Person talk:Andrew Adkins (2)

Research Log [18 June 2016]

Notes per User:Dougcouch unless otherwise indicated.

Surname variation: Some children of AJA used ADKINS, while some used ATKINS. All children were born of the same parents.

Death place variation:

2008-2009 addition: AJA's draft registration with his signature, gives his birth date as 10 AUG 1883, and he spelled his name ATKINS

FOLLOW UP: WWI Draft Record added to Main Page --cos1776 14:09, 18 June 2016 (UTC)

AJA's death cert. gives ADKINS Wife, Mary's death cert. gives ADKINS (however, the spelling in these cases was dependent on the child giving the information at the time), listed buried on February 18, 1931.

AJA's death cert. gives "Station B" as usual abode at death, Charleston.

Burial place variation:

AJA's death cert. gives buried at Springhill Cemetery, Long & Johnson, undertakers. Informant, Ray Adkins (son).

AJA Death-related follow-up by Doug Couch (granson):

1997 Research of Doug Couch...calls Calif to WV:

1) 1/24/97 Johnson J E Funeral Home Inc, 514 50th St SE, Charleston, WV 25304-2024, (304) 925-4784 ---Yes, was founder of Long & Johnson. Referred to Long & Fisher Funeral Home

2) 1/24/97 Long & Fisher Funeral Home, 706 Rebecca Street, West Charleston, WV 25302, (304) 343-5151 ---Fire in 1948, destroyed most older records. Checked to be sure…called back: Nothing found.

3) 1/24/97 Spring Hill Cemetery, Farnsworth Dr, Charleston, WV 25317, (304) 348-8010 ---Searched records for AJ & father Bub Adkins/Atkins, none found.

4) 1/24/97 Sunset Memorial Park Co, 4301 Maccorkle Ave SW, South Charleston (Spring Hill), WV 25309-1598, (304) 768-6331 ---Searched records for AJ Adkins/Atkins. Not found. “This” AJA not found (other with very different dates).

5) 1/24/97 Spring Hill Cemetery, 1427 Norway Ave, Huntington, WV 25705-1333, (304) 696-5516 and (304) 696-5954. ---Searched records for AJ Adkins/Atkins. Not found.

6) 1/24/97 Coroner's office, (304) 558-3920 --- unable to contact at time.

Obituary:

Charleston Gazette, Wednesday, February 18, 1931.

Man Is Found Dead On Front Porch At Home

Andrew Adkins. 47, was found dead yesterday on the front porch of his home at Chandler's Branch. Dr. W. F. Work, county coroner, stated that he died of a paralytic stroke. The body was removed to the Long and Johnson Mortuary, where it will remain until time for the services. Funeral rites will be held at one o'clock this afternoon at the little mission at No. 15 Washington Street. Burial will be on Wills Creek.

Surviving are six daughters, Mrs. Mada Strickland and Mrs. Sally Strickland of Big Chimney, Miss Edith Adkins, Miss Hester Adkins, Miss Casey Adkins and Miss Margaret Adkins of South Charleston; five sons, Earl and Ray Adkins of Chandler's Branch, Clarence Adkins of Nicholas County, Vergil Adkins of Station B and Lonzo Adkins of Station A and two brothers.

1999 Doug Couch lived in WV briefly and went with a funeral director from Long & Johnson Co. of Elkview, who physically pointed out the many cemeteries in the Wills Creek area...simply no way to know. Looked at a couple. As his family was poor, it is unlikely to find a stone bearing his name. Only relatives close enough to know exactly where he was buried would be able to find the site IF located in that general area.

Charleston Daily Mail obit does not mention burial place, states Andrew was survived by two brothers.

Lorine (Strickland) Smith (granddaughter) stated that family came from St. Albans to the funeral and took the family Bible with them afterward. Doug Couch sent out many mailings to Adkins families currently residing in the St. Albans area in 1999, including genealogy lineage, photo of Andrew and more...but with no response.

AJA's death cert. gives: ---AJA's trade as farming ---AJA's birth place as Putnam Co, WV

---AJA's father as Bub Adkins

1999 Research in person...of Doug Couch (grandson):

AJA's daughter-in-law (wife of Virgil), Dorotha (King) Atkins, said Andrew was buried in the yard of a church on Chandler's Branch (Charleston). Description places location in area to north side of Chandler Drive. If he died at the house on Chandler's Branch (as stated on the death cert.), this is the most likely location. This church was not located, and apparently was a church meeting held in a regular house as chapel...which did not seem to exist as a church any longer.

Note: Andrew was Apostolic preacher and was said to preach in the Charleston area. Inquiry to several Apostolic churches in the Charleston area regarding possible church records (in 2008) did not reveal any information (only one responded).

Delayed birth cert. of daughter, Hester Ora (Adkins) Sperry gives his and Mary's birthplace (or residence?) as Cabell Co. No marriage record found there for Andrew & Mary (1896-1909). Also, county boudaries have changed over the years.

Son, Virgil, said he/they lived in Emery & Bellam at point in time not given.

Granddaughter, Lorine (Strickland) Smith (daughter of Nada (Adkins) Strickland), said she had been told by her mother that Andrew was buried around Cuckleburr Creek (an area where they lived at some point, not too far from Chandler's Branch)...now called Two-Mile. This is also the location given as the birthplace of Margaret (Doug Couch's mother).

2008-2009 addition: In late 2008-early 2009, census information was found and believed to include Andrew, his brother Balam (Balin), and father, William Adkins. Undocumented ancestry of William links to royalty, and lineages all over, to mention a few: Edward I "Longshanks" (Plantagenet) King of England, Godgifu (Lady Godiva), Charles I "the Great" (Charlemagne) King of the Franks, Methuselah, Noah and Adam & Eve of Eden. Requests to Eden have produced no documentation, however, these many lineages have existed for a long long time. Controversy over them suggests that some may have been invented long ago for politcal and property rights reasons. It is almost certain most of them will never be proven. (Doug Couch)

FOLLOW UP: 1900 census record added to Main Page. --cos1776 14:09, 18 June 2016 (UTC)

Death Certificate Needed [18 June 2016]

Many of the research notes above refer to Andrew's death certificate. I have added his death listing from the WV Death Index to the Main Page which lists the secondary information provided by the Coroner, but to support the Facts associated with the death cert, it should be included as well. Btw - the Coroner gave his father as "Bud Adkins". --cos1776 14:09, 18 June 2016 (UTC)

Who are the parents of Andrew J Adkins? [19 October 2017]

After spending more time with the records surrounding this family, I have a working theory about the parents of Andrew J Adkins. User:Dougcouch raised the possibility that he is not really the son of "William C Millard Adkins" as listed in the 1900 census. Both his family notes and Andrew's death record indicate that his father's name was "Bud" and there hasn't been any evidence presented to indicate that Millard and Bud were the same person.

So - who was Bud Adkins? I think he may be Millard's first cousin, Charles A "Bud" Adkins, the son of Jacob Adkins who is the brother of Millard's mother, Lethia Rachel Adkins. We know that Charles went by the nickname of Bud, because that is the name shown on the marriage and death records of several of his proven children.

One such child is daughter Martha Alice Adkins who may be the unidentified sister Martha referred to in the family notes.

So - who is the mother of Andrew J Adkins? Bud Adkins married Nora May Chandler in 1892 which is after the birth of Andrew, so she would not have been his mother. I suspect that Nora is not the mother of Martha Alice either, but I haven't confirmed it. I have not been able to find an earlier wife for Bud Adkins yet.

Bud and Nora and their children are found together in several census records. Since Andrew is with his grandmother in the 1900 census, it is reasonable to guess that she may have raised him after his mother died. Alternatively, Andrew could have gone to live with "William C Millard Adkins" (his cousin once removed) in order to help with the farm chores and to keep an eye on Millard's son Oliver Balaam, since Millard's wife had died.

The other possible siblings of Andrew J Adkins mentioned in the family notes are:

1. Balem - I think we agree this is likely Millard's son, Oliver Balaam
2. Milton - possibly Millard's son, Millard
3. Emery - still working on this one ...

I welcome feedback on this. I have added many but not all records to the pages of the family members to support these relationships. As always, there is more to be done. --cos1776 03:24, 20 October 2017 (UTC)