Stephen Collins

http://leearchive.wlu.edu/papers/books/fringe/01.html

Fortunately, Stephen Collins's love for his daughter was not affected by her having been censored by the Friends. He visited the young couple who were honeymooning in a log house on Richard Bland Lee's plantation, "Sully," and when he died a few months later, his will divided the bulk of his fortune equally between Elizabeth and her brother, Zaccheus Collins. Elizabeth's share was four houses in the city of Philadelphia, four tracts of land in Mifflin County, tracts in Northumberland County, "lots of ground" on the South side of Market Street "between fifth and sixth Streets from Schuylkill and between Market and Chestnut Streets," one half of her father's plate and plated ware, and three certificates of Funded debt "Standing in my name on the books of the Treasury of the United States." Besides these tangible bequests, Stephen willed his love and fatherly wisdom.

Will of Stephen Collins. Will no. 98, 1794. Register of Wills, Philadelphia, Pa. Hinshaw, William Wade, Encyclopedia American Quaker Genealogy, Vol. 11, shows that Stephen Collins was buried on October 13, 1794, and was 61 at the time of his death. Elizabeth was read out of meeting on September 26, 1794. Elizabeth's mother, Mary, was the daughter of John Parrish.

• Finally my dear children let me conjure by the tenderest ties of Paternal affection that you be Industrious, frugal & temperate & endeavor to be rich, rather by bringing your wants to your circumstances, then trying in vain to get sufficient to satisfy the accumulation of wants for this consists the Philosopher stone, if there be any such thing in Nature. And that you study to love and to serve each other, "And remember that if thy Brother or thy Kinsman will be thy friend thou should prefer him to a stranger, or thou shews little nature or duty to thy parents." I have had much experience in the many pleasing seens as well as in the Cross occurrances & vicisitudes of life and finally conclude myself perfectly convinced of the emptiness of all sorts of Ambitious pursuits and the unsatisfactory nature of all human attainments and therefore submit myself freely to a dissolution and change of this Body and without remorse or uneasiness resigne this vital spark of heavenly fire to its original Fountain.