(NOTE: The mortal remains of James H. Atkins may very well lie here in the Dillon Cemetery in Tazewell County, Illinois. James H. Atkins probably never sat for a portrait before his entering the service during the Civil War, but he spent almost 10 months with the 86th in the Nashville, Tennessee area, during which time most of the members of the 86th took the opportunity to sit for portraits to send back home to their loved that they missed so much and most of the boys didn't stop at making just one or two copies of those pictures, which were most often printed in the from of what was called a CDV. They made a dozen copies or more, sometimes, so that they could swap pictures with the friends, tentmates and messmates within their respective companies. Then, James H. Atkins survived the war and lived into the 1880's. During this time, James must had his picture taken many more times. I would love to see some pictures of James H. Atkins as a young man, especially in uniform from the days with the 86th, but at this point, I would just love to see some pictures of James be added to his FAG site, even some of him as a 50 or 60 year old man. Can anyone help me with this? It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Baxter)

Private JAMES H. ATKINS, Co. K, 1st Illinois Foot (Mexican War) & Co. C, 86th Illinois (Civil War)

James H. Atkins was born on __________ __, 18__ (c. 1820) in Smith County, Virginia. James H. Atkins is believed to be the James H. Atkins, who served in Co. K of the 1st Illinois Foot from 1847 to 1848 in the Mexican War. He enlisted at Alton, Illinois.
At the time of the 1850 census, a James H. Atkins is found in Carrollton, Greene County, Illinois. Could this be our James H. Atkins?
Henry Johnston M 35 Virginia
Emeline Johnston F 19 Virginia
Fanny Johnston F 8 Illinois
Henry Johnston M 6 Illinois
William Johnston M 0 Illinois
Jane H Cobb F 15 Kentucky
Nancy C Atkins F 54 Virginia
James H Atkins M 30 Virginia

James H. Atkins was married to Mrs. Mary Louisa (Jones) Shay, a widow, on December 16, 1860 in Tazewell County, Illinois. Mary was born c. 1826/27 in Ohio, possibly the daughter of Isreal Jones and __________ (__________) Jones and she had may have had a younger brother named James A. Jones. Mary had been previously married to William Manning Shay by whom she had four or possibly five children. William M. Shay was born on April 15, 1810 in Ohio. Their children include, Elizabeth Shay, born c. 1850/51 in Illinois; Issac Henry Shay, born c. 1852 in Illinois; Aaron Alonzo Shay, born c. January __, 1854 in Illinois; and George W. Shay, born c. 1856/57 in Illinois. William and Mary were married on May 11, 1848 in Tazewell County.
At the time of the 1855 Tazewell County census, William Shay is found in Dillon, Tazewell County, Illinois and there are 8 people in his household.
William Shay died on May 27, 1858 in Dillon Township, Tazewell County and his mortal remains were laid in the Woodrow Cemetery in South Pekin, Tazewell County, Illinois. At the time of the 1860 census, Mary and her children are found in the Township of Dillon, Tazewell County, Illinois;
Mary L Shay F 34 Illinois
Elizabeth Shay F 9 Illinois
Isaac H Shay M 7 Illinois
Alonzo Shay M 6 Illinois
George W Shay M 2 Illinois

James H. Atkins and Mary Louisa (Jones) Shay were then married in December of 1860. Two children are known to have been born to James H. Atkins and Mary Louisa (Jones) Shay Atkins. They were;
1. Alice Atkins, born c. July __, 1861/62 in Tazewell County, Illinois. At the time of the 1880 census, Alice A. Atkins, age 17, is found residing with the William Cheever family in Delavan and doing "housework." Alice was married twice. Alice was married 1st to John Henry Ranney on November 4, 1880 in Tazewell County, Illinois.
At the time of the 1900 census, Alice and her family are found in the village of Hopedale, HopedaleTownship, Tazewell County, Illinois;
John Ranney Head M Jan 1857 43 Illinois
Alice Ranney Wife F Jul 1862 38 Illinois
Bertha Ranney Daughter F Sep 1881 19 Illinois
Wilber Ranney Son M Jun 1883 17 Illinois
Elmer Ranney Son M Aug 1887 13 Illinois
Ethel Ranney Daughter F Feb 1890 10 Illinois
Joe F Ranney Son M Jun 1892 8 Illinois
Laurence Ranney Son M Feb 1895 5 Illinois
Amy Ranney Daughter F Feb 1897 3 Illinois

At the time of the 1910 census, Alice and John are found in Hopedale, Tazewell County, Illinois;
John H Ranney Head M 53 Illinois
Alice Ranney Wife F 47 Illinois
Fifer Ranney Son M 17 Illinois
Lawrence Ranney Son M 15 Illinois
Amy Ranney Daughter F 13 Illinois
Wilbur Ranney Son M 27 Illinois
Leslie Ranney Grandson M 5 Illinois
Ruth Ranney Granddaughter F 1 Illinois

John Henry Raney died on 29 March 1931 in Normal, McLean County, Illinois and his mortal remains were laid in the Shiloh Cemetery in Hopedale, Tazewell County, Illinois. See his Find A Grave Memorial #16322587.

Alice (Atkins) Ranney was then married 2nd to William E. Marshall. The Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947 has her death on 22 November 1945 in Normal, IL with burial in the Shiloh Cemetery at Hopedale.

2. James Sherman Atkins, born June 26, 1866 in Dillon Township, Tazewell County, Illinois. James Sherman (listed on the typed copy as L.) Atkins was married onNovember 15, 1888 in Tazewell County, to Elva J. Sparrow, who is believed to be the daughter of Spencer B. Sparrow, who was the brother of William Kinzie Sparrow, the father of Elias Sparrow, who served in Co. C of the 86th Illinois along with James' father, James H. Atkins.
At the time of the 1900 census, James Sherman Atkins and his family are found in the village of Hopedale, HopedaleTownship, Tazewell County, Illinois;
Sherman Atkins Head M Jul 1866 34 Illinois
Elva Atkins Wife F Mar 1862 38 Illinois
Maune L Atkins Daughter F Feb 1892 8 Illinois
Erwin Atkins Son M Aug 1895 5 Illinois

At the time of the 1910 census, James S. Atkins and his family are found in Delavan Ward 1, Tazewell County, Illinois;
Sherman Atkins Head M 43 Illinois
Elva J Atkins Wife F 48 Illinois
Mamie Atkins Daughter F 18 Illinois
Edward Atkins Son M 14 Illinois

James Sherman Atkins, who was obviously named for William Tecumseh Sherman, died January 16, 1957 in Tazewell County and is buried in the Minier Cemetery in Minier, Illinois.

On August 11, 1862, for some unknown reason, James H. Atkins and James A. Jones, possibly the brother of Mary L. (Jones) Shay Atkins, and if so, the brother-in-law of James H. Atkins, both residents of Dillon Township, went to Chillicothe, Illinois where they volunteered to serve in a company which was being raised in Chillicothe, Illinois, and in the townships immediately north and west of Chillicothe, including Halleck Township in Peoria County and LaPrairie and Saratoga Townships in Marshall County. This company was being raised by John H. Batchelder, who operated the Ferry at Chillicothe, and Dr. Joseph Thomas, a Chillicothe area Physician. The following day, two more residents of Dillon Township, James K. McDonald and John A. Stockton, also went to Chillicothe, where they also volunteered to serve in the Chillicothe company.

ILLINOIS CIVIL WAR DETAIL REPORT
Name ATKINS, JAMES H
Rank PVT Company C Unit 86 IL US INF

Personal Characteristics
Residence DILLON, TAZEWELL CO, IL Age 42 Height 5' 9 3/4 Hair DARK
Eyes HAZEL Complexion LIGHT Marital Status MARRIED Occupation FARMER
Nativity SMITH CO, VA

Service Record
Joined When AUG 11, 1862 Joined Where CHILLICOTHE, IL
Joined By Whom J H BATCHELDER Period 3 YRS
Muster In AUG 27, 1862 Muster In Where PEORIA, IL
Muster In By Whom N/A Muster Out JUN 6, 1865
Muster Out Where WASHINGTON, DC Muster Out By Whom LT SCROGGS
Remarks N/A

When Batchelder and Thomas had almost 100 volunteers, they led the Chillicothe area company into Peoria where they went into camp at Camp Lyon, near present day Glen Oak Park. On August 27, 1862, Batchelder, Thomas and 87 of their volunteers were mustered into service as Co. C of the 86th Regiment of Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Dr. Thomas was elected by the men of Co. C to serve as their Captain, while Batchelder was elected to serve as their 1st Lieutenant.
On September 7, 1862, the men of the 85th & 86th Illinois marched out the gates of Camp Lyon, through the streets of Peoria, with much fanfare, and boarded a train bound for Camp Joe Holt, Jeffersonville, Indiana, located across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. By early October, the men of the 85th & 86th were in the field in Kentucky as part of Col. Daniel McCook's Brigade, in pursuit of Confederate troops. On Oct. 8, 1862, the men of McCook's Brigade were engaged with those troops in the Battle of Perryville, Kentucky, the 86th Illinois suffering their first casualties. There would be many more to come. After the Battle of Perryville, the Confederate troops withdrew from Kentucky and the men of McCook's Brigade marched on to Nashville, Tennessee where they would go into winter camp.
During the next two and a half years, Private James H. Atkins and Private James A. Jones served faithfully in Co. C as the men of the 86th served in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. During this time, they were witness to and participants in numerous battles and skirmishes, some of the bloodiest fighting in the Western Theatre of the war, including the Battles of Chicakamauga, Georgia; Resaca, Georgia; Rome, Georgia, Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia, Peach Tree Creek, Georgia, Jonesboro, Georgia, Averasborough, North Carolina and Bentonville, North Carolina and marched with General Sherman to the Sea.
After the war came to a close, the men of McCook's Brigade marched on to Washington City (now D.C.) where they marched down Pennsylvania Avenue on the 2nd day of the Grand Review. Private James H. Atkins, now 45 years of age, and Private James A. Jones, were with the surviving members of Co. C when they were mustered out of the service on June 6, 1865 in Washington and by the end of June of 1865, they were back home with their families in Tazewell County, Illinois.

At the time of the 1870 census, James H. and Mary L. (Jones) Atkins and family are found in Dillon Township of Tazewell County, Illinois;
James H Atkins M 50y Virginia
Mary L Atkins F 43y Illinois
Alice Atkins F 8y Illinois
James Atkins M 4y Illinois
Isaac K Shay M 18y Illinois
Aaron A Shay M 16y Illinois
Geo W Shay M 14y Illinois
Isabell Jones F 56y Tennessee

At the time of the 1880 census, James and Mary can not be located. However, there is a Alice A. Atkins living in Delavan, Tazewell County, Illinois at the time of the 1880 census;
Self William H. Cheever M 40 Rhode Island
Wife Abigail A. Cheever F 39 New York
Daughter Alice V. Cheever F 2 Illinois
Step Son Edwin Brown M 17 Illinois
Other Alice A. Atkins F 17 Illinois House Work

There is a Pension Card on file for James H. Atkins which states that his widow was granted a pension on October 23, 1882. So we know that Private James H. Atkins died sometime before October 23, 1882, most likely sometime in the summer of 1882.
(Note: A man by the name of George Shay was married to Elizabeth Middleton on June 6, 1882 in Tazewell County, Illinois. Is this Mary L. (Jones) Shay Atkin's son from her first marriage?
Aaron Alonzo Shay, who was born c. January 27, 1855 in Illinois, was married to Fanny Lord on 25 Dec 1878 in Tazewell County, Illinois, but Fanny died by 1880, possibly in child birth, either in Illinois or Missouri and Aaron Alonzo Shay is found residing in Missouri at the time of the 1880 census. He married there and is found in Missouri with his family in the 1900 census. Alonzo Aaron Shay died on 15 Feb 1914 in Saint Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri. His mortal remains were laid in the Helena Cemetery in Helena, Andrew County, Missouri. See his Find A Grave Memorial #167823185.)

At this time, it is not known where the earthly remains of Private James H. Atkins were laid to rest. In April of 2011, while she was in Pekin at the Tazewell County Genealogical Society, Carol Dorward took a look at the cemetery books to see if I could find James H. Atkins. She went through every book and couldn't find him nor his wife, which make her wonder if he left Tazewell County before he died?

On May 28, 1889, Mary L. Atkins made an application for James H. Atkins service in the Mexican War, which thanks to Gina, the card can be seen on this site.
Carol found Mary Louise (Jones) Shay Atkins in 1900, in Hopedale Township of Tazewell County listed as a family unit (by herself/widow). She was immediately following her son, Isaac Henry Shay (listed as Henry Shay). It shows she had seven children with 5 still living. Carol has still found nothing for 1880 nor 1910. She was sixteen years younger than her first husband, William Manning Shay. Shay had been married previously to Jane Summers and had several children. Jane died in 1848 and both she and William are buried in the Woodrow Church Cemetery in South Pekin.

At the time of the 1910 census, it appears that Mary and her son, James, are residing in Winterset Ward 4, Madison County, Iowa. Her parents are listed as having been born in Kentucky;
Mary J Atkins Head F 81 Illinois
James Atkins Son M 54 Illinois

Mary L. Atkins apparently died on February 26, 1916. Here is what is found on her pension record;
United States Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards, 1907-1933

Name: James H Atkins
Beneficiary's Name: Mary L Atkins
Beneficiary 2 Name:
Event Type: Pension
Event Date: 1907-1933
Event Place: United States
Form Type: Army Widow
Death Date: 26 Feb 1916
Affiliate Publication Title: Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards, 1907-1933
Affiliate Publication Number: M850
GS Film number: 1634098
Digital Folder Number: 004691391
Image Number: 00260

Interestingly, there is a Mary T. Atkins, who definately died in 1916, that someone has listed as dying on February 26, 1916 that some has listed on Find A Grave. Here is what is found on her;
Mary T Atkins
Birth Jan 1824
Illinois, USA
Death 26 Feb 1916 (aged 92)
Wilmington, Will County, Illinois, USA
Burial Oakwood Cemetery, Wilmington, Will County, Illinois, USA
Memorial ID 122734952

by Baxter B. Fite III and Carol Dorward, of Washington, Illinois.

(Baxter would enjoy hearing from anyone, especially descendants of the Atkins family, who might be able to tell us more about Private James H. Atkins. Baxter would also love to see copies of any pictures that may still exist of Private James H. Atkins, especially any showing him in uniform from his days in the service, for his Find A Grave site and for the local Historical Societies.)