Branscomb Genealogy - Barbara Elizabeth Branscomb

Branscomb/Branscum Genealogy

The Genealogy of
Richard Branscomb
of Brunswick County, Virginia,
and a Number of his Descendants

by Fred Tubbs

The Children of Henry and Elizabeth Branscomb:
Barbara Elizabeth Branscomb

Please check the Author's Notes for an explanation of the numbering system I use for identifying individuals within any family.
The line of descent for Barbara Elizabeth Branscomb is:

Richard Branscomb, the immigrant (d. 1775 in Brunswick County, Va.) and Sarah Proctor, parents of:
John Branscomb (md. Olive E. ___; d. 1821 in Wayne County, Ky.) John and Olive were the (presumed) parents of:
Henry Branscomb (b. ca. 1809 in Patrick County, Va.; md. Elizabeth Burris, d. ca. 1855-1864 in Putnam County, Mo.) Henry and Elizabeth were the parents of:

8. Barbara Elizabeth Branscomb
According to family records, Barbara was b. 20 February 1848 Mo.; the grave marker says 1847. She d. 5 July 1916. Md. in Putnam County 6 August 1865 John Lancaster Collins (Book 1, p. 322) John was b. 22 December 1843 in Bradley County, Tenn., and he d. 5 March 1926; both bur. Lone Pine Cem. In the 1860 census for Putnam County (p. 409) John Collins was shown as age 17, the eldest child in the household of John Collins, 62, clergyman, and his wife Rebecca, age 62. During the Civil War, John L. served in County D of the 18th Regiment of Missouri Infantry. The 1870 census for Putnam County (p. 233, dwelling #128) shows the family of John L. and Barbara thus:

Age Sex Where born Identities (not from census)

Collins, L 26 M Tenn. farmer (John) Lancaster

B E 22 F Mo. Barbara Elizabeth

M J 4 F Mo. Melissa (middle initial should be E.)

M E 2 F Mo. Matilda (middle initial should be J.)

By 1880 the family had moved to Marion County, Iowa, where the census showed them in Clay Township, p. 550B; the ages of the children suggest that they moved between 1875 and 1877:

Age Where born

John L. Collins 33 Tenn.

Barbara 32 Mo.

Malcie E. 14 Mo. (daughter: Melissa E.)

Matilda 12 Mo.

Martha 10 Mo.

C. E. 8 Mo. (daughter: Charlotte Edna)

A. Thomas 5 Mo.

James M. 3 Iowa

John R. 2 Iowa

The 1900 census found the family back in Elm Township of Putnam County, Mo., in dwelling #43:

Age DOB Where
born Pa
born Ma
born

Collins, John L. 56 December 1843 Ky. Va. Ky. Md. 35 years

Barbara 50 February 1850 Mo. Ky. Ky. 14 children, 12 living

Matilda J. 32 March 1868 Mo. Ky. Mo. single, 1 child living

Pearl E. 13 June 1886 Mo. Ky. Mo. (son Pearl Ernest)

Earl W. 13 June 1886 Mo. Ky. Mo.

Lula E. 10 October 1889 Mo. Ky. Mo.

Elmer 8 October 1891 Mo. Ky. Mo.

Some records are available for the children:

81. Melissa E. Collins, b. 30 May 1866, d. 21 September 1944; md in Putnam County 5 March 1886 Hiram Hatfield (b. 15 September 1852, d. 13 April 1937); both bur. Hatfield Cem. The DOBs and DODs are from the cemetery book. Hiram was the son of Ail Hatfield and Rebecca Summers; also the cousin of Arley Hatfield, who md. #613 Ada Avis Branscomb. The 1880 census for Hiram Hatfield shows him at age 24 with wife Martha T. and four children aged 2 to 8 years. By 1900 all four of those children were gone from home, Hiram was married to Melissa, and they had produced seven children (Elm Township, dwelling #28):

Age DOB Where
born Pa
born Ma
born

Hatfield, Hiram 47 September 1852 Mo. Ky. Ky. md. 14 years

Melissa May 34 May 1866 Mo. Ky. Ky. 7 children, all living

Cecil 12 November 1887 Mo. Mo. Mo.

David 10 November 1889 Mo. Mo. Mo.

Robert 9 April 1891 Mo. Mo. Mo.

Lora (?) 6 July 1893 Mo. Mo. Mo.

Mark 4 July 1895 Mo. Mo. Mo.

William 3 June 1897 Mo. Mo. Mo.

Gil 6/12 January 1900 Mo. Mo. Mo.

Collins (Illegible) 21 April 1879 Mo. Mo. Mo. male; boarder (#87 John Russell?)

In 1910 the census for Elm Township, dwelling #106, showed the children at home to be Robert, age 21; Cealia, age 17; Harrold, age 13; William D., age 11; Allic, age 10; Lizzie, age 8; Rebeckia, age 4, and Doris (a son), age 2. In 1920, dwelling #123, the children were Rebecca, age 15, and Dorris, age 11. In 1930, in dwelling #49, one child remained at home: Dorris H., age 22, public school teacher. In 1910 and 1920 Cecil and his wife #612 Loela/Lela Branscomb lived next door
The known information about the children of Hiram Hatfield and #81 Melissa Collins:

811. Arthur Cecil Hatfield, b. in Elm Township, Putnam County 8 November 1887, d. in Des Moines, Iowa, April 1965. Md. ca. 1907 #612 Loela/Lela Branscomb. As stated, they lived in Elm Township at least through 1920; by 1930 they were in Jefferson Township of Polk County, Iowa. As shown by the censuses, Cecil and Lela had four children: Earl, Beryl E, Pearl and Max.
812. David Arthur Hatfield, b. 12 November 1889.
813. Robert Hatfield, b. 2 April 1891
814. Lora Celia Hatfield, b. July 1893.
815. Mark Hanna Hatfield, b. July 1895.
816. William Dewey Hatfield, b. 12 May 1898. (Was he the husband of #376 Oma Whitworth?)
817. Gil (?) Allic Hatfield, a son, b. 11 January 1900.
818. Elizabeth Permelia Hatfield, b. 20 January 1902.
819. Rebecca Hatfield, b. 24 October 1904.
812A (=10). Dorris Herman Hatfield (also spelled “Doris”a son), b. 19 February 1908. The 1930 census reported him twice: in his parents’ home (perhaps on weekends) and as a boarder in the home of 71-year-old Rosie Elaxender (dwelling #19). Dorris was a public school teacher

82. Matilda Jane Collins, b. 30 March 1868 Mo. The 1900 census shows her as single, age 32, in the home of her parents and the mother of one child. In 1910 she was in Prairie Township of Schuyler County, Mo., dwelling #213, as the second wife of James B. Dennis, and the record stated that they had been married for six years. Matilda’s one child was no longer living. The son (?) Hester, age 7, in the family no doubt was James’s by his first marriage. It is not known whether James died or whether the marriage dissolved, but, according to later censuses, Matilda married circa 1913, at age 45, a 53-year-old bachelor from Prairie Township, David J. Sidwell (b. September 1859 Mo.). In 1920 (p. 2A), they were in dwelling #29 and in 1930 (p. 1A) in dwelling #12. David’s widowed mother Easter Jane lived in the household.

83. Martha Ann Collins, b. in Putnam County 8 October 1870. Md. (1) in Putnam County 15 October 1889 Fred Mullenix (b. February 1869 Mo., d. before 1909). In 1900 they were in Adair County, Mo., dwelling #178, of Monroe Township:

Age DOB Where
born Pa
born Ma
born

Mullinix, Fred 30 February 1869 Mo. Mo. Mo. clerk in store. Md. 10 years

Martha A. 29 October 1870 Mo. Mo. Mo. 5 children, 3 living

Olga P. 5 August 1894 Mo. Mo. Mo.

Bryant F. 3 November 1896 Mo. Mo. Mo.

Basil 1 December 1898 Mo. Mo. Mo.

The 1910 census suggests that Fred Mulllinex died between 1905 and 1908, probably closer to 1905, and that Martha md. (2) ca. 1909 Henry Reed (b. ca. 1875 Mo.), the second marriage for both of them. They lived in Elm Township of Putnam County, and the census showed them in dwelling #103:

Relationship Age Where
born Pa
born Ma
born

Reed, Henry head 35 Mo. Mo. Mo. second marriage; md. one year

Anna wife 38 Mo. Tenn. Mo. md. twice; 7 children, 5 living

Albert son 7/12 Mo. Mo. Mo.

Mullinix, Olga stepdaughter 15 Mo. Mo. Mo.

Briant stepson 13 Mo. Mo. Mo.

Basil stepson 11 Mo. Mo. Mo.

Ethel stepdaughter 8 Mo. Mo. Mo.

Harold stepson 5 Mo. Mo. Mo.

Pearl stepson 4 Mo. Mo. Mo.

Martha appears to have had a third but short-lived marriage: the 1920 census for Elm Township shows Martha U. Rose, age 53, as head of house #16 (p. 1B), and with her were sons Bryant, Harold and Pirl T. Mulanix. Bryant’s occupation was “druggist.”
The two children of Martha and Fred Mullinex who died before 1900 were probably the first two. Nothing is known for them, and they are not numbered. Some information is known for two of the children who are numbered:

835. Harold E. Mullenix, b. ca. 1905 Mo./Mo./Mo.; the 1930 census names his wife as Geneva. They lived at 629 McKergham (?) Avenue in Flint, Michigan, dwelling #123 (p. 171). Harold, age 25, was a foreman in an auto body shop. He and Geneva, age 19 Mo./Mo./Mo., had been married two years, and their son Douglas, age 1 year +, had been born in Michigan.
836. Pearl T. Mullenix (male), b. ca. 1906 Mo./Mo./Mo. In 1930 he was in Ames, Iowa, Washington Township of Story County; p. 19B, dwelling #474. The census showed his age as 24, his wife as Nora A., age 20, b. Mo. They had been married three years, and their daughter Betty J, b. Iowa, was 1 year and 8 months old. Pearl was employed as a highway patrolman.

84. Edna Charlotte Collins, b. 27 October 1872, d. 3 December 1930; md. 31 August 1890 Herbert Lee Sorrell (b. 14 April 1863, d. 26 February 1929); bur. Martinstown Cem. The dates are from the cemetery book. The 1900 census for Elm Township of Putnam County, p. 13B, records the family in dwelling #252 (all b. Mo.):

Age DOB

Sorrell, Herbert L. 37 April 1863 md. 10 years

Charlotte E. 27 October 1872 4 children, 2 living

Goldie L. 9 June 1890

Lora M. 1 May 1899

In 1910 the family was listed on p. 7A, dwelling #146 (all b. Mo.):

Age

Sorrell, Herbert L. 47 md. at age 29

Edna C. 37 md. at age 19 5 children, 3 living

Golda C. 18

Lora M. 10

Hugh L. 5

In 1920 Herbert and Edna C. were shown on p. 6B, dwelling #135, and the only child at home was Hugh, age 15.
The 1930 showed Edney C. Sorrell, age 57, widow, as head of the household, and with her were her daughter Lora M., age 30, divorced; her son Hugh L., age 25, .and James A. Collins, his wife and daughter. James, age 44, could have been a cousin. These last three were listed as lodgers. Edna’s daughter Lora, and not Edna herself, was recorded as owning the (or at least a) farm.
Following is the known information for the children of Herbert L. Sorrell and Charlotte Edna Collins:

841. Goldie Lee Sorrell, b. 14 June 1891 in Putnam County Md. Virgil Johnson.
842. Hubert Beverly Sorrell, b. in Putnam County 11 July 1892; d. before 1900.
843. Sylvia Ellen Sorrell, b. in Putnam County 16 October 1894; d. before 1900.
844. Lora May Sorrell, b. in Putnam County 2 May 1899. Md. (1) 10 March 1917 Walter Selden Wiseman (b. 5 April 1898). They had one child, an infant who was not named (b. and d. 17 February 1918). They were divorced prior to 1930, and Lora md.(2) 16 July 1934 Kenneth Floyd McCartney.
845. Hugh Lancaster Sorrell, b. in Putnam County 27 April 1905, md. June 1932 Mabel Irene Schuster.

85. Alexander Thomas Collins, b. in Putnam County 4 October 1874, d.24 January 1948.Md. 19 December 1897 Mary Frances Richardson (b. October 1879 Mo.). In 1900 they were in Elm Township of Putnam County, dwelling #125. They had been married two years, and both of their children had died. Next door in dwelling #126 were John P. and Millie Richardson, both b. Mo., and it is highly likely that they were the parents of Mary F.
By 1910 Alex and Mary were in West Prairie Township of Schuyler County, Mo., and the census showed them in dwelling #227. Mary had borne three more children: Artie, age 9, Neva, age 6, and Herbert, age 3. Following is the entry from the 1920 census, still in Prairie Township of Schulyer County, and this time on p. 1A in dwelling # 11:

Age Where
born Pa
born Ma
born

Collins, A.T. 45 Mo. Tenn. Mo.

Mary F. 40 Mo. Mo. Mo.

Artil M. 18 Mo. Mo. Mo. daughter

Neva L. 15 Mo. Mo. Mo. daughter

Herbert E. 13 Mo. Mo. Mo.

Alta L. 4 Mo. Mo. Mo. daughter

In 1930 “Elic” and Mary F. were in dwelling #337, and the only other member of the household was their daughter Lucille, age 14.
Following is the known information for the children of Alexander Thomas Collins and Mary Frances Richardson:

851. Lela Irene Collins, b. 10 January 1899, d. January 1899.
852. Infant Collins, b. and d. 22 February 1900.
853. Barbara Arta Collins, b. 2 April 1901. Md. William McBee
854. Neva Lorene Collins, b. 25 March 1904; md. 27 October 1928 Edgar Wesley Cassady.
855. Herbert Edwin Collins, b. 6 September 1906. He md. Virginia ___, b. ca. 1908 Mo. Two of their children were Estalane (?) Collins, b. ca. 1928, and Erma Collins, b. ca. 1929.
856. Alta Lucille Collins, b. 13 July 1915. Md. 26 January 1946 Murl Ledford. They had no children.
857. Infant Collins (twin of Alta), b. and d. 13 July 1915.

86. James M. Collins, b. 14 September 1876 in Putnam County, Mo., according to Carolyn Canida, or in Iowa, according to the 1880 census; d. y.

87. John Russell Collins, b. 30 September 1878 Iowa, d. 8 February 1960. Md ca. 1900-1902 Agnes M. ____ (b. ca. 1885 IL). The information about them, except DOB and DOD., comes from the 1930 census for Blue Township, Jackson County, Mo., where they were reported as living at 1805 Arlington Avenue, (Kansas City?) dwelling #467. No other residents were in the household.

88. Francis Collins, and 89. Virgil Collins, twins, b. 1 March 1881 in Putnam County, died young

8A (=10) Pearl Ernest Collins (male), b. 20 June 1884. in Elm Township of Putnam County , d. 3 June 1955. Md. 25 April 1908 Maggie Jeffries, b. ca. 1890 Mo. The 1910 census names her as May, so perhaps her name was Margaret May. That census for Morrow Township of Adair County, Mo. (dwelling #122), shows them next door to Bennett and Louisa Jeffries who were probably Maggie’s parents:

Age Where
born Pa
born Ma
born

Collins, Pearl E. 25 Mo. Tenn. Tenn.

May 21 Mo. Ind. Mo.

Boyd L. 8/12 Mo. Mo. Mo.

Prior to 1920 Pearl and his family had moved to Hayes County, Nebraska. The 1920 census shows them on p. 7B in Hopewell Precinct, dwelling #103. Pearl’s occupation was listed as “laborer.” The children were Boyd L, age 10, Pearl L. (a son) age 5, and Ruby F. age 2 months. Only Ruby was born in Nebraska. Pearl’s sister #8D Edith and her family were nearby in Hayes County in 1920.
Pearl and Maggie were in the same location in 1930 (p. 1B, dwelling #13):

Age Where
born Pa
born Ma
born

Collins, Pearl E. 44 Mo. Tenn. Mo. Laborer/odd jobs; md. at age 24

Maggie 40 Mo. Mo. Mo. Md. at age 19

Loyd P. 16 Mo. Mo. Mo.

Ruby F. 10 Neb. Mo. Mo.

Misto, Pearl. 13 Neb. Mo. Mo. Nephew

Next door, in dwelling #14, was Victor H. Jeffries and his family. The 1910 census for Bennett & Louisa Jeffries in Adair County, Mo., shows Victor H. as a son and therefore almost surely Maggie’s brother. This 1930 census for Hayes County, Neb., shows the newlywed Boyd Collins nearby.
The following information is known for the children of Pearl E. and Maggie:

8A1. Boyd Lee Collins, b. 26 July 1909 Mo. His wife’s given name was Velma, b. ca. 1911 Neb. The 1930 census for Hamlet Precinct, Hayes County, Neb., shows them on p. 1A, dwelling #6. Given their ages, they had been married within the year-after their most recent birthdays. Boyd’s occupation was “Driver of oil truck.”
8A2. Pearl Lloyd Collins, b. 25 February 1914 Mo.
8A3. Ruby Fay Collins, b. 21 October 1919 in Hayes County, Neb.. Md. in McCook, Neb., Clifford Wilson Black.

8B (=11) Earl Wayne Collins, b. 20 June 1884 in Elm Township of Putnam County, d. November 1964 Iowa. He was listed in the register of births as “Url Wain Collins, twin of above.”
Ted Hogue provided the entries from the birth records for Pearl and Earl: record no. 365. The birth register listed Pearl first and stated that his was the eleventh birth for “Barbary.” In the subsequent census for 1900, Pearl’s name precedes Earl’s. Given that Pearl was the firstborn of the twins, it is more likely that he was child #10 and Earl was #11, and the ID numbers I assign for them and younger children reflect that assumption. Others may decide differently. The census record for 1900 states that of the 14 children twelve were living; other records suggest that only eleven of the children were living by 1900. The 1910 census record states that ten children were living.
Wayne md. 21 April 1915 Bula (Beulah) Lois Weatherly, b. ca. 1899, daughter of #250 Melvin Weatherly by his second wife Nancy Elizabeth; #25 Rebecca Vestal had been his first wife. The 1930 census showed Wayne and Bula on 431 South Third Street in Des Moines, Iowa (Polk County, Lee Township, dwelling # 65); Melvin and Elizabeth were at the same address but in a separate dwelling (#66):

Age Where
born Pa
born Ma
born

Collins, Wayne 45 Mo. U.S. U.S.

Bulah 31 Mo. Mo. Mo.

Bernice 12 Iowa Mo. Mo.

Cerrice 12 Iowa Mo. Mo.

Mildred 10 Iowa Mo. Mo.

Helen 8 Iowa Mo. Mo.

Thelma 3 yrs. 3 mo. Iowa Mo. Mo.

Don 6/12 Iowa Mo. Mo.

The following children are reported for Earl Wayne and Bulah:

8B1. Evelyn Collins, b. 25 May 1916. Her name does not appear on census data for Wayne and Bula.
8B2. Bernice Lorene Collins, b. 31 August 1917 Iowa; md. 16 May 1936 David Charles Imgrund.
8B3. Cerrice Maxine Collins, b. 31 August 1917 Iowa. md. 15 August 1932 Ralph Lowell Speck.
8B4. Mildred Vivian Collins, b. 28 June 1919 Iowa, md. 19 March 1935 George W. Douglas.
8B5. Helen Evelee Collins, b. 8 May 1921 Iowa. Md. (1) 4 September 1942 Samuel McNickal; md. (2) 2 September 1950 Glen E. Long.
8B6. Wayne Edward Collins, b. 20 June 1923, d. 30 June 1923.
8B7. Thelma Louise Collins, b. 13 September 1926 Iowa; md. 14 September 1943 Vernon Gregory Rounds.
8B8. Donald Wendell Collins, b. 11 September 1929 Iowa.
8B9. Colleen May Collins, b. 15 February 1933, d. January 1939.

8C (=12). Hershall V. Collins, b. 10 August 1886 in Putnam County; d. y.

8D (=13). Edith Lula Collins, b. 25 October 1888 in Putnam County, d. 12 January 1958 in Green Castle, Sullivan County, Mo.; bur. Lone Pine Cem., Putnam County Md. (1) in Mo. 26 October 1910 John Edward Stout (b. 18 July 1870 in Harrison County, Ind.; d. 3 August 1923 in Novinger, Adair County, Mo.; bur. Green Grove Cem.). The 1920 census shows two children. Edith md. (2) in Sullivan County Mo., 18 September 1928 Jesse Martin Owings (b. 15 May 1883 in Sullivan County, d. 22 March 1967 in Green Castle; bur Green Castle Cem.) In 1910 John Stout, age 38, Ind./Germany/PA, was shown as single and living alone in Morrow Township of Adair County, p. 6B, dwelling #139; Pearl E. Collins was in dwelling #122, also listed on p. 6B. It is easy to imagine a situation in which 21-year-old Edith, who was in her parents’ home in neighboring Putnam County, visited her brother and met the older but eligible bachelor farmer. John and Edith were married that October, and their daughter Juanita was born two years later. Then, some time before 1920, both families moved to Hayes County, Neb. If they moved together, and assuming that the census data for the births of their respective children is accurate, it was between early 1919 (Lionel Stout was b. in Mo. 18 months before the 1920 census) and mid-1920 (Ruby Collins was b. in Neb. 2 months before the 1920 census.) In 1920 John and Edith were in dwelling #76 of Logan Precinct of Hayes County, Neb., p. 6A, and Pearl and Maggie were listed on p. 7B, although in a different precinct within the county. The census report for John and Edith:

Age Where
born Pa
born Ma
born

Stout, John E. 48 Ind. Ind. Pa.

Edith 30 Mo. Tenn. Mo.

Jaunita 8 Mo. Ind. Mo. (surely Juanita)

Lionel 1 yr. 6 mo. Mo. Ind. Mo.

The sojourn in Nebraska was brief for John and Edith, as shown by the DOD for John in Adair County, Mo., in summer 1923. Then in September, Edith married Jesse Owings from neighboring Sullivan County in what was evidently his second marriage. They were in dwelling #65 of Penn Township for the 1930 census (all b. Mo.):

Age

Owings, Jesse M. 46 Md. at age 28

Edith L. 40 Md. at age 20

Kenneth E. 14

Mildred M. 11

Alton W. 16

Lionel R. 11

Stanley E. 9

Lyle E. 6

The ages given for their marriages were evidently for their first marriages rather than for their marriage to each other. The 1920 census for Jesse shows that the first three children were from his first marriage. Lionel was Edith’s son by John Stout (it was not unusual for young children to assume the surnames of their stepfathers), and Stanley and Lyle were obviously Edith’s children by Jesse.
Except for the information from the censuses for Edith's children, more is known only for Juanita:

8D1. Juanita A. Stout, b. 27 September 1911 in Stahl, Adair County, Mo.; d. in Ottumwa, Wappello County, Iowa, 31 July 2001. Md. in Kirksville, Adair County, Mo., 9 August 1928 Royal Silas Shearer (b. in Hurdland, Adair County,10 April 1910; d. in Ottumwa 16 August 1970); both bur. Shaul Cem.

(Almost all of the information for the family of Barbara Branscomb and John L. Collins was gathered by Carolyn Canida.)
See also:
Henry Branscomb, son of John and Olive E. Branscomb
Elizabeth Burris, wife of Henry
Children of Henry and Elizabeth (Burris) Branscomb

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