September is my favorite month — not only is it the month of my birthday, but it also is a time when summer is winding down and fall is around the corner.

For the past two years in September, I have been fortunate to be a part of the Friends of Beatty Park’s Union Cemetery Historical Walking tour in Steubenville. For history lovers like me, this is a wonderful event. It provides a wonderful opportunity to get out in nature, walk the paths of the cemetery and learn some great history, too. Local historians Jeff Evans, Flora VerStraten-Merrin, along with myself, will lead folks through the oldest section of the cemetery to discover the personalities interred in that hallowed ground. Learning from these historians is something I look forward to each year. It only reinforces the idea that we are fortunate to have such a rich history here in our area and there is a lot left to be discovered. This year’s event will be held Sept. 30, from 10 a.m. to noon.

Union Cemetery has so many notable burials. Actually, everyone interred there has a story and a history of their own. As a historian, when I walk around that place and see the impressive monuments, I often wonder about the history of those whose names are carved for posterity on those cold stones. The tour this year will take us to the oldest parts of the cemetery, including Sections A through H and O. Included in those sections is the Jefferson County Civil War monument which has a great history all to itself. For my part of the tour, I have chosen to talk about a few folks who are little known in the history books.

James Collier, for example, is a person larger than life and has a fascinating history. James was born in Litchfield, Conn., in 1789. Several well-known persons were born into this family, prominent lawyers and statemen alike. It seems that most of James’s siblings moved west, either to western New York or to Steubenville. Before James made the move west, he was in Ithica, N.Y., and there he enlisted in the Army during the War of 1812. According to his obituary, James quickly rose through the ranks and was promoted to colonel. His outfit was stationed at Niagara Falls. It was in the Army that Collier excelled as a leader.

In the Oct. 13 battle of Queenston Heights, one of the first major battles of that war, Collier served as adjutant assisting with a failed attempt of American forces to cross the Niagara River and launch an invasion of Canada under the leadership of Maj. Gen. Stephen Van Rensselaer. Upon crossing the river, the American forces took Queenston Heights in Canada under heavy British fire. Ultimately American reinforcements stopped or were unwilling to cross the Niagara River, which gave the British an advantage. Before the end of the battle, James Collier assisted in forming the first American line on the heights under heavy fire. For his actions on that day, Collier was made a colonel of a New York regiment.

Collier survived the War of 1812 and in 1814, married Eunice Ingersoll of Stockbridge, Mass., when he was 25. Around 1819 or 20, he and his wife moved to Steubenville, where he became a successful lawyer. His brother and business partner, Daniel, had already been in this city since 1816, following their sister and brother-in-law, Congressman John C. Wright.

Here in Steubenville, James cultivated his political aspirations. He was elected mayor of Steubenville from 1834-1837. According to an article in the Steubenville Weekly Herald and News from Feb. 26, 1875, the office of mayor of Steubenville was first established around 1830. Prior to that the city was managed by city council and the township trustees. The first mayor was Alexander Sutherland. Collier attempted a second term but lost. He ran again in 1840 and was defeated that time, too.

Through all of this, Collier served as the Jefferson County prosecuting attorney from 1830-39. Collier did not put his political aspirations aside even though he was no longer mayor. He was heavily involved with the Whig party that supported Gen. William Henry Harrison in the 1840 presidential election. In the months leading up to the election, there were political rallies held for the Whig and the Democrat parties sometimes at the same time.

Collier was reported to have led a rally on July 29, 1840, that numbered in the thousands for Harrison and the Whig platform. They gathered at Stokley Grove, the former home of Bezaleel Wells, Steubenville’s founder. After parading their supporters through the streets of Steubenville, passing the courthouse twice, which was the headquarters of the Democrats gathering, both sides met. According to an article from that time, Collier was threatened to be dragged from his horse and a riot almost ensued. Thankfully cooler heads prevailed.

In the mid-1840s, Collier was working at his law firm but was still very much interested in public life. He was briefly considered for the nomination for the Whig candidate for Ohio governor in 1840 but was defeated by Thomas Corwin, who became Ohio’s 15th governor. In 1845, he and other businessmen from Steubenville, including James Turnbull, came together to start a library in town. At its height, the library contained 450 volumes and had 42 members but only lasted a few years, ultimately closing in 1847.

The year 1848 was an important year for Collier. He was chosen to attend the Whig National Convention that was to be held in Philadelphia in June to select a candidate to run for president on the Whig ticket. After much discussion and debate, Zachary Taylor won the nomination, beating out personalities like Henry Clay of Kentucky, Daniel Webster of New York and Gen. Winfield Scott. Because of his fidelity to President Taylor, on March 15, 1849, he was appointed by him to be the very first collector for the port of San Francisco and, really, most of California which was experiencing a boom in immigration due to the California Gold Rush.

Collier was tasked with creating an office in California to make sure that imports into the state were paying the correct customs and duties on their vessels and cargo. This was an important job, and one Collier would work hard to do his best at. Along with his family and a military escort, Collier traversed the great overland journey from Steubenville, following the Santa Fe Trail and encountering hardship, death, disease and famine.

In 1937, author Grant Forman wrote a fascinating book called “The Adventures of James Collier,” which explains in detail his trip west and his work in California. This thrilling tale is certainly worth the read, so I won’t spoil it here. In 1851, Collier was replaced as collector in California. After the sudden death of President Taylor, his Vice President Millard Fillmore took office and nominated Collier for the post, but Congress did not confirm him to the position. Subsequently Collier returned to Steubenville.

Back home, Collier soon established a bank called the Citizens Bank, but it failed by 1859. Around 1855 he and his brother, lawyer Daniel, began to invest in steamboats on the Ohio, building a few. The most famous was called Eunice, built, and named in honor of James’s wife. According to an article from the day, in the ladies’ cabin on the ship, there was a fine oil painting of the city of Steubenville, while in the men’s cabin, there was a painting of the Collier home located at 521 Logan St.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, James Collier was the first man to volunteer from Steubenville in his 70s. He accompanied soldiers from here as far as Harrisburg before he was convinced to return home due to his age. At home, Collier volunteered his time with the Soldiers Aid Society and the veterans of the War of 1812. During the excitement revolving around Confederate raider John Hunt Morgan, and the very real threat of fighting in Steubenville, James Collier was put in charge of between 500 and 600 Union soldiers who were assigned to stop Morgan.

In 1854, James was nominated to be president of the board of trustees of Union Cemetery a role in which he took great interest and passion. So, it is appropriate that in February of 1873, after a long and eventful life, Col James Collier was laid to rest in the cemetery he knew and loved so much.

Collier is just one of many worthies whose mortal remains repose in Union Cemetery. Come out on Saturday to learn about him and others who now are part of our storied past.

(Zuros is Hancock County administrator)