My James (his middle name may have been Francis - only listed on one doc as such) Collins was born in Galway, Ireland in 1832. James' father was Peter Collins.James married Ann Collins (her real maiden name but different parents, Michael and Mary ) at St. Peters Church in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1852 and had two children, Margaret (born 1860 and my great grandmother) and Michael (born 1858). Ann was also born in Ireland. James and Ann had three other children from 1854-1857 that all died in infancy. James enlisted as a Private in Company A of the 63rd NY Volunteers on 8/7/1861 in Brooklyn, NY. He fought with the 63rd of the Irish Brigade and II Corps for three years. On June 21, 1864 Sergeant Major James Collins was wounded and taken prisoner at the Battle of Jerusalem Road/Weldon Railroad during the Second Siege of Petersburg. He was shipped to Libby Prison in Richmond, VA and died of his wounds on 8/1/1864. His pension files list his burial place as Mount Arlington but no cemetery by that name has been found to exist. I believe that he was buried in an unmarked or mass grave at one of the military cemeteries around Richmond. His photo can be seen at the New York Military Museum web site: http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/historic/reghist/civil/infantry/63rdInf/63rdInfPersonCollins.htm The museum's listing of James being in Company B is their typo. After James' death Ann remarried Patrick Fitzgibbons. They had no children and moved from Jersey City to Rutherford Park. (this is the present day towns of East Rutherford and Rutherford, New Jersey) Their daughter Margaret married Daniel Doyle, my great grandfather. James' widow Ann Collins Fitzgibbons (age 68) passed at the home of her daughter Margaret at 132 Francis Street, East Rutherford, NJ on 12/2/1903. Ann is buried at St. Peter's Cemetery, Belleville, New Jersey with second husband Patrick Fitzgibbons, infant children Catherine Collins, Sarah Collins, John Collins and Elizabeth Reynolds (age 55). They are in Old Section, Row 9, Grave 4. (no stone) This is about all of the info that I have on my Collins family. My entire family is made up of Irish, Scottish and English but they all seem to have come in through the northern ports, New York City being the farthest south. The Collins never seemed to have left the New York City area. Perhaps we may be related on the other side of the pond. I have no info on where the Collins came from other than Galway, Province of Connaught as listed in his pension records. At 09:03 PM 9/14/2006 -0400, you wrote: >This is very interesting to me. I have been researching a long time on the >Collins line. > >I am Ina Lee Collins Tingen, daughter of Seba Jellel Colins, son of James >Polk Collins, son of James E. Collins ,1822-1883. James E. was a printer >and >started the newspaper, The Sentinel, in Winston Salem, N. C. > >My earliest records show John Collins I was born 1569 in Maidstone, Kent >County, England, died 1644. > >Would like to hear from you. Luck on the painting. > >Mrs. Ina Lee Collins Tingen, 3159 Knollwood Drive,Apt. 42B, Mobile, Al. >36693 >[email protected] > >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >[email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >quotes in the subject and the body of the message