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Greetings!

My great grandfather was William James Collins who was born on 20 November 1863 in Derryloran Parish.  He was the son of William Collins and Maria Boles.  In about 1880, William immigrated to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he worked in a steel mill run by the Central Iron and Steel Company.  Apparently the father of William James Collins (William Collins) died before 1880 in Ireland.  In 1883, the mother, Maria, and the remaining children joined my great grandfather in Harrisburg.  Family legend has it that they left Ireland to avoid the strife between Protestants and Catholics.  (They were Protestant.) William James Collins married my great grandmother, Mary Jane Usaw, on 24 October 1889 in Camden, New Jersey.  My grandmother, Mary Irene Collins, was born on 17 September 1890 in Harrisburg.  On 28 July 1898, my great grandfather was killed at work in the steel mill when he was crushed by a steel beam that fell on him.

Maria Boles Collins, my great, great grandmother, died on 10 October 1919 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from chronic myocarditis.

Based on records from the Derryloran Parish, I believe that my great, great grandparents (William Collins and Maria Boles) were married on 18 November 1852.  William seems to have been the son of William Collins and Bell Woods, and Maria seems to be the daughter of Stewart Bole(s).  My theory is that my Irish ancestors were actually English and that they moved to Ireland in the 1600s...but I have no proof to support this theory at this time (August 2016).

I'm interested in communicating with anyone who is also researching these lines or who might have suggestions for furthering the research.

The URL for our web page on the family of William Collins and Maria Boles is http://genealogy.hollymillrun.org/FGS.aspx?FM=39.

Thanks for reading this!

Don Miller

Duluth, Georgia US

Attached photo is of William James Collins taken in 1882 in Harrisburg.

Saturday 13th Aug 2016, 09:21AM

Message Board Replies

  • Don:

    Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

    I believe the family lived in Ballygroogan townland in Derryloran civil parish. This based on two sources: the 1859 Griffiths Valuation head of household listing for the parish which shows a William Collins Sr. and Jr. in Ballygroogan. I also located an 1870 civil birth record for a Sarah Collins with parents William and Maria Bole which also shows Ballygroogan. See trancription below. Civil registration of birth started in 1864.

    http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths/tyrone/derryloran.htm

    Name:Sarah CollinsDate of Birth:21-May-1870
    Registration Date:28-May-1870Address:BallygrooganParish/District:COOKSTOWNGender:FemaleCountyTYRONE
    Father:William CollinsMother:Maria Bole

    I think the father died in early 1881 based on this civil death index record.   

    First name(s)WilliamLast nameCollinsAge at death60Birth year1821Registered year1881Registered quarter/yearJan - Mar 1881Registration districtCookstownVolume1Page425

    Roger McDonnell

    Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Saturday 13th Aug 2016, 03:01PM
  • Attached Files

    Hi Roger!

    Thanks for the information and your efforts!  Sarah is indeed a sister of my William James Collins.

    I have a few other records for the family:

    1. Marriage record for William Collins and Maria Bole (civil record)

    2. Baptismal records for their children John (16 Feb 1854), Margaret (22 Aug 1855), Eliza Jane (16 Aug 1857), William James (20 Nov 1863), Daniel (13 Feb 1866), Sarah (21 May 1870).

    The marriage record confirms what you suggested about the family living in Ballygroogan townland, which apparently is where the Collins family was living.  And the record indicates that the Bole(s) family lived in Drumnacross townland.  So the William Collins, Sr. you discovered in the 1859 Griffiths Evaluation must have been the grandfather of my William James Collins since my William James was born in 1863.  And the William Collins, Jr. must therefore be the father of William James.  (They must have liked the name William!)

    From Ancestry.com, I found the attached record for a William Collins in the Register of Soldiers Who Served in Canada, 1743 - 1882.  Though the title of the database mentions Canada, the actual record for this William Collins indicates that his service was in Mauritius and the East Indies.  This William Collins was a "baker who was born in the Parish of Derrylorne (sic) in or near the town of Cookstown in the County of Tyrone."  The document is dated 6 September 1849 and says that this William Collins entered the service on 28 June 1830 at the age of seventeen years and ten months, suggesting that he was born in August 1812.  I suspect that this is the William Collins, Sr. mentioned in the 1859 Griffith's Evaluation, or, in other words, the grandfather of my William James Collins.  But I'm hesitant to say this conclusively because I don't know how common the name William Collins might have been.  What do you think are the chances of there being another William Collins living in Derryloran at this time?  Is "William Collins" a very common name like "Don Miller?" 

    Thanks again for your time!

    Don Miller

    Sunday 14th Aug 2016, 10:05AM

  • Don:

    I think there is a good likelihood that the service record is for William Collins Sr. I note from the record that his conduct in the service was judged as "fair". William Collins Jr. must have been born abroad. I assume he was deceased by 1901? The census would show where born.

    Roger

    Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Monday 15th Aug 2016, 01:33AM

  • Apparently he enjoyed consuming alcohol.  On the other hand he was in the army for 18 years and was still only a private when he left!

    Monday 15th Aug 2016, 10:36AM

  • I have sent an email to Millerdf52 at the request of another poster.

    Best wishes

    Denise, IrelandXO

    IrelandXO Moderator DC

    Tuesday 2nd Nov 2021, 04:55PM

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