Letter from E. E. Collins

	Data transcribed by Richard Jordan, rjordan@ballarat.edu.au
	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit 
	oganizations for their private use. All other rights reserved.

	Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval 
	system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other 
	means requires the written approval of the file's author.

	This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside
	a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at

	http://www.usgwarchives.net/sd/sdfiles.htm


My mother, Helen Harter Jordan (daughter of Frank Harter and Luverne 
Wood of Elk Point) passed on to me a copy of the attached letter from 
E.E. Collins to Mrs. Frances Parker, written in 1949. It contains 
interesting geneological data about some of the pioneers of Union County 
SD.I have transcribed it without correcting any errors in the original.

Richard Jordan 

A LETTER FROM E.E. COLLINS

Vermillion, S.D. Sept 10, 1949

Dear Mrs Frances Parker, 

Your welcome letter just at hand. Was glad to get track of Gertie Wood-Parker's 
son, Charley Parker. Some six years ago wife and I were entertained for dinner 
one Sunday P.M. by Bert, Gertie and their daughter (name slips from memory). In 
fact the Uriah Wood family I new well for years. The John R. Wood family moved 
from the east to Elk Point in June 1860. The two younger girls still lives, one 
on our street here in Vermillion in an old peoples home with 15 other old ladies 
and men; she married Fickey and had two sons Ward, now in Calif, and Wesley, A 
Dr. in Iowa. We came to Dakota in 1864, when I was four and I went to school 
with Mary Wood Fickey and the younger girl Eva Wood-Schurts, now living in Idaho 
with her only son. Aunt Jennie Collins was the daughter of my Grandparents, 
Joseph and Phoebe Collins, who were married in New Hampshire, moved to Mich. 
Cass Co. and thence to Dakota, 1865. They had Edward C. Collins, my father; 
Lykurgus (spelling uncertain) who married Margaret Wood, sister of the above 
named). They moved to Moscow Idaho in the 70's bore Joseph, Irvin, Fred all 
living in Moscow, and one daughter; I visit the boys once a year. Joseph and 
Phoebe also had Sarah who married Will Morrill and the raised their family in 
Petosky, Mich. Nellie who married Rufus Shattuch who raised their family in 
Union county, Dak. There was also another boy, ALbert who married Anna Blake, 
they had three girls-family all dead but oldest. 

I cannot give the Parker particulars 

But the "Collins", I supposed was Irish till some sixty years ago when the 
family tree traced back to the 1600's. 
Benjamin Collins was born in England and came to Salisbury Mass 1665. He married 
Mary Eaton, 1668. Their son John born 1673; became a Quaker. Richard, son of 
John, born 1710; his son Richard Jr. born 1748. John Collins, son of Richard Jr. 
born 1775, married to Rachil Goodwin of Lunbarton New Hampshire. They had four 
boys and one girl who married and scattered far. One of the boys, Joseph Collins 
was born, July 4, 1812 (my grandfather and aunty Jenny father Collins-Wood 
(Uriah). This Joseph Collins had married Phoebe Heath, whose ancestor had come 
to Mass in the 1630's (Doris mothers family) 

So you see the Collilns and Heath families from whom our Collins group are 
descended are English. 

I know nothing of the Wood ancestry from whom Uncle Uriah descended and I doubt 
that Mary or Eva have the facts regarding their grandparents. 

Uncle Uriah and Aunt Jenny had Gertie (Charley's mother) Vernie, Edward who 
married and lived in Lincoln Nebr. and a younger son-name slips my mind. 

Charley's grandma, Jennie Wood was a woman of unusual mental ability and highest 
Christian character. In fact Joseph and Phoebe Collins were true New England 
PURITANS, who had a family alter in their home around which the whole family 
gathered every morning for Bible reading and prayer; so the whole family were 
prone to be religious. My father was a stock-raiser farmer. However, when the 
preacher could not reach his church, the people would say "Edward you must 
preach for us", he preached many funeral sermons and married the young folks; 
the conference had elected him Local Preacher. Am near end of sheet. Hope this 
will help some. SIncerely, E E Colli