Josiah Collins Sr. (1735–1819)
Collins was an acquaintance of James Iredell, Bushrod Washington's colleague on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Josiah Collins Sr., merchant and politician, was born in 1735 in Taunton, Somersetshire, England. In 1761 he married Ann Lewis, who would bear him three children. Three years after Lewis's death in 1770, Collins left his youngest daughter in the care of relatives and sailed for America. He eventually settled in Edenton, North Carolina, where he became a prosperous merchant and philanthropist. Collins was also a judge of the admiralty court for the Port of Edenton and a member of the Council of State.
A.C. Menius III, "Collins, Josiah, Sr.," in William S. Powell, ed., Dictionary of North Carolina Biography (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1979–1996) (NCpedia).
Research Branch, North Carolina Office of Archives and History, "Somerset Place: The Site" (North Carolina Historic Sites).
Newbern Sentinel (NC), 22 May 1819, page 3, columns 3–4 (America’s Historical Newspapers).
Josiah Collins I at Find a Grave.