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Ancestors & Descendants of
John AKINS, Sr.  
1783 - 1863
Union Co., GA

John AKINS, Sr. was born about 1783 in Old Pendleton Dist., SC the son of Ezekiel AKINS and Sarah Crittendan McCRAVEY-AKINS and grandson of Lewis AKINS who d. 1791 in Laurens Co., SC and grandson of Archibald McCRAVEY of Spartanburg Dist., SC.

It is very possible that John married by 1800 at age 17 but we don't yet know of such a marriage.  John was living as of 1803 in Old Walton Co., GA which was that odd strip of land on the NC/SC border the no state really claimed.  He served as a Representative from this newly formed Georgia county to the State Legislature in Milledgeville, GA and was a member of Cathey's Creek Church.

Some believe that John was married to Sarah OLIVER, dtr. of Benjamin OLIVER, Sr. the whole time; but, enough evidence has surfaced that makes that assumption questionable.  LDS files say that he was married first to a Catherine C. ??  Where this came from, is uncertain but it is assumed that it arose from something tangible.  Some researchers think this could be Catherine CRITTENDAN.  However, John AKINS, Sr. was living next door in 1830 to John CLARK, Sr.  I believe that John was married to Catherine CLARK and that she died in childbirth with their son, Lewis b. 1832.  However, it would make more sense that she was Catherine BUTT to explain why 2 BUTT men witnessed John AKINS, Sr. Will in Union Co., GA. 

The Ezekiel AKINS (John's son) family and the Benjamin OLIVER family were neighbors before 1820 as shown on the Love Survey Maps in front of The Heritage Book of Macon Co., NC.  What we do know is that John AKINS, Sr. was definitely married to Sarah OLIVER as of Sept 1840 as evidenced by her father's Will that was probated shortly thereafter  in Marshall Co., AL.

There are two significant breaks in the known children of John AKINS, Sr.  This usually suggests a change in wives so there are two possibilities as to when John did marry Sarah OLIVER.  It is reasonable to conclude that he married her abt 1838 and she was the mother of only Easter AKINS-SELF.  John AKINS, Sr. did not have a daughter named Sarah after Sarah OLIVER.

The minutes of Cathey's Creek Church show both a John AKINS and a Sarah AKINS but they are listed way apart from each other.  Looking at this list more closely, it appears that husbands and wives were listed together but not John and Sarah.  It is possible that the Sarah AKINS shown was John's mother, Sarah McCRAVEY-AKINS and not his wife.  Until further documentation is unearthed, it is best to keep an open mind about the interpretation of the Cathey's Creek Church minutes.

John AKINS, Sr. moved into Union Co., GA by 1840 census from Macon Co., NC.  His wife's age was enumerated as born 1780-1790, the same as John.  Sarah Oliver-AKINS was born 1786 per 1870 Transylvania Co., NC census but that date is not consistent with her 1850 and 1860 census enumerations back in Union Co., GA.  Consequently, for now, there isn't anything that proves her age.

However, the 1840 Macon Co., NC Census shows a female living with Rachel OLIVER along with Benj. Oliver, Jr.   Rachel Oliver later married Henry Norton; but in 1840 she was head of household because her father, Benj. Oliver, Sr. was in Marshall Co., AL.  

John AKINS, Sr. died in Union Co., GA in 1863.  His Will dated 1856 left everything to his wife, Sarah, and named his son, Benjamin AKINS, as the executor.  Benjamin was residing in North Carolina and could not serve, by law, as an executor of an Estate in Georgia.  Benjamin was replaced by the Court with Philip WALLIS, the husband of John Sr.'s daughter, Elizabeth AKINS.

The children named in John AKINS, Sr.'s Will were: 

Witnesses to his Will were Jacob BUTT, Thomas BUTT, and John L. REED.  It was common practice to have the wife's family members witness deeds to substantiate the wife's signature relinquishing her dower rights to real estate and in Wills when second wives were to receive the bulk of the estate instead of the decedent's direct lineal descendants.  For now, John AKINS, Sr. first wife is assumed to be Catherine CLARK.

Research into the BUTTs and the REEDs was undertaken in hopes of unearthing John AKINS, Sr.'s first wife's name.  There are numerous things that point to these families all knowing each other going way back; but nothing concrete to suggest that the first wife was a BUTT or a REED.  Research is still on-going.

About the same time as John AKINS, Sr.'s death in 1863, Sarah Oliver AKINS had her brother, Joseph OLIVER, Sr., declared incompetent in Union Co., GA.  They both left Union Co. and went to live with Benjamin AKINS back in Transylvania Co., NC.  Why?  Sarah died in NC and is buried there while John AKINS, Sr. is buried at Harmony Grove Baptist Church Cemetery in Union Co., GA.  If Sarah Oliver was his only wife, then why weren't they buried together?  There certainly was plenty of money left to Sarah to afford to be buried next to her husband.  These circumstances suggest that Sarah was not the first wife of John AKINS, Sr.

According to John AKINS, Sr.'s Will, upon Sarah Oliver-Akins' death, the property was to revert back to his children.  We are in need of documents from Transylvania Co., NC about Sarah's Estate to know whether this was actually done or not.  Once Sarah crossed the state line, it was difficult to pursue legal action against her estate for not making distributions according to John's Will probated in Georgia.

 

Documents concerning the John AKINS, Sr. family:

 

Folks Researching this Family:

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