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Below is a family biography included in The History of Bedford County, Tennessee published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1887.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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J. C. AKIN, proprietor of the Evans Hotel, was born July 2, 1827, in Granville County, N. C. His father, Thomas Akin, moved with his family from North Carolina to Maury County, Tenn., about 1830, and lived there till his death. He was a farmer and raised a large family. The genial subject of this sketch was reared on a farm. He came to Shelbyville in 1854, married and engaged in the mercantile trade for a short time. He then farmed till 1857, having bought a farm near Shelbyville. He then removed to McMinville, Warren Co., Tenn., and engaged in the grocery business there a short time, and then at farming till the war, in the meantime having bought two farms and stocked them. During the war he was in the drug business till early in 1865. He then went to Maury County and raised a crop of cotton; thence he returned to McMinnville, and remained till 1873, when he again moved to Shelbyville, and for six years ran the Barksdale House. Since then he has been running the Evans Hotel, the only first-class hotel in the city. He also runs a fruit evaporator in Shelbyville. He was married, September 18, 1854, to Mrs. America Lane, the widow of Robert Lane, of Marshall County. Her father was Isaac Holman, who was once a member of the Legislature. Mr. Akin and wife have been members of the Missionary Baptist Church for many years, and are among the leading members of the church at Shelbyville. Mr. Akin has been chairman and treasurer of the executive board of the Duck River Baptist Association for many years, and at one time was president of the Baptist Sunday-school Association, and of the Bedford County Sunday-school Association. He is a member of the K. of H. Politically he was formerly an old-line Whig, but is now a conservative Democrat. He is justly regarded as an enterprising and influential citizen of the county, who has always taken special and active interest in all charitable, religious and moral enterprises. The wife was the mother of four children by her former marriage, two of whom are now living.

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This family biography is one of the numerous biographies included in The History of Bedford County, Tennessee published in 1887 by Goodspeed.  The History of Bedford County was included within The History of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford & Marshall Counties of Tennessee. For the complete description, click here: History of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Beford and Marshall Counties of Tennessee

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