Judge COLLISON, member of the Holt County court, has displayed his superior judgement, and business capacity to advantage.
He was born in London, England on August 15, 1831 and was raised in that city. His parents died when he was very young and he
lived with an uncle.
At age 15 he became an apprentice to the boot and shoe business. These circumstances gave him little opportunity
to attend school; his education was acquired mostly at night schools and similar agencies in London while he was serving
as an apprentice. After learning the trade, he opened his own boot and shoe store in London which he operated until 1855.
In 1854, he was married in London, to Mary Ann RAWLINGS. He emigrated to America in 1856, and came directly to the West, from
New York City with the intent of finding a suitable
location to begin farming.
After traveling over Nebraska, he established a boot and shoe business at Forest City, Holt County, Missouri.
where he resided until 1864. In that year, he moved to a farm in Whig Valley, some two miles southwest of the present town of Maitland,
and has since lived in that part of the county.
In London, Judge COLLISON was a member of the old Chartist organization, a society for the dissemination of Republican doctrines
among the English people. His sympathies were strongly in favor of a republic, and this formed one of the reasons for his emigration
to America. He has become a member of the Republican party.
He was first elected a member of the Holt County court in 1870 and was
re-elected in 1876. Since 1874, he has been presiding judge and has greatly contributed to the successful administration of
County affairs.
Note from Dave ROBERTS: I have much more information regarding Richard COLLISON and his family than was recorded in the atlas.
For example, when he went to Nebraska after arriving in New York, he walked across the entire state. He was once on a boat on
the Missouri River going to St. Joseph when the boat hit a snag in the river and sank with all aboard. The family has been
represented in the Maitland community since Mr. COLLISON'S arrival in Whig Valley and other members of this respected family
have interesting stories of their own.
