July 2003 Colliers of MA Research Update
July, 2003 Colliers of Massachusetts Research Update July 9, 2003
INDEX:
1) General Progress Notes
2) The Numbers
3) New Contributors and Areas of Progress
1) General Progress Notes
Some weeks ago I completed and sent out to my email correspondents the draft of the first four American generations. I have been advised of a few relatively minor errors and have corrected them. I ask those receiving this package via the Post Office to also review the draft and advise me of any errors you spot.
As the number of individuals naturally increases sharply as we work through the generations, completing the fifth generation has taken a long time. There are 48 main family groups in the fifth generation, nearly twice the total in the first four. (I use the term “family group” in the sense of husband and wife with known children. Biographical notes, whether brief or lengthy, are needed for each of these groups.In some instances, a shorter note will be included for other interesting individuals, even if they had no known descendants.) I anticipate I will be completed with the draft of the fifth generation within a few weeks, and will send that along then.
The number of family groups through the eighth generation (my proposed cut-off point for the first volume of the genealogy) is now 808.This is an increase of about 50 since March 2003, as several new contributors to our project have provided added information.
As we continue with the preparation of the genealogy, I can foresee the possibility of reducing the scope of volume one to perhaps the first six or seven generations, depending both on the number of pages needed to reach each point, and on the pace of progress.I continue to be amazed at the devotion shown by early genealogists, who produced sometimes massive works without the aid of genealogy software. Another instance of how rugged our ancestors were!
2) The Numbers
For those coming to this “Colliers of Massachusetts” project for the first time, the family descends
from Thomas and Susannah (UNKNOWN) Collier, who settled in Hingham, Massachusetts in 1635.Thomas was the second of the surname to come to New England, William Collier of Duxbury having arrived in 1633.William and Thomas were almost certainly NOT related, but there was at least one marriage of a descendant of William to a descendant of Thomas, so some of us can claim descent from both families. (William had no sons who survived to adulthood – all of his descendants stem from four daughters who came with him to Plymouth Colony.)
The number of known Thomas and Susannah Collier descendants and spouses is approaching
8,500. As the number of known family groups through the present generation is now about 1,630, the number of Collier descendants traced is approximately 6,870. As before, the individuals descended from familiesfirst living in Massachusetts or Maine comprise about 95% of the total, while those of the New Jersey line, most using the spelling “Collyer,” are about 5%.
3) New Contributors and Areas of Progress
Since October 2002, when I sent out the last general update letter, I have corresponded with
several newfound family members or researchers. Most have contributed valuable new information to the “Collier” project. New contributors, or new areas of information from “older” contributors:
Sally Hill and Dodie Willcox have sent along new or confirming information on some of the “Colliers” who were in early Boston – Paul Baxter (son of Jane (4) Collier), and others.
Ron Adams,Gene Whitman andCathy Morse have together cleared up the picture of Lyman (8) Collier of Gratiot County, Michigan and some of his descendants. Lyman was a brother of my great-grandfather, so this comes close to home.Jeff Leydorf, anotherMichigan researcher, also went far out of his way to provide information and photos on this Gratiot County family, and cleared up the mystery of where John (7) Collier, my great-great-grandfather, ended his days.
Ann Parsekian of the Historical Society of the Somerset Hills, Basking Ridge, New Jersey provided some new information from that area, particularly notes and a photo on the “Collyer House.” This is an 18th Century structure long identified with the family in Basking Ridge.
Dave Torrey, who has been doing some wonderful things for those families who passed through Chesterfield, Mass., passed along several generations of the “Liza” (7) Collier/Luther Torrey family.They left Chesterfield for Florida, Mass., a town in the Berkshires which has sparse records.
David Weise andBarbara Bahm have added several generations to theHannah (5) Collier/Daniel Hemmenwayfamily.They also moved to Florida, Berkshire County, from Groton, Mass., and descendants went on to northern Ohio and Michigan.
Alice Williams, who has encouraged me so much in this project, directed me to “Shepherd in the Wilderness,” by Edward Franklin Ripley, a biography of Rev. Peter Hobart of early Hingham. Although the Collier family isn’t specifically mentioned, the book gives wonderful insight into the life of the first planters in Hingham and Massachusetts in general.
Mary Lou Collyer, whose husband was of the New Jersey line, will be looking at our information on those families as we continue the work.She and Tim Kelley are our links there. Mary Lou was the original provider of much of what we know about the New Jersey families, many of them “lost” after just a few generations.
Jim Cole, a King family member, hasprovided some added information on the Anna (6) Collier/ Orange King family.They married in Chesterfield, but moved on to Onondaga County, New York.I will shortly have the King genealogy, and will see if anything more can be found about this family.
Dr. Robert Gage of the First Baptist Church of New York City recently provided a little more on Rev. William (6) Collier. Rev. Collier served that church for a few years before taking over a church in Charlestown, Mass.
Janice Gower, Maine genealogist, provided some added material and clues on a “Loring/Collier” descendant who had “disappeared” from Weymouth.
My thanks to all of these individuals, and to others who have contributed in the past and continue to check on me now.
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As always, feel free to contact me at any time with corrections, suggestions or tongue lashings.
Now, back to Generation No. 5.
Wade Collier
Trumbull County, Ohio and Lunenburg, Massachusetts
“Colliers of Massachusetts” Project
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/c/o/l/Wade-Collier-MA/http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/c/o/l/Wade-Collier-MA/
[email protected]