MO → IA. Andrew named a daughter Polly A (age 2), continuing the Polly name in the Collins family. Neither Andrew nor Betsy nor Bradley could read or write.

The Burner and Collins families are just two pages apart in the same township enumeration, confirming they were neighbors.

Independence Township (Division: Independence), page 12

Two additional Collins households appear in a different part of Appanoose County:

Hiram Collins (page 12, Family 4/4):

Name Age Sex Occupation Birthplace
Hiram Collins 25 M Farmer KY
Maranda 35 F — TN
Lucinda 15 F — MO
Catharine 16 F — MO
Chistama 12 F — MO
James K P 5 M — MO
John D 2 M — KY

Maranda is 10 years older than Hiram, and the teenage girls (born when Hiram was 9-13) are almost certainly her children from a prior marriage who took the Collins surname. James K P and John D may be Hiram's biological children.

John Collins (page 12, Family 5/5):

Name Age Sex Occupation Birthplace R/W
John Collins 29 M Farmer KY —
Sarah 40 F — KY X
Hannah M 16 F — KY —
Bralley 12 M — KY —
James J 8 M — MO —
Eliza 15 F — KY —
Bestina 16 F — KY —

John Collins (b. c. 1821, KY) is a potential brother or close relative of Mary Elizabeth Collins (b. c. 1827, KY). The six-year gap is a normal sibling interval. The name Bralley (Bradley, age 12, born KY) in this household is significant: it shows the Bradley name being passed down within the family, connecting this household to the Bradley Collins line in Center Township.

Sarah Collins (40, KY) is 11 years older than John. She may be his wife, his mother, or another relative. The teenage girls (Hannah, Eliza, Bestina) are all from Kentucky and close in age; they could be Sarah's daughters from a prior marriage or John's sisters.

The migration pattern matches the Center Township Collins: older members born KY, then children born MO, then IA.

Shoal Division, page 24

Holebrook family (page 24, Family 1/1):

Name Age Sex Occupation Birthplace
Luther E Holebrook 37 M Farmer CT
Mary A 36 F — NY
Charles K 10 M — IA
George W 7 M — IA
Eliza J 2 F — IA

A Holbrook family from Connecticut, unrelated to the Massachusetts Holbrooks of Whidbey Island. Noted for completeness; the surname coincidence in the same county where the Bruner-Collins marriage took place is interesting but probably not connected.

What the 1850 census does and does not show

It shows: The full Collins-Reed-Bruner community that produced the Bruner-Collins marriage, spread across three townships.

It does not show: Mary Elizabeth Collins (already married and in Davies County, Indiana as Mary Bruner) or Jesse Collins (died c. 1847).

The Appanoose County convergence: who was there, when, and why

By 1850, an extended network of Collins, Reed, and Bruner families had converged on Appanoose County from Kentucky, Indiana, and Missouri. The table below shows every documented family, their township, approximate arrival date, household size, and connection to the network.

Family head Township Arrived approx. Household size (1850) Race on census Connection
Benjamin Reed Wells c. 1838 (18 yrs in 1856) ~10 (with William H., Lucille, Sarah J., Dialpha, Frank, Reston, Daniel, Melissa) White Possible son of James Reed [?]. Arrived after Tilford.
Hickman Bruner Center c. 1845-46 6 (Hickman 45, Sarah 47, Adam 15, Absalom 12, Sarah 9, David M 4) White Eli Woodruff Bruner's father. From Indiana.
Bradley Collins Center 1844 In Andrew's household (age 63, Farmer, born NC) White Meredith's son. Jesse's half-brother.
Andrew Collins Center 1844 7 (Andrew 39, Betsy 35, Lewis 13, Sampson 9, Archibald 4, Polly A 2, + Bradley 63) White Bradley's son. Cannot read or write.
John Collins Independence By 1850 7 (John 29, Sarah 40, Hannah M 16, Bralley 12, James J 8, Eliza 15, Bestina 16) White Son named Bradley. Same migration pattern.
Hiram Collins Independence By 1850 Unknown size (from transcription only) White Aged 25 in 1850, so not the Hiram (Polly Holloway's son, c. 1804-06) who married Elizabeth Reed in 1829.
William Collins Center (with McClures) By 1850 Boarding, age 17, born KY White Young Collins, possibly a nephew.
Mary Reed Collins Wells mid-1840s 6 (Mary 46, Matilda 20, Reuben 16, Lloyd 14, Calaska 12, Spencer 10) Mulatto Jesse's widow. Went to Wells Twp (near Benjamin Reed) rather than Center Twp (near Bradley).
Tilford Reed Wells by c. 1836 (son Harman b. Iowa c. 1836; the 14 yrs he gave in 1856 understates it) Large family (Jane, Harmon, Emily, Alexander, Martha, Elizabeth, Rachel) White From Kentucky. Earliest arrival.

Key observations:

  1. Tilford Reed arrived first (by about 1836), then Benjamin Reed (by 1838), followed by Bradley and Andrew Collins (1844), the Bruners (c. 1845-46), and Jesse and Mary Reed Collins (mid-1840s). The Reed side of the family pioneered the location.

  2. The Collins and Bruner families settled in Center Township, just pages apart in the census. Bradley/Andrew Collins and Hickman Bruner were neighbors. This proximity made the 1850 marriage of Mary Elizabeth Collins and Eli Woodruff Bruner a neighborhood match, not a chance encounter.

  3. Mary Reed Collins settled in Wells Township, near the Reed families (Benjamin Reed, Tilford Reed, possibly her brothers), not in Center Township near the Collins families. After Jesse's death, she settled near these Reeds rather than near Jesse's family. She is the only person in the entire network listed as mulatto on the 1850 census. Everyone else passes as white.

  4. John Collins and Hiram Collins settled in Independence Township, a third cluster. This Hiram (25 in 1850) is not the Hiram who married Elizabeth Reed in 1829 (Polly Holloway's son, c. 1804-06). John Collins (b. c. 1821) is almost certainly Bradley's son: he named his firstborn son Bralley/Bradley, born c. 1838, following the classic pattern. John may be the son of Bradley and Sarah Reed (partnership documented before 1822), which would give him both Collins and Reed ancestry.

  5. The family care network after Mary Reed's death (REVISED). Initial hypothesis that Eliza Collins (John's daughter) was caring for Spencer Collins in the same household was incorrect. The 1856 census reveals they were recorded separately, pages apart, in different contexts:

Spencer Collins (14, mulatto, listed as born "North Carolina") was taken in by the Hendon family, a mulatto household in Wells Township:

Person Age Sex Race Birthplace Role
William Hendon 51 M Mulatto Kentucky Head, Farmer, landowner (arrived c. 1850)
Unis Hendon — F — — Wife
John Hendon 8 M Mulatto Missouri Son
James Hendon 5 M Mulatto Indiana Son
Nancy I/J Hendon 2 F — Indiana Daughter
John Hendon 49 M Mulatto Virginia Blacksmith
T.B. Turner 69 F Mulatto North Carolina Older woman in household
Spencer Collins 14 M Mulatto "North Carolina" Taken in by this family

Spencer's "North Carolina" birthplace is likely a recording artifact: T.B. Turner, listed directly above him, is also from North Carolina. The enumerator may have carried over the birthplace, or Spencer (an orphan at 14) may have said "same as her." His mother Mary Reed, when alive in 1850, reported his birthplace as Missouri, which is the accurate record.

The Hendons are a mulatto family from Kentucky (William, b. c. 1805) and Virginia (John, b. c. 1807), with children born in Missouri and Indiana, tracing a migration similar to the Collins-Reed families. William is a landowner and farmer, John is a blacksmith. They had the means and stability to take in an orphaned boy. Spencer went to a mulatto family with resources, not just a family connection.

Eliza Collins (20, mulatto, Kentucky) was recorded separately, pages away from Spencer. She appears to be working in the household of William Haney, a white family from Virginia and Indiana. Eliza is the only mulatto person listed near this household. She was likely domestic help. This is consistent with a young unmarried mixed-race woman finding employment in a white household, a common arrangement in this era.

The correction matters: the care network for Jesse and Mary's orphaned children was not purely a Collins family affair. Spencer was placed with a stable mulatto family (the Hendons) who were part of the broader mixed-race community in Wells Township, while Eliza Collins (John's daughter) found independent employment elsewhere in the same township.

  1. Jesse likely established the farm in Iowa before his death. The fact that Reuben (age 13) was able to take over farming operations immediately after Jesse's death in 1847 suggests Jesse had already built a working farm. A young teenager continuing an existing operation is far more plausible than a widow arriving from Missouri and starting from scratch. This implies Jesse's family had reached Appanoose County by the mid-1840s, as the Collins and Reed kin gathered there, and farmed in Wells Township near Tilford and Benjamin Reed (possibly Mary's brothers) until Jesse died in 1847. Reuben kept it going for five years until Mary's death c. 1852, after which the family could no longer hold together without either parent. No real or personal property is listed on the 1850 census, suggesting Jesse was renting or farming unimproved land rather than owning a deed, which is why there was nothing legal to hold the family in place after both parents died.

Open questions:

  • Is John Collins (29, KY, Independence Twp) a brother or half-brother of Mary Elizabeth?
  • Is Sarah Collins (40, KY) in John's household a mother figure or wife?
  • What is Betsy Collins's (Andrew's wife, born VA) maiden name?
  • Was there direct contact between the Collins and Bruner families in Indiana before they converged in Iowa?

9.6 The 1830 Clay County, Kentucky census: Bradley's household contains girls the right age

The 1830 federal census for Clay County, Kentucky contains three Collins households, all enumerated under "Free White Persons":

Bradley Collins:

Category Count Possible identities
Males under 5 1 Son born c. 1826-1830
Males 5-10 2 Sons born c. 1820-1825 (one could be Hiram, b. c. 1825)
Males 15-20 1 Almost certainly Andrew (b. c. 1811, age ~19)
Males 40-50 1 Bradley himself (b. c. 1787, age ~43)
Females under 5 2 Daughters born c. 1826-1830 (not Mary Elizabeth, who was with her parents in Indiana by spring 1830)
Females 5-10 1 Daughter born c. 1820-1825
Females 10-15 2 Daughters born c. 1815-1820
Females 15-20 1 Daughter born c. 1810-1815
No adult female 0 No wife present (20+ age brackets empty)

Hiram Collins: 1 male under 5, 1 male slave, 1 female slave. An adult head of household, distinct from the child-aged Hiram (b. c. 1825) who appears in Appanoose County in 1850.

Amos Collins: Male 40-50 (himself), multiple children. Another Collins man of the same generation as Bradley.

Source: Kentucky Genealogy transcription of the 1830 Clay County census.

Why this matters:

Bradley's household in 1830 contains two girls under age 5. Mary Elizabeth Collins, born c. 1827, would be about 3 years old and falls squarely in this category. [Superseded 2026-09-23: she was with her parents, who were in Morgan County, Indiana by spring 1830.]

The absence of an adult woman in the household is consistent with Bradley being between wives (his known marriages span 1817-1836, the first on the Conley list only). The two girls under 5 could include Mary Elizabeth Collins (b. c. 1827, age ~3), who we now know was Jesse Collins and Mary Reed's daughter, not Bradley's. Bradley was her half-uncle, and her parents had moved to Morgan County, Indiana by spring 1830, so she is unlikely to be in this household. The two girls under 5 are more likely Bradley's daughters by an undocumented partner, and Mary Elizabeth was with her parents, who were in Morgan County, Indiana by the spring of 1830.

The male aged 15-20 is almost certainly Andrew Collins (b. c. 1811, age ~19 in 1830), who by 1850 is living with Bradley in Appanoose County. The two males aged 5-10 could include John Collins (b. c. 1821, age ~9) from the Appanoose Independence Township census. The younger Hiram Collins (age ~5 in 1830, age 25 in Appanoose 1850) could be among the males under 5 or 5-10.

9.7 Bradley Collins as Mary Elizabeth's father or grandfather (SUPERSEDED)

The initial hypothesis (below) proposed Bradley as Mary Elizabeth's father. This was superseded by the discovery of the Jesse Collins / Mary Reed marriage record (Section 9.8). Bradley is Mary Elizabeth's half-uncle. The relationship is: Meredith Collins → Jesse Collins → Mary Elizabeth Collins, with Jesse as Bradley's half-brother. The circumstantial evidence that pointed to Bradley as father (right-aged daughters in 1830, migration pattern, Bruner neighbors) was correct in identifying the family connection, but the generation was wrong. The two girls under 5 in Bradley's 1830 household are not Mary Elizabeth, whose parents had taken her to Indiana by spring 1830; they are Bradley's daughters or other kin.

The original reasoning is preserved below because its logic about the migration pattern, the Bruner neighborhood, and the naming patterns remains valid:

  1. The entire household migrated together. Bradley, Andrew, and John Collins share the same KY → MO → IA migration pattern; Jesse's family went by way of Indiana and Illinois. Their children's birthplaces trace the same route. By 1850 they are all in Appanoose County.

  2. The Bruner family were neighbors. In the 1850 census, the Burner (Bruner) household is two pages from the Collins household in Center Township. Mary Elizabeth married the neighbor's son.

  3. The Bradley name recurs. John Collins's son is named "Bralley" (Bradley), a 12-year-old in 1850. If John is Bradley's son, naming a child after his father is expected. Andrew Collins's daughter is named "Polly A," continuing the Polly name.

The migration route (confirmed):

Period Location Evidence
Through late 1830s Clay County, KY Bradley's marriages; 1830 census; Jesse/Mary marriage 1827
1839-1844 Chariton County, Missouri (county written in the 1840 census margin) Andrew's son Sampson born MO c. 1841; John's son James J born MO c. 1842; 1840 census [S50]
1844 Appanoose County, IA Andrew's son Archibald born IA c. 1846; county organized 1843
1847 Iowa Jesse Collins dies
1850 Appanoose County, IA Census confirms Bradley, Andrew, John, Hiram, William Collins; Mary Reed Collins (mulatto) in Wells Township

9.75 Detailed timeline: Bradley Collins (c. 1787 – after 1850)

This timeline reconstructs Bradley Collins's life from every available source, noting known locations, marriages, census appearances, and key events involving his children. Open questions and inferences are marked.

Year Age Event Location Source
c. 1787 0 Born. Son of Meredith Collins (b. c. 1760). Mother unknown (Meredith's first wife, undocumented). Wilkes County, NC Conley list
c. 1804 ~17 Jesse Collins born, Bradley's half-brother (son of Meredith and Polly Holloway). VA (Russell Co) FamilySearch
1810 ~23 NOT in Meredith's Floyd County household. Meredith's 16-25 male column is empty. Bradley has left, possibly already in Clay County. Floyd Co, KY 1810 census [S4]
c. 1811 ~24 Andrew Collins born. Bradley's confirmed son who accompanies him throughout life. Mother unknown. KY 1850 census (age 39)
1817 ~30 Married Jane Ray (Conley list only; not yet seen in a register). County uncertain (Clay or Floyd), KY Conley list
1820 ~33 1820 Floyd County census with Meredith on the same page. Census taker initially recorded household as free white, then crossed out all entries and reclassified them as colored/slave. Household includes 1 Free Colored Female 45+, 1 Slave Male 14-26, 3 Slave Males 45+, 1 Slave Female 14-26. The slave female 14-26 could be Sarah Reid. Floyd Co, KY 1820 census [S49]
Before 1822 ~35 Partnered with Sarah Reid. No marriage record found. Relationship predates documented Clay County marriages. Clay Co area, KY Nancy Williams death cert [S47]
c. 1822 ~35 Daughter Nancy Collins born (by Sarah Reid). Nancy later married Williams, died Appanoose County 1909 age 85. KY Death cert [S47]
1827, Dec 13 ~40 Jesse Collins marries Mary Reed in Clay County. Jesse, Bradley's half-brother, marries where Bradley lives. Mary Elizabeth Collins may be born this same year (FamilySearch gives Jan 30, 1827). Clay Co, KY Marriage register [S45]
1828-29 ~41-42 Hiram Collins marries Elizabeth Reed in Clay County. Another Collins-Reed intermarriage. Clay Co, KY Marriage register [S45]
1829 ~42 On Pike County, KY tax list. 50 acres on Shelby Creek, adjacent to Meredith's land. Pike carved from Floyd in 1821. Pike Co, KY Tax list [S19]
1830 ~43 1830 Clay County census. Household: 1 male 40-50 (Bradley), 1 male 15-20 (Andrew ~19), 2 males 5-10, 1 male under 5, 1 female 15-20, 2 females 10-15, 1 female 5-10, 2 females under 5 (not Mary Elizabeth, who was with her parents in Indiana). No adult wife. No slaves or colored persons. Clay Co, KY Census
1831, Jul 28 ~44 Married Catherine Barney. Second known marriage (after Jane Ray; Sarah Reid was a partner, with no marriage record). Clay Co, KY Marriage register [S45]
1833, Feb 16 ~46 Married Betsy Griffin. Third known marriage. Clay Co, KY Marriage register [S45]
1836, Sep 5 ~49 Married Elizabeth Lunsford. Fourth known marriage. Clay Co, KY Marriage register [S45]
1838, Mar 31 ~51 Andrew Collins marries Betsy Ann Sizemore in Clay County. Andrew is ~27, establishing his own family. Clay Co, KY Marriage register [S45]
c. 1838 ~51 Last children born in Kentucky. After this, children begin being born in Missouri. KY Children's birthplaces
1839 ~52 Family moves to Missouri (Chariton County; by flatboat, per Eula Conley). Andrew's son Sampson (c. 1841) and John's son James J (c. 1842) born there. MO 1840 census [S50]
1840 ~53 1840 census, Chariton County, Missouri (county in the page margin; "Callaway" was an indexing slip). Chariton Co, MO Census [S50]
1844 ~57 Family arrives in Appanoose County, Iowa. Andrew's son Archibald born IA c. 1846. Among the county's early settlers (organized 1843). Appanoose Co, IA Children's birthplaces
1847 ~60 Jesse Collins dies. Widow Mary Reed Collins will appear on the 1850 census as "Mary Collings," mulatto, in Wells Township. IA (?) FamilySearch
1850 ~63 1850 Appanoose County census, Center Township. Family 70/70. Bradley (63, Farmer, born NC, cannot read or write) living with Andrew's family. Bruner family 2 pages away. Mary Elizabeth already married to Eli Bruner and in Indiana. Mary Reed Collins living separately in Wells Twp as "Mary Collings," mulatto. Center Twp, Appanoose Co, IA Census (no source row yet for this sheet; Wells Twp is S48)
After 1850 63+ Death. Date and place unknown. No death record, will, or estate record found. Appanoose Co, IA (?) —

Key patterns:

Bradley moved between Floyd/Pike County (where Meredith lived) and Clay County (where he married and raised families) throughout the 1820s-1830s, roughly 80 miles across eastern Kentucky's mountains. He maintained a presence in both communities.

His four known marriages and one partnership (Jane Ray 1817, per the Conley list only; Sarah Reid before 1822, Catherine Barney 1831, Betsy Griffin 1833, Elizabeth Lunsford 1836) suggest each wife died or the partnership ended, prompting a new union within a few years.

The disappearance of "slaves" between 1820 and 1830 remains the most significant puzzle. In 1820, Bradley's household included people classified as slaves (after initially being counted as white). By 1830, no slaves or colored persons appear. The most likely explanation is that these were family members whose racial classification changed between enumerators, not actual chattel.

Open questions:

  • Who was Bradley's mother (Meredith's first wife)?
  • Did Bradley formally marry Sarah Reid, or was it an informal partnership?
  • When and where did Bradley die?
  • (Settled 2026-09-23: Jesse was Meredith's son by Polly Holloway, Bradley's half-brother.)

9.8 Breakthrough: Jesse Collins, Mary Reed, and the mulatto designation

Research on September 13, 2026 produced a series of interconnected primary-source findings that fundamentally reshape the picture of Mary Elizabeth Collins's ancestry.

The Jesse Collins – Mary Reed marriage (Clay County, KY, 1827)

The Clay County, Kentucky General Index to Marriages [S45, S46] records the marriage of Jesse Collins and Mary Reed, with a date of December 13, 1827. This is the first primary document confirming that Jesse Collins was a real person who married a Reed woman in the same county where Bradley Collins had his documented marriages. Next to Mary Reed's name, an annotation appears to read "daughter of James" (or similar), suggesting her father was James Reed/Reid. [Update 2026-09-23: the index note is a later addition; James Read's own consent note of 25 November 1827 confirms he was Mary's father.]

On the same marriage register pages, additional Collins-Reed marriages appear:

  • Hiram Collins and Elizabeth Reed, licensed December 1, 1828, married December 8, 1829
  • Abraham Collins and Christina Portston (?), married April 6, 1828

And Bradley Collins's later marriages are documented:

  • Bradley Collins and Catherine Barney, licensed July 22, 1831, married July 28, 1831
  • Bradley Collins and Betsy Griffin, licensed February 15, 1833, married February 16, 1833
  • Bradley Collins and Elizabeth Lunsford, licensed September 5, 1836, married September 5, 1836

Andrew Collins's marriage also appears: Andrew Collins and Betsy Ann Sizemore, married March 31, 1838.

Two Collins brothers married two Reed sisters within two years (Jesse and Mary in 1827, Hiram and Elizabeth in 1829). This pattern of intermarriage between two families is consistent with both being part of the same mixed-race community in eastern Kentucky.

The Nancy Williams death certificate (Appanoose County, 1909)

Nancy Williams, née Collins, died September 27, 1909 in Appanoose County, Iowa [S47]. Age 85 (born c. 1822). The death certificate names:

  • Father: Bradley Collins (birthplace erroneously listed as "England")
  • Mother: Sarah Reid (birthplace erroneously listed as "Germany")
  • Informant: J.H. Williams, Ocean, Iowa

The birthplace errors are clearly from an informant who didn't know, but the names are what matter. This is the first primary document naming Sarah Reid, the mother of Bradley Collins's daughter Nancy. No marriage record is known; she came between his 1817 marriage to Jane Ray (Conley list only) and his Clay County marriages of 1831-1836. Nancy was born c. 1822, so Bradley and Sarah were together by about 1821.

This shows the Reid/Reed surname on the Collins side too: Sarah Reid was the mother of Bradley's daughter Nancy, while Mary Elizabeth's Reed line runs through her mother, Mary Reed (Jesse's wife). The Collins and Reed families were deeply intertwined.

Mary Collings, mulatto, Wells Township, Appanoose County, 1850

The 1850 census for Wells Township, Appanoose County, Iowa (page 37, enumerated December 3, 1850) [S48] shows:

Name Age Sex Race Birthplace R/W
Mary Collings 46 F M (Mulatto) [unclear] X (cannot)
Matilda 20 F M [state]
Reuben 16 M M [state]
Lloyd (Loya?) 14 M M [state]
Calaska 12 F [the census reads F; Kalaska was a son] M/A [state]
Spencer 10 M M [state]

Mary Collings (almost certainly Mary Reed Collins, Jesse's widow) is listed with the "M" designation for mulatto in the race/color column. All of her children are also listed as mulatto. She cannot read or write. Jesse died in 1847, so she has been a widow for three years.

She is living in a different township (Wells) from Bradley and Andrew Collins (Center), but in the same county. Her age of 46 puts her birth at c. 1804, consistent with the FamilySearch profile for Mary Reed (b. 1804).

This is the first document in this investigation that explicitly records a member of the Collins-Reed family as mulatto. Combined with the Thomas Collins "Molata" designation from 1755 North Carolina and William Reed "Malatta" from 1699 (see Purpose section), the mulatto heritage traces from the 17th century through to the 19th century.

The DNA math confirmed

The 1850 mulatto designation for Mary Reed Collins confirms the non-European ancestry in the line. Working the math forward:

If Mary Reed was mulatto (~50% non-European) and Jesse Collins also carried some mixed-race ancestry through the New River Collins line (Thomas Collins, "Molata," 1755), then their daughter Mary Elizabeth Collins would be roughly 25-35% non-European. Working forward through five generations of marriage to European-descent partners:

  • Mary Elizabeth Collins (~25-35%) → daughter Mariah Emma Bruner (~12-17%) → daughter Jessie Clifford (~6-8%) → son Richard C. Holbrook (~3-4%) → daughter Frances Holbrook (2.1% measured)

The measured 2.1% Sub-Saharan African DNA in Frances Holbrook is consistent with this lineage.

The interconnected Reed and Collins families

The picture that emerges from the Clay County marriage records and the 1850 census is of two mixed-race families, the Collinses and the Reeds, intermarrying across a generation:

Collins man Reed/Reid woman Year Source
Bradley Collins Sarah Reid Before 1822 Nancy Williams death cert (1909)
Jesse Collins Mary Reed 1827 Clay County marriage register
Hiram Collins Elizabeth Reed 1828-1829 Clay County marriage register

The Collins family's mixed-race origins trace to Thomas Collins, listed as "Molata" (mulatto) on the Orange County, North Carolina tax list in 1755. That heritage carried through John [or Samuel] Collins → Meredith Collins → Jesse Collins. The Reed family's origins are not yet traced, but Mary Reed's 1850 mulatto designation confirms non-European ancestry on that side as well. A later note beside Mary Reed's name in the index ties her to James, and James Read's own consent note of 25 November 1827 confirms that James Reed was her father.

Bradley Collins on the 1820 and 1840 censuses

1820 census, Floyd County, Kentucky [S49]: Bradley Collins and Meredith Collins appear on consecutive lines on the same census page. This is the only census where father and son appear together. Bradley's entry shows marks in the early columns (zeroed out or overwritten) and entries in the right-side columns (boxes 23-29 per the user's numbering). Meredith's entry shows nothing in the first 12 boxes (free white persons columns) but entries in box 13 (Agriculture) and in the right-side columns (boxes 23-30).

PENDING VERIFICATION: The right-side entries fall in columns that correspond to Free Colored Persons and/or Slaves in the standard 1820 census layout. If the entries are in the Free Colored columns, this would mean the enumerator classified members of these households as free colored persons rather than white. If in the Slave columns, it would mean they held enslaved people. The exact column assignments need to be verified against the printed column headers on the original form before conclusions are drawn.

VERIFIED September 13, 2026. The column assignments have been confirmed against the original form. The results are extraordinary.

Bradley Collins, 1820 Floyd County, KY — left side (Free White Persons):

Box Column Initially marked Final entry
1 Free White Males under 10 2 Changed to 0
2-4 FWM 10-16, 16-18, 16-26 — 0
5 Free White Males 26-45 1 Changed to 0
6 FWM 45+ — 0
7 Free White Females under 10 3 Changed to 0
8-11 FWF 10-16 through 45+ — 0
12 Foreigners — 0
13 Engaged in Agriculture — 1

Bradley Collins, 1820 Floyd County, KY — right side (Free Colored and Slaves):

Box Column Entry
23 Free Colored Females 45+ 1
24 Slave Males under 14 0
25 Slave Males 14-26 1
26 Slave Males 26-45 0
27 Slave Males 45+ 3
28 Slave Females under 14 0 (dot)
29 Slave Females 14-26 1
30-31 Slave Females 26-45, 45+ 0

Meredith Collins, 1820 Floyd County, KY — left side:

Box Column Entry
1-12 All Free White columns All empty (no free white persons counted)
13 Engaged in Agriculture 3

Meredith Collins, 1820 Floyd County, KY — right side:

Box Column Entry
23 Free Colored Females 45+ 2
24 Slave Males under 14 2
25 Slave Males 14-26 1
26 Slave Males 26-45 1
27-29 Slave Males 45+, Slave Females under 14, 14-26 0
30 Slave Females 26-45 1
31 Slave Females 45+ 0

What the census taker's corrections reveal:

The most striking feature of Bradley's entry is the crossed-out marks on the left side. The census taker initially recorded Bradley's household as free white: 2 white males under 10, 1 white male 26-45 (Bradley himself), and 3 white females under 10. Then he went back and zeroed out every entry, moving the household members to the right-side columns instead.

This tells a vivid story of racial ambiguity at the doorstep. The enumerator arrived, began recording the household as white, and then changed his assessment. Perhaps he saw the household members more closely, perhaps he asked further questions, perhaps he knew the family's reputation. Whatever prompted the correction, the result is that Bradley Collins's household was reclassified from white to colored/enslaved during the enumeration itself.

Meredith Collins's entry has no such corrections. His left-side columns (free white) are simply empty from the start. The enumerator apparently classified Meredith's household as non-white without hesitation. Only box 13 (Agriculture: 3) has an entry on the left side, indicating three persons engaged in farming.

The "slave" question:

The entries in the slave columns (boxes 24-31) raise a difficult question. Were Bradley and Meredith slaveholders, or did the census taker use the slave columns for family members whose status was ambiguous? Several possibilities:

  1. Actual slaveholding. Some free persons of color in the antebellum South held enslaved people, sometimes to protect family members from sale (a spouse or child who was legally enslaved could be "owned" by a free family member as protection), sometimes as actual chattel slavery.

  2. Misclassification. The census taker, uncertain about the household's racial and legal status, may have used the slave columns for people who were actually free but whom he didn't consider fully free. The fact that he initially tried to count Bradley's family as white, then crossed it out, suggests confusion about how to categorize them.

  3. Mixed household. Some members may have been legally free (the "Free Colored Female 45+" in box 23) while others were in a more ambiguous status.

The entry in box 29 (Slave Female 14-26) for Bradley's household is particularly intriguing. If this is Sarah Reid, Bradley's partner and the mother of his daughter Nancy (born c. 1822), her classification as a "slave" in 1820 would add a layer of complexity to the family's racial and legal history. By the time of the 1830 census, no slaves or colored persons appear in Bradley's Clay County household, suggesting the family's status had changed or was being recorded differently.

For Meredith's household, the 2 Free Colored Females 45+ (box 23) are older female relatives; his wife Polly Holloway (b. c. 1780) had probably died about 1812 and would have been only about forty in 1820. The presence of both "free colored" and "slave" entries in the same household suggests a complex domestic arrangement.

Comparison: Meredith Collins 1810 vs. 1820

The transformation between the two censuses is striking:

1810 (Floyd County, KY) — all classified as free white:

Category Count
FWM under 10 4
FWM 10-15 2
FWM 16-25 0
FWM 26-44 0
FWM 45+ 1 (Meredith, ~50)
FWF 10-15 1
FWF 16-25 1
FWF 26-44 1
All other free persons 0
Slaves 0
Total 10

1820 (Floyd County, KY) — NO free white entries, all in colored/slave columns:

Category Count
Free White (all columns) 0
Agriculture 3
Free Colored Females 45+ 2
Slave Males under 14 2
Slave Males 14-26 1
Slave Males 26-45 1
Slave Females 26-45 1
Total (colored/slave) 7

The household shrank from 10 to 7 between 1810 and 1820 (older children married, and Polly had probably died), but the remaining members were reclassified entirely. In 1810, one enumerator saw a white family. In 1820, a different enumerator saw a colored household. The people didn't change. The enumerator's perception did.

Note: The 1810 census rightmost column (Slaves) shows a vertical line and the number "7" drawn through Meredith's row and two adjacent households (Carhart and Castile). This is a census taker's running tally for page totals, not an individual household count. Meredith's individual slave count in 1810 is zero.

By the 1830s Pike County tax records, Meredith consistently shows zero in the "Total Blacks" column. The 1820 classification appears to be an anomaly driven by one enumerator's judgment, bookended by records that treat the family as white.

1840 census, Missouri [S50]: Bradley Collins appears in Chariton County, Missouri (p. 309; the county is written in the left margin, and "Callaway" in the index was a cataloguing slip). The household includes females in the 10-15 age bracket, which need not include Mary Elizabeth: she was Jesse's daughter, and at thirteen was probably placed out as household help, likely in Indiana.

Who were Jesse Collins's parents?

Jesse Collins married Mary Reed in Clay County in December 1827. If he was born c. 1804 (per FamilySearch) and Bradley Collins was born c. 1787, Bradley would have been about 17 at Jesse's birth. This is young but possible in this era. Jesse married in the same county where Bradley lived and had his documented marriages. Jesse's children ended up in Appanoose County alongside Bradley's family. But Jesse fits the run of Polly Holloway's children, and Jesse was Meredith's son, Bradley's half-brother; the Bradley parentage is withdrawn.

Bradley was about seventeen in 1804, and Jesse fits the run of Polly's children (James was a separate son); Jesse's Clay County marriage reflects family ties there, not Bradley's paternity.

Who were Mary Reed's parents?

A later note beside Mary Reed's name in the Clay County general index ties her to James, and James Read's own consent note to the clerk (25 November 1827, witnessed by Stephen Read and Hiram Collins) settles it: her father was James Reed/Read.

James Reed in the Attride compilation. The David Attride Genealogy Database (Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center) contains a compiled record for James Reed, born about 1765, died about 1841, Clay County, Kentucky [S51]. It names his father as Hugh Reed Sr. of Rowan County, North Carolina (died there before the end of 1786). [Revised 2026-09-27: the compilation's sources have not been seen. James's census ages put his birth c. 1766-75, which the 1783 Rowan grant (needing a man born by about 1762) does not fit, so the Rowan records, and Hugh as his father, are unproven [?]. The 1841 Clay estate supports reading (A) only; under reading (B) he is the James Reed who died in Morgan County, Indiana, before 6 January 1845. See "James Reed, Mary's father" in READ THIS FIRST, and S66.]

James Reed's documented migration and racial classifications:

Year Location Event / Classification
1783 Rowan County, NC Received State Grant #522, 130 acres on Dutchmans Creek (Attride; possibly another James [?])
1786 Rowan County, NC Named in the sale of Hugh Reed Sr.'s estate (187 acres on Second Creek); being named in the sale does not show he was Hugh's son (Attride [?])
1800 Ashe County, NC Census: James Reid's household of six counted as free colored ("other free")
1801 Ashe County, NC Purchased land from Spencer Mullins (Deed Bk A pg 370-371)
1802 Ashe County, NC Sold land to Stephen Reed (Deed Bk B pg 375)
1810 Ashe County, NC Census: "J. Reed" — household counted as white (3 WM under 10, 2 WM 10-15, 1 WM 26-44, 3 WF under 10, 1 WF 10-15, 1 WF 26-44)
c. 1811 Ashe County, NC Multiple land transactions with Wm Hollinsworth and Eli Cleveland
1820 Clay County, KY Census: "James Reed, free colored male 45+"
1830 Clay County, KY Census, p. 172: James in the slave column (aged 55-100), with four young men aged 10-24 also in the slave columns, one free colored man aged 24-36, and his wife (50-60) counted white [S65]
1831-1836 Morgan County, IN Reading (B): moved from Clay in 1831; bought the SW quarter of Section 17, T11N R1E (the deed has not been seen); signed his will on 19 July 1836 [S66]
1840 Morgan County, IN Reading (B): census, head of a free colored household of seven [S67]
1841 Clay County, KY Reading (A): died. Estate appraised at ~$800. Portions sold to "Mrs Reid," Samuel Reid, and Wm Reid (Attride only; whose estate it was is open)
bef. 6 Jan 1845 Morgan County, IN Reading (B): died; will recorded 6 January 1845, Deed Book J, p. 522; buried in Reed's Chapel Cemetery [S66]

The geographic connection is now airtight. James Reed was in Ashe County, North Carolina from at least 1800 to 1811. Ashe County is on the New River, the same region where the Collins families originated (Griffin Collins Sr. married Martha Rose in Ashe County; the 1795 Wilkes County tax list shows Griffin, David, and Valentine Collins). The Reed and Collins families were part of the same mixed-race community on the New River before they migrated separately to Kentucky.

By 1820, James Reed is in Clay County, Kentucky, classified as "free colored male 45+." This is the same county where Bradley Collins has his marriages and where Jesse Collins will marry Mary Reed in 1827. James Reed brought his family from the New River community in North Carolina to the Collins community in Kentucky.

James Reed's known family:

  • Father: Hugh Reed Sr. [?], Rowan/Burke County, NC (d. before the end of 1786, Rowan Co); named as James's father only in the Attride compilation
  • Wife: born c. 1770-80, the one person in the 1830 household counted white. Under reading (A), the "Mrs Reid" who bought part of his estate in 1841; under reading (B), Susannah, alive in 1846. Maiden name unknown.
  • Sons [Revised 2026-09-27; the master tree's Part Two has the current list]: Samuel Reid and William Reid, from the 1841 estate division (reading A); Elisha, John [or James] and Naaman (b. 1813, Clay Co), from the Morgan County will and land records (reading B); Stephen (probable); Randolph, Benjamin and Tilford (possible). Martha Patsy Reed (b. 1810), listed here as a known child before 27 September 2026, is more likely a daughter of Stephen Reed Jr.
  • Daughters: Mary Reed (married Jesse Collins 1827; James's consent note) and, probably, Elizabeth Reed (married Hiram Collins 1829); possibly also Sarah Reid (Bradley Collins's partner before 1822)

The three-sisters hypothesis:

If James Reed is the father of Sarah, Mary, and Elizabeth Reed, then three of his daughters married three Collins men within a seven-year span:

Reed daughter Collins husband Year Source
Sarah Reed Bradley Collins Before 1822 Nancy Williams death cert [S47]
Mary Reed Jesse Collins December 1827 Clay County marriage register [S45]
Elizabeth Reed Hiram Collins December 1828/1829 Clay County marriage register [S45]

This is not coincidence. This is two mixed-race families from the same origin community (Ashe/Wilkes County, NC) systematically intermarrying after relocating to Clay County, Kentucky. James Reed, counted as free colored in 1800 and 1820, married his daughters to sons of Meredith Collins, of the Collins family, which descends from Thomas Collins "Molata" (1755).

The racial classification pattern repeats with the Reeds:

Year Person Classification
1800 James Reed (Ashe Co, NC) Free colored ("other free")
1810 J. Reed (Ashe Co, NC) White (same person, different enumerator)
1820 James Reed (Clay Co, KY) Free colored male 45+
1830 James Reid (Clay Co, KY) Slave column (himself, aged 55-100); his wife counted white
1840 James Reed (Morgan Co, IN), if he is Mary's father (reading B) Free colored (the whole household)
1850 Mary Reed Collins (Appanoose Co, IA) Mulatto

The same shifting classification we see with the Collins family applies to the Reeds as well. Both families occupied the ambiguous space between white and black in the eyes of census takers, and both families' classifications changed depending on who was holding the pen.

Open questions about the Reed family:

  • Who was James Reed's wife ("Mrs Reid")? The 1830 census classifies her as a free white female, age 50-60 (born c. 1770-1780), meaning the enumerator saw her as white. Her name and origins remain unknown. [Revised 2026-09-27: under reading (B) her given name was Susannah; her maiden name is unknown, and the Hollingsworth name in online trees is unsupported.] She is the nearest woman in the direct line whose maiden name is unknown; Meredith's father and James's own parents are also unproven.
  • Was Hugh Reed Sr. (Rowan/Burke County, NC) James's father, as only the Attride compilation says? If so, did he also have an "other free" (free colored) or "mulatto" classification?
  • Which James Reed was Mary's father: the one who died in Clay c. 1841 (reading A) or the one who died in Morgan County, Indiana, before 6 January 1845 (reading B)? See READ THIS FIRST and S66.

The 1830 Clay County census: the full Collins-Reid community

The 1830 Clay County, KY census provides a snapshot of the intermarried Collins and Reid families. Jesse Collins is absent because he and Mary had moved to Indiana; the 1830 census has a Jesse Collins household matching theirs in Morgan County, Indiana.

Collins households in 1830 Clay County:

Head White males White females Free Colored Slaves Notes
Abraham Collins under 5: 1 20-30: 1 — M: 1 Abraham himself is the "slave." Wife white. Unknown relation.
Hiram Collins under 5: 1 — — M: 1, F: 1 Hiram and wife Elizabeth Reed are "slaves." Son white.
Bradley Collins under 5: 1, 5-10: 2, 15-20: 1, 40-50: 1 under 5: 2, 5-10: 1, 10-15: 2, 15-20: 1 — — All white. No adult wife. No colored/slave.
Elijah Collins 30-40: 1 80-90: 1 — — Man with very elderly woman (b. c. 1740-50).

Reid households in 1830 Clay County:

Head White males White females Free Colored Slaves Notes
James Reid none 50-60: 1 FCM 24-36: 1 M: 5 (55-100: 1; 10-24: 4) James = the slave-column man aged 55-100, not the free colored man [Revised 2026-09-27: re-read from the image on 26 Sep 2026, S65]. Wife = white female (b. c. 1770-80). The free colored man is 24-36. None of these men is Jesse, who was in Indiana by 1830.
Randolph Reid under 5: 3 20-30: 1 FCM: 1 — Randolph = FC. Wife classified white.
Stephen Reid (1st) 5-10: 2, 15-20: 1, 20-30: 1, 40-50: 1 under 5: 2, 15-20: 2, 30-40: 1 — — All classified white.
Stephen Reid (2nd) — 15-20: 1 FCM: 1 — Small household, one FCM.

Mrs. Reid's racial classification is significant. She is the only person in James Reid's household counted as white. James himself is entered in the slave column (aged 55-100), as are four young men of the household, and the one free colored man in the house is aged 24-36. [Revised 2026-09-27: this paragraph earlier had James as the free colored man.] If she was actually white (or light enough to pass), her daughter Mary Reed's "mulatto" designation in 1850 came primarily from James's side (traced, if the unproven link holds, to William Reed "Malatta," 1673). This adds clarity to Mary Elizabeth Collins's ancestry: her non-European heritage comes from both the Collins "Molata" line (through Jesse) and the Reed "Malatta" line (through Mary, via James), with Mrs. Reid contributing European ancestry on the maternal grandmother's side. [Revised 2026-09-27: under reading (B), the woman aged 55-100 in James's 1840 Morgan County household, who fits her age, is counted free colored.]

Jesse Collins's absence from the 1830 Clay County census is explained by the family's move: by the spring of 1830 he and Mary were in Morgan County, Indiana, where that year's census has a Jesse Collins household matching theirs. The loose marriage papers do survive: James Read's consent note of 25 November 1827, witnessed by Stephen Read and Hiram Collins (Jesse's brother), is among them. Jesse's parentage is settled: he was Meredith's son by Polly Holloway. Note: The Clay County courthouse was burned during the Civil War (1862), but loose marriage papers from 1827 survive: James Read's note is filed among them behind the archivist's card "Smeared Ink."

Clay County, KY Collins marriages: complete reference (1827-1862)

All from the Clay County General Index to Marriages [S45, S46]. Listed chronologically for reference.

Year Groom Bride Date Notes
1827 Jesse Collins Mary Reed Dec 13 Later index note ties Mary to James; James Read's consent note of 25 Nov 1827 confirms
1828 Abraham Collins Christina Poulston/Paulston Apr 6
1828-29 Hiram Collins Elizabeth Reed License Dec 1828, married Dec 8 1829 Third Collins-Reed marriage
1831 Bradley Collins Catherine Barney Jul 28
1832 William Collins Sytha Powell Jan 26
1833 Bradley Collins Betsy Griffin Feb 16
1836 Bradley Collins Elizabeth Lunsford Sep 5
1838 Andrew Collins Betsy Ann Sizemore Mar 31
1839 James Collins Martha Ann Cotton Jul 24 A different man from Jesse, who was then married to Mary Reed
1847 Levi Collins Matilda Brandon[?] Dec 25 Next-generation Levi, not Meredith's son
1850 Calvin Collins Elizabeth Wilder Dec 18
1850 William Collins Lucinda Collins May 14 Collins-on-Collins marriage
1853 William Collins Susanna Griffin Mar 3 Second Griffin intermarriage
1853 Calford Collins Delilah Henson Aug
1854 Benjamin Collins Eliza Jane Hensley Jul
1858 Severet Field Collins Rachel Field —
1858 Joe[?] Collins Esther Barrett —
1858 Benjamin Collins Mar Servie Fields —
1862 Amos Collins Polly Couch —

The later marriages (1847-1862) represent the generation that stayed in Clay County while Bradley's branch migrated to Missouri and Iowa.

The Reed family's colonial origins (Heinegg)

Paul Heinegg's Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina [S52] traces the Reed family from its 17th-century origin. The family entry appears in the Pettiford-Riley section.

William Reed "Malatta" (b. c. 1673): The Reed family's progenitor was William Reed, born about 1673, described as "a mixed-race child born to a white servant woman in the Charles City County household of Robert Jones." Jones bequeathed William a cow, a gun, and his freedom from indenture at age 21. Jones's executors refused, and William sued in Charles City County court; on September 3, 1694, the court ruled in his favor. He was a taxable in Surry County from 1699 to 1703, called "Wm Read a Malatta" in 1699.

This is the Reed family's equivalent of Thomas Collins "Molata" (1755). Both families trace their mixed-race origins to colonial Virginia, both through white servant women who bore children with men of African descent.

The western North Carolina branch: Heinegg lists our James Reed and Stephen Reed at the end of the entry under "Other members of the Reed family in North Carolina":

"i. James, head of an Ashe County household of 6 'other free' in 1800 [NC:87]." "ii. Stephen, head of an Ashe County household of 6 'other free' in 1800 [NC:86]."

Heinegg knows they are Reeds and classifies them as "other free" (the census category for free people of color), but did not trace their specific parentage within the broader family. The gap between William Reed "Malatta" (1673) and Hugh Reed Sr. (d. before the end of 1786, Rowan County) spans roughly four generations. [Revised 2026-09-27: neither William nor Hugh is proven as an ancestor of James; see READ THIS FIRST.] The western NC Reeds (Rowan, Burke, Ashe counties) represent a branch that migrated inland from the Tidewater and Piedmont regions where the family originated.

Other Heinegg Reed entries of note:

  • Micajah Reed (b. c. 1765): Son of Isaac Reed and grandson of Ann Reed. Head of a Gates County household of free colored persons from 1790 to 1820. The name Micajah also appears in the Collins records (Micajah Collins on the 1799 Russell County, VA tax list alongside Meredith), suggesting possible cross-family naming.
  • Elizabeth Reed (b. c. 1713): Fined in Chowan County for having "Molatto bastards." Her descendants spread through North Carolina and South Carolina. NOT the Elizabeth Reed who married Hiram Collins (wrong century), but part of the broader family.

The full ancestral lineage: both lines converging on Mary Elizabeth Collins

Both the Collins and Reed families trace their mixed-race origins to colonial Virginia, both through relationships between white servant women and men of African descent. The families migrated westward along parallel routes, from Tidewater Virginia to the North Carolina Piedmont and Blue Ridge, ultimately converging in the New River / Ashe-Wilkes County community before relocating together to Clay County, Kentucky.

Collins line: Thomas Collins "Molata" (c. 1700; 1755, Orange Co NC) → John Collins [or Samuel] → Meredith Collins (c. 1760) → Jesse Collins (c. 1804)

Reed line: William Reed "Malatta" (1673, Charles City Co VA) [?] → ... → Hugh Reed Sr. (d. before the end of 1786, Rowan Co NC) [?] → James Reed (b. c. 1766-75; Ashe Co NC → Clay Co KY [→ Morgan Co IN?]; free colored 1800; d. c. 1841, Clay Co KY [or bef. 6 Jan 1845, Morgan Co IN]) → Mary Reed (c. 1804, "mulatto" 1850)

The convergence: Jesse Collins married Mary Reed on December 13, 1827, in Clay County, Kentucky. Their daughter Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Collins (born 30 January 1827) carried the heritage of both lines. She married Eli Woodruff Bruner in 1850 in Appanoose County, Iowa, beginning the line that leads to the present.

Complete direct lineage table:

Gen Person Born Died Key designation Source
— William Reed "Malatta" [?] c. 1673, Charles City Co, VA — "Malatta" (1699, Surry Co) Heinegg [S52]
— [~4 generations, western NC branch]
— Hugh Reed Sr. [?] — Before the end of 1786, Rowan Co, NC — Attride database [S51]
— Thomas Collins "Molata" c. 1700 c. 1770 "Molata" (1755, Orange Co, NC) Heinegg [S52]
— John Collins [or Samuel] John unknown; Samuel c. 1724 — — Heinegg, secondary
1 Meredith Collins c. 1760, VA 1841, Pike Co, KY FC/Slave (1820 census) Census, tax, court, military
1 James Reed c. 1766-75 c. 1841, Clay Co, KY [or bef. 6 Jan 1845, Morgan Co, IN] Free colored (1800); white (1810); free colored (1820); slave column (1830) Heinegg, Attride, census [S51, S65]; Reed addendum [S66]
1 Polly (Margaret?) Holloway (Meredith's second wife) c. 1780 Before 1840, probably c. 1812 Unknown Conley; DAR 562294
1 "Mrs Reid" (James's wife) [or Susannah, reading B] c. 1770-80 After 1841 [or after 1846, reading B] White (1830) 1830 census [S65]; estate division [S51]; Reed addendum [S66]
2 Jesse Collins c. 1804, VA 1847 — Marriage register [S45]
2 Mary Reed 1804 c. 1852 "Mulatto" (1850 census) Census [S48], marriage register [S45]
3 Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Collins 30 Jan 1827, KY May 19, 1887, Siloam Springs, AR — Confirmed ancestor

The full lineage as now understood

Generation Person Born Married Died Evidence level
1 Thomas Collins ("Molata") c. 1700 — — Heinegg, tax lists
2 John Collins [or Samuel] John unknown; Samuel c. 1724 — — Heinegg, secondary
3 Meredith Collins c. 1760, VA Margaret "Polly" Holloway c. 1799 1841, Pike Co KY Census, tax, court, military records
4 Jesse Collins c. 1804, VA Mary Reed, Dec 13, 1827, Clay Co KY 1847 Marriage register (primary source)
4 Mary Reed 1804 Jesse Collins, 1827 After 1850 Marriage register; 1850 census (mulatto designation)
5 Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Collins 30 Jan 1827, KY Eli Woodruff Bruner, 1850, Appanoose Co IA May 19, 1887, Siloam Springs AR Confirmed ancestor

10. The confirmed descendant line: Mary Elizabeth Collins Bruner and her daughter Mariah Emma

This section works forward from the confirmed ancestor, documenting what primary sources reveal about the family that connects Meredith Collins's generation to the present.

10.1 Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Collins Bruner (1827–1887)

Mary Elizabeth Collins, born January 30, 1827 in Kentucky, married Eli Woodruff Bruner in Appanoose County, Iowa, in 1850. She is the confirmed ancestor. Eli was born c. 1827 in Indiana and worked as a blacksmith. The couple had at least ten children. By 1860, they were in Summersett Township, Mercer County, Missouri, where Eli practiced his trade. They remained in Mercer County through at least July 1870. Mary Elizabeth died May 19, 1887 in Siloam Springs, Benton County, Arkansas.

The name "Polly" (a standard period nickname for both Margaret and Mary) is worth noting: since Meredith Collins's wife Margaret "Polly" Holloway was Mary Elizabeth's grandmother, the name may reflect a common Appalachian practice of naming grandchildren after grandparents.

10.2 Mariah Emma Bruner: four surnames across six decades

Mariah Emma Bruner (FamilySearch KZ8Y-QQJ) was born October 30, 1853 in Martin, Indiana and died December 4, 1933 in Wheatland, Yuba County, California. She was buried in Wheatland Cemetery. Over her 80 years she carried four surnames: Bruner, Clifford, Davis, and Dunlap. Tracing her through records requires knowing which name she used at which time.

The Bruner years (1853–c. 1873)

1860 census, Summersett Township, Mercer County, Missouri [S26]: Family 814/814. Eli Bruner, 33, Blacksmith, $400 real estate, $200 personal. Mary, 33, born Kentucky. Children listed by initials, including M.E., 6, F. The family had moved from Indiana through Illinois to Missouri. The birthplaces of the children trace the route: the older children born in Indiana, the middle children in Illinois, the youngest in Missouri.

1870 census, Somersett Township, Mercer County, Missouri [S27]: Family 3/3. Eli Bruner, 43, Blacksmith, $3500 real estate, $615 personal, born Indiana. Mary, 43, born Kentucky. Children now listed by name: Elizabeth (17), Mary E (16), Christopher (15), Olive M (13), Albert W (12, born Illinois), Eli A (10, born Missouri), James F (8, born Missouri), Georgia (7, born Missouri). Mariah Emma is "Mary E," age 16, born Indiana. She is still at home.

Between July 1870 and early 1873, she left her parents' household and married (Orlando was born 20 October 1873).

First marriage: John Marshall Clifford (c. 1873–1879)

Mariah Emma married John Marshall Clifford (FamilySearch LRX2-NHF), born c. 1844 in Missouri, died 1879 in Iowa. No marriage record has been found, but the marriage likely took place c. 1873.

John Marshall Clifford's family [S38, S39]: The 1850 census for Livingston County, Missouri (District No. 51, enumerated October 4, 1850) shows John as a child in his father's household:

Name Age Sex Occupation Birthplace
O.H. Clifford 55 M Trader Vermont
Delila 38 F — Ohio
Henry C 15 M — Indiana
Mortimer 8 M — Missouri
John M. 6 M — Missouri
Not named 5/12 M — Missouri

John Marshall Clifford's father was Orlando H. Clifford, born c. 1795 in Vermont, working as a trader. His mother was Delila, born c. 1812 in Ohio.

By the 1860 census [S39], the family had moved to Nebraska City, Otoe County, Nebraska, where Orlando H. Clifford Sr. (now 48) was a Hotel Keeper with $1,000 real estate and $2,000 personal property. His wife is now listed as Elizabeth Jr. (37, born Missouri), suggesting he had remarried. John is listed as about 16 years old. This Nebraska residence explains why Eli Woodrie Clifford's death certificate [S28] gives the father's birthplace as "Nebraska": the informant likely associated the Clifford family with Nebraska (where they lived) rather than Missouri (where John was actually born).

The naming pattern across both grandfathers: Emma and John named their children after both families' patriarchs. Their first son Orlando was named after John's father, Orlando H. Clifford. Their second son Eli Woodrie was named after Emma's father, Eli Woodruff Bruner. One son for each grandfather, following classic 19th-century American naming convention.

Three children, not two: The couple had three children before John's death:

  1. Orlando Hines (or Hinds) Clifford, born 20 October 1873, in Benton County, Arkansas
  2. Eli Woodrie Clifford, born March 25, 1875, in Des Moines, Iowa [S28, S29]
  3. Jessie Lorene Clifford, born 6 May 1876, in Arkansas

The birthplaces reveal a surprising geographic pattern: the family was in Arkansas, then briefly moved to Iowa (where Eli was born), then returned to Arkansas (where Jessie was born). The 1880 census confirms these birthplaces through the parental-origin columns (see below).

John Marshall Clifford died in 1879 in Iowa (per FamilySearch). Emma was left a widow at approximately age 25, with three young children.

The 1880 census: widowed in Colorado with three children

1880 census, Town of Gothic, Gunnison County, Colorado [S30, S40]: Enumerated June 28, 1880. The Clifford household spans a page break. On page 247, at the bottom:

Name Relationship Age Sex Occupation Birthplace Father born Mother born
Emma Clifford Mother 26 F Housekeeper Indiana Kentucky Kentucky
Orlando Son 6 M — Arkansas Mo. Indiana
Eli Son 5 M — Iowa — —

On page 248, at the very top [S40]:

Name Relationship Age Sex Birthplace Father born Mother born
Jessie Clifford Daughter 3 F Arkansas Mo. Indiana

This resolves the earlier question of Jessie's whereabouts: she was with Emma all along, listed at the top of the next census page. The "Mo." for John Clifford's birthplace confirms he was born in Missouri, matching the 1850 census and resolving the discrepancy with the death certificate's "Nebraska."

Note: Emma's father's birthplace is listed as Kentucky. This is an error; Eli Woodruff Bruner was born in Indiana. Her mother's birthplace as Kentucky is correct (Mary Elizabeth Collins, born Kentucky). The enumerator may have recorded both parents as Kentucky by mistake.

Why Gothic: Emma's brother was there. Enumerated alongside them (page and line unsettled: notes give both "same page, line 11" and "page 248, line 11") is Bruner, E.G., male, age 20, Blacksmith, born Missouri, father born Indiana, mother born Kentucky [S40]. The parent birthplaces match exactly: father Eli Woodruff Bruner (born Indiana), mother Mary Elizabeth Collins (born Kentucky). He is Emma's brother Eli Hickman "Heck" Bruner, born in Missouri in 1859 (the "Eli A," 10, of the 1870 Mercer County census). He had followed his father's trade as a blacksmith, and he was working it in a silver mining boomtown, where the demand for a smith (horseshoes, mining tools, equipment repair) would have been strong.

Emma did not move to a remote Colorado mining camp alone with three small children. She went where she had family. Her brother was already in Gothic, earning a living at the forge, and she joined him. At 26, newly widowed, with children ages 3, 5, and 6, she worked as a housekeeper in the camp while her brother worked the trade their father had taught him. Gothic in 1880 was at its peak, briefly reaching a population of about 1,000, overwhelmingly single men, prospectors, miners, and laborers from all over the country. A widow with children and a blacksmith brother would have been a small island of family in that transient world.

Second marriage: J.L. Davis (1881)

Marriage license, Benton County, Arkansas, January 26, 1881 [S31]: "J.L. Davis, aged 40 years, and Mariah M. Clifford, aged 27 years." The marriage was solemnized February 6, 1881 by Minister W.C. Dewitt. Recorded and filed March 10, 1881.

J.L. Davis is John Lewis Davis, born January 9, 1841, died November 21, 1914 (per FamilySearch). He was 13 years older than Emma.

A detail worth noting: on the same page of the Benton County marriage register, J.A. Davis, age 22, married Laura B. Morton on the same date (January 26, 1881). Given the shared surname and the same-day filing, J.A. Davis was very likely a son of J.L. Davis from a prior marriage. A father and his adult son marrying on the same day is unusual but not unheard of, and it suggests that J.L. Davis was himself a widower or divorcé.

The marriage probably represented stability as much as romance. Emma had been widowed for two years, working as a housekeeper in a mining camp with three children under seven. Davis, at 40, was an established older man. The Gothic boom was already fading by late 1880. Within months of leaving Colorado, Emma had married Davis and moved to Benton County, Arkansas. Whether they met in Colorado or Arkansas is unknown, but the speed of the transition (widowed in Colorado in mid-1880, married in Arkansas in early 1881) suggests this was a practical union, a young mother with three children finding a partner who could provide a more settled life. The marriage lasted roughly two decades before an apparent divorce, after which Emma married a man named Dunlap.

A blended family from the start. Per a FamilySearch contributor's account, J.L. Davis had previously been married to Elizabeth Rock, who was herself a widow with two children from a prior marriage. Davis adopted those children and gave them his surname: Sigel Charles Davis and Pluma Davis. When Elizabeth Rock Davis died, Davis became a widower raising two adopted children. So when Emma and Davis married in 1881, they merged two families: Emma's three Clifford children (Orlando 7, Eli 5, Jessie 4) and Davis's two adopted children. At least five children were in the household before Elizabeth Jane Davis was born to the couple in 1883, bringing the total to six. Both adults had come to the marriage carrying families from partners who had died. Each needed what the other could provide.

Within two years of the marriage, Emma and J.L. Davis were living in Siloam Springs, Benton County, Arkansas.

Daughter Elizabeth Jane Davis (1883)

Elizabeth Jane Davis was born February 1, 1883 in Siloam Springs, Arkansas [S32, S33]. She is the only documented child from the Davis marriage. Her NUMIDENT record confirms her parents as John L Davis (father) and Mariah E Bruner (mother, maiden name). Her death certificate [S33] gives the father as "Louis Davis" and the mother's maiden name as "Emma Brunner."

Elizabeth Jane later married a man named Myers and had a son, Louis Myers. She died December 10, 1960 in Kirkland, King County, Washington, age 77. Her son Louis Myers was the informant on her death certificate.

The convergence in Siloam Springs

By the early 1880s, Emma and her mother Mary Elizabeth Collins Bruner were both in Siloam Springs, Benton County, Arkansas. Emma married J.L. Davis there in 1881. Her daughter Elizabeth Jane was born there in 1883. Her mother Mary Elizabeth died there on May 19, 1887.

Eli Woodruff Bruner (the father) is not documented as being in Siloam Springs in the 1880s. He had died on 27 July 1879 at Colorado City, Colorado, of rheumatic fever (1880 mortality schedule, Benton Co, Arkansas), and was buried with Masonic honors in Evergreen Cemetery, Colorado Springs (Find a Grave 176564833).

The family's trajectory across the 1870s: Missouri (1870) → Colorado (Emma, 1880) → Arkansas (Emma, 1881 onward; Mary Elizabeth, by 1880). Mother and daughter reconnected in Benton County after what appears to have been a period of separation during Emma's Colorado years.

The Dunlap question

At some point, Emma acquired the surname Dunlap. Her Find a Grave entry [S34] lists her as "Emma Mariah Bruner Dunlap." A 1930 census record (referenced in FamilySearch as a "Similar Record") shows her as "Emma M Dunlap." She died and was buried under the Dunlap name.

The chronology is unclear. If J.L. Davis died November 21, 1914 (per FamilySearch), a Dunlap marriage after 1914 is straightforward. However, if the 1910 census entry in Kitsap County, Washington, truly shows her as "Emma Dunlap, 55, widowed," then she would have needed to divorce Davis, marry Dunlap, and become widowed from Dunlap, all before 1910 while Davis was still alive.

Possibilities:

  • She divorced Davis and married a man named Dunlap, who died before 1910. Davis then died separately in 1914.
  • The FamilySearch death date for J.L. Davis (1914) is wrong, and he died earlier, allowing a Dunlap marriage.
  • The 1910 "Emma Dunlap" is a different person misattributed to her on FamilySearch.

No marriage record for a Dunlap marriage has been found.

Son Orlando Hines Clifford (1873-?)

Orlando ("Ora") was Emma and John's firstborn, named after John's father Orlando H. Clifford of Vermont. Born 20 October 1873 in Benton County, Arkansas. He married Lela [surname unknown] and had sons Stanley Clifford and Clyde Clifford, and a daughter Lucille Clifford (who married a man named Bailey). Orlando appears in a family photograph [S41] alongside his mother Emma, his siblings, and extended family.

Son Eli Woodrie Clifford (1875–1947)

Eli Woodrie Clifford, the second child, was named after his maternal grandfather Eli Woodruff Bruner. His Social Security (NUMIDENT) record [S29] gives his birth as March 25, 1875 in Des Moines, Iowa, naming his mother as Emma M Bryner and his father as John Clifford. His death certificate [S28] confirms the same facts and adds:

  • Died: May 31, 1947, Bothell, Snohomish County, Washington
  • Age: 72 years, 2 months, 6 days
  • Occupation: Farming & Cattle Raising (Retired)
  • Marital status: Widowed; wife Gertrude (deceased)
  • Had lived in the Bothell community for 21 years (since c. 1926)
  • Cremated at Washelli Crematory, June 4, 1947
  • Informant: Mrs. Arthur Bailey, Rt 1, Bothell

The informant, Mrs. Arthur Bailey, is almost certainly his niece Lucille Clifford Bailey (Orlando's daughter), who appears in the family photograph [S41].

Eli appears in the family photograph alongside his wife "Gertie Clifford" (Gertrude). He ended up in the same region of Washington State as his half-sister Elizabeth Jane Myers (Kirkland) and his sister Jessie.

Daughter Jessie Lorene Clifford (1876-?)

Jessie Lorene Clifford, the youngest child, was born 6 May 1876 in Arkansas (the June 1880 census gives her age as 3 [S40]).

Marriage to Captain Richard B. Holbrook Jr. [S44]: On September 28, 1900, in Seattle, King County, Washington, "Captain Richard B. Holbrook" married "Mrs. Jessie Clifford" at the residence of clergyman John F. Dawson, 910 Fifth Avenue. Witnesses were William J. Hartley and Mrs. M.B. Frars. The title "Captain" in the Whidbey Island/Puget Sound context likely indicates a ship captain.

Richard Blackmer Holbrook Jr. was born c. 1873 on Whidbey Island, Washington Territory. The 1880 census for Whidbey & Camano Islands, Island County, Washington [S43] shows his father's household:

Name Age Sex Occupation Birthplace Father born Mother born
R.B. Holbrook [Sr.] 58 M Farmer Massachusetts Mass. Mass.
Harriet 44 F Keeping House Maine Me. Me.
[Richard Jr.] 7 M At School Wash. Terr. Mass. Me.
Horace 7 M At School Wash. Terr. Mass. Me.
Molly F. 9 F — Wash. Terr. Mass. Me.

Richard Jr. and Horace, both age 7, may have been twins. Harriet (born Maine) is marked in column 20 as "maimed, crippled, bedridden, or otherwise disabled," the nature of which is unknown. R.B. Holbrook Sr. was a Massachusetts-born farmer who was among the first settlers of Whidbey Island.

Two sons: By the 1910 census, Jessie and Richard Jr. had two sons: Daniel Philip Holbrook and Richard Clifford Holbrook. Jessie's mother, Emma Dunlap, was living with the family in Kitsap County, Washington [S36].

Richard B. Holbrook Jr. died on 23 September 1923 at Bismarck, Burleigh County, North Dakota; the cause is not known. After Richard Jr.'s death, Jessie married Thomas Absolom. The family photograph [S41] lists her as "Jessie Absolom" with Thomas Absolom in the back row.

Daniel Philip Holbrook ("Phil") married Alice Catherine Duffy in San Francisco on April 13, 1929. He appears as "Phil Holbrook" in the family photograph. Richard Clifford Holbrook (the direct ancestor of this researcher) is absent from the photo, likely living independently in his late 20s by that time.

The family photograph (c. 1930–1932)

A group photograph [S41] captures three generations of Emma's family together. Based on Baby Dorothy Lee Clifford's infancy, Emma's age (late 70s, she died December 1933), and the clothing styles, the photo was most likely taken between 1930 and 1932, probably no more than a year or two before Emma's death.

The photo is captioned with identifications:

Back Row: Lela & Orlando Clifford, Lou Myers, Thomas Absolom, Stanley Clifford, Clyde Clifford, Phil Holbrook, Eli Clifford.

Middle Row: Lizabeth Myers, Jessie Absolom, Dot Clifford, Baby Dorothy Lee Clifford, Emma Dunlap, Gertie Clifford.

Front: Gordon Myers, Lucille Clifford Bailey, Don Bailey, Unknown, Lou Myers.

What the identifications reveal:

The middle row is the women of the family, with Emma at the center. The arrangement tells the story: Lizabeth Myers (Emma's Davis daughter) and Jessie Absolom (Emma's Clifford daughter) flank the younger women, with the matriarch seated among them.

  • Emma Dunlap is using the Dunlap surname, confirming the third marriage.
  • All three of Emma's Clifford children are present: Orlando, Eli, and Jessie (as "Jessie Absolom," having remarried after the Holbrook marriage ended).
  • Emma's Davis daughter Lizabeth Myers (Elizabeth Jane Davis Myers) is present with her family (Lou Myers, Gordon Myers).
  • Gertie Clifford is Eli's wife Gertrude (named on his 1947 death certificate).
  • Lucille Clifford Bailey is Orlando's daughter. She (or her mother-in-law) is almost certainly the "Mrs. Arthur Bailey" who served as informant on Eli's 1947 death certificate in Bothell.
  • Dot Clifford is a nickname for Dorothy. She is the wife of either Stanley or Clyde Clifford (Orlando's adult sons, both in the back row). She married into the Clifford name. Baby Dorothy Lee Clifford is her daughter, named after her mother. Both carry the Clifford surname because Dot married a Clifford grandson.
  • Thomas Absolom in the back row is Jessie's second husband, confirming her remarriage.
  • Phil Holbrook is Daniel Philip Holbrook, Jessie's son from her Holbrook marriage (Phil being short for Philip). His presence at this Clifford/Bruner family gathering without his father confirms Richard Holbrook Jr. had died (1923) before the photo was taken.

Who is absent: Richard Blackmer Holbrook Jr. is not in the photo, consistent with his death in 1923. Richard Clifford Holbrook (Jessie's other son, a confirmed direct ancestor of this researcher) is also absent. By c. 1930, Richard C. would have been in his late 20s, likely living independently, possibly married and establishing his own household elsewhere.

10.3 The family's westward arc

The documents trace a remarkable geographic trajectory across four generations:

Generation Route
Meredith Collins (c. 1760–1841) Virginia → Kentucky
Mary Elizabeth Collins Bruner (1827–1887) Kentucky → Indiana → Iowa → Missouri → Arkansas
Mariah Emma Bruner (1853–1933) Indiana → Missouri → Iowa → Colorado → Arkansas → Washington → California
Children of Emma Iowa (Eli) → Washington (Eli, Jessie, Elizabeth Jane) → California (Emma's final years)

The family moved steadily westward over 150 years, from the Appalachian frontier to the Pacific coast. The Washington State concentration of Emma's children (Eli in Bothell, Jessie in Kitsap and later Grays Harbor County, Elizabeth Jane in Kirkland) suggests the Holbrook connection (through Jessie's marriage to a son of Whidbey Island pioneers) may have drawn the extended family to the Pacific Northwest.

10.4 The Washington convergence: two branches reunited

A striking pattern emerges when tracing both sides of Jesse and Mary Reed Collins's scattered family. Two branches, separated by the 1852 dispersal, independently converge on Washington State decades later:

Mary Elizabeth's branch (through daughter Mariah Emma Bruner):

  • Jessie Clifford Holbrook → Kitsap County, WA
  • Eli Woodrie Clifford → Bothell, Snohomish County, WA (died 1947)
  • Elizabeth Jane Davis Myers → Kirkland, King County, WA (died 1960)
  • Orlando Clifford → Washington area
  • Emma Dunlap → Washington before moving to California

Lloyd Collins's branch:

  • Joseph Sia Collins (Lloyd's son, b. 1875, Vernon County, MO) → Yakima, WA (died 1970, age 95)

Lloyd Collins (Mary Elizabeth's brother) married Mary Lambert in Kansas after the family dispersed. They settled in Vernon County, Missouri by 1880 with children Clary (b. c. 1866, Kansas), William (b. c. 1869, Missouri), and Joseph (b. c. 1875, Missouri). Joseph Sia Collins lived to 95, dying in 1970 in Yakima, Washington, well into the modern era.

Mary Elizabeth and Lloyd were siblings, though no census records them in the same household (she was probably placed out by 1840 and married in 1850). They were separated by their parents' deaths (Jesse c. 1847, Mary Reed c. 1852) and went in different directions: Mary Elizabeth to Indiana with Eli Bruner, Lloyd eventually to Kansas and Missouri. Yet their descendants independently made their way to Washington State. Whether this reflects ongoing family contact across the decades or a parallel draw to the Pacific Northwest is an open question. Joseph Sia Collins's long life (1875-1970) means he could have known his Collins-Holbrook cousins in Washington, and his descendants may still preserve family stories from the Lloyd Collins branch.

11. What to look for next

These are specific to the Meredith Collins line and confirmed descendants.

Meredith Collins (upstream)

  1. 1820 census, full-resolution image RESOLVED 13 Sept 2026 (Section 9.8): Floyd County, both households in the free colored and slave columns. FamilySearch image link: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYBQ-9JGT (image 49 of 200). (Indexed as Franklin; the county is Floyd.)

  2. Meredith Collins's death or estate, Pike County, c. 1841. Any will, inventory, or administration that names heirs.

  3. Griffin Collins Sr.: confirm the sibling relationship. Griffin is now understood as Meredith's brother or cousin, not his son (both b. c. 1760s–1770s). Confirming Samuel as Griffin's father would not settle Meredith's father, which is still open between John and Samuel (Lewis is recorded as John's son). Search for any record naming Griffin's parents. The FamilySearch profile for Griffin Collins Sr. (father: Samuel Collins) should be cross-checked against primary sources. Griffin Collins Jr. (b. 1796, m. Matilda Mackey) is a separate individual.

  4. George and Martin Collins: establish parentage. Search Pike County court, tax, and deed records for George Collins and Martin Collins after 1830. Their later movements could help confirm whether they were Meredith's sons and whether any of their children ended up near Mary Elizabeth.

  5. Milly Johnson: who was she? Search Pike County records for Milly or Amelia Johnson. Her identity and family could shed light on the racial and social context of Meredith's later years.

  6. James Collins in Pike County after 1830. James was Jesse's brother, not the same man; Mary Elizabeth's father was Jesse, in Morgan County, Indiana in 1830. Trace James separately.

  7. "Meredith Collins," Wilkes County NC Heritage vol. I (1982), p. 161, John D. Young. This published source may name Bradley's children by his first wife and possibly list other sons of Meredith.

Mariah Emma Bruner and descendants (downstream)

  1. 1880 census, Gunnison County, Colorado RESOLVED. Jessie Lorene Clifford (age 3, born Arkansas) appears at the top of the next page. Orlando (6, born Arkansas) and Eli (5, born Iowa) appear with Emma on the preceding page. All three children were with Emma. John Clifford's birthplace confirmed as Missouri.

  2. John Clifford marriage record. Search Arkansas and Iowa marriage records for a Clifford-Bruner marriage, c. 1872-1873. The family was in Benton County, Arkansas when Orlando was born (20 Oct 1873), then Iowa for Eli's birth (March 1875), then back to Arkansas for Jessie (6 May 1876). The marriage may have taken place in Arkansas.

  3. John Marshall Clifford birthplace discrepancy RESOLVED. Born Missouri (confirmed by 1850 Livingston County census). The "Nebraska" on Eli's death certificate reflects the family's later residence in Nebraska City, not John's birthplace.

  4. Eli Woodruff Bruner's death RESOLVED. He died 27 July 1879 at Colorado City, Colorado (1880 mortality schedule, Benton Co, Arkansas; Colorado Springs Gazette, 29 July 1879), and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Colorado Springs.

  5. The Dunlap marriage. Search Washington State marriage records for an Emma Davis or Emma Clifford marrying someone named Dunlap, c. 1900–1920. Also check whether J.L. Davis's actual death date is 1914 or earlier, which would simplify the chronology.

  6. Jessie's marriages. Jessie married Richard Blackmer Holbrook Jr. on 28 September 1900 in Seattle [S44] and, after his death at Bismarck, North Dakota, on 23 September 1923, Thomas Absolom. Search for the Absolom marriage and for the cause of Richard Jr.'s death.

  7. 1900 census for Emma. The 1900 census is missing from the documents. Search under all four surnames (Bruner, Clifford, Davis, Dunlap) and in Arkansas, Iowa, Washington, and adjacent states.

  8. Orlando H. Clifford Sr.'s death. The user notes that Orlando Sr. (John Marshall's father) had died about two years before Orlando Jr. was born, which would place his death c. 1871 (Orlando Jr. was born 20 October 1873). Search Nebraska death or probate records for Orlando H. Clifford.

12. Source index

ID Description Repository / Citation
S1 Compiled secondary sources on Meredith Collins: Eula Conley list of Meredith's children (via Harold Talbot/Vernice Trimble); Blackburn/Dillon, "One More Mountain to Cross"; Dillon, "Families"; John D. Young, "Meredith Collins," Wilkes County NC Heritage vol. I (1982), p. 161 Various compiled genealogies
S2 Heinegg, Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina, Collins entry Online at freeafricanamericans.com
S3 1799 Upper District Russell County, Virginia tax list Image in project files: Merideth_Collins_on_the_1799_Upper_District_Russell_county_tax_list.jpeg
S4 1810 U.S. Census, indexed as Harrison Co KY (likely Floyd Co) FamilySearch image group 005157063, image 112 of 409. Image in project files: Meredith-Collins-1810-census.pdf
S5 Floyd County, KY deed: Richard Damron to Meriday Collins, 18 May 1816, 50 acres on Shelby Creek FamilySearch image group 007902338. Typed transcript in project files: Meriday-Collins-Land-Deed-Info-Floyd-1816.jpg
S6 Floyd County, KY deed book: Morgan heirs to Meredith Collins and Morgan heirs to Booker Mullins, 29 Jan 1818 FamilySearch image group 007902338, image 508 of 1033. In project files: Meredith-Collins-Floyd-Deeds-1810-1825.pdf
S7 Pike County Court order, February Term 1826: road survey petition by Meredith Collins FamilySearch image group 008151287, image 83 of 670. In project files: Meredith-Collins-Pike-Court-1822-1842.pdf
S8 Pike County, KY deed book A: Marridah Collins to Harrison Newsom, 14 Sep 1827, recorded 1 May 1828 FamilySearch image group 008151289, image 198 of 727. In project files: Meredith-Collins-Pike-Deeds-1820-1845.pdf
S9 Pike County Court order, January Term 1829: Meredy Collins exempted from county tax Image in project files: Meriday_Collins_now_exempt_from_County_Tax-Pike-Jan-1829.jpg
S10 Pike County Court order, March Term 1829: binding-out subpoena naming George Collins & Patsy Kirk, Martin Collins & Mary Collins, Meredy Collins & Milly Johnson Image in project files: Meredy_Collins_and_Milly_Johnson_mentioned_in_court_orders-_To_appear_at_next_term_May_1828_to_show_cause_if_any_they_can_why_their_children_sould_not_be_bound_out.jpg (note: filename says May 1828, document is March Term 1829)
S11 Pike County Court, June Term 1829: Commonwealth v. Meredy Collins, child of Milly Johnson bound out Image in project files: Meredith-Collins-PikeTax-1829-2.jpg (this file contains the court record, not a tax record)
S12 1830 U.S. Census, Pike County, KY, page 366, division of John Burns FamilySearch image group 005155888, image 726 of 758. In project files: Meriday-Collins-Kentucky-Census-1830.pdf
S13 Pike County, KY tax list, c. 1831 Image in project files: Meredith-Collins-Pike-Tax-1831.jpg
S14 NARA General Index Card, War of 1812: Collins, Meredith, 2nd Reg't Mounted Gunmen (Williamson's), Tennessee Volunteers, Private. A namesake, not our Meredith (then about 52 and in Floyd Co KY); do not use. FamilySearch image group 004867457, image 2552 of 2942. In project files: Meredith-Collins-1812-military-record.pdf
S15 Grainger County, TN Court Records: Deposition of Martha Collins in application for widow's pension, Griffin Collins, War of 1812 service, filed 1857 FamilySearch image group 008523867, image 661 of 3153. In project files: Griffin-Collins-Court-1857-Grainger__Court_Records_1796_1915_Deposition_of_Martha_Collins_in_application_for_widows_pension_Griffin_Collins_War_of_1812_service.pdf
S16 1820 U.S. Census, indexed as Franklin Co KY (likely Floyd or Pike Co) FamilySearch image group 005156977, image 49 of 200. In project files: Meredith-Collins-1820-census.pdf
S17 Kershaw County, SC court records: Will of Elizabeth Collins, 1796 FamilySearch image group 004754180, image 447 of 551. In project files: Collins-Will-1796-Elizabeth.pdf
S18 Pike County, KY tax list, c. 1823–1825 Images in project files: Meredith-Collins-Pike-Tax.jpg, Meredith-Collins-PikeTax_Records_1823_1874.jpg
S19 Pike County, KY tax list, 1829 Image in project files: Meredith-Collins-PikeTax-1829.jpg
S20 Pike County, KY tax list, second page, c. 1823–1874 Image in project files: Meredith-Collins-PikeTax-1823-1874-p2.jpg
S21 1795 Wilkes County, NC tax list: Collins Griffin (1 poll, 50 acres), Collins David (1 poll, 100 acres), Collins Valentine (1 poll) Image in project files: Griffin-Collins-Wilkes-Tax-1795.jpg
S22 1830 U.S. Census, Grainger County, TN, page 325: "Griffin Collins Senr" In project files: Griffin-Collins-Census-Ten-1830.pdf
S23 1840 U.S. Census, Grainger County, TN: Griffin Collins In project files: Griffin-Collins-Census-1840.pdf
S24 1850 U.S. Census, Russell County, VA, 5th District, page 323: Griffin Collins (77, NC), Massie (77, NC), Nancy Robinson (50, NC), Betsy Collins (33, NC); adjacent: Rial Collins (38, TN), Alexander Collins (34, TN) In project files: Griffin-Collins-Census-1850.pdf
S25 1860 U.S. Census, Wise County, VA, page 66: Martha Collins (90, Pauper), Nancy (55, NC), Elizabeth (40); adjacent: Riley Collins (38) In project files: Martha-Massie-Rose-Collins-Census-1860.pdf
S26 1860 U.S. Census, Summersett Township, Mercer County, Missouri, page 112: Family 814/814, Eli Bruner (33, Blacksmith), Mary (33, KY), M.E. (6, F) and siblings In project files: Mariah-Emma-Bruner-Census-1860.pdf
S27 1870 U.S. Census, Somersett Township, Mercer County, Missouri, page 195: Family 3/3, Bruner Eli (43, Blacksmith), Mary (43, KY), Mary E (16, IN) and siblings In project files: Mariah-Emma-Bruner-Census-1870.pdf
S28 Washington State Certificate of Death: Eli W. Clifford, died May 31, 1947, Bothell, Snohomish Co, WA. Father: John Clifford (Nebraska). Mother: Emma Bruner (Missouri). State File No. 223. In project files: Eli-Clifford-Bruner-Death-1947.jpg
S29 NUMIDENT (Social Security) record: Eli Woodrie Clifford, born March 25, 1875, Des Moines, Iowa. Mother: Emma M Bryner. Father: John Clifford. Application May 1937. FamilySearch ark:/61903/1:1:6KWY-3H61. Screenshot in project files: Eli-Woodrie-Clifford.png
S30 1880 U.S. Census, Compton Rock Creek, Gunnison County, Colorado, page 156: Emma Clifford, widowed, Housekeeper, born Indiana, parents born Kentucky [2026-09-23: same household as S40; the book cites Gothic, 28 June 1880, pp. 247-248. "Compton Rock Creek, page 156" is probably the index's district name and a stamped page number; confirm from the image.] In project files: Mariah-Emma-Bruner-Census-1880.pdf
S31 Benton County, Arkansas marriage license: J.L. Davis (40) and Mariah M. Clifford (27), issued January 26, 1881, solemnized February 6, 1881, by W.C. Dewitt, Minister In project files: Mariah-Emma-Bruner-Marriage-JLDavis-1881.pdf
S32 NUMIDENT (Social Security) record: Elizabeth Jane Myers (née Davis), born February 1, 1883, Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Father: John L Davis. Mother: Mariah E Bruner. FamilySearch ark:/61903/1:1:6KWB-WYM5. Screenshot in project files: Mariah-Emma-Bruner-Davis-Daughter.png
S33 Washington State Certificate of Death: Elizabeth Jane Myers, died December 10, 1960, Kirkland, King Co, WA. Father: Louis Davis. Mother: Emma Brunner (maiden). Age 77. Born Arkansas. Informant: Son, Louis Myers. In project files: Emma-Bruner-Elizabeth-Jane-Myers-Death-1960.jpg
S34 Find a Grave Index: Emma Mariah Bruner Dunlap, born October 30, 1853, died December 4, 1933. Burial: Wheatland Cemetery, Wheatland, Yuba, California. FamilySearch ark:/61903/1:1:QVKV-N7GS. Screenshot in project files: Emma-Mariah-Bruner-Dunlap-grave.png
S35 FamilySearch Washington Deaths and Burials record: Emma Bruner. Husband: John Clifford (Nebraska). Son: Eli W. Clifford (72, Iowa, d. 1947 Bothell WA). FamilySearch ark:/61903/1:1:HVF9-Y7PZ. Screenshot in project files: Emma-Bruner-grave.png
S36 1910 U.S. Census, Kitsap County, Washington, 3rd Precinct: Holbrook and Dunlap household entries In project files: Mariah-Emma-Dunlap-Bruner-Census-1910.pdf
S37 1920 U.S. Census, Grays Harbor County, Washington: Holbrook household entries In project files: Mariah-Emma-Dunlap-Bruner-Census-1920.pdf
S38 1850 U.S. Census, Livingston County, Missouri, District No. 51, page [unnumbered]: Family 554/554, O.H. Clifford (55, Trader, Vermont), wife Delila (38, Ohio), children including John M. (6, Missouri) In project files: John-Marshall-Clifford-Census-1850.pdf
S39 1860 U.S. Census, Nebraska City, Otoe County, Nebraska, page 44: Family 331/285, Orlando H. Clifford (48, Hotel Keeper, Vermont), wife Elizabeth Jr. (37, Missouri), children including John (15/16) In project files: John-Marshall-Clifford-Census-1860.pdf
S40 1880 U.S. Census, Town of Gothic, Gunnison County, Colorado, pages 247–248: Jessie Clifford (3, F, born Arkansas, father born Mo., mother born Indiana) at top of page 248, continuing the Emma Clifford household from page 247 In project files: Jessie-Clifford-Census-1880_prevpage_shows_mother_emma_and_two_brothers_Orlando_and_Eli.pdf
S41 Family photograph (c. 1920s–1930s) of Orlando H. Clifford family gathering: identifies Emma Dunlap, Orlando & Lela Clifford, Eli & Gertie Clifford, Jessie Absolom, Thomas Absolom, Phil Holbrook, Lizabeth Myers, Lou Myers, Gordon Myers, Stanley Clifford, Clyde Clifford, Lucille Clifford Bailey, Dorothy Lee Clifford In project files: Orlando-H-Clifford-and-Emma-Clifford-Dunlap-FamilyPhoto-with-Holbrook.jpeg
S42 Photograph of "Ora" (Orlando Hines Clifford) with wife Lela Clifford In project files: Ora-Lela-Clifford.jpeg
S43 1880 U.S. Census, Whidbey & Camano Islands, Island County, Washington Territory, page 6: Family 73/76, R.B. Holbrook (58, Farmer, Massachusetts), Harriet (44, Maine, disabled), children including Richard Jr. (7), Horace (7), Molly F. (9) Uploaded file: Jr-Richard-B-Holbrook-census-1880.pdf
S44 Marriage Certificate No. 4885, King County, Washington: Captain Richard B. Holbrook and Mrs. Jessie Clifford, married September 28, 1900, Seattle, by John F. Dawson, clergyman. Witnesses: William J. Hartley, Mrs. M.B. Frars. Filed October 31, 1900. Uploaded file: Jr-Richard-B-Holbrook-Marriage-Clifford-1900.pdf
S45 Clay County, Kentucky, General Index to Marriages, page 24: Jesse Collins and Mary Reed, December 13, 1827; Hiram Collins and Elizabeth Reed, 1828-1829; Bradley Collins and Catherine Barney, July 1831; Bradley Collins and Betsy Griffin, February 1833; Bradley Collins and Elizabeth Lunsford, September 1836; Andrew Collins and Betsy Ann Sizemore, March 1838; James Collins and Martha Ann Cotton, July 1839 Uploaded file: Collins-Clay-Kentucky-Vitals-Record-Marriages-page24-1821-1860.pdf
S46 Clay County, Kentucky, General Index to Marriages, page 25: Additional Collins marriages including Solomon Collins and Mary Hollingsworth (1844), Boyd Collins and Holly Lunsford (1850), and others Uploaded file: Collins-Clay-Kentucky-Vitals-Record-Marriages-page25-1821-1860_pdf.pdf
S47 Iowa Certificate of Death: Nancy Williams (née Collins), died September 27, 1909, Appanoose County. Age 85 (b. c. 1822). Father: Bradley Collins. Mother: Sarah Reid. Informant: J.H. Williams, Ocean, Iowa. Cause: obstruction of the bowels. Buried Davis County, September 29, 1909. Uploaded file: Bradley-Collins-Sarah-Reid-Daughter-Nancy-Williams-Death-Cert-1909.pdf
S48 1850 U.S. Census, Wells Township, Appanoose County, Iowa, page 37: Family 29/29, Mary Collings (46, F, Mulatto), children Matilda (20), Reuben (16), Lloyd/Loya (14), Calaska (12), Spencer (10), all listed as Mulatto Uploaded file: Mary-Reid-Collins-Appanoose-Census-1850.pdf
S49 1820 U.S. Census, Floyd County, Kentucky: Bradley Collins and Meredith Collins on consecutive lines. Right-side entries verified 13 Sept 2026 (Section 9.8): free colored and slave columns. Uploaded file: Bradley-Meredith-Collins-Floyd-Kentucky-census-1820.pdf and screenshot: Screenshot_2026-09-13_at_6_00_03_PM.png
S50 1840 U.S. Census, Chariton County, Missouri, p. 309, sheet 4: Bradley Collins household ("Chariton County" in the left margin; indexed elsewhere as Callaway County) Uploaded file: Bradley-Collins-MO-Census-1840.pdf
S51 David Attride Genealogy Database (Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center): James Reed, b. abt 1765, d. abt 1841, Clay Co KY. Father: Hugh Reed Sr. (d. before Dec 1786, Rowan/Burke Co NC). 1800 Ashe Co NC census: "free black." [The census column is "other free," that is, free colored.] 1820 Clay Co KY census: "free colored male 45+." 1841 estate divided among "Mrs Reid," Samuel Reid, William Reid. [Revised 2026-09-27: a compilation whose underlying records have not been seen here. Its birth year is at the edge of the census range (c. 1766-75); Hugh as father and the Rowan records are unproven; the 1841 estate supports reading (A) only. See S66.] Online: genealogycenter.info/attride, person ID I81697
S52 Paul Heinegg, Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina from the Colonial Period to About 1820 (6th edition). Reed family entry (Pettiford-Riley section): traces family from William Reed "Malatta" (b. c. 1673, Charles City Co VA) through multiple generations. Collins family entry (Church-Cotanch section): traces family from Thomas Collins "Molata" (1755, Orange Co NC). James Reed and Stephen Reed listed under "Other members of the Reed family in North Carolina" as Ashe County heads of household, 1800. Online: freeafricanamericans.com
S53 Mary B. Kegley, comp., Militia of Montgomery County, Virginia, 1777-1790 (Dublin, Va., 1975). pp. 23-24: "A List of Capt. James McDaniell Company," undated, with "Mendaby Collens" (Meredith) and "Lewies Collens" on consecutive lines, David and George Collens, and Benjamin, Charles, and John Sexton; no Riddles, no William Bowlin, and no Elisha, Samuel, or John Collins. p. 50: Kegley's introduction to the 1777-1779 oath lists, with James McCorkle's note of those who refused, including "Elisha Collins, Coxes Compy." p. 51: McCorkle's list of men who swore the oath of allegiance, 30 Sept to 5 Dec 1777; under "Capt. Coxs Compy." are "Jno. Collens," "Samuel Collens," "Jno. (his mark) Riddle," "William Ridel," and James McDaniell. p. 52: James McGavock's oath list (no Collinses or Riddles). Index: the only Riddles are John and William, p. 51 FamilySearch Digital Library, book 1033071 (images 34-35, 61-63, 88); user screenshots, 23 Sept 2026
S54 Mary B. Kegley, Early Adventurers on the Western Waters, vol. 2, The New River of Virginia in Pioneer Days, 1745-1800 (1982; reprinted 2003), p. 218: Montgomery County court martial of 23 April 1783 at Patrick Campbell's house, with Meredith Collins among the men of Capt. James McDaniel's company "under similar orders" Published book
S55 Lewis Collins, Revolutionary War pension application S21142 (Grainger Co TN, August 1834, aged 80): living in South Carolina in 1776 and drafted there; later at "my father's house in Montgomery County," Virginia; at Eutaw Springs, September 1781 Southern Campaigns Revolutionary War Pension Statements (revwarapps.org), transcribed by Will Graves
S56 1840 U.S. Census, Iowa Territory: "Tifford" Reed, headed "Van Buren, Iowa Territory," p. 282, with Benjamin Reed two pages away (FamilySearch indexes them under other counties) NARA microfilm M704, roll 102
S57 1856 Iowa State Census, Appanoose County: Tilford Reed's son Harman, about 20, born Iowa (so Tilford was in Iowa by c. 1836, whatever the 14 years' residence he gave); Benjamin Reed, 18 years' residence; Wells Township: Spencer Collins (14, mulatto) in the Hendon household Cited in Molata (S64)
S58 1880 U.S. Census mortality schedule, Benton County, Arkansas: Eli Bruner, rheumatic fever. Colorado Springs Gazette, 29 July 1879: "The body of Eli Bruner, who died at Colorado City on the 27th inst., was buried yesterday with Masonic honors." Burial: Evergreen Cemetery, Colorado Springs, Potters Field Find a Grave memorial 176564833 (findagrave.com)
S59 Muster card of Spencer Collins, Private, Co. H, 46th Missouri Infantry: enlisted at Springfield 17 Aug 1864, mustered in 9 Sept 1864, "Killed in action Nov. 3, '64, at Vera Cruz Mo."; age given as 44, a slip for 24. Grave at Parsons Cemetery, Ozark County, Missouri Muster card reproduced in Molata (S64); grave on Find a Grave (findagrave.com)
S60 James Read's note to the Clay County clerk, Abner Baker, 25 Nov 1827: "Mr Abner Baker Sir ples to grant Jesse Collens lisens to marrey Mary Red and oblige them," witnessed by Stephen Read and Hiram Collins Clay County, Kentucky, unindexed loose marriage papers, filed behind the archivist's card "Smeared Ink"
S61 Roberta J. Estes, Jack H. Goins, Penny Ferguson, and Janet Lewis Crain, "Melungeons, A Multi-Ethnic Population," Journal of Genetic Genealogy 7, no. 1 (Fall 2011, published April 2012): of the paternal lines assigned, 12 European, 8 African, and 1 Native American (a Sizemore line, Q1a3a); every maternal line European; Vardy Collins's Y line R1a1 (Table 11); the 1813 Stony Creek minute (Table 1) Journal of Genetic Genealogy (online)
S62 Eula Collins Conley, DAR application, National No. 562294 (1971): dates Meredith's marriage to Polly Holloway (c. 1799) and gives William's birth in Russell County, VA; twenty-five supporting documents, not yet seen DAR Genealogical Research System (services.dar.org), free lineage preview; DAR Online Library listing
S63 1830 U.S. Census, Morgan County, Indiana: Jesse Collins household, matching Jesse and Mary's family (their daughter Matilda was born in Morgan County in May 1830) Cited in Molata (S64), ch. 7
S64 Molata: Tracing the Collins and Reed Lines from Colonial Virginia to the Pacific Northwest, 1st ed., v1.3 rewrite (September 2026), with its line-by-line source audit Manuscript file Molata-1st-Ed-v1.3-rewrite-op5.5.md
S65 1830 U.S. Census, Clay County, Kentucky, p. 172: Abraham, Hiram and Bradley Collins and James Reid, the first four heads on the page. James Reid's row: a white female 50-60; in the slave columns, four males 10-24 and one male 55-100; a free colored male 24-36; total 7. Re-read from the full-resolution image on 26 September 2026 FamilySearch image group 005155883, images 346-347 (catalogued as Estill): https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YY1-9YC8 and https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYY1-912F
S66 Reed Family Investigation Addendum (26-27 September 2026): James Reed's records in order; the two readings of where he died; the Morgan County, Indiana, will (signed 19 July 1836, recorded 6 January 1845, Deed Book J, p. 522) and land records; his wife Susannah; his probable and possible children; and where the records not yet online are held Project file claude/Reed_Family_Investigation_Addendum.md
S67 1840 U.S. Census, Morgan County, Indiana: James Reed, head of a free colored household of seven (image 34); Hiram Collins, free colored, on the page after (image 36) Ancestry collection 8057, images 34 (4410758_00266) and 36 of 116

Change log

  • 2026-09-12: Created. Initial compilation from all Meredith Collins documents in the project files.

  • 2026-09-12: Added Griffin Collins Sr. section with six primary sources (1795–1860). Revised from "probable son" to "probable brother" of Meredith based on 1795 Wilkes County tax list placing Griffin (b. c. 1773) alongside David and Valentine Collins as a peer, not a dependent. Confirmed Martha Rose as Griffin's wife, not Meredith's. Added sources S21–S25.

  • 2026-09-13: Added Section 10 covering Mary Elizabeth Collins Bruner and her daughter Mariah Emma Bruner (Clifford/Davis/Dunlap), compiled from 12 primary documents. Traces four surnames across six decades, establishes the Clifford marriage through Eli Woodrie Clifford's death certificate and NUMIDENT record, confirms the Davis marriage and daughter Elizabeth Jane Davis, and identifies the Dunlap surname question. Updated research priorities and added sources S26–S37.

  • 2026-09-13: Major revision to the Clifford section. Established John Marshall Clifford's parentage (O.H. Clifford of Vermont and Delila of Ohio) from 1850/1860 censuses. Confirmed three children (Orlando, Eli, Jessie), not two. Resolved the birthplace discrepancy (Missouri, not Nebraska). Documented the dual naming pattern (Orlando for paternal grandfather, Eli for maternal grandfather). Confirmed Jessie on the 1880 census (age 3, top of next page). Added the family photograph identifying all three Clifford children, Jessie's second marriage to Thomas Absolom, and the Lucille Clifford Bailey connection to Eli's death certificate informant. Added sources S38–S42.

  • 2026-09-13: Discovered E.G. Bruner (Emma's brother, age 20, Blacksmith) on the same 1880 Gothic census page, explaining why Emma moved to a Colorado mining town: she went where her brother was working. Added narrative context for the Gothic period and the Davis marriage. Expanded family photo analysis with Dot Clifford identification, photo dating (c. 1930–1932), and Richard C. Holbrook absence discussion. [Superseded 2026-09-23: E. G. Bruner is enumerated alongside Emma, but the page and line are unsettled; he is her brother Heck (Eli Hickman).]

  • 2026-09-13: Added J.L. Davis blended family details (Elizabeth Rock, Sigel Charles Davis, Pluma Davis) from FamilySearch contributor. Added Holbrook Sr. 1880 census from Whidbey Island showing pioneer family. Added Holbrook-Clifford marriage certificate (September 28, 1900, Seattle). Confirmed Richard B. Holbrook Jr. died 1923. Confirmed Phil Holbrook = Daniel Philip Holbrook. Confirmed two sons: Daniel Philip and Richard Clifford Holbrook (direct ancestor). Added Daniel Philip's marriage to Alice Catherine Duffy (San Francisco, 1929). Sources S43–S44.

  • 2026-09-13: Added Section 9.5 documenting the full 1850 Appanoose County census Collins presence: three households across Center and Independence Townships, plus William Collins boarding with McClures. Identified John Collins (29, KY) in Independence Twp as a potential brother of Mary Elizabeth. Noted the Bradley name recurring in John's household (son "Bralley," 12, KY). Documented the Burner/Bruner family (Hickman Bruner) as neighbors of the Collins family. Noted Holebrook family in Shoal division. Mapped KY → MO → IA migration pattern across all Collins households.

  • 2026-09-13: Added Sections 9.6 and 9.7. Found Bradley Collins on the 1830 Clay County, KY census with two females under 5 in his household (one could be Mary Elizabeth, b. c. 1827) and no adult wife present. Also found Hiram Collins and Amos Collins in Clay County. Developed the hypothesis that Bradley Collins is Mary Elizabeth's father, based on household composition, migration pattern, geographic overlap with the Bruners, and the absence of any competing candidate. Mapped the migration route (Clay Co KY → north-central MO → Appanoose Co IA) with the 1840 census as the next record to search. [Superseded 2026-09-23: Mary Elizabeth was Jesse and Mary Reed's daughter, Jesse was Bradley's half-brother, and Bradley's 1840 county was Chariton.]

  • 2026-09-13: MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH. Added Section 9.8. Confirmed Jesse Collins – Mary Reed marriage from Clay County, KY marriage register (December 13, 1827). Found Nancy Williams death certificate (1909) naming Bradley Collins as father and Sarah Reid as mother, confirming the Reid/Reed surname in the family. Found Mary Collings (Mary Reed Collins) on the 1850 Appanoose County census listed as mulatto with all children also mulatto. Documented three Collins-Reed intermarriages in Clay County (Jesse/Mary, Hiram/Elizabeth, Bradley/Sarah). Connected Thomas Collins "Molata" (1755) through the full lineage to Mary Elizabeth Collins. DNA math confirmed (2.1% in Frances Holbrook consistent with ~25-35% non-European in Mary Elizabeth). Found Bradley Collins on 1820 Floyd Co census alongside Meredith (entries in right-side columns pending verification) and 1840 Missouri census. Found Clay County marriage register documenting all of Bradley's marriages and Andrew Collins's marriage. Added sources S45-S50. [Superseded 2026-09-23: the lineage runs Thomas > John (or Samuel) > Meredith > Jesse, with Bradley as Jesse's half-brother; Sarah Reid was the mother of Bradley's daughter Nancy, not a documented marriage; Jane Ray's 1817 marriage is on the Conley list only; the 1840 census is Chariton County.]

  • 2026-09-14: Added Heinegg Reed family origins tracing to William Reed "Malatta" (b. c. 1673, Charles City County, VA, "a mixed-race child born to a white servant woman"). Connected to James Reed of Ashe County through Hugh Reed Sr. of Rowan/Burke County. Added full lineage table showing both Collins and Reed lines converging on Mary Elizabeth Collins. Both families trace mixed-race origins to colonial Virginia through white servant women. Added Micajah Reed note. Identified "Mrs Reid" (James's wife, name unknown) as the last unnamed person in the direct ancestral line. Source S52 (Heinegg). [Superseded 2026-09-23: the Samuel and Bradley links in the lineage table are withdrawn (see READ THIS FIRST); Meredith's father and the Reed generations before Hugh are still unknown, so Mrs Reid is not the last unnamed person in the line.]

  • 2026-09-23: Audited the whole file against the September 2026 rewrite of the book (Molata, v1.3, S64) and added the READ THIS FIRST block at the top, which governs wherever anything later disagrees.

    • Lineage: Jesse was Meredith's son by Polly Holloway and Bradley's half-brother; Meredith's father is John [or Samuel]. Corrected the lineage lines and both lineage tables (Bradley and Sarah Reid rows removed) and marked the Bradley-as-father and Bradley-as-grandfather passages superseded.
    • Dates and places: Orange Co VA court of 27 January 1743 (new style); the 1755 "Molata" list is Orange Co NC; Polly b. c. 1780, m. c. 1799; Nancy Williams b. c. 1822; Orlando b. 20 Oct 1873 and Jessie b. 6 May 1876; Tilford in Iowa by c. 1836; Bradley in Chariton Co in 1840 and Appanoose in 1844; Hugh Reed d. before the end of 1786, Rowan Co; 1810 census age brackets.
    • Records: the War of 1812 card (S14) is a namesake's; the enlistment place is unrecorded; McDaniel's list is undated but after 1777 (S53); James Read's consent note (S60) settles Mary Reed's father; James Reed's 1800 household was free colored; S30 annotated as the Gothic household.
    • Later generations: Eli Bruner d. 27 July 1879 at Colorado City (S58); Spencer killed in action 3 Nov 1864 (S59); Kalaska came home; Richard Holbrook Jr. d. 23 Sep 1923 at Bismarck; E. G. Bruner is Heck; John Ellingwood 1.5%.
    • Internal fixes: Delilah as Jesse's daughter; the 1850 Independence Township Hiram distinguished from Elizabeth Reed's husband; Jesse in Morgan Co, Indiana in 1830 (S63); Lucille Clifford Bailey as Orlando's daughter; notes appended to the 2026-09-13 and 2026-09-14 entries. Added sources S53-S64.

  • 2026-09-27: Brought the Reed passages into line with the Reed investigation (claude/Reed_Family_Investigation_Addendum.md, S66) and the revised master tree.

    • 1830 Clay census (S65): James is the man aged 55-100 in the slave column, with four young men of his household also in the slave columns; the free colored man in his household is aged 24-36; his wife is the one person counted white. Earlier versions of this file had James as the free colored man. Corrected in READ THIS FIRST, section 9.06, section 9.4, the section 9.8 tables and the paragraph on Mrs. Reid's classification.
    • James Reed: born c. 1766-75 by his census ages; Hugh Reed Sr. as his father, the Rowan records, and William Read as the family's root marked unproven; his death open between Clay c. 1841 (reading A) and Morgan County, Indiana, before 6 January 1845 (reading B); his wife Susannah under reading (B). Added the READ THIS FIRST block "James Reed, Mary's father" and moved the census line there from "The Reeds in Iowa."
    • Children: Patsy Reed moved off James's list (more likely Stephen Reed Jr's daughter); Benjamin and Tilford now possible sons rather than probable, and "Mary's brothers" changed to "possibly Mary's brothers"; Elisha, John [or James] and Naaman added under reading (B), with Samuel and William under reading (A).
    • Added sources S65-S67 and a Reed item (10) to the open leads.
  1. # Collins-Reed Family Research: From Colonial Virginia to the American West
  3. ## READ THIS FIRST: where the research stands (23 September 2026; Reed passages revised 27 September 2026)
  5. This block was written after the September 2026 rewrite of the book (*Molata*, 1st ed., v1.3 rewrite) and its line-by-line source audit. It is the current position. Where anything later in this file disagrees with it, this block wins: the older passages have been corrected in place or marked **[Superseded 2026-09-23]**, and the changelog at the end lists what changed. The master family tree (`Collins_Reed_Master_Family_Tree.md`) was brought into line on the same day. On 27 September 2026 the Reed passages were brought into line with the Reed investigation (`claude/Reed_Family_Investigation_Addendum.md`) and the revised master tree (`Collins_Reed_Master_Family_Tree-op5.5update.md`): the block "James Reed, Mary's father" below gives the current reading, and later passages are corrected in place or marked **[Revised 2026-09-27]**.
  7. ### The line
  9. Thomas Collins "Molata" (c. 1700 - c. 1770) > **John Collins [or Samuel]** > Meredith Collins (c. 1760 - 1841) > Jesse Collins (c. 1804 - 1847) = Mary Reed (1804 - c. 1852) > Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Collins (1827 - 1887) = Eli Woodruff Bruner > Mariah Emma Bruner = John Marshall Clifford > Jessie Lorene Clifford = Richard Blackmer Holbrook Jr. > Richard Clifford Holbrook = Lucille McMillan > Frances Fairchild Holbrook
  11. Reed side: William Read (c. 1673) [?] > [generations missing] > Hugh Reed Sr. (d. bef. end of 1786, Rowan Co NC) [?] > James Reed/Read (b. c. 1766-75; d. c. 1841, Clay Co KY [or bef. 6 Jan 1845, Morgan Co IN]) > Mary Reed
  13. - **Meredith's father is still open between two of Thomas's sons, John and Samuel. The book leans to John.** Lewis Collins, recorded as John's son, stands beside Meredith on musters, tax lists, and land entries for twenty years (on McDaniel's company list their names are on consecutive lines), and a daughter of Moses Riddle born c. 1740 would be the right age to have married John. Heinegg places most of the New River men under Samuel. A John and a Samuel both took the oath of allegiance with the Riddles in Captain Cox's company in 1777 (Kegley, *Militia*, p. 51), so these lists don't decide it. The deciding record would be a Montgomery County tithable list of the late 1770s showing a teenage Meredith in somebody's household.
  14. - **Jesse was Meredith's son by Polly Holloway, not Bradley's.** Bradley was about seventeen when Jesse was born, and Jesse fits the run of Polly's children. The chain "Meredith > Bradley > Jesse" in older passages (and in some online trees) is withdrawn. Bradley and Jesse were half-brothers.
  15. - **Thomas's wife was not a daughter of Moses Riddle.** Moses was the only taxable man in his 1755 household, and his son John Riddle was born c. 1750 (pension S9069), so Moses was born c. 1715-25, too young to be the father of the woman who bore Thomas's sons in the 1720s and 1730s. The old tradition has the right families and the wrong generation: the Riddle link most likely belongs to a daughter of Moses, born c. 1740, marrying one of Thomas's younger sons, possibly Meredith's father.
  17. ### Meredith's wives and children (current reading)
  19. 1. **First wife, unnamed in every record**, m. c. 1782-85: **Bradley** (b. 1787, on the North Carolina side of the mountains) and probably a daughter (the female aged 16-25 in the 1810 household).
  20. 2. **Polly (Margaret?) Holloway**, b. c. 1780, m. c. 1799 (Eula Conley's DAR application, national no. 562294), d. bef. 1840, probably c. 1812: **Archibald** (c. 1800), **James**, **Jesse** (c. 1804; strong evidence, no birth record), **William** (13 Apr 1806, Russell Co VA), **Hiram** (c. 1804-06). **Edward "Ned," John W., and Reuben** rest on the Conley list alone [?].
  21. 3. **Milly Johnson**, his companion in later life: a son b. c. 1818, "aged about eleven" when the Pike County court bound him out in June 1829 (summons March 1829).
  23. Cautions: the DAR's Bradley-line papers name Polly as Bradley's mother, which can't be right, since she was about seven in 1787. In the DAR GRS listing, "BRADLEY, spouse [1] X X" is Bradley's own first wife, not Meredith's. The FamilySearch profile "Margaret Holloway 1765-1812" came in with the demolished Hampshire graft; don't use it. Older passages giving Polly's marriage as c. 1790-95 or her birth as c. 1765 are superseded.
  25. Bradley: married at least four times, to Jane Ray in 1817 (Conley list only; county uncertain, given as Clay in the main file and Floyd in the addendum; not yet seen in a register), and in Clay County to Catherine Barney (1831), Betsy Griffin (1833), and Elizabeth Lunsford (1836); a daughter, Nancy (c. 1822), with Sarah Reid (Nancy Williams's 1909 Iowa death certificate). West in 1839 (by flatboat, per Eula Conley); 1840 in **Chariton** Co, Missouri (the census page's margin; "Callaway" was an indexing slip); Appanoose Co, Iowa, 1844; 1850 in son Andrew's household, Center Township, counted white (sheet dated 29 Nov 1850).
  27. ### The Revolution and the militia records
  29. - **1776:** the family's record (Blackburn, Conley) has Meredith enlisting at sixteen with George, David, and Lewis. No record gives the place. Montgomery County wasn't formed until 1777 and Christiansburg wasn't founded until 1792, so "enlisted at Christiansburg, Montgomery County" in older notes is an anachronism; drop it. Lewis was living in South Carolina that year and served with the South Carolina forces; John Riddle went with the Virginians to the Long Island of the Holston (Christian's campaign) under Capt. John Cox.
  30. - **Kegley, *Militia of Montgomery County, Virginia, 1777-1790*** (Dublin, Va., 1975; FamilySearch Digital Library, book 1033071; pages viewed by the user 23 Sept 2026):
  31. - **pp. 23-24 (images 34-35), "A List of Capt. James McDaniell Company":** "Mendaby Collens" (Meredith) and "Lewies Collens" on consecutive lines; David Collens; George Collens; a deleted "---- Collens"; Benjamin Sexton; Charles Sexton (deleted on p. 23, re-entered on p. 24); John Sexton; James Cox. No date on the page. Kegley's note: "This list is very poorly spelled, and very difficult to read. Many names were deleted and are impossible to decipher." This is the page the DAR cites for Meredith's service. **There are no Riddles on it, no William Bowlin, and no Elisha, Samuel, or John Collins.**
  32. - **p. 50 (image 61), Kegley's introduction to the oath lists:** Montgomery County kept lists of the men who took the oath of allegiance to the Commonwealth, 1777-1779 (originals at the courthouse in Christiansburg). One was kept by **James McCorkle**, assigned "to record the names of the men who swore allegiance to the State from several companies"; its entries begin 30 September 1777, and McCorkle signed and dated it 5 December 1777. At its end he listed the refusers: "Those that refused in Capt. Ozburns Compy. Joseph Caldwell, Robert Ozburn, James Sturgill, an old innofencive Ignorant man, Elisha Collins, Coxes Compy. Solomon Reddick, Do. (Ditto), William Reddick, Do." So **Elisha's refusal is now seen in Kegley**: he refused before McCorkle as a man of Cox's company (the Collins Timeline's "30 Sept 1777" is the list's opening date). The two Reddicks are probably a different family, but note that a William Reddick refused in the same company where a "William Ridel" swore.
  33. - **p. 51 (image 62), McCorkle's oath list itself.** Under "Capt. Coxs Compy.": David Cox, "Jno. (his mark) Riddle," John Cox, James McDaniell (swearing as one of Cox's men, before he had a company of his own), Geo. Reves, Daniel and Jno. Blevins, "William Ridel," Harman and Samwill Cox, "Jno. Collens," and "Samuel Collens"; then men "of Thompson's Compy.," "of Draper's Co.," "of Stephens Co.," "a traveller," one from "Surry Co., Car.," and "Peter Hutcheson, of my own" (McCorkle's own company); "Capt. Ozburn's Compy." heads the right-hand column. **So John and Samuel Collins and William and John Riddle took the oath of allegiance together in the fall of 1777, John Riddle making his mark.** This is an oath list, not a muster roll. Meredith, Lewis, David, and George aren't on it.
  34. - **p. 52 (image 63):** a separate "List of persons who took state oath before James McGavock, September to December, 1777," with no Collinses or Riddles.
  35. - **Riddles in the whole book:** the user searched every spelling on 23 Sept 2026. John and William on p. 51 are the only Riddles, and there is no Moses. The index (image 88) gives "Riddle, John, 51" and "Ridel, William, 51"; the entry just above them in the index is a different surname.
  36. - **[Superseded 2026-09-23]** the single roster in Blackburn and in the saponitown "Collins Timeline," labeled "Osborn Company," "Osburn & Cox," or "McDaniel's Company," that puts Meredith, Lewis, David, George, Elisha, Samuel, and John Collins with Benjamin, Charles, and John Sexton, William Bowlin, and William and John Riddle. It runs together McDaniel's militia list (p. 23), McCorkle's 1777 oath list (p. 51, whose two company headings are Cox and Ozburn), and McCorkle's note of refusers (p. 50, Elisha). William Bowlin's source is still unlocated. The Riddles were Cox's men, and no list puts them beside Meredith.
  37. - **Court martial of 23 April 1783**, at Patrick Campbell's house (Kegley, *Early Adventurers*, vol. 2, p. 218): Meredith in McDaniel's company among the men "under similar orders," just after James Cox; John Saxton also; Ozburn's refusers ordered aboard "the armed vessels for the defence of Chesapeake Bay." The older dating of this page to "c. 1780-81" is wrong.
  38. - **Elisha Collins** refused the oath of allegiance before James McCorkle in the fall of 1777, as a man of Cox's company (Kegley, *Militia*, p. 50; see above).
  39. - **Lewis Collins, pension S21142** (Will Graves transcription): aged 80, Grainger Co TN, August 1834. In August 1776 he was living in South Carolina, on the waters of Broad River, was drafted (Capt. James Steen), and "marched against the Cherokee Indians that were doing mischief on the frontiers of South Carolina." In 1778 he hired out to make a crop with Charles Tompson, "not then a man of a family," was drafted again, and was dismissed. He then went "to my father's house in Montgomery County," Virginia; drafted a third time in June 1781 (Capt. Gordon), he joined Greene at the High Hills of Santee, fought at **Eutaw Springs** in September 1781 ("a severe battle"), marched prisoners to near Salisbury, and was discharged there (Col. Locke). Older summaries that leave out Eutaw Springs, or say he saw no battle, are wrong.
  40. - **Joseph Collins's affidavit**, 27 Jan 1849, Grainger Co TN, in Salathiel Martin's pension W1044 (NARA M804, roll 1642, frame 0730; transcribed at joepayne.org): in 1780 a party of Tories was taken at a "Rock House" on the New River, and "Two of said company of tories escaped the night after their capture. One of them was by the name of David Gibson the other was named Lewis Collins." The "stone fort" of older notes is a paraphrase; use "Rock House."
  41. - **War of 1812:** the NARA index card for a Meredith Collins, 2nd Regiment of Mounted Gunmen (Williamson's), Tennessee Volunteers, belongs to a namesake. Our Meredith was about fifty-two and living in Floyd County, Kentucky. Don't use it.
  43. ### Dates and citations corrected in the audit
  45. - The Orange County, Virginia court that described eleven men as Indians (John Collins, John Bowling, and Charles Griffin among them) sat on **Thursday, 27 January 1742/43, which is 1743 by the modern calendar** (Order Book 3, 1741-1743, p. 309; Virginia DeMarce's transcription marks it "[1743 NS]"). Not 1742.
  46. - The 1729 sale by William Read and his wife Mary of 100 acres on both sides of Sappony Creek is a **Surry County record (Deeds, Wills &c. 8:22)**. The "Brunswick County" of older notes isn't supported (Brunswick had no court of its own until 1732); leave the county unstated unless the deed itself gives one.
  47. - The 1755 Orange County NC tax list: Thomas and Samuel on p. 19, John on p. 15.
  48. - The 1813 Stony Creek minute ("harboring them Melungins"): cite Estes et al. 2011, Table 1.
  49. - Moses Riddle's supposed parents, Margaret Ridley and Edward Buss, come from WikiTree (profiles Riddle-158 and "Margaret (Redley) Buss," Redley-1), not from the Empty Branches post. The court records they cite haven't been found.
  50. - **Estes et al., *Journal of Genetic Genealogy* 7(1), Fall 2011:** of the paternal lines assigned, 12 European, 8 African, and 1 Native American (a Sizemore line, Q1a3a); every maternal line European. Vardy Collins's Y line is R1a1, European (Table 11), not African. "Predominantly African paternal lines" in older notes is wrong.
  51. - Heinegg, *Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina*, 6th ed., 3 vols. (Clearfield, 2021).
  52. - Kegley, *Early Adventurers on the Western Waters*, vol. 2 is subtitled *The New River of Virginia in Pioneer Days, 1745-1800* (1982; reprinted 2003).
  54. ### James Reed, Mary's father (revised 27 September 2026)
  56. The detail, the sources and the ranked next steps are in `claude/Reed_Family_Investigation_Addendum.md` (S66). The master tree's Part Two follows the same reading.
  58. - **James Reed (Read) was Mary's father.** His note of 25 November 1827 asking the Clay County clerk to license Jesse Collins to marry "Mary Red" (S60) is still the only record that names her as his daughter.
  59. - **Born c. 1766-1775,** by his census ages: 26-44 in 1810, 45 or over in 1820, 55-100 in 1830. The Attride compilation's "born about 1765" (S51) sits at the edge of that range.
  60. - **His parents are unproven [?].** Only the Attride compilation makes him a son of Hugh Reed Sr. of Rowan County, North Carolina (d. bef. the end of 1786), and a James named at the 1786 sale of Hugh's estate is not thereby shown to be a son. The 1783 Rowan grant of 130 acres on Dutchmans Creek needs a man born by about 1762, so it, and perhaps the other Rowan entries, may belong to another James Reed. William Read "Malatta" (b. c. 1673) is likewise unproven as the root of this Reed family: Heinegg lists James and Stephen Reed of Ashe County only among the "other members of the Reed family" and does not trace their parents.
  61. - **In the censuses:** head of a free colored ("other free") household of six in Ashe Co NC, 1800; a household of eleven counted white there in 1810; a free colored man 45 or over in Clay Co KY, 1820. **In 1830** (Clay Co KY, p. 172, re-read from the image on 26 September 2026; S65), James is the man aged 55-100 entered in the slave column, four young men of his household aged 10-24 are also in the slave columns, the one free colored man in the house is aged 24-36, and his wife, aged 50-60, is the one person counted white. Earlier versions of this file and of the origin-line addendum had James as the free colored man, which was a misreading. On the same page Hiram Collins and his wife Elizabeth are also entered in the slave columns, with their small son in the white column.
  62. - **Where and when he died is open between two readings.**
  63. - **(A)** He stayed in Clay County and died there c. 1841. This rests only on the Attride compilation's account of an 1841 Clay estate, appraised at about $800, with parts sold to "Mrs Reid," Samuel Reid and William Reid. Its source record has not been seen.
  64. - **(B)** He is the James Reed who moved from Clay to Morgan County, Indiana, in 1831 and bought the SW quarter of Section 17, Township 11 North, Range 1 East, near Martinsville (the purchase deed has not been seen). His will, signed on 19 July 1836, leaves 103 acres of that quarter, his home farm, to "my two sons," Elisha and John (James in one transcription), and refers to land conveyed to "my other sons." It was recorded on 6 January 1845 (Deed Book J, p. 522), so he had died by then (JoEllen Reed's notes give December 1845; the recording date is the better evidence). He is buried in Reed's Chapel Cemetery. In 1840 he heads a free colored household of seven there, and Hiram Collins heads a free colored household on the page after his (S67).
  65. - The Reed addendum leans to (B). It is not proven.
  66. - **His wife** was born c. 1770-80 and is the one person in the 1830 household counted white. Under (A) she is the "Mrs Reid" who bought part of his estate in 1841. Under (B) she is Susannah (a Morgan County land transfer names Naaman Reed as "son of James and Susannah"), alive in 1846, and the free colored woman aged 55-100 in the 1840 household fits her age. Her maiden name is unknown; the Hollingsworth name in online trees is unsupported.
  67. - **His children, as the master tree now has them:** Mary (proven by the consent note); Stephen, who married Nancy Powell on the day of Mary's wedding and witnessed her consent note (probable); Elizabeth, Hiram Collins's wife (probable); Benjamin, Tilford and Randolph (possible); Naaman, Elisha and John [or James] (reading B); Samuel and William (reading A); Sarah Reid, the mother of Bradley Collins's daughter Nancy [?]. Patsy Reed (m. James Hollinsworth 1822), listed in older passages as a daughter or candidate daughter, is more likely a daughter of Stephen Reed Jr.
  69. ### The Reeds in Iowa
  71. - **Tilford Reed was the first to reach Iowa, by about 1836.** His son Harman was born in Iowa c. 1836 (1856 Appanoose County census, age about twenty). The residence figures the brothers gave in 1856 (Tilford 14 years, Benjamin 18) were round numbers from men asked how long they'd lived in a territory whose borders were still unsettled, and they understate Tilford's time. Older notes placing Tilford's arrival c. 1842, or saying Benjamin came first, are superseded. The 1840 census of Iowa Territory has "Tifford" Reed under "Van Buren, Iowa Territory," p. 282 (NARA M704, roll 102), with Benjamin two pages away (FamilySearch indexes them under other counties).
  73. ### Later generations
  75. - **Eli Woodruff Bruner** d. 27 July 1879, Colorado City, Colorado, of rheumatic fever (1880 mortality schedule, Benton Co, Arkansas); buried with Masonic honors (*Colorado Springs Gazette*, 29 July 1879) in Evergreen Cemetery, Colorado Springs, Potters Field (Find a Grave 176564833).
  76. - **1880, Gothic, Gunnison Co, Colorado** (28 June 1880, pp. 247-248): Emma Clifford, 26, housekeeper, with Orlando, Eli, and Jessie; E. G. Bruner, 20, blacksmith, enumerated alongside them. Older notes disagree on the line numbers and on which page ("same page, line 11" against "page 248, line 11"); settle it from the image if it ever matters.
  77. - Emma's Clifford children: **Orlando Hines, b. 20 Oct 1873; Eli Woodrie, b. 25 Mar 1875; Jessie Lorene, b. 6 May 1876** (not c. 1874 and c. 1877).
  78. - **1920:** Jessie heads her own household in **Grays Harbor County, Washington**, with her two sons, her mother Emma, and roomers, and is marked married, not widowed (file `Mariah-Emma-Dunlap-Bruner-Census-1920.pdf`). Not Seattle.
  79. - **Richard Blackmer Holbrook Jr.** d. 23 Sep 1923, Bismarck, Burleigh Co, North Dakota; cause unknown.
  80. - **Richard Clifford Holbrook:** 1940 census, associate engineer, U.S. Navy (a civilian post); at Pearl Harbor by 1941 (his line is struck through on the June 1941 USS *Wharton* manifest, so the family didn't sail); in the Seabees after the attack, a lieutenant by the family's account, remembered on Midway and later Guam; June 1949, Lucille and Frances to Guam on USS *General George M. Randall*; April 1950 census on Guam; the Navy's Fena dam, the likeliest "first dam on Guam," was completed in 1951 (Guampedia); family left Guam December 1951 on USNS *General D. I. Sultan* for the Naval Ammunition Depot at Shumaker, Arkansas; d. 30 Nov 1955, Hot Springs.
  81. - **Harriet L. Holbrook**, Frances's sister: b. Honolulu, 1941 or early 1942 (age eight on the USNS *General Edwin D. Patrick* manifest, arriving San Francisco 26 April 1950).
  82. - **Spencer Collins** is the soldier of Co. H, 46th Missouri Infantry, enlisted at Springfield 17 Aug 1864, killed in action 3 Nov 1864 at Vera Cruz, Missouri, and buried at Parsons Cemetery, Ozark Co. The muster card's age of 44 is a slip for 24, and no later record of any Spencer who could be ours turns up. Working hypothesis: he had joined distant Collins kin in that region (Parsons Cemetery is also the burial place of Isaiah "Cuppy" Collins, son of David Collins and Thompsey Posting, the Branch A family).
  83. - **DNA (23andMe, Sub-Saharan African):** Frances 2.1%; John Ellingwood 1.5% (older notes say 1.7%); John's sister 1.3%; Jordan's sister 1.2%; Jordan 0.5%. No Native American assignment in any test.
  85. ### Statements in the book that still need a source
  87. - Adam Peter Bruner's service as a private in the Revolution.
  88. - "The county's marriage book for that year didn't survive to be filmed" (Appanoose County, 1850).
  89. - The obituary of Capt. Richard B. Holbrook Sr. (d. 1898) calling him "a man of absolute integrity."
  90. - Bradley's 1817 marriage to Jane Ray (see above).
  92. ### Open leads, roughly in order of payoff
  94. 1. Kegley's *Militia*: search Bowlin/Bolin/Bowling (the one name from the compilers' merged roster still unaccounted for), and Collins/Collens across the other oath lists of 1777-1779, where Meredith, George, David, or Lewis may have sworn before another justice.
  95. 2. Montgomery County tithable and personal property lists, late 1770s to 1782: the household where a teenage Meredith first appears.
  96. 3. Eula Conley's 1971 DAR application (no. 562294) and its twenty-five supporting documents, in the DAR archive.
  97. 4. Court records of Margaret Ridley and Edward Buss (Bass?) in the Southside Virginia order books.
  98. 5. The 1756 Granville grant to a William Reed on the Eno River: is he one of ours?
  99. 6. Raw DNA from Grandmommie and John Ellingwood, phased, to see which side the eastern traces came from; an mtDNA test on a cousin descended in an unbroken female line from one of the Reed sisters; Y-DNA from a male-line descendant of Kalaska or Lloyd, or of Edward "Ned."
  100. 7. For the living witness: whether the family stayed in Hawaii through the war; the sukiyaki dinner photograph (who and where); Richard's Seabee battalion book (unit and rank); Harriet's exact birth date.
  101. 8. Jesse's and Mary Reed's graves (Appanoose County); Eli Bruner's Masonic lodge; Mr. Dunlap's first name; the cause of Richard Holbrook Jr.'s death at Bismarck.
  102. 9. Carlson's dissertation (Dr. Richard Allen Carlson; title not yet identified).
  103. 10. **The Reed side** (ranked in the Reed addendum, section 12): the 1850 Morgan County, Indiana, census pages around Naaman Reed's household, for James's widow Susannah, whose age would test reading (B) against the 1830 Clay wife; a letter to JoEllen Reed (Ancestry: joellenreed), who has a copy of the will; and one Morgan County records request for Deed Book J, p. 522 (the will as recorded) and the deed by which James bought the SW quarter of Section 17, which may say where he was living when he bought. The Morgan County deeds and probate for those years are on microfilm, not online.
  105. ---
  107. ## Purpose of this file
  109. This document compiles what is known from primary sources about the Collins and Reed ancestral lines converging on **Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Collins** (1827-1887), and about Mary Elizabeth's confirmed descendants through her daughter **Mariah Emma Bruner** (1853–1933). The investigation traces both families from their colonial Virginia origins through the Appalachian frontier to the American West.
  111. ### The colonial origins: Thomas Collins and William Reed
  113. Both the Collins and Reed families trace their mixed-race ancestry to colonial Virginia, documented by Paul Heinegg in *Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina* [S52].
  115. **Thomas Collins** (b. c. 1700): Appeared in Louisa County, Virginia court in 1745. Sold 184 acres on Turkey Run in 1747. Listed as a **"Molata" taxable on 3 Black tithes** in Orange County, NC in 1755. Granted 700 acres on Dial's Creek of the Flat River, 13 October 1761 (Gv579; warrant of December 1760). Heinegg identifies him as the probable father of Samuel Collins.
  117. **Samuel Collins** (b. c. 1724): Appeared in Louisa County, VA in 1745 (same court presentment as Thomas). Listed as a **"Molata" taxable on 2 Black tithes** in Orange County, NC in 1755. Probably the Samuel Collins in Wilkes County, NC in the 1787 state census. Heinegg groups the Wilkes and Ashe County Collins men (David, George, Martin, Valentine, Vardy, Ambrose, Charles, and others) as Samuel's "descendants." Meredith and Lewis Collins are not in Heinegg's list by name but appear on the same militia and tax lists as David.
  119. The community these families came from (Louisa County, VA: Gibson, Bunch, Collins, Hall, Branham, Donathan) is the one Saponitown researchers connect to the Orange County, VA court of 27 January 1742/43 (1743 by the modern calendar), which described eleven men, a "John Collins" among them, as Indians. Heinegg's view is that the families descend from free or enslaved African men and white servant women in 17th-century Virginia. Both explanations may apply to the same community.
  121. **William Reed** (b. c. 1673): A mixed-race child born to a white servant woman in Charles City County, Virginia. Called **"Wm Read a Malatta"** in Surry County in 1699. The Reed family spread through eastern North Carolina and Virginia, with a western branch (possibly through Hugh Reed Sr. of Rowan/Burke County, NC [?]) reaching Ashe County by 1800 and Clay County, Kentucky by 1820. [Revised 2026-09-27: neither the link from William to the Ashe County Reeds nor Hugh as James's father is proven; see READ THIS FIRST.]
  123. ### The demoted branch (Branch A)
  125. An earlier hypothesis traced Mary Elizabeth Collins through David Collins (m. Thompsey Posting, Rowan Co NC, 1772) → Solomon "Old Sol" Collins (b. 1789, m. Delilah Nichols 1812) → Jesse Collins. This branch was **demoted** because Jesse's 1804 birth predates Solomon's 1812 marriage, Solomon was in Indiana while Mary Elizabeth was born in Kentucky, and the Clay County marriage register places Jesse's 1827 marriage in Bradley Collins's community, not Solomon's.
  127. ### The confirmed line (Branch B)
  129. Thomas Collins "Molata" (c. 1700) → John Collins [or Samuel] → **Meredith Collins** (c. 1760) → **Jesse Collins** (c. 1804, m. Mary Reed 1827) → **Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Collins** (1827, m. Eli Woodruff Bruner 1850).
  131. ### DNA evidence
  133. DNA testing across three generations (five 23andMe tests) confirms the mixed-race ancestry:
  134. - **Frances Fairchild Holbrook** (Mary Elizabeth's great-great-granddaughter): 2.1% Sub-Saharan African (chromosomes 7, 11, 13, 10)
  135. - **John Ellingwood** (Frances's son): 1.5%
  136. - John's sister: 1.3%
  137. - Jordan's sister: 1.2%
  138. - **Jordan Ellingwood** (John's son): 0.5%
  139. - No Native American ancestry detected, despite family lore. Mary Elizabeth's photograph shows darker complexion. The DNA points to Sub-Saharan African ancestry, consistent with the "Molata" and "Malatta" designations in colonial records.
  141. ---
  143. ## 1. Biographical timeline
  145. | Date | Event | Source |
  146. |------|-------|--------|
  147. | c. 1760 | Born, Virginia (calculated from age at enlistment) | S1 |
  148. | 1776 | Enlisted at age 16; the family's record (Blackburn, Conley) names David, George, and Lewis Collins with him but gives no place, and Lewis was then in South Carolina | S1, S2 |
  149. | Undated (after 1777) | In Capt. James McDaniel's Company (Kegley, *Militia*, pp. 23-24), on the line beside Lewis, with David and George Collins; still in McDaniel's company at the court martial of 23 April 1783 | S2 |
  150. | 1799 | On the Upper District Russell County, Virginia tax list as a tithable | S3 |
  151. | 1799–1809 | Russell County, VA tax rolls continuously | S1, S3 |
  152. | by 1810 | In Floyd County, Kentucky (1810 census) | S4 |
  153. | 18 May 1816 | Purchased 50 acres on Shelby Creek, Floyd Co KY, from Richard Damron for $100 | S5 |
  154. | 29 Jan 1818 | Named as a corner holder in adjacent Floyd Co deed (Morgan heirs to Booker Mullins) | S6 |
  155. | c. 1821 | Pike County formed from Floyd; Meredith's land is now in Pike without any physical move | — |
  156. | Feb 1826 | Petitioned Pike County Court for a road survey from near Isham Hall's field to Edmond Clark's | S7 |
  157. | 14 Sep 1827 | Sold land in Pike Co to Harrison Newsom for $500 | S8 |
  158. | 27 Jan 1829 | Exempted from Pike County tax "in future" (age-related) | S9 |
  159. | Mar 1829 | Named with Milly Johnson in Pike County Court order to show cause why their children should not be bound out; George Collins & Patsy Kirk and Martin Collins & Mary Collins named in the same order | S10 |
  160. | Jun 1829 | Commonwealth v. Meredy Collins: court ordered his child (son of Milly Johnson, age ~11, born ~1818) to be bound out | S11 |
  161. | 1830 | On the 1830 Pike County census, page 366; George Collins appears on the same page | S12 |
  162. | 1831 | Three parcels listed on Pike Co tax roll (50 + 50 + 80 acres on Shelby Creek area), but no poll tax (exempted) | S13 |
  163. | 1838 | Described as a "poor man"; Richard P. Robinson appointed his overseer; accused his sons of stealing his land | S1 |
  164. | 1841 | Died, Pike County, Kentucky | S1 |
  166. ### War of 1812: a namesake, not our Meredith
  168. The NARA General Index Card for a Meredith Collins, Private, **2nd Regiment of Mounted Gunmen (Williamson's), Tennessee Volunteers** (War of 1812), belongs to a namesake: our Meredith was about fifty-two and living in Floyd County, Kentucky. Don't use it. [S14]
  170. ---
  172. ## 2. Known and probable family members
  174. ### Wives and partners
  176. | Name | Relationship | Evidence | Source |
  177. |------|-------------|----------|--------|
  178. | Unknown first wife | Wife; mother of Bradley and possibly others | Per Eula Conley's account | S1 |
  179. | Polly (Margaret?) Holloway | Second wife, b. c. 1780, married c. 1799 (Eula Conley's DAR application, no. 562294), died before 1840, probably c. 1812 | Per Conley and compiled sources | S1 |
  180. | Milly Johnson | Partner (late life); had at least one child with Meredith | Named in March 1829 court order and June 1829 court ruling | S10, S11 |
  182. ### Children
  184. Children are listed from three categories: (a) the Eula Conley list as cited in secondary sources, (b) Pike County tax lists, and (c) court records. Where a child appears in more than one category, all are noted.
  186. | Name | Birth year | Evidence | Notes |
  187. |------|-----------|----------|-------|
  188. | **Bradley Collins** | 1786/87, Wilkes Co NC | Conley list; Pike Co tax lists (50 acres, Shelby Creek, 1829); 1850 census Appanoose Co IA | Confirmed son. Married Jane Ray 1817, then three more wives in Clay Co KY. Son Andrew (b. 1811 Russell Co VA) was in Center Twp, Appanoose Co IA in 1850, same township as the Bruner family. Jesse's widow and children were in Wells Township of the same county, and Mary Elizabeth married Eli Bruner there in 1850. |
  189. | **Reuben Collins** | — | Conley list | No records found in these documents. |
  190. | **Edward "Ned" Collins** | — | Conley list | Family story (Harold Talbot, Vernice Trimble) says Edward was "half Indian," Meredith having married an Indian woman in an Indian ceremony. Recorded as story only. |
  191. | **John W. Collins** | — | Conley list | No records found in these documents. |
  192. | **Archibald Collins** | c. 1800 | Conley list; Pike Co tax lists (no land, $50–$60 valuation) | Appears on tax lists 1825–1831. |
  193. | **James Collins** | c. 1804 | Conley list; Pike Co tax lists (no land) | On tax lists. James and Jesse were different sons of Polly Holloway; Jesse (c. 1804) was Mary Elizabeth's father. |
  194. | **William Collins** | 13 Apr 1806, Russell Co VA | Conley list; Eula Conley's DAR application (no. 562294) | Son of Polly Holloway. |
  195. | **Jesse Collins** | c. 1804 | Strong evidence; no birth record | Son of Polly Holloway; Bradley's half-brother; Mary Elizabeth's father. Married Mary Reed, Clay Co KY, 13 Dec 1827. |
  196. | **Hiram Collins** | c. 1804-06 | Witness to Jesse's 1827 license | Son of Polly Holloway. Married Elizabeth Reed, Clay Co KY, 8 Dec 1829. |
  197. | **George Collins** | — | Pike Co tax lists (no land, $25 valuation); March 1829 binding-out order (with Patsy Kirk); 1830 census same page as Meredith | NOT on the Conley list. Grouped with Meredith in the March 1829 court order, strongly suggesting a family relationship. |
  198. | **Martin Collins** | — | March 1829 binding-out order (with Mary Collins) | NOT on the Conley list. Grouped with Meredith and George in the same court order. |
  199. | **Son of Milly Johnson** | c. 1818 | June 1829 court ruling describes child as "son of Milly Johnson, aged about eleven years" | Child apparently took the mother's surname. Bound out by order of the court. |
  201. ### Griffin Collins Sr. (c. 1773-1851): brother or cousin, not son
  203. An earlier hypothesis placed Griffin Collins as a possible son of Meredith. Review of the full document set (six primary sources spanning 1795–1860) has revised this. Griffin is now understood as a **brother, half-brother, or cousin** of Meredith, both descending from Thomas Collins; whether they were brothers or cousins depends on Meredith's father, still open between John and Samuel.
  205. FamilySearch lists Griffin Collins Sr. (b. 1773, d. 1851, Russell, Virginia) with a father named Samuel Collins and a wife named Martha Rose (also called "Massie"), with seven children. A Griffin Collins Jr. (b. 1796, Wilkes, NC; d. 1866, Johnson, KY; m. Matilda Mackey) is listed separately. The documents below pertain to Griffin Sr. unless otherwise noted.
  207. #### What the documents show
  209. **1795 Wilkes County, NC tax list [S21]:** Griffin Collins appears with 1 poll and 50 acres. On the same list: Collins David (1 poll, 100 acres) and Collins Valentine (1 poll). Gibson Isaac also appears. This places Griffin alongside David and Valentine Collins in Wilkes County, firmly within the New River Collins family group, alongside the Gibson family that Heinegg documents as part of the same Louisa County, VA origin community.
  211. **1830 census, Grainger County, Tennessee, page 325 [S22]:** "Griffin Collins Senr" appears as a head of household under "FREE WHITE PERSONS." The "Senr" designation confirms a Griffin Collins Jr. was already present. Lee Collins appears immediately below him. Tinsley Reed appears on the same page.
  213. **1840 census, Grainger County, Tennessee [S23]:** Griffin Collins appears as a head of household. Joseph Collins and Morgan Collins also appear on the same page. Enumerated under "FREE WHITE PERSONS."
  215. **1850 census, Russell County, Virginia, 5th District, page 323 [S24]:** This is the most detailed record. Family 129/1129:
  217. | Name | Age | Sex | Occupation | Birthplace |
  218. |------|-----|-----|-----------|------------|
  219. | Griffin Collins | 77 | M | None | North Carolina |
  220. | Massie [Collins] | 77 | F | — | North Carolina |
  221. | Nancy Robinson | 50 | F | — | North Carolina |
  222. | Betsy Collins | 33 | F | — | North Carolina |
  224. Next household (Family 130/1130): **Rial Collins**, 38, M, Laborer, born Tennessee (likely a son of Griffin); Emeline, 25, F, born Tennessee; Patsey, 1, F, born Russell Co VA.
  226. Two families earlier (Family 127/1127): **Alexander Collins**, 34, M, Laborer, born Tennessee (possibly another son of Griffin); Elizabeth, 28, F, born Tennessee; and four children all born Tennessee.
  228. Griffin's age of 77 in November 1850 puts his birth at c. 1773. He died three months later, on 16 February 1851 [S15]. His wife "Massie" is Martha Massie Rose Collins.
  230. Nancy Robinson (50, born NC) may be a married daughter. Betsy Collins (33, born NC) may be a daughter or daughter-in-law. Rial Collins (born Tennessee) and Alexander Collins (born Tennessee) were likely born during Griffin's Grainger County years.
  232. **1857 widow's pension deposition, Grainger County, TN court records [S15]:** Martha Collins (née Rose), about 75 (born c. 1782), living in Wise County, Virginia, declared herself the widow of Griffin Collins, a War of 1812 private under Captain Richardson in Col. Samuel Bunch's regiment. Griffin was drafted at Thorn Hill, Grainger County, Tennessee, c. 1814 for six months. They married in Ashe County, North Carolina. Griffin obtained an 80-acre land warrant under the act of 18 September 1837.
  234. **1860 census, Wise County, Virginia, page 66 [S25]:** Family 434/434: Martha Collins, 90, F, Housekeeper, personal estate $20, marked "Pauper." In her household: Nancy (55, F, born NC) and Elizabeth (40, F). Next household: Riley Collins (38, M, Farmer). The age of 90 puts her birth at c. 1770, which conflicts with the 1857 deposition (born c. 1782) and the 1850 census (born c. 1773). Ages for elderly people in this era are frequently inconsistent. Martha was living as a pauper in Wise County, consistent with the pension application.
  236. #### Why Griffin is Meredith's brother or cousin, not his son
  238. If Griffin was born c. 1773 (per the 1850 census, age 77) and Meredith was born c. 1760, the gap is only 13 years. A 13-year-old father is technically possible but implausible. The sibling interpretation is far more likely.
  240. Additional evidence favoring a sibling relationship:
  242. - In 1795, Griffin had his own poll tax listing in Wilkes County, NC, alongside David and Valentine Collins. By this time Meredith was already heading toward Russell County, VA (he appears on the Russell tax rolls by 1799). A 22-year-old son would typically follow his father; a younger brother establishing his own household would not.
  243. - FamilySearch assigns Griffin to "Samuel Collins" as father. Heinegg places most of the New River Collins men under Samuel Collins of Orange/Wilkes County (b. c. 1724), though Lewis is recorded as John's son. If Samuel fathered Griffin at age ~49, that is late but plausible. This would make Griffin a younger son of Samuel, and Meredith's brother only if Samuel, not John, was Meredith's father.
  244. - Griffin's marriage in Ashe County, NC (border of Wilkes/Grayson) places him in the New River community from which all these men originated.
  246. #### Martha Rose: Griffin's wife, not Meredith's
  248. The documentary evidence is unambiguous: Martha Rose was Griffin Collins Sr.'s wife. She is named as his widow in the 1857 pension deposition, and she appears as "Massie" in his household on the 1850 Russell County census. Any FamilySearch tree that connects Martha Rose to Meredith Collins is a misattribution. Meredith's documented wives/partners were his unknown first wife, Polly Holloway, and Milly Johnson.
  250. #### The 1830 Grainger County census: Griffin, Larkin, and Levi classified as Free Colored
  252. The second page of the 1830 Grainger County, Tennessee census (not initially indexed on FamilySearch) reveals that the free white columns for Griffin Sr., Larkin Collins, and Levi Collins are **deliberately zeroed**, with all household members counted on the right side as **Free Colored Persons**:
  254. **Larkin Collins (Total: 7, all Free Colored):**
  256. | Category | Count |
  257. |----------|-------|
  258. | FC Male under 10 | 1 |
  259. | FC Male 10-24 | 2 |
  260. | FC Male 24-36 | 1 |
  261. | FC Female under 10 | 2 |
  262. | FC Female 24-36 | 1 |
  264. **Griffin Collins Sr. (Total: 7, all Free Colored):**
  266. | Category | Count | Notes |
  267. |----------|-------|-------|
  268. | ~~Slave Male 55-100~~ | ~~1~~ → **0** | Initially marked 1, corrected to 0 |
  269. | FC Male under 10 | 2 | |
  270. | FC Male 55-100 | 1 | Griffin himself (~57) |
  271. | FC Female under 10 | 2 | |
  272. | FC Female 10-24 | 1 | |
  273. | FC Female 24-36 | 1 | |
  275. **Levi Collins (Total: 5, all Free Colored):**
  277. | Category | Count |
  278. |----------|-------|
  279. | FC Male under 10 | 1 |
  280. | FC Male 24-36 | 1 |
  281. | FC Female under 10 | 2 |
  282. | FC Female 24-36 | 1 |
  284. The enumerator's correction on Griffin (initially slave, corrected to free colored) mirrors the 1820 Floyd County pattern where Bradley's household was initially classified as white, then reclassified. Different enumerators, different states, the same hesitation.
  286. **Larkin Collins** is a previously unrecorded member of the New River Collins family, listed between Griffin Sr. and Levi. His FC Male 24-36 (born c. 1794-1806) places him in Bradley's generation. **Levi Collins** (FC male 24-36, so born c. 1794-1806) is not one of Meredith's known sons; there is no Levi on the Conley list.
  288. #### Racial classification comparison across all known censuses
  290. | Year | Location | Person | Classification | Corrections |
  291. |------|----------|--------|---------------|-------------|
  292. | 1810 | Floyd Co, KY | Meredith | All free white (10 people) | None |
  293. | 1820 | Floyd Co, KY | Bradley | Colored/Slave (6 total) | White → Colored |
  294. | 1820 | Floyd Co, KY | Meredith | Colored/Slave (7 total) | None (never attempted white) |
  295. | 1830 | Clay Co, KY | Bradley | White, no colored | None |
  296. | 1830 | Pike Co, KY | Meredith | White (3 people) | None |
  297. | 1830 | Grainger Co, TN | Griffin Sr. | Free Colored (7 total) | Slave → Free Colored |
  298. | 1830 | Grainger Co, TN | Larkin | Free Colored (7 total) | None |
  299. | 1830 | Grainger Co, TN | Levi | Free Colored (5 total) | None |
  300. | 1850 | Russell Co, VA | Griffin Sr. | White ("Free Inhabitants") | None |
  301. | 1850 | Russell Co, VA | Griffin Jr. | White ("Free Inhabitants") | None |
  302. | 1850 | Appanoose Co, IA | Bradley/Andrew | White | None |
  303. | 1850 | Appanoose Co, IA | Mary Reed Collins | **Mulatto** | None |
  305. The same extended family is classified as white, free colored, or mulatto depending on who is doing the counting and where. In Kentucky (1830), Bradley and Meredith pass as white. In Tennessee (1830), Griffin, Larkin, and Levi are free colored. By 1850, most are back to white, but Mary Reed Collins is mulatto. The family's racial identity was genuinely ambiguous to outsiders, consistent with descent from Thomas Collins "Molata" (1755).
  307. #### Relevance to the Mary Elizabeth Collins investigation
  309. Griffin Sr. is now understood as a member of the same New River Collins generation as Meredith, not as Meredith's descendant. His family trajectory (Wilkes NC → Grainger TN → Russell VA) is parallel to but separate from Meredith's (Wilkes NC → Russell VA → Floyd/Pike KY). Griffin's line is not currently a candidate for Mary Elizabeth's ancestry. However, his documented presence alongside David and Valentine Collins in the 1795 Wilkes County tax list is important corroborating evidence that all these men belong to the same extended family.
  311. ---
  313. ## 3. The 1810 census household
  315. The 1810 census for Meredith Collins (indexed by FamilySearch as Harrison County, KY, but the page content and surrounding names are consistent with Floyd County) shows the following household [S4]:
  317. | Category | Count |
  318. |----------|-------|
  319. | Males 45+ | 1 (Meredith himself, age ~50) |
  320. | Males 10–15 | 2 |
  321. | Males under 10 | 4 |
  322. | Females 26-44 | 1 |
  323. | Females 16-25 | 1 |
  324. | Females 10-15 | 1 |
  326. Per the Conley list, the sons born by 1810 would be Bradley (23, likely on his own), Reuben, Edward, John W., Archibald (10), James (6), and William (4). Archibald falls in the 10-15 bracket; James and William account for two of the four males under 10. The other two are Jesse (c. 1804) and Hiram (c. 1804-06), Polly Holloway's sons.
  328. ---
  330. ## 4. The 1820 census household
  332. The 1820 census (indexed by FamilySearch as Franklin County, KY, but the surrounding names, including William Mays and Harrison Mayo, place it in Floyd County) shows two Collins entries appearing consecutively [S16]:
  334. 1. "Bradley Collins"
  335. 2. "Meridith Collins"
  337. **Critical note:** The Meridith Collins entry appears to have marks in the far-right columns of the census form. In the 1820 census format, these columns include "Free Colored Persons" (by age and sex) and "Slaves." The image quality does not allow a confident reading of which specific columns contain entries. [Verified 13 Sept 2026, Section 9.8: both households are entered in the free colored and slave columns.]
  339. ---
  341. ## 5. The 1830 census
  343. "Meredy Collins" appears on page 366 of the 1830 Pike County census, enumerated in the division allotted to John Burns [S12]. The entry is sparse, consistent with an elderly man (age ~70) with perhaps only a wife. George Collins appears on the same page.
  345. The census schedule is headed "FREE WHITE PERSONS, (INCLUDING HEADS OF FAMILIES)." Meredith was enumerated under this heading, not under "Free Colored Persons."
  347. ---
  349. ## 6. Tax records: what they show and what they don't
  351. ### What they show
  353. Across the Pike County tax lists from c. 1823 to 1831, Meredith consistently held land on Shelby Creek under Preston warrants/patents. By 1831, he had three parcels totaling approximately 180 acres. His property valuations ranged from $150 to $525 depending on the year.
  355. Other Collins men appearing alongside him on the same lists (George, James, Archibald, and later Bradley) held little or no land of their own, suggesting they were younger family members who had not yet acquired property or were landless.
  357. ### What they don't show
  359. The tax lists include a column labeled **"Total Blacks"** (and in some years, "Blacks over 10"). No entries appear in these columns for any of the Collins households. This means Meredith and his sons did not own slaves.
  361. However, these columns count enslaved persons (and possibly free Black dependents) for tax purposes. They do **not** indicate the taxpayer's own racial identity. A free man of mixed-race heritage who was the head of household would appear as the taxpayer, not as a "Black" in someone else's column. The absence of entries tells us about slaveholding, not about Meredith's ancestry.
  363. ---
  365. ## 7. The court records: poverty and binding out
  367. The March 1829 and June 1829 Pike County Court records [S10, S11] are among the most genealogically revealing documents in this set.
  369. ### March 1829: the collective order
  371. A subpoena was issued ordering multiple individuals to appear at the next May term to show cause why their children should not be bound out. Among those named were three Collins households listed together:
  373. > George Collins & Patsy Kirk, Martin Collins & Mary Collins, Meredy Collins and Milly Johnson
  375. Binding-out was a court-ordered apprenticeship for children whose parents were deemed too poor to support them. That three Collins households appeared in the same proceeding strongly suggests they were kin. Other families named in the same order include Newsom, Mullins, Potter, Cantrell, Elswick, Belcher, and Adkins, all common Pike County names.
  377. ### June 1829: the ruling
  379. The Commonwealth brought suit against Meredy Collins to bind out his child. The court ruled the child should be bound out by James Honaker, clerk of the court. The child is described as a boy, the **son of Milly Johnson**, about **eleven years of age** (born c. 1818).
  381. This confirms that Meredith fathered a child with Milly Johnson. The child carried the mother's surname, which was common in situations where the parents were not formally married, where the mother was of a different racial status, or where the father was significantly older and the mother's family was more present.
  383. ### Context
  385. Binding-out proceedings disproportionately targeted mixed-race free families in Appalachia, though they were also used against poor white families. The pattern here, three related Collins households all too poor to keep their children, combined with the New River Collins family's documented mixed-race origins (Thomas Collins "Molata" 1755, Samuel Collins "Molata" 1755; see Purpose section above), is circumstantially consistent with the economic marginalization that mixed-race free families experienced. It is not proof of racial identity on its own.
  387. ---
  389. ---
  391. ## 9. Key deductions and inferences
  393. ### 9.0 Jesse Collins's parentage and identity
  395. **Jesse Collins** married Mary Reed on December 13, 1827 in Clay County, Kentucky [S45]. His birth year of c. 1804 places him in the generation of Meredith Collins's younger children through his second wife, **Margaret "Polly" Holloway** (b. c. 1780, married c. 1799, died before 1840, probably c. 1812). Her children were Archibald (c. 1800), James, Jesse (c. 1804), William (13 Apr 1806, Russell Co VA), and Hiram (c. 1804-06); Edward "Ned," John W., and Reuben rest on the Conley list alone. Jesse at 1804 fits directly into this sequence.
  397. Jesse and James are **not** standard nicknames for each other. The Clay County marriage register clearly writes "Jesse Collins." The Conley list's "James Collins, b. 1804" is a different person from Jesse: a James Collins married Martha Ann Cotton in Clay County on July 24, 1839, twelve years after Jesse's marriage [S45]. Jesse and James were brothers, both sons of Meredith through Polly.
  399. In the **1810 census**, Meredith's household contains 4 males under 10 (born c. 1800-1810). Jesse, born c. 1804, would be about 6 and is one of these four boys. He would have been about 8 years old when his mother Polly died c. 1812.
  401. **Jesse was Meredith's son by Polly Holloway, not Bradley's**, which makes him Bradley's half-brother; the chain Meredith > Bradley > Jesse is withdrawn. The evidence: (a) Jesse's birth year fits the Polly children sequence; (b) a 17-year-old father in 1804 is possible but uncommon; (c) the 1810 census shows Jesse-aged boys in Meredith's household, not Bradley's (Bradley had already left).
  403. ### 9.05 The naming pattern: Mary Elizabeth and Elizabeth Reed
  405. Mary Elizabeth Collins (b. c. 1827) was likely named after her mother **Mary** Reed and her aunt **Elizabeth** Reed, who married Hiram Collins in 1828-29. The name "Polly" (her lifelong nickname) may additionally honor her grandmother Margaret "Polly" Holloway, Meredith's wife. Her sister Delilah Susan Collins (b. October 1828) also reflects naming within the extended family. The multigenerational naming pattern reinforces the family connections.
  407. ### 9.06 DNA analysis: estimating Mary Elizabeth's non-European ancestry
  409. Each generation, non-European ancestry approximately halves when the other parent is fully European. Frances Holbrook is 5 generations from Mary Elizabeth:
  411. | If Mary Elizabeth was... | Mariah Emma (gen 2) | Jessie Clifford (gen 3) | Richard C. Holbrook (gen 4) | Frances Holbrook (gen 5) |
  412. |--------------------------|---------------------|------------------------|----------------------------|--------------------------|
  413. | 30% | 15% | 7.5% | 3.75% | **1.9%** |
  414. | **33-35%** | **16-17.5%** | **8-8.75%** | **4-4.4%** | **~2.1%** ✓ |
  415. | 40% | 20% | 10% | 5% | **2.5%** |
  416. | 50% | 25% | 12.5% | 6.25% | **3.1%** |
  418. Frances's measured **2.1% Sub-Saharan African** points to Mary Elizabeth being roughly **33-35% non-European**. This is higher than a simple quarter (25%) because both parents carried mixed-race ancestry:
  420. - **Jesse Collins** carried Collins line heritage from Thomas Collins "Molata" (1755). Through several generations of intermarriage within the mixed-race community (Collins families marrying Reed families rather than fully European partners), Jesse was likely ~10-15% non-European.
  421. - **Mary Reed** was listed as **mulatto** in 1850, suggesting roughly 40-60% non-European. Her father James Reed was counted as free colored in 1800, white in 1810 and free colored in 1820; in 1830 he was entered in the slave column, with his wife counted white.
  422. - **Mary Elizabeth Collins** = roughly (12% + 50%) / 2 ≈ **31-35%**
  424. This estimate is consistent with both the genealogical evidence and the DNA measurement.
  426. ### 9.07 Jesse and Mary's family: migration, dissolution, and dispersal
  428. #### The migration route (corrected from 1850 census birthplaces)
  430. Close examination of the 1850 Wells Township census handwriting [S48] reveals the following birthplaces for Mary Collings and her children. The enumerator's abbreviations were matched against clear examples elsewhere on the same page (Ky for Kentucky, Ia/Ind for Indiana, do for ditto, Mo for Missouri).
  432. | Child | Age in 1850 | Born approx. | Birthplace | Notes |
  433. |-------|------------|-------------|-----------|-------|
  434. | Mary Elizabeth | — | c. 1827 | **KY** | Not in this household (married Eli Bruner 1850). KY from later censuses. |
  435. | Delilah Susan | — | c. 1828 | **KY** | Not in this household. Per FamilySearch. |
  436. | Matilda | 20 | c. 1830 | **Ind** (Indiana) | Enumerator wrote "Ia" which matches his Indiana abbreviation |
  437. | Reuben | 16 | c. 1834 | **do** (ditto = Indiana) | Listed as Farmer. At 16, running the family farm. |
  438. | Lloyd | 14 | c. 1836 | **do** (ditto = Indiana) | |
  439. | Kalaska | 12 | c. 1838 | **Ill** (Illinois) | Later served 118th Illinois Infantry, Union Army [S screenshot] |
  440. | Spencer | 10 | c. 1840 | **Mo** (Missouri) | 1856 census erroneously says "North Carolina." Missouri confirmed here. |
  441. | **Mary Reed Collins** | **46** | **c. 1804** | **Va** (Virginia) | Listed as **mulatto**. Cannot read or write. Birthplace consistent with Reed family's Virginia/NC border origins. |
  443. **Spencer's "North Carolina" birthplace on the 1856 census is resolved as an enumerator error.** The 1850 census clearly shows Missouri. Spencer was 14 in 1856 with both parents dead; he likely didn't know his own birthplace accurately.
  445. **The corrected migration route:**
  447. | Period | Location | Evidence | Significance |
  448. |--------|----------|----------|-------------|
  449. | 1827-1828 | **Clay County, KY** | Mary Elizabeth and Delilah born KY; Jesse married Mary Reed there Dec 1827 | Jesse and Mary in the Collins-Reed community |
  450. | c. 1830-1836 | **Indiana** | Matilda, Reuben, and Lloyd born Indiana | **The Bruner family was also in Indiana.** Eli Woodruff Bruner was born there. This may be where the Collins and Bruner families first met. |
  451. | c. 1838 | **Illinois** | Kalaska born Illinois | Family passing through |
  452. | c. 1840 | **Missouri** (probably St. Louis area) | Spencer born Missouri. Probable match: J. Collins in St. Ferdinand Township, St. Louis Co, 1840 census. | Bradley Collins also in Missouri by 1840. |
  453. | 1840-1847 | **Missouri, then Iowa** | No confirmed records. Jesse dies 1847 (per FamilySearch, location unknown). | The family seems to have been farming in Appanoose County by the time Jesse died in 1847. |
  454. | By 1850 | **Appanoose County, IA** | Mary Collings (46, mulatto) in Wells Township with 5 children. Bradley/Andrew Collins in Center Township. Hickman Bruner in Center Township. | The family had turned north to Iowa by the mid-1840s, near Tilford Reed (in Iowa by about 1836) and Benjamin Reed (by 1838), possibly Mary's brothers. |
  456. **The Indiana overlap with the Bruners (REVISED).** Jesse and Mary's family was in Indiana from roughly 1830 to 1836 (Matilda, Reuben, Lloyd born there). The Bruner family was in adjacent Daviess/Martin counties during the same period (Eli born c. 1827, confirmed in Daviess County 1830 and Martin County 1840). However, the **1840 Martin County census rules out** Mary Elizabeth Collins living in the Bruner household: Hickman Bruner's household contains exactly 6 people, all his own family, with no extra females. There is **no confirmed evidence** that the Collins-Reed and Bruner families knew each other in Indiana. They had similar migration routes (Kentucky → Indiana → Illinois/Missouri → Iowa) and converged in Appanoose County in the mid-to-late 1840s, where they became neighbors and the 1850 marriage took place.
  458. #### The family after Jesse's death (1847)
  460. **Reuben Collins, age 13 at his father's death, stepped up.** By the 1850 census, he is listed as a **Farmer** at age 16, the only person in the household with an occupation. His mother Mary (46) and sister Matilda (20) are keeping house. Lloyd (14), Kalaska (12), and Spencer (10) are helping but not listed with occupations. The enumerator wrote "do" (ditto for Farmer) for Reuben, linking his occupation to the entry above, meaning he is running an actual farming operation at 16.
  462. Jesse died in 1847 when Reuben was only 13. He likely assumed his father's responsibilities immediately, farming to support his widowed mother, his older sister Matilda, and three younger brothers. No property is listed (no real or personal estate value), so they were probably renting or sharecropping. The entire household is illiterate.
  464. #### The dissolution after Mary's death (c. 1852)
  466. When Mary died c. 1852, the children's ages were: Matilda (22), Reuben (18), Lloyd (16), Kalaska (14), Spencer (12). The three oldest were old enough to be independent. The two youngest needed care.
  468. By the **1856 Iowa State Census** (Wells Township), only **Spencer Collins** (14, mulatto, listed as born "North Carolina" in error) remains, living with the Hendon family; **Eliza Collins** (20, mulatto, Kentucky) was recorded separately. The older siblings have scattered:
  470. | Child | Age in 1856 | Known whereabouts |
  471. |-------|------------|-------------------|
  472. | Mary Elizabeth | ~29 | Indiana with Eli Bruner (Illinois by 1857, Missouri by 1859) |
  473. | Delilah Susan | ~27 | Missouri (married George Herman/Harman in Schuyler County, MO, 1851, died 1899). By 1860 in South Fork Township, **Wayne County, Iowa** (borders Appanoose to the west), age 30, with husband George (40) and children. 1870-1880 in Buchanan Township, Sullivan County, Missouri. Stayed within 100 miles of the Appanoose network her whole life. |
  474. | Matilda | ~26 | Later in northern Missouri; died at Kirksville |
  475. | Reuben | ~22 | **Still unaccounted for** |
  476. | Lloyd | ~20 | Later found in **Kansas** (daughter Clary born there c. 1866), then **Vernon County, Missouri** by 1880 (married Mary from Alabama, 3 children) |
  477. | Kalaska | ~18 | **Schuyler County, Missouri** (married Margaret King Aug 24, 1862 in a double wedding; Catherine Collins married Samuel Swinney same day, officiated by Richard A. Collins, M.G.). Enlisted weeks later in **118th Illinois Infantry, Company E**; served through the Vicksburg campaign and came home to Margaret to raise a family. |
  478. | Spencer | ~14 | **Wells Township, taken in by the Hendon family** (mulatto household, landowners). Enlisted 17 Aug 1864 at Springfield in Co. H, **46th Missouri Infantry**; killed in action 3 Nov 1864 at Vera Cruz, Missouri; buried at Parsons Cemetery, Ozark Co. |
  480. Without property, without literacy, and without parents, the children went where they could find work or family. The farm Reuben was running in 1850 apparently couldn't be sustained. Kalaska made his way to Illinois, Spencer was taken in by the Hendon family (a mulatto household with a farmer and blacksmith) in Wells Township, and the others dispersed into the broader Midwest.
  482. #### The brothers in the Civil War
  484. The two youngest brothers, Kalaska and Spencer, both enlisted in the **Union Army** during the Civil War, fighting from different states:
  486. - **Kalaska Collins**: Private, Company E, **118th Regiment, Illinois Infantry** (organized Camp Butler, Springfield, IL, 1862). Served in the Vicksburg campaign and operations in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas.
  487. - **Spencer Collins**: **46th Missouri Infantry** (Union), enlisted 1864.
  489. The significance of their service runs deep. Their family had originated in Virginia and North Carolina, well south of the Mason-Dixon line, in communities where their ancestors were classified as "Molata," "free colored," and "mulatto" across seven generations. Their grandfather Meredith had seen a son bound out by the court, their mother was listed as mulatto, and their grandfather James Reed was counted as free colored in 1800. The family had made their way along the border between slave states and free territory, finally clearing just north of the Mason-Dixon line in Appanoose County, Iowa, on the Missouri border.
  491. And then two brothers, orphaned as children, enlisted to fight for the Union and the emancipation of enslaved people. They served from different states because the family had been scattered by poverty after their parents' deaths. Spencer was killed in action at Vera Cruz, Missouri, on 3 November 1864 and is buried at Parsons Cemetery, Ozark County; Kalaska came home from the Vicksburg campaign and raised a family. They were two mixed-race men from a family that census takers could never quite categorize, fighting in a war over the very question of who was free and who was not.
  493. #### The 1840 census: J. Collins in St. Ferdinand Township, St. Louis, Missouri
  495. A **J. Collins** appears on the 1840 census in **St. Ferdinand Township, St. Louis County, Missouri**. The household:
  497. | Category | Count | Possible match |
  498. |----------|-------|---------------|
  499. | Males under 5 | 3 | Lloyd (~4), Kalaska (~2), Spencer (newborn) ✓ |
  500. | Males 5-10 | 1 | Reuben (~6) ✓ |
  501. | Males 30-40 | 1 | Jesse (~36) ✓ |
  502. | Females under 5 | 1 | Unknown (possibly an unlisted daughter who died young) |
  503. | Females 5-10 | 1 | Matilda (~10, borderline) |
  504. | Females 20-30 | 1 | Mary Reed (~36, undercounted by one bracket) |
  506. **The male side is a strong match.** The female side has discrepancies: Mary Elizabeth (~13) and Delilah Susan (~12) are missing from the household, and Mary Reed's age bracket is low. The older daughters may have been living with relatives in Indiana or working as household help elsewhere, which was common for girls aged 12-13 in this era. St. Ferdinand Township is in eastern Missouri, exactly where a family entering from Illinois would arrive. This is a **probable but not definitive** match for Jesse Collins.
  508. If this IS our Jesse, the migration route refines to: Clay County, KY → Indiana → Illinois → **St. Louis area, Missouri** (1840) → **Appanoose County, Iowa** (by 1845-46).
  510. ### 9.1 The Conley list is incomplete
  512. Eula Conley's list of Meredith's sons (Bradley, Reuben, Edward, John W., Archibald, James, William) does not include George or Martin, both of whom appear to be family members from the court records. It also does not include Griffin (a brother or cousin, not a son). The list likely reflects one oral tradition or compiled genealogy that captured some but not all of Meredith's children, though it spans both of his first two wives (Bradley by the first, the rest by Polly Holloway) and omits Jesse and Hiram.
  514. ### 9.2 Jesse Collins confirmed (RESOLVED)
  516. **The "Jesse or James" question has been resolved.** The Clay County, Kentucky General Index to Marriages [S45] records the marriage of **Jesse Collins** and **Mary Reed** on December 13, 1827. Jesse is a real, documented person, not a tree fiction. He married in the same county where Bradley Collins had his multiple documented marriages, and his children ended up in Appanoose County, Iowa, with Bradley's family.
  518. The Conley list's "James Collins, b. 1804" may be a different person. A **James Collins** married **Martha Ann Cotton** in Clay County on July 24, 1839 (from the same marriage register), twelve years after Jesse's marriage. Jesse and James were brothers, both sons of Meredith by Polly Holloway.
  520. ### 9.3 Mary Elizabeth's parentage (RESOLVED)
  522. **Jesse Collins and Mary Reed are confirmed as Mary Elizabeth Collins's parents.** The evidence:
  524. 1. **Clay County marriage register** (December 13, 1827): Jesse Collins married Mary Reed, with a later note beside Mary's name in the general index tying her to James [S45]; James Read's own consent note to the clerk (25 November 1827) confirms he was her father.
  525. 2. **1850 Appanoose County census**: Mary Collings (Mary Reed Collins), age 46, listed as **mulatto**, living in Wells Township with children Matilda, Reuben, Lloyd, Calaska, and Spencer, all also mulatto [S48]. Jesse died in 1847; she is his widow.
  526. 3. **Nancy Williams death certificate** (1909): Names **Bradley Collins** as father and **Sarah Reid** as mother [S47]. Sarah Reid was Bradley's partner, and the Reed/Reid surname connects both sides of the family.
  527. 4. **DNA evidence**: 2.1% Sub-Saharan African in Frances Holbrook (5 generations from Mary Elizabeth) is consistent with Mary Elizabeth being roughly 25-35% non-European, which fits a daughter of Jesse Collins (carrying Collins mixed-race ancestry) and Mary Reed (listed as mulatto).
  529. **Bradley Collins is Mary Elizabeth's half-uncle**, not her father as hypothesized in Section 9.7 or her grandfather as proposed later. The earlier hypothesis was based on Bradley's 1830 household containing daughters the right age. The actual relationship is: Meredith → Jesse → Mary Elizabeth, with Jesse as Meredith's son by Polly Holloway and Bradley's half-brother. Jesse married in Clay County where his half-brother Bradley lived, and the families converged on Appanoose County.
  531. ### 9.4 Racial designation: comprehensive evidence now documented
  533. **The 1820 census question has been verified and the results are extraordinary.** Far from having "no direct evidence," the records now show a consistent pattern of mixed-race classification across both the Collins and Reed families:
  535. **Collins family racial classifications:**
  536. - **1755**: Thomas Collins listed as **"Molata"** on the Orange County, NC tax list of 1755 (Heinegg) [S52]
  537. - **1810**: Meredith's Floyd County household counted as all free white, zero slaves
  538. - **1820**: Meredith's and Bradley's Floyd County households classified as **free colored and slave** (Bradley's initially marked white, then crossed out and reclassified) [S49]
  539. - **1830**: Bradley and Meredith classified as white in Kentucky; Griffin Sr., Larkin, and Levi classified as **free colored** in Tennessee (Griffin initially marked slave, corrected to free colored)
  540. - **1850**: Bradley and Andrew classified as white in Iowa; Mary Reed Collins classified as **mulatto** in Iowa [S48]
  542. **Reed family racial classifications:**
  543. - **1673**: William Reed born as "a mixed-race child born to a white servant woman," called **"Wm Read a Malatta"** in 1699 (Heinegg) [S52]
  544. - **1800**: James Reed's household counted as **free colored** ("other free") in Ashe County, NC [S51]
  545. - **1810**: James Reed listed as white in Ashe County (same person, different enumerator)
  546. - **1820**: James Reed listed as **"free colored male 45+"** in Clay County, KY [S51]
  547. - **1830**: James Reid entered in the **slave column** (aged 55-100) in Clay County, KY, with four young men of his household also in the slave columns, one free colored man aged 24-36, and his wife counted **white** [S65]
  548. - **1840** (reading B only): James Reed's household of seven in Morgan County, IN, all **free colored**, including a woman aged 55-100 who fits his wife [S67]
  549. - **1850**: Mary Reed Collins listed as **"mulatto"** with all children also mulatto in Appanoose County, IA [S48]
  551. Both families occupied the ambiguous space between white and black throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Their classification shifted depending on the enumerator, the location, and the decade. The evidence is now overwhelming and documented from primary sources across 175 years.
  553. ---
  555. ## 9.5 The 1850 Appanoose County census: mapping the Collins presence
  557. The 1850 federal census for Appanoose County, Iowa, enumerated in November 1850 by Samuel T. Caldwell, reveals **four Collins households** spread across three townships (Mary Collings's household in Wells Township, enumerated 3 December 1850, is detailed in Section 9.8), plus a young Collins man boarding with another family. Together with the Burner (Bruner) household, these entries establish the community from which Mary Elizabeth Collins married into the Bruner family.
  559. ### Center Township (Division: Center 3), pages 31B–34B
  561. **William Collins** (page 31B, line 28): Age 17, M, born KY, occupation "None." Living with the McClure family (Family 29), not in his own household. A young Collins man from Kentucky, possibly a laborer, relative, or boarder.
  563. **Burner (Bruner) family** (page 32, Family 37/37):
  565. | Name | Age | Sex | Occupation | Value | Birthplace |
  566. |------|-----|-----|-----------|-------|------------|
  567. | Hickman Burner | 45 | M | Farmer | $400 | KY |
  568. | Sarah | 47 | F | — | — | KY |
  569. | Adam | 15 | M | Farmer | — | IN |
  570. | Absalom | 12 | M | — | — | IN |
  571. | Sarah | 9 | F | — | — | IN |
  572. | David M | 4 | M | — | — | IL |
  574. This is **Henry Hickman Bruner** and **Sarah Ann Bridges**, Eli Woodruff Bruner's parents. "Burner" is a phonetic spelling of Bruner; by later censuses the family is consistently "Bruner." Eli himself does not appear because he had already married Mary Elizabeth Collins and established his own household (enumerated in Indiana). The children's birthplaces (IN, IN, IN, IL) trace the family's movement before Iowa.
  576. **Collins family** (page 34B, Family 70/70):
  578. | Name | Age | Sex | Occupation | Birthplace | R/W |
  579. |------|-----|-----|-----------|------------|-----|
  580. | Andrew Collins | 39 | M | Farmer | KY | X (cannot) |
  581. | Betsy | 35 | F | — | VA | X |
  582. | Lewis | 13 | M | — | KY | — |
  583. | Sampson | 9 | M | — | MO | — |
  584. | Archibald | 4 | M | — | IA | — |
  585. | Polly A | 2 | F | — | IA | — |
  586. | **Bradley Collins** | **63** | **M** | **Farmer** | **NC** | **X** |
  588. **Andrew Collins** (b. c. 1811, KY) is almost certainly Bradley's son. **Bradley Collins** (b. c. 1787, NC) is Meredith Collins's confirmed son. The children's birthplaces trace the migration: KY → MO → IA. Andrew named a daughter **Polly A** (age 2), continuing the Polly name in the Collins family. Neither Andrew nor Betsy nor Bradley could read or write.
  590. The Burner and Collins families are just two pages apart in the same township enumeration, confirming they were neighbors.
  592. ### Independence Township (Division: Independence), page 12
  594. Two additional Collins households appear in a different part of Appanoose County:
  596. **Hiram Collins** (page 12, Family 4/4):
  598. | Name | Age | Sex | Occupation | Birthplace |
  599. |------|-----|-----|-----------|------------|
  600. | Hiram Collins | 25 | M | Farmer | KY |
  601. | Maranda | 35 | F | — | TN |
  602. | Lucinda | 15 | F | — | MO |
  603. | Catharine | 16 | F | — | MO |
  604. | Chistama | 12 | F | — | MO |
  605. | James K P | 5 | M | — | MO |
  606. | John D | 2 | M | — | KY |
  608. Maranda is 10 years older than Hiram, and the teenage girls (born when Hiram was 9-13) are almost certainly her children from a prior marriage who took the Collins surname. James K P and John D may be Hiram's biological children.
  610. **John Collins** (page 12, Family 5/5):
  612. | Name | Age | Sex | Occupation | Birthplace | R/W |
  613. |------|-----|-----|-----------|------------|-----|
  614. | John Collins | 29 | M | Farmer | KY | — |
  615. | Sarah | 40 | F | — | KY | X |
  616. | Hannah M | 16 | F | — | KY | — |
  617. | **Bralley** | **12** | **M** | — | **KY** | — |
  618. | James J | 8 | M | — | MO | — |
  619. | Eliza | 15 | F | — | KY | — |
  620. | Bestina | 16 | F | — | KY | — |
  622. **John Collins** (b. c. 1821, KY) is a potential brother or close relative of Mary Elizabeth Collins (b. c. 1827, KY). The six-year gap is a normal sibling interval. The name **Bralley** (Bradley, age 12, born KY) in this household is significant: it shows the Bradley name being passed down within the family, connecting this household to the Bradley Collins line in Center Township.
  624. Sarah Collins (40, KY) is 11 years older than John. She may be his wife, his mother, or another relative. The teenage girls (Hannah, Eliza, Bestina) are all from Kentucky and close in age; they could be Sarah's daughters from a prior marriage or John's sisters.
  626. The migration pattern matches the Center Township Collins: older members born KY, then children born MO, then IA.
  628. ### Shoal Division, page 24
  630. **Holebrook family** (page 24, Family 1/1):
  632. | Name | Age | Sex | Occupation | Birthplace |
  633. |------|-----|-----|-----------|------------|
  634. | Luther E Holebrook | 37 | M | Farmer | CT |
  635. | Mary A | 36 | F | — | NY |
  636. | Charles K | 10 | M | — | IA |
  637. | George W | 7 | M | — | IA |
  638. | Eliza J | 2 | F | — | IA |
  640. A Holbrook family from Connecticut, unrelated to the Massachusetts Holbrooks of Whidbey Island. Noted for completeness; the surname coincidence in the same county where the Bruner-Collins marriage took place is interesting but probably not connected.
  642. ### What the 1850 census does and does not show
  644. **It shows:** The full Collins-Reed-Bruner community that produced the Bruner-Collins marriage, spread across three townships.
  646. **It does not show:** Mary Elizabeth Collins (already married and in Davies County, Indiana as Mary Bruner) or Jesse Collins (died c. 1847).
  648. ### The Appanoose County convergence: who was there, when, and why
  650. By 1850, an extended network of Collins, Reed, and Bruner families had converged on Appanoose County from Kentucky, Indiana, and Missouri. The table below shows every documented family, their township, approximate arrival date, household size, and connection to the network.
  652. | Family head | Township | Arrived approx. | Household size (1850) | Race on census | Connection |
  653. |------------|----------|----------------|----------------------|----------------|------------|
  654. | **Benjamin Reed** | Wells | c. 1838 (18 yrs in 1856) | ~10 (with William H., Lucille, Sarah J., Dialpha, Frank, Reston, Daniel, Melissa) | White | Possible son of James Reed [?]. Arrived after Tilford. |
  655. | **Hickman Bruner** | Center | c. 1845-46 | 6 (Hickman 45, Sarah 47, Adam 15, Absalom 12, Sarah 9, David M 4) | White | Eli Woodruff Bruner's father. From Indiana. |
  656. | **Bradley Collins** | Center | 1844 | In Andrew's household (age 63, Farmer, born NC) | White | Meredith's son. Jesse's half-brother. |
  657. | **Andrew Collins** | Center | 1844 | 7 (Andrew 39, Betsy 35, Lewis 13, Sampson 9, Archibald 4, Polly A 2, + Bradley 63) | White | Bradley's son. Cannot read or write. |
  658. | **John Collins** | Independence | By 1850 | 7 (John 29, Sarah 40, Hannah M 16, Bralley 12, James J 8, Eliza 15, Bestina 16) | White | Son named Bradley. Same migration pattern. |
  659. | **Hiram Collins** | Independence | By 1850 | Unknown size (from transcription only) | White | Aged 25 in 1850, so not the Hiram (Polly Holloway's son, c. 1804-06) who married Elizabeth Reed in 1829. |
  660. | **William Collins** | Center (with McClures) | By 1850 | Boarding, age 17, born KY | White | Young Collins, possibly a nephew. |
  661. | **Mary Reed Collins** | **Wells** | mid-1840s | **6 (Mary 46, Matilda 20, Reuben 16, Lloyd 14, Calaska 12, Spencer 10)** | **Mulatto** | Jesse's widow. Went to Wells Twp (near Benjamin Reed) rather than Center Twp (near Bradley). |
  662. | **Tilford Reed** | Wells | by c. 1836 (son Harman b. Iowa c. 1836; the 14 yrs he gave in 1856 understates it) | Large family (Jane, Harmon, Emily, Alexander, Martha, Elizabeth, Rachel) | White | From Kentucky. **Earliest arrival.** |
  664. **Key observations:**
  666. 1. **Tilford Reed arrived first** (by about 1836), then Benjamin Reed (by 1838), followed by Bradley and Andrew Collins (1844), the Bruners (c. 1845-46), and Jesse and Mary Reed Collins (mid-1840s). The Reed side of the family pioneered the location.
  668. 2. **The Collins and Bruner families settled in Center Township**, just pages apart in the census. Bradley/Andrew Collins and Hickman Bruner were neighbors. This proximity made the 1850 marriage of Mary Elizabeth Collins and Eli Woodruff Bruner a neighborhood match, not a chance encounter.
  670. 3. **Mary Reed Collins settled in Wells Township**, near the Reed families (Benjamin Reed, Tilford Reed, possibly her brothers), not in Center Township near the Collins families. After Jesse's death, she settled near these Reeds rather than near Jesse's family. She is the **only person in the entire network listed as mulatto** on the 1850 census. Everyone else passes as white.
  672. 4. **John Collins and Hiram Collins settled in Independence Township**, a third cluster. This Hiram (25 in 1850) is not the Hiram who married Elizabeth Reed in 1829 (Polly Holloway's son, c. 1804-06). **John Collins** (b. c. 1821) is almost certainly Bradley's son: he named his firstborn son **Bralley/Bradley**, born c. 1838, following the classic pattern. John may be the son of Bradley and **Sarah Reed** (partnership documented before 1822), which would give him both Collins and Reed ancestry.
  674. 5. **The family care network after Mary Reed's death (REVISED).** Initial hypothesis that Eliza Collins (John's daughter) was caring for Spencer Collins in the same household was **incorrect**. The 1856 census reveals they were recorded separately, pages apart, in different contexts:
  676. **Spencer Collins** (14, mulatto, listed as born "North Carolina") was taken in by the **Hendon family**, a mulatto household in Wells Township:
  678. | Person | Age | Sex | Race | Birthplace | Role |
  679. |--------|-----|-----|------|-----------|------|
  680. | William Hendon | 51 | M | Mulatto | Kentucky | Head, Farmer, landowner (arrived c. 1850) |
  681. | Unis Hendon | — | F | — | — | Wife |
  682. | John Hendon | 8 | M | Mulatto | Missouri | Son |
  683. | James Hendon | 5 | M | Mulatto | Indiana | Son |
  684. | Nancy I/J Hendon | 2 | F | — | Indiana | Daughter |
  685. | John Hendon | 49 | M | Mulatto | **Virginia** | **Blacksmith** |
  686. | T.B. Turner | 69 | F | Mulatto | North Carolina | Older woman in household |
  687. | **Spencer Collins** | **14** | **M** | **Mulatto** | **"North Carolina"** | **Taken in by this family** |
  689. Spencer's "North Carolina" birthplace is likely a recording artifact: T.B. Turner, listed directly above him, is also from North Carolina. The enumerator may have carried over the birthplace, or Spencer (an orphan at 14) may have said "same as her." His mother Mary Reed, when alive in 1850, reported his birthplace as **Missouri**, which is the accurate record.
  691. The Hendons are a mulatto family from Kentucky (William, b. c. 1805) and Virginia (John, b. c. 1807), with children born in Missouri and Indiana, tracing a migration similar to the Collins-Reed families. William is a **landowner** and farmer, John is a **blacksmith**. They had the means and stability to take in an orphaned boy. Spencer went to a mulatto family with resources, not just a family connection.
  693. **Eliza Collins** (20, mulatto, Kentucky) was recorded separately, pages away from Spencer. She appears to be working in the household of **William Haney**, a white family from Virginia and Indiana. Eliza is the only mulatto person listed near this household. She was likely domestic help. This is consistent with a young unmarried mixed-race woman finding employment in a white household, a common arrangement in this era.
  695. The correction matters: the care network for Jesse and Mary's orphaned children was not purely a Collins family affair. Spencer was placed with a stable mulatto family (the Hendons) who were part of the broader mixed-race community in Wells Township, while Eliza Collins (John's daughter) found independent employment elsewhere in the same township.
  697. 6. **Jesse likely established the farm in Iowa before his death.** The fact that Reuben (age 13) was able to take over farming operations immediately after Jesse's death in 1847 suggests Jesse had already built a working farm. A young teenager continuing an existing operation is far more plausible than a widow arriving from Missouri and starting from scratch. This implies Jesse's family had reached Appanoose County by the mid-1840s, as the Collins and Reed kin gathered there, and farmed in Wells Township near Tilford and Benjamin Reed (possibly Mary's brothers) until Jesse died in 1847. Reuben kept it going for five years until Mary's death c. 1852, after which the family could no longer hold together without either parent. No real or personal property is listed on the 1850 census, suggesting Jesse was renting or farming unimproved land rather than owning a deed, which is why there was nothing legal to hold the family in place after both parents died.
  699. **Open questions:**
  700. - Is John Collins (29, KY, Independence Twp) a brother or half-brother of Mary Elizabeth?
  701. - Is Sarah Collins (40, KY) in John's household a mother figure or wife?
  702. - What is Betsy Collins's (Andrew's wife, born VA) maiden name?
  703. - Was there direct contact between the Collins and Bruner families in Indiana before they converged in Iowa?
  705. ### 9.6 The 1830 Clay County, Kentucky census: Bradley's household contains girls the right age
  707. The 1830 federal census for **Clay County, Kentucky** contains three Collins households, all enumerated under "Free White Persons":
  709. **Bradley Collins:**
  711. | Category | Count | Possible identities |
  712. |----------|-------|-------------------|
  713. | Males under 5 | 1 | Son born c. 1826-1830 |
  714. | Males 5-10 | 2 | Sons born c. 1820-1825 (one could be Hiram, b. c. 1825) |
  715. | Males 15-20 | 1 | Almost certainly **Andrew** (b. c. 1811, age ~19) |
  716. | Males 40-50 | 1 | **Bradley himself** (b. c. 1787, age ~43) |
  717. | Females under 5 | **2** | **Daughters born c. 1826-1830** (not Mary Elizabeth, who was with her parents in Indiana by spring 1830) |
  718. | Females 5-10 | 1 | Daughter born c. 1820-1825 |
  719. | Females 10-15 | 2 | Daughters born c. 1815-1820 |
  720. | Females 15-20 | 1 | Daughter born c. 1810-1815 |
  721. | **No adult female** | 0 | **No wife present (20+ age brackets empty)** |
  723. **Hiram Collins:** 1 male under 5, 1 male slave, 1 female slave. An adult head of household, distinct from the child-aged Hiram (b. c. 1825) who appears in Appanoose County in 1850.
  725. **Amos Collins:** Male 40-50 (himself), multiple children. Another Collins man of the same generation as Bradley.
  727. Source: Kentucky Genealogy transcription of the 1830 Clay County census.
  729. **Why this matters:**
  731. Bradley's household in 1830 contains **two girls under age 5**. Mary Elizabeth Collins, born c. 1827, would be about 3 years old and falls squarely in this category. [Superseded 2026-09-23: she was with her parents, who were in Morgan County, Indiana by spring 1830.]
  733. The **absence of an adult woman** in the household is consistent with Bradley being between wives (his known marriages span 1817-1836, the first on the Conley list only). The two girls under 5 could include Mary Elizabeth Collins (b. c. 1827, age ~3), who we now know was Jesse Collins and Mary Reed's daughter, not Bradley's. Bradley was her half-uncle, and her parents had moved to Morgan County, Indiana by spring 1830, so she is unlikely to be in this household. The two girls under 5 are more likely Bradley's daughters by an undocumented partner, and Mary Elizabeth was with her parents, who were in Morgan County, Indiana by the spring of 1830.
  735. The male aged 15-20 is almost certainly **Andrew Collins** (b. c. 1811, age ~19 in 1830), who by 1850 is living with Bradley in Appanoose County. The two males aged 5-10 could include **John Collins** (b. c. 1821, age ~9) from the Appanoose Independence Township census. The younger Hiram Collins (age ~5 in 1830, age 25 in Appanoose 1850) could be among the males under 5 or 5-10.
  737. ### 9.7 Bradley Collins as Mary Elizabeth's father or grandfather (SUPERSEDED)
  739. The initial hypothesis (below) proposed Bradley as Mary Elizabeth's father. This was **superseded** by the discovery of the Jesse Collins / Mary Reed marriage record (Section 9.8). **Bradley is Mary Elizabeth's half-uncle.** The relationship is: Meredith Collins → Jesse Collins → Mary Elizabeth Collins, with Jesse as Bradley's half-brother. The circumstantial evidence that pointed to Bradley as father (right-aged daughters in 1830, migration pattern, Bruner neighbors) was correct in identifying the family connection, but the generation was wrong. The two girls under 5 in Bradley's 1830 household are not Mary Elizabeth, whose parents had taken her to Indiana by spring 1830; they are Bradley's daughters or other kin.
  741. The original reasoning is preserved below because its logic about the migration pattern, the Bruner neighborhood, and the naming patterns remains valid:
  743. 1. **The entire household migrated together.** Bradley, Andrew, and John Collins share the same KY → MO → IA migration pattern; Jesse's family went by way of Indiana and Illinois. Their children's birthplaces trace the same route. By 1850 they are all in Appanoose County.
  745. 2. **The Bruner family were neighbors.** In the 1850 census, the Burner (Bruner) household is two pages from the Collins household in Center Township. Mary Elizabeth married the neighbor's son.
  747. 3. **The Bradley name recurs.** John Collins's son is named "Bralley" (Bradley), a 12-year-old in 1850. If John is Bradley's son, naming a child after his father is expected. Andrew Collins's daughter is named "Polly A," continuing the Polly name.
  749. **The migration route (confirmed):**
  751. | Period | Location | Evidence |
  752. |--------|----------|----------|
  753. | Through late 1830s | **Clay County, KY** | Bradley's marriages; 1830 census; Jesse/Mary marriage 1827 |
  754. | 1839-1844 | **Chariton County, Missouri** (county written in the 1840 census margin) | Andrew's son Sampson born MO c. 1841; John's son James J born MO c. 1842; 1840 census [S50] |
  755. | 1844 | **Appanoose County, IA** | Andrew's son Archibald born IA c. 1846; county organized 1843 |
  756. | 1847 | Iowa | Jesse Collins dies |
  757. | 1850 | Appanoose County, IA | Census confirms Bradley, Andrew, John, Hiram, William Collins; Mary Reed Collins (mulatto) in Wells Township |
  759. ---
  761. ## 9.75 Detailed timeline: Bradley Collins (c. 1787 – after 1850)
  763. This timeline reconstructs Bradley Collins's life from every available source, noting known locations, marriages, census appearances, and key events involving his children. Open questions and inferences are marked.
  765. | Year | Age | Event | Location | Source |
  766. |------|-----|-------|----------|--------|
  767. | c. 1787 | 0 | **Born.** Son of Meredith Collins (b. c. 1760). Mother unknown (Meredith's first wife, undocumented). | Wilkes County, NC | Conley list |
  768. | c. 1804 | ~17 | **Jesse Collins born**, Bradley's half-brother (son of Meredith and Polly Holloway). | VA (Russell Co) | FamilySearch |
  769. | 1810 | ~23 | **NOT in Meredith's Floyd County household.** Meredith's 16-25 male column is empty. Bradley has left, possibly already in Clay County. | Floyd Co, KY | 1810 census [S4] |
  770. | c. 1811 | ~24 | **Andrew Collins born.** Bradley's confirmed son who accompanies him throughout life. Mother unknown. | KY | 1850 census (age 39) |
  771. | 1817 | ~30 | **Married Jane Ray** (Conley list only; not yet seen in a register). | County uncertain (Clay or Floyd), KY | Conley list |
  772. | 1820 | ~33 | **1820 Floyd County census** with Meredith on the same page. Census taker initially recorded household as free white, then **crossed out all entries** and reclassified them as colored/slave. Household includes 1 Free Colored Female 45+, 1 Slave Male 14-26, 3 Slave Males 45+, 1 Slave Female 14-26. The slave female 14-26 could be **Sarah Reid**. | Floyd Co, KY | 1820 census [S49] |
  773. | Before 1822 | ~35 | **Partnered with Sarah Reid.** No marriage record found. Relationship predates documented Clay County marriages. | Clay Co area, KY | Nancy Williams death cert [S47] |
  774. | c. 1822 | ~35 | **Daughter Nancy Collins born** (by Sarah Reid). Nancy later married Williams, died Appanoose County 1909 age 85. | KY | Death cert [S47] |
  775. | 1827, Dec 13 | ~40 | **Jesse Collins marries Mary Reed** in Clay County. Jesse, Bradley's half-brother, marries where Bradley lives. Mary Elizabeth Collins may be born this same year (FamilySearch gives Jan 30, 1827). | Clay Co, KY | Marriage register [S45] |
  776. | 1828-29 | ~41-42 | **Hiram Collins marries Elizabeth Reed** in Clay County. Another Collins-Reed intermarriage. | Clay Co, KY | Marriage register [S45] |
  777. | 1829 | ~42 | **On Pike County, KY tax list.** 50 acres on Shelby Creek, adjacent to Meredith's land. Pike carved from Floyd in 1821. | Pike Co, KY | Tax list [S19] |
  778. | 1830 | ~43 | **1830 Clay County census.** Household: 1 male 40-50 (Bradley), 1 male 15-20 (Andrew ~19), 2 males 5-10, 1 male under 5, 1 female 15-20, 2 females 10-15, 1 female 5-10, **2 females under 5** (not Mary Elizabeth, who was with her parents in Indiana). **No adult wife. No slaves or colored persons.** | Clay Co, KY | Census |
  779. | 1831, Jul 28 | ~44 | **Married Catherine Barney.** Second known marriage (after Jane Ray; Sarah Reid was a partner, with no marriage record). | Clay Co, KY | Marriage register [S45] |
  780. | 1833, Feb 16 | ~46 | **Married Betsy Griffin.** Third known marriage. | Clay Co, KY | Marriage register [S45] |
  781. | 1836, Sep 5 | ~49 | **Married Elizabeth Lunsford.** Fourth known marriage. | Clay Co, KY | Marriage register [S45] |
  782. | 1838, Mar 31 | ~51 | **Andrew Collins marries Betsy Ann Sizemore** in Clay County. Andrew is ~27, establishing his own family. | Clay Co, KY | Marriage register [S45] |
  783. | c. 1838 | ~51 | **Last children born in Kentucky.** After this, children begin being born in Missouri. | KY | Children's birthplaces |
  784. | 1839 | ~52 | **Family moves to Missouri** (Chariton County; by flatboat, per Eula Conley). Andrew's son Sampson (c. 1841) and John's son James J (c. 1842) born there. | MO | 1840 census [S50] |
  785. | 1840 | ~53 | **1840 census, Chariton County, Missouri** (county in the page margin; "Callaway" was an indexing slip). | Chariton Co, MO | Census [S50] |
  786. | 1844 | ~57 | **Family arrives in Appanoose County, Iowa.** Andrew's son Archibald born IA c. 1846. Among the county's early settlers (organized 1843). | Appanoose Co, IA | Children's birthplaces |
  787. | 1847 | ~60 | **Jesse Collins dies.** Widow Mary Reed Collins will appear on the 1850 census as "Mary Collings," mulatto, in Wells Township. | IA (?) | FamilySearch |
  788. | 1850 | ~63 | **1850 Appanoose County census, Center Township.** Family 70/70. Bradley (63, Farmer, born NC, cannot read or write) living with Andrew's family. Bruner family 2 pages away. Mary Elizabeth already married to Eli Bruner and in Indiana. Mary Reed Collins living separately in Wells Twp as "Mary Collings," mulatto. | Center Twp, Appanoose Co, IA | Census (no source row yet for this sheet; Wells Twp is S48) |
  789. | After 1850 | 63+ | **Death.** Date and place unknown. No death record, will, or estate record found. | Appanoose Co, IA (?) | — |
  791. **Key patterns:**
  793. Bradley moved between **Floyd/Pike County** (where Meredith lived) and **Clay County** (where he married and raised families) throughout the 1820s-1830s, roughly 80 miles across eastern Kentucky's mountains. He maintained a presence in both communities.
  795. His **four known marriages and one partnership** (Jane Ray 1817, per the Conley list only; Sarah Reid before 1822, Catherine Barney 1831, Betsy Griffin 1833, Elizabeth Lunsford 1836) suggest each wife died or the partnership ended, prompting a new union within a few years.
  797. The **disappearance of "slaves" between 1820 and 1830** remains the most significant puzzle. In 1820, Bradley's household included people classified as slaves (after initially being counted as white). By 1830, no slaves or colored persons appear. The most likely explanation is that these were family members whose racial classification changed between enumerators, not actual chattel.
  799. **Open questions:**
  800. - Who was Bradley's mother (Meredith's first wife)?
  801. - Did Bradley formally marry Sarah Reid, or was it an informal partnership?
  802. - When and where did Bradley die?
  803. - (Settled 2026-09-23: Jesse was Meredith's son by Polly Holloway, Bradley's half-brother.)
  805. ---
  807. ## 9.8 Breakthrough: Jesse Collins, Mary Reed, and the mulatto designation
  809. Research on September 13, 2026 produced a series of interconnected primary-source findings that fundamentally reshape the picture of Mary Elizabeth Collins's ancestry.
  811. ### The Jesse Collins – Mary Reed marriage (Clay County, KY, 1827)
  813. The **Clay County, Kentucky General Index to Marriages** [S45, S46] records the marriage of **Jesse Collins** and **Mary Reed**, with a date of **December 13, 1827**. This is the first primary document confirming that Jesse Collins was a real person who married a Reed woman in the same county where Bradley Collins had his documented marriages. Next to Mary Reed's name, an annotation appears to read "daughter of James" (or similar), suggesting her father was **James Reed/Reid**. [Update 2026-09-23: the index note is a later addition; James Read's own consent note of 25 November 1827 confirms he was Mary's father.]
  815. On the same marriage register pages, additional Collins-Reed marriages appear:
  816. - **Hiram Collins** and **Elizabeth Reed**, licensed December 1, 1828, married December 8, 1829
  817. - **Abraham Collins** and Christina Portston (?), married April 6, 1828
  819. And Bradley Collins's later marriages are documented:
  820. - **Bradley Collins** and **Catherine Barney**, licensed July 22, 1831, married July 28, 1831
  821. - **Bradley Collins** and **Betsy Griffin**, licensed February 15, 1833, married February 16, 1833
  822. - **Bradley Collins** and **Elizabeth Lunsford**, licensed September 5, 1836, married September 5, 1836
  824. Andrew Collins's marriage also appears: **Andrew Collins** and **Betsy Ann Sizemore**, married March 31, 1838.
  826. Two Collins brothers married two Reed sisters within two years (Jesse and Mary in 1827, Hiram and Elizabeth in 1829). This pattern of intermarriage between two families is consistent with both being part of the same mixed-race community in eastern Kentucky.
  828. ### The Nancy Williams death certificate (Appanoose County, 1909)
  830. **Nancy Williams**, née Collins, died **September 27, 1909** in Appanoose County, Iowa [S47]. Age 85 (born c. 1822). The death certificate names:
  831. - Father: **Bradley Collins** (birthplace erroneously listed as "England")
  832. - Mother: **Sarah Reid** (birthplace erroneously listed as "Germany")
  833. - Informant: J.H. Williams, Ocean, Iowa
  835. The birthplace errors are clearly from an informant who didn't know, but the **names** are what matter. This is the first primary document naming **Sarah Reid**, the mother of Bradley Collins's daughter Nancy. No marriage record is known; she came between his 1817 marriage to Jane Ray (Conley list only) and his Clay County marriages of 1831-1836. Nancy was born c. 1822, so Bradley and Sarah were together by about 1821.
  837. This shows the **Reid/Reed surname** on the Collins side too: Sarah Reid was the mother of Bradley's daughter Nancy, while Mary Elizabeth's Reed line runs through her mother, Mary Reed (Jesse's wife). The Collins and Reed families were deeply intertwined.
  839. ### Mary Collings, mulatto, Wells Township, Appanoose County, 1850
  841. The 1850 census for **Wells Township, Appanoose County, Iowa** (page 37, enumerated December 3, 1850) [S48] shows:
  843. | Name | Age | Sex | Race | Birthplace | R/W |
  844. |------|-----|-----|------|-----------|-----|
  845. | **Mary Collings** | **46** | **F** | **M (Mulatto)** | **[unclear]** | **X (cannot)** |
  846. | Matilda | 20 | F | M | [state] | |
  847. | Reuben | 16 | M | M | [state] | |
  848. | Lloyd (Loya?) | 14 | M | M | [state] | |
  849. | Calaska | 12 | F [the census reads F; Kalaska was a son] | M/A | [state] | |
  850. | Spencer | 10 | M | M | [state] | |
  852. **Mary Collings** (almost certainly Mary Reed Collins, Jesse's widow) is listed with the **"M" designation for mulatto** in the race/color column. All of her children are also listed as mulatto. She cannot read or write. Jesse died in 1847, so she has been a widow for three years.
  854. She is living in a different township (Wells) from Bradley and Andrew Collins (Center), but in the same county. Her age of 46 puts her birth at c. 1804, consistent with the FamilySearch profile for Mary Reed (b. 1804).
  856. **This is the first document in this investigation that explicitly records a member of the Collins-Reed family as mulatto.** Combined with the Thomas Collins "Molata" designation from 1755 North Carolina and William Reed "Malatta" from 1699 (see Purpose section), the mulatto heritage traces from the 17th century through to the 19th century.
  858. ### The DNA math confirmed
  860. The 1850 mulatto designation for Mary Reed Collins confirms the non-European ancestry in the line. Working the math forward:
  862. If Mary Reed was mulatto (~50% non-European) and Jesse Collins also carried some mixed-race ancestry through the New River Collins line (Thomas Collins, "Molata," 1755), then their daughter Mary Elizabeth Collins would be roughly 25-35% non-European. Working forward through five generations of marriage to European-descent partners:
  863. - Mary Elizabeth Collins (~25-35%) → daughter Mariah Emma Bruner (~12-17%) → daughter Jessie Clifford (~6-8%) → son Richard C. Holbrook (~3-4%) → daughter Frances Holbrook (**2.1% measured**)
  865. The measured 2.1% Sub-Saharan African DNA in Frances Holbrook is consistent with this lineage.
  867. ### The interconnected Reed and Collins families
  869. The picture that emerges from the Clay County marriage records and the 1850 census is of two mixed-race families, the Collinses and the Reeds, intermarrying across a generation:
  871. | Collins man | Reed/Reid woman | Year | Source |
  872. |-------------|----------------|------|--------|
  873. | Bradley Collins | **Sarah Reid** | Before 1822 | Nancy Williams death cert (1909) |
  874. | **Jesse Collins** | **Mary Reed** | **1827** | **Clay County marriage register** |
  875. | Hiram Collins | Elizabeth Reed | 1828-1829 | Clay County marriage register |
  877. The Collins family's mixed-race origins trace to **Thomas Collins**, listed as "Molata" (mulatto) on the Orange County, North Carolina tax list in **1755**. That heritage carried through John [or Samuel] Collins → Meredith Collins → Jesse Collins. The Reed family's origins are not yet traced, but Mary Reed's 1850 mulatto designation confirms non-European ancestry on that side as well. A later note beside Mary Reed's name in the index ties her to James, and James Read's own consent note of 25 November 1827 confirms that **James Reed** was her father.
  879. ### Bradley Collins on the 1820 and 1840 censuses
  881. **1820 census, Floyd County, Kentucky [S49]:** Bradley Collins and Meredith Collins appear on consecutive lines on the same census page. This is the only census where father and son appear together. Bradley's entry shows marks in the early columns (zeroed out or overwritten) and entries in the right-side columns (boxes 23-29 per the user's numbering). Meredith's entry shows **nothing in the first 12 boxes** (free white persons columns) but entries in box 13 (Agriculture) and in the right-side columns (boxes 23-30).
  883. **PENDING VERIFICATION:** The right-side entries fall in columns that correspond to Free Colored Persons and/or Slaves in the standard 1820 census layout. If the entries are in the Free Colored columns, this would mean the enumerator classified members of these households as free colored persons rather than white. If in the Slave columns, it would mean they held enslaved people. The exact column assignments need to be verified against the printed column headers on the original form before conclusions are drawn.
  885. **VERIFIED September 13, 2026.** The column assignments have been confirmed against the original form. The results are extraordinary.
  887. **Bradley Collins, 1820 Floyd County, KY — left side (Free White Persons):**
  889. | Box | Column | Initially marked | Final entry |
  890. |-----|--------|-----------------|-------------|
  891. | 1 | Free White Males under 10 | **2** | **Changed to 0** |
  892. | 2-4 | FWM 10-16, 16-18, 16-26 | — | 0 |
  893. | 5 | Free White Males 26-45 | **1** | **Changed to 0** |
  894. | 6 | FWM 45+ | — | 0 |
  895. | 7 | Free White Females under 10 | **3** | **Changed to 0** |
  896. | 8-11 | FWF 10-16 through 45+ | — | 0 |
  897. | 12 | Foreigners | — | 0 |
  898. | 13 | Engaged in Agriculture | — | **1** |
  900. **Bradley Collins, 1820 Floyd County, KY — right side (Free Colored and Slaves):**
  902. | Box | Column | Entry |
  903. |-----|--------|-------|
  904. | 23 | **Free Colored Females 45+** | **1** |
  905. | 24 | Slave Males under 14 | 0 |
  906. | 25 | **Slave Males 14-26** | **1** |
  907. | 26 | Slave Males 26-45 | 0 |
  908. | 27 | **Slave Males 45+** | **3** |
  909. | 28 | Slave Females under 14 | 0 (dot) |
  910. | 29 | **Slave Females 14-26** | **1** |
  911. | 30-31 | Slave Females 26-45, 45+ | 0 |
  913. **Meredith Collins, 1820 Floyd County, KY — left side:**
  915. | Box | Column | Entry |
  916. |-----|--------|-------|
  917. | 1-12 | All Free White columns | **All empty (no free white persons counted)** |
  918. | 13 | Engaged in Agriculture | **3** |
  920. **Meredith Collins, 1820 Floyd County, KY — right side:**
  922. | Box | Column | Entry |
  923. |-----|--------|-------|
  924. | 23 | **Free Colored Females 45+** | **2** |
  925. | 24 | **Slave Males under 14** | **2** |
  926. | 25 | **Slave Males 14-26** | **1** |
  927. | 26 | **Slave Males 26-45** | **1** |
  928. | 27-29 | Slave Males 45+, Slave Females under 14, 14-26 | 0 |
  929. | 30 | **Slave Females 26-45** | **1** |
  930. | 31 | Slave Females 45+ | 0 |
  932. **What the census taker's corrections reveal:**
  934. The most striking feature of Bradley's entry is the **crossed-out marks on the left side**. The census taker initially recorded Bradley's household as free white: 2 white males under 10, 1 white male 26-45 (Bradley himself), and 3 white females under 10. Then he went back and **zeroed out every entry**, moving the household members to the right-side columns instead.
  936. This tells a vivid story of racial ambiguity at the doorstep. The enumerator arrived, began recording the household as white, and then changed his assessment. Perhaps he saw the household members more closely, perhaps he asked further questions, perhaps he knew the family's reputation. Whatever prompted the correction, the result is that Bradley Collins's household was reclassified from white to colored/enslaved during the enumeration itself.
  938. **Meredith Collins's entry has no such corrections.** His left-side columns (free white) are simply empty from the start. The enumerator apparently classified Meredith's household as non-white without hesitation. Only box 13 (Agriculture: 3) has an entry on the left side, indicating three persons engaged in farming.
  940. **The "slave" question:**
  942. The entries in the slave columns (boxes 24-31) raise a difficult question. Were Bradley and Meredith slaveholders, or did the census taker use the slave columns for family members whose status was ambiguous? Several possibilities:
  944. 1. **Actual slaveholding.** Some free persons of color in the antebellum South held enslaved people, sometimes to protect family members from sale (a spouse or child who was legally enslaved could be "owned" by a free family member as protection), sometimes as actual chattel slavery.
  946. 2. **Misclassification.** The census taker, uncertain about the household's racial and legal status, may have used the slave columns for people who were actually free but whom he didn't consider fully free. The fact that he initially tried to count Bradley's family as white, then crossed it out, suggests confusion about how to categorize them.
  948. 3. **Mixed household.** Some members may have been legally free (the "Free Colored Female 45+" in box 23) while others were in a more ambiguous status.
  950. The entry in **box 29 (Slave Female 14-26)** for Bradley's household is particularly intriguing. If this is Sarah Reid, Bradley's partner and the mother of his daughter Nancy (born c. 1822), her classification as a "slave" in 1820 would add a layer of complexity to the family's racial and legal history. By the time of the 1830 census, no slaves or colored persons appear in Bradley's Clay County household, suggesting the family's status had changed or was being recorded differently.
  952. **For Meredith's household**, the 2 Free Colored Females 45+ (box 23) are older female relatives; his wife Polly Holloway (b. c. 1780) had probably died about 1812 and would have been only about forty in 1820. The presence of both "free colored" and "slave" entries in the same household suggests a complex domestic arrangement.
  954. ### Comparison: Meredith Collins 1810 vs. 1820
  956. The transformation between the two censuses is striking:
  958. **1810 (Floyd County, KY) — all classified as free white:**
  960. | Category | Count |
  961. |----------|-------|
  962. | FWM under 10 | 4 |
  963. | FWM 10-15 | 2 |
  964. | FWM 16-25 | 0 |
  965. | FWM 26-44 | 0 |
  966. | FWM 45+ | 1 (Meredith, ~50) |
  967. | FWF 10-15 | 1 |
  968. | FWF 16-25 | 1 |
  969. | FWF 26-44 | 1 |
  970. | All other free persons | 0 |
  971. | Slaves | 0 |
  972. | **Total** | **10** |
  974. **1820 (Floyd County, KY) — NO free white entries, all in colored/slave columns:**
  976. | Category | Count |
  977. |----------|-------|
  978. | Free White (all columns) | **0** |
  979. | Agriculture | 3 |
  980. | Free Colored Females 45+ | 2 |
  981. | Slave Males under 14 | 2 |
  982. | Slave Males 14-26 | 1 |
  983. | Slave Males 26-45 | 1 |
  984. | Slave Females 26-45 | 1 |
  985. | **Total (colored/slave)** | **7** |
  987. The household shrank from 10 to 7 between 1810 and 1820 (older children married, and Polly had probably died), but the remaining members were reclassified entirely. In 1810, one enumerator saw a white family. In 1820, a different enumerator saw a colored household. The people didn't change. The enumerator's perception did.
  989. Note: The 1810 census rightmost column (Slaves) shows a vertical line and the number "7" drawn through Meredith's row and two adjacent households (Carhart and Castile). This is a **census taker's running tally** for page totals, not an individual household count. Meredith's individual slave count in 1810 is zero.
  991. By the 1830s Pike County tax records, Meredith consistently shows zero in the "Total Blacks" column. The 1820 classification appears to be an anomaly driven by one enumerator's judgment, bookended by records that treat the family as white.
  993. **1840 census, Missouri [S50]:** Bradley Collins appears in Chariton County, Missouri (p. 309; the county is written in the left margin, and "Callaway" in the index was a cataloguing slip). The household includes females in the 10-15 age bracket, which need not include Mary Elizabeth: she was Jesse's daughter, and at thirteen was probably placed out as household help, likely in Indiana.
  995. ### Who were Jesse Collins's parents?
  997. Jesse Collins married Mary Reed in Clay County in December 1827. If he was born c. 1804 (per FamilySearch) and Bradley Collins was born c. 1787, Bradley would have been about 17 at Jesse's birth. This is young but possible in this era. Jesse married in the same county where Bradley lived and had his documented marriages. Jesse's children ended up in Appanoose County alongside Bradley's family. But Jesse fits the run of Polly Holloway's children, and **Jesse was Meredith's son, Bradley's half-brother**; the Bradley parentage is withdrawn.
  999. Bradley was about seventeen in 1804, and Jesse fits the run of Polly's children (James was a separate son); Jesse's Clay County marriage reflects family ties there, not Bradley's paternity.
  1001. ### Who were Mary Reed's parents?
  1003. A later note beside Mary Reed's name in the Clay County general index ties her to James, and James Read's own consent note to the clerk (25 November 1827, witnessed by Stephen Read and Hiram Collins) settles it: her father was **James Reed/Read**.
  1005. **James Reed in the Attride compilation.** The David Attride Genealogy Database (Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center) contains a compiled record for **James Reed, born about 1765, died about 1841, Clay County, Kentucky** [S51]. It names his father as **Hugh Reed Sr.** of Rowan County, North Carolina (died there before the end of 1786). [Revised 2026-09-27: the compilation's sources have not been seen. James's census ages put his birth c. 1766-75, which the 1783 Rowan grant (needing a man born by about 1762) does not fit, so the Rowan records, and Hugh as his father, are unproven [?]. The 1841 Clay estate supports reading (A) only; under reading (B) he is the James Reed who died in Morgan County, Indiana, before 6 January 1845. See "James Reed, Mary's father" in READ THIS FIRST, and S66.]
  1007. James Reed's documented migration and racial classifications:
  1009. | Year | Location | Event / Classification |
  1010. |------|----------|----------------------|
  1011. | 1783 | Rowan County, NC | Received State Grant #522, 130 acres on Dutchmans Creek (Attride; possibly another James [?]) |
  1012. | 1786 | Rowan County, NC | Named in the sale of Hugh Reed Sr.'s estate (187 acres on Second Creek); being named in the sale does not show he was Hugh's son (Attride [?]) |
  1013. | **1800** | **Ashe County, NC** | **Census: James Reid's household of six counted as free colored ("other free")** |
  1014. | 1801 | Ashe County, NC | Purchased land from Spencer Mullins (Deed Bk A pg 370-371) |
  1015. | 1802 | Ashe County, NC | Sold land to Stephen Reed (Deed Bk B pg 375) |
  1016. | 1810 | Ashe County, NC | Census: "J. Reed" — household counted as white (3 WM under 10, 2 WM 10-15, 1 WM 26-44, 3 WF under 10, 1 WF 10-15, 1 WF 26-44) |
  1017. | c. 1811 | Ashe County, NC | Multiple land transactions with Wm Hollinsworth and Eli Cleveland |
  1018. | **1820** | **Clay County, KY** | **Census: "James Reed, free colored male 45+"** |
  1019. | **1830** | **Clay County, KY** | **Census, p. 172: James in the slave column (aged 55-100), with four young men aged 10-24 also in the slave columns, one free colored man aged 24-36, and his wife (50-60) counted white [S65]** |
  1020. | 1831-1836 | Morgan County, IN | Reading (B): moved from Clay in 1831; bought the SW quarter of Section 17, T11N R1E (the deed has not been seen); signed his will on 19 July 1836 [S66] |
  1021. | 1840 | Morgan County, IN | Reading (B): census, head of a free colored household of seven [S67] |
  1022. | 1841 | Clay County, KY | Reading (A): died. Estate appraised at ~$800. Portions sold to "Mrs Reid," Samuel Reid, and Wm Reid (Attride only; whose estate it was is open) |
  1023. | bef. 6 Jan 1845 | Morgan County, IN | Reading (B): died; will recorded 6 January 1845, Deed Book J, p. 522; buried in Reed's Chapel Cemetery [S66] |
  1025. **The geographic connection is now airtight.** James Reed was in **Ashe County, North Carolina** from at least 1800 to 1811. Ashe County is on the New River, the same region where the Collins families originated (Griffin Collins Sr. married Martha Rose in Ashe County; the 1795 Wilkes County tax list shows Griffin, David, and Valentine Collins). The Reed and Collins families were part of the **same mixed-race community on the New River** before they migrated separately to Kentucky.
  1027. By 1820, James Reed is in **Clay County, Kentucky**, classified as "free colored male 45+." This is the same county where Bradley Collins has his marriages and where Jesse Collins will marry Mary Reed in 1827. James Reed brought his family from the New River community in North Carolina to the Collins community in Kentucky.
  1029. **James Reed's known family:**
  1030. - Father: **Hugh Reed Sr.** [?], Rowan/Burke County, NC (d. before the end of 1786, Rowan Co); named as James's father only in the Attride compilation
  1031. - Wife: born c. 1770-80, the one person in the 1830 household counted white. Under reading (A), the **"Mrs Reid"** who bought part of his estate in 1841; under reading (B), **Susannah**, alive in 1846. Maiden name unknown.
  1032. - Sons [Revised 2026-09-27; the master tree's Part Two has the current list]: **Samuel Reid** and **William Reid**, from the 1841 estate division (reading A); **Elisha**, **John** [or James] and **Naaman** (b. 1813, Clay Co), from the Morgan County will and land records (reading B); **Stephen** (probable); **Randolph**, **Benjamin** and **Tilford** (possible). **Martha Patsy Reed** (b. 1810), listed here as a known child before 27 September 2026, is more likely a daughter of Stephen Reed Jr.
  1033. - Daughters: **Mary Reed** (married Jesse Collins 1827; James's consent note) and, probably, **Elizabeth Reed** (married Hiram Collins 1829); possibly also **Sarah Reid** (Bradley Collins's partner before 1822)
  1035. **The three-sisters hypothesis:**
  1037. If James Reed is the father of Sarah, Mary, and Elizabeth Reed, then **three of his daughters married three Collins men** within a seven-year span:
  1039. | Reed daughter | Collins husband | Year | Source |
  1040. |--------------|----------------|------|--------|
  1041. | Sarah Reed | Bradley Collins | Before 1822 | Nancy Williams death cert [S47] |
  1042. | Mary Reed | Jesse Collins | December 1827 | Clay County marriage register [S45] |
  1043. | Elizabeth Reed | Hiram Collins | December 1828/1829 | Clay County marriage register [S45] |
  1045. This is not coincidence. This is two mixed-race families from the same origin community (Ashe/Wilkes County, NC) systematically intermarrying after relocating to Clay County, Kentucky. James Reed, counted as free colored in 1800 and 1820, married his daughters to sons of Meredith Collins, of the Collins family, which descends from Thomas Collins "Molata" (1755).
  1047. **The racial classification pattern repeats with the Reeds:**
  1049. | Year | Person | Classification |
  1050. |------|--------|---------------|
  1051. | 1800 | James Reed (Ashe Co, NC) | **Free colored ("other free")** |
  1052. | 1810 | J. Reed (Ashe Co, NC) | White (same person, different enumerator) |
  1053. | 1820 | James Reed (Clay Co, KY) | **Free colored male 45+** |
  1054. | 1830 | James Reid (Clay Co, KY) | **Slave column** (himself, aged 55-100); his wife counted white |
  1055. | 1840 | James Reed (Morgan Co, IN), if he is Mary's father (reading B) | **Free colored** (the whole household) |
  1056. | 1850 | Mary Reed Collins (Appanoose Co, IA) | **Mulatto** |
  1058. The same shifting classification we see with the Collins family applies to the Reeds as well. Both families occupied the ambiguous space between white and black in the eyes of census takers, and both families' classifications changed depending on who was holding the pen.
  1060. **Open questions about the Reed family:**
  1061. - Who was James Reed's wife ("Mrs Reid")? The 1830 census classifies her as a **free white female, age 50-60** (born c. 1770-1780), meaning the enumerator saw her as white. Her name and origins remain unknown. [Revised 2026-09-27: under reading (B) her given name was Susannah; her maiden name is unknown, and the Hollingsworth name in online trees is unsupported.] She is the nearest woman in the direct line whose maiden name is unknown; Meredith's father and James's own parents are also unproven.
  1062. - Was Hugh Reed Sr. (Rowan/Burke County, NC) James's father, as only the Attride compilation says? If so, did he also have an "other free" (free colored) or "mulatto" classification?
  1063. - Which James Reed was Mary's father: the one who died in Clay c. 1841 (reading A) or the one who died in Morgan County, Indiana, before 6 January 1845 (reading B)? See READ THIS FIRST and S66.
  1065. ### The 1830 Clay County census: the full Collins-Reid community
  1067. The 1830 Clay County, KY census provides a snapshot of the intermarried Collins and Reid families. Jesse Collins is **absent** because he and Mary had moved to Indiana; the 1830 census has a Jesse Collins household matching theirs in Morgan County, Indiana.
  1069. **Collins households in 1830 Clay County:**
  1071. | Head | White males | White females | Free Colored | Slaves | Notes |
  1072. |------|------------|---------------|-------------|--------|-------|
  1073. | Abraham Collins | under 5: 1 | 20-30: 1 | — | M: 1 | Abraham himself is the "slave." Wife white. Unknown relation. |
  1074. | Hiram Collins | under 5: 1 | — | — | M: 1, F: 1 | Hiram and wife Elizabeth Reed are "slaves." Son white. |
  1075. | Bradley Collins | under 5: 1, 5-10: 2, 15-20: 1, 40-50: 1 | under 5: 2, 5-10: 1, 10-15: 2, 15-20: 1 | — | — | All white. No adult wife. No colored/slave. |
  1076. | Elijah Collins | 30-40: 1 | 80-90: 1 | — | — | Man with very elderly woman (b. c. 1740-50). |
  1078. **Reid households in 1830 Clay County:**
  1080. | Head | White males | White females | Free Colored | Slaves | Notes |
  1081. |------|------------|---------------|-------------|--------|-------|
  1082. | **James Reid** | none | **50-60: 1** | **FCM 24-36: 1** | **M: 5** (55-100: 1; 10-24: 4) | James = the slave-column man aged 55-100, not the free colored man [Revised 2026-09-27: re-read from the image on 26 Sep 2026, S65]. Wife = **white female** (b. c. 1770-80). The free colored man is 24-36. None of these men is Jesse, who was in Indiana by 1830. |
  1083. | Randolph Reid | under 5: 3 | 20-30: 1 | FCM: 1 | — | Randolph = FC. Wife classified white. |
  1084. | Stephen Reid (1st) | 5-10: 2, 15-20: 1, 20-30: 1, 40-50: 1 | under 5: 2, 15-20: 2, 30-40: 1 | — | — | All classified white. |
  1085. | Stephen Reid (2nd) | — | 15-20: 1 | FCM: 1 | — | Small household, one FCM. |
  1087. **Mrs. Reid's racial classification** is significant. She is the only person in James Reid's household counted as white. James himself is entered in the slave column (aged 55-100), as are four young men of the household, and the one free colored man in the house is aged 24-36. [Revised 2026-09-27: this paragraph earlier had James as the free colored man.] If she was actually white (or light enough to pass), her daughter Mary Reed's "mulatto" designation in 1850 came primarily from James's side (traced, if the unproven link holds, to William Reed "Malatta," 1673). This adds clarity to Mary Elizabeth Collins's ancestry: her non-European heritage comes from both the Collins "Molata" line (through Jesse) and the Reed "Malatta" line (through Mary, via James), with Mrs. Reid contributing European ancestry on the maternal grandmother's side. [Revised 2026-09-27: under reading (B), the woman aged 55-100 in James's 1840 Morgan County household, who fits her age, is counted free colored.]
  1089. **Jesse Collins's absence** from the 1830 Clay County census is explained by the family's move: by the spring of 1830 he and Mary were in Morgan County, Indiana, where that year's census has a Jesse Collins household matching theirs. The loose marriage papers do survive: James Read's consent note of 25 November 1827, witnessed by Stephen Read and Hiram Collins (Jesse's brother), is among them. Jesse's parentage is settled: he was Meredith's son by Polly Holloway. Note: The Clay County courthouse was burned during the Civil War (1862), but loose marriage papers from 1827 survive: James Read's note is filed among them behind the archivist's card "Smeared Ink."
  1091. ### Clay County, KY Collins marriages: complete reference (1827-1862)
  1093. All from the Clay County General Index to Marriages [S45, S46]. Listed chronologically for reference.
  1095. | Year | Groom | Bride | Date | Notes |
  1096. |------|-------|-------|------|-------|
  1097. | 1827 | **Jesse Collins** | **Mary Reed** | Dec 13 | Later index note ties Mary to James; James Read's consent note of 25 Nov 1827 confirms |
  1098. | 1828 | **Abraham Collins** | Christina Poulston/Paulston | Apr 6 | |
  1099. | 1828-29 | **Hiram Collins** | **Elizabeth Reed** | License Dec 1828, married Dec 8 1829 | Third Collins-Reed marriage |
  1100. | 1831 | **Bradley Collins** | Catherine Barney | Jul 28 | |
  1101. | 1832 | William Collins | Sytha Powell | Jan 26 | |
  1102. | 1833 | **Bradley Collins** | Betsy Griffin | Feb 16 | |
  1103. | 1836 | **Bradley Collins** | Elizabeth Lunsford | Sep 5 | |
  1104. | 1838 | **Andrew Collins** | Betsy Ann Sizemore | Mar 31 | |
  1105. | 1839 | James Collins | Martha Ann Cotton | Jul 24 | A different man from Jesse, who was then married to Mary Reed |
  1106. | 1847 | Levi Collins | Matilda Brandon[?] | Dec 25 | Next-generation Levi, not Meredith's son |
  1107. | 1850 | Calvin Collins | Elizabeth Wilder | Dec 18 | |
  1108. | 1850 | William Collins | Lucinda Collins | May 14 | Collins-on-Collins marriage |
  1109. | 1853 | William Collins | Susanna Griffin | Mar 3 | Second Griffin intermarriage |
  1110. | 1853 | Calford Collins | Delilah Henson | Aug | |
  1111. | 1854 | Benjamin Collins | Eliza Jane Hensley | Jul | |
  1112. | 1858 | Severet Field Collins | Rachel Field | — | |
  1113. | 1858 | Joe[?] Collins | Esther Barrett | — | |
  1114. | 1858 | Benjamin Collins | Mar Servie Fields | — | |
  1115. | 1862 | Amos Collins | Polly Couch | — | |
  1117. The later marriages (1847-1862) represent the generation that stayed in Clay County while Bradley's branch migrated to Missouri and Iowa.
  1119. ### The Reed family's colonial origins (Heinegg)
  1121. Paul Heinegg's *Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina* [S52] traces the Reed family from its 17th-century origin. The family entry appears in the Pettiford-Riley section.
  1123. **William Reed "Malatta" (b. c. 1673):** The Reed family's progenitor was **William Reed**, born about 1673, described as "a mixed-race child born to a white servant woman in the Charles City County household of Robert Jones." Jones bequeathed William a cow, a gun, and his freedom from indenture at age 21. Jones's executors refused, and William sued in Charles City County court; on September 3, 1694, the court ruled in his favor. He was a taxable in Surry County from 1699 to 1703, called **"Wm Read a Malatta"** in 1699.
  1125. This is the Reed family's equivalent of Thomas Collins "Molata" (1755). Both families trace their mixed-race origins to colonial Virginia, both through white servant women who bore children with men of African descent.
  1127. **The western North Carolina branch:** Heinegg lists our James Reed and Stephen Reed at the end of the entry under "Other members of the Reed family in North Carolina":
  1129. > "i. James, head of an Ashe County household of 6 'other free' in 1800 [NC:87]."
  1130. > "ii. Stephen, head of an Ashe County household of 6 'other free' in 1800 [NC:86]."
  1132. Heinegg knows they are Reeds and classifies them as "other free" (the census category for free people of color), but did not trace their specific parentage within the broader family. The gap between William Reed "Malatta" (1673) and Hugh Reed Sr. (d. before the end of 1786, Rowan County) spans roughly four generations. [Revised 2026-09-27: neither William nor Hugh is proven as an ancestor of James; see READ THIS FIRST.] The western NC Reeds (Rowan, Burke, Ashe counties) represent a branch that migrated inland from the Tidewater and Piedmont regions where the family originated.
  1134. **Other Heinegg Reed entries of note:**
  1135. - **Micajah Reed** (b. c. 1765): Son of Isaac Reed and grandson of Ann Reed. Head of a Gates County household of free colored persons from 1790 to 1820. The name **Micajah** also appears in the Collins records (Micajah Collins on the 1799 Russell County, VA tax list alongside Meredith), suggesting possible cross-family naming.
  1136. - **Elizabeth Reed** (b. c. 1713): Fined in Chowan County for having "Molatto bastards." Her descendants spread through North Carolina and South Carolina. NOT the Elizabeth Reed who married Hiram Collins (wrong century), but part of the broader family.
  1138. ### The full ancestral lineage: both lines converging on Mary Elizabeth Collins
  1140. Both the Collins and Reed families trace their mixed-race origins to colonial Virginia, both through relationships between white servant women and men of African descent. The families migrated westward along parallel routes, from Tidewater Virginia to the North Carolina Piedmont and Blue Ridge, ultimately converging in the New River / Ashe-Wilkes County community before relocating together to Clay County, Kentucky.
  1142. **Collins line:**
  1143. Thomas Collins "Molata" (c. 1700; 1755, Orange Co NC) → John Collins [or Samuel] → **Meredith Collins** (c. 1760) → **Jesse Collins** (c. 1804)
  1145. **Reed line:**
  1146. William Reed "Malatta" (1673, Charles City Co VA) [?] → ... → Hugh Reed Sr. (d. before the end of 1786, Rowan Co NC) [?] → **James Reed** (b. c. 1766-75; Ashe Co NC → Clay Co KY [→ Morgan Co IN?]; free colored 1800; d. c. 1841, Clay Co KY [or bef. 6 Jan 1845, Morgan Co IN]) → **Mary Reed** (c. 1804, "mulatto" 1850)
  1148. **The convergence:**
  1149. Jesse Collins married Mary Reed on December 13, 1827, in Clay County, Kentucky. Their daughter **Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Collins** (born 30 January 1827) carried the heritage of both lines. She married Eli Woodruff Bruner in 1850 in Appanoose County, Iowa, beginning the line that leads to the present.
  1151. **Complete direct lineage table:**
  1153. | Gen | Person | Born | Died | Key designation | Source |
  1154. |-----|--------|------|------|----------------|--------|
  1155. | — | William Reed "Malatta" [?] | c. 1673, Charles City Co, VA | — | "Malatta" (1699, Surry Co) | Heinegg [S52] |
  1156. | — | [~4 generations, western NC branch] | | | | |
  1157. | — | Hugh Reed Sr. [?] | — | Before the end of 1786, Rowan Co, NC | — | Attride database [S51] |
  1158. | — | Thomas Collins "Molata" | c. 1700 | c. 1770 | "Molata" (1755, Orange Co, NC) | Heinegg [S52] |
  1159. | — | John Collins [or Samuel] | John unknown; Samuel c. 1724 | — | — | Heinegg, secondary |
  1160. | 1 | **Meredith Collins** | c. 1760, VA | 1841, Pike Co, KY | FC/Slave (1820 census) | Census, tax, court, military |
  1161. | 1 | **James Reed** | c. 1766-75 | c. 1841, Clay Co, KY [or bef. 6 Jan 1845, Morgan Co, IN] | Free colored (1800); white (1810); free colored (1820); slave column (1830) | Heinegg, Attride, census [S51, S65]; Reed addendum [S66] |
  1162. | 1 | **Polly (Margaret?) Holloway** (Meredith's second wife) | c. 1780 | Before 1840, probably c. 1812 | Unknown | Conley; DAR 562294 |
  1163. | 1 | **"Mrs Reid"** (James's wife) [or Susannah, reading B] | c. 1770-80 | After 1841 [or after 1846, reading B] | White (1830) | 1830 census [S65]; estate division [S51]; Reed addendum [S66] |
  1164. | 2 | **Jesse Collins** | c. 1804, VA | 1847 | — | Marriage register [S45] |
  1165. | 2 | **Mary Reed** | 1804 | c. 1852 | **"Mulatto"** (1850 census) | Census [S48], marriage register [S45] |
  1166. | 3 | **Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Collins** | 30 Jan 1827, KY | May 19, 1887, Siloam Springs, AR | — | **Confirmed ancestor** |
  1168. ### The full lineage as now understood
  1170. | Generation | Person | Born | Married | Died | Evidence level |
  1171. |-----------|--------|------|---------|------|---------------|
  1172. | 1 | Thomas Collins ("Molata") | c. 1700 | — | — | Heinegg, tax lists |
  1173. | 2 | John Collins [or Samuel] | John unknown; Samuel c. 1724 | — | — | Heinegg, secondary |
  1174. | 3 | **Meredith Collins** | c. 1760, VA | Margaret "Polly" Holloway c. 1799 | 1841, Pike Co KY | Census, tax, court, military records |
  1175. | 4 | **Jesse Collins** | c. 1804, VA | **Mary Reed**, Dec 13, 1827, Clay Co KY | 1847 | **Marriage register (primary source)** |
  1176. | 4 | **Mary Reed** | 1804 | Jesse Collins, 1827 | After 1850 | **Marriage register; 1850 census (mulatto designation)** |
  1177. | 5 | **Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Collins** | 30 Jan 1827, KY | **Eli Woodruff Bruner**, 1850, Appanoose Co IA | May 19, 1887, Siloam Springs AR | **Confirmed ancestor** |
  1179. ---
  1181. ## 10. The confirmed descendant line: Mary Elizabeth Collins Bruner and her daughter Mariah Emma
  1183. This section works forward from the confirmed ancestor, documenting what primary sources reveal about the family that connects Meredith Collins's generation to the present.
  1185. ### 10.1 Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Collins Bruner (1827–1887)
  1187. Mary Elizabeth Collins, born January 30, 1827 in Kentucky, married **Eli Woodruff Bruner** in Appanoose County, Iowa, in 1850. She is the confirmed ancestor. Eli was born c. 1827 in Indiana and worked as a blacksmith. The couple had at least ten children. By 1860, they were in Summersett Township, Mercer County, Missouri, where Eli practiced his trade. They remained in Mercer County through at least July 1870. Mary Elizabeth died **May 19, 1887 in Siloam Springs, Benton County, Arkansas**.
  1189. The name "Polly" (a standard period nickname for both Margaret and Mary) is worth noting: since Meredith Collins's wife Margaret "Polly" Holloway was Mary Elizabeth's grandmother, the name may reflect a common Appalachian practice of naming grandchildren after grandparents.
  1191. ### 10.2 Mariah Emma Bruner: four surnames across six decades
  1193. Mariah Emma Bruner (FamilySearch KZ8Y-QQJ) was born **October 30, 1853 in Martin, Indiana** and died **December 4, 1933 in Wheatland, Yuba County, California**. She was buried in Wheatland Cemetery. Over her 80 years she carried four surnames: Bruner, Clifford, Davis, and Dunlap. Tracing her through records requires knowing which name she used at which time.
  1195. #### The Bruner years (1853–c. 1873)
  1197. **1860 census, Summersett Township, Mercer County, Missouri [S26]:** Family 814/814. Eli Bruner, 33, Blacksmith, $400 real estate, $200 personal. Mary, 33, born Kentucky. Children listed by initials, including **M.E.**, 6, F. The family had moved from Indiana through Illinois to Missouri. The birthplaces of the children trace the route: the older children born in Indiana, the middle children in Illinois, the youngest in Missouri.
  1199. **1870 census, Somersett Township, Mercer County, Missouri [S27]:** Family 3/3. Eli Bruner, 43, Blacksmith, $3500 real estate, $615 personal, born Indiana. Mary, 43, born Kentucky. Children now listed by name: Elizabeth (17), **Mary E** (16), Christopher (15), Olive M (13), Albert W (12, born Illinois), Eli A (10, born Missouri), James F (8, born Missouri), Georgia (7, born Missouri). Mariah Emma is "Mary E," age 16, born Indiana. She is still at home.
  1201. Between July 1870 and early 1873, she left her parents' household and married (Orlando was born 20 October 1873).
  1203. #### First marriage: John Marshall Clifford (c. 1873–1879)
  1205. Mariah Emma married **John Marshall Clifford** (FamilySearch LRX2-NHF), born c. 1844 in Missouri, died 1879 in Iowa. No marriage record has been found, but the marriage likely took place c. 1873.
  1207. **John Marshall Clifford's family [S38, S39]:** The 1850 census for Livingston County, Missouri (District No. 51, enumerated October 4, 1850) shows John as a child in his father's household:
  1209. | Name | Age | Sex | Occupation | Birthplace |
  1210. |------|-----|-----|-----------|------------|
  1211. | O.H. Clifford | 55 | M | Trader | Vermont |
  1212. | Delila | 38 | F | — | Ohio |
  1213. | Henry C | 15 | M | — | Indiana |
  1214. | Mortimer | 8 | M | — | Missouri |
  1215. | **John M.** | **6** | **M** | — | **Missouri** |
  1216. | Not named | 5/12 | M | — | Missouri |
  1218. John Marshall Clifford's father was **Orlando H. Clifford**, born c. 1795 in Vermont, working as a trader. His mother was **Delila**, born c. 1812 in Ohio.
  1220. By the 1860 census [S39], the family had moved to **Nebraska City, Otoe County, Nebraska**, where Orlando H. Clifford Sr. (now 48) was a **Hotel Keeper** with $1,000 real estate and $2,000 personal property. His wife is now listed as **Elizabeth Jr.** (37, born Missouri), suggesting he had remarried. John is listed as about 16 years old. This Nebraska residence explains why Eli Woodrie Clifford's death certificate [S28] gives the father's birthplace as "Nebraska": the informant likely associated the Clifford family with Nebraska (where they lived) rather than Missouri (where John was actually born).
  1222. **The naming pattern across both grandfathers:** Emma and John named their children after both families' patriarchs. Their first son **Orlando** was named after John's father, Orlando H. Clifford. Their second son **Eli Woodrie** was named after Emma's father, Eli Woodruff Bruner. One son for each grandfather, following classic 19th-century American naming convention.
  1224. **Three children, not two:** The couple had three children before John's death:
  1226. 1. **Orlando Hines (or Hinds) Clifford**, born 20 October 1873, in **Benton County, Arkansas**
  1227. 2. **Eli Woodrie Clifford**, born **March 25, 1875**, in **Des Moines, Iowa** [S28, S29]
  1228. 3. **Jessie Lorene Clifford**, born 6 May 1876, in **Arkansas**
  1230. The birthplaces reveal a surprising geographic pattern: the family was in Arkansas, then briefly moved to Iowa (where Eli was born), then returned to Arkansas (where Jessie was born). The 1880 census confirms these birthplaces through the parental-origin columns (see below).
  1232. John Marshall Clifford died in **1879 in Iowa** (per FamilySearch). Emma was left a widow at approximately age 25, with three young children.
  1234. #### The 1880 census: widowed in Colorado with three children
  1236. **1880 census, Town of Gothic, Gunnison County, Colorado [S30, S40]:** Enumerated June 28, 1880. The Clifford household spans a page break. On page 247, at the bottom:
  1238. | Name | Relationship | Age | Sex | Occupation | Birthplace | Father born | Mother born |
  1239. |------|-------------|-----|-----|-----------|------------|-------------|-------------|
  1240. | Emma Clifford | Mother | 26 | F | Housekeeper | Indiana | Kentucky | Kentucky |
  1241. | Orlando | Son | 6 | M | — | Arkansas | Mo. | Indiana |
  1242. | Eli | Son | 5 | M | — | Iowa | — | — |
  1244. On page 248, at the very top [S40]:
  1246. | Name | Relationship | Age | Sex | Birthplace | Father born | Mother born |
  1247. |------|-------------|-----|-----|-----------|-------------|-------------|
  1248. | **Jessie Clifford** | **Daughter** | **3** | **F** | **Arkansas** | **Mo.** | **Indiana** |
  1250. This resolves the earlier question of Jessie's whereabouts: she was with Emma all along, listed at the top of the next census page. The "Mo." for John Clifford's birthplace confirms he was born in Missouri, matching the 1850 census and resolving the discrepancy with the death certificate's "Nebraska."
  1252. Note: Emma's father's birthplace is listed as **Kentucky**. This is an error; Eli Woodruff Bruner was born in Indiana. Her mother's birthplace as Kentucky is correct (Mary Elizabeth Collins, born Kentucky). The enumerator may have recorded both parents as Kentucky by mistake.
  1254. **Why Gothic: Emma's brother was there.** Enumerated alongside them (page and line unsettled: notes give both "same page, line 11" and "page 248, line 11") is **Bruner, E.G.**, male, age 20, **Blacksmith**, born Missouri, father born Indiana, mother born Kentucky [S40]. The parent birthplaces match exactly: father Eli Woodruff Bruner (born Indiana), mother Mary Elizabeth Collins (born Kentucky). He is Emma's brother **Eli Hickman "Heck" Bruner**, born in Missouri in 1859 (the "Eli A," 10, of the 1870 Mercer County census). He had followed his father's trade as a blacksmith, and he was working it in a silver mining boomtown, where the demand for a smith (horseshoes, mining tools, equipment repair) would have been strong.
  1256. Emma did not move to a remote Colorado mining camp alone with three small children. She went where she had family. Her brother was already in Gothic, earning a living at the forge, and she joined him. At 26, newly widowed, with children ages 3, 5, and 6, she worked as a housekeeper in the camp while her brother worked the trade their father had taught him. Gothic in 1880 was at its peak, briefly reaching a population of about 1,000, overwhelmingly single men, prospectors, miners, and laborers from all over the country. A widow with children and a blacksmith brother would have been a small island of family in that transient world.
  1258. #### Second marriage: J.L. Davis (1881)
  1260. **Marriage license, Benton County, Arkansas, January 26, 1881 [S31]:** "J.L. Davis, aged 40 years, and Mariah M. Clifford, aged 27 years." The marriage was solemnized February 6, 1881 by Minister W.C. Dewitt. Recorded and filed March 10, 1881.
  1262. J.L. Davis is **John Lewis Davis**, born January 9, 1841, died November 21, 1914 (per FamilySearch). He was 13 years older than Emma.
  1264. A detail worth noting: on the same page of the Benton County marriage register, **J.A. Davis**, age 22, married **Laura B. Morton** on the same date (January 26, 1881). Given the shared surname and the same-day filing, J.A. Davis was very likely a son of J.L. Davis from a prior marriage. A father and his adult son marrying on the same day is unusual but not unheard of, and it suggests that J.L. Davis was himself a widower or divorcé.
  1266. The marriage probably represented stability as much as romance. Emma had been widowed for two years, working as a housekeeper in a mining camp with three children under seven. Davis, at 40, was an established older man. The Gothic boom was already fading by late 1880. Within months of leaving Colorado, Emma had married Davis and moved to Benton County, Arkansas. Whether they met in Colorado or Arkansas is unknown, but the speed of the transition (widowed in Colorado in mid-1880, married in Arkansas in early 1881) suggests this was a practical union, a young mother with three children finding a partner who could provide a more settled life. The marriage lasted roughly two decades before an apparent divorce, after which Emma married a man named Dunlap.
  1268. **A blended family from the start.** Per a FamilySearch contributor's account, J.L. Davis had previously been married to **Elizabeth Rock**, who was herself a widow with two children from a prior marriage. Davis adopted those children and gave them his surname: **Sigel Charles Davis** and **Pluma Davis**. When Elizabeth Rock Davis died, Davis became a widower raising two adopted children. So when Emma and Davis married in 1881, they merged two families: Emma's three Clifford children (Orlando 7, Eli 5, Jessie 4) and Davis's two adopted children. At least five children were in the household before Elizabeth Jane Davis was born to the couple in 1883, bringing the total to six. Both adults had come to the marriage carrying families from partners who had died. Each needed what the other could provide.
  1270. Within two years of the marriage, Emma and J.L. Davis were living in **Siloam Springs, Benton County, Arkansas**.
  1272. #### Daughter Elizabeth Jane Davis (1883)
  1274. **Elizabeth Jane Davis** was born **February 1, 1883 in Siloam Springs, Arkansas** [S32, S33]. She is the only documented child from the Davis marriage. Her NUMIDENT record confirms her parents as **John L Davis** (father) and **Mariah E Bruner** (mother, maiden name). Her death certificate [S33] gives the father as "Louis Davis" and the mother's maiden name as "Emma Brunner."
  1276. Elizabeth Jane later married a man named **Myers** and had a son, **Louis Myers**. She died **December 10, 1960 in Kirkland, King County, Washington**, age 77. Her son Louis Myers was the informant on her death certificate.
  1278. #### The convergence in Siloam Springs
  1280. By the early 1880s, Emma and her mother Mary Elizabeth Collins Bruner were both in **Siloam Springs, Benton County, Arkansas**. Emma married J.L. Davis there in 1881. Her daughter Elizabeth Jane was born there in 1883. Her mother Mary Elizabeth died there on **May 19, 1887**.
  1282. Eli Woodruff Bruner (the father) is not documented as being in Siloam Springs in the 1880s. He had died on 27 July 1879 at Colorado City, Colorado, of rheumatic fever (1880 mortality schedule, Benton Co, Arkansas), and was buried with Masonic honors in Evergreen Cemetery, Colorado Springs (Find a Grave 176564833).
  1284. The family's trajectory across the 1870s: Missouri (1870) → Colorado (Emma, 1880) → Arkansas (Emma, 1881 onward; Mary Elizabeth, by 1880). Mother and daughter reconnected in Benton County after what appears to have been a period of separation during Emma's Colorado years.
  1286. #### The Dunlap question
  1288. At some point, Emma acquired the surname **Dunlap**. Her Find a Grave entry [S34] lists her as "Emma Mariah Bruner Dunlap." A 1930 census record (referenced in FamilySearch as a "Similar Record") shows her as "Emma M Dunlap." She died and was buried under the Dunlap name.
  1290. The chronology is unclear. If J.L. Davis died November 21, 1914 (per FamilySearch), a Dunlap marriage after 1914 is straightforward. However, if the 1910 census entry in Kitsap County, Washington, truly shows her as "Emma Dunlap, 55, widowed," then she would have needed to divorce Davis, marry Dunlap, and become widowed from Dunlap, all before 1910 while Davis was still alive.
  1292. Possibilities:
  1293. - She divorced Davis and married a man named Dunlap, who died before 1910. Davis then died separately in 1914.
  1294. - The FamilySearch death date for J.L. Davis (1914) is wrong, and he died earlier, allowing a Dunlap marriage.
  1295. - The 1910 "Emma Dunlap" is a different person misattributed to her on FamilySearch.
  1297. No marriage record for a Dunlap marriage has been found.
  1299. #### Son Orlando Hines Clifford (1873-?)
  1301. Orlando ("Ora") was Emma and John's firstborn, named after John's father Orlando H. Clifford of Vermont. Born 20 October 1873 in Benton County, Arkansas. He married **Lela** [surname unknown] and had sons **Stanley Clifford** and **Clyde Clifford**, and a daughter **Lucille Clifford** (who married a man named Bailey). Orlando appears in a family photograph [S41] alongside his mother Emma, his siblings, and extended family.
  1303. #### Son Eli Woodrie Clifford (1875–1947)
  1305. Eli Woodrie Clifford, the second child, was named after his maternal grandfather Eli Woodruff Bruner. His Social Security (NUMIDENT) record [S29] gives his birth as March 25, 1875 in Des Moines, Iowa, naming his mother as Emma M Bryner and his father as John Clifford. His death certificate [S28] confirms the same facts and adds:
  1307. - Died: **May 31, 1947**, Bothell, Snohomish County, Washington
  1308. - Age: 72 years, 2 months, 6 days
  1309. - Occupation: Farming & Cattle Raising (Retired)
  1310. - Marital status: Widowed; wife **Gertrude** (deceased)
  1311. - Had lived in the Bothell community for 21 years (since c. 1926)
  1312. - Cremated at Washelli Crematory, June 4, 1947
  1313. - Informant: **Mrs. Arthur Bailey**, Rt 1, Bothell
  1315. The informant, Mrs. Arthur Bailey, is almost certainly his niece **Lucille Clifford Bailey** (Orlando's daughter), who appears in the family photograph [S41].
  1317. Eli appears in the family photograph alongside his wife **"Gertie Clifford"** (Gertrude). He ended up in the same region of Washington State as his half-sister Elizabeth Jane Myers (Kirkland) and his sister Jessie.
  1319. #### Daughter Jessie Lorene Clifford (1876-?)
  1321. Jessie Lorene Clifford, the youngest child, was born 6 May 1876 in Arkansas (the June 1880 census gives her age as 3 [S40]).
  1323. **Marriage to Captain Richard B. Holbrook Jr. [S44]:** On **September 28, 1900**, in Seattle, King County, Washington, **"Captain Richard B. Holbrook"** married **"Mrs. Jessie Clifford"** at the residence of clergyman John F. Dawson, 910 Fifth Avenue. Witnesses were William J. Hartley and Mrs. M.B. Frars. The title "Captain" in the Whidbey Island/Puget Sound context likely indicates a ship captain.
  1325. Richard Blackmer Holbrook Jr. was born c. 1873 on Whidbey Island, Washington Territory. The **1880 census for Whidbey & Camano Islands, Island County, Washington [S43]** shows his father's household:
  1327. | Name | Age | Sex | Occupation | Birthplace | Father born | Mother born |
  1328. |------|-----|-----|-----------|------------|-------------|-------------|
  1329. | R.B. Holbrook [Sr.] | 58 | M | Farmer | Massachusetts | Mass. | Mass. |
  1330. | Harriet | 44 | F | Keeping House | Maine | Me. | Me. |
  1331. | [Richard Jr.] | 7 | M | At School | Wash. Terr. | Mass. | Me. |
  1332. | Horace | 7 | M | At School | Wash. Terr. | Mass. | Me. |
  1333. | Molly F. | 9 | F | — | Wash. Terr. | Mass. | Me. |
  1335. Richard Jr. and Horace, both age 7, may have been twins. Harriet (born Maine) is marked in column 20 as "maimed, crippled, bedridden, or otherwise disabled," the nature of which is unknown. R.B. Holbrook Sr. was a Massachusetts-born farmer who was among the first settlers of Whidbey Island.
  1337. **Two sons:** By the 1910 census, Jessie and Richard Jr. had two sons: **Daniel Philip Holbrook** and **Richard Clifford Holbrook**. Jessie's mother, **Emma Dunlap**, was living with the family in Kitsap County, Washington [S36].
  1339. **Richard B. Holbrook Jr. died on 23 September 1923** at Bismarck, Burleigh County, North Dakota; the cause is not known. After Richard Jr.'s death, Jessie married **Thomas Absolom**. The family photograph [S41] lists her as "Jessie Absolom" with Thomas Absolom in the back row.
  1341. **Daniel Philip Holbrook** ("Phil") married **Alice Catherine Duffy** in San Francisco on April 13, 1929. He appears as "Phil Holbrook" in the family photograph. **Richard Clifford Holbrook** (the direct ancestor of this researcher) is absent from the photo, likely living independently in his late 20s by that time.
  1343. #### The family photograph (c. 1930–1932)
  1345. A group photograph [S41] captures three generations of Emma's family together. Based on Baby Dorothy Lee Clifford's infancy, Emma's age (late 70s, she died December 1933), and the clothing styles, the photo was most likely taken between **1930 and 1932**, probably no more than a year or two before Emma's death.
  1347. The photo is captioned with identifications:
  1349. **Back Row:** Lela & Orlando Clifford, Lou Myers, Thomas Absolom, Stanley Clifford, Clyde Clifford, Phil Holbrook, Eli Clifford.
  1351. **Middle Row:** Lizabeth Myers, Jessie Absolom, Dot Clifford, Baby Dorothy Lee Clifford, **Emma Dunlap**, Gertie Clifford.
  1353. **Front:** Gordon Myers, Lucille Clifford Bailey, Don Bailey, Unknown, Lou Myers.
  1355. **What the identifications reveal:**
  1357. The middle row is the women of the family, with Emma at the center. The arrangement tells the story: Lizabeth Myers (Emma's Davis daughter) and Jessie Absolom (Emma's Clifford daughter) flank the younger women, with the matriarch seated among them.
  1359. - **Emma Dunlap** is using the Dunlap surname, confirming the third marriage.
  1360. - All three of Emma's Clifford children are present: Orlando, Eli, and Jessie (as "Jessie Absolom," having remarried after the Holbrook marriage ended).
  1361. - Emma's Davis daughter **Lizabeth Myers** (Elizabeth Jane Davis Myers) is present with her family (Lou Myers, Gordon Myers).
  1362. - **Gertie Clifford** is Eli's wife Gertrude (named on his 1947 death certificate).
  1363. - **Lucille Clifford Bailey** is Orlando's daughter. She (or her mother-in-law) is almost certainly the "Mrs. Arthur Bailey" who served as informant on Eli's 1947 death certificate in Bothell.
  1364. - **Dot Clifford** is a nickname for Dorothy. She is the wife of either Stanley or Clyde Clifford (Orlando's adult sons, both in the back row). She married into the Clifford name. **Baby Dorothy Lee Clifford** is her daughter, named after her mother. Both carry the Clifford surname because Dot married a Clifford grandson.
  1365. - **Thomas Absolom** in the back row is Jessie's second husband, confirming her remarriage.
  1366. - **Phil Holbrook** is **Daniel Philip Holbrook**, Jessie's son from her Holbrook marriage (Phil being short for Philip). His presence at this Clifford/Bruner family gathering without his father confirms Richard Holbrook Jr. had died (1923) before the photo was taken.
  1368. **Who is absent:** Richard Blackmer Holbrook Jr. is not in the photo, consistent with his death in 1923. **Richard Clifford Holbrook** (Jessie's other son, a confirmed direct ancestor of this researcher) is also absent. By c. 1930, Richard C. would have been in his late 20s, likely living independently, possibly married and establishing his own household elsewhere.
  1370. ### 10.3 The family's westward arc
  1372. The documents trace a remarkable geographic trajectory across four generations:
  1374. | Generation | Route |
  1375. |-----------|-------|
  1376. | Meredith Collins (c. 1760–1841) | Virginia → Kentucky |
  1377. | Mary Elizabeth Collins Bruner (1827–1887) | Kentucky → Indiana → Iowa → Missouri → Arkansas |
  1378. | Mariah Emma Bruner (1853–1933) | Indiana → Missouri → Iowa → Colorado → Arkansas → Washington → California |
  1379. | Children of Emma | Iowa (Eli) → Washington (Eli, Jessie, Elizabeth Jane) → California (Emma's final years) |
  1381. The family moved steadily westward over 150 years, from the Appalachian frontier to the Pacific coast. The Washington State concentration of Emma's children (Eli in Bothell, Jessie in Kitsap and later Grays Harbor County, Elizabeth Jane in Kirkland) suggests the Holbrook connection (through Jessie's marriage to a son of Whidbey Island pioneers) may have drawn the extended family to the Pacific Northwest.
  1383. ### 10.4 The Washington convergence: two branches reunited
  1385. A striking pattern emerges when tracing both sides of Jesse and Mary Reed Collins's scattered family. Two branches, separated by the 1852 dispersal, independently converge on **Washington State** decades later:
  1387. **Mary Elizabeth's branch (through daughter Mariah Emma Bruner):**
  1388. - Jessie Clifford Holbrook → Kitsap County, WA
  1389. - Eli Woodrie Clifford → Bothell, Snohomish County, WA (died 1947)
  1390. - Elizabeth Jane Davis Myers → Kirkland, King County, WA (died 1960)
  1391. - Orlando Clifford → Washington area
  1392. - Emma Dunlap → Washington before moving to California
  1394. **Lloyd Collins's branch:**
  1395. - **Joseph Sia Collins** (Lloyd's son, b. 1875, Vernon County, MO) → **Yakima, WA** (died 1970, age 95)
  1397. Lloyd Collins (Mary Elizabeth's brother) married **Mary Lambert** in Kansas after the family dispersed. They settled in Vernon County, Missouri by 1880 with children Clary (b. c. 1866, Kansas), William (b. c. 1869, Missouri), and Joseph (b. c. 1875, Missouri). Joseph Sia Collins lived to 95, dying in 1970 in Yakima, Washington, well into the modern era.
  1399. Mary Elizabeth and Lloyd were siblings, though no census records them in the same household (she was probably placed out by 1840 and married in 1850). They were separated by their parents' deaths (Jesse c. 1847, Mary Reed c. 1852) and went in different directions: Mary Elizabeth to Indiana with Eli Bruner, Lloyd eventually to Kansas and Missouri. Yet their descendants independently made their way to Washington State. Whether this reflects ongoing family contact across the decades or a parallel draw to the Pacific Northwest is an open question. Joseph Sia Collins's long life (1875-1970) means he could have known his Collins-Holbrook cousins in Washington, and his descendants may still preserve family stories from the Lloyd Collins branch.
  1401. ---
  1403. ## 11. What to look for next
  1405. These are specific to the Meredith Collins line and confirmed descendants.
  1407. ### Meredith Collins (upstream)
  1409. 1. **~~1820 census, full-resolution image~~** RESOLVED 13 Sept 2026 (Section 9.8): Floyd County, both households in the free colored and slave columns. FamilySearch image link: `https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYBQ-9JGT` (image 49 of 200). (Indexed as Franklin; the county is Floyd.)
  1411. 2. **Meredith Collins's death or estate, Pike County, c. 1841.** Any will, inventory, or administration that names heirs.
  1413. 3. **Griffin Collins Sr.: confirm the sibling relationship.** Griffin is now understood as Meredith's brother or cousin, not his son (both b. c. 1760s–1770s). Confirming Samuel as Griffin's father would not settle Meredith's father, which is still open between John and Samuel (Lewis is recorded as John's son). Search for any record naming Griffin's parents. The FamilySearch profile for Griffin Collins Sr. (father: Samuel Collins) should be cross-checked against primary sources. Griffin Collins Jr. (b. 1796, m. Matilda Mackey) is a separate individual.
  1415. 4. **George and Martin Collins: establish parentage.** Search Pike County court, tax, and deed records for George Collins and Martin Collins after 1830. Their later movements could help confirm whether they were Meredith's sons and whether any of their children ended up near Mary Elizabeth.
  1417. 5. **Milly Johnson: who was she?** Search Pike County records for Milly or Amelia Johnson. Her identity and family could shed light on the racial and social context of Meredith's later years.
  1419. 6. **James Collins in Pike County after 1830.** James was Jesse's brother, not the same man; Mary Elizabeth's father was Jesse, in Morgan County, Indiana in 1830. Trace James separately.
  1421. 7. **"Meredith Collins," Wilkes County NC Heritage vol. I (1982), p. 161, John D. Young.** This published source may name Bradley's children by his first wife and possibly list other sons of Meredith.
  1423. ### Mariah Emma Bruner and descendants (downstream)
  1425. 8. **~~1880 census, Gunnison County, Colorado~~** RESOLVED. Jessie Lorene Clifford (age 3, born Arkansas) appears at the top of the next page. Orlando (6, born Arkansas) and Eli (5, born Iowa) appear with Emma on the preceding page. All three children were with Emma. John Clifford's birthplace confirmed as Missouri.
  1427. 9. **John Clifford marriage record.** Search Arkansas and Iowa marriage records for a Clifford-Bruner marriage, c. 1872-1873. The family was in Benton County, Arkansas when Orlando was born (20 Oct 1873), then Iowa for Eli's birth (March 1875), then back to Arkansas for Jessie (6 May 1876). The marriage may have taken place in Arkansas.
  1429. 10. **~~John Marshall Clifford birthplace discrepancy~~** RESOLVED. Born Missouri (confirmed by 1850 Livingston County census). The "Nebraska" on Eli's death certificate reflects the family's later residence in Nebraska City, not John's birthplace.
  1431. 11. **~~Eli Woodruff Bruner's death~~** RESOLVED. He died 27 July 1879 at Colorado City, Colorado (1880 mortality schedule, Benton Co, Arkansas; *Colorado Springs Gazette*, 29 July 1879), and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Colorado Springs.
  1433. 12. **The Dunlap marriage.** Search Washington State marriage records for an Emma Davis or Emma Clifford marrying someone named Dunlap, c. 1900–1920. Also check whether J.L. Davis's actual death date is 1914 or earlier, which would simplify the chronology.
  1435. 13. **Jessie's marriages.** Jessie married Richard Blackmer Holbrook Jr. on 28 September 1900 in Seattle [S44] and, after his death at Bismarck, North Dakota, on 23 September 1923, Thomas Absolom. Search for the Absolom marriage and for the cause of Richard Jr.'s death.
  1437. 14. **1900 census for Emma.** The 1900 census is missing from the documents. Search under all four surnames (Bruner, Clifford, Davis, Dunlap) and in Arkansas, Iowa, Washington, and adjacent states.
  1439. 15. **Orlando H. Clifford Sr.'s death.** The user notes that Orlando Sr. (John Marshall's father) had died about two years before Orlando Jr. was born, which would place his death c. 1871 (Orlando Jr. was born 20 October 1873). Search Nebraska death or probate records for Orlando H. Clifford.
  1441. ---
  1443. ## 12. Source index
  1445. | ID | Description | Repository / Citation |
  1446. |----|------------|----------------------|
  1447. | S1 | Compiled secondary sources on Meredith Collins: Eula Conley list of Meredith's children (via Harold Talbot/Vernice Trimble); Blackburn/Dillon, "One More Mountain to Cross"; Dillon, "Families"; John D. Young, "Meredith Collins," Wilkes County NC Heritage vol. I (1982), p. 161 | Various compiled genealogies |
  1448. | S2 | Heinegg, *Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina*, Collins entry | Online at freeafricanamericans.com |
  1449. | S3 | 1799 Upper District Russell County, Virginia tax list | Image in project files: `Merideth_Collins_on_the_1799_Upper_District_Russell_county_tax_list.jpeg` |
  1450. | S4 | 1810 U.S. Census, indexed as Harrison Co KY (likely Floyd Co) | FamilySearch image group 005157063, image 112 of 409. Image in project files: `Meredith-Collins-1810-census.pdf` |
  1451. | S5 | Floyd County, KY deed: Richard Damron to Meriday Collins, 18 May 1816, 50 acres on Shelby Creek | FamilySearch image group 007902338. Typed transcript in project files: `Meriday-Collins-Land-Deed-Info-Floyd-1816.jpg` |
  1452. | S6 | Floyd County, KY deed book: Morgan heirs to Meredith Collins and Morgan heirs to Booker Mullins, 29 Jan 1818 | FamilySearch image group 007902338, image 508 of 1033. In project files: `Meredith-Collins-Floyd-Deeds-1810-1825.pdf` |
  1453. | S7 | Pike County Court order, February Term 1826: road survey petition by Meredith Collins | FamilySearch image group 008151287, image 83 of 670. In project files: `Meredith-Collins-Pike-Court-1822-1842.pdf` |
  1454. | S8 | Pike County, KY deed book A: Marridah Collins to Harrison Newsom, 14 Sep 1827, recorded 1 May 1828 | FamilySearch image group 008151289, image 198 of 727. In project files: `Meredith-Collins-Pike-Deeds-1820-1845.pdf` |
  1455. | S9 | Pike County Court order, January Term 1829: Meredy Collins exempted from county tax | Image in project files: `Meriday_Collins_now_exempt_from_County_Tax-Pike-Jan-1829.jpg` |
  1456. | S10 | Pike County Court order, March Term 1829: binding-out subpoena naming George Collins & Patsy Kirk, Martin Collins & Mary Collins, Meredy Collins & Milly Johnson | Image in project files: `Meredy_Collins_and_Milly_Johnson_mentioned_in_court_orders-_To_appear_at_next_term_May_1828_to_show_cause_if_any_they_can_why_their_children_sould_not_be_bound_out.jpg` (note: filename says May 1828, document is March Term 1829) |
  1457. | S11 | Pike County Court, June Term 1829: Commonwealth v. Meredy Collins, child of Milly Johnson bound out | Image in project files: `Meredith-Collins-PikeTax-1829-2.jpg` (this file contains the court record, not a tax record) |
  1458. | S12 | 1830 U.S. Census, Pike County, KY, page 366, division of John Burns | FamilySearch image group 005155888, image 726 of 758. In project files: `Meriday-Collins-Kentucky-Census-1830.pdf` |
  1459. | S13 | Pike County, KY tax list, c. 1831 | Image in project files: `Meredith-Collins-Pike-Tax-1831.jpg` |
  1460. | S14 | NARA General Index Card, War of 1812: Collins, Meredith, 2nd Reg't Mounted Gunmen (Williamson's), Tennessee Volunteers, Private. A namesake, not our Meredith (then about 52 and in Floyd Co KY); do not use. | FamilySearch image group 004867457, image 2552 of 2942. In project files: `Meredith-Collins-1812-military-record.pdf` |
  1461. | S15 | Grainger County, TN Court Records: Deposition of Martha Collins in application for widow's pension, Griffin Collins, War of 1812 service, filed 1857 | FamilySearch image group 008523867, image 661 of 3153. In project files: `Griffin-Collins-Court-1857-Grainger__Court_Records_1796_1915_Deposition_of_Martha_Collins_in_application_for_widows_pension_Griffin_Collins_War_of_1812_service.pdf` |
  1462. | S16 | 1820 U.S. Census, indexed as Franklin Co KY (likely Floyd or Pike Co) | FamilySearch image group 005156977, image 49 of 200. In project files: `Meredith-Collins-1820-census.pdf` |
  1463. | S17 | Kershaw County, SC court records: Will of Elizabeth Collins, 1796 | FamilySearch image group 004754180, image 447 of 551. In project files: `Collins-Will-1796-Elizabeth.pdf` |
  1464. | S18 | Pike County, KY tax list, c. 1823–1825 | Images in project files: `Meredith-Collins-Pike-Tax.jpg`, `Meredith-Collins-PikeTax_Records_1823_1874.jpg` |
  1465. | S19 | Pike County, KY tax list, 1829 | Image in project files: `Meredith-Collins-PikeTax-1829.jpg` |
  1466. | S20 | Pike County, KY tax list, second page, c. 1823–1874 | Image in project files: `Meredith-Collins-PikeTax-1823-1874-p2.jpg` |
  1467. | S21 | 1795 Wilkes County, NC tax list: Collins Griffin (1 poll, 50 acres), Collins David (1 poll, 100 acres), Collins Valentine (1 poll) | Image in project files: `Griffin-Collins-Wilkes-Tax-1795.jpg` |
  1468. | S22 | 1830 U.S. Census, Grainger County, TN, page 325: "Griffin Collins Senr" | In project files: `Griffin-Collins-Census-Ten-1830.pdf` |
  1469. | S23 | 1840 U.S. Census, Grainger County, TN: Griffin Collins | In project files: `Griffin-Collins-Census-1840.pdf` |
  1470. | S24 | 1850 U.S. Census, Russell County, VA, 5th District, page 323: Griffin Collins (77, NC), Massie (77, NC), Nancy Robinson (50, NC), Betsy Collins (33, NC); adjacent: Rial Collins (38, TN), Alexander Collins (34, TN) | In project files: `Griffin-Collins-Census-1850.pdf` |
  1471. | S25 | 1860 U.S. Census, Wise County, VA, page 66: Martha Collins (90, Pauper), Nancy (55, NC), Elizabeth (40); adjacent: Riley Collins (38) | In project files: `Martha-Massie-Rose-Collins-Census-1860.pdf` |
  1472. | S26 | 1860 U.S. Census, Summersett Township, Mercer County, Missouri, page 112: Family 814/814, Eli Bruner (33, Blacksmith), Mary (33, KY), M.E. (6, F) and siblings | In project files: `Mariah-Emma-Bruner-Census-1860.pdf` |
  1473. | S27 | 1870 U.S. Census, Somersett Township, Mercer County, Missouri, page 195: Family 3/3, Bruner Eli (43, Blacksmith), Mary (43, KY), Mary E (16, IN) and siblings | In project files: `Mariah-Emma-Bruner-Census-1870.pdf` |
  1474. | S28 | Washington State Certificate of Death: Eli W. Clifford, died May 31, 1947, Bothell, Snohomish Co, WA. Father: John Clifford (Nebraska). Mother: Emma Bruner (Missouri). State File No. 223. | In project files: `Eli-Clifford-Bruner-Death-1947.jpg` |
  1475. | S29 | NUMIDENT (Social Security) record: Eli Woodrie Clifford, born March 25, 1875, Des Moines, Iowa. Mother: Emma M Bryner. Father: John Clifford. Application May 1937. | FamilySearch ark:/61903/1:1:6KWY-3H61. Screenshot in project files: `Eli-Woodrie-Clifford.png` |
  1476. | S30 | 1880 U.S. Census, Compton Rock Creek, Gunnison County, Colorado, page 156: Emma Clifford, widowed, Housekeeper, born Indiana, parents born Kentucky [2026-09-23: same household as S40; the book cites Gothic, 28 June 1880, pp. 247-248. "Compton Rock Creek, page 156" is probably the index's district name and a stamped page number; confirm from the image.] | In project files: `Mariah-Emma-Bruner-Census-1880.pdf` |
  1477. | S31 | Benton County, Arkansas marriage license: J.L. Davis (40) and Mariah M. Clifford (27), issued January 26, 1881, solemnized February 6, 1881, by W.C. Dewitt, Minister | In project files: `Mariah-Emma-Bruner-Marriage-JLDavis-1881.pdf` |
  1478. | S32 | NUMIDENT (Social Security) record: Elizabeth Jane Myers (née Davis), born February 1, 1883, Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Father: John L Davis. Mother: Mariah E Bruner. | FamilySearch ark:/61903/1:1:6KWB-WYM5. Screenshot in project files: `Mariah-Emma-Bruner-Davis-Daughter.png` |
  1479. | S33 | Washington State Certificate of Death: Elizabeth Jane Myers, died December 10, 1960, Kirkland, King Co, WA. Father: Louis Davis. Mother: Emma Brunner (maiden). Age 77. Born Arkansas. Informant: Son, Louis Myers. | In project files: `Emma-Bruner-Elizabeth-Jane-Myers-Death-1960.jpg` |
  1480. | S34 | Find a Grave Index: Emma Mariah Bruner Dunlap, born October 30, 1853, died December 4, 1933. Burial: Wheatland Cemetery, Wheatland, Yuba, California. | FamilySearch ark:/61903/1:1:QVKV-N7GS. Screenshot in project files: `Emma-Mariah-Bruner-Dunlap-grave.png` |
  1481. | S35 | FamilySearch Washington Deaths and Burials record: Emma Bruner. Husband: John Clifford (Nebraska). Son: Eli W. Clifford (72, Iowa, d. 1947 Bothell WA). | FamilySearch ark:/61903/1:1:HVF9-Y7PZ. Screenshot in project files: `Emma-Bruner-grave.png` |
  1482. | S36 | 1910 U.S. Census, Kitsap County, Washington, 3rd Precinct: Holbrook and Dunlap household entries | In project files: `Mariah-Emma-Dunlap-Bruner-Census-1910.pdf` |
  1483. | S37 | 1920 U.S. Census, Grays Harbor County, Washington: Holbrook household entries | In project files: `Mariah-Emma-Dunlap-Bruner-Census-1920.pdf` |
  1484. | S38 | 1850 U.S. Census, Livingston County, Missouri, District No. 51, page [unnumbered]: Family 554/554, O.H. Clifford (55, Trader, Vermont), wife Delila (38, Ohio), children including John M. (6, Missouri) | In project files: `John-Marshall-Clifford-Census-1850.pdf` |
  1485. | S39 | 1860 U.S. Census, Nebraska City, Otoe County, Nebraska, page 44: Family 331/285, Orlando H. Clifford (48, Hotel Keeper, Vermont), wife Elizabeth Jr. (37, Missouri), children including John (15/16) | In project files: `John-Marshall-Clifford-Census-1860.pdf` |
  1486. | S40 | 1880 U.S. Census, Town of Gothic, Gunnison County, Colorado, pages 247–248: Jessie Clifford (3, F, born Arkansas, father born Mo., mother born Indiana) at top of page 248, continuing the Emma Clifford household from page 247 | In project files: `Jessie-Clifford-Census-1880_prevpage_shows_mother_emma_and_two_brothers_Orlando_and_Eli.pdf` |
  1487. | S41 | Family photograph (c. 1920s–1930s) of Orlando H. Clifford family gathering: identifies Emma Dunlap, Orlando & Lela Clifford, Eli & Gertie Clifford, Jessie Absolom, Thomas Absolom, Phil Holbrook, Lizabeth Myers, Lou Myers, Gordon Myers, Stanley Clifford, Clyde Clifford, Lucille Clifford Bailey, Dorothy Lee Clifford | In project files: `Orlando-H-Clifford-and-Emma-Clifford-Dunlap-FamilyPhoto-with-Holbrook.jpeg` |
  1488. | S42 | Photograph of "Ora" (Orlando Hines Clifford) with wife Lela Clifford | In project files: `Ora-Lela-Clifford.jpeg` |
  1489. | S43 | 1880 U.S. Census, Whidbey & Camano Islands, Island County, Washington Territory, page 6: Family 73/76, R.B. Holbrook (58, Farmer, Massachusetts), Harriet (44, Maine, disabled), children including Richard Jr. (7), Horace (7), Molly F. (9) | Uploaded file: `Jr-Richard-B-Holbrook-census-1880.pdf` |
  1490. | S44 | Marriage Certificate No. 4885, King County, Washington: Captain Richard B. Holbrook and Mrs. Jessie Clifford, married September 28, 1900, Seattle, by John F. Dawson, clergyman. Witnesses: William J. Hartley, Mrs. M.B. Frars. Filed October 31, 1900. | Uploaded file: `Jr-Richard-B-Holbrook-Marriage-Clifford-1900.pdf` |
  1491. | S45 | Clay County, Kentucky, General Index to Marriages, page 24: Jesse Collins and Mary Reed, December 13, 1827; Hiram Collins and Elizabeth Reed, 1828-1829; Bradley Collins and Catherine Barney, July 1831; Bradley Collins and Betsy Griffin, February 1833; Bradley Collins and Elizabeth Lunsford, September 1836; Andrew Collins and Betsy Ann Sizemore, March 1838; James Collins and Martha Ann Cotton, July 1839 | Uploaded file: `Collins-Clay-Kentucky-Vitals-Record-Marriages-page24-1821-1860.pdf` |
  1492. | S46 | Clay County, Kentucky, General Index to Marriages, page 25: Additional Collins marriages including Solomon Collins and Mary Hollingsworth (1844), Boyd Collins and Holly Lunsford (1850), and others | Uploaded file: `Collins-Clay-Kentucky-Vitals-Record-Marriages-page25-1821-1860_pdf.pdf` |
  1493. | S47 | Iowa Certificate of Death: Nancy Williams (née Collins), died September 27, 1909, Appanoose County. Age 85 (b. c. 1822). Father: Bradley Collins. Mother: Sarah Reid. Informant: J.H. Williams, Ocean, Iowa. Cause: obstruction of the bowels. Buried Davis County, September 29, 1909. | Uploaded file: `Bradley-Collins-Sarah-Reid-Daughter-Nancy-Williams-Death-Cert-1909.pdf` |
  1494. | S48 | 1850 U.S. Census, Wells Township, Appanoose County, Iowa, page 37: Family 29/29, Mary Collings (46, F, Mulatto), children Matilda (20), Reuben (16), Lloyd/Loya (14), Calaska (12), Spencer (10), all listed as Mulatto | Uploaded file: `Mary-Reid-Collins-Appanoose-Census-1850.pdf` |
  1495. | S49 | 1820 U.S. Census, Floyd County, Kentucky: Bradley Collins and Meredith Collins on consecutive lines. Right-side entries verified 13 Sept 2026 (Section 9.8): free colored and slave columns. | Uploaded file: `Bradley-Meredith-Collins-Floyd-Kentucky-census-1820.pdf` and screenshot: `Screenshot_2026-09-13_at_6_00_03_PM.png` |
  1496. | S50 | 1840 U.S. Census, Chariton County, Missouri, p. 309, sheet 4: Bradley Collins household ("Chariton County" in the left margin; indexed elsewhere as Callaway County) | Uploaded file: `Bradley-Collins-MO-Census-1840.pdf` |
  1497. | S51 | David Attride Genealogy Database (Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center): James Reed, b. abt 1765, d. abt 1841, Clay Co KY. Father: Hugh Reed Sr. (d. before Dec 1786, Rowan/Burke Co NC). 1800 Ashe Co NC census: "free black." [The census column is "other free," that is, free colored.] 1820 Clay Co KY census: "free colored male 45+." 1841 estate divided among "Mrs Reid," Samuel Reid, William Reid. [Revised 2026-09-27: a compilation whose underlying records have not been seen here. Its birth year is at the edge of the census range (c. 1766-75); Hugh as father and the Rowan records are unproven; the 1841 estate supports reading (A) only. See S66.] | Online: genealogycenter.info/attride, person ID I81697 |
  1498. | S52 | Paul Heinegg, *Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina from the Colonial Period to About 1820* (6th edition). Reed family entry (Pettiford-Riley section): traces family from William Reed "Malatta" (b. c. 1673, Charles City Co VA) through multiple generations. Collins family entry (Church-Cotanch section): traces family from Thomas Collins "Molata" (1755, Orange Co NC). James Reed and Stephen Reed listed under "Other members of the Reed family in North Carolina" as Ashe County heads of household, 1800. | Online: freeafricanamericans.com |
  1499. | S53 | Mary B. Kegley, comp., *Militia of Montgomery County, Virginia, 1777-1790* (Dublin, Va., 1975). pp. 23-24: "A List of Capt. James McDaniell Company," undated, with "Mendaby Collens" (Meredith) and "Lewies Collens" on consecutive lines, David and George Collens, and Benjamin, Charles, and John Sexton; no Riddles, no William Bowlin, and no Elisha, Samuel, or John Collins. p. 50: Kegley's introduction to the 1777-1779 oath lists, with James McCorkle's note of those who refused, including "Elisha Collins, Coxes Compy." p. 51: McCorkle's list of men who swore the oath of allegiance, 30 Sept to 5 Dec 1777; under "Capt. Coxs Compy." are "Jno. Collens," "Samuel Collens," "Jno. (his mark) Riddle," "William Ridel," and James McDaniell. p. 52: James McGavock's oath list (no Collinses or Riddles). Index: the only Riddles are John and William, p. 51 | FamilySearch Digital Library, book 1033071 (images 34-35, 61-63, 88); user screenshots, 23 Sept 2026 |
  1500. | S54 | Mary B. Kegley, *Early Adventurers on the Western Waters*, vol. 2, *The New River of Virginia in Pioneer Days, 1745-1800* (1982; reprinted 2003), p. 218: Montgomery County court martial of 23 April 1783 at Patrick Campbell's house, with Meredith Collins among the men of Capt. James McDaniel's company "under similar orders" | Published book |
  1501. | S55 | Lewis Collins, Revolutionary War pension application S21142 (Grainger Co TN, August 1834, aged 80): living in South Carolina in 1776 and drafted there; later at "my father's house in Montgomery County," Virginia; at Eutaw Springs, September 1781 | Southern Campaigns Revolutionary War Pension Statements (revwarapps.org), transcribed by Will Graves |
  1502. | S56 | 1840 U.S. Census, Iowa Territory: "Tifford" Reed, headed "Van Buren, Iowa Territory," p. 282, with Benjamin Reed two pages away (FamilySearch indexes them under other counties) | NARA microfilm M704, roll 102 |
  1503. | S57 | 1856 Iowa State Census, Appanoose County: Tilford Reed's son Harman, about 20, born Iowa (so Tilford was in Iowa by c. 1836, whatever the 14 years' residence he gave); Benjamin Reed, 18 years' residence; Wells Township: Spencer Collins (14, mulatto) in the Hendon household | Cited in *Molata* (S64) |
  1504. | S58 | 1880 U.S. Census mortality schedule, Benton County, Arkansas: Eli Bruner, rheumatic fever. *Colorado Springs Gazette*, 29 July 1879: "The body of Eli Bruner, who died at Colorado City on the 27th inst., was buried yesterday with Masonic honors." Burial: Evergreen Cemetery, Colorado Springs, Potters Field | Find a Grave memorial 176564833 (findagrave.com) |
  1505. | S59 | Muster card of Spencer Collins, Private, Co. H, 46th Missouri Infantry: enlisted at Springfield 17 Aug 1864, mustered in 9 Sept 1864, "Killed in action Nov. 3, '64, at Vera Cruz Mo."; age given as 44, a slip for 24. Grave at Parsons Cemetery, Ozark County, Missouri | Muster card reproduced in *Molata* (S64); grave on Find a Grave (findagrave.com) |
  1506. | S60 | James Read's note to the Clay County clerk, Abner Baker, 25 Nov 1827: "Mr Abner Baker Sir ples to grant Jesse Collens lisens to marrey Mary Red and oblige them," witnessed by Stephen Read and Hiram Collins | Clay County, Kentucky, unindexed loose marriage papers, filed behind the archivist's card "Smeared Ink" |
  1507. | S61 | Roberta J. Estes, Jack H. Goins, Penny Ferguson, and Janet Lewis Crain, "Melungeons, A Multi-Ethnic Population," *Journal of Genetic Genealogy* 7, no. 1 (Fall 2011, published April 2012): of the paternal lines assigned, 12 European, 8 African, and 1 Native American (a Sizemore line, Q1a3a); every maternal line European; Vardy Collins's Y line R1a1 (Table 11); the 1813 Stony Creek minute (Table 1) | *Journal of Genetic Genealogy* (online) |
  1508. | S62 | Eula Collins Conley, DAR application, National No. 562294 (1971): dates Meredith's marriage to Polly Holloway (c. 1799) and gives William's birth in Russell County, VA; twenty-five supporting documents, not yet seen | DAR Genealogical Research System (services.dar.org), free lineage preview; DAR Online Library listing |
  1509. | S63 | 1830 U.S. Census, Morgan County, Indiana: Jesse Collins household, matching Jesse and Mary's family (their daughter Matilda was born in Morgan County in May 1830) | Cited in *Molata* (S64), ch. 7 |
  1510. | S64 | *Molata: Tracing the Collins and Reed Lines from Colonial Virginia to the Pacific Northwest*, 1st ed., v1.3 rewrite (September 2026), with its line-by-line source audit | Manuscript file `Molata-1st-Ed-v1.3-rewrite-op5.5.md` |
  1511. | S65 | 1830 U.S. Census, Clay County, Kentucky, p. 172: Abraham, Hiram and Bradley Collins and James Reid, the first four heads on the page. James Reid's row: a white female 50-60; in the slave columns, four males 10-24 and one male 55-100; a free colored male 24-36; total 7. Re-read from the full-resolution image on 26 September 2026 | FamilySearch image group 005155883, images 346-347 (catalogued as Estill): https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YY1-9YC8 and https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYY1-912F |
  1512. | S66 | Reed Family Investigation Addendum (26-27 September 2026): James Reed's records in order; the two readings of where he died; the Morgan County, Indiana, will (signed 19 July 1836, recorded 6 January 1845, Deed Book J, p. 522) and land records; his wife Susannah; his probable and possible children; and where the records not yet online are held | Project file `claude/Reed_Family_Investigation_Addendum.md` |
  1513. | S67 | 1840 U.S. Census, Morgan County, Indiana: James Reed, head of a free colored household of seven (image 34); Hiram Collins, free colored, on the page after (image 36) | Ancestry collection 8057, images 34 (4410758_00266) and 36 of 116 |
  1515. ---
  1517. ## Change log
  1519. - 2026-09-12: Created. Initial compilation from all Meredith Collins documents in the project files.
  1520. - 2026-09-12: Added Griffin Collins Sr. section with six primary sources (1795–1860). Revised from "probable son" to "probable brother" of Meredith based on 1795 Wilkes County tax list placing Griffin (b. c. 1773) alongside David and Valentine Collins as a peer, not a dependent. Confirmed Martha Rose as Griffin's wife, not Meredith's. Added sources S21–S25.
  1521. - 2026-09-13: Added Section 10 covering Mary Elizabeth Collins Bruner and her daughter Mariah Emma Bruner (Clifford/Davis/Dunlap), compiled from 12 primary documents. Traces four surnames across six decades, establishes the Clifford marriage through Eli Woodrie Clifford's death certificate and NUMIDENT record, confirms the Davis marriage and daughter Elizabeth Jane Davis, and identifies the Dunlap surname question. Updated research priorities and added sources S26–S37.
  1522. - 2026-09-13: Major revision to the Clifford section. Established John Marshall Clifford's parentage (O.H. Clifford of Vermont and Delila of Ohio) from 1850/1860 censuses. Confirmed three children (Orlando, Eli, Jessie), not two. Resolved the birthplace discrepancy (Missouri, not Nebraska). Documented the dual naming pattern (Orlando for paternal grandfather, Eli for maternal grandfather). Confirmed Jessie on the 1880 census (age 3, top of next page). Added the family photograph identifying all three Clifford children, Jessie's second marriage to Thomas Absolom, and the Lucille Clifford Bailey connection to Eli's death certificate informant. Added sources S38–S42.
  1523. - 2026-09-13: Discovered E.G. Bruner (Emma's brother, age 20, Blacksmith) on the same 1880 Gothic census page, explaining why Emma moved to a Colorado mining town: she went where her brother was working. Added narrative context for the Gothic period and the Davis marriage. Expanded family photo analysis with Dot Clifford identification, photo dating (c. 1930–1932), and Richard C. Holbrook absence discussion. [Superseded 2026-09-23: E. G. Bruner is enumerated alongside Emma, but the page and line are unsettled; he is her brother Heck (Eli Hickman).]
  1524. - 2026-09-13: Added J.L. Davis blended family details (Elizabeth Rock, Sigel Charles Davis, Pluma Davis) from FamilySearch contributor. Added Holbrook Sr. 1880 census from Whidbey Island showing pioneer family. Added Holbrook-Clifford marriage certificate (September 28, 1900, Seattle). Confirmed Richard B. Holbrook Jr. died 1923. Confirmed Phil Holbrook = Daniel Philip Holbrook. Confirmed two sons: Daniel Philip and Richard Clifford Holbrook (direct ancestor). Added Daniel Philip's marriage to Alice Catherine Duffy (San Francisco, 1929). Sources S43–S44.
  1525. - 2026-09-13: Added Section 9.5 documenting the full 1850 Appanoose County census Collins presence: three households across Center and Independence Townships, plus William Collins boarding with McClures. Identified John Collins (29, KY) in Independence Twp as a potential brother of Mary Elizabeth. Noted the Bradley name recurring in John's household (son "Bralley," 12, KY). Documented the Burner/Bruner family (Hickman Bruner) as neighbors of the Collins family. Noted Holebrook family in Shoal division. Mapped KY → MO → IA migration pattern across all Collins households.
  1526. - 2026-09-13: Added Sections 9.6 and 9.7. Found Bradley Collins on the 1830 Clay County, KY census with two females under 5 in his household (one could be Mary Elizabeth, b. c. 1827) and no adult wife present. Also found Hiram Collins and Amos Collins in Clay County. Developed the hypothesis that Bradley Collins is Mary Elizabeth's father, based on household composition, migration pattern, geographic overlap with the Bruners, and the absence of any competing candidate. Mapped the migration route (Clay Co KY → north-central MO → Appanoose Co IA) with the 1840 census as the next record to search. [Superseded 2026-09-23: Mary Elizabeth was Jesse and Mary Reed's daughter, Jesse was Bradley's half-brother, and Bradley's 1840 county was Chariton.]
  1527. - 2026-09-13: **MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH.** Added Section 9.8. Confirmed Jesse Collins – Mary Reed marriage from Clay County, KY marriage register (December 13, 1827). Found Nancy Williams death certificate (1909) naming Bradley Collins as father and Sarah Reid as mother, confirming the Reid/Reed surname in the family. Found Mary Collings (Mary Reed Collins) on the 1850 Appanoose County census listed as **mulatto** with all children also mulatto. Documented three Collins-Reed intermarriages in Clay County (Jesse/Mary, Hiram/Elizabeth, Bradley/Sarah). Connected Thomas Collins "Molata" (1755) through the full lineage to Mary Elizabeth Collins. DNA math confirmed (2.1% in Frances Holbrook consistent with ~25-35% non-European in Mary Elizabeth). Found Bradley Collins on 1820 Floyd Co census alongside Meredith (entries in right-side columns pending verification) and 1840 Missouri census. Found Clay County marriage register documenting all of Bradley's marriages and Andrew Collins's marriage. Added sources S45-S50. [Superseded 2026-09-23: the lineage runs Thomas > John (or Samuel) > Meredith > Jesse, with Bradley as Jesse's half-brother; Sarah Reid was the mother of Bradley's daughter Nancy, not a documented marriage; Jane Ray's 1817 marriage is on the Conley list only; the 1840 census is Chariton County.]
  1529. - 2026-09-14: Added Heinegg Reed family origins tracing to William Reed "Malatta" (b. c. 1673, Charles City County, VA, "a mixed-race child born to a white servant woman"). Connected to James Reed of Ashe County through Hugh Reed Sr. of Rowan/Burke County. Added full lineage table showing both Collins and Reed lines converging on Mary Elizabeth Collins. Both families trace mixed-race origins to colonial Virginia through white servant women. Added Micajah Reed note. Identified "Mrs Reid" (James's wife, name unknown) as the last unnamed person in the direct ancestral line. Source S52 (Heinegg). [Superseded 2026-09-23: the Samuel and Bradley links in the lineage table are withdrawn (see READ THIS FIRST); Meredith's father and the Reed generations before Hugh are still unknown, so Mrs Reid is not the last unnamed person in the line.]
  1530. - 2026-09-23: Audited the whole file against the September 2026 rewrite of the book (*Molata*, v1.3, S64) and added the READ THIS FIRST block at the top, which governs wherever anything later disagrees.
  1531. - Lineage: Jesse was Meredith's son by Polly Holloway and Bradley's half-brother; Meredith's father is John [or Samuel]. Corrected the lineage lines and both lineage tables (Bradley and Sarah Reid rows removed) and marked the Bradley-as-father and Bradley-as-grandfather passages superseded.
  1532. - Dates and places: Orange Co VA court of 27 January 1743 (new style); the 1755 "Molata" list is Orange Co NC; Polly b. c. 1780, m. c. 1799; Nancy Williams b. c. 1822; Orlando b. 20 Oct 1873 and Jessie b. 6 May 1876; Tilford in Iowa by c. 1836; Bradley in Chariton Co in 1840 and Appanoose in 1844; Hugh Reed d. before the end of 1786, Rowan Co; 1810 census age brackets.
  1533. - Records: the War of 1812 card (S14) is a namesake's; the enlistment place is unrecorded; McDaniel's list is undated but after 1777 (S53); James Read's consent note (S60) settles Mary Reed's father; James Reed's 1800 household was free colored; S30 annotated as the Gothic household.
  1534. - Later generations: Eli Bruner d. 27 July 1879 at Colorado City (S58); Spencer killed in action 3 Nov 1864 (S59); Kalaska came home; Richard Holbrook Jr. d. 23 Sep 1923 at Bismarck; E. G. Bruner is Heck; John Ellingwood 1.5%.
  1535. - Internal fixes: Delilah as Jesse's daughter; the 1850 Independence Township Hiram distinguished from Elizabeth Reed's husband; Jesse in Morgan Co, Indiana in 1830 (S63); Lucille Clifford Bailey as Orlando's daughter; notes appended to the 2026-09-13 and 2026-09-14 entries. Added sources S53-S64.
  1536. - 2026-09-27: Brought the Reed passages into line with the Reed investigation (`claude/Reed_Family_Investigation_Addendum.md`, S66) and the revised master tree.
  1537. - 1830 Clay census (S65): James is the man aged 55-100 in the slave column, with four young men of his household also in the slave columns; the free colored man in his household is aged 24-36; his wife is the one person counted white. Earlier versions of this file had James as the free colored man. Corrected in READ THIS FIRST, section 9.06, section 9.4, the section 9.8 tables and the paragraph on Mrs. Reid's classification.
  1538. - James Reed: born c. 1766-75 by his census ages; Hugh Reed Sr. as his father, the Rowan records, and William Read as the family's root marked unproven; his death open between Clay c. 1841 (reading A) and Morgan County, Indiana, before 6 January 1845 (reading B); his wife Susannah under reading (B). Added the READ THIS FIRST block "James Reed, Mary's father" and moved the census line there from "The Reeds in Iowa."
  1539. - Children: Patsy Reed moved off James's list (more likely Stephen Reed Jr's daughter); Benjamin and Tilford now possible sons rather than probable, and "Mary's brothers" changed to "possibly Mary's brothers"; Elisha, John [or James] and Naaman added under reading (B), with Samuel and William under reading (A).
  1540. - Added sources S65-S67 and a Reed item (10) to the open leads.
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