Washington County

ATKINS, Hiram

Men of Vermont: an Illustrated Biographical History of Vermonters and Sons of 
Vermont. Ullery. Brattleboro, VT: Transcript Pub. Co., 1894, Part II, pp 9-10 
(portrait p 10)

Hiram ATKINS, late of Montpelier, was born 22 December 1831 in Esopus [Ulster 
County], New York, son of John S. and Margaret (SMITH) ATKINS, and died at 
Montpelier [Washington County, Vermont] on 01 October 1892. When he was 
about three years of age, his father moved to Poughkeepsie [Dutchess County], 
New York, where for the next ten years Hiram lived the usual life of a 
farmer's boy. At the age of fourteen he entered the office of the 
"Poughkeepsie Eagle" as an apprentice, and at the age of eighteen was 
employed on the "Journal," Kingston [Ulster County], New York, having charge 
of the paper during the editor's absence. In 1853 he came to Vermont and 
started a small paper called the "Battle Ground," at North Bennington 
[Bennington County]. He had one dollar in cash when he arrived in Bellows 
Falls [Windham County, Vermont] a few weeks later to take charge of a local 
paper, the "Argus." In February 1863 Mr. ATKINS went to Montpelier, bought 
the "Patriot," and established the "Argus and Patriot," of which from that 
time until his death he was publisher and editor.

During his residence in Bellows Falls, Mr. ATKINS was for a time deputy 
postmaster in President PIERCE's and postmaster in President BUCHANAN's 
administration, and during President CLEVELAND's first term he was 
superintendent of construction of the government building at Montpelier. He 
was at his decease one of the four World's Fair commissioners from Vermont, 
and also by an act of the Legislature one of the Columbian commissioners of 
Vermont. He attended every Democratic national convention but one after 
attaining his majority, and in 1888 was the member from Vermont of the 
Democratic national convention. From 1863 he was a member of the Democratic 
state committee, and its chairman since the early 1870's. Mr. ATKINS was a 
communicant in the Protestant Episcopal Church; for many years a vestryman of 
Christ Church at Montpelier, and often a delegate to the diocesan convention.

In 1854 he [Hiram ATKINS] married Maria Abeel, daughter of John L. DeWITT, of 
Windham [Greene County], New York. She [Maria ATKINS] died 05 December 1859, 
leaving three children, two of whom survive their father: (1) Catherine 
Abeel; and (2) Elizabeth DeWitt, wife of Major Osman D. CLARK of Montpelier; 
the third, (3) Margaret Smith, died about six months after her mother's 
decease. On 27 June 1864 Mr. [Hiram] ATKINS married Julia M., daughter of 
Ezra F. KIMBALL, of Bellows Falls [Windham County, Vermont]. Mr. ATKINS was 
a man of strong individuality; honest, rugged, and at times outwardly harsh 
and rough, made to contend in stormy times for principle, but kind at heart, 
and winning the respect and friendship of men who opposed him, and whom he 
opposed in many things.

Submitted by Cathy Kubly