Seeking Clan Collins

[CFarmer]

My father's family is from the Upstate New York area. I do know that my great-grandfather was Benjamin Collins. He was the co-owner of a lumber mill in the area of Franklin County, which is in the northern part of the Adirondack State Park. His daughter, Libby, is my grandmother. Benjamin Collins was a very wealthy man for his time and died after breaking his leg while hopping from log to log tending to the lumber business. The business was then taken over by the partner (unknown to me exactly who), but my grandmother grew up around lumber and was an excellent carpenter, so apparently he treated his daughters as he treated any sons. I know that my grandmother was a "seventh daughter", as this was a big deal back then, so she had six older sisters. I have been told the family was a large one, but don't have any further information other than they are still in the Monroe area of Upstate New York.

As for the origins, Benjamin Collins was a Scot, who came to the United States via Northern Ireland, which has a large population of Scots who immigrated from just across the very small strait from Scotland. How long his family was in Northern Ireland is anyone's guess, but that may be why you are drawing a blank. You are looking at the wrong country for anyone more recent than the mid to late 1800's. I have run census checks and Civil War records for Monroe and there are a lot of Collins' listed on the enlistment records from Monroe and who are still living in the area.

If I dig up anything else from that end of the family, will let you know. Who knows, we may be cousins.