Author Topic: Birth/Family Records - COLLINS (Patrick)  (Read 2409 times)

Offline coreymcollins

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Birth/Family Records - COLLINS (Patrick)
« on: Thursday 08 February 18 04:01 GMT (UK) »
I've just recently started on the journey to building out my family tree and I seem to have hit a bit of a wall with my great-great-grandfather.  I'll break down the tree below to give some information on the family itself, as I know the name Patrick Collins isn't unique in itself and there is a lot of information on various Patrick Collinses out there.

I have information on him from several censuses - mostly from Fonda, NY but one from England in 1881.  On the England census, he lists his birthplace as Galway, Ireland and on the further Fonda, NY censuses lists his birth country as Ireland.  He also lists his mother and father as being born in Ireland.  I suppose this all hinges on the 1881 census being correct for the Patrick Collins in question, but there are more details on that below.

Patrick Collins
 -- Born 1862 in Galway, Ireland
 -- Died 1938 in Fonda, NY
 -- Married to Josephine Ettlemeyer Collins (1872-1925) in roughly 1893
 -- Had (at least) the following children: William A Collins (1894-1981), John Collins (1898-?), Joseph M Collins (1899-1922), Henry V Collins (1906-1978), Emma Collins (1909-?)

Henry V Collins
 -- Born Feb 14, 1906 in Fonda, NY
 -- Died Jan 1978 in Johnstown, NY
 -- Married to Emma Lilian Sitterley (1911-1994) Aug 29, 1929
 -- Had the following children: Gaynell Collins (1932-?), Ronald Collins (1935-Living), Darryl Lee Collins (1937-1988), Val Collins (1944-2016), Brett L Collins (1950-Living)

Ronald Collins
 -- Born May 22, 1935 in NY
 -- Married to Phyllis Baldwin Collins (1935-2002)
 -- Had the following children: Claudia Collins, Kevin Collins, Lawrence Collins, Melisa Collins, Rondalynn Collins (all living)

Lawrence Collins is my father.

Patrick Collins is as far back as I've been able to go thus far.  I've been digging through Ancestry.com records for information on him as well as his wife, Josephine.  I was able to find much more information on Josephine and her ancestors but am really hoping to go further back with the Collins name.

The records (census records and headstone) I've found so far put him being born in Galway, Ireland in 1862 but no birth date as of yet.  I also have conflicting records on when he came to the US based on census reports - it was either 1880, 1882, or 1893.

1880 seems potentially unlikely because I have a record of a Patrick Collins living in Willenhall, UK in 1881 (his listed age is 18 which would line up with an 1862 birth year, depending on the census date and his birth date).  Census details below:
Civil parish: Wednesfield
County/Island: Staffordshire
Country: England
Street Address: 16 Hall St
Occupation: Ag Lab
Registration district: Wolverhampton
Sub registration district: Willenhall

The discrepancies in his immigration date come from three census reports:
1900 lists it as 1880
1910 lists it as 1893
1920 lists it as 1882

All three of the census confirm his family members and are from Fonda, NY.

At this point, I'm at a brick wall trying to go back any further.  I'm hoping that someone here may be able to point me in a direction or help find more information on Patrick, his parents, and my ancestors going back beyond him.

Thanks so much!

Offline Sinann

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Re: Birth/Family Records - COLLINS (Patrick)
« Reply #1 on: Thursday 08 February 18 05:50 GMT (UK) »
Welcome to RootsChat.
To have any chance of finding Patrick in Galway you will need his marriage for his father's and hopefully his mother's name.
The marriage might also give an address in Galway.
Patrick was born before Civil Registration of births began in 1864 so you will have to rely on church records, not all church records survive from that period.
Have you looked on FamilySearch for his marriage?

Offline Dundee

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Re: Birth/Family Records - COLLINS (Patrick)
« Reply #2 on: Thursday 08 February 18 06:28 GMT (UK) »
The immigration year in 1910 is 1883, not 1893.  Have you looked for his naturalization record?

Debra  :)

Offline myluck!

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Re: Birth/Family Records - COLLINS (Patrick)
« Reply #3 on: Thursday 08 February 18 12:01 GMT (UK) »
The family are on the 1900, 1910 and 1920 census returns and he is inconsistenly giving his immigration details

1900 states he is aged 29 arrived in 1880 and his birth month/year are Oct 1870
The record states he is married to Josephine for 7 years implies c1893 which ties with ages of children i.e .William b1894

In 1910 he states he arrived 1893 1883 and is naturalized
The record states against Josephine that she is married 7 years and had 9 children of which 5 are alive

In 1920 he states he arrived in 1882 and was naturalized in 1887

I think you need to start by locating his marriage record from c1893 in New York
I would not be confident that the England census return is correct without further information
Kearney & Bourke/ Johns & Fox/ Mannion & Finan/ Donohoe & Curley
Byrne [Carthy], Keeffe/ Germaine, Butler/ McDermott, Giblin/ Lally, Dolan
Toole, Doran; Dowling, Grogan/ Reilly, Burke; Warren, Kidd [Lawless]/ Smith, Scally; Mangan, Rodgers/ Fahy, Calday; Staunton, Miller
Further generations:
Brophy Coleman Eathorn(e) Fahy Fitzpatrick Geraghty Haverty Keane Keogh Nowlan Rowe Walder


Offline Dundee

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Re: Birth/Family Records - COLLINS (Patrick)
« Reply #4 on: Thursday 08 February 18 15:29 GMT (UK) »
In 1910 he states he arrived 1893 and is naturalized

The immigration year in 1910 is 1883, not 1893.
Debra  :)

Offline myluck!

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Re: Birth/Family Records - COLLINS (Patrick)
« Reply #5 on: Thursday 08 February 18 15:39 GMT (UK) »
Apologies Debra - on reviewing especially by comparing to the 1903 below I'd agree with 1883
Meaning he most likely arrived in the early 1880s
Kearney & Bourke/ Johns & Fox/ Mannion & Finan/ Donohoe & Curley
Byrne [Carthy], Keeffe/ Germaine, Butler/ McDermott, Giblin/ Lally, Dolan
Toole, Doran; Dowling, Grogan/ Reilly, Burke; Warren, Kidd [Lawless]/ Smith, Scally; Mangan, Rodgers/ Fahy, Calday; Staunton, Miller
Further generations:
Brophy Coleman Eathorn(e) Fahy Fitzpatrick Geraghty Haverty Keane Keogh Nowlan Rowe Walder

Offline coreymcollins

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Re: Birth/Family Records - COLLINS (Patrick)
« Reply #6 on: Friday 09 February 18 00:42 GMT (UK) »
Ah, you know - that definitely could be an 8 instead of a 9 on that one form.

I did look on FamilySearch but haven't found anything (yet), but it sounds like I have a few more things to add to my list here - naturalization records and marriage records, which will hopefully lead to the names of his parents.

The inconsistencies across US census reports are frustrating, as it seems like certain information changes from one to the next - though the big ticket items (wife, children, town) all continue to line up.  I do know that his birth & death years  (1862-1938) should, in fact, be correct as those dates are on his tombstone which my family still visits each year.

I'll do some more digging and let you know what, if anything, I'm able to find.  Thanks!

Offline Dundee

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Re: Birth/Family Records - COLLINS (Patrick)
« Reply #7 on: Friday 09 February 18 01:12 GMT (UK) »
There are four entries showing for men named Patrick COLLINS on Ancestry's New York, State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1794-1940 (birth year 1863 +/- 5 years).

Debra  :)

Offline Sinann

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Re: Birth/Family Records - COLLINS (Patrick)
« Reply #8 on: Friday 09 February 18 08:11 GMT (UK) »
I do know that his birth & death years  (1862-1938) should, in fact, be correct as those dates are on his tombstone which my family still visits each year.

His death year is probably correct but his birth year may not be, unlike today people didn't always know their date of birth, as you can see with the differences in the census a date given is often just a best guess.