McCollins/ Nelson Family History

The history of both the McCollins and Nelson families traces back to Mississippi. Thomas McCollins, a sharecropper married Margaret Isom. To their union one daughter and three sons were born including Timothy McCollins Jr. Timothy married Florida. They had one daughter, Eppa and four sons Davis, Timothy, Lemuel and Soloman.

     

 Meanwhile on the Nelson side Sam Nelson married Mollie. From their union came six daughters: Mattie, Mable, Mary, Oweda, Easter and Eva; and two sons: Slaughter (Sam) and Peter.

    

The two families initially became one when two of the McCollins brothers Davis and Timothy married two Nelson sisters Mattie and Eva respectively. From these two unions came a flood of offspring.

    

Davis and Mattie had twelve children, five girls and seven boys, in birth order: Alma, Macie Lee, Elmer, Leroy, Irene, Davis Jr., (Junior), Ginger Lucille, Jesse, Samuel, Lemuel, and Marjorie.

     

Timothy and Eva had nine children, five girls and 4 boys: Deborah, Florence, Verdia, Coletta, Mary Dean, Timothy Jr., Leo, Edmond and Thomas Edward.

    

From these integrated family bonds came more sisters, brothers, cousins, “double cousins”, uncles, aunts and more who of course started their own families. Many family members eventually migrated from rural Mississippi seeking gainful employment in the railroad, automotive, construction and other industries. They’ve now expanded to Memphis, Missouri, Iowa, Chicago, Detroit, California, the Carolinas, Texas, other states and at least one other country.

    

The Vision of a family reunion originated in 1971 from the late Macie McCollins Carr (Cudie), John Ford Jr., Lucille McCollins-Harrington, Majorie McCollins-Cooper, Irene McCollins-Fondren and Alma McCollins-Crowder. These sisters along with their cousin wanted to keep the family united through an organized family reunion, and chartered the reunions to be held the first weekend in August. The first family reunion in 1972 was in North Carolina. The second in 1973 and the third in 1975 were both held in Detroit, Michigan. In 1977 the reunion was renamed the McCollins/Nelson Family Reunion and held in Enid, Mississippi at the Enid Lake from 1977 thru 1985. Since that time the reunions have rotated to cities with family members.