"Like most pioneers, the family were poor, and the subject of thissket ch turned his attention to do what was in his power to thesupport of h is father's family; one occupation was getting outfence-rails at 25 ce nts per hundred; one season he worked atVincennes, Ind, at $6 per mont h, the earnings being used for thesupport of the family and to procure s tock; breaking prairie withfive or six yoke of oxen was another occupa tion; his milling was doneat Terre Haute, Freeport, Eugene and Palesti ne, this trip consumingfrom four to eight days, made with three or fou r yoke of oxen; hisfurniture was homemade; for chairs he made stools, a nd bedsteads weremade by boring a hole in the side and end logs of his h ouse, in whichpoles were inserted, entering a post where the ends met; t his wasknown as the raccoon bedstead; there is now in the family a cup boardmade by Mr. Collins, which is put together by wooden pins, not a n ailbeing in use--a relic valued highly; he commenced the stock busines sby first buying a single calf, which business he increased until he became a large stock-dealer, feeding from 150 to 200 head of cattle fors everal years previous to his death, at which time he owned upward of50 0 acres of ladn, and had 500 rented for his stock, etc. Mr.Collins... ..mourned and respected by all who knew him."
1840 Coles Co, IL. The census that year found him living between hisf ather and Uncle Adam Collins. His house contained 3 males under age5, h imself at 20-30, his wife also 20-30.
5/20/1841 Watson was patentee on 40 acres of Coles Co land on thatdat e.
3/10/1843 His residence was still Coles Co when he purchased 40 acresi n Douglas Co, IL.
1850 Greesy Creek Pct, Coles Co, IL. That year he was living nextdoo r to brother Aaron. No occupation was listed but he had property= $12 00. He was 40 years old, wife Minerva was 38. They hadchildren: Aaro n, 12; George, 10; Mary J, 8; Rebecca A, 6; Margaret,5, and Daniel, 3. I nterestingly the same census taker recorded agesfor this family which c onflict with family birth records but hadbrother Aaron's family listed c orrectly.
7/4/1860 PO Charleston, Morgan Twp, Coles Co, IL. In that census hisp roperty then = $5250/150 but no occupation. Living with him werechild ren: Aaron, 22, Mary J, 19, Becky A, 17, Margaret, 15, andGeorge W, 2 1. When his wife died, the 3 younger children went tolive with their u ncle Aaron where they were listed in the census.Family also said Wats on's son John was raised from age 12 by UncleJoseph Carter. (Who was J ohn?)
Morgan Twp, Coles Co, IL. He gave estray notice for a heifer, J.S.Rar din, Justice. No date was recorded.
1866 The tax assessor listed: 80 acres in corn, 10 in other grain;17 h orses at $714, 65 cattle at $1324, 10 sheep at $10, 112 hogs at$303; 1 c arriage at $50; $150 in money and credits; and $125enumerated property . The total = $2678 plus over $2000 in real
estate.
7/4/1870 Curtisville, Coles Co, IL. According to the census, he hadn o property at all even though his occupation was farmer. He was 58and d aughter Mary, 29, was the housekeeper. Other children therewere Marth a, 19, Eliza, 14, and two little children, Boyd, 5, andRosa, 3, could h ave been Mary's even though their name was recordedas Collins. Down th e road was brother Aaron.
1883 The county Delinquent Tax List included Watt Collins, $1.89 for1 0 acres in Section 27.
The 1850 census said he was 40, making his birth year 1810.
Cemetery records state he arrived in Illinois in 1830, not 1831.
