Knights and Kings of Collins
                                       By Carlotta Wood and Nora Johnson Brown
                                                          Written in the 1930's
                            Contributed by Marilyn Bobseine <markelbob@webtv.net>

Whether the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table has a real foundation or is merely a historical fable is not known. However, this story of the Knights and Kings of Collins and the parts they played in the affairs of their community is based on facts.

According to a record compiled by Mary Knight Crane of Erie, Pa., the earliest mention of the Knight name in this country dates back to the coming of Richard, a miller, who was a proprietor of Hampton in 1640 and of his malTiage in 1648 to Sarah Rogers of Newport, R. I. Their great grandson, Caleb, moved to New York state and in Chatham, Columbia county, his six children were born. Caleb's sons, Avery and Nathaniel, after leaving the paternal home, first settled in Otsego county, coming to Collins in 1818 and locating on lot 75.

A very and his two sisters, Elizabeth, who became the wife of Sylvanus Parkinson and Ruth, who malTied James Ferris, are named among the first twelve schoolteachers in and around the district east of Collins Center during the years between 1825 and 1835.

Avery and his wife, Lucinda Ingersoll, built their first home on land afterward owned by John Randall and his wife Mary, Avery's niece. Of the children of Avery and Lucinda Knight, the two best remembered in this locality are Edwin, husband of Sally, one of Timothy Clark's daughters and Orton, who lived for years on the farm later purchased by Matthew Kohn. After the death of his wife, Seraphina Spaulding, Orton wed Lucy Hawkins Tanner and moved to the dwelling house south of the Methodist church in Collins Center. Here he had a cabinet shop among other things he made the coffins in which, as undertaker, he buried the dead. Orton was more than a pillar in the church. His hand kept the place in order and rang the bell that called to service or tolled to acquaint the countryside for miles around that death had visited the community. By a code, understood by every listener, the sex and age of the deceased was made known. Men and women, who in their youth attended the Methodist Sunday school during the many years of Orton' s supervision, remember well his closing remarks with the unfailing admonition, "Now children, go directly hum and throw neither stick nor stun. " His wife, Lucy Ann, also played an important role in the church activities; during protracted meetings, revivals and the like, it was to her home that the preachers and members from a distance came for bed and food.

The name of Avery has appeared in each third generation in Caleb' s line since he married Elizabeth Avery and gave her maiden name to his first born son. Avery A. Knight, grandson of the first Avery , was for many years a mail carrier between Collins and Collins Center in the days of the old stage. The home, which he built in the 70's, is now the Free Methodist parsonage. Avery Flick of Dunkirk is the young man bearing the name today.

At the first town meeting held after the creating of the town of Collins, the name of Nathaniel Knight was sent to the Council of Appointment to be commissioned as a magistrate. As one of the foremost men of his community he served his town as school inspector, assessor, justice of the peace and supervisor, holding the last named office for eight successive terms. In 1830 he was elected member of the State Assembly, his colleague being Millard Fillmore. In those days Nathaniel traveled to Buffalo on horseback and from there to Albany on a packet-boat which plied the Erie Canal at the speed of six miles an hour .

The Nathaniel Knight homestead, now owned by the August Knuth family and previously by John Rothfuss, is located east of Collins Center on Dupont road. Its site is near that of the first home of logs. When built it was on the main road which until 1833 circled from the house of Wilbur Irish in the valley to the west to a point on the boundary line between Collins and Concord where it proceeded as now.

During the years immediately following 1823 when the Knight brothers purchased farms from the Holland Land Company, it was not unusual upon opening the door in the early morning to see several deer feeding nearby. Wild animals often made havoc with the flocks and for protection these were corralled at night in pens near the dwelling. One midnight, members of Nathaniel's family were aroused by an unusual disturbance in the sheep pen. Wolves were attacking the flock. Driving the intruders out was an exciting experience never forgotten by the children who, many years later, told it to children and grandchildren of their own.

Another oft repeated story is about the family of three bears that in 1822 or 23 were ruining the cornfields around Scrabble Hill. Nathaniel, his brother Avery and their neighbor, John T. Johnson set out to hunt them. Two bears were caught alive in a deadfall but one escaped after being wounded. Two years later a bear was caught in a wolf trap but freed himself leaving one of his paws in the trap. Some 14 years later , when it was thought all bears had disappeared, one was discovered and killed among the ledges of the Cattaraugus Creek. His three feet and scarred shoulder identified his as the same animal which escaped the hunters years before.

Nathaniel Knight was active in all educational projects. That his interest was not confined to his own town is proved by a generous contribution toward the building of Gowanda Academy.

Nathaniel had four sons and four daughters. The daughters were musical and sang in the Methodist choir. Nathaniel played the clarinet. This old musical instrument is greatly prized by his great grandson, Edwin Russell.

In the home of one of Nathaniel's descendants in Collins Center may be seen some interesting articles belonging to the Knight family. Among them are the Lowestoft teapot bought in 1813 by Nathaniel's wife Polly Chadwick and an album containing delicately penned sentiments dated 1840-41 once owned by their daughter, Sarah Ann. Miss Sarah was a skillful needlewoman and manifestly followed the fads of the times in fancywork. There is a quaint light screen, designed to temper the candle rays, constructed of nine glass panels covered with net which holds in place the decorative motifs. The panels are 3 1/2 by 15 inches, bound and hinged with ribbon.

To modern eyes, Sarah Ann's corsets or stays as she maybe called them, is a curious garment with it's twenty inch waist and thick whalebone, I 1/2 inches wide inserted in the front. It is handmade in minute stitches, corded to give stiffness and covered with embroidery in a pattern of hearts and flowers with on either side a quotation from the Bible.

The name of Nathaniel Knight is written into the history of Collins. He came to a wilderness, built a log cabin for his family and, thirteen years later was recognized by the leading men of the state. The record that he left is one at which no knight of the plumed variety need cavil.

The first Kings to come to Collins were three brothers, Allen, Arnold and John. They with others, came in the spring of 1811 from Danby, Vt. to which place there is reason to believe that the family immigrated from Rhode Island.  (Note: See History of Concord by E. Briggs, pp 696-701)

In Hamburg they were welcomed by Stenhen Wilbur whose wife, Mary King, was their cousin. With them the Vermonters traveled through the pathless forest the three days that it required to reach Collins. They stayed one night with James Tyrer on the Genesee road. His shanty was to small to accommodate the party so Arnold, John, Henry Palmerton, Jehiel Albee and John Williams slept on the roof. But crowded quarters were of little moment to the pioneer. "The first summer after we came to Collins," one of Stephen's sons writes, "my father and mother and their six children, Allen King, two unmarried men, lived in our small log house. How they all managed to stay there I cannot tell." The Wilbur cabin was situated a few rods back of the old Wilbur house still standing on the Wm. Clark farm.

The King boys located on lot 49, now a part of Collins Center. They built their log house on a spot just south of the present home of Isaac Skuse. In the fall, their father, Nathan King and the rest of the family joined them. Allen and his wife, Rezina Thompson, now moved to a cabin of their own. Another move took them to Zoar .They fmally bought the farm now owned by Dan and Charlie Becker where Allen died in 1851. Allen King was the great grandfather of Mrs. Alonzo Setter of Cattaraugus county.

In the log house of the Kings was held the first school in the town of Collins and John King was its teacher. The pupils, besides Nathan's four young children, were the children of Stephen Wilbur; David, John, Paulina and Alma (grandmother of Mrs. John Lord of Buffalo ), Benjamin, Hannah and Enoch Albee and Isaac Aldrich from Lodi. At a later date, Nathan's workshop served as a school room.

In 1816, Nathan opened the first tavern in the town and around this stopping place for travelers grew the village of Collins Center. In 1830, the year of Nathan's death, it was reopened by John C. Adams who soon changed it into a store.

George, Nathan's fourth son, was a boy of eight years when the family came to Collins. He remained on and eventually came into possession of the original home. Those persons bearing the King name in the town today are his descendants.

In a collection of George's time yellowed books and records now in the possession of his grandson and namesake, George King of Collins Center, are found the text books used in his school-teaching days. They are handwritten with elaborate captions and bear the date 1822.

An account book reveals that when he was poormaster in 1869, sugar was 18 cents per pound and candies were a frequent item in the relief orders drawn on the storekeepers, Joseph Mugridge, Thorn White and Addison Smith.
There are records of an early library , which cover a period of 20 years. From them is learned that on June 17, 1825 a meeting of the inhabitants of Collins was held at the house of John C. Adams for the purpose of establishing a library which "shall be denominated the Franklin Library ," There method of regulating precedence in selection of books as outlined in the bylaws was simple. Numbers were taken from a hat "and the person who draws No.1 shall be entitled to the first choice of the books." Fines were imposed for damaging books or for keeping them over three months. Under the latter rule, many subscribers were delinquent, the most frequent appearing to be Philetus, Darius and Luke Crandall.

Under the date of September 30, 1838, Mark Peasley was fined 13 cents for "damaging the cover of Polar Seas and Region;" on December 24, 1837, Jehial Albee was charged 6 cents "for grease spot on book. " Another 6 cents was collected from Jonathan Sloan for "dirtying Revolutions in Europe on several pages."
The literary tastes of the "forefathers of the hamlet" may be judged by the books, Thompson's Seasons, Life of Isaac Newton, Young's Night Thoughts, Works of Josephus and Homer's llliad. No title more frivolous than these appeared among the seventy-odd volumes in the Franklin Library .

Another interesting book contains the minutes of an association called the Phoenix Senior Band of Philo-Howards organized February 12, 1850 at the home of Addison Smith. The by-laws were read by Jos. S. O'Brian who "explained the objects of the society, showing the necessity of reform in our social intercourse and the good that might result from the same." At this meeting, "the following persons came forward and were made Philo-Howards in due form: Alexander M. Bruce, Jos. A. Smith, Mary J . Smith, Portia Conger and Abigall E. Cox. "

Membership in the Philo-Howard society evidently exacted some personal abstinences for at a meeting held at the home of A. G. Conger on the 18th of June 1850, " Abram and Elizabeth Southwick came forward and gave up their certificates rather than relinquish the use of tea and tobacco."

Programs consisted of "select pieces, essays and discussions of questions submitted by the members. There are records of addresses given by Edward Vail, Geo. King, Dr. Israel Congdon (Collins Center's fIrst physician), Dr. Wm. Sibley, Ebenzer Smith and others.

Subjects brought up for discussion had a wide range: "Which do mankind stand in the most need of at the present day, moral or physical education?" "Is it right for Philo-Howards to attend circuses and horse races?" Why do bright tin pans protect plants from freezing while rusty ones do not?" "Why do some folks swear when mad?"

George King was Captain King to the men who participated in general training on the Zoar flats a century ago.

In the days when the institution of slavery began to be questioned, he is said to have been the fIrst man in Collins to espouse the abolition cause and he cast the town's first vote in that direction. "He was laughed at, says Luzeme Clark, a veteran of the Rebellion. "But he lived to see the slaves free."

When war came, two ofhis sons, Ransome G. and John T. entered the service.

"What's in a name?" To a small group in this King family, its name is not altogether without significance, for believe it or not, through a maternal ancestor its lineage runs back a thousand years to the Saxon kings.