James Collins Isle of Wight VA, US Colonies

The earliest known ancestor for which the tester feels confident in his genealogy data is James Collins, born around 1740 in Isle of Wight, VA, USA. While there is a possibility that James may have been a direct paternal line descendant of John Collins, Sheriff of Maidstone, Kent, England, the tester has only seen other people's family trees for sources and assumes they are not entirely reliable.

If John Collins of Maidstone is in fact the direct paternal line descendant, the line of ascendancy would go as follows:

James b.c. 1740 Isle of Wight VA
William b.c. 1720 Isle of Wight VA
James b. 1699 Caroline Cty VA
  Thomas b. 1647 Isle of Wight
   William b. 1612 Maidstone, Kent
    John Collins b. 1610 Maidstone
     Sheriff John Collins b. 1569 Maidstone

Note: This paternal lineage falls under R-FGC5494 > A7505. The DNA haplogroup conflicts with the results of another project member claiming Sheriff John Collins of Maidstone as a direct paternal line ancestor.

One way to resolve the data conflict is to trace out as many paternal lines of descent as possible and do Y DNA test sampling. While the solution sounds simple, it may not be possible to find qualifying descendants. Another avenue of investigation is English documents such as wills and probate records. They may mention descendants in the US colonies.

This Internet resource on the Collins family of Caroline Cty, VA shows ancestry from Maidstone, Kent: Internet Archives. It relies on Burke's Peerage. Presumably, John Burke, the author, researched those aforementioned English legal documents.

James Collins
b.c. 1740 Kingsale Swamp Isle of Wight d. 19 Dec 1818 Franklin (Bute) Cty, NC, USA m. Esther ? [additional info]
- James Collins
  b. 18 Oct 1758 Isle of Wight, VA, US Colonies d. 23 Dec 1838 Franklin Cty NC m. Temperance Vinson had daughters Sally (1793-?), Polly Collance (1793-1838), Patsy (1794-1839), Elizabeth (1799-1839), Sarah (1800-1853), Temperance (1805-); other sons David (1791-?), Jesse, Henry (?-1815), James (1803-1860), Durham (1784-1833), Willis (1786-1854), John C. (1790-1841), Wilson (1787-1875), Jones (1797-1889), George Washington (1809-1870), Elisha (1807-1872)
  - Peter Collins
    b.c. 1817 VA (conflicting info has him born 14 Jul 1790) m. Mary Thornton b. 1840 d. 1936 NC, USA m. Pattie E Collins b. 1865 NC had daughters Annie B (1890-?), son Oseola m. Amanda E Collins NFI
  - Holland Collins
    b. 17 Oct 1788 Franklin Co NC d. 1845 Giles Cty TN, USA m. Mary Catherine Edwards b. 1792 Edgecomb, NC, USA d. 1848 Marshall TN [additional info]
    - Thomas John Collins (magistrate)
      b. 1814 Middletown, Madison Cty, KY, USA d. 11 Feb 1884 New Albany, Floyd Cty, IN, USA m. Elizabeth F. Beach b. NC d. 1872 Floyd Cty IN [additional info] had son Walter (1882, died in infancy); daughters Myrtle, Sarrah (1880-?), Lenie
      - Walter Marion Collins
        b. 09 Oct 1885 Marshall Cty d. 24 Jan 1959 m. Maxie M Collins were parents to daughters L.J., M.P., Ethel (1883), Sallie (1885), Mattie (1898); sons F.Y., Infant (1874-1874)
        
        George Willard Collins
        b. 12 Nov 1915 Lewisburg, Marshall Cty TN d. 11 Dec 2007 Nashville TN m. Ruth had daughter Anne Corinne Slayton (1943-2000)
  - Henry Thomas Collins
    b. 18 Dec 1795 Sandy Creek, Franklin, NC d. 17 Sep 1860 Spring Place, Marshall Co, TN, USA
    m. firstly Nancy Elvira Cunningham b. 1821 Warren Cty TN d. 16 Oct 1861 Lewisburg TN [additional info]
    - Henry Lenoir Collins
      b. 28 Sep 1845 Marshall Cty TN d. 29 Aug 1917 Lewisburg TN m. Lucinda Francis Collins b. 1849 Giles TN d. 1932 Lewisburg had daughters Eula May Collins Ledford (1890-1970), Estell Collins Thompson (1883-1941), Ada Collins Cockrill (1870-1907)
      - Vollie Collins
        b. 19 Sep 1892 TN d. 02 Nov 1962 m. Era Roberts 1896-1979 TN has daughers Lillian Edna Collins Wakefield (1925-2016), Annie Ruth Collins Chapman (1918-1997), Sallie Emma, Hellen Doris Collins Gattis (1916-2002)
        
        Tilden Robert Collins
        b. 08 Apr 1922 d. 14 Aug 1922 TN m. private has living descendants
      - Grover Cleveland Collins
        b. 14 Oct 1888 Marshall Cty d. 10 Sep 1943 Lewisburg TN m. Jennie Ann Pfifer b. 1889 d. 1938 Lewisburg, had daughters Mary Ann (b.d. 1931), Mildred Collins Brown (1924-2015), additional sons James Edward (b.d. 1916), Algie Lee (1911-2004), Paul Lafayette (1920-1981), W. Howard (1922-2005), R.G. (1914-1981)
        
        Sam Charles Collins
        b. 21 Oct 1918 d. 10 Apr 2005 TN m. Edna Stinton have a living descendant
        
        Tester

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