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THE COLLIER FAMILY.
Early in the history of this country three
brothers, Daniel, William and John Collier,
emigrated from England. This was supposed to have been
a short time before the Revolutionary War. They landed
in New York, and there separated. William went
to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Daniel remained in New
York City, and it is supposed that John went
South, first to Virginia, and subsequently to North
Carolina, where he had a family and spent his life.
At their separation in New York they lost every
definite trace of each other, and up to the present time the
families have never been able to make a satisfactory
connection of the links fo their genealogy.
In Clark County, Ohio, is a considerable community of
Colliers, who trace their descent from John Collier,
of North Carolina, and a partial history of his branch of
the race will be found in the Illustrated General Atlas of
that County.
The family for whom this sketch is prepared run back
their line of descent to
WILLIAM COLLIER, (a) who located in Philadelphia.
This William Collier married a French lady, who came
to America about the time tat Lafayette came over - During
the Revolutionary War. Her name is not know known.
The fruits of this marriage were two sons, William
and Daniel , and two fruits of this marriage were two
sons. William and Daniel, and two
daughters, Elizabeth and Mary, all born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The younger brother,
Daniel, was lost at sea, and nothing was ever heard WILLIAM COLLIER,
(b) eldest son of the subject just noticed, married Miss
Elizabeth Heckman, a native of Germany. She was
brought to America when quite young; she was the daughter of
Mathias Heckman. the marriage took place in
Hagerstown, Maryland.
Mr. Collier was a hatter by trade. His
family consisted of eleven children, - seven sons and four
daughters, - whose names were William, Joseph,
Mathias,,,, Daniel, Richard, John, and George;
Mary, Elizabeth, Rebecca, and Catherine. Of these,
Daniel, George, Richard and Catherine are
deceased. MATHIAS COLLIER, third son of William
Collier (b), and grandson of William Collier (a),
was born in Hagerstown, Maryland, January 3, 1806. His
parents being poor and the family large, the boys were
compelled to go out to work at an early age, and the greater
part of Mathias's boyhood and youth was spent upon a
plantation in work with the slaves. When he was
seventeen years old he was indentured as an apprentice to
the hatter's trade, and remained such until he was
twenty-one.
On May 26, 1831, he was united in marriage with Miss
Ann R. Adams, of Hagerstown, Maryland. His family
has numbered two sons and two daughters: Edward S.,
Henry A., Mary Alice, and Laura. The last
one died in infancy.
In the summer of 1834, Mr. Collier, emigrated to
Ohio, and, passing the winter in Massillon, located at Canal
Dover in the following spring, where he resided for ten
years, engaged in a variety of business. A part of the
time he worked at the plasterer's trade, and was also for a
time in the employ of the mill company, as purchaser of
produce.
In 1845 he removed to Uhrichsville, where, after a
continuance of some two years in the mill company, he opened
a tin-shop, and carried on the business for some fifteen
years, - a part of the time being connected with his
brother-in-law, Samuel H. Adams.
For nine years he served this township as Justice
of the Peace. During this period, there being no
lawyer in Uhrichsville, Mr. Collier was compelled to
transact a large portion of the business of the township,
such as drawing deeds, mortgages, wills, etc., and on
numerous occasions was called to act as attorney in matters
of litigation. Although he was never formally admitted
to the bar, yet by private reading he had acquired a
considerable knowledge of the principles of the law, and
rendered efficient service both as a pleader and counselor.
In the spring of 1861 he was appointed United States
mail agent on what was then the Steubenville and Indiana
Railroad, - now the Pittsburg, Cincinnati and St. Louis
Railroad, - and served in that capacity nine years. In
the spring of 1870 he was honored with the office of Mayor
of Uhrichsville, and held the position two years. For
the past three years he has also been Trustee of the
township. He was formerly a Democrat, but has been
acting with the Republican party since its organization.
In 1852 he was delegate to the Free-Soil Convention at
Pittsburg that nominated John P. Hale for President.
He is now turning his attention to legal matters in the
office of L. C. Ball, Esq., of Uhrichsville.
EDWARD S. COLLIER, the eldest son, was born in
Hagerstown, Maryland, September 20, 1833. He learned
the tinner's trade when a boy, and he followed the same for
the most part ever since. He served three years in the
late war as Sergeant in the 6th Ohio Independent Light
Artillery. April 26, 1856, he married Miss Melinda
S. Thompson, daughter of Isaiah Thompson, of
Uhrichsville. Miss Thompson was born in Carroll
County, Ohio. He has had two sons and two daughters.
Mr. Collier opened a tin-shop and store in
Uhrichsville in 1865, and has continued the business to the
present time. A view of his business place will be
found among the illustrations of this work. HENRY A.
COLLIER, the youngest son, was born in Canal
Dover, studied law with his uncle, Judge Fred. Collier,
in Pittsburg, and is now a prominent lawyer of that city.
MARY A. COLLIER was born in Hagerstown, Maryland,
married Joseph Bukey, and lives in Franklin County,
Ohio. |
