John William Allen Property Discoveries III (the good stuff)

Okay, so now we know the details of John Williams Allen's land purchase.  We know when he bought it (late 1900), who he bought it from, what he paid for it, and exactly where it was located.  We also know that it was referred to as the "Martin Collier Home Place".

Martin Collier?  Hmm, I wonder what we can learn by looking up Martin Collier?

Stephen wondered the same thing...and he beat me to a fantastic discovery!

Martin Collier, who died in 1867, had a daughter named Frances Collier.  Frances, it just so happens, married Solomon Shiflett!  If you don't recall that name, I can't blame you.  But Stephen and I instantly knew who he was.  He was Frances Shiflett's and John Allen's neighbor just over the mountain in Rockingham County!  [BTW:  Frances Shiflett's 55 acres of hillside--described in earlier posts--was only about 5 1/2 miles from the land that John Allen bought in Greene County in 1900.  And modern day Bacon Hollow Rd. (Rt. 627) provided a direct path right up to Frances' and John's property near Powells Gap.]

So why do we think this is cool?  Well...it essentially helps to tell the story as to how John William Allen found the land he purchased in 1900.  It was the home place of his then neighbor, Frances Collier Shiflett!  Cool right? 

Well the "theory" that I'll post next makes it even cooler.

But first, there's one more thing that I think is worth mentioning real quick.  According to the deed, the land John Allen purchased was purchased through a "Commissioners Sale".  This essentially means that it was purchased from the courts.  Evidently, there had been a court case in 1894 (H.S. Collier vs Lawson) that was settled by the forfeiture of the Martin Collier Home Place from the Collier family.  Evidently, the courts held the property for about 5 years, until John William Allen purchased it in 1900.  It's assumed that he got a rather good deal, given the situation.

Oh, and the deed mentions that there was a 1/4 piece of land that did not transfer to the courts (in 1894) or  to John Allen (in 1900).  It was the Collier Family Cemetery.  I wonder if that cemetery is still visible today?  I wonder where it is?  I wonder if the local residents know where it is?  Can you find it on the modern day satellite image of the property below?





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