Collins, William

Birth Name Collins, William
Gender male
Age at Death 72 years, 7 months

Narrative

KDD: I wrote a story about the history and times of the Collins here: "A Collins Tale"

William and Jane immigrated more recently than John Collins of Dundas. Their children thru 1840 were born in Ireland.
http://ontariocensus.rootsweb.ancestry.com/transcripts/1851/477-4.html
, and daughters Mariah in 1900 and Agnes in 1910 say they arrived in 1842. Mariah says 1841 in 1910.
Family lore, via Janice Casselman:
"They came into New Brunswick and came by covered wagon up the St Lawrence river and they settled around Osnabruck, Gallingertown and Brockville ,"

Historically, they emigrated just before the Irish Potato Famine, but repeated crop failures occurred before that: "In 1832, 1833, 1834, and 1836, dry rot and curl caused serious losses, and in 1835 the potato failed in Ulster. Widespread failures throughout Ireland occurred in 1836, 1837, 1839, 1841, and 1844.'
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_(Ireland)

Family of William Collins had 7 kids and Thomas had at least 1, so passage for 12. How could they afford it? Because Brits were trying to clear Ireland of the Irish!
1) The British government intentionally kept fares to Quebec low to encourage the Irish to populate Canada and also to discourage them from emigrating to England. Irish Potato Famine: Coffin Ships - The History Place
2) They passed the "Irish Poor Law" in 1838 which setup Workhouses for the poor. One of the conditions was that "landlords" (English robber barrons) could take over the land of tenant farmers if they paid for their passage to Canada.

Most passenger lists before 1847 are missing, but possible immigration match:
Name: William Collins
Arrival Year: 1839
Arrival Place: Canada
Source Publication Code: 4575
Primary Immigrant: Collins, William
Annotation: Lists of heads of families and individuals, giving ages and dates of emigration. From the Petworth House Archives, set up by George Wyndham, Third Earl of Egremont. The archives contain details of the Petworth Emigration Committee's work.
Source Bibliography: LEESON, FRANCIS. "Records of Irish Emigrants to Canada, in Sussex Archives, 1839-1847." In The Irish Ancestor, vol. 6:1 (1974), pp. 31-42.
Page: 38
http://www.dippam.ac.uk/ied/records/53109

Might be the same -
Name: William Collins
Arrival Year: 1798-1840
Arrival Place: Ontario, Canada
Source Publication Code: 9758.1
Primary Immigrant: Collins, William
Annotation: Date and port of arrival. Name of ship, place of origin, place of destination, date of birth and death, parentage, occupation, and other historical and family data may also be provided.
Source Bibliography: WHYTE, DONALD. A Dictionary of Scottish Emigrants to Canada before Confederation. Toronto: Ontario Genealogical Society. Volume 2, 1995. 435p.
Page: 57

 

 

Events

Event Date Place Description Sources
Birth 1798 Sligo, Ireland 1797 in his death record  
Event Note

Only 4 age records:
1851: Williamsburg, Dundas b.1798
1861: Osnabruck, Stormont b.1801
1871: Osnabruck, Stormont b.1793 (could be age 73, ergo b.1798)
1871: (death record) b.1797

Death 1870-08-00 Osnabruck, Stormont, Ontario, Canada    
Event Note

In the 1871 Canada Census, "Nominal Return of the Deaths within last twelve months", from familysearch.

William Collins born in Ireland , farmer, married, age 78, Church of England,

 

Canada, Census Mortality Schedule, 1871
Name: William Collins
Gender: Male
Death Age: 73
Marital Status: Married
Birth Year: 1797
Birth Place: Ireland
Death Date: Aug 1870
Death Place: Ontario, Canada
Address: 03, Osnabruck a, Stormont 72
Religion: Church Of England
Enumeration District: 72
Sub-District: a
Ward of City: Osnabruck
Line Number: 1
Page number: 2

Parents

Relation to main person Name Birth date Death date Relation within this family (if not by birth)
Father Collins, William?
Mother (Collins), Margaret?
    Brother     Collins, John 1798 1883-05-10
         Collins, William 1798 1870-08-00
    Brother     Collins, Thomas about 1804 1874

Families

Family of Collins, William and Barber?, Jane

Married Wife Barber?, Jane ( * 1804 + after 1861 )
   
Event Date Place Description Sources
Immigration 1841   or 1842  
Event Note

From 1910 Census of daughter Agnes Devall:
Name: Agnes Devall
Birth Year: abt 1841
Birthplace: Ireland
Home in 1910: Cambridge Ward 5, Middlesex, Massachusetts
Immigration Year: 1842
Relation to Head of House: Mother-in-law
Marital status: Widowed
Father's Birthplace: Ireland
Mother's Birthplace: Ireland

1900 Census of Maria Dwyer Immigration Year: 1842
1910 Census of Maria Dwyer Immigration Year: 1841

Marriage about 1823 Ireland    
  Narrative

No marriage record. Jane Buckner who married William Collins lived in Middlesex, Ontario is a different couple.

All early Parish records in Sligo, Ireland (before 1845) were destroyed in a fire in the Public Record Office
of Ireland in 1922

1851 Williamsburg, Dundas, Ontario, Canada
1861 Osnabrook, Stormont, Ontario, Canada (William, Jane, George, Sarah)
1871 Osnabrook, Stormont, Ontario, Canada (William alone - "78 years old" )

In this 1879 atlas, William Collins plot is still listed ( lower right corner ):
https://digital.library.mcgill.ca/countyatlas/showtownship2.php?townshipid=williamsburg
(defintely our Collins because of neighbors but probably Thomas and Ann Collins' son)

All known family - except Eliza! - appears in the 1851 Census: religion C.England
William Collins 53 b.Ireland
Jane Collins 48 b.Ireland
William 22 b. Ireland
Thomas 20 b.Ireland
Margaret J 18 b. Ireland
Maria 15 b.Ireland
Agnes 13 b.Ireland
George 9 b.Williamsburg
Sarah 7 b.Williamsburg

Proof that Eliza is daughter of William and Jane Collins from Mariah Collins Dwyer's obit:
Arkansas City Daily Traveler
Arkansas City, Kansas
Tuesday, December 26, 1916
page 3

Death of Mrs. Dwyer
Old Resident of Arkansas City Died at Her home Here.

At eleven o'clock yesterday at her home at 221 South Third street, occurred the death of Mrs. Mariah Dwyer, from general debility, at the age of seventy-nine years. Mrs. Dwyer was one of the early comers to this vicinity, having resided here for about forty-seven years, most of which time was spent on a farm northwest of this city. She was born in Ireland and moved to Canada in her childhood from where she came to this vicinity, where she has since made her home, and has made hosts of friends who will read this news with sad hearts.

One son survives her, W.W. Dwyer, with the Case company of Wichita; a sister, Mrs. Thos. Rogers, and several nieces and nephews, among whom are Mrs. P.H. Franey, Mrs. W.J. Gray, Mrs. A.B. Woolsey, Miss Mary Myers, Mrs. J.W. Nelson, Mrs. C.C. Tubbe, Frank and E.C. Rogers.

The funeral will be held at Pleasant Valley church, conducted by Rev. Ward, of Winfield and the remains will be laid to rest beside those of her husband, Harvey Dwyer, who died in 1897.
(transcribed by Judy Mayfield)
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/68848669/mariah-dwyer
[note: moved from Ireland to Canada "in her childhood" (1840's) ]

Agnes Duvall says both parents born in Ireland in the 1910 Census (Cambridge Ward 5, Middlesex, Massachusetts). Her death cert says she was born in "County Demar, Ireland". Best guess she meant Doomore, Achrony Parish, Co. Sligo, Ireland.

Curious birth records if they came from Armagh:
Margaret Jane Collins parents: William & Jane Collins b. 09 DEC 1832 c. 20 JAN 1833 Loughgall,Armagh,Ireland
from IGI MCGM-D5F "from Parish printout"
Jane Collins parents: William & Mary Collins b. 27 JUN 1825 c. 10 JUL 1825 Loughgall,Armagh,Ireland
from IGI MCG3-HQP
William Collins parents: Wm & Mary Collins b. 28 JUL 1828 c. 03 AUG 1828 Loughgall,Armagh,Ireland
from IGI MCG9-Q4C
William Collins parents: Wm & Anne Collins b. 01 OCT 1827 c. 07 OCT 1827 Loughgall,Armagh,Ireland
from IGI MCG9-QQP
Another by jccrobinson3058169
Eliza Collins born 24 Nov 1822 Armagh, Ireland • 2:1:M7F8-BJJ parents William & Jane Collins.

If they came from Dublin:
Ellenor Collins Baptism Date: 18 Dec 1836 Crumlin, Dublin, Ireland Father: William Collins Mother: Jane
William Collins Baptism Date: 18 Aug 1839 Crumlin, Dublin, Ireland Father: William Collins Mother: Jane
Thomas Collins Baptism Birth Date: 1840 Baptism Date: 8 Dec 1840 D ublin, Haddington Road, Ireland
Diocese: Dublin Father: William Collins Mother: Jane Redden
James Collins Birth Date: 1842 Baptism Date: 3 Apr 1842 Baptism Place: Dublin, Kingstown, Ireland
Other Event Place: Glanagary Diocese: Dublin Father: William Collins Mother: Jane Collins

 

 

 

 

 

  Children
Name Birth Date Death Date
Collins, Elizabeth18231899-03-16
Collins, Jamesabout 18271888-08-16
Collins, William1830
Collins, Thomas1832
Collins, Margaret Jane1832-03-191888-11-10
Collins, Maria1837-10-201916-12-25
Collins, Agnes G1839-06-001923-10-20
Collins, George18431876-10-18
Collins, Sarah A1845-04-001929-01-06