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         PATRICK HENRY COLLINS, a merchant of Columbus Junction, Iowa, was born at Bombay, Franklin Co., N. Y., April 22, 1831, and is the son of Michael and Margaret (Cotter) Collins, who were natives of Ireland and emigrated to America in 1828. Our subject was reared on a farm until sixteen years of age, when he removed to Will County, Ill., where he worked at carpenter work until 1853, and then went to Muscatine, Iowa. He there associated with his brother, John L., in railroad construction on the Mississippi & Missouri Railroad, since changed to the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific. He came to Louisa County in 1855 with the extension of the railroad, and in the fall of 1858 went to Kansas. Two years later he returned to Iowa, and joined his brother J. L. in mercantile business at Clifton, Louisa County. That connection was continued until March, 1868, when he returned to Kansas, there engaging in the cattle business until the autumn of 1869, when once more he became a resident of Iowa, locating in Fremont County, where he was engaged in farming for three years. He again went to Kansas, and engaged in cattle raising in Graham County until 1883, then came to Iowa and again joined his brother in mercantile business, this time at Columbus Junction. On the 28th of May, 1888, he separated his business interests from his brother’s he taking the dry-goods and grocery department of their large double store, J. L. retaining . . .

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. . . the hardware business. Mr. Collins carries a stock of from $12,000 to $15,000 in value. The general management of his extensive establishment is and long has been under the management of H. D. Rifenberg, who does all the buying for the house, making two trips a year to New York for that purpose. Mr. Rifenberg is an expert in his business, and under his able management the large stock of the house is always up to the times in quality and assortment. Mr. Collins is an old-line Democrat in politics, and is highly respected as a business man and citizen.