CollinsFactor · Eastern Shore Genealogy
Descendants of Abraham Collins 1648 – 1719
Collins is a difficult name to research since there are so many Collins families in the United States. On the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia there were five large, almost certainly unrelated Collins family groupings before the year 1750. There were also a few other Collins individuals that did not easily fit within the known groupings. Complete research of all Eastern Shore records relating to Abraham Collins and his early descendants has been conducted.
To separate the Abraham Collins (1649–1720) line from others on the shore, limited research was conducted on other Collins families before 1750. The progenitors of the other large Collins family lines are set out below.
Colonial Eastern Shore — Collins Lines Before 1750
Died in Northampton County, Virginia in 1688, leaving widow Anne Price and children Thomas, Walter, Andrew, Price, William, Susan, and Elizabeth. His children initially migrated to various parts of Somerset County, Maryland — including areas that later became Wicomico and Worcester Counties.
Died in Somerset County, Maryland in 1703, leaving children George, John, Elizabeth, Mary, and Rachel. His children initially remained in Somerset County. Also believed to have been the father of Edmund Collins.
Died in Somerset County, Maryland in 1707, leaving widow Elizabeth and children Samuel, John, Anne, Sarah, and Mary. His children initially remained in Somerset County.
Died in Accomack County, Virginia in 1711, leaving widow Bridget Paine and son Thomas. His son Thomas had a son John (d. 1732), who had sons Thomas and Samuel — both of whom remained in Accomack County.
Died in Northampton County, Virginia in 1719, leaving son Abraham and likely also a son named John. His son Abraham migrated to an area near Concord/Potter's Landing, Maryland — then in Dorchester County, now in Caroline County.
Many of the Collins families found in the 1850 Census in the Delaware Counties of Sussex and Kent, the Maryland Counties of Caroline, Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester, and the Virginia Counties of Accomac and Northampton trace back to the above five individuals. In later generations these families sometimes crossed paths and must be carefully distinguished. My research focuses on the Abraham Collins line — my own Collins ancestor. Collaboration is welcome with anyone who has conducted record-based research on any Collins lines originating before 1800 on the lower Eastern Shore.
The Collins focus of my research is Abraham Collins (1649–1720) and descendants.
All Abraham Collins family research — with original records, citations, sources, and notes — has been migrated to www.ancestry.com. Tree linked here = CollinsFactor. Please note that Ancestry generates "hints," "potential parents," and false "middle names" that are inaccurate, primarily from inexperienced researchers who have incorrectly linked records from the wrong century or location without verification. Focus on the profiles and the verified events and facts provided under the CollinsFactor account.