Laura Collins Wolcott (Guilford, Connecticut, United States; January 1, 1732-Litchfield, Connecticut, United States; April 19, 1794) was the wife of Oliver Wolcott, 19th Governor of Connecticut, and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence of the United States.

Family

Laura Collins was the daughter of Lois Cornwall (1702-1768) of Middletown and Captain Daniel Collins (1701-1751) of Guilford, New Haven, Connecticut.

His parents were married on May 15, 1715 in Guilford, New Haven, Connecticut and together they had 10 children: Anne Collins (1726-1760), William Collins (1728-1775), Freelove Collins (1732-1765), Laura Collins (1732-1794), Avis Collins (1734-1812), Lois Collins (1735-1795), Daniel Collins (1738-1822), Zerviah Collins (1740-1771), Augustus Collins (1743-1814) and Ruth Collins (1745-1775).

One of the brothers, William Collins, was a captain and served in the Franco-Indian War (1754-1763) in North America.

Another of them, Augustus Collins, served his country as a soldier, ensign, lieutenant, major and general in the Connecticut militia and during the Battles of Lexington and Concord (1775) he held various positions.

Ruth Collins married Moses Lyman (1747-1829), who rose from corporal to colonel and commanded a corps of troops in the surrender of John Burgoyne (1722-1792), and was selected by Horatio Lloyd Gates (1727-1806) to transmit the good news to George Washington (1732-1799).

Laura Collins was married on January 16, 1755 in Guilford, New Haven, Connecticut, to Oliver Wolcott (1726-1797) and together they had 5 children: Oliver Wolcott (1757-1757), Oliver Wolcott (1760-1833), Laura Wolcott (1761-1814), Mary Ann Wolcott (1765-1805) and Frederick Wolcott (1767-1837).

One of the sons, Frederick Wolcott, was a probate judge for Litchfield County, Connecticut, in 1796, and a member of the honorable Wolcott family. In turn, one of his grandchildren, Schuyler Brinckerhoff Jackson (1849-1914) married Angela Forbes (1863-1960), granddaughter of Susannah Foster (1784-1865) and Captain Cleaveland Alexander Forbes (1780-1857), who during the war of 1812 he sailed as a privateer and from 1833 to 1836 he was in command of the Francis Depau between New York and Havre, France.

Another son, Oliver Wolcott, was the second United States Secretary of the Treasury, judge of the United States Circuit Court for the Second Circuit, and the 24th Governor of Connecticut.

Laura Wolcott married William Moseley (1755-1824), an attorney in Hartford, Connecticut and a member of the Connecticut General Assembly. And Mary Ann Wolcott, married Chauncey Goodrich (1759-1815), an American lawyer and politician from Connecticut who represented that state in the United States Congress as a senator and representative.

It should be noted that Oliver's wife, Laura Collins, was the daughter of Lois Cornwall (1702-1768) of Middletown and Captain Daniel Collins (1701-1751) of Guilford, New Haven, Connecticut, United States.

Biography

Laura Collins was born on January 1, 1731, in Guilford, Connecticut. She was a descendant of the first settlers and grew up as the women of wealthy families of that time.

After their marriage in 1755, she moved to Litchfield, Connecticut with her husband and raised a family of five children.

The Wolcotts enjoyed a loving marriage for nearly forty years, despite the fact that Oliver spent many of those years away from home, helping to give birth to a new nation.

For many of these years, most of the burden of running household affairs fell on his shoulders.

During her long absences, Laura cared for and educated her children, and with her prudence and frugality provided the necessities of life for her family.

Her patriotism was as strong as her husband's. And while Oliver gave his money for free to support the Continental Army, Laura provided blankets, socks, and supplies from her farm to the Army, almost continuously. He made his home a place of comfort and tranquility, which was always open to anyone serving the patriotic cause, even during war.

Death

Laura Collins died on April 19, 1794, at age 63 in Litchfield, Connecticut. His remains rest in East Cemetery in Litchfield, Connecticut, United States.