Harriet Byrd McCollister, Sabine Parish Louisiana

Submitted by:  JoAnn McCollister Pape jpape@lconn.com
**********************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm
**********************************************



HARRIET BYRD MCCOLLISTER



Harriet McCollister was born January 5th, 1829 and departed this life

September 21, 1902.  She was married to Mr. James M. McCollister, June

6, 1868, and moved to Harris County, Texas where her companion was taken

from her.  In 1883 she moved to her old home in Sabine Parish.  She

joined the church in 1846, and was baptized in the Missionary Baptist

Church in which she lived a Christian life until death summoned her to

that celestial home above.  She was a kind mother, being left to

struggle through life with one little boy to help console her in her

trials, but she never was impatient; she always said trust in the Lord

and He would guide them in the right way.  During her illness she was

patient, never heard to complain.  Although her suffering was great,

bright smiles would come over her face after she unconscious of

everything.  She leaves three little granddaughters which were the idol

of her heart.  She looked after them every day that they were not in

danger.  She loved everybody and left a good example for us all to go

by.



Weep not, dear children,

Mother has gone to rest,

Where all the Blest shall go

Beyond the earthly foes.

Written by a Friend, H.M.S.





The obituary, in addition to containing a number of errors, raises the

question , who is HMS and is there any kinship between Harriet and HMS. 

Where was the Missionary Baptist Church?  Harriet's parents, Ezra and

Rhoda Byrd were charter members of the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church,

Toro, founded in 1847.  They arrived with letters from, one must assume,

the Missionary Baptist Church.



There are a number of errors in the obituary:

Harriet was married to John James McCollister, 6 June 1861, Sabine

Parish.  In 1866, Harriet and John James had a son named John.  Between

1866-69, they moved to Harris Co. Texas, where another son, Major McKim,

was born 29 April 1870.  They are enumerated in Harris Co. with 8

children.  The children of John James' first marriage to Sarah Ann

Chance were:  Nancy A. E., 20; Mary J.,19; Eli Lum, 17: Jesse M., 15;

Frances V., 12; Daniel H., 10;John , 4; and Major McKim, b April, 1870.  



John James died about 1873-4 according to land records in Harris Co, TX

and Harriet returned to Sabine Parish before 1880.  In the 1880 Census

of Sabine Parish, she is listed living next door to her brother, John H.

Byrd, and with her is one son, Major.  Her first son, John, must have

died between 1870-80.



By the 1900 census, she is living with her son, Major McKim, in Sabine

Parish.  He is married to Annie Emma Howell and they are living in

Sabine Parish with 2 daughters, Lillian Emma, Annie May, and a boarder,

Flora Allen.  The third granddaughter mentioned in the Obituary is Ruby

Audrey, b July 4, 1901.



Harriet was a descendant of Ezra Byrd and Rhoda E. Marler.  Ezra and

Rhoda were married in Wilkinson Co. MS, 29 April 1819, Bond witnessed by

Michael Nichols, husband of Patricia Marler, probable sister of

Rhoda.    By the 1820 Wilkinson Census, they had one son (name unknown

to author).  Harriet was born 5 January 1829/30 in MS according to

census records.  Her siblings may have been (but not yet verified): Ezra

Bird, b 1823, and Zilpha Bird, b 1836.  It has been verified that John

H. Byrd was the son of Ezra and Rhoda, therefore sister to Harriet.



In the U.S. Census of 1860, Sabine Parish. There were number of

Byrd/Bird families living in close proximity.  Those heads of households

were:  Ezra Byrd, Sr. (63), Ezra Bird (37), William Oxley (26) married

to Zilpha Byrd (24), John Oxley married to Rhoda E. Byrd (19), and W. E.

Byrd (44).



Ezra Bird died before 1 April 1865, the date succession was filed by

Rhoda Byrd.  John R. Ragan was appointed to represent "the absent

heirs".  On 15 April 1865 the court appointed Rhoda's son, (illegible in

the papers, but name begins with a "B----d") Byrd to insure payment of

$1,027 to the Clerk of the District Court.  Witnesses were:  H. S.

Kennedy, and J. H. Stephens.  Counselors and heir representatives were: 

G. T. Pruitt, Jn McAlwain, John Ragan, and M. H. McLamor.



On 26 Oct 1867 Rhoda sells property to her son, John H. Byrd, in return

for his taking care of her  since "the late War" and for support,

services, and care, worth at least $150.  In return John proposes in the

future to attend to the business of Rhoda, his mother, and contribute to

her support.  In  addition to the land she conveys to John, she gives

him one wagon, one rifle, and one cow named, Mot.  Witnesses:  John

Skinner, and D. B. Lockwood.  (In all of the documents, the surname

spelling alternates between Byrd and Bird.)



The exact date Rhoda died is not known, but since she is enumerated in

the 1880 census, she probably died between 1880 and 1890.  However, many

of the descendants of Ezra and Rhoda continued to live in Sabine Parish.



#  #  #