Thomas Beamish Akins (February 1, 1809 – May 6, 1891) was a Canadian lawyer, historian, archivist, and author who was appointed Nova Scotia's first Commissioner of Public Records from 1857 until his death in 1891. He was designated a
Person of National Historic Significance by the
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...
.
Thomas Beamish Akins was the son of Thomas Akins, a merchant, and Margaret Ott Beamish. Akins' father was a descendant of the original
New England Planters
The New England Planters were settlers from the New England colonies who responded to invitations by the lieutenant governor (and subsequently governor) of Nova Scotia, Charles Lawrence, to settle lands left vacant by the Bay of Fundy Campaign ...
of
Falmouth, Nova Scotia settled in 1761; his mother was the daughter of Halifax merchant Thomas Beamish of Port Warden, Nova Scotia. Akins was an only child, his mother having died ten days after his birth, he was raised by her family in Halifax, where he attended Halifax Grammar School. He studied Law and was called to the Nova Scotia bar on 3 May 1831.
Among his published works were his ''History of Halifax'' and ''A Sketch of the Rise and Progress of the Church of England in the British North American Provinces'' (Halifax, 1849), ''A Brief Account of the Origin, Endowment and Progress of the University of King’s College, Windsor, Nova Scotia'' (Halifax, 1865), and an article, "''The First Council''," in the Collections of the Nova Scotia Historical Society for 1879–80. He served as president of the Nova Scotia Historical Society from 1882–83 and was at the time of his death one of its vice-presidents. He was also an honorary or corresponding member of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec, the American Historical Association, and the historical societies of Massachusetts, Maryland, and Texas.
Akins was a long-term member of the
Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society.
Akins' house from 1858 to 1891, located in Halifax, was designated a
National Historic Site of Canada.
References
Bibliography
Thomas Akins. History of Halifax City. Collections of the Nova Scotia Historical Society. 1895. p. 28''Thomas Beamish Akins:British North America's Pioneer Archivist'' by B. C. Cuthbertson*
Thomas Atkins. Acadian French. Selections from the public documents of the province of Nova Scotia (1869)Thomas Akins Papers related to the French encroachment on Nova Scotia (1749-1754), and the War in North America (1754-1761), Vol. 3Papers for the first settlement of Halifax
Thomas Akins. Papers related to the first establishment of a Representative Assembly in Nova Scotia (1755-1761), Vol. 5
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Akins, Thomas Beamish
1809 births
1891 deaths
19th-century Canadian historians
19th-century Canadian male writers
Canadian male non-fiction writers
Colony of Nova Scotia people
Historians from Nova Scotia
Historians of Canada
Lawyers in Nova Scotia