Thanks for inspiring this thought Hermon! Is either the Rev Justice or Rev Collins' Registers at the Clermont HS? Does anyone else on the list know of places OUTSIDE of the GCHS which hold books/ledgers/registers belonging to Ministers who served in NJ, relocated outside of NJ and took their registers with them? This info would come in real handy if you can't find a marriage record in NJ (like me :-) ). Thanks! Ed. -----Original Message----- From: HERMON B FAGLEY [mailto:hermfagley@juno.com] Sent: Sunday, April 07, 2002 5:52 PM To: Edward.Lowitz@Verizon.net Subject: Re: [NJGLOUCE] Rev John Collins & Sarah Blackman NJ to Clermont Co., OH 100 + families from old Gloucester Co came here to Clermont Co,Oh 1803-30's Many,many from his Galloway township. Plus,my own Rev Jesse Justice,who had farms on Mantua and Raccoon n Swedesboro,NJ HAD,1798-1803,RODE TWICE Salem ,NJ circut,and once Burlington,and once Elizabethtown,NJ,and once Dover,Del,and had spent 1804 located preaching in the Woodbury-Swedesboro,Pedricktown area.NJ On Sun, 7 Apr 2002 14:54:53 -0400 "Ed." <Edward.Lowitz@Verizon.net> writes: > It would be interesting to know what his circuit was in NJ and how > many of > his flock went with him to Ohio. I wouldn't be surprised if some of > my > BARRETTs did. > Ed. > > -----Original Message----- > From: JDole5633@aol.com [mailto:JDole5633@aol.com] > Sent: Sunday, April 07, 2002 2:12 PM > To: NJGLOUCE-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [NJGLOUCE] Rev John Collins & Sarah Blackman NJ to Clermont > Co., OH > > > This is a repost from the Clermont OH rootsweb list > > Lists: > > Below is a Story My Wife Millie and I wrote for the Clermont Co. > Genealogical Society Newsletter in 2000. > The basic data came from a very rare book "A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF > REV. > JOHN COLLINS" published in 1849 by the Methodist Publishing Co. in > Cincinnati, this 60 page book was sent to us from a researcher in > New > Jersey as a zerox copy from a Library there.. We have since placed > this > copy in a 3 ring binder and presented it to the Clermont Co. > Genealogical > Society Library in Batavia OH. I have a scan of an Autographed > picture of > Rev. John COLLINS from this same book that I can send by attachment > to any > individual interested. A query about this man on the Ross Co. list > prompted us to share this article more widely knowing that many > people > descended from his large family through out the Ohio Valley. > (Neither of > us are related to John Collins that we know of) > > CLERMONT'S REV. JOHN COLLLINS > > The Rev. John Collins was born in Gloucestor County, New > Jersey, > Nov.1st 1769 to Quaker parents.. At an early age he became > interested in > religion. When he was a young man he went to Charleston to study > religion, > where he stayed one year. He returned to New Jersey in 1793 where he > married Sarah Blackman. John was afflicted by a sickness that > brought him > to the verge of death in July 1794. He sought and found religion in > October of that year, and soon became an active member of the > Methodist > Church. It wasn't long before he became a preacher in this faith. > He had > few equals in the pulpit. In the year 1803 Rev. Collins settled > with his > family on a farm in Clermont Co.Ohio, on the East Fork of the little > Miami > River near Elklick Rd., I might add that many present day Clermont > County > people are descended from this family. Some of his children were > Wesley, > Sarah, Mary, Belinda, Elvaner, Richard, Elizabeth, Alice & Electra. > Wesley > and Sarah died in childhood. Richard married Mary Ann Johnson 1 Mar. > 1838, > Elizabeth married Collins Bredwell 2 Mar. 1835 and 2nd L.D. Bredwell > 18 > Mar. 1841, Electra married Dr.George Bragdon and 2nd Col. William > Thomas. > > In the year 1805 John built a 2 story stone house on his Elklick > property. > He held some of his first Methodist meetings here. This house was > said to > be the oldest stone house in Ohio, before it was bulldozed by the > U.S.Corps. of Engineers in 1972 to make way for Harsha Lake in the > East > Fork State park. > > John's son Richard became a very successful lawyer and was said by > some to > be the best in all of Ohio. He practiced in Hillsboro, but moved > back to > Clermont County in 1828 to practice in Batavia and started a mansion > at > Elklick site of 37 rooms that was finished by 1830. This was said > to be > the show place of Clermont County. It also was a victim of the > Harsha Lake > in 1972. > > Rev. John Collins preached the first Methodist sermon that was ever > preached in Cincinnati. He soon organized the first Methodist > Church in > Cincinnati, Wesley Chapel now defunct. He also organised churches > in > Dayton, Chillicothe, Lebanon and not the least of them was the > Collins > Chapel in Clermont Co. now called Old Bethel Methodist Church. This > church > is in the East Fork State Park just 3/4 mile north of Bantam OH, > this > Church has been declared a historic place, and is maintained by the > Historical Society. A cemetery surrounds this building. Many early > Clermont Countians are buried there including Rev. John Collins. > Meetings > are held there occasionaly even today in the year 2,000. > > The appearnce of Rev. John Collins never failed to make the most > favorable > impression. His dress was neat and always plain and Quaker-like. > His > voice was soft and silvery, and had a soothing sympathetic way with > his > followers. He organized many Church Camps and followed these Church > circuits: New Jersey, and in Ohio, New Richmond, Dayton, Scioto, > White Oak, > Miami, Deer Creek, Union and Cincinnati at various times in his > career. > > Rev. John Collins had a great ministry, his influence was felt by > thousands > of people, not only as Pastor of Old Bethel Methodist Church at > Bantam in > Clermont County and at Wesley Chapel in downtown Cincinnati, and by > the > thousands that he came in contact during his career. > > After several years of poor health he departed this world the 22 > Aug. 1845 > at the home of his son Richard in Maysville, Kentucky. His > tombstone at > Old Bethel Cemetery reads "Rev. John Collins, Minister of the M.E. > Church > died Aug 22 1845 aged 75 years, 9 months, 22 days" > > Submitted by John & Mille Emmitt > > > > ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.