The Colliers

The blog is acting up. It is doubling pictures and adding lots of spaces between paragraphs. I am going to once more remove them, but I cannot guarantee that they won't be there when I push the publish button.

This is a nutshell view of the Colliers as I have them.

The oldest Collier I have is Isaac who was born about 1718 and married Mary Gaines who was born in 1720. They had a son named Michael who was born about 1738 and married an Elizabeth. Michael and Elizabeth had a son on January 8, 1764 named Daniel.

Daniel married Elizabeth Prather born December 9, 1769. She was the daughter of James Prather. They had a son Richard on May 9, 1789. He married Matthew Caudill and Sarah Webb's daughter, Mary Caudill.

Richard and Mary married on August 30, 1832. They had a daughter, Elizabeth, in 1833.

In the 1850 census for Letcher county they are listed as:

Collier, Richard, 53

Mary 49

Stephen 16

William 15

Samuel 12

Sally 11.

Stephen married Elizabeth "Betsy Ann" Roark. They had these children: Richard (married Mary Bell Cook), James, Martha and Jamie.

William Dee "Willie" Collier married twice. First, he married Rebecca Meade, daughter of Thomas Kronis Meade and Mary "Polly" Hall. In the 1860 census he and Rebecca are living with his parents Richard and Mary:

Colier, Richard, 68, farm laborer

Mary 58

William 25, farm laborer

Rebecca 22 (William's wife Rebecca Meade)

Mary 5, grandchild

Robert 3, grandchild

Willis 1, grandchild

Meade, Catherine 24 (Rebecca Meade's sister)

Christener 4 (Catherine's child)

Martha 1 (Catherine's child)

Mary the 5 year old is Mary Matilda "Polly" Collier who was born April 30, 1855. She married Andrew "Little Andy" Wright who was killed in a shootout when he and other Wright relatives and William Pardue went to arrest Elijah Wright. After Little Andy's death she married Alexander Wright and then Wilburn Reedy.

The grandchild Robert who was 3 was born May 15,1858. He married Martha Yonts.

The grandchild Willis who was 1 was born April 22, 1859 as Willis Kirk Collier. He first married on September 18, 1885 to Mary Ellen Adams daughter of William Green Adams and Mary "Polly" Webb. She died in April of 1889. On May 5, 1890 Willis took Elizabeth "Lizzie" Vanover daughter of William and Elizabeth Vanover as his second wife.

Willis had three children with Mary: Wilburn "Wibby", Sadie and James Harrison. Sadie was Otho Bentley's first wife.

Willis had ten children with Elizabeth: Arnettie "Nettie", Mazie Frances, Milton M., Florence, Ireland Drew, Carrie, Ira F., Howard M., William and Delphia Jane.

I can't find Richard and Mary in the 1870 census yet. William Dee and Rebecca are there under a spelling of Colier.

Going on with Richard and Mary's children Samuel P. Collier married Martha Roark, probably a sister to Stephen's wife Elizabeth Roark. I haven't done any work on the Roarks to confirm this. Samuel and Martha had 8 children: William Wesley "Bill", Lizzie, Mary, Peter, Richard, James, Martha and Enoch Irvin.

Richard and Mary's youngest child, Sarah "Sally" married Robert C. Meade. They had 8 children: Mary "Polly", Nancy, Siletha, Riley, Rebecca, Samuel, Arminda and Martha.

The reason I wanted to try to sketch out the Colliers is because so many of them are in the Houston Cemetery at Goose Creek.

W. D. Collier

I don't know if this is William Dee Collier. It says W. D. Collier. It was clear at the graveyard. I can't make it out clearly on film. I should have chalked it so it would have read clearly.

Willis Kirk Collier 1859 - 1943

It says Rev. W. K. Collier July 23, 1859 May 8 1943. At the bottom that says "In Memory of Howard Collier." His son, Howard, did not die until 1971, so it is probable that this marker was not placed until after that time.

Florence Collier Hall 1898 - 1922

Florence was the daughter of Willis Kirk Collier and Elizabeth "Lizzie" Vanover, She was the half-sister of Sadie Collier Bentley. She was born on July 22, 1898 in Letcher County. She married John Henry Hall on February 21, 1916. They had two children: Rhoda and Ford. John Henry died on March 17, 1924. In the 1930 census the two children are living with their grandparents: Rhoda with Willis Kirk & Lizzie Vanover Collier and Ford with is widowed grandmother, Nancy Elizabeth Anderson Hall. Jim Hall had died in 1929.

Carrie Collier 1903 - 1920

Carrie was the daughter of Willis Kirk Collier and Elizabeth "Lizzie" Vanover. She was a half-sister to Sadie Collier Bentley. I could not find a death certificate for Carrie.

Sarah Collier Yonts 1886 - 1967

Robert Collier was Willis Kirk Collier's older brother. He married Martha Yonts, daughter of Solomon & Frances Whitaker Yonts. This is the grave of Robert and Martha's daughter, Sarah. Sarah was born August 6, 1886 at Neon. She married John Quiller Yonts, the son of Solomon "Sollie" Yonts and Virginia "Jennie" Quillen. They had five children: Luther, Quilva, Marcus, Martha and Gladys. John died in 1950 and was buried at Goose Creek. If Sarah lies beside him, he is in a grave marked only with a rock and the head and foot.

Arthur Denton Collier 1909-1909

I can't figure this one out. I have no birth or death record for him. I don't know who he belongs to.


Robert Collier 1899 - 1926

Again I can't figure this one out.

Betsy & Thaney's Children

Thaney and Betsy Houston had nine children that I know of: Mary, Preston, Joseph, Hannah, Annie, Lavina, Rinda Mae, Aulden "Olvin and James Denton. They married into many of my related families:

Mary , the oldest was born in 1867. She never married though she had several children with a Bentley and a Potter.

Preston was born in 1869 and died before 1880.

Joseph was born about 1870 and died on May 20, 1976 of dropsy.

Hannah was born on December 29, 1971. She died September 29, 1960. She married three times: Alexander Wright and William Milton "Milt" Meade. She had a child by Israel Jesse Adams.

Annie married only once to Joshua Mullins.

Lavina "Vina" married Rhodes Meade.

Rinda Mae married Jonathan A. "Twig" Collier.

Aulden G. "Olvin" married Susannah Wright. He also had a daughter with Mary Collier.

Oliver Denton married twice: Eliza Jane Wright and Mattie Wright.

I want to concentrate on the Colliers because of the graves I found at Goose Creek.

Big John Hall's Family Part 2

Going on with the children of John Samuel Hall and Karenhappick Yonts:

Jonathan married Mary Polly Meade.  In the 1870 census John was listed in his parents home as 14.  In 1880 he is own his own with Mary.

I misnamed this picture for Jonathan and Rachel Meade.  It is actually Jonathan, his son, and Mary "Polly" Meade.

Jonathan Hall & Mary Meade

1880 Letcher County
Jonathan 35, farmer  (aged quite a bit, didn't he?)
Mary 30, wife, keeping house
Robert 6, son
John 4, son
William 1, son
All KY KY KY

Twenty years later in 1900 Millston, Letcher County, Kentucky
Hall, Johnty 45, head, Dec 1855, married 24 years, farmer
Polly, 45, wife, Nov 1855, had 11 children, 11 living
Leander 14, son Oct 1885
Hotence 12, daughter, Jan 1888
Elijah, 10, son, Apr 1890
Armindy, 8, daughter, Mar 1892
Riley 6, son Jun 1893
Ballard, 4 son Mar 1896

Mary and John divorce in 1908.  Mary is living with her son, William in 1910.  They have moved to West Virginia.

1910 Mingo County, West Virginia
Hall, William M., hea, 31, marriage 1, 10 years,  farmer, general
Clarsey, wife, 27, marriage 1, had 7 children, 2 living
Lute, son, 5,
Simon P., son, 8 months, WV KY KY
Polly, mother, 50, divorced
Riley, brother, 18, laborer, on farm
Ballard, brother, 12 laborer on farm
All were KY KY KY except Simon so with Lute being born in Kentucky they have been in West Virginia less than five years.

Robert married Nancy Meade. She was Mary Meade's sister.  They stayed in Letcher County.  In the 1870 census with his parents Robert was 10.

1880 Whitesburg, Letcher County
Elisha, 22, farmer
Nancy, 21, wife, keeping house
Andrew, 3, son
Robert, 9 months, son born in September of 1879
All KY KY KY

1900 Millstone, Letcher County
Elijah 40, head, May 1860, married 22 years, farmer
Nancy 40, wife, Mar 1860, had 10 children, 7 living
Johnny 18, son Apr 1882
Tilitha 11, daughter Sep 1888
Eveline 9, daughter, Feb 1891
Nancy E., 7, daughter, Jan 1893
Levy, 5, daughter, un 1894
Virgie, 2, daughter, Jun 1897
Meade, Robert, 18, servant, Oct 1881
All KY KY KY

Robert Hall was born in 1860

William Hall was born in 1864

The following are the children of Big John and Rachel Meade.

Leander married Nancy J. White.  They move to West Virginia.  Thier known children are Susan, Rachel, John Lee, Betty, and William E.

Marion John was born in 1869.  He married Maxaline Hall on March 23, 1889 in Letcher County.  She was the daughter of John Hall and Elizabeth Johnson.  They were cousins.

1900 Millstone, Letcher County
Marion 30, Sept 1869, head, married 12 years, farmer
Maxiline, 25, Mar 1875, wife, had 3 children, 3 living
Lee, 18, Jun 1891, son (he is only 8, but the census taker wrote in 18)
Birtha, 6, May 1894, daughter
William, 3, Jan 1897, son
All KY KY KY

1910 Millstone, Letcher County
Marion John, Head, 37, 1st marriage, married 21 years, farmer, general farm
Magoline, wife, 36, had 7 children, 7 living
Bertha, daughter, 15, farm laborer, home farm
Willie, son, 12, farm laborer, home farm
Cinthiah L., daughter, 9
Betty A., daughter, 6
Elizabeth, daughter, 3
Rindy M., daughter, 6 months
All KY KY KY

Marion was shot and killed on August 1, 1914 after the school trustee election in Rockhouse.  He was buried on August 7 at Dean.

Maxaline died on November 27, 1950 in Fleming.  Her cause of death was uremia due to hypertension.

Manerva Hall was born in 1872.  She married Jasper N. Hall. 

Jasper Hall with Manerva Hall holding Dixie

1910 Millstone, Letcher County
Jasper, head, 2nd marriage, 19 years, farmer, general farm
Minerva, wife, 42, 1st marriage, had 4 children, 3 living., farm laborer, home farm
Whirley, son, 2
All KY KY KY

Esquire Hall married a Mary.

Esquire Hall & Mary "Polly"

Mary married Wilson Hall.  He was a coal miner.  He died on October 20, 1918 of influenza in Weeksbury, Pike County.  Mary died September 26, 1962.  She was in Williamson, Mingo County, West Virginia. 

Mary Hall & Hattie Collier

Elizabeth "Betty" married William R. "Will" Stewart.  He was killed in a logging accident in Kanawhat County, Virginia.  Betty died November 15, 1972 in Mayking.  They had at least:  Shellie Ann, Bud and Stella.

Betty holding Bud and William holding Shellie.

Betty with her grandson, Carl.

Lance E. married Pliney. 

1910 Millstone, Letcher County.
Lance, 28, marriage 1, married 9 years, farmer, general farm.
Pliney, wife, 39, marriage 2, had 1 child, not living, farm laborer, home farm.
All KY KY KY

Lance was killed on August 1, 1914 at the school trustee election in Rockhouse.

Albert died on August 1, 1914 at the school trustee election in Rockhouse.

Emiline Hall was born in 1888.  She died in 1917 .

Bud "Big Bud" married Clovia Meade.  He died May 15, 1971 in Ermine.

Big Bud Hall