Collins

[Katwas]

My grandfather came to Trinidad from Missouri, via Pueblo. I have found information (through this site) on my grandmother's family (McRory and Couey family) but have hit dead ends on my grandfather. His name was William A. Collins. He owned a produce company/stand. He had a brother (I think) named Tom and two sisters, one named Esther and one named (I believe) Viola. He was quite a bit older than my grandmother. He was born in about 1880. I believe he had been married before he married my grandmother to a woman named Kathleen (?).

[Janet]

Connecting some dots--perhaps?

William Arthur Collins registered for the WWI draft in Trinidad in 1918; birth date given as Nov.24,1880 (these are usually off by a year, so he was just as likely born in 1879)He worked for Co.Supply Company in Trinidad;lived in the Coronado Hotel.Nearest relative is his mother,Mrs.E.E.Collins of Pueblo.
So,based on the name given for his mom,and siblings names you knew:
1920 census,Pueblo:
Ragan,Viola-55;divorced;55;born MO,father born IN,mother born IL
daughter-Anna-29;single;born CO
son-Ward-21;born CO
mother-COLLINS,ELIZA E.-82;widowed;born IL,parents born TN
(the husband of Viola was George Ragan,and there were several other children)

1910 census,Pueblo
Collins,Horace-46;born MO;haberdasher
sister-Collins,Laura-41;born MO
mother-Eliza E.-72;widowed; 7 children born,7 living;born IL
(By 1920,Horace is married to Julia Patrick,and has a 5 year old daughter named Martha;by 1930 they are in Los Angeles,CA,with addtitional daughter Julia age 9;Horace is by this time a real estate agent; he died there Apr.22,1947)

1900 census,Pueblo
Collins,Horace-born June 1863-MO
mother-Eliza E.-born Mar.1848;divorced;10 children born,7 living
sister-Laura B.-born Dec.1868;born MO
******************************************
Tracking backwards,based on the names of children,birth places of all etc.:
1860 census,Gentry Co.,MO
Collins,Thomas H.-27;school teacher;born IN
Eliza-22;born IL
Wesley-4m;born MO

1870,Fletchall Twp.,Worth,MO
Collins,Thomas H.-37;born IN;lawyer
Eliza E.-32;born IL
Horace-7;born MO
Viola-5;born MO
Eldora-4;born MO
Peach-2;born MO

1880-Albany,Gentry,MO
Collins,Thomas H.-46;born IN,father born TN,mother born KY:lawyer (with a notation that he has cancer)
Eliza E.-41;born IL,parents born TN
Horace-16
Viola-14
Eldora-10
Esther-9
Thomas-4
William-6m;born November

The Collins family is in Pueblo by 1885.
In the 1900 Denver census,Thomas is a practicing attorney,and lives alone; he listed himself as widowed,while his wife shows herself to be divorced; divorce not being popular at the time may explain that,or perhaps they simply lived apart and explained it differently!
He is found in the 1892 Denver Directory:
http://olddirectorysearch.com/Denver...892/index.html
I did not find Thomas after 1900-

And of course,William and Laura are in Trinidad in 1930:
Collins,William A.-50;married first at 42;born MO;manager-produce company
Laura-37;married first at 29;born MO,father born MO,mother born MI
William R.-7
George H.-5
Ruth A.-4
Dorothy W.-3m
************************************************
Eliza E.Collins died Apr.2,1921 in Pueblo;she was buried in Roselawn Cemetery on Apr.4.
http://www.roselawnpueblo.com/genealogy/
An obit was printed for her in the Pueblo Chieftain on Apr.4.
You can order a copy of it from the Pueblo Library,which would help establish whether all the above people are the right family or no!
Send the info.above on obit date,name,etc.and $3 per copy desired to:
Pueblo City County Library District
100 East Abriendo Ave.
Pueblo,CO 81004-4290

[Katwas]

Janet,
Thank you so much. That is the right family. You have helped SO much. I will continue to find more out on this side of my family. My father (William R.) was the oldest son of Willam A and Laura (McRory). He died in 1995. My uncle George Horace was killed in a train wreck in Eagle, Co. back in the early 70s. Ruth and Dorothy are still alive and both still in Colorado. No one has any information on my Grandfather, but are eager to find out.
Thanks, again.