DUANE
Duane's take
The marker's the source, and here's how I tell it — the story of one Elijah Collard, a man who kept moving west until Texas finally held him still. Elijah Collard was born on November 9, 1778, in Virginia. Now, Virginia was a fine place to be born, but Elijah didn't stay put long enough to let the state get comfortable with him.
He pushed out to the frontier — Kentucky first, then Missouri — and in Missouri he fought in the War of 1812. A man who's seen that kind of action has already lived more than most, but Elijah Collard wasn't done. In 1833, he migrated to Texas.
That word — migrated — carries weight out here. This wasn't a Sunday afternoon drive. Texas in 1833 was a proposition, not a promise.
And Collard wasted no time making himself count. By 1835, he was elected to the Consultation at San Felipe and served on the General Council. Think about what that means — Texas was in the middle of figuring out what it was going to be, and Elijah Collard had a seat at that table.
Then in 1837, when Montgomery County was created, he was named one of the first commissioners. A brand-new county, and there's Collard again, right at the founding. In 1840, he moved to Walker County.
That turned out to be his last move. He died there on March 13, 1847. Back in Kentucky, he had married a woman named Mary Stark.
They had eleven children together. Eleven. Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, Texas — and through all of it, a family growing alongside every frontier he crossed.
Elijah Collard: born 1778, died 1847, and in between — he was everywhere that mattered.
What the marker says
(November 9, 1778 - March 13, 1847) Born in Virginia, Elijah Collard later settled on the frontier in Kentucky and in Missouri, where he fought in the War of 1812. Collard migrated to Texas in 1833. He was elected to the Consultation at San Felipe in 1835 and served on the General Council. In 1837, when Montgomery County was created, he was named one of the first commissioners. In 1840 he moved to Walker County, where he died. Collard married Mary Stark in Kentucky. They had 11 children. Recorded - 1976