Age validation of Dora Collins (1890-2003)
Dora Ann Willis was born November 7 1890 (claimed 1891) in Nasons (an unincorporated community close to the town of Orange), Orange County, Virginia. Her parents were Alexander and Sarah Frances (nee Williams) Willis and she had at least 10 siblings.
On August 9 1911, Dora married her first husband Wilmer/Wilmore Green. They had at least three children together. By 1930, Dora had married Washington Pitcher. Later in life she married Leroy Collins, who passed away in 1984.
Since at least 1930, Dora had resided in New York State, mostly in the Poughkeepsie area. She passed away in a care facility in Wappingers Falls, Duchess County, New York, on January 25 2003, aged 112 years, 79 days.
Validation –
Dora Claimed birth on November 7 1891. The earliest census (1900) gives her age as 8, with the month and year of birth as November 1891. So initially, Dora’s age claim seems to tie in here. Her first marriage record also ties in with birth in November 1891. However, an original copy of her birth record was found – born in the county she claimed, to the parents she said she had, on the day and month she claimed, but in 1890. This is a handwritten, original birth register for births in Orange County (1853-1911) for the year ending December 31 1890. The record either says ‘Nora’ or ‘None’ – ‘Nora’ may be a typo for Dora, ‘None’ may be interpreted as ‘unnamed female born to…’. We are aware there is a typed-up copy of these records on a well-known genealogy site which says 1893 as the year of birth. Given that the handwritten copy was the original and the typed-up copy is deemed to be from a later date, the GRG has decided to go with 1890 as Dora’s year of birth. It is difficult to argue with an original birth record.
Dora’s age was accepted as validated by the GRG on January 5 2025.