The Collins-Harris Cemetery, Johnston County, Oklahoma A Genealogical Study of an Extended Family By Dr. Dan Collins April, 1999 In 1994 a local Boy Scout named Michael Rushin, working on his Eagle badge organized a cleanup project of a small neglected cemetery about five miles east of Tishomino on land owned by the local college. The cemetery turned out to be the resting place of several members of the families of Charles Jones Collins, James Edward Collins, and the father, sister and grandparents of Gov. R.M. Harris, along with other persons connected by blood or marriage. This material has been assembled from an article which appeared in the local paper the Tishomingo Capitol-Democrat on 31 Mar 1994 reporting the restoration project, subsequent research by Fay Orr and Vickie Luster of the Chickasaw Museum, plus notes from several other corroborating sources. The cemetery was labeled "Collins-Harris" as a result of this recent set of events; however, since the Harris family were its first inhabitants, the name should rightly be reversed, or simple called the "Harris Family" cemetery. The order of listing here has no particular significance to the arrangement of the cemetery. 1. Collins, Ada (Harris, McCoy) b. 1 Sept 1861, d. 23 Mar 1886 "Wife of C. Collins" [Ada died at age 25, probably from complications from the birth of her fourth child who died at birth and is buried here. Her previous child Maggie (b. c. 1884-85) survived her. Ada's first, second and fourth children are buried next to her and share a common headstone. Ada m.1st __ McCoy (d.c.1880-1881, apparently not buried here) the father of her first child. She m.2nd (9 June 1881) Charles Jones Collins (b. 1850, d. 1904). Sources refer to her at the time of that marriage as "the widow McCoy". She is probably the main link between the Collins and Harris families in this cemetery. Her grandparents were Daniel and Eloy Harris, the first two buried here. Ada's father was their son, Hon./Col. Joseph D. Harris (see below) also buried here. Her brother was Governor R.M.Harris. Ada's second husband, Charles Jones Collins, father of two of the children buried here (he is apparently buried elsewhere), was the son of George W. Collins and Mildred Groom from Caldwell Co, KY. Charles was the youngest of ten children, all born in KY except him. The family relocated to Grayson Co. Texas and then to the Chickasaw Nation. Three of the Collins sons settled in the Fort Washita-Emet area. Two of Charles' older brothers Edward (see wife below) and Daniel and two of Daniel's sons, Dan and Ben, served many years in the Chickasaw Legislature. Ben was also the Indian Policeman and U.S.Marshall who was ambushed and killed in a grudge-motivated shooting-for-hire in 1904 near Emet.] 2. McCoy, Allen b. 19 Sept 1880, d. 29 Mar 1881 [Allen was the first child of Ada Harris and the only child of her marriage with __ McCoy. McCoy apparently died about the time of death of the child, as she remarried to Charles Collins only a few months following the child's death.] 3. Collins, Amy b. 2 Feb 1883, d. 22 Apr 1883 "Child of Ada and C.Collins" [Second child of Ada and first child of her marriage with Charles J. Collins] 4. Collins, (no name given) b. & d. 12 Mar 1886. "Infant son of Ada and C. Collins" [Fourth child of Ada, third child of her marriage with Charles. She survived this child by only eleven days.] 5. Collins, Elsie b. 15 Dec 1858, d. 17 Jul 1887 "Wife of Ed Collins" [Else was the wife (m. 1874) of James Edward "Ed" Collins (b. 25 Feb 1849). Ed was brother to Charles Jones Collins and lived nearby. Elsie was a niece of Mattie (Collins) McKinney, wife of Alexander McKinney, a prominent citizen in that area. Mattie was sister of Ed and Charles (Mattie was the oldest and Charles the youngest child in the family of ten children).] 6. Collins, Charles Melton son of Ed and Elsie Collins b. 17 Oct 1885, d. 26 Jul 1890. [Charles Melton is listed elsewhere as "Milton"] 7. Harris, Daniel b. 22 Aug 1799, d. 4 Oct 1874 [Daniel and his wife (below) were the first buried in this cemetery. It was speculated by Vicki Luster of the Chickasaw Museum that Daniel was a brother of Cyrus Harris, first governor of the Chickasaw Nation.] 8. Harris, Eloy b. 1810, d. 1866 "Wife of Daniel Harris" [Daniel and Elsie "Eloy" were the parents of Hon./Col. Joseph D. Harris, and grandparents of Gov. R.M. Harris.] 9. Harris, J.D. b. 1 Jan 1829, d. 12 Mar 1889 [This is Hon./Col. Joseph D. Harris, a judge in the Chickasaw Nation, and father of Gov. R.M.Harris.] 10. McKinney, Eva b. 12 Nov 1855, d. 17 Nov 1889 "Wife of A.T.McKinney" [Evaline"Eva" (Colbert) McKinney wife of Albert Thomas McKinney (m. 28 Feb 1884 by Judge J.D Harris) (see J.D. Harris above). Albert was brother of Alex McKinney and so was a brother-in-law by marriage of Charles and Ed Collins (see Elsie McKinney Collins above), so Eva was related to the Collins' already buried there. Eva was a Colbert and the Colberts were also connected to the Harris family by marriage. A.T.McKinney was also a judge in the Chickasaw Nation so there could have been social, professional and neighbor relationships.]. 11. Bynum, Elizabeth b.14 Oct 1881, d. 31 Aug 1882 "Daughter of Joe and Alice Bynum" [Elizabeth's mother, Alice (Pitchlyn, Brown) Bynum was sister to Susan (Pitchlyn) Cravatte, (see below). Alice's husband Joe's grandfather, John A. Bynum, an English fur trader married Tennessee Colbert in 1819. Their son Turner Bynum m. Lucinda Dyer. Their daughter Nellie (d. 1886) was the first wife of Gov. Douglas H. Johnston. Nellie's brother, Joe Bynum, was the second husband of Alice Pitchlyn (m. 16 Jan 1881) and they were the parents of the child Elizabeth above. She was born slightly less than nine months after the marriage, and survived less than a year after birth.] 12. Cravatte, Susan b. 13 dec 1856, d. 11 May 1879 "Wife of A.T.Cravatte" [Susan A. (Pitchlyn) Rap married Alexander T. Cravatte in 1875. Her previous husband was Francis Rap (m. 15 Dec 1874 at the residence of Daniel Harris) (see D. Harris above) by judge J.O.Brown. Alexander Cravatte was a son of John Cravatte, a Frenchman. John's daughter and so sister of Alexander, was Elsie "Eloy" Cravatte, wife of Daniel Harris (above), so Susan was a niece by marriage of this couple (i.e., Alexander was their nephew).] 13. [There is a legend that five slaves were also buried at this site, supposedly in a common unmarked grave. No evidence was found to suggest the existence or location of this grave.] Cemetery Listing by Chronological Order of Death Dates And Summarized by Relationship Harris, Daniel 4 Oct 1874 Harris, Eloy 1886 wife of Daniel Harris Cravatte, Susan 11 May 1879 wife of the Harris' nephew McCoy, Allen 29 Mar 1881 great grandchild of the Harris' Bynum, Elizabeth 31 August 1882 great grandchild of the Harris' Collins, Amy 22 April 1883 great grandchild of the Harris' Collins, Ada Harris McCoy 23 Mar 1886 grandchild of the Harris' Collins (unnamed infant) 12 Mar 1886 great grandchild of the Harris' Collins, Elsie 17 Jun 1887 sister-in-law of Ada Harris, J.D. 12 Mar 1889 son of the Harris' and father of Ada McKinney, Eva 17 Nov 1889 sister-in-law by marriage to the Collins' Collins, Charles Melton 26 Jul 1890 child of Eva McKinney Dr. Dan Collins is the great grandson of Daniel Collins.