Born at Kinburn, Ontario around 1874, he came to Winnipeg in 1904 and formed the contracting firm of Wallace and Akins in partnership with John James Wallace. At the time of his death, he was President of the firm and an executive officer of Financial Investments Limited and Akins and Wallace Realty Company. He was married twice, first to Emily Ada Kaye (1875-1940) with whom he had four children: Ernest Joseph William Akins (1903-?), Marjorie Akins (?-?, wife of William Henry Henry), Dorothy Wilhelmina Akins (1912-1986, wife of William Kearns Glass), and Evelyn Eleanore Akins (1915-?, wife of H. C. Connelly), and second to Jennie Howe (c1879-1952). He was one of the founders of the First Church of Christ Scientist. He died at the Winnipeg General Hospital on 1 August 1955 and was buried in the Elmwood Cemetery.
See also:
Manitoba Business: Wallace and Akins
Ontario birth registration [Ernest Joseph William Akins], Ancestry.
Birth and marriage registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“Wife of W. J. Akins dies at residence,” Winnipeg Tribune, 18 November 1940, page 5.
Obituary [Jennie Howe], Winnipeg Free Press, 5 June 1952, page 26.
“William J. Akins, local contractor,” Winnipeg Tribune, 2 August 1955, page 2.
Obituary, Winnipeg Tribune, 3 August 1955, page 24.
Death registration [Dorothy Wilhelmina Glass], British Columbia Vital Statistics.
We thank Nathan Kramer for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 2 June 2022
Memorable Manitobans
This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.
Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text:
Custom SearchBrowse surnames beginning with:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | ZBrowse deaths occurring in:
1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.caCriteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements
Help us keep
history alive!
