Collin, Nicholas, Dd

Collin, Nicholas, D.D.

a Swedish missionary, was born in 1745. He received a classical education. in his native country, and intended to join the army, but as he grew to manhood his attention was turned towards the ministry. He arrived May 12, 1770, in the Delaware river, a a sort of assistant at large to the rectors of the Swedish churches in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He is claimed as a minister of the Protestant Episcopal Church, because the parishes, with which he was connected as a missionary all united with that body; but he was ordained in Sweden, and to the Swedish Church he always considered himself as owing allegiance. His assistant ministers were always of the Episcopal Church, and he used its liturgy. In consequence of the recall of Rev. John Weisell to Sweden, Dr. Collin was appointed rector in his stead in 1773 at Raccoon, Pennyslvania, and Penn's Neck, N.J., and remained there until July 1786, his residence being at Swedesborough, In 1778 he urged his own recall upon the archbishop of Upsal, Sweden, but the king desired that the Swedish missionaries should remain in America until the result of the war should be known; so that it was not until 1783 that he received permission to sail for Sweden. In that year, however, he did not consider it wise to leave his field of labor, and at his suggestion he was permitted to remain, and to assume charge of the churches of Wicaco (now a part of the city of Philadelphia), Kingsessing, and Upper Merion. In July, 1786, he removed from Swedesborough to Philadelphia. During seven years of his residence at the former place he was provost (or superintendent) over all the Swedish churches in Pennsylvania. He died in Philadelphia, in October 1831. Dr. Collin was a man of considerable learning, being acquainted with at least twelve languages. For many years he was a member of ithe American Philosophical Society, The only work which he left is a MS. translation of Acrelius's History of New Sweden, undertaken in 1799 at the request of the Historical Society of New York. See Sprague, Annnals of the Amer. Pulpit, 5:277.