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File contributed to the Fulton County ILGenWeb Project
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Source: The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Fulton County
Munsell Publishing Co., Chicago, 1908

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The Biography of Thomas F. ATKINSON 

Transcribed exactly according to the original complete text by Joan Achille and Alice Stipak. 

[Surnames: ATKINSON, BISHOP, MACNEW, WINSHIP] 

[Page 772] 

    
ATKINSON, Thomas F.--The monotony which often ensues from the continuous following of a certain line of work has never been a feature of the career of Thomas F. Atkinson. Gifted with mechanical ingenuity beyond the average, this well known contractor of Cuba has, at different times, followed the occupation of a miner, wagon-maker, carpenter and builder, brick mason and plasterer. In the capacity either of contractor or tender he has been connected with the erection of a large number of the brick and frame buildings in his adopted town, also having charge of the plastering of most of those erected by him. After being employed for three years in a tobacco factory he came to Cuba in 1869, and continuously during every winter since then--a period of thirty-eight years--has worked in the coal mines near the town. He learned the wagon-maker's trade about thirty years ago, and thereafter followed the carpenter business until taking up the trade of brick mason and plasterer. There doubtless are few men who have worked in the coal mines for such a number of years, or who have done so much in trade lines in a given length of time and in the same community. 
    
Mr. Atkinson spent the first years of his life in Sheridan, Lucas County, Iowa, where he was born in 1858. His parents were Lewis and Angelina (MacNew) Atkinson, natives of Indiana and Missouri, respectively. He was educated in the common schools and his wage-earning career began at the age of twelve years, when he began to work in the coal mines near Cuba. His father, who previously had worked at Farmington, also found employment in the mines. In 1879 Mr. Atkinson married Alice Winship, who was born near Colchester, Ill., and to whom have been born six children: William, aged twenty- seven years, Clara A., aged twenty-four, wife of Cyrus Bishop; James Lewis, aged eighteen; Ethel Judith, aged sixteen; Georgia H., died aged seven years, and Vanessie, aged nine years. Mr. Atkinson is somewhat of a politician, and is sufficiently liberal in his tendencies to vote for the man on his merits, rather than for his party. For the past five years he has been one of the town fathers, ably assisting the Board by his enlightened ideas of municipal affairs. He is fraternally prominent, being a member of the Knights of Pythias. As aids to his business he is a member of the Brick Masons' and Plasterers' Union. Mr. Atkinson has always adhered to the principle that work worth doing at all was worth doing well, and in consequence he has a reputation as a careful, skillful and reliable workman. He is esteemed also for his integrity and moral worth, and for his consideration and fairness as an employer of labor.