Biographical Sketch of Charles C. Atkins, Johnson County, Missouri, Rose Hill Township. >From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918. ********************************************************************** Judge Charles C. Atkins, a late prominent and highly respected citizen of Johnson county, was a prosperous and influential farmer and stockman of Rose Hill township and a public spirited, industrious man, whose loss to the good citizenship of this section of the state has been keenly felt. He was born in 1864 in Johnson county, son of James and Elizabeth (Elliott) Atkins, both of whom were honored pioneers of this county. James Atkins settled in the county in the autumn of 1852 and became a very successful and widely known farmer and stockman. His son, Charles C., was reared on the farm and educated in the public schools of Johnson county. In early manhood, he began the work of farming and stock raising and in these vocations was interested the remainder of his life. In 1889, Judge Charles C. Atkins and Jennie V. Baker were united in marriage. Mrs. Atkins is the daughter of T. S. and Anne (Hughes) Baker. Her mother was a daughter of Dudley Hughes, one of the earliest settlers of Kentucky, who migrated from Virginia in the first part of the nineteenth century and settled on a large tract of land in Kentucky. To Judge and Mrs. Atkins were born two children: Charles W. and Flora, both of whom were at home with their widowed mother, who now resides in Holden. Charles W., aged twenty-five years, is now a pri- vate in the Regular United States Army, One Hundred Twenty-fourth Infantry, and is stationed at Camp Cody, New Mexico. In 1890, Judge Atkins purchased a farm of eighty acres, for which he paid twenty-five dollars an acre. He constantly increased his holdings until he was the owner of 300 acres of valuable farm land in Johnson county. Mr. Atkins devoted most of his attention to stock raising and was considered one of the best and most successful stockmen in the township. He served on the first executive board of the Farm Bureau of Johnson county and much of the splendid success of this institution is due to Judge Atkins energetic and determined efforts. In 1914, Charles C. Atkins was elec- ted judge of the county court of Johnson county from the western district and in 1916, he was re-elected and he was filling this posi- tion at the time of his untimely death in 1917. He had served his county faithfully and well, giving the best of satisfaction to his constituents. At the time of his death, the court house was closed for two hours and all work suspended while the last services were being held, as a tribute to him, who had so nobly rendered service there. His fellow associates of the county court sent the widow and fatherless children as a token of their heartfelt sympathy a beautiful floral emblem, a broken wheel. Judge Atkins was taken to his last resting place accompanied by one of the largest funeral processions held in this part of Missouri. He was widely known and wherever he was known he was loved and many were the sad hearts in Johnson county when it was known that the Grim Reaper had visited the Atkins home. Mr. and Mrs. Atkins were reared in the Presbyterian faith, but upon the establishing of the Community church at Medford they united with this congregation. He was a valued and worthy member and officer of the Medford Methodist church and he had contributed liberally to the building of the new church structure, in which he was deeply interested. He invariably aided in every movement which was for the betterment of the community and did all in his power to advance the interests of his township, county, and state. Judge Atkins was pre-eminently a home man and it was when alone with his family that all the nobleness of his fine nature was shown. Though Judge Atkins has gone on before, his memory will ever be held precious and sacred by those he loved so well. His tenderness, kindliness, charity, and humanity will never be forgotten and the life, cut off before the allotted time of man, he lived will ever be a source of inspiration to all who came in contact with Judge Atkins. Robert Browning says: "No work begun shall ever pause for Death." So to many of us it seems he is still here, laboring as he was ever want to do. ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. 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