Benajah Collins was a merchant and political figure in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

. He represented Queen's County in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly

Nova Scotia House of Assembly

The Nova Scotia Legislature, consisting of Her Majesty The Queen represented by the Lieutenant Governor and the House of Assembly, is the legislative branch of the provincial government of Nova Scotia, Canada...

 from 1784 to 1797.

He was born in Chatham, Massachusetts

Chatham, Massachusetts

Chatham is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 6,625 at the 2000 census...

, the son of Joseph Collins and Abigail Crowell, and later settled in Liverpool, Nova Scotia

Liverpool, Nova Scotia

Liverpool is a Canadian community and former town located along the Atlantic Ocean of the Province of Nova Scotia's South Shore. It is situated within the Region of Queens Municipality which is the local governmental unit that comprises all of Queens County, Nova Scotia...

. Collins married Susannah Tracy. He was involved in the fisheries and coastal trade, owning a number of ships. Collins was also a justice in the Inferior Court of Common Pleas for Queen's County. He was elected to the assembly in a 1784 by-election held after Nathaniel Freeman

Nathaniel Freeman (Nova Scotia politician)

Nathaniel Freeman was a merchant and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Queen's County in the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia from 1780 to 1783....

's seat was declared vacant for non-attendance. In 1797, Collins went back to Massachusetts, settling in Danvers

Danvers, Massachusetts

Danvers is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts, Danvers is most widely known for its association with the 1692 Salem witch trials, and for its famous asylum, the Danvers State Hospital.-17th century:The land...

. He returned to Liverpool in 1815 to dispose of his property there; he died in Danvers several years later.

His son George

George Collins (Nova Scotia politician)

George Collins was a mariner, merchant and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Queens County in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1806 to 1813....

 also served in the provincial assembly. His daughter Susanna married James Taylor

James Taylor (Nova Scotia politician)

James Taylor was a merchant, seaman, tanner and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Queen's County from 1799 to 1801....

 and their son William Benajah Taylor

William Benajah Taylor

William Benajah Taylor was a merchant and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Liverpool township from 1836 to 1851 in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly as a Conservative....

later served in the assembly.