(002) AFTER THE BRANCH – Comes the Leaves

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My Paternal Family History

(6 Feb 2012 – My Family Tree has many branches and many leaves. Below is a brief history of my paternal grandparents. 

LOVE MY FAMILY!  Dorothy Hazel Tarr)

My paternal third Great Grandparents--

In 1850 my paternal third Great Grandfather Jesse Rueben Cotton (1785 Harrison County, Kentucky – 1862 Clay County, Kentucky) was a farmer and head of a large household with his wife Jane Griffin Cotton (1792 Virginia, which was later renamed Kentucky – 1873 Clay County, Kentucky).  On the 1850 US Federal Census, the Family's Ethnicity was recorded as:  Mulatto (freed slave).

In 1850, Jesse owned his own land and farm in Clay County, Kentucky, which was valued then at $400.  Jesse could both read and write, but Jane could not.  Jesse and Jane married about 1810 in Manchester, Clay County, Kentucky and had 15 children.  Jesse was seven years older than his wife Jane, and died eleven years before her death.

The Jesse Rueben Cotton extended Family lived in the same place in Clay County, Kentucky, from about 1830 – 1880s.  The extended family grew and prospered, and in 1860, owned combined land valued then at over $2,000 with combined personal property valued then at over $500.  The Cotton Family stayed with the land and their sons and daughters lived together in the same residence or next door to each other from about 1830s to about 1880s. (Just a historical note:  The American Civil War occurred 1861-1865.  And, The Jesse Reuben Cotton family were listed as freed slaves in the 1850 Census – before the War.)

Many of the neighboring farms and residents were also freed slaves and faced challenges only we know today by reading about them in Library Archives or Family Diaries.  Through the years, the family married interracially blending in Native American and other ethnicity and cultures.

My paternal second Great Grandparents--

I am a direct descendant of Jesse and Jane's sixth child, Martha Ann Cotton Collins (my paternal Second Great Grandmother).  On 24 Jul 839, Martha Ann (1817 Clay County, KY – 1898 Clay County, KY) married James Collins (1814 Tennessee – 1885 Clay County, KY).  Martha and James had 15 children, and their tenth child was Morgan Daniel Collins (1854 KY – 1934 OK). 

My paternal first Great Grandparents--

On 19 May 1880, Morgan Daniel Collins (my paternal first Great Grandfather) married Sarah Jane Day Collins (1866 KY – 1947 OK) and they had nine children.  My BELOVED paternal grandmother Emma Sarah Collins Eslick Tarr Radar (1898-1980) was their seventh child.  Emma Sarah is my father's mother; my father James Thomas Tarr is still living (as of today) at age 92 in Fresno, Calfiornia.  Love you Gram Emma and miss you every day!.

Below are some of THE COLLINS FAMILY beloved and favorite photos.

Here are some of the things you may learn from the narrative, photos, and captions:

- the Family groups were large,

- they were farmers,

- they were musically inclined,

- they were connected to law enforcement,

- they were in Oklahoma when it was known as Indian Territory,

- they lived in Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Oklahoma,

- they were owners and managers of a Mercantile, Grocery, Cafe,

- they were married to their spouses until their deaths,

- they survived the US American Civil War, WW I, and WW II,

- they survived the cultural differences and challenges of interracially blended groups,

- and, they thrived and left a rich legacy and family history for future generations.

LOVE MY FAMILY! [dht]

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[Family Photo:  The Morgan Daniel Collins Family. Photo taken about 1908 Indian Territory (later called Oklahoma).]

 (This photo version is without James Elbert Collins' wife Della standing next to him;  Della Faye Carter Collins (1890-1974) was a favorite in the Family for her GREAT PIES!).   This photo was taken on the SAME day as THE COLLINS FAMILY BAND photo below, as you may notice the family members are still in the same clothes and with same hairstyles as that photo!]

R-to-L in photo are:

Morgan Daniel Collins   (1854-1934) {my BELOVED paternal First Great Grandfather},

Sarah Jane Day Collins (1866-1947) {my BELOVED paternal First Great Grandmother},

James Elbert Collins       (1884-1940),

Morgan Glover Collins  (1886-1895 {deceased and NOT in photo}),

William Silas "Willy" Collins (1888-1965),

Nan Anna Belle Collins Rutherford (1890-1969),

Robert Gaither Collins   (1892-1936),

John Daniel Collins       (1896-1947),

Emma Sarah Collins Eslick Tarr Radar (1898-1980) {my BELOVED paternal Gram},

Georgia Ann Collins Bruce (1901-1979 holding her dolly in her right hand,

Budley Lee Collins             (1903-1972).

[In photo:  This is my Paternal First Great Grandfather MORGAN DANIEL COLLINS, about 1874 in Fort Smith, Arkansas (called Indian Territory then).]

This is a hand drawn portrait by some unknown artist or family member.  He is about age 20 in this vintage portrait and holding a SIX GUN in his right hand.  It is said within the family that he was a US MARSHALL in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

[In photo:  This vintage photo is referred to within the family as THE COLLINS FAMILY BAND photo and was taken about 1908 Indian Territory (later called Sapulpa, Oklahoma).]  

R-to-L in photo are:  

On banjo JOHN DANIEL, on violin WILLY SILAS, on clarinet JAMES ELBERT, on organ ANNA BELLE, on guitar ROBERT GAITHER, standing are GEORGIA ANN, EMMA SARAH (the taller female child), then BUDLEY LEE.

DID you notice the hairstyles of the guys (chuckles)!  Their hair is parted in the middle and combed to each side! LUV you guys! Wish I could have heard you play that day! 

LOOK CLOSELY in the enlarged and cropped version of the BAND group photo FOR A SURPRISE FACE -- My Great Gram's face (Sarah Jane Day Collins) is in the mirror reflection near the top right side of the organ.  I found her when I enlarged this photo, and was so excited!  So, I enlarged it so she could be seen more clearly; so look closely for her sweet face over the right shoulder of James Elbert who is on the clarinet.
 
Hi there, GREAT GRAM SARAH JANE!!!!   
LOVE YOU,  GREAT GRAM!!

[In photo:  This vintage photo is referred to within the family as THE COLLINS FAMILY STORE photo, and was taken about 1914 in Sapulpa, Oklahoma.]

R-to-L in photo are:

Morgan Daniel Collins   (1854-1934) {my BELOVED paternal First Great Grandfather},

Sarah Jane Day Collins (1866-1947) {my BELOVED paternal First Great Grandmother},

On the left side of the photo and behind the counter standing is my Paternal Gram EMMA SARAH (age about 16).  The male customer sitting at the counter is unknown; also unknown is the small male child next to Gram Emma Sarah. 

NOTICE the potbellied stove in the middle of the photo and all the sundry goods hanging on the walls and from ceiling.  When I enlarged this photo, I discovered some VERY interesting items for sale. ENJOY this Family photo that is almost 100 YEARS OLD !!!

[In Photo:   Grave Site Marker for Sarah Jane Day Collins and Morgan Daniel Collins, in Collins Family Plot in Seminole, Oklahoma.]

Donald Morgan Tarr (my father's younger brother) is shown in this photo and his wife Lena Fay Tarr took this photo about 1986.  Uncle Donald and Aunt Fay traveled around the many areas where the Family lived, and took lots of photos and even visited some living descendants.  Uncle Donald shares my interest in our Family History and Stories and has written many poems highlighting our Family Doings.

[In Photo:  Cover page of Morgan Daniel Collins Family Bible.]

 In 1912, this Christian Bible was given to Sarah Jane Day Collins by her daughter Emma Sarah Collins (my Paternal Grandmother).  However, the Bible was destroyed in a rainstorm in 1947 in Seminole, Oklahoma, and only this cover page and a few other pages remain.

I HOPE you enjoyed visiting our Family! 

LOVE MY FAMILY! [dht]

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