Thomas Beamish Akins was a Canadian lawyer, historian, archivist, and author who was appointed Nova Scotia"s first Commissioner of Public Records from 1857 until his death in 1891.
Background
Thomas Beamish Akins was the son of Thomas Akins, a merchant, and Margaret Ott Beamish. Akins" father was a descendant of the original New England Planters of Falmouth, Nova Scotia settled in 1761. His mother was the daughter of Halifax merchant Thomas Beamish of Portuguese Warden, Nova Scotia.
Education
Akins was an only child, his mother having died ten days after his birth, he was raised by her family in Halifax, where he attended Halifax Grammar School. He studied Law and was called to the Nova Scotia bar on 3 May 1831.
Career
He was designated a Person of National Historic Significance by the Government of Canada. He served as president of the Nova Scotia Historical Society from 1882-1883 and was at the time of his death one of its vice-presidents. Akins" house from 1858 to 1891, located in Halifax, was designated a National Historic Site of Canada.
Membership
He was also an honorary or corresponding member of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec, the American Historical Association, and the historical societies of Massachusetts, Maryland, and Texas. Akins was a long-term member of the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society.