Samuel W. Collins

The Collins and Company Works factory buildings in Collinsville, Connecticut on the Farmington River, viewed from Connecticut Route 179 Samuel Watkinson Collins (1802–1870) was an American businessman and founder of the Collins Axe Company in Canton, Connecticut.

He was born September 8, 1802, in Middletown, Connecticut, one of seven children. His father was a successful lawyer in Middletown, and his mother came from Suffolk, England, and was apparently well educated. He died in 1871.

Collins began his company in 1826, producing axes. About 1827, his craftsman Charles Morgan mapped all the steps of making axes, and each step was assigned to separate workers. In 1832, he hired a 24-year-old Elisha K. Root, who made industrial improvements that improved the quality of Collins' axes and revolutionized the efficiency of their manufacture. One innovation was selling axes that were ready to use out of the box, having been sharpened in Connecticut on grindstones driven by water power.