Re: Updated article with new info on family of David and Elizabeth Smith Collum
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In reply to:
Re: Updated article with new info on family of David and Elizabeth Smith Collum
Mary Robertson 4/08/09
Mary,
Carla Vowell and I made an intensive study of the James A S Collum family from Fall 2005 through Spring 2006.The evidence we gathered and evaluated led us to believe that James probably had only two wives.See these Genforum messages (and others) that we posted on the Collum forum to make our case: 458, 465, 467 and 474.Note that in post 465 Carla identified five children listed in the James and Patience Collom (sic) household, 1860 Tallapoosa County, AL, census, who we believe were the children of Patience P. Sessions and her first husband, Green W. Solley.Three of these five children were listed with Green and Patience Sauly (sic) in the 1850 Tallapoosa County, AL, census: Mahana C., Rebecca J. and Nancy A. A. (listed respectively in the 1860 James and Patience Collum household as Caroline, Rebecca and Nancy).The other two children of Patience and Green Solley were William R. and Jackson (per Solley researchers).
It is interesting to note that living next door to the Collums in 1860 were William and Nancy Solley, parents of Patience Sessions Solley Collum's deceased husband.We came across other records that tied Patience and Green's children, Rebecca, Mahana and William R. Solley to James Collum and family.Several examples: James S. Collum consented as parent to R. J. Solley's marriage to John M. Collum in Tallapoosa County in 1865; Mahanah C. and William R. Soley (sic) lived in the HH next to the James S A Collum HH in the 1870 Choctaw County, MS, census; and W. R. Solley was bondsman for W. H. Collum's marriage in Sumner County, MS, in 1874 (Sumner County [now Webster] was adjacent to Choctaw County, MS).
I suppose what has confused Collum researchers about James A S Collum's wives was the apparently mistaken note by the 1860 census taker of the James S. Collom (sic) family in Tallapoosa, AL, "married a Mrs. Collom who had children of the same name as his."Some have interpreted this statement as James A S Collum must have had a third wife (a Mrs. Collom).However, since the Solley children are enumerated in the census listing with the surname Collom rather than the appropriate Solley, it seems that the census taker more likely misunderstood the make-up of the family: five children were James', five were Patience's and two were theirs together.The five children listed on the 1860 census belonging to James and an earlier (first?) wife were Julia, Amanda, James, Nancy and William (not William R.).In addition, as you also show on your website, James had older children who were on their own by 1860: John David, Phronissia, Solomon B. and Littleberry.
Hope this is helpful.
Vicki Kruschwitz