Re: Collins or Coffman?
MATHENEYCOLLINS OR COFFMAN
Posted By: Tonja (email) In Response To: Re: Collins or Coffman? (Jim Stuber)
Date: 3/3/2009 at 20:37:34
Rebecca Collins was married to Johnson Matheney (24 Nov 1878) and by him had several children. Johnson died 22 Jun 1897 (not 1997 as shown in one email in this thread) and Rebecca married a second time to Halic/Halick L. Griswold. They did not have children together. Rebecca's mother, Matilda Collins, married at least once (perhaps twice, but I can find no record of a marriage to anyone who fathered her children). She married Aaron Davis after her children were grown. Matilda died in Kirksville, Adair, Missouri in 1918 and Aaron followed her in death in 1920. Aaron was apparently senile at the time of his death and I find no record of any family coming to claim his body at his death. I have copies of Matilda and Aaron's death certificates.
Although her obituary states that Matilda's marriage to Aaron Davis was her second marriage, there is no mention of the name of her supposed first husband. I would be MOST eager to learn of such a man as it has posed quite a perplexing search for "the" man in her life as to fathering her children.
It appears from the census that Matilda's mother was Mary Collins. Matilda's death certificate lists mother as Mary Reed and father as Jesse Collins. Whether Jesse Collins in her father or not is still not proven (by my research).
Various census show that Mary Collins and her children: Matilda, Reuben, Loyd, Calaska, and Spencer, are Mulattos. At the time these census were taken, there was no category for Indian. Other census show them as Black. So, whether they were American Indian, African American, or Mulatto, I still do not know.
There are also family theories about how Matilda's children came about -- various theories do not matter to me, I just want facts as they can be proven. I really would like to locate Matilda's brothers but, except for Spencer in one later census, I cannot find the brothers.
Any information or questions are welcomed.
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