San
Joaquin County
Biographies
FRANK E. COLLINS
Lifelong identification with the
fruit business has enabled Frank E. Collins to make a marked success in this
line, which year by year is assuming vaster proportions in the state of
California, distributing thousands of dollars in every fruit-growing community
each season and making possible the development of additional tracts of
land. A member of an honored pioneer
family, Mr. Collins was born at Vacaville, Solano County, July 2, 1868 the son of
James R. Collins, who crossed the plains in an ox-team train in 1849, spending
some time in the mines. In 1853 he
located on a ranch near Vacaville, and there he made his home for sixty-four
years, being the pioneer fruit man of that district. At one time he had seventy-five acres in
vineyard and later a large orchard of plums, pears, peaches and apricots.
Frank E. Collins was reared on the
home ranch near Vacaville, and after his school days were over he started in
the fruit business with his father. At
the age of eighteen he entered the employ of the Earl Fruit Company, starting
in at the bottom to learn every detail of the work. He later became a buyer for the company, spending
the winters in the citrus fruit district in Orange County, and the summers
handling the deciduous fruits in the San Jose district. Later he was local agent for the company at
San Jose and in 1903 he planted an orchard of 160 acres near Merced to figs and
peaches. In 1904 after sixteen years
with the Earl Fruit Company, Mr. Collins became associated with the Pioneer
Fruit Company, spending one season in Placer County and later operating at San
Jose, Napa and Red Bluff, being with this company altogether twelve years. The year 1917 was spent with the Pacific
Fruit & Produce Company at Portland, Oregon, and on returning to California
in 1918 Mr. Collins located at Lodi and formed a partnership with W. T. Owens,
as Owens & Collins. Their business
has thrived from the start, and in 1920 they shipped 150 cars of fruit and
grapes. In addition to handling on
consignment, they have a lease on a fine 100-acre Tokay vineyard. Their table grapes are packed under the Royal
Arch brand, which has a fine reputation in the Eastern markets, having topped
the New York market on numerous occasions.
January 12, 1901, at San Francisco,
California, Mr. Collins was united in marriage with Miss Harriet Rutherford, a
native daughter, born in Wyandotte, Butte County, whose parents, James M. and
Geraldine (Enslow) Rutherford, were natives of
Kentucky and Ohio. Her father came to
California in 1852, but her grandfather Thomas Enslow
crossed the plains to California in 1849 to Butte County; they were pioneer settlers
there. Mrs. Collins is a past president
of Ivy Parlor, N. D. G. W. A woman of
great capability Mrs. Collins has contributed much to her husband’s success,
having had many years of experience with their business as forelady in the
packing house. She superintended the
packing of a car of apricots at Hanford which was the first car to go east from
the San Joaquin Valley in the spring of1921, and which brought the highest
price in the Eastern markets, due to its careful packing and the superior
quality of the fruit. Mr. and Mrs.
Collins have one son, Leon Collins, who is foreman for the Owens & Collins
Company, so that all the family has a vital interest in its success.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
1279. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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