Collins, Anthony, 1676-1729, English theologian; a friend of John Locke. He set forth the position of the deists and defended the cause of rational theology. His Discourse of Free Thinking (1713) was answered by many clergymen and was satirized by Jonathan Swift. His Philosophical Inquiry Concerning Human Liberty (1715) is an excellent presentation of the determinist position, the theory that all events are determined by prior causes.

Collins, Eddie (Edward Trowbridge Collins), 1887-1951, American baseball player, b. Millerton, N.Y., grad. Columbia, 1907. One of the game's great second basemen, he was active in the American League for 25 years, playing with the Philadelphia Athletics (1906-14, 1927-30) and the Chicago White Sox (1915-26). During his major league career he stole 743 bases and made 3,315 base hits for a lifetime batting average of .333. Collins was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.

Collins, Michael, 1890-1922, Irish revolutionary leader. He spent the years from 1907 to 1916 in England, during which period he joined the Fenian movement. He took part in the Easter Rebellion in Dublin in 1916 and was imprisoned for the rest of the year. One of the Sinn Féin members who set up the Dáil Éireann in 1919, he led the Irish Republican Army in the guerrilla campaign against British rule that eventually forced the British government to sue for a truce. Although a convinced republican, Collins, with Arthur Griffith, negotiated and signed the treaty (1921) that set up the Irish Free State (see Ireland) because he felt it the best settlement with England possible at that time. He was finance minister in Griffith's government for a brief time before being assassinated by extremist republicans.

Collins, Wilkie (William Wilkie Collins), 1824-89, English novelist. Although trained as a lawyer, he spent most of his life writing, producing some 30 novels. He is best known for two mystery stories, The Woman in White (1860) and The Moonstone (1868), which are considered the first full-length detective novels in English and among the best of their genre; they helped to define the genre of literary melodrama which would peak at the end of the century. Collins's heroines are drawn with considerable clarity and sympathy. He was a friend of Dickens, in whose periodical Household Words many of Collins's novels first appeared.

Collins, William, 1721-59, English poet. He was one of the great lyricists of the 18th cent. While he was still at Oxford he published Persian Ecologues (1742), which was written when he was 17. Unstable and weak-willed, he never chose a profession and was constantly in debt until he inherited money from an uncle. He won no popularity during his lifetime, and his career was curtailed by insanity. A precursor of the 19th-century romantics, Collins wrote exquisite verse that emphasized mood and imagination. Among his best odes are "To Evening," "To Simplicity," and the one beginning "How sleep the brave."

(born July 5, 1841, Conway, Mass., U.S.—died Feb. 2, 1904, New York, N.Y.) U.S. politician. He practiced law in New York City, where he helped Samuel Tilden overthrow the corrupt political boss William Magear Tweed; he also served as corporation counsel for the city (1875–82). As U.S. secretary of the navy (1885–89), he rebuilt the neglected fleet with a major shipbuilding program that included the battleship Maine (see destruction of the Maine). He returned to New York, where he became co-owner of the city's first rapid-transit system.

Learn more about Whitney, William C(ollins) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Jan. 8, 1824, London, Eng.—died Sept. 23, 1889, London) English novelist. After working briefly in commerce and law, he took up writing and became associated with Charles Dickens, who had a formative influence on his career. For two works, he is remembered as one of the first and best writers of English mystery novels. The Woman in White (1860), inspired by an actual criminal case, made him famous. The Moonstone (1868), one of the first English detective novels, introduced features that became conventions in the genre.

Learn more about Collins, (William) Wilkie with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born July 5, 1841, Conway, Mass., U.S.—died Feb. 2, 1904, New York, N.Y.) U.S. politician. He practiced law in New York City, where he helped Samuel Tilden overthrow the corrupt political boss William Magear Tweed; he also served as corporation counsel for the city (1875–82). As U.S. secretary of the navy (1885–89), he rebuilt the neglected fleet with a major shipbuilding program that included the battleship Maine (see destruction of the Maine). He returned to New York, where he became co-owner of the city's first rapid-transit system.

Learn more about Whitney, William C(ollins) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born July 4, 1826, Lawrenceville, Pa., U.S.—died Jan. 13, 1864, New York, N.Y.) U.S. songwriter. He began writing songs as a child, influenced in part by black church services he attended with the family's servant and by songs sung by black labourers. In 1842 he published “Open Thy Lattice, Love,” and in 1848 he sold “Oh! Susanna” for $100; it quickly became an international hit. He later entered into a contract with the publisher Firth, Pond & Co. He was commissioned to write songs for Edwin P. Christy's minstrel show; his “Old Folks at Home” became one of the most popular songs of the century. In 1857, drinking heavily and in financial difficulties, he sold all rights to his future songs to his publishers for about $1,900. In 1860 he moved to New York; he died penniless at age 37, leaving about 200 songs, including “Camptown Races,” “My Old Kentucky Home,” “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair,” and “Beautiful Dreamer,” and he is universally regarded as the greatest American songwriter of the 19th century.

Learn more about Foster, Stephen (Collins) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Oct. 16, 1890, Clonakilty, County Cork, Ire.—died Aug. 22, 1922, Beal-na-Blath, Cork) Irish national leader. He worked in London (1906–16), then returned to fight in the Easter Rising. Elected as a member of Sinn Féin to the Irish assembly (1918), he became the Irish republic's first minister of home affairs. He was general of the volunteers and director of intelligence of the Irish Republican Army in the Anglo-Irish War. In 1921 he signed the controversial Anglo-Irish Treaty, which gave Ireland dominion status, though with provisions for partition and for an oath of allegiance to the crown. He and Arthur Griffith then became leaders of the provisional government. When civil war broke out, Collins commanded the government forces fighting the anti-treaty republicans, and on Griffith's death he became head of the government. Ten days later he was killed in an ambush at age 31.

Learn more about Collins, Michael with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born July 4, 1826, Lawrenceville, Pa., U.S.—died Jan. 13, 1864, New York, N.Y.) U.S. songwriter. He began writing songs as a child, influenced in part by black church services he attended with the family's servant and by songs sung by black labourers. In 1842 he published “Open Thy Lattice, Love,” and in 1848 he sold “Oh! Susanna” for $100; it quickly became an international hit. He later entered into a contract with the publisher Firth, Pond & Co. He was commissioned to write songs for Edwin P. Christy's minstrel show; his “Old Folks at Home” became one of the most popular songs of the century. In 1857, drinking heavily and in financial difficulties, he sold all rights to his future songs to his publishers for about $1,900. In 1860 he moved to New York; he died penniless at age 37, leaving about 200 songs, including “Camptown Races,” “My Old Kentucky Home,” “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair,” and “Beautiful Dreamer,” and he is universally regarded as the greatest American songwriter of the 19th century.

Learn more about Foster, Stephen (Collins) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Oct. 16, 1890, Clonakilty, County Cork, Ire.—died Aug. 22, 1922, Beal-na-Blath, Cork) Irish national leader. He worked in London (1906–16), then returned to fight in the Easter Rising. Elected as a member of Sinn Féin to the Irish assembly (1918), he became the Irish republic's first minister of home affairs. He was general of the volunteers and director of intelligence of the Irish Republican Army in the Anglo-Irish War. In 1921 he signed the controversial Anglo-Irish Treaty, which gave Ireland dominion status, though with provisions for partition and for an oath of allegiance to the crown. He and Arthur Griffith then became leaders of the provisional government. When civil war broke out, Collins commanded the government forces fighting the anti-treaty republicans, and on Griffith's death he became head of the government. Ten days later he was killed in an ambush at age 31.

Learn more about Collins, Michael with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Collins is a city in Tattnall County, Georgia, United States. The population was 528 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Collins is located at (32.178748, -82.109979).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.9 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 528 people, 237 households, and 141 families residing in the city. The population density was 513.5 people per square mile (197.9/km²). There were 304 housing units at an average density of 295.7/sq mi (114.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 57.95% White, 41.29% African American, 0.19% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.38% of the population.

There were 237 households out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.7% were married couples living together, 20.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.1% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 74.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 69.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $19,453, and the median income for a family was $23,500. Males had a median income of $27,917 versus $16,818 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,120. About 24.0% of families and 28.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.8% of those under age 18 and 36.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Collins Elementary and Middle Schools are located at 720 and 720a on the northwest side of Main Street. Over 300 elementary students and 100 middle schoolers attend the public schools, which are a part of the Tattnall County School System in Georgia.

References

External links

• County website
• Tattnall County Schools
• Tattnall County on state website
• Tattnall Journal, local newspaper