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Dates of creation area
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1749-1891, predominant 1858-1891 (Creation)
- Creator
- Akins, Thomas B., 1809-1891
Physical description area
Physical description
- 32 cm of textual records
- 150 photographs
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Name of creator
Biographical history
Thomas Beamish Akins was born in Halifax in 1809 and died there in 1891. A lawyer by profession, he was an antiquarian and bibliophile by vocation. In 1857 he was appointed Nova Scotia's commissioner of public records, holding the office until his death. A prolific historical author and editor, he is best known for his history of the town of Halifax and for Selections from the Public Documents of the Province of Nova Scotia (Halifax 1869).
Custodial history
The majority of the material, presumably kept by Akins' relatives in Falmouth after his death, was donated by the Akins family in 1960. The Thomas B. Akins book collection and photograph album were bequeathed to the Nova Scotia Historical Society and transferred to the Public Archives of Nova Scotia in the 1960s. Additional material was received in 1981 from John V. Duncanson, grandson of Mary Louise Akins Aylward, and great-grandson of Charles and Elizabeth Akins.
Scope and content
Fonds consists of records created and accumulated by Akins, documenting his career and his research activities. Includes journals, correspondence, reports, and lists of historical manuscripts relating to the records commission of Nova Scotia; essays, notes, and correspondence on the early history of Halifax and Nova Scotia; extracts of original letters, biographies, personal correspondence and diary; obituaries; books relating to British North America; photographs of Akins and his house in Falmouth, built in 1863, and a photograph album he assembled in 1869 entitled, "Persons connected with the Dominion of Canada."
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Item list available.
Associated materials
Related records may be found in the Commissioner of Public Records fonds and the Akins family fonds.