THE ATKINS ANCESTORS.

The Atkins ancestry can be traced back to THOMAS ATKINS, born c1732 in HEREEFORD.
Thomas married a ELIZABETH RAWLINGS, and they had 3 son's - THOMAS, JOHN AND WILLIAM.
The oldest son THOMAS, born c1756, married a MARIA, and they also lived in HEREFORD. Thomas and Maria had 4 children, THOMAS, WILLIAM, MARIA and JOHN.
WILLIAM ATKINS, born c1780 appears to have been the ancestor who moved out of town and into the DINMORE area, where records show he worked as an AGRICULTURAL LABOURER, along with his brother THOMAS.
WILLIAM married a MARY CASTREE, and they had at least 4 children - WILLIAM c1807, JAMES born 1810 in DINMORE, ALICE c1812, and JOSEPH born 1815 in WINSLEY HILL.
In the 1841 CENSUS the records show WILLIAM ATKINS as being in the HEREFORD INFIRMARY on census day. His wife MARY was living at WINSLEY HILL, along with 2 of there children JOSEPH and ALICE. At the same address the entry shows a THOMAS JAMES as the head of the household, along with his wife and daughter, both called MARY. Also at the same address are 4 further entries with ATKINS surnames, these are CHARLES 14, EMMA 10, MARY 7, and SARAH 4. I currently have no records to prove exactly what relationship thes 4 ATKINS people and the JAMES family have to WILLIAM and MARY ATKINS.
Also in the 1841 CENSUS under an entry for DINMORE HILL, can be found WILLIAM and MARY'S son JAMES.
JAMES ATKINS was recorded in the census as a labourer, and is shown to have a wife ELIZABETH, aged 25 and 2 children- WILLIAM born 1840 and JOSEPH born 1841.
JAMES and ELIZABETH ATKINS had 8 children altogether : -
WILLIAM, born 1840 in MARDEN, who we will follow later.
JOSEPH, born 1841, shown on the 1841 census, but not on any further records I have found.
MARY, born c1843, who in the 1861 census was recorded as being a NEEDLE WORMAN.
JAMES, born 1846, but died soon after.
ELIZABETH, born 1848.
JAMES, born 1850.
GEORGE, born 1853, no further record of GEORGE has been found, he is not on the 1861 census.
ELIZA, born 1856
All the children exept WILLIAM where born in DINMORE.
In the 1851 CENSUS it shows JAMES and ELIZABETH having moved to WINSLEY HILL.
JAMES's mother MARY is also living with them, along with THOMAS ATKINS, JAMES's uncle.
THOMAS is recorded as an AGRICULTURAL LABOURER.
Also living at the same address is : - GEORGE ATKINS, aged 25, an agricultural labourer, born in DILWYN, and shown as a nephew to JAMES.
MARY ATKINS, aged 16, born at HOPE UNDER DINMORE, and shown as a niece to JAMES.
The exact parentage of GEORGE and MARY is still under investigation.
Come the 1861 CENSUS little has changed, with the family still at WINSLEY HILL. MARY ATKINS, mother to JAMES, is no longer with them, neither are GEORGE and MARY.
WILLIAM ATKINS, born 1807, could not be found on the 1861 census. However brother JOSEPH can be found, married to a MATILDA BAYS. I have information showing that they left the county and headed north.
WILLIAM ATKINS, born 1840, married a MARY MIDDLETON and can be found on the 1871 CENSUS living at BUSKWOOD FARM DINMORE. At this time they had 4 children :-
JAMES, born 1860, before his parents married. JAMES later married an ELIZABETH and moved to LONDON.
WILLIAM, born 1865, who married a MARY STANSBURY and died in 1932.
JOSEPH, born 1863, who is my great grandfather, and we will hear more about later.
EMILY, born 1867, who was working as a servant in LEOMINSTER in 1891.
Also living at the same address are :- ELIZABETH ATKINS, mother of WILLIAM.
JAMES ATKINS, brother of WILLIAM, working as a LABOURER.
ELIZA ATKINS, sister of WILLIAM.
JOSEPH MIDDLETON, brother in law of WILLIAM, aged 28 and a LABOURER.
Come the 1881 CENSUS JOSEPH ATKINS is working as a LABOURER TO A WOODSMAN, still living at BUSKWOOD. At the time of the census WILLIAM is living at MANSELL GAMAGE with his brother JAMES. JAMES is working as a GAMEKEEPER, and is married to HANNAH. THEY have 2 children- JAMES and ELIZABETH.
The 1891 CENSUS has WILLIAM back at home in BUSKWOOD, and shows further children :-
MARY, born 1870. LEONARD GEORGE, born 1872, EDWIN, born 1874, ELIZABETH, born 1876, ARTHUR born 1879 and ALICE born 1881.
It also shows a HAROLD ATKINS, born 1888 and recorded as grandson to WILLIAM.
WILLIAM's mother ELIZABETH is also still living with them, but died in 1894, and was buried at ST. MARY'S CHURCH HOPE UNDER DINMORE.
The 1901 CENSUS shows WILLIAM and MARY having moved to UPPER PARADISE FARM in MARDEN. WILLIAM is recorded as being a FARMER, while son's WILLIAM. EDWIN and ARTHUR are recorded as FARMERS SON'S.
Daughter ALICE still lives at home, aged 19, as does daughter MARY, who is recorded as MARY EDMONDS. There are 2 entries for children of MARY :- WILLIE, aged 9 and IVY aged 1.
LEONARD GEORGE is married to MINNIE at the time of the 1901 census, and they have a daughter ELIZABETH.
JOSEPH ATKINS married a CHARLOTTE EVANS in 1898, and at the time of the 1901 CENSUS was living at KIPPERKNOWLE COTTAGES, ( believed to be part of the DINMORE MANOR ESTATE ). JOSEPH and CHARLOTTE had 4 children :- JOSEPH H born 1898, WILLIAM JAMES born 1900, MARY SUSANAH born 1903 ( who was my grandmother), and ELIZABETH.
The 1901 CENSUS shows JOSEPH has having changed work and become a BUTCHER, working from home.
The family moved to BUSKWOOD FARM DINMORE, around 1902 and it was here CHARLOTTE died in 1930, followed by JOSEPH in 1933.
WILLIAM and MARY ATKINS also both died while living at BUSKWOOD in 1914, 11 months apart.
This brings the ATKINS family up to date, although there is still information out there I would to find out, and so this may be updated one day.