Local history researcher Jack Terry gave a presentation at the Covington Branch of the St. Tammany Parish Library Saturday, talking about his efforts to uncover more of the history of Thomas Wharton Collins, the father of John Wharton Collins, the founder of Covington.
Terry outlined his many avenues of research, delving into genealogical records from Pennsylvania and Canada, tracking down the various members of the Collins family, and clearing up some possible historical inaccuracies.
He detailed the charges against Thomas Wharton Collins during the American Revolution, (which accused him of being a British sympathizer) but showed how he was later cleared of those charges.
Some of the statements in a Covington history put together years ago by local attorney the late Adrian Schwarz were called into question. Terry asserted that some of the history cited about Thomas Wharton Collins' family may have been merged with popular accounts published in magazines and in family stories down through the years.
