Joseph COLLARD
Many family lines in Pike county (Illinois) trace back to a Coll ard ancestry on one side or the other. The early Collards, coming out o f Virginia by way of Kentucky to the Missouri border, beginning their western mi gration shortly after the Louisiana Purchase, eventually, in the middle 1820s , began implanting their virile stock in the Bay Creek settlement, in what i s now Pleasant Hill township. (Thompson, History of Pike County, 1968, cha pter 162 para 1). The Collard and Lewis famlies come down hand in hand through his tory. Both were of French Huguenot stock. In the days of religious persecu tions under Louis XIV, in the 17th century, the ancestors of both of thes e American families fled to England and Ireland, some of them locating in the pr ovince of Ulster, in North Ireland, whence they came to the shores of Virginia , in the new world, long before the revolution. (Ibid, chap 162 para 2) The first Collards in America followed Pioneer John Lewis (know n also as Irish John Lewis), who opened what is now Augusta county, Virginia, to settlement. . . . He received vast land grants in Virginia upon whic h he settled a hundred Scotch and Irish families in 1737. Upon one of the se crown grants to Lewis the first Collards in America found a home (Ibid, cha p 162 para 3). In Virginia, it is believed by Collard descendents that a descen dent of the early American Collards married a descendent of the early Virgini a Lewises. (The author believed that Margaret McClenahan, widow of John McClena han, who died in 1774 married the second time to Joseph Collard. I, J. Rober t Gillis, have checked in the archives of Augusta county, Virginia and have dis proved this theory.) (Ibid, chap 162 para 4) Joseph Collard, ancestor of the Pike County, Illinois, Collard s and the first of the name in America of whom there is any very definite recor d, came to the Missouri border in the year 1805 and settled on the crooked Cuivr e River in what was then the "District of Louisiana" . . . This Joseph Collar d died in Wood's Fort (where now is Troy, Missouri) in 1812, the opening year o f the Indian war on the Missouri border (Ibid, chap 162 end) Joseph Collard, probably a brother of the first Dan and the fir st American Collard definitely identified by name in new world records , appears to have tarried but briefly on the south side of the Missouri river , where he established his family in 1805. His settlement was but a short dista nce up river from the early ferry of John Lewis, who settled there early i n 1795, being reputed the first English speaking farmer on the Missouri. (Ib id, chap 163 para 19 page 466) Joseph Collard moved (probably later in 1805) into the distric t of St. Charles, north of the Missouri River. He died at Wood's Fort at th e Big Spring, where now is Troy, county seat of Lincoln county, Missouri . His death occurred in the opening year of the 1812 war. His wife, whoe identit y is uncertain, probably died before or very soon after the migration to M issouri, probably when the last child, Mary Collard, born 14 Nov 1799 was stil l of very tender age. This is reasoned from the fact that the daughter was rea red by her older sister, Margaret (called Peggy), who had married John Hunter an d lived in Hunter's Fort. Dorothy (Dolly) Cannon, wife of old sheriff Ephraim C annon of early Pittsfield, was a sister of this John Hunter who married Pegg y Collard. Sheriff Ephraim Cannon's sister, Lydia Cannon, married John Collard , brother of Peggy. (The family Bible record of Joseph Collard does not list Lewi s Collard or Newton Collard, both of whom are named as children in this famly by descendents.) (Newton was also known as Isaac Newton Collard, J. R. G illis note) Joseph Collard was a soldier of the American Revolution in the V irginia army. Missouri history says that Joseph was born in Ireland of Frenc h Huguenot ancestry, whose people had fled from France during the reign of Loui s XIV and had taken refuge in Ireland. Margaret Lewis was probably a grand dau ghter of Pioneer John Lewis. (misc correspondence notes) Joseph Collard, a native of Ireland, came to America prior to th e war for independence. In the year 1805 he removed from Kentucky to Missour i and resided for a short time in Franklin county. His death occurred in L incoln county. (Portrait and Biographical Record of St. Charles, Lincoln, a nd Warren counties, Missouri, pp 565-567) Lindley's records reveal that a Collard family from Ulster, Nort h Ireland, was among the many Scotch-Irish immigrant families who settled in wha t is now Rockbridge county (then a part of Augusta County) Virginia, on land g rants made to Irish John Lewis. The settlement of these grants began in 1737.) (Thompson, History of Pike county, Illinois chap 163) Families which settled in vicinity of Troy before War of 1812, w ere (among others) Elijah Collard and his father, Joseph Collard. (Illustrate d Historical Atlas of Lincoln co., Mo., Edwards Brothers, Phila, 1878 page 10.) In the war of 1812, the settlers in the fort at Troy included El ijah Collard and his father, Joseph Collard. John Hunter lived on the Cui vre river. (Lincoln county Herald, Troy, Missouri newspaper 23 Feb 1876)
Abigail married Isaac Hatfield.
The Illustrated Historical Atlas of Lincoln county, Missouri (Ed wards Brothers, Phila, 1878) states on page 11 that the first grand jury o f Lincoln county in 1819 included Elijah Collard. On page 12 it states that the assessment list of 1821 includes Elijah Collard. Elijah Collard's older children were born in Kentucky. Shortl y after the birth of the fourth child, J. S. Collard, the family left Kentucky an d came to the "District of Louisiana", now Missouri, locating on the Cuivre riv er, which empties into the Mississippi opposite Point Precinct in lower Calhou n county, Illinois. There the other children of Elijah Collard's were born. A fter the birth of the last child, the Elijah Collard family emigrated to the t hen Mexican province of Texas and settled on Ware League, Montgomery coun ty, moving later to Gourd Creek, where Elijah Collard died and is buried. He di ed of what was then known as winter fever, probably pneumonia. The Collard sett lement was prior to the Texas war for independence. Four of Elijah Collard's sons, John Stark, Lemuel, Job, and Jame s Harrison Collard, obtained large land grants from the Mexican government in th e Texas province. John S. and James H. were both land surveyors. Stephen F . Austin, founder of the first colony of Texas, was settling the country on th e old land grants, and these two Collard brothers engaged in the buying an d selling of land all over the state of Texas. James H. Collard was also a Met hodist preacher and conducted protracted and camp meetings in the early colo nies throughout Texas. The four Collard brothers named above participate d in the Texas war of independence under General Sam Houston. W. E. Collard, son of James H. and grandson of Elijah of the Mi ssouri border, served for years in the supreme court of civil appeals for Te xas and became so eminent as a jurist that his decisions are still widely quo ted in the Lone Star. Mary Collard, second of Elijah's children, married John T olbert. They went to Texas with the other Collards. He died there, leavin g a large family. Mary married again to Samuel Lindley. Mary Stark had three brothers, Jesse, Jonathan and Job, and on e sister. (Thompson, History of Pike county, Illinois, chapter 162) Elijah Collard lived on Cuivre River in Lincoln county, Missour i near where the town of Troy now stands and he and his family were frequent ly forced into the "block houses" at Wood's Fort. Many pre-revolutionary German and Irish settlers received grant s of land on what was called the King's bounty; that is emigrants obtained boun ty warrants (if I recollect right) of 100 acres for the head of a famil y and 50 acres for each child. These were also often called head rights. Eli jah Collard had a head right on the San Jacinto River below Willis, Texas , although he never lived on it. (Letter from Dr. Jonathan R. Collard of Salem , Oregon) Elijah Collard and his family were living in Lincoln county, Mis souri in 1830. Their household included the family as shown on the family gro up together with two females age 10 to 15. (U. S. census of 1830) Elijah Collard was a captain in the third regiment of St. Charle s county, Missouri, in the War of 1812. (Mo. 27, 3:103) Elijah Collard came from Kentucky to Lincoln county. He was a r anger in the War of 1812. He went to Texas. (Illustrated Historical Atlas o f Lincoln county, MO., Edwards Brothers, Phila, 1878 page 13) In War of 1812, ssettlers in the fort at Troy included Elijah Co llard and his father, Joseph Collard. (Lincoln county Herald, Troy newspaper , 23 Feb 1876) Elijah Collard Senior resided in Christian county, Kentucky wher e Jonathan was born; emigrated from there to Lincoln county, MIssouri, where al l the younger children were born (Joseph, Lemuel, Job, James, Eliza H., Eli jah Jr., and Emily), thence to Montgomery county, Texas. His headright leagu e is on San Jacinto River below Willis, though he never lived on it. He first se ttled, on coming to Texas, on Ware League, about old Woodson place--did not liv e there long--moved on Gourd Creek and is buried there. He died of what wa s called mountain fever, evidently pneumonia. Joseph died in infancy. Margaret (This should be Mary.-- J. R. Gillis) Collard I never saw. She died in Missouri. Her posterity, both girls named Green, came to Texas . These girls were left orphans and wards of our father (Jonathan) before he ever m arried. They were 12 or 14 years of age and father went over land from Texa s to Missouri after them in 1840. One of the girls married Nelson Lindley , son of old Joe Lindley, and the other married Anthony Gibson. Mary (This should be Margaret.-- J. R. G.) Collard, daughter of Elijah Sr., married first to John Tolbert. Tolbert and family cam e to Texas with the Collards. Tolbert died, leaving a large family. Mar y married a second time to Samuel Lindley. Eliza Collard married Jacob Shepherd . Eveline Collard married Wiley Dunn. Emily Collard married William Whitley . (extracts from a letter to Dr. Felix R. Collard Jr., from his father in 1904 . Felix R. Collard Sr. was the son of Jonathan Stark Collard and Nancy Reding.)
Charles Collard, third child of the first Joseph, was a Baptis t minister who preached in the log abodes of the settlers and in the pioneer hou ses of worship in old St. Charles county, Missouri. He died in Missouri an d is buried there. (Thompson, History of Pike County, Illinois, chapter 162. Charles Collard also had children of his own, Margaret Collard , who married John Buckaloo (son of Eliab), in Pike county, Oct 26, 1834, a nd Mary Collard, who married Freeland W. Rose, in Lincoln county, Missouri o n July 14, 1831, with her uncle, Elijah Collard, an upper Cuivre township Justic e of the Peace, officiating. John Buckaloo and his wife settled adjacent to t he early Lewis, Galloway and Barnett settlement in Pleasant Hill township (i n Pike county, Illinois). (Ibid, chapter 164) Other sources of information on this family are (1) Pike county , Illinois courthouse records, (2) Salt Lake library Ky Pub A 24:245, (3) Goodsp eed, History of Lincoln county, Mo. page 478.
Information on the John Collard family obtained from (1) lette r from M. Van Valin 6 April 1945, (2) letter from Evelyn Collard Fidelle 17 Ap r 1945 and 26 April 1945 where she quoted Collard family Bible and family record s and (3) U. S. census of 1810 for Kentucky. Lydia Cannon's first husband was John Collard, whom she marrie d prior to the Missouri settlement. They established their home in Christian co unty, Kentucky. By this first marriage there were four children, namely, F elix Alver, Isaphena, Rachel and John Jasper Collard. John Collard (the father ) died in 1818. John Jasper, later a county clerk of Pike county, was then a b aby 1 year of age, and Felix Alver, the eldest child, was only 8. Lydia Cannon, following the death of her first husband, John Col lard, married his brother, Isaac Newton Collard, by whom there was a son, J ohn Collard, who was a soldier in the Civil war. Isaac Newton Collard li ved but a short time following his marriage to his brother's widow, his death o ccurring in 1822. His widow then married Isaac Thurman and by this marriage t here were several children, among them Ephraim, Elijah C., George W. and Kesia h (Kizzie) Thurman, the latter of whom married Samuel Hardin Lewis, Jr., eldes t son of Samuel H. and Mary Barnett. (Thompson, History of Pike county, chapte r 161) John Collard, fourth child and third son of the first Joseph, was born (probably in Virginia) April 22, 1784. He married, in Kentuck y (probably Christian county) Miss Lydia Cannon, a daughter of James and Rachel S tark Cannon. Their marriage was in 1809. (This is false, Christian count y marriage records show 1806-- J. R. Gillis) He removed with his family to Miss ouri Territory late in 1817 or early in 1818, shortly after the birth o f a fourth child, John J. Collard, who became a Pike county school teacher and c lerk of the county court. John Collard was killed in an accident soon afte r he settled in Missouri Territory. His death occurred on Jun 18, 1818 . He died of injuries sustained when a team of horses ran away, throwing him fro m the wagon. His will is of record in the court house at Troy, Missouri. (Thompso n, History of Pike county, chap 163, page 467)
Information on this family and the data in the following paragra phs were taken from (1) family Bible of Joseph Collard and Mary Null, (2) Thom pson, Jess, History of Pike county, Illinois, chap 193, (3) correspondenc e with Jennie Brant Yocum of Pleasant Hill in 1946, (4) Pike county marriag e records 1:91, 1:93, (5) U. S. census of 1830, Lincoln county, Missouri (6) Go odspeed, History of Lincoln county, Missouri, (7) National Archives, Washingto n, D.C. files on War of 1812, obtained in person. Joseph Collard received $1.01 1/4 for service in Capt. James Cal loway's mounted riflemen in the War of 1812. He was mustered 29 April 1813 a nd discharged 18 May 1813. Joseph was also in the Black Hawk War, fough t in 1831 and 1832; he enlisted in April 1832. The Kentucky land grants sho w a Joseph Collard settling in Grayson county, Kentucky in 1818. Joseph Collar d and his family were in Lincoln county, Missouri in the census of 1830. He an d his wife are listed with six children. In the 1850 census of Pike county, Ill inois, we find Joseph's widow, Mary Null Collard, living with her oldest son, J ohn Newton Collard. The Lincoln county Herald newspaper 16 Feb 1876 states: Jacob N ull settled in St. Charles county in 1808. In autumn of 1809 he came t o Lincoln county. The Herald of 15 Mar 1876 states: Joe Collard fought Indian s in 1814, defending a keelboat against them. This occurred in Missouri.
He married Mrs Joseph Collard Abt 1775 at of Kentucky, United States . Mrs Joseph Collard was born at of Kentucky, United States Abt 1758 .
They were the parents of 10
children:
Abigail Collard
born 28 Oct 1776.
Elijah Collard
born 3 Nov 1778.
Charles Collard
born 30 Nov 1781.
John Collard
born 22 Apr 1784.
Margaret Collard
born 24 Jul 1786.
Lewis Collard
born Abt 1788.
Isaac Newton Collard
born Abt 1791.
Joseph Collard
born 29 Aug 1794.
James Collard
born 9 Aug 1796.
Mary Collard
born 14 Nov 1799.
Joseph Collard died 1812 at Woods Fort, Troy, Lincoln, Missouri, United States .