Son of Rebecca Dorsey Collins Foos and her first husband, William Collins. William Collins abandoned his wife and children. Without options, she filed for divorce in absentia on grounds of abandonment, and the action was granted.
Johnny's childhood was one of pain and abuse at the hands of his stepfather, George Foos. Finally, having had enough and with some money his mother had hidden from her abusive husband, he ran away from home around the age of 14.
John was an employee of the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and St. Louis Railroad (aka The Panhandle Railroad) and was killed in an accident in the single-pass Dinsmore Tunnel, which was notorious as one of, if not the most dangerous rail tunnels in western, Pennsylvania. The tunnel was located between Bertha to the east and Hanlon to the west. Francis Mine State Road runs parallel to where the Panhandle tracks once were south of the roadbed.
According to the Pittsburgh Daily Post, January 23, 1883:
"L. Kimble was run over on the panhandle Railroad at Mansfield, yesterday afternoon and lost an arm. John Collins was killed about noon at Dinsmore Tunnel, on the same road."
The Marion Star, ran a small local mention in the daily newspaper wrote:
"John Collins, son of Mrs. Rebecca Foos, who lives five miles north of Marion was killed on the PC&StL Ry yesterday afternoon. He was formerly a Marion boy. "
By 1888 the situation with the Dinsmore tunnel had become so dangerous that the PC&StL had to replace it with a wider structure. Today that rail line is part of the Rails to Trails project, and the tunnels are no more. (https://www.traillink.com/trail-photo/panhandle-trail_82216/)
John was survived by his mother, his brother Josiah Collins of Kenton, Ohio, and by his half brothers and sisters.
Johnny's childhood was one of pain and abuse at the hands of his stepfather, George Foos. Finally, having had enough and with some money his mother had hidden from her abusive husband, he ran away from home around the age of 14.
John was an employee of the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and St. Louis Railroad (aka The Panhandle Railroad) and was killed in an accident in the single-pass Dinsmore Tunnel, which was notorious as one of, if not the most dangerous rail tunnels in western, Pennsylvania. The tunnel was located between Bertha to the east and Hanlon to the west. Francis Mine State Road runs parallel to where the Panhandle tracks once were south of the roadbed.
According to the Pittsburgh Daily Post, January 23, 1883:
"L. Kimble was run over on the panhandle Railroad at Mansfield, yesterday afternoon and lost an arm. John Collins was killed about noon at Dinsmore Tunnel, on the same road."
The Marion Star, ran a small local mention in the daily newspaper wrote:
"John Collins, son of Mrs. Rebecca Foos, who lives five miles north of Marion was killed on the PC&StL Ry yesterday afternoon. He was formerly a Marion boy. "
By 1888 the situation with the Dinsmore tunnel had become so dangerous that the PC&StL had to replace it with a wider structure. Today that rail line is part of the Rails to Trails project, and the tunnels are no more. (https://www.traillink.com/trail-photo/panhandle-trail_82216/)
John was survived by his mother, his brother Josiah Collins of Kenton, Ohio, and by his half brothers and sisters.
Son of Rebecca Dorsey Collins Foos and her first husband, William Collins. William Collins abandoned his wife and children. Without options, she filed for divorce in absentia on grounds of abandonment, and the action was granted.
Johnny's childhood was one of pain and abuse at the hands of his stepfather, George Foos. Finally, having had enough and with some money his mother had hidden from her abusive husband, he ran away from home around the age of 14.
John was an employee of the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and St. Louis Railroad (aka The Panhandle Railroad) and was killed in an accident in the single-pass Dinsmore Tunnel, which was notorious as one of, if not the most dangerous rail tunnels in western, Pennsylvania. The tunnel was located between Bertha to the east and Hanlon to the west. Francis Mine State Road runs parallel to where the Panhandle tracks once were south of the roadbed.
According to the Pittsburgh Daily Post, January 23, 1883:
"L. Kimble was run over on the panhandle Railroad at Mansfield, yesterday afternoon and lost an arm. John Collins was killed about noon at Dinsmore Tunnel, on the same road."
The Marion Star, ran a small local mention in the daily newspaper wrote:
"John Collins, son of Mrs. Rebecca Foos, who lives five miles north of Marion was killed on the PC&StL Ry yesterday afternoon. He was formerly a Marion boy. "
By 1888 the situation with the Dinsmore tunnel had become so dangerous that the PC&StL had to replace it with a wider structure. Today that rail line is part of the Rails to Trails project, and the tunnels are no more. (https://www.traillink.com/trail-photo/panhandle-trail_82216/)
John was survived by his mother, his brother Josiah Collins of Kenton, Ohio, and by his half brothers and sisters.
Johnny's childhood was one of pain and abuse at the hands of his stepfather, George Foos. Finally, having had enough and with some money his mother had hidden from her abusive husband, he ran away from home around the age of 14.
John was an employee of the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and St. Louis Railroad (aka The Panhandle Railroad) and was killed in an accident in the single-pass Dinsmore Tunnel, which was notorious as one of, if not the most dangerous rail tunnels in western, Pennsylvania. The tunnel was located between Bertha to the east and Hanlon to the west. Francis Mine State Road runs parallel to where the Panhandle tracks once were south of the roadbed.
According to the Pittsburgh Daily Post, January 23, 1883:
"L. Kimble was run over on the panhandle Railroad at Mansfield, yesterday afternoon and lost an arm. John Collins was killed about noon at Dinsmore Tunnel, on the same road."
The Marion Star, ran a small local mention in the daily newspaper wrote:
"John Collins, son of Mrs. Rebecca Foos, who lives five miles north of Marion was killed on the PC&StL Ry yesterday afternoon. He was formerly a Marion boy. "
By 1888 the situation with the Dinsmore tunnel had become so dangerous that the PC&StL had to replace it with a wider structure. Today that rail line is part of the Rails to Trails project, and the tunnels are no more. (https://www.traillink.com/trail-photo/panhandle-trail_82216/)
John was survived by his mother, his brother Josiah Collins of Kenton, Ohio, and by his half brothers and sisters.
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In with the George and Rebecca Foos grouping.
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