Collier Family Papers
The following letters were written by James Gautney Collier to his wife and family. Apparently Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier, (his second wife), saved most or all the letters he wrote to her while away from home. Some of them were given to this writer by Herman Raschke, husband of "Myrtie" (Horn) Raschke, in 1982. Some were discovered in a trunk belonging to Maggie Horn Yancey, granddaughter of Capt. Collier (as he was always referred to after the Civil War) and this writers grandmother. They were discovered after the death of Maggie's husband, Dorris Clifford Yancey, Sr. , in March of 1984. Some of the earliest letters date back into the 1830's & 1840's, which means that they made the wagon train trip from Georgia to Texas.
The papers and letters that were contained in a tin box that had been in the possession of Myrtie (Horn) Raschke included deeds, survey notes, letters, a copy of a 1883 newspaper...the Woodville Eureka (now on display at the Heritage Village in Woodville) a five dollar bank note dated June 14, 1852, pictures, receipts, account records, etc.
The trunks belonging to Maggie (Horn) Yancey contained a variety of clothes, material, thread, buttons, paper patterns, pictures (most of which had been destroyed by silverfish), letters, books (silverfish eaten), personal items, etc. Both of the above women were daughters of William Henry Horn and Johnnie Ann (Collier) Horn, and were grand-daughters of James Gautney Collier.
Remember, they must have been important enough to Elizabeth Stewart Collier, that she saved them and even made room for them on the wagon coming to Texas. Others were written when J. G. Collier made a trip to Tuxpan, Mexico. Still others are styled "Camp Collier, Sabine Pass, Texas" and written during the Civil War.
The letters are now in the possession of several family members. There are several I still don't have copies of, but hope to complete the entire set soon. I am in the process of trying to identify every name mentioned in these letters. If you have information on anyone mentioned, or have letters connecting to this family, please let me know by E-Mail.
Letter Written By |
Written To |
Date & Place of Origin | Scan |
| James Gautney Collier | Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier | 25 Jun 1848 Macon, Ga | |
| James Gautney Collier | Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier | 4 Jul 1848 Indian Springs, Ga | |
| James Gautney Collier | Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier | 18 Sep 1856 Huntsville, Tx | |
| James Gautney Collier | Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier | 3 Nov 1857 Austin, Tx |
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| James Gautney Collier | Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier | 8 Nov 1857 Austin, Tx | |
| James Gautney Collier | Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier | 29 Nov 1857 Austin, Tx | |
| James Gautney Collier | Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier | 6 Dec 1857 Austin, Tx | |
| James Gautney Collier | Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier | 24 Jan 1858 Austin, Tx | |
| James Gautney Collier | Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier | 2 Feb 1858 Austin, Tx | |
| James Gautney Collier | Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier | 7 Feb 1858 Austin, Tx | |
| James Gautney Collier | Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier | 25 Apr 1859 Blakely, Ga | |
| James Gautney Collier | Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier | 9 May 1859 Oak Hill, Ga | |
| Capt. James Gautney Collier | Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier | 13 Dec 1861 Sabine Pass, Tx | |
| Capt. James Gautney Collier | Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier | 16 Dec 1861 (?Sabine Pass, Tx) | |
| Capt. James Gautney Collier | Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier | 2 Jan 1862 Sabine Pass, Tx | |
| Capt. James Gautney Collier | Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier | 23 Feb 1862 Sabine Pass, Tx | |
| Capt. James Gautney Collier | Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier | 9 Mar 1862 Sabine Pass, Tx | |
| Capt. James Gautney Collier | Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier | 30 Mar 1862 Sabine Pass, Tx | |
| Capt. James Gautney Collier | Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier | 9 Jun 1862 ?Sabine Pass, Tx | |
| Capt. James Gautney Collier | Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier | 25 Feb 1862 Sabine Pass, Tx | |
| James Gautney Collier | Charles Bruce Collier (son) | 16 Feb 1868 Galveston, Tx | |
| James Gautney Collier | Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier | 22 Feb 1868 Galveston, Tx | |
| James Gautney Collier | Elizabeth Wynn (Stewart) Collier | 5 Mar 1868 Tuxpan, Mexico | |
| James Gautney Collier | Charles Bruce Collier | 5 Mar 1868 Tuxpan, Mexico | |
Some of these letters along with a partial Family History were published in Yellowed Pages, the quarterly of the SouthEast Texas Genealogical & Historical Society. The letters, along with the history was printed in two parts: Vol.18, #4, Winter 1988 (Elizabeth Stewart Collier's picture is on the cover) & Vol.19, #1, Spring 1989 (Captain James Gautney Collier's picture is on the cover). See S.E.T.G.& H.S. for ordering information. When ordering reference materials from a group or society, that you seen & heard about on the World Wide Web, please note that fact when you place any order. I makes for better relationships between the electronic and paper communities.
Here is a sample of one of the letters in the collection.
Click on thumbnail to view.
Printing Press Last Used: August 2, 2003
Collier Family