My Genealogy Hound

T. S. COLLINS, dry goods merchant; Saybrook; was born in Butler Co., Ohio, Feb. 28, 1836. Upon the death of his father, when he was but 5 years of age, he went to live among his relatives until he was 16 years of age, when he went to Warren Co., Ind., and started in life for himself, unaided, and first worked upon a farm during the summer, attending school during the winter, and, at the age of 19, taught school. In 1858, he moved to Illinois and settled in De Witt Co., teaching school, and from there went to Maroa, Mason Co., and clerked until the fall of 1862, when he enlisted as a private in Co D, 116th Regt. I. V. I., and was promoted to First Lieutenant of same company, serving as such until the close of the war, in 1865. Having returned to Maroa the same fall, engaged in mercantile business until the year 1873, when, having started a branch store at Gibson, Ford Co., Ill., took charge of it until 1876, when he came to Saybrook and opened a large dry-goods store, and also formed a co-partnership with G. R. Means in the grocery, boot and shoe business. He married Miss Hattie Hedger, daughter of Thomas Hedger, of Maroa, May 24, 1866. They have five children — Willie, born Aug. 4, 1867; Bertie, Sept. 14, 1869; Minnie, Oct. 7, 1871; Olive, Sept. 14, 1874; and Grace, Sept. 20, 1877.