THROUGH
MOUNTAIN MISTS
Early Settlers of
Their
Descendants...Their Stories...Their Achievements
Lifting the
Mists of History on Their Way of Life
By: Ethelene Dyer Jones
THOMPSON
Ask many of those bearing the
Collins surname who still live in Union County and they will know that
Thompson and Celia Self Collins were among the first settlers in the
Choestoe District of Union County. Many,
even with surnames other than Collins, can trace their roots back to
this hardy pioneer couple.
Those who claim Thompson Collins as an ancestor could wish for
more documented information about his origins. Searches
have not authenticated who exactly were Thompson Collins’ parents. Since the name Francis was passed down through
several generations, it seems reasonable to assume that Francis Collins
who died in Buncombe County, North Carolina in 1806 might have been
Thompson’s father who had migrated there from Virginia.
Another assumption, unauthenticated, holds Nancy Collins (maiden
name unknown) to be Thompson Collins’ mother.
The family name of Collins was a distinguished English surname
found in authentic records in England more than a thousand years ago. However, Collins is considered to be Irish in
origin, derived from O’Coilean
and meaning “victory of
the people.’ Lords of manors
and landowners by the O’Coilean name lived in the North Desmond section
of Ireland until wars drove them southward in the thirteenth century.
Another
possible origin of the Collins surname is the Welsh Collen, signifying
hazel---those with hazel-colored eyes or those who lived near hazelnut
groves. Another origin of Collins
may be from the Gaelic word Cuilein meaning darling, and
referred to one held dear (as a pet puppy).
Collins immigrants were among early settlers in America. One of the earliest was Henry Collins and his
wife, Ann, three children and five servants who sailed from England on
the ship “Abigail” in 1635. That family
settled in Lynn, Massachusetts. Henry
Collins soon became a landed gentleman, owning 800 acres.
Their son, Joseph, married Duty Knowles in 1671 from whose line
many of the northern states Collins descendants came.
In the southern colonies, the first Collins immigrant was John
Collins who sailed from Kent, England in 1655 and settled in Lawns
Creek Parish, Surrey County, Virginia. He
married Elizabeth Caulfield, a daughter of Captain Robert Caulfield. John, Sr. died in Virginia in 1693. Their son John became the progenitor of the
Virginia and southern Collins descendants. Although
a direct line from them to Thompson Collins, born about 1785 in North
Carolina, has not yet been traced, the John, Sr. of England and
Virginia is reasonably the progenitor of the Union County Collinses.
Two Collins gentlemen from Virginia, George and Joseph, served
in the American Revolution. A rash of
trials in Virginia by the Tories (Loyalists) brought charges against
any who were patriots. Thomas Collins was
convicted of treason against the crown in 1775. Following
his trial, in which he was defended by Lawyer William Boulware, he
moved his family out of Virginia and into the remote mountainous area
of North Carolina where he would be free of the Royalist accusers. The Thomas Collins family moved from Polecat
Creek in Caroline County, Virginia. He had
sons named John, Francis, James and Thomas, Jr. Since
early census takers sometimes missed the trails that led to remote
cabins in hidden coves in the mountains of North Carolina, there is no
census record of this Thomas Collins, Sr. family in 1780.
By the 1790 census, ninety-six Collins families were reported as
living in North Carolina.
The Collins family crests I’ve seen show two mottos. One is Favente Deo et Seduliatate,” which,
translated, means “By favor of God and assiduity.”
The word assiduity is a character-defining word meaning strong
diligence, unremitting attention, persistence. That
motto seems to define the Collins clan in general throughout history. The other crest motto reads “”Vincit Pericula Virtus” and,
translated, means “Virtue Conquers Danger.” Either
motto is idealistic and descriptive of character.
We have not found either the exact birth date or the marriage
date of Thompson Collins (b. about 1785). He
and Celia Self, daughter of Job Self, married about 1810 in North
Carolina. She was born to a neighbor of
the Collins family about 1787. Her father
was Francis Self. She had known siblings Sarah, Jesse and Job.
The first legal documents relating to Thompson Collins are filed
in the court house at
(1)
April 3, 1809, from Elliott
Jackery to Thompson Collins, 40 acres of land on the French Broad River.
(2)
December
21, 1810, from McLain Ephraim to Thompson Collins, 100 acres of land on
a small branch of the Mills River for $160.00.
(3)
November
24, 1813, on McDowell’s Creek, west side of the French Broad River,
purchased 50 acres. Thompson Collins owned
50 acres of land where he now lives, completed transaction December 12,
1812, registered April 13, 1830. This deed
shows that a land grant was made to Thompson Collins by the State of
North Carolina for fifty shillings for every hundred acres of land.
We learn that
Thompson Collins loved the land and added to his acreage as opportunity
arose. Perhaps it was the lure of more
land, the call of adventure, or the fact that a general exodus of
citizens from Buncombe County, North Carolina moved to Habersham
County, Georgia in 1824 or 1825 that he moved his family there.
[Next: More on the family of
Thompson and Celia Self Collins.]
c2004 by
Ethelene Dyer Jones; published November 18, 2004 in The Union Sentinel,
Blairsville, GA. Reprinted by permission. All rights
reserved.
[Ethelene
Dyer Jones is a retired educator, freelance writer, poet, and
historian. She may be reached at e-mail edj0513@windstream.net; phone
478-453-8751; or mail 1708 Cedarwood Road, Milledgeville, GA
31061-2411.]
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