In accordance with the Mormon Church at Salt Lake City, Utah, William was born on March 28, 1689, and was a son of John and Elizabeth Bromwell Adkins, of Sandy, Bedford, England.  Our proven William Adkins (Adkinson) was said to have been born about 1690, which is about the same as March 28, 1689.  Based on the above, we conclude that the William Adkinson, son of John and Elizabeth Bromwell, born on March 28 and William born about 1690 are the one and same person.  Assuming this to be true (at least until someone, some time can prove differently), we are listing our Adkins relatives or progenitors as originating in England.

 

Using number 1, as Henry Adkins, born about 1530, who married Francis Edwards, born about 1535, could have been a descendant of Qilliam Adekyn of County, Somerset Shire, England, who was born about 1327, and died about 1377.

 

Number 2, Thomas Adkins (son), born February 6, 1584, in Sandy, Bedford, England, and married Hester Frasure.

Number 3, Thomas Adkins, born about 1610, Sandy, Bedford, England, and married Agnes (unknown) Adkins, born about 1615.

Number 4, John Adkins (Asekyn or Adkinson), born April 7, 1639, in Bedford, England, and married Elizabeth Bromwell.

 

Number 5, William Adkins (Asekyn or Atkinson), born March 28, 1689, married Elizabeth Parker, on January 17, 1716, in the St. James Episcopal Church in Henrico County, Virginia.  Elizabeth Parker was the daughter of Richard and Mitha Parker.  St. James Episcopal Church is located near Richmond, Virginia.  During this time period the Church was some distance from the city, but as Richmond grew the new developments surrounded the Church until the Church became part of the city of Richmond.  It was in St. John’s that Patrick Henry in 1775 gave his famous “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech.

Elizabeth’s father, Richard Parker, indicated the marriage of his daughter, Elizabeth Parker to William Adkinson (Adkins) in his “will” dated Mar. 6, 1726 in Henrico County, Virginia.  Richard and Mitha Parker lived on “Four Mile Creek”, in Henrico County, Virginia.  William and Elizabeth lived on Mechumps Creek on the Savannah River and later moved to the Pigg River in Virginia.

William Adkins, Adekyn, Adkinson, or Atkinson, and Elizabeth Parker had the following children:

 

1, Richard Adkins, born c. 1717 in Henrico County, Virginia and is said to have moved to Tennessee, in 1790.

 

2, Parker Adkins, born 1720, in Henrico County, Virginia, and died c. 1792 in Montgomery County, Virginia, which was Giles County in 1806. He married a Mary (Polly) Fry Alexander. Parker Adkins severed in the Revolutionary War.

 

3, William Adkins, Jr., born c. 1721, in Henrico County, Virginia and died between Jan 20, 1784 and Mar 15, 1784.  He married Lydia Owens, who was born c. 1724, and died before 1782.  Lydia Owens was daughter of William and Lydia Lansford Owens. They had a son Jesse Adkins,  whom son was Thomas, whom son was Absalom Apperson Adkins aka Apps Adkins had Jasper Newton Adkins of Magoffin Co., Kentucky whom son was Kelley Lewis Adkins, whom son was Willie Louis Adkins, whose daughter was me: Sheila Jean Adkins Metcalf.

 

4, Jacob Adkins, born c. 1725, in Henrico County, Virginia, and married Judah (unknown) Adkins.

 

5, Joseph Adkins, had four proven children, but the name of his wife is unknown.  Based upon the birth date of Jacob and Sherwood, Joseph was probably born around 1726 or 1727.

 

6, Sherwood (Sherrod), Adkins, born c. 1728, and married Sally (probably Lucas), around 1760, and lived at Clear Fork, of Wolf Creek, Virginia, that became West Virginia in 1863. Sherwood Adkins was the father of Isaac Adkins, Sr., born c. 1780 and died on March 29, 1860, and Isaac married on May 6, 1804, to Elizabeth Hager, born c. 1780, in Baltimore, Maryland, daughter of Jacob and Sally Hager.  Isaac Adkins, Sr., and Elizabeth had a son named Isaac Adkins, Jr., born in 1804, in Virginia, in accordance with the Carter County, Kentucky 1850 Census.

 

7, Henry Adkins, born c. 1730, and married Rachel Houchins, on January 20, 1756.  Henry Adkins lived in the Pigg River area in Virginia, and was born in Goochland County, Virginia.

 

8, Mary (Polly) Adkins, born c. 1735, in Goochland County, Virginia. She may or may not have been married, since there are no records, but raised six children, probably all by Jacob Harley, the so-called Earl of Oxford.

William’s father is believed to be Thomas Adkins, Jr. of Henrico County, Virginia.  Others believe his father is John Adkins of New Kent County. The original spelling of his name is Atkinson.

William and Elizabeth Parker Adkins and family moved westward in 1740 to what is now Franklin County, Virginia (this same area was Brunswick County in 1740: then Luneburg County in 1746; then Halifax County in 1752; then Pittsylvania County in 1767; to Henry County in 1776; and now finally Franklin County since 1785).

 

This move westward was part of the white man’s first penetration across the Blue Ridge Mountains.  They lived in the Snow Creek District on the Harping and Story Creeks on the Pigg River.  William became a land owner/farmer then changed occupations by becoming a mill operator.  (Mill operating became a family profession).  The deaths of *William and Elizabeth Parker Adkins isn’t clear.  Elizabeth disappears after 1740; William disappears after 1753 in Franklin County, Virginia.  Their exact death dates are unknown.  Their son Sherwood Adkins, who had a son named Isaac Adkins, Sr., who had son Isaac Adkins, Jr., who moved to Sandy Branch, Carter Co., Kentucky.  About 1835, as their son David was born in 1835 in Carter Co., Kentucky.

 

From the Family Notes of Virginia Pierce:  “A lot of the information we have on the descendants of William Atkinson and Elizabeth Parker was taken from the book “Adkins-Land of York, Surrey Co., England to Beech Fork, Wayne Co., West Virginia by Ronnie Adkins”.  Ronnie is a descendant of Elizabeth Parker, also.