Light Be the Turf Above William Collins (d. 1854)

One COLLINS family burial lot within the confines of Rose Hill Cemetery is located in the Central Avenue division (block 8, lot 15). This space was purchased by William S. Collins about November 1852. One of the earliest burials in the lot was that of his nephew, Stephen W., son of Stephen and Louisa H. (Wilson) Collins. Little Stephen, interred October 1853, was aged only one year and four months. A year later, exact to the month, the remains of Uncle William joined those of little Stephen.

I do not know for certain if William ever married. For the August 1850 Bibb County, Georgia Federal census, he was listed in brother Stephen's household. Both were occupied as brick makers.

A notice of William's death was published in the Tuesday, 17 October 1854 edition of the Macon Weekly Telegraph (Georgia):

OBITUARY.
Died in this city, of Bilious Fever, on Monday the 16th inst. WILLIAM COLLINS, in the 46th year of his age.

In his death, the community lose a good citizen, his friends, a generous companion -- the poor, an active and untiring benefactor. Light be the turf above him!

[Note: Rudy of ArchaicMedicalTerms.com shares the definition of Bilious Fever – "When a continual, remitting, or intermitting fever is accompanied with a frequent or copious evacuation of bile, either by vomit or stool, the fever is denominated bilious." I believe the source cited is Dr. William Buchan's Domestic Medicine, published 1785.]