Cobb County Georgia Bios Reverend William E. McCollum File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Wally McCollum" Table of Contents page: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/cobb.htm Georgia Table of Contents: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm Reverend William E. McCollum - "The Preacher" The Reverend William E. McCollum was ordained as a Baptist minister about 1901 and served a number of churches in Cobb, Cherokee, Bartow and Fulton counties until his death from pneumonia in 1921 at age 53. The majority of the churches were in the Noonday Baptist Association. He was well known and well respected in his calling, as evidenced by a front-page article in the March 18, 1921 edition of the Cobb County Times, which was headlined, "Thousands Mourn W.E. McCollum." He is remembered in family stories simply as "the preacher." The preacher was born in the Wild Cat District of Cherokee County on November 12, 1867 to a 25-year-old woman named Francis Evaline (Eva) McCollum. She was the daughter of John and Hannah McCollum, Cherokee County pioneers, who came to Georgia from South Carolina around 1830. Eva was born December 11, 1842 and died August 12, 1897. She is buried in the New Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery in Woodstock, Georgia as "F.E. Ellison, Mother of W.E. McCollum." A curious epitaph, but one which suggests that she was a single mother. William was raised by his mother in his grandparents' home in the Wild Cat district, where they had a farm. In both the 1870 and 1880 censuses she was listed with her parents, and he was listed as their grandson in the 1880 census. Eva's parents died in late 1883 and early 1884 on their farm in the Sixes District where they moved between 1870 and 1880. Eva married Henry Jordan Ellison in 1885 and is buried with her married name. William married Mary Selena "Molly" Chastain October 28, 1888 in Cobb County and they had eleven children, nine of whom lived to adulthood. Two of their daughters, Maud and Bessie May, are buried with them in the Kennesaw City Cemetery. Maud (1893) died at 18 and Bessie May (1895) was 23 months old at her death. Their other children were Charles M (1889), Levie Pearl (1891), Peter (1894), Lucille (1897), William Hayden (1900), Robert A (1902), James B "Roy" (1905), Corrie (1908) and Alvin C "Cliff" (1910). Both William and Mary had deep Protestant roots in America. His immigrant ancestor was John N. McCollum (1658-1760), a Scottish Presbyterian who came to the colony of New Jersey before 1720 and served for many years as an elder in the Basking Ridge, New Jersey Presbyterian Church, which was founded in 1717. John's great grandson, Daniel (1760-1850), was the second McCollum of this line to settle in Georgia. Daniel was in Rowan County, North Carolina by 1776 and served as a militiaman in the regiment of Colonel Francis Locke during the Revolution. By 1785 he had relocated to the Pendleton District of South Carolina and moved to Habersham County, Georgia in February 1826 according to his Revolutionary War pension application. His eldest son, William (1789-1876)preceded him in 1823. Daniel was William E. McCollum's great grandfather. Mary's immigrant ancestor was Pierre "Peter" Chastain (1659-1728), a Huguenot physician who fled religious persecution in France, arriving at the mouth of the James River in Virginia aboard the ship Mary and Ann on July 12, 1700. He settled with his wife and five children in Manakin, Goochland County, Virginia where they were active in the Episcopal church. Many of Pierre's descendants became ministers and, as they moved south over the succeeding generations, their path followed the spread of the Baptist faith. Pierre's grandson, John "Ten Shilling Bell" Chastain (1743-1805), founded several Baptist churches in Virginia and South Carolina. He earned his nickname for his loud, ringing voice. Mary's father, Gadberry Chastain (1849-?), was John's third great grandson. William and Mary met as teenagers, most likely at church, when their families were neighbors in Cherokee County in the 1880s. It is uncertain when they moved to Kennesaw, their home at the time of their deaths. A history of the city serialized in The Kennesaw Gazette between January and June 1980 notes that William was a city councilman during the 1890s. The city council clerk confirmed in 2001 that he served in 1898, having been elected in January of that year to fill the seat of a Mr. Gatlin who was elected, but chose not to serve. The minutes of one of the city council meetings suggest that times were simpler then: "City Council Minutes Kennesaw City Council, Cobb County, Georgia December 21st, 1898 Called meeting of Council. Present Mayor G.W. Pritchard. Council present C.S. Baldwin, C.H. Fields, W.E. McCollum. Minutes of last meeting read and adopted. Moved and carried that the Treasurer pay S.J. Baldwin the money due him out of first money collected. The following accounts were ordered paid, A.G. James 90 cts, G.W. Pritchard $1.99, B.H. Carrie 50 cts. Moved and carried that real estate tax for 1898 be 20 cts on the hundred dollars and that the Clerk proceed to collect same at once. Moved and carried that all persons be allowed to fire off fire works inside the incorporated limits from December 24th 1898 to midnight December 31st 1898 provided those firing same do not throw at horses, stock or persons. Report of Treasurer read dated September 26th 1898 showing on hand at that time 86 cents. There being no further business meeting adjourned. B. H. Carrie Clerk G. W. Pritchard Mayor" Reverend McCollum was ordained about 1901 and first appeared in the minutes of the annual session of the Noonday Baptist Association in 1902, at New Salem Baptist Church in Kennesaw. The association held its three-day annual meeting in late July or early August, rotating the meeting place among the member churches. In those days there were many small community churches, most having a membership of fewer than 100 people. The faithful either walked to church or came by horse and wagon. There were few ordained ministers, so "the preacher" was a circuit rider, first by horse. Sometime between 1915 and 1920 he began to make his rounds in one of the first automobiles in the county. During his 20-year ministry he served three or four churches at a time, preaching once a month at each one. The records do not say if, or how much, he was paid. He earned his living primarily as a farmer, although he worked for a time as a railroad brakeman. The preacher held a number of responsible positions in the association. The first was in 1905 as chairman of the Committee on the State of Religion. Over the years he also chaired the committees on Preaching, Publications, Nominations and Deceased Ministers. He rose in prominence in the association and in 1915 was named the association's delegate to the Georgia Baptist Convention. At the 1917 annual meeting he lead the closing prayer and was selected to give the introductory sermon at the 1918 meeting. In 1918 he was the association's representative to the Southern Baptist Convention. During his 20 year ministry he served the following area Baptist churches: Carmel, Center Hill, Hickory Grove, Milford, Mount Olivet, New Antioch, New Bethel, New Hope, New Salem, Olive Springs, Rose Lane, Sardis and Shady Grove. On March 14, 1921 he died at his home in the Red Rock community of Kennesaw, leaving behind a wife, nine children and a large community of Christians whose lives he touched in many positive ways. His funeral was conducted at the New Salem Baptist Church in Kennesaw by the pastor, Reverend Lon Davis. Eleven of his associate pastors attended: Reverend Moody of Canton, Reverend George T. Crowe, Dr. T.A. White, Reverend I.A. Swafford of Marietta, Reverend A.J. Morgan, Reverend M.A. McCoy, Dr. Patton of Acworth, Reverend Davis of Acworth, Reverend G.S. Bonds, Reverend William McCarrey and Reverend F.M. Lacy of Kennesaw. Mr. E.H. Clay of Marietta spoke of Reverend McCollum's life. The Mssonic Fraternity (Lodge 33) had charge of the arrangements and he was buried with Masonic honors. There were touching obituaries and articles in The Cobb County Times and The Marietta Journal following his death. The Times carried a front-page story describing him as, "…one of the most loved preachers in the county." The Journal reported that more than a thousand people attended his funeral and that he, "preached his own funeral by the good upright religious moral life he has lived." In nearby Cherokee County The Cherokee Advance edition of March 18, 1921 carried the following memorial prepared by his first cousin, Kansas Adeline McCollum Clayton, daughter of the preacher's uncle, Samuel McCollum, and his wife Caroline Roach: IN MEMORY OF REV. MCCOLLUM by Mrs. Jesse Marcellous Clayton The death angels visited the home of Rev. W.E. McCollum and called him from his family Monday night at 6 o'clock, March 14th. It is sad to give him up, but his work was finished and the Lord saw fit, in his wisdom, to carry him home, where there is no pain, sorrow nor death, but everlasting rest and happiness. By the help of the Lord I am going to meet him in that sweet land of rest some day. He is survived by a wife, several children and a host of other relatives and friends to mourn his death. The funeral services were held at the Baptist church in Kennesaw and was witnessed by a large number of people. His favorite songs were sung over him, and then his remains were laid to rest in Kennesaw cemetery to awake the resurrection morn. Sleep on, my brother. The Noonday Baptist Association marked his passing at their Sixty-Third Annual Session, held September 7th and 8th 1921 at New Hope Church near Acworth, Georgia. The Committee on Deceased Ministers, in their annual report, summed up his ministry and the ministry of an associate with these words: "We regret to report that the Lord in his wisdom has seen fit to take from our ranks on earth two of our most beloved and useful ministers, Brethren A.J. McCoy and W.E. McCollum. They lived consecrated Christian lives and their works do follow them. We pray that their mantles may fall on some member of their family or relative." On a more personal note, a McCollum family story is that Reverend McCollum preached the funeral of the man who never acknowledged being his father. Mary lived seven years after William died, comforted by her children, all of whom lived in the area. When she died on March 30, 1928 her children placed a card of thanks in the April 5, 1928 issue of the Cobb County Times expressing their appreciation to their friends for "their kindness and sweet words of comfort during the illness and death of our dear mother." Signing the card were: Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. McCollum Mr. and Mrs. William H. McCollum Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. McCollum Mr. and Mrs. Asa Clinton Darby (Levie Pearl) Mr. and Mrs. Clarence A. Tedder (Lucille) Miss Corrie McCollum Mr. Roy McCollum Mr. Cliff McCollum Following in his father's footsteps, William Hayden McCollum (1900-1974) became a Baptist minister. Researched and written by the preacher's great grandson, William W. McCollum e-mail mccollumw@home.com or mccollumw@comcast.net Sources: Noonday Baptist Association minutes of annual meetings, Kennesaw City Council meeting minutes, censuses of Cherokee County and Cobb County, Marietta and Cobb County newspapers, and family stories. ======================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other presentation. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for FREE access. ==============