Collier is listed among the 104 colonists on theVirginia Company of London's manifest, and was one of four boys in the first group of settlers to Jamestown.[1][3][4] He served as a servant and page to captain John Smith and accompanied Smith on his explorations into the unknown parts of Virginia.[5] Collier was likely around 11-12 years old in 1607 which was a normal age for apprenticeships in England.[2] Collier accompanied Smith for his first meeting with Powhatan and Pocahontas.[6][7]
According to contemporary historians, Collier was sent by Smith to learn the language of the Algonquian-speakingWarraskoyack tribe of thePowhatan Confederacy, and later served the colony as an interpreter.[8][9][10] He befriended weroance (chief)Tackonekintaco during that period.[1][6] Collier was held in high esteem by Smith as a respected member of the community.[11]
Collier's story has been fictionalized in several children's books and in young adult literature. The 2001 bookSurviving Jamestown: The Adventures Of Young Sam Collier byGail Langer Karwoski provides a fictional account of Collier's journey to the New World and his life in Jamestown.[15][16]
Collier is a character in the 2000 book titled1609: Winter of the Dead byElizabeth Massie.[17]
In 2007, a children's historical semi-fiction book byCandice F. Ransom was published titledSam Collier and the Founding of Jamestown, which describes Collier's adventures in Virginia.[18]
A children's book about Collier was written by Elisa Carbone titledBlood on the River, which centers on his travels with John Smith.[19][20][21]
