----- Original Message ----- From: Cornelia Warner <fenenga@mminternet.com> To: <aljeffer@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, July 06, 2000 10:11 AM Subject: looking for volunteer help in Jefferson Co. > would some kind soul take up a volunteer job in the Birmingham Library? I > can't afford a professional researcher. > I am at a brick wall with my Collins line, and all efforts to find these > people have failed, so far. > > I only have this information, and something here should be a major clue, but > so far, nothing has come of it. > > Francis Lee "Frank" COLLINS > Birth: 24 NOV 1832 in ,Alabama > Death: 27 APR 1875 in Visalia,Tulare,California of Sunstroke > Burial: 28 APR 1875 Visalia,Tulare,California > I do not know how accurate the following is-I haven't been able to document > one bit of it. this from my grandmother's memoirs. > "The story starts near Birmingham, AL, where Francis Lee Collins was born > Nov 24, 1832. He had a twin brother who was two days younger. The father > passed away when the boys were quite young. We do not have too much info. > about Grandfather's early life, he was the stronger of the brothers and > seemed to have chosen the outdoor life. They had an uncle who was a doctor > and because the twin brother was never very strong, their uncle offered to > educate him in the field of medicine and he too, became a doctor. > Grandfather lost his mother when he was twenty and at this time there was > quite a bit of excitement in California over the Gold Rush; so with his > parents gone and his brother living with his uncle, he decided to try his > luck in the far West....." > > from a 1924 bio. on one of Francis' son's; > .......His father, Francis L. Collins, was born in Alabama, and when > fourteen (I believe he was 19, and the math (1853-1832) would make him 21) > years of age came around the Horn in 1853, nearly starving to death on the > trip. He landed at Port Hartford, and became a pioneer cattleman, driving > cattle through the valley to Stockton to supply meat for the mining > district. The father of Francis L. Collins was an old school allopathic > doctor, and a brother of Francis L. is a physician living at Kansas City, > Missouri. > > I have yet to find Francis in any 1850 census in any state. > > I am pretty much house bound, so any help is appreciated. > thank you > Cornelia > Los Angeles, California >