Born in Virginia, Elijah Collard later settled on the frontier in Kentucky and in Missouri, where he fought in the War of 1812. He migrated to Texas in 1833, was elected to the Consultation at San Felipe in 1835, and served on the General Council. When Montgomery County was created in 1837, he was named one of its first commissioners. In 1840 he moved to Walker County, where he died. He married Mary Stark in Kentucky, and they had 11 children.