Probably not.
More than 80 trees on Ancestry.com record Thomas McCollum's name as "Thomas I. McCollum." Yet I've never seen him referred to as anything other than Thomas McCollum in original records, or in family records dating from 1915, 1953, and 1984.
Did someone dig up a new clue? I wonder in what document, since no sources are cited that I haven't seen?
I believe I have discovered the probable source: in late 2008, someone first attached a page from "Tennessee Soldiers in the Revolution" to his Ancestry tree. That tree displays as "Thomas - I. McCOLLUM."
"Tennessee Soldiers in the Revolution" is an index; the entry is McCOLLUM, THOMAS, I-13-2. The I refers to a volume number.
Corroborating evidence supporting my theory that more than 200 years after his death Thomas McCollum gained a middle initial that is a volume number can be found at RootsWeb WorldConnect and the IGI, where only a few of the 25 or so entries include the I. as a middle initial. While I haven't reviewed all the entries, the ones I've checked that don't include an initial pre-date late 2008.
Can anyone provide a copy of or source citation to an original record that lists his name as Thomas I. McCollum? What is the evidence supporting the notion that the Thomas McCollum listed in "Tennessee Soldiers in the Revolution" is the same Thomas McCollum who died in Greene Co., Tennessee in 1806?
