Happy August to you. Here on Symi we are seeing it in with high temperatures, concerts galore and lots of sweat. Actually, I had a very productive day yesterday which did indeed involve a little perspiration.
First off we were up at 5.30 and out and up that hill to ‘To Vrisi.’ Then back, and I finished off a piece of work by 10.30 leaving the rest of the weekend free to do my own thing – always a good feeling. So, after tidying up the courtyard and dealing with His Majesty’s litter tray, not my favourite job in the world, and chopping back some of the vine, and moving some plants around, and putting together an Ikea bathroom cabinet, doing the washing up and sending some emails, I decided I need to go and check the post office.
A slow walk down the steps to Yialos, and around the back streets to the post office followed. There I found that a distant cousin had sent me a small book, a biography of my dad’s cousin John Collins of Harlow. There’s a bit of a story here, and this book is a nice tie-up at one end of it. First, here’s a totally unrelated photo:
So, back in 1694 or thereabouts, a chap called William Collyn was born in or around the Essex borders near Quendon (could have been anywhere actually as we’ve not found his birth in any records yet). He, by 1717, was a wheelwright in Quendon, Essex, and after he was married and has a few children, died, leaving his business to his sons. One, William 2nd (as I call him) carried it on and then had children of his own, one of whom was called Harvey, after his mother’s maiden name. Harvey Collin (as the name was then being written) moved to Harlow, leaving the Quendon business to… Not sure, possibly someone else as his brother was by this time a successful Wheelwright in Clavering. I hope you are following this. Just for a break, here’s another unrelated photo.
Harvey (and William 2nd who we think went with him) set up his business in Harlow and then later his son James Collin (not me) carried it on and developed it into coach building. When coaches started to get replaced by other things, his son (we’re on my great grandfather now) William Collins (we gained the s thanks to the Victorian censuses) turned it into a bicycle repair and retail shop as no one was in the mood for decent carriage wheels any more. Moving with the times, his sons William C and Reginald kept the business going and developed it into car mechanics and so on, finally passing the business down to my first cousin once removed, John who eventually wound up the business before he died in 2006. Harlow council bought his collection of old and rare cycles, which are now on display in the John Collins wing of the Harlow museum. Go and see them!
So what was the point of all that? Well, just that the other day I found details of my 6th great grandfather and there yesterday was the autobiography of my 1st cousin once removed, kind of bookends of the Collin family line a so far discovered. And on that note, I will let you get on with Saturday. As for the rest of my Friday, well that was spent working on the book, putting up the bathroom cabinet and relaxing.
