Celia, The last sentence of your excellently written message rang a bell in my head. My Great great Uncle, Bird Shepherd b1796 VA, received a warrant for land in Chariton County, Missouri for his service in the War of 1812. He enlisted at Washington County, Virginia and served on the coastal island defenses during the war. He returned from the war to his home in Halifax County, Virginia and later moved to Caswell County, then Guilford County and finally Alamance County, in North Carolina, where he died c1872. He was counted as FN and Mulatto in most censuses. John M. Shepherd Dallas, Texas ----- Original Message ---- From: Celia Becker <celia.lfsbecker@sbcglobal.net> To: NCORANGE@rootsweb.com Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 11:51:44 PM Subject: [NCORANGE] Collins and Hastings families: mid 1700's to early 1800's. Wills of Andrew Collins and Henry C. Hastings Sr.? Dear group; I'm going bonkers trying to finish my late mother's family ancestry and one of the more frustrating lines is her Collins line. I've traced it back, with great difficulty to Bradley Collins b. 1786/7 Orange County, North Carolina to Andrew Collins b. 1757-60, North Carolina and Isabella Hastings b. l762/3 Orange County, North Carolina married in 1784 in Orange County, North Carolina. Bradley was one of three white sons of Andrew Collins. He had three white sisters. One of his white brothers was Andrew Collins Jr. who married Eleanor "Nelly" Weeks in 1810 and eventually went to Indiana, where he died in 1846. I don't know the names of the other white brother of Bradley and Andrew Jr. Bradley also had two half brothers named Hiram and Abraham. Apparently they were sons of a half sister of Isabel Hastings who was a mulatto slave, because on the 1830 census for Clay County, Kentucky, they are listed as "heads of households" but slaves and next to Bradley Collins. One of them has a white wife; both have sons under 5 who are listed as free and white. These were very light skinned mulattoes. By 1840 both had moved first to Indiana, and then by the mid-1840's to Morgan County, Indiana. On the 1840 and 1850 census, Hiram is listed as white; Abraham is listed as mulatto, and his wife as white, which is how she was listed in 1830. Hiram named a son George Hasting Collins and he usually went by Hastin'. Bradley Collins named a son Hiram. Bradley Collins' oldest son was named Andrew. Bradley Collins had 5 sons and I only know the names of four: Andrew, James, John and Hiram. So, it's probably not a lot of help for clues from a naming tradition. Bradley had 8 daughters and I only know the names of 2 of them for certain: Keziah and Martha. Some researchers claim knowledge of a third name, Sarah but offer no real proof. So, given that all the sons, white and mulatto claimed Hastings descent and that Andrew Collins was their father, how did this happen and who was the apparent half sister of Isabella Hastings who was the mother of the two sons Hiram and Abraham? Hiram was born in 1793 and Abraham in 1804/5. Isabella Hastings' father was apparently Henry C. Hastings Sr. (she had a brother Henry Hastings as well) 1727-1800. Her mother was Elizabeth McDaniel Hastings who died in 1812. I'm hoping that one or both of Henry Hastings Sr. and his wife Elizabeth, left a will that might explain some of this. Andrew Collins died between 1810 and 1820. His wife Isabella Hastings Collins died between 1820-1830. Both also died in Orange County, North Carolina, and I'm hoping wills exist for them. I suspect Andrew Collins' mother was a Bradley as that is usually a surname, so I'm looking for a Collins father of Andrew who was probably married to a Bradley. There are several possibilities for a father for Andrew Collins. The 1755 tax list on line at the genweb site shows: Isaac Collins, James Collins, John Collins and Joseph Collins. I think, given the name order of the sons of Bradley Collins that I do have: Andrew, as oldest, James as 2nd, John as 3rd, and Hiram as 4th and a 5th younger son with an unknown name, it's more likely that Andrew Collins was the son of either James or John Collins who were listed on the tax records of 1755. I know that Andrew Collins must have had brothers and I suspect John and James were names among them, as well as possibly Eli. Is there anyone in the group who has already researched this line and found enough documentation that answers the questions of Isabella Hastings' mysterious mulatto half sister(s)? and has already identified the parents and brothers and sisters of my Andrew Collins? Last question: who was the FIRST wife of Bradley Collins, and of course who were her parents and siblings? Was he married in Orange County, North Carolina or an adjacent county? I have the names of all four of his later wives, but not his first wife--and of course I descend from that unknown first wife through his oldest son, Andrew Collins. Bradley Collins had at least 13 children (probably 2 more who died in infancy, as well) by 3 or 4 wives (depending upon whether wife number 4, Catherine Barney had a child that lived or not). Bradley Collins first married in 1808. His oldest daughter, Keziah, was born in 1809. Andrew Collins was next, born July 22, 1811. Both of these children were born in KENTUCKY--county unknown. Where ever Bradley Collins was, he was living with a father-in-law or a brother-in-law. He cannot be found under his own name on any records. Bradley Collins returned to Orange County, North Carolina by 1812. In the War of 1812 he served for the U.S. from Orange County parts of two years in a row: 1812 and 1813. His first wife died, in childbirth, in 1816. She had three children total who lived: 2 daughters and a son. Bradley Collins then married Jane Ray, a daughter of George and Martha (Robinson) Ray, in February, 1817 in Orange County, North Carolina. Sometime in the 1820's, Bradley moved to Clay County, Kentucky. Jane "Jennie" Ray Collins died in late 1829 or early 1830 in Clay County, Kentucky. There were 5 surviving children by Jane--3 under the age of 5 on the 1830 census and obviously needing a mother. Then Bradley Collins married (all in Clay County, Kentucky) Elizabeth Lunsford Sept. 30, 1830; followed by Catherine Barney July 22, 1831 and finally Elizabeth "Betsy" Griffin February 13, 1833 by whom Bradley had 4 or 5 more children. Then in 1838 he moved from Clay County, Kentucky to Chariton County, Missouri. Any documented help on any of this is greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Mrs. Cecilia L. Fabos-Becker, San Jose, CA No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. 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