William Collier

  Noted events in his life were:

• Background Information. ⁴⁴⁶
William Collier was originally from Southwark, Surrey. He immigrated to Plymouth Colony in 1633 and moved to Duxbury after 1639. In England he had been a grocer*.

* John Hunt demonstrated that William "Collyer" was apprenticed to William Russell for eight years and was entered and sworn in the Grocers' Company of London 16 Aug 1609. John Arnold, dyer, and William Hurdman, pewterer, were sureties for William Collyer for two years beginning 15 Aug 1612. He became a partner in Southwark with "Mr. Monger" and was sworn a free brother of the Grocer's Company 3 Mar 1627/8. [The American Genealogist, 42:120-21]

William Collier appears on the 1626 list of adventurers in Bradford's Letter Book [Governor William Bradford's Letter Book, 26]. Bradford records that Mr. Allerton "in the first two or three years of his employment, he had cleared up £400 and put it into a brew-house of Mr. Collier's in London, at first under Mr. Sherley's name . . ." [Of Plymouth Plantation, 1620-1647, 239].

Birth:
William was born about 1585 based on date of marriage. At court 7 Jun 1659, "In regard that Mr. Collyare, by reason of age and much business of him, cannot attend the Country's business at courts but with great difficulties, the Court have appointed the Treasurer to procure him a servant, and do allow him for that purpose the sun of £10 [Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England, 5:80]

Marriage:
William Collier was married to Jane Clark at St. Olave, Southwark, Surrey, England, 16 May 1611 [The American Genealogist, 49:215] . Jane Clark died after 28 Jun 1666 when she consented to a deed by her husband [Plymouth Colony Probate Records, 3:152].

Offices:
Plymouth Colony Assistant, 1635-37, 1939-51, 1654-65
Plymouth Commissioner to United Colonies, 1643
Committee to assess colony taxes
Committee to lay out highways, 1 Oct 1634
Committee to view farm land, 2 Mar 1635/6
Committe to set bounds for Scituate, 6 Mar 1637/8
Committee to view North Hill and set bounds, 4 Feb 1638/9
Committee to treat with Massachusetts Bay, 7 Mar 1642/3, 10 Jun 1650
Council of War, 27 Sep 1642, 10 Oct 1643, 1 Jun 1658
Coroner, 2 Jun 1646
Committee to draw up the excise, 7 Jul 1646
Committee for the letting of trade, Jun 1649
Auditor, 3 Jul 1656
Committee to review the laws, 3 Jun 1657

Death:
After 29 May 1670, when he is in a list of Duxbury freemen, and before 5 Jul 1671 when the court appointed Gov. "Mr. Constant Southworth, Mr. Thomas Clarke, and "Bejamine Barlett" or any three of them to admister the estate of "Mr. William Collyare," deceased." [Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England, 5:68]


Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to N.E. 1620-1633, Vols. I-III, pp. 446-450

• Web Reference: William Collier.

• Background Information.
William Collier was one of the early Merchant Adventurers who had identified themselves with the Plymouth Colony, 1 June 1621, at which time the first patent was granted them by the "President and Council of New England." The date of William's arrival in New England can be determined by a letter written to Mr. John Winthrop at Massachusetts from Emmanuel Downing in which Mr. Downing said "I hope you have received the goods I shipped in the Mary & John per Mr. Collier, wherin I sent all the things you wrote for but sope ashes & old musket barreles, which were not to be had."

William Collier was made freeman, taking the oath of fidelity, January 1633/4 and that same month was rated for public use at £2 5s in corn. The list numbered eighty persons. Of these he and Edward Winslow had the same rate, the highest. In October 1634 William Collier was appointed with others on a committee to treat with the partners about trade, and, with Capt. Miles Standish, Jonathan Brewster, William Palmer and Stephen Tracey for Duxbury side to lay out highways. William Collier was to play an active part in the governing of the colony in the years to follow.

From A Historical Sketch of William Collier found on the Internet Archive, by Anna C. Kingsbury

William married Jane Clarke, daughter of John Clarke and Elizabeth Hobson, on 16 May 1611 in St. Olave, Southwark, England. (Jane Clarke was born about 1590 in England and died after 28 Jun 1666 in Massachusetts ⁴⁴⁶.)