Historic Record of the Town of Meriden, Connecticut, 1906, Vol 2 Benjamin White Collins, an active man of affairs in business and agricultural circles, is of a family for many years a leading one in Meriden. He is a son of the late Aaron L. Collins, and a worthy descendant of early colonial ancestry. Lewis Collins came to this country from England in 1630 and with his four sons, Nathan, John, Albert and Dexter, located in Charlestown, Mass., and whose grandson, John Collins (second) became one of the patentees of Guilford, this state, where as early as 1682 he taughtgrammar school. His family in Meriden dates back to Robert Collins, who settled on a portion of the Belcher farm in 1727. Captain Daniel Collins, of Meriden, served three enlistments in the Revolutionary war; first in 1775 as sergeant in Captain Haven's company; again in 1777; and in 1779 responded to the New Haven alarm, serving in Col. Thaddeus Cook's regiment, assisting in the defense of Ledyard. For valiant service he was made a captain in 1780 and was then stationed at Guilford in the defense of t he coast. Lyman, grandfather of Benjamin W. Collins, also of Meriden, was a soldier in the War of 1812, and like his ancestors, became a large owner of land in Meriden, which afterwards became possessed by his heirs. LaNoy "Tex" Collins golffer4@mercury.net http://www.geocities.com/rainforest/3860/