Fredrick James Collins

Frederick James Collins (Fred) was born on May 28, 1875 in Dana, Vermillion Co., Indiana to Andrew & Emeline (Thornton) Collins. He was the youngest of 7 children. Fred Grew up in Dana, Indiana & Brouillets Creek, Illinois. In 1885, when Fred was about 9 years old he contracted Cholera. That year over 320 people who lived in Vermillion Co., Indiana got this disease, all but 5 died. Fred was of course one of these 5. When Fred was 13, in 1889, his father died and he was the only child left at home at that time. He took care of his mother till her death in 1893. After his mother died he worked odd jobs and also as a farm labor. Around 1900 he started working for the Nolan family of Vermillion Co., Indiana. There he met Bessie Jane Nolan, the daughter of Alfred & Sarah (Osmon) Nolan, she was born February 19, 1885. After a few years the fell in love and as they say the rest is history. Fred & Bessie were married August 13, 1908 in Danville, Vermilion Co., Illinois.
     Fred & Bessie lived with Alfred & Sarah Nolan for a short while after they were married. They then saved enough money and bought a small piece of property in Dana, Indiana. They lived there till 1911. They sold there small farm and moved to Scottland, Edgar Co., Illinois. There they had a much larger farm. The were there till around 1922-1923. With the crunch of the depression they sold the farm and bought a much smaller one in Ridge Farm, Illinois. As they were now starting to get up in years and decided that the farming life was better left to the younger generation, so they sold this and moved one last time to Danville, Illinois. They lived on Texas Ave. just North of Douglas Park. Here Fred learned how to have a small Veggie & Flower garden. Which is a real task for an old farm boy.
     Fred was a very quiet man & he didn't have much to say, but when he did talk everyone listened. He spoke with grace & compassion. Bessie on the other had was a very outspoken woman, she said what she thought, without being disrespectful. They were both "old fashioned", and kept to tradition. Fred was raised in the Quaker church, as were his parents. Bessie's family were members of the Methodist Church. Bessie and her family were introduced to the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by her brother Charlie. Bessie and her siblings Sam, John, & Ruby and 4 of her children Florence, Martha, David and Mary were baptized into the church around 1925 by Charlie. Fred was baptized much later on somewhere around the 1940's. Fred & Bessie were members of this church from then on out. The Danville branch of the church met in their house for sometime till they got their own building.
     Bessie was wrote many poems, church worship & her own biography. some of her writings we have published in the newsletter with more to come. She also loved to sing. She once said that she couldn't carry a tune, but she didn't think God minded. Fred loved to work in his flower garden some have said that he had the best looking flowers in Vermilion County.
     Fred & Bessie raised 10 children all of which grew into adulthood and had families of their own. These children are: Florence, Andrew, Johnathon, Martha, Mary, Dave, Bertha, Vangie, Imagean, & Cathy. Fred lived a full life and died on February 2, 1952, at the age of 75. Bessie not wanting to live by herself sold their home and bought a small trailer and moved out on the farm of her son Andy. She was still a very active person. She got a job at a meat packing plant and worked their for a few years and then she took care of another lady for a number of years. When she started feeling the ways of her age she sold her trailer and moved in with her son John where she remained till her death on, August 13, 1968 at the age of 83 1/2. Both Fred & Bessie are buried at the Westley Chapel Cemetery in Scottland, Edgar Co., Illinois.