Three Immigrant Brothers – William, Daniel, John Collier

Some time before the American Revolution William. Daniel and John Collier came to New York from England. The brothers went separate ways in New York.

Daniel remained in New York. At some point, Daniel and his ship and crew were lost. He was never heard from again.

William I went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

John went first to Virginia and then to North Carolina. In Ohio, there are a considerable number of Colliers who trace their descent from John Collier of North Carolina. (About the time Samuel Collier I died, four of his children moved to Ohio.)

William Collier I: married a French woman, name unknown, who came to America about the time Lafayette came over during the American Revolution. They had four children: William II, Daniel, Elizabeth and Mary. The children were all born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After William died, his wife moved to Reading, PA where she engaged in a millinery business. Elizabeth married Jesse Smith who was a silversmith. Mary married George Sieber who was a hatter.William Collier II: married Elizabeth Heckman who was from Germany. Her father was Mathias Heckman. They married in Hagerstown, Maryland. William was a hatter. He and Elizabeth had eleven children. The children were: William III, Joseph, Mathias, Daniel, Richard, John, George, Mary, Elizabeth, Rebecca and Catherine. John Collier: It is believed John went to Virginia and then to North Carolina. There is a John Collier who owned land about 1738. There is also a Mathias Collier who married Margaret, unknown. (This may have been William’s son. I have been unable to document him.) The North Carolina Colliers possibly come from this line. The exact connection is unknown.

Part of the North Carolina Colliers moved to Ohio where they have traced their ancestry to North Carolina. This John may have been the father of Samuel Collier; however, no direct connection has been made–nor with that of Zachariah Collier. Samuel’s children (4) moved to Ohio where there were already Colliers living.There are several books written on the subject.

Although the three brothers immigrated from England, they are believed to be Scotch-Irish. My sources indicated that they are Scotch-Irish-Welch. It is believed that Samuel’s son Zachariah Pike Collier and his son Zachariah were born in Perth, Scotland. However, Samuel is believed to have been born in America. The Collier Family would be part of the Clan Donnachaidh (pronounced ‘Don-a-ke’) of Scotland. Collier is a Sept of the Clan and would be part of the Robertson Clan which is in turn part of the Clan Donnachaidh.Sources and Notes: Ancestry.com, History of Tuscarawas County OhioDeed Book 8, page 775, Dec. 7, 1738, John Collier of the Province of NC, Bertie Precinct sold 100 acres of land to Henry Berry. This land was willed to John by Joseph Collier, father.Mathias Collier, witness, signed a will for Peter Rieussett in 1734. Source NC Wills and Inventories.Cornelius Collier, will dated September 6, 1741 proved December 8, 1741 in Beaufort County. Source: Abstract of Wills, 1690-1760.

Posted 04 Aug 2009 by MarianCBush

Electric Scotland.com

Posted 08 Aug 2009 by MarianCBush

The following information is being included in the family history. Eventually, it may help someone find the immigrant ancestor. The information about the three brothers has information that appears to contain some of the verbal history passed down to different Colliers in our family tree. Verbal information gets changed over the years since people only remember a portion of the story. It is the John Collier with the brothers, Daniel and William, that I have been chasing for several years. I simply have not been able to find the connecting link. The information contains some element from every story a family member has shared: more than one brother, one brother disappeared, Scot ancestry, coming from New England, arriving before the American Revolution.

Early in the history of this country three brothers, Daniel, William and John Collier emigrated from England. They appear to be of Scotch-Irish ancestry (ancestry.com “Combination Atlas Map of Tuscarawas County, Ohio). This was sometime before the Revolutionary War. They landed in New York and there went separate ways. William went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with sons who went to Maryland. Daniel remained in New York. At some point in time he, his ship and crew were lost at sea never to be heard from again. John eventually went south to Virginia and North Carolina. His son drove cattle to North Carolina and Virginia. According to Leroy Collier’s book, in 1738 he owned land in North Carolina.

At their separation in New York the brothers lost a definite trace of each other and up to the present time, the families have not been able to make a satisfactory connection of the links of their genealogy.

In Clark County, Ohio there is a considerable community of Colliers who trace their descent from John Collier of North Carolina.

It is still unknown how Zachariah Collier (I) ties into the family tree. He was a servant in England when arrested for theft and transported to Virginia. He was living with his mother. However, he does appear to be connected. He was in North Carolina along with some other Colliers early in the 1700’s. Zachariah Pike Collier, son of Samuel Collier (2) may have been born in Perth, Scotland. Zachariah Pike Collier’s son may also have been born in Perth, Scotland. Samuel was not. This information was found in an interview done by Jason Brady with Zenobia Newstadt in Ancestry of Aleah Michelle Brady. I have contacted Jason for more information.

For additional information on the three brother who immigrated, see at Ancestry.com, Combination atlas map of Tuscarawas County, Ohio. This gives more information on the William Collier line who eventually migrates to Maryland. His son, William, has a son Mathias. There is another Mathias in NC in the early 1700’s married to Margaret Swann.

In Jordan and Hadden’s book, Genealogies and Personal History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania, a John Collier of Pennsylvania, settled in Surrey County, VA before 1668; however a John Collier in 1676 is Commander of the Delaware River and Bay (History of Chester County, PA). A John Collier is in North Carolina by 1738. Ancestry.com has a letter written to his father, James, in Pennsylvania regarding the terrible conditions of the American Revolution (Letter from Col. John Collier-1782). In the Clan Rutherford history of the Scotch-Irish in America, it puts John Collier of Pennsylvania in North Carolina. Additional information is found in the Genealogical and Personal History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania. John and Cornelius were half-brothers (Ancestry of Francis Morgan). It is believed that John left North Carolina due to persecution by the Tories during the American Revolution and took his family to Tennessee where he died. John Jr. also lived in North Carolina at this time.

Other 1700 Collier’s in North Carolina found during the time of Zachariah (I) are Cornelius, William, Southworth, Seth, Robert, Joseph, Mathias, Drury. These Collier’s are living during the time of Zachariah (I). There are 15 Collier’s listed as heads of families at the first census of the United States, 1790. In other records, a few others are mentioned. In the Abstract of North Carolina Wills 1690-1760, Cornelius has a will dated September 6, 1741. Mathias is a witness to the will of Peter Riussett, Bath County, January 14, 1734. Drury is witness to a will in Montgomery County in 1781. In AGBI in 175_ a Collier is named who is a physician in North Carolina. Cotton Collier is witness to the will of John Croslen of Albemarle County, January 25, 1685. Magdalen Colley confirms will of Matthew Colley (Collier), April 16, 1699, in Albemarle County. Smith Colla (Collier) is witness to will of Timothy Cleare, November 10, 1724 in Perquimans County. Samuel Collier, born in Virginia died in Bertie County, North Carolina October 6, 1729. Robert Collier was a North Carolina taxpayer in 1742.

In the Dashiell Family Records of Maryland, the earliest reference to a Collier is Katherine Collier, born March 6, 1692 or 93. This ancestery includes a number of the Maryland and Virginia Colliers (William, immigrant). There is much written about William Collier’s family in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Willam married an unknown French woman about the time Lafayette came over during the Revolutionary War. He had William II, Daniel, Elizabeth and Mary. They were all born in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. William, a hatter, married Elizabeth Heckman of German ancestry. They had eleven children: William, Joseph, Mathias, Daniel, Richard, John, George, Mary, Elizabeth, Rebecca and Catherine. The family was poor and Mathias worked as a youth on a plantation with the slaves. He immigrated to Ohio and did quite well. Joseph, son of William, is the great grandfather of Hon. Frederick Hill Collier who had a town in Pennsylvania named after him and father of Rev. William Collier.

Since Collier was an occupational name, the family name may have been changed. Record keepers spelled the name the way they thought it should be spelled. There are some people named “Corrie” and we do have people in our family with that name. There was a ship master in the Cape Fear area. He was a Scot named, Samuel Corrie. Records were sparse, but he was recorded in 1765. As an example, on the Palmer side of my Collier line, Dna testing has proven that the Palmer name was Wilson at some point in time. The connection that I found with that was a Hugh de Palmer who was a pilgrim on the Third Crusade. The pilgrims were highly honored after their return from the Holy Land. They also came home with palm leaves. It may have given them more status to be called Palmer than Wilson.