Individual Details
Elvira Ellen Buckner
(29 Mar 1813 - 21 Sep 1894)
Elvira Ellen Buckner is proven to be one of our great-great grandmothers. Our family tree is documented with good genealogical sources such as records of birth, marriage, death, cemetery burials, and census records. Elvira married Thomas Cornelius Mahar about 1839, presumably in Texas. It is known from her tombstone in the Van Alstyne Cemetery that she was born 29 March 1813 and known from census records that she was from Missouri. Unfortunately, there are no records giving the names of Elvira’s parents, but there are clues from the records of Texas land grants.
Many settlers moved to Texas in the 1830s to apply for land grants. Among these were some members of the Collom family, whose ancestors had lived in America since colonial times. John Collom, who was born in Pennsylvania about 1732, was a patriot in the Revolutionary War, serving as assessor for the Township of Abington during the Revolutionary War, and is shown in the Patriot Index of the Daughters of the American Revolution. His son, Jonathan Collom, was a Revolutionary War soldier serving as a drummer. Jonathan’s grandson, William Collom, has a biography published by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Patriot Ancestor Album, Volume 2, p. 41. Another of Jonathan’s grandsons is Collin M. Collom, who had a daughter named Margaret Louise Collom.
I believe that this Margaret Louise Collom is the M. Collom, age 16, who was living with Thomas Mahar and Elvira Bucker at the 1850 census, the earliest US census in which all members of the family are recorded by name. Texas county tax assessments tell the story. Margaret’s father, Collin M. Collom, had been granted 4428 acres of land in Texas. He also had money, horses, and cattle, all of which was divided equally between his daughter Margaret and son George after their father died some time before 1846. Thomas Mahar was the acting as agent for Margaret Louise Collom in 1847.
Parents both from Missouri
Born 29 Mar 1813 Missouri
Died 21 Sep 1894 Texas (dates of birth and death from tombstone)
Burial: Van Alstyne Cemetery, Grayson County, Texas. Find-a-Grave Memorial 10565109
Census 1850-1880 the same as her husband, Thomas G. Mahar
Occupation: Keeping house
Many settlers moved to Texas in the 1830s to apply for land grants. Among these were some members of the Collom family, whose ancestors had lived in America since colonial times. John Collom, who was born in Pennsylvania about 1732, was a patriot in the Revolutionary War, serving as assessor for the Township of Abington during the Revolutionary War, and is shown in the Patriot Index of the Daughters of the American Revolution. His son, Jonathan Collom, was a Revolutionary War soldier serving as a drummer. Jonathan’s grandson, William Collom, has a biography published by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Patriot Ancestor Album, Volume 2, p. 41. Another of Jonathan’s grandsons is Collin M. Collom, who had a daughter named Margaret Louise Collom.
I believe that this Margaret Louise Collom is the M. Collom, age 16, who was living with Thomas Mahar and Elvira Bucker at the 1850 census, the earliest US census in which all members of the family are recorded by name. Texas county tax assessments tell the story. Margaret’s father, Collin M. Collom, had been granted 4428 acres of land in Texas. He also had money, horses, and cattle, all of which was divided equally between his daughter Margaret and son George after their father died some time before 1846. Thomas Mahar was the acting as agent for Margaret Louise Collom in 1847.
Parents both from Missouri
Born 29 Mar 1813 Missouri
Died 21 Sep 1894 Texas (dates of birth and death from tombstone)
Burial: Van Alstyne Cemetery, Grayson County, Texas. Find-a-Grave Memorial 10565109
Census 1850-1880 the same as her husband, Thomas G. Mahar
Occupation: Keeping house
Events
| Birth | 29 Mar 1813 | Cape Girardeau County, Missouri |  | ||
| Marriage | Abt 1839 | Thomas Cornelius Mahar | |||
| Census (family) | 15 Nov 1850 | Collin County, Texas - Thomas Cornelius Mahar | |  | |
| Census (family) | 23 Jul 1860 | Mantua, Collin County, Texas - Thomas Cornelius Mahar | | | |
| Census (family) | 2 Aug 1870 | Collin County, Texas - Thomas Cornelius Mahar | | | |
| Census (family) | 16 Jun 1880 | Collin County, Texas - Thomas Cornelius Mahar | | | |
| Death | 21 Sep 1894 | Grayson County, Texas | |||
| Burial | Van Alstyne Cemetery, Grayson County, Texas | | |
Families
| Spouse | Thomas Cornelius Mahar (1814 - 1894) |
| Child | John Mahar (1840 - 1845) |
| Child | Thomas Mahar (1841 - 1845) |
| Child | William S. Mahar (1848 - 1907) |
| Child | Emma Sarah Mahar (1853 - 1926) |
| Father | Henry Buckner (1780 - ) |
| Mother | Margaret Pew (1790 - 1846) |
| Sibling | Elizabeth Buckner (1805 - 1879) |
Notes
Birth
Date of birth on tombstoneCensus (family)
Thos Mahar M 36 South Carolina - FarmerE Mahar F 37 Missouri
M Collom F 16 Texas
Wm S Mahar M 2 Texas
Thomas Mahar does not own any slaves.
The 16-year-old female, M. Collom, is living with the family in 1850. She may be Margaret Louise Cullum, 28 Dec 1835 - 12 Dec 1884 [L5VR-JGL] Find-a-Grave Memorial 5463837, wife of Thomas Calhoun Boone, and a possible relative of Elvira Buckner and/or Thomas Mahar. The tax roles for 1850 show Thomas Mahar as agent for S. Collom. Ancestry.com indicates that several of Margaret's descendants share DNA with Rex Wilson: https://www.facebook.com/jesse.couk.3
https://www.facebook.com/joseph.couk
https://www.facebook.com/jwjustice1
https://www.facebook.com/shirley.winston
Census (family)
Thomas Maher M 46 South Carolina - FarmerElvira Maher F 47 Missouri
Wm S. Maher M 12 Texas
Sarah E. Maher F 6 Texas
Census (family)
Thomas Mahar M 56 South Carolina - FarmerElvira Mahar F 56 Missouri - Keeping house
William Mahar M 22 Texas - Farm laborer
Emma Mahar F 15 Texas - at home
Census (family)
Thomas Maherr Self M 64 Alabama - FarmerFather's Birthplace: Ireland
Mother's Birthplace: England
Elvira Maherr Wife F 67 Missouri - Keeping House
Father's Birthplace: Missouri
Mother's Birthplace: Missouri
Burial
Inscription: Wife of ThomasPLOT: Mckinney section
Endnotes
1. "United States Census, 1850," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MXLK-8Q3 : accessed 26 Aug 2013), Thos Mahar, 1850..
2. "United States Census, 1860," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MXFX-7MV : accessed 26 Aug 2013), Thomas Maher, 1860..
3. "United States Census, 1870," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MXGP-Q27 : accessed 26 Aug 2013), Thomas Mahar, ..
4. "United States Census, 1880," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MFFB-DNR : accessed 16 Aug 2013), Thomas Maherr, 1880..
5. Find A Grave Memorial# 10565109.