Akin, Ebenezer, Jr.

Ebenezer Akin, Jr. (born 1816), was a Massachusetts-born businessman, the great-grandson of the tanner Benjamin Akin (See MS 204). In the 1850 census, Akin was still in the home of his father and was listed as the town clerk. Pages 5, 36 and 37 detail many of his activities in that position from 1850 to 1855. Akin was also the owner or part-owner of a number of ships, Fairhaven being a maritime town. Accounts for the Napoleon, the William Rotch, and two barks – the Hesper and the Winthrop – are included, covering the years 1848 to 1862. By 1860 Akin was listed in the census as a merchant; he had married and had a four-year-old son. In the 1871 Beer’s County Atlas, Akin lived in the village of Oxford in Fairhaven.

Of particular interest are the various personal accounts of Akin, shedding light on the activities and lifestyle of a prominent local citizen of the mid-19th century. Among items included are his purchase of several lots which he rented, his payments for his pew rental, in the Methodist Episcopal Church, his involvement as a trustee for the Riverside Cemetery, his evaluations of Fairhaven’s schools as a member of the committee to investigate schoolhouses, and his accounts of money he loaned to other Fairhaven citizens, some amounting to substantial sums. There is also a detailed accounting of Akin’s expenditures for clothing and incidentals, spanning more than a decade.

Akin may also have been a lawyer. In his accounts are entries he was made the executor of several estates. There are inventories of the estates of Bartholomew Akin and Capt. James Allen, along with an accounting of Akin’s expenses administering the estates.

Also included in the rear of the book is genealogical information of the Blossom family of Bridgewater (perhaps the family of his mother or wife) and the family of Benjamin and Eunice Akin.