Prudence Rainwater Collie Roberson

PRUDENCE RAINWATER COLLIE ROBERSON

Born October 14, 1821 - Tennessee - Died December 10, 1873 - Texas - Buried Old Duffau Cemetery near Stephenville, Texas
(Date of birth listed in 1860 Census, Erath Co. Texas as ca. 1822)

Prudence Rainwater Collie married William Magee Roberson (youngest son of Mathew Newton Roberson) on June 25, 1840. William was the younger brother of Thomas Walker Roberson, who brought him up in his care from William's early teens. Prudence W. (Prudy) Rainwater Collie (some think she was a full-blooded Cherokee, others disagree or think she was part Cherokee), was his first wife. William's second wife was Elizabeth Raney (Ramsey/Ramsay), b. ca. 1825, whom he married on October 6, 1875.

We have the following data on this family:
Husband: William Magee "Billy" Roberson
Birth Date: 14 Oct 1819
Birth Place: Near Frankfort, TN; Raised by older brother Tom from age 13
Death Date: 1 Nov 1910
Death Place: Home, near Duffau, Texas; buried Wed. 1:30 pm
Burial Place: Old Duffau Cemetery,Texas; Funeral-Rev. Wiley Jones,preacher

Wife: Prudence W. "Prudy" Rainwater Collie
Birth Date: 14 Oct 1821
Birth Place: Tennessee
Death Date: 10 Dec 1873
Death Place: Nationality: Cherokee (unproven)
Burial Place: Old Duffau Cemetery; Funeral-Rev. Wiley Jones,preacher

Marriage Date: 25 Jun 1840
Children: James Mathew Newton
Nancy Jane Elizabeth
William Lewis Walker
Thomas Henry Buford
Matilda Lennie Katherine
Samuel Montgomery
Sarah Ann Frances
John Goins Washington
Joseph George Leander
Walter Milton Burelson

In the 1830s the two sons of Mathew Newton Roberson, Thomas Walker and William Magee, and their families moved to Tippah County, Mississippi, near what is now Ripley. The families are listed in the Census records of Tippah County with the spelling "Robinson." Thomas's and Margaret Ann's first five children were born in Tennessee, and the last five in Mississippi. The occupation of the two brothers, as far as we know, was farming. Thomas's property was listed in the 1850 Tippah County Census as worth $1200, which would have been a respectable size farm in those days.
The 1850 Census of Tippah Co. Mississippi lists the following:
Thomas Robinson, 45, M, Farmer, b. SC
Mary Ann, 40, F, b. TN
Jas., 15, M, b. TN
Sarah, 13, F, b. TN
Francis, 11, F, b. TN
Wm., 10, M, b. MS
Martha, 6, F, b. MS
Malinda, 2, F, b. MS

Wm. Robinson, 28, M, Farmer, b. TN
Pruly (Prudy), 28, F, b. TN
Jas. M.N., 9, M, b. MS
Nancy, 7, F, b. MS
William, 3, M, b. MS
Thos. H., 1, M, b. MS

In the late 1850s, the families who were in Mississippi moved to Erath County, Texas. The journey was no doubt long and tiring, traveling many miles in oxen-drawn wagons. They were part of a large group of settlers who followed the road west to Texas as the word of available land reached them. Information from the descendants of the William Magee Roberson family indicate that the two families arrived in early 1859 and settled at the head of Little Duffau Creek near the small community of Duffau. William's family settled four miles west of Duffau and Thomas's family settled four miles east of Duffau. Each family built log cabins for their families.
The 1860 Census of Erath County, Texas, Beat Two, lists the following:
Thomas Roberson, 56, b. SC
Peggy A., 53, b. SC
James E., 23, b. TN
Elmina Francis, 19, student, b. TN
William R., 17, b. MS
Martha E., 16, b. MS
Malinda C., 12, b. MS
Thomas W., 7, b. MS

The same 1860 Federal Census of Erath Co., Texas (Squaw Creek), lists:
William M. Roberson, 40, b. TN
Prudence W., 38, b. TN
Mathew, 18, b. MS
Nancy G., 16, student, b. MS
William L., 14, b. MS
Thomas H., 12, b. MS
Matilda L., 10, b. MS
Samuel M., 8, b. MS
Sarah A., 5, b. MS
John W., 2, b. MS

This same family is listed in the 1870 Census, Erath County, Texas, with Mathew and William not listed. (We may assume that they were married or not living at home.) Additions to the family were George, 9, b. MS, and Burelson, 5, b. MS.

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August 2001

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