I started researching Collver lineage in 1986, and started this document in 1989. It has evolved several times as information becomes obsolete or expanded. I thought of writing a book, but several already exist and in particular I really like Colver-Culver Genealogy by Valerie Giorgi, she has written a fantastic book of over 700 pages, and has put a lot of work into it. I will quote parts of her work ( I hope she doesn't mind), to get all of it, I suggest you write to her and get her book, it is worth every penny (order information is in the Appendices). I have discussed with her colaboration on a new book as she has been flooded with new trees, she would like to do a standard hard bound, while I suggested a CDROM, as the costs would be far less as well as ease of distribution.

          My interest in Collver family history occurred rather by accident. I had been transferred to Salt Lake City, Utah in 1983. While in a fit of boredom, I went to the genealogy center there, and I was surprised to find our relations baptized as Mormons. I soon discovered that this is a common practice in the Mormon Church to post baptize (ie: performed after death, whether they were Mormon or not). I contacted the name on the documents, a Loris Wooden (Daughter of Lylse Collver). She was extremely helpful by providing the initial material that I used in starting this project. Through her, I have made many contacts that have lead to people such as Don DuBois of Portland OR, Dick Collver of Bend OR, Valerie Dyer Giorgi of San Diego CA, and a whole slew of books and reference material on Collvers that I never knew existed. There are regular Collver-Culver-Colver family reunions, the two that I know, one is in Coos County, Oregon and the other is a National Culver/Colver Family reunion held generally in Connecticut. There are cities named Culver (Culver City, California, tv shows and movies are produced there) and private schools, such as the Culver Academy (they have a web site).

          My initial research focused on Cuyahoga County, Ohio in 1810, as I was trying to firm up the connection of Gabriel Collver to Rev Jabez Culver of Canada. I was finally able to firmly establish that he was the grandson of the Reverend, and that made things a lot easier from that point. I'm still uncomfortable with the link between Jabez's father John and grand father John, as the grandfather was part of a commune and things get really fuzzy as who was begot by whom and a lot of cousins marrying cousins. I went to Schooleys Mountain, but the real records that need to be looked at are in the larger towns nearby, as the library is extremely small there. But I feel that there is sufficient data to accept the connection at this point. Where there are contradictions I will try to present both versions and I will continue to try to prove or disprove either version by continued research. A lot of information can be found in the most unusual places, little local historical societies and museums, genealogy sections at public libraries and local Mormon temples generally have libraries and computers. In fact most Mormon genealogy centers are extremely helpful and have a volunteer staff to help you get started.

          In the process of doing this research that I have found myself asking "why did they leave this place, why the move westward?" So in this document you will find that I have put in peices of local or world history for that time period to give perspective as to possible motives.

          About the spelling of our name.... Apparently the old English spelling is Colver and in New England Culver became the more dominant spelling. Any Similar spellings such as Collver, Colliver, Culiver etc... are generally from Colver. The name Collver seemed to take shape in the late 1700's with the Rev Jabez Collver. In looking at that period, it was difficult to pin down the names consistently. Colver, Collver, Colliver, Culver, Cover, etc.... but in tax records, the land-lot numbers remained the same. In Ohio in the early 1800's, there were two Culvers (Micheal, Martial or Marshall) and Gabriel. From Alfred on, it remained Collver, while his half brothers and sisters went with Culver.

          In several resource books on names, they claim that the Culver name itself comes from the word "Dove" as in Covey of dove's etc. It had strong religious overtones as the Dove represents the Holy ghost(?). The name first appears with a Timothy Culver in 1334, more than that is not known. In Valerie Giorgi's book, she states that the Colver name is of Saxon origin and that we were of the landed gentry. She accounts for a William Culver of Herefordshire as being mentioned in the "hundred rolls" of the reign of King Edward I, in 1275. The founder of the Collver-Culver family in America was the Puritan, Edward Culver, who came to America from Southeastern England in 1635, and first settled in Massachusetts. There is some vague evidence that he may have been the son of either John Culver (born ca 1575) or Hugh Culver and possibly the Grandson of Rev. Edward Colver born ca 1550. At last count in 1969, there were 18,400 Culver's in the U.S. (all references to Collver and Colver are redirected to Culver). The original spelling from Edward was Colver, although other people wrote us as Culver in official documents. Since then, Culver has appeared to dominate. To speculate on motivations of Edward emigrating to the Americas , I will start off with a brief overview of England prior to his coming here, as this period in English history was very turbulent: England, The Colonies.

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