Thomas Collins (abt. 1800)

Born about 1800 in North Carolina, United States

Descendants

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Biography

The name 'Thomas Collins' occurs only once in public records. It occurs in the death certificate of Joshua Collins, who died 21 Nov 1913 in Pomona, California. The informant says that Joshua's father was Thomas Collins, but the birth place of the father and the identity of the mother are unknown.

Joshua Collins married in Rhea Co. in 1846 at the age of 21. He had to have a reason to be there, and one possible explanation is that he came to Rhea County with his parents. On that basis he might be the son of William Collins or Nancy Collins, who in the 1850 census are living relatively close to each other. Since Joshua's death certificate says that his father was Thomas Collins, we can conjecture that Nancy is Thomas's widow and that Thomas and William are brothers.

In 1860, 1870, and 1880 Joshua lives close to either Martin Collins or to his children. It seems highly likely that Joshua and Martin are related. Joshua is not Martin's son because Joshua was born 12 May 1825 and Martin's son Jesse was born 12 Jul 1825. It may be the case that Martin, William and Thomas Collins are brothers and that Joshua is Martin's nephew.

Nancy, William and Martin say that they were born in North Carolina, and their older children say that they (the children) were born there also. There is another Collins family in Rhea Co. which came from Virginia. Henry Collins arrived with his family in 1813. He was a tanner and distiller and was sheriff for three terms (1831-36). Three of his children married a member of another prominent family, the Darwins. Socially and economically the two Collins families seem to have been worlds apart, although they are sometimes close together in the census.

We need to find a marriage between a Thomas Collins and a woman named Nancy about 1820, bearing in mind that Thomas, Nancy and Collins are frequently occurring names. There is a Thomas Collins in the 1830 census of Lincoln Co., North Carolina whose wife in the 1850 census is Nancy, but it is clear that they moved from North Carolina to Georgia and are not Joshua's parents. The census suggests that they married about 1824.

Another Thomas Collins married Nancy Parker April 10, 1823 in Gates Co., NC, but, alas, Thomas Collins, 45, and Nancy, 48, are in the 1850 Gates Co. census as husband and wife.

Sources

• California Death Certificate 13-034505