Compiled by Sanford "Sandy" Wilbur
November 2018
INTRODUCTION
Captain Simon Kollock (1744-1832) of Lewes, Sussex County, Delaware, was from a prominent family whose allegiances were divided during the American Revolution. Simon was not only sympathetic to the British during the conflict, he played such an active role in military efforts for the King that the State of Delaware refused to pardon him after the war. His property in Delaware was forfeited to the State. He lived out the rest of his life in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Canada.
Several attempts have been made toward a genealogy of the Kollock family:
Sellers, E. J. 1897. Genealogy of Kollock family of Sussex County, Delaware. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: self-published.
Sellers, E. J. 1922. Supplement to genealogies. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: self-published. (Kollock-related information on pages 50-66).
Hill, J. B. 1960. The Simon Kollocks of Sussex in the Eighteenth Century. Delaware History 9(April):51-65.
Hill, J. B. 1961. The New England descendants of Cornelius Kollock of Delaware. Wynnewood, Pennsylvania: Self published.
Some of the earliest genealogical errors have been corrected, but there are still a number of questions to be resolved, and much missing information. Considering the family's prominence in early Delaware, a major effort toward a new Kollock genealogy seems warranted. At this point, I don't feel confident to present details of the earliest American generations. Here, I will provide some thoughts on the European ancestry of the family; briefly note the first three American generations of Simon Kollock's ancestry; then began in earnest with Simon Kollock, himself.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a “work in progress,” not a final report. Therefore, I welcome any comments, questions, corrections, new information, that will make it a better product. I’ll post additional generations as I finish drafting them.
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CHAPTER ONE
BEFORE SIMON, THE LOYALIST
1. Jacob Kollock
Almost certainly, Jacob Kollock was the source of all Kollocks in North America (at least, before 1900), yet he was not even "found" until 1689, some 32 years after his presumed "birth." The only "facts" we know are:
·He was born ca 1657 (his tombstone inscription says he died at age 63 in 1721) [1].
·He married Mary Lawerson before 1691. (Between June and December 1691, there was an allegation that Jacob Kollock and Mary Lawerson were not legally married; apparently, no final decision or action taken.) [2].
·He was first identified in Sussex County, Delaware, in 1690, when he was appointed to the grand jury, and also applied for a land grant (Note 2, pages 677 and 699).
·He lived at Lewes, Sussex County, Delaware, the rest of his life; identified as a cooper [barrel and cask maker] and merchant; regularly bought and sold property, served on grand and petit juries, represented himself and others in court [2], [3].
·He died at Lewes 26 February 1720 (1721, modern calendar), age 63; buried at St. Peter's Episcopal Church [1].
·His will, recorded 30 December 1720 and probated 14 March 1721, named his wife, Mary, and seven living children [3].
Every other bit of information I have seen and investigated about him has proven to be incorrect, a misinterpretation of the facts presented above, or so far unsubstantiated. In the latter category is the regularly repeated "family tradition" that (1) the Kollocks lived in southern France, and their family name was originally Colloque, or De Colloque; (2) they were Huguenots, Protestants living in a predominantly Catholic country, where they suffered religious persecution; and (3) after the Edict of Nantes (which had given Protestants some religious freedom) was revoked in 1685, the family fled France, and eventually changed their name.
The claim that the Kollocks were Huguenots is so specific that it seems likely to have been true. However, neither the Huguenot Society of America nor the National Huguenot Society recognize any proven Huguenot ancestor named Colloque, Kollock, Collock, or any other similar name. Also, there are no family files on Kollock or Kollock-related names in the Huguenot Library in London. Over the years, there have been various Kollock members in the societies, but apparently they were granted membership as "associates" (people interested in the Kollock name), rather than full members (people with proven Kollock ancestors). Nevertheless, to say a specific ancestry hasn't been proven is not the same as saying there wasn't one.
There are other problems with the family story, however. One might expect some questions, considering that the earliest I found reference to the tradition is 1850, nearly 200 years after Jacob's birth [4].
· With pretty careful searching, I couldn't find any records of a Colloque family in early France, or elsewhere in Europe. Neither could I find any place name in France that could account for "De Colloque," i.e.,. a family of or from Colloque.
· The idea that the Colloques/Kollocks fled France after revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 appears to be a later addition to the family story. The earliest I have found it mentioned is in 1907 [5]. Actually, the Huguenots were being strongly persecuted in the 1500s; many had fled France before the semi-protection of the Edict came into effect in 1598, and many more left during the "safe" years. Searching for Kollock ancestors in Europe shouldn't be limited to late 17th Century France; they could have been long-gone by then.
· The idea of where the Kollocks fled also changed over the years. In accounts published in 1850 [4] and 1892 [6], they were said to have moved to Germany. A 1907 report has them traveling to England [5], but narratives in 1930 [7], 1960 [8] and 1975 [9] give Holland as their place of refuge. As no new information surfaced during the 1850 to 1975 period, there isn't an obvious reason for the changes. Huguenot refugees did settle in all three countries, but they also moved to other European localities, as well. So far, there is no one logical place to start the search for Kollock ancestors.
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Some things to take into consideration in any further studies of the Kollock ancestry:
·Nobody has found any "Kollock" names (including known variations) in early America that are not those of Jacob's immediate family and descendants. That leads me to believe that he came from Europe as an adult, alone, or perhaps with relatives having other surnames. The year 1690, when he first petitioned for land in Delaware and when he first began appearing in Sussex County records, may be close to the time he actually arrived in America.
·It has been assumed that, because the legitimacy of Jacob's marriage to Mary Lawerson was questioned in 1691, the marriage had occurred in America about that same time. That may not be true. Jacob would have been about 33 in 1690, not too old to be getting married for the first time, but leaving a lot of room for an earlier marriage. Lawerson is an extremely rare surname in early America, but was common in England in the 1600s. All of their children have been assumed to have been born in America, but there appears to be no birth (or death) information for their eldest child, Simon. Hannah, probably their second child, by one account was born ca 1684 (but I haven't seen the documentation). Two of their youngest children, Hester and Jacob, may have been born ca 1692 and 1698, if tombstone inscriptions are near accurate. All in all, an overseas wedding is not out of the question.
·Because there are so many places in Europe where Jacob might have come from, and a number of surnames that sound "close enough" to have become Collock/Kollock, it won't be easy deciding where to invest research time. My favorite at the moment is the Dutch family, Coelhoeck. My (very) limited research has shown that there were Coelhoecks in the Netherlands in the 1600s. That's where I would start.
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2. Simon Kollock [Jacob1], son of Jacob Kollock and Mary Lawerson, has been assumed to have been born at Lewes, Sussex County, Delaware, although no records have been found. He married Comfort Shepherd (not the widow Comfort [Shepherd] Prettyman, as is often reported). One of their children was Shepherd Kollock.
3. Shepherd Kollock [Simon2, Jacob1], son of Simon Kollock and Comfort Shepherd, was probably born at Lewes, Sussex County, Delaware. He married Mary Goddard 16 April 1737 at Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. One of their children was Simon Kollock, the subject of this genealogy.
NOTES
1. Jacob Kollock was buried at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Lewes, Sussex County, Delaware. The tombstone inscription has his death date and age at death.
2. Horle, C. W. 1991. Records of the Courts of Sussex County, Delaware, 1677-1710. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press.
3. Sellers, E. J. 1897. Genealogy of Kollock family, Sussex County, Delaware, 1657-1897. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Self-published.
4. Page 44 in: Schenck, W. E. 1850. An historical account of the First Presbyterian Church of Princeton, N. J. Princeton, New Jersey: John T. Robinson.
5. Pages 209-211 in: Hemphill, J. C. 1907. Men of Mark in South Carolina. Washington, D. C.: Men of Mark Publishing Company.
6. Pages 64-65 in: Ellis, L. B. 1892. History of New Bedford and its vicinity 1602 - 1892. Syracuse, New York: D. Mason & Co., Publishers.
7. Pages 440-441 in: Rouse, A. R. 1930. The Reads and their relatives, being an account of Colonel Clement and Madam Read of Bushy Forest, Lunenburg County, Virginia. Cincinnati, Ohio: Johnson & Hardin Press.
8. Hill, J. B. 1960. The Simon Kollocks of Sussex in the Eighteenth Century. Delaware History 9:51-65.
9. Page 6 in: Anderson, J. R. 1975. Shepard Kollock: editor for freedom. Chatham, NJ: Chatham Historical Society.
TO SIMON KOLLOCK - CHAPTER TWO (link above)
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