ATKINSON, Joseph, M. D., Pickens County, AL., then Bienville Parish, Louisiana
Submitted by Mike Miller
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Contributed by Mike Miller <mike_m@exch.deq.state.la.us>

Atkinson, Joseph, M. D., representative member of the medical profession,
of Arcadia, was born in Pickens county, Ala., in Oct., 1839; a son of
Benette and Mary (Harper) Atkinson, both natives of North Carolina.  The
father was a prosperous planter in Alabama, and continued this vocation
until his death in 1867.  His beloved wife survived him 10 years, passing
away in 1877, being the mother of 10 children.  The subject of this
biography, after availing himself of the educational advantages afforded by
the public schools of his locality, entered the Southern university, from
which he received his academic degree.  At the outbreak of the great
struggle between the states, he answered the higher call of duty and
volunteered his services in the cause of the Confederacy, becoming a member
of Co. D, of the 8th Confederate cavalry, of Alabama.  During the war he
served in many important engagements, among which were the battles of
Shiloh, Murfreesboro, and Chickamauga, proving himself a valiant and
intrepid soldier.  At the close of the war he returned to Alabama, where he
secured a position as a school teacher, which enabled him to make the
necessary money to continue his studies.  He entered the University of
Alabama, where he graduated in medicine with the degree of M.D. in 1872.
He first engaged in the practice of his profession in Alabama, remaining
there for 5 years, after which he came to Louisiana, settling in Claiborne
parish, where he continued to practice very successfully for 11 years.  In
1884 he removed to Arcadia, at which place he has since remained, and where
he has succeeded in building up an excellent practice.  Dr. Atkinson is a
splendid citizen, a staunch democrat, and is one of the most prominent
members of the medical profession in that section.  He is a member of the
parish and Louisiana state Medical societies, in the former of which he has
been president, and was a delegate to the national congress on tuberculosis
at Washington, D. C.  Dr. Atkinson takes a lively interest in masonry, in
which order he has attained the chapter degrees.  July 4, 1861, was
solemnized his marriage with Fannie L., a daughter of R. L. Hunter, of
Livingston, Ala.  She passed away in 1892, leaving 4 children, namely:  B.
S. Atkinson, passenger and freight agent of the L. & A. R. R., located at
Texarkana;  Marvin Vivian, deceased;  Clara, wife of Albert Wampler, of
Donaldsonville, and  Edith S., deceased.  In Sept., 1893, Dr. Atkinson
married Mrs. E. G. Hightower, of Arcadia.  No children have been born to
this union.

Source:  Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events,
Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form, volume 3, pp.
716-717.  Edited by Alc e Fortier, Lit. D.  Published in 1914, by Century
Historical Association.