Joseph Henry Atkins
From Wally Atkins Family Wiki
Quick Facts
- Full name: Joseph Henry Atkins
- Born: May 11, 1866, Charlotte County, Virginia
- Died: August 12, 1912, Richmond, Virginia
- Parents: Patrick Henry Atkins and Paulina Sue Lawson
- Spouse(s): Adelia Jackson Paynter
- Children: Charles Henry Atkins, Robert Alexander Atkins, Albert Jackson Atkins, Thomas Patrick Atkins, Minnie Minerva Atkins, William Tanner Atkins, Joseph Perkins Atkins
- Places: Charlotte County, Virginia; Keats, Virginia; Palmer Springs, Virginia; Palmer Point, Virginia; Wise, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia
Verified Facts
- Worked as both a farmer and carpenter.
- Married Adelia Jackson Paynter on January 18, 1888.
- Lived in the Mecklenburg area between Keats and Palmer Springs, later identified in the book as Palmer Point.
- Moved to Wise, North Carolina around 1909, then to Richmond in 1911.
- The family history says he died after being caught beneath falling timbers while working at the city canal locks in Richmond.
Biography
Joseph Henry Atkins is one of the central figures in the later family story preserved in A Long Time Ago: A History of the Atkins-Paynter and Allied Families. Through him the family is seen not only as a line of descent, but as a household rooted in real places: the farms near Keats and Palmer Springs, the churches at Bethesda and Mt. Auburn, the move to Wise, North Carolina, and finally the last chapter in Richmond. He worked hard, moved often in search of stability, and left behind a large family whose lives carry the branch forward.
Family Stories and Recollections
- The famous Nutbush Creek Buck Story belongs to Joseph Henry's Palmer Point period.
Sources
- A Long Time Ago: A History of the Atkins-Paynter and Allied Families
- Adelia Jackson Paynter and related family pages
Research Questions
- Can newspaper and city records confirm the exact details of the Richmond canal-lock accident?
