Collins in Orange Co., NC

[NAgal]

I have a Rachel Collins born 1755 in Orange Co., NC she married Uriah Paulk and moved to Union Co., SC where she died after giving birth to William born 1781, Elizabeth, Anna and Joshua.

Anybody with their Collins'es think she might be part of theirs?

Thanks for any help.

[Dreaminghawk]

NAGal welcome
I am currently working on the Norris family of Person/Orange/Caswell cos, NC. Does your Norris line have ties to this area? You can start a new thread on Norris, if you wish.

[NAgal]

Not that I know of, mine land in cental Ohio around the Columbus area from Canada in the early 1800's they are:

Clarence Norris b 1886 d 1946 Ohio (my grandfather)
Isaac Norris b 1846 d 1916 Ohio
Joseph Norris b 1822 Canada

[NAgal]

Well I continue to read thru all the posts, lots of great info that still leads me to belive my Rachel Collins born in Orange Co, NC in 1755 is of Saponi decent but still can't connect her to any of your families.

Sigh it's the story of my searches close but no cigar...LOL.

I've had ethnology DNA testing done because my ndn ancestry jumps the sex line and it comes out at 1/4 ndn.

Each suspect in my genealogy seems to just fall of the face of the earth. LOL.

I have a Lewis Wadkins born in NC 1817 who moves to Talbot Co, GA and marries an Elizabeth Hales, I can't find anything on Lewis or his parents in NC.
Nancy Martin born 1834 in GA with unknown parents born in NC and of course my really big one my gr grandfather Charles Howard Rowell born 1871 supposidly in GA however, no proof has ever been found, he was born out of wedlock and his mother even on her death bed would not name his real father she was extreamly secretive about who it was. The Rowell surname was supposidly "barrowed". Our family has been working on this for over 30 years on and off. My first coz married into the LDS faith so his wife and then their children have done searches and we all come up against the same mystries. I'm not willing to give up, after years of looking coming across this site and finding out that my Rachel Collins in all probability was of Saponi heritage is at least something!

Ok sorry for the rant back to regular posting now:o

[Greydove]

Hi NAgal and welcome~It's ok that you feel the way you do as I think most all that come here to Saponitown have similar feelings and stories. I know how frustrating it can be when you are looking for Native info and can't find concrete recds, but as you know those are few and far between. Just listen to your heart and what your Elders have passed down and with all the searches going on something, sometime will turn up. I also have Martin and it is a brickwall. Actually, I have 2 Martin lines. Anyway, you came to the right place to learn of possible connections~~Blessings:D Greydove

[Dreaminghawk]

NAgal,
Just playing a hunch, and knowing how these mixed lines have surnames that get twisted around..... I would search for Lewis to connect to NC Adkins families and Rowell could very well be Sowell/Sorrell starting out in VA. There are more mixed lines of Martin in NC and VA than you can shake a dancestick at so don't know what to suggest in that case.

[NAgal]

Thanks so much, my Lewis Wadkins born in 1817 NC somewhere is a bit of a problem as I've been unable to uncover any documentation as to who his parents are so until I do, I'm stuck. I did call the Talbot Co. Probate office today to see if the marrige license would have listed parents or witnesses but nope. His wife's name was Elizabeth Hales and she was born in GA but I've not been able to ID her parent either.

My Rowell line is suspicious as we aren't even sure if that was his father's surname. It's an open family secret that it might have been "made up" or borrowed. His mother Martha Ann Wadkins virtually disapears off the census records from 1860 where she is found living with her parents in Harris Co., GA until 1900 when she is married to a Robert Adams and living in Muscogee Co., GA :confused: Her son Charles dosen't appear on the 1880 census under that name and by 1900 he's married and living in Pratt City, AL and then moves to Memphis, TN where he resides for the rest of his life. Through out her life Martha was extremely secretive about her ancestors and her son Charles's. As we all know living in the southeast with indian blood was a no-no even though it has been proven that there were plenty who did. I'm sure the key to all of this will be Martha Ann and where she was in 1870-71, so many were not on the census records during that time and she might have been out west where no records were taken.

Nancy Martin born 1834 somewhere in GA I think and on some census records she lists her mother name unknown as being born in NC and then sometimes GA:confused: Her name is so common until I can ID her parents names, I'm stuck. I do have sibs names and some of their birth year dates but so far not much luck, it appears Nancy would have been the eldest living child.

I believe that all of these family's were of mixed blood as Nancy re-marries a man listed as 'mulatto' after her first hubby dies in the war who was listed as "swarthy" skin and grey eyes (he was Lewis Wadkins Jr.). During that time frame no white woman (even tho she's listed as white) would ever marry a person of color. So I'm sure she knew she had indian blood and most probably so did her daughter Martha Ann who had an indian baby out of wedlock

[cherosage]

For your Elizabeth Hale, you may want to go to the Hale Family Forum. I have Hale family, one of my GGrandmas was a Hale here in MO.

[NAgal]

Thanks, I'll try it!

[sammarroq]

Well I continue to read thru all the posts, lots of great info that still leads me to belive my Rachel Collins born in Orange Co, NC in 1755 is of Saponi decent but still can't connect her to any of your families.

My Martin Gibson was b. Orange, NC 1776...Gibson and Collins familes intermarried and made the trip west together...this has helped me in tracing my Gibson's. These Collins/Gibson's went West along the NC/VA border, into TN (where some stayed) and others went on into KY, Eastern VA, WV, OH, IN etc...


I will take a look around, if she is a Saponi Collins, there are bound to be other familiar Saponi names there as well:)

Shirley

[NAgal]

Thanks so much!

I've spent most of today going thru the 1870 and 1880 census records. After Nancy Martin remarried a Wilson Culberson/Culverson some of her "Wadkins" children were farmed out to other Wadkins family members, but by that time Martha Ann would have been around 16 years of age so she might have struck out on her own. I was hoping to find her with one of the Wadkins or Martins families but noooo luck.

[sammarroq]

Another thought...you might want to check out http://www.freeafricanamericans.com/. Some of this group of Collins stayed in NC and went West, others went South to SC, GA...

[NAgal]

Thanks I will, but according to my DNA test I have no sub-saharan blood.

[sammarroq]

Thanks I will, but according to my DNA test I have no sub-saharan blood.

Those listed in Heinigg's books are not necessarily of African descent, it is just how they were enumerated in census, tax lists etc...if you were not white, you were listed as Black, Colored, Free Person of Color, Mulatto, or Indian (the last one I have only seen on rare occasion, outside the reservation). My Gibson's for example were enumerated as Mulatto and free Person of Color...There are others here who know more on Heinigg's work, maybe they will chime in??

[Dreaminghawk]

some possible leads from Land Grant Records of Orange Co, NC by Pat Shaw Bailey...... Land grants to Thomas (1761), Bruce (1783), Dennis (1755), James (1756), John (1784) and Enoch Collins (8 heirs 1821)

[NAgal]

Thanks would those land grants list decendents???

[Dreaminghawk]

Land Grants would not list descendents. You would need to look at wills and/or estate settlements for that info.

[NAgal]

Thanks for the land grant info but I couldn't find anything in my timeframe of 1755 when Rachel was born until 1777.

[NAgal]

Well I just heard back from Pris Robertson her email is listed in one of the fourms here on Collins and that she has lots of data on them.

Anyway, apparently my Rachel Collins born in 1755 is not in their system. I don't know if this is good or bad but very typical of my searches...I can only get so far and boom brick wall. Back to the drawing board...LOL