Cordelia Wilkins
Idabelle seems to have been the kingpin for the nuclear family as all of the siblings moved to Pontiac, Michigan (where she lived) at one point in their lives. But it was Beulah and her husband Mason Baker who took care of Ira and Cordelia when Ira became too ill to work.
Cordelia was a handsome woman. She was born in 1882 in Pope County Illinois and died in Phoenix Arizona in 1955. She was the daughter of James Knox Polk Wilkins and Agnes Evans.
We do not know much about her life, but we know it was a hard life, while Ira was out doing hard physical labor, she was working equally hard running a rural household, and that for the final 15 years she and Ira were dependent upon their daughter Beulah and her husband Mason Baker. Ira may have had some form of pension.
Click here to see pictures of Wilkins girls
click here to see Cordelia’s death certificate
Whoever filled out the death certificate clearly misunderstood the name of her father. There is no doubt that she was the daughter of James Wilkins.
James Knox Polk Wilkins and Agnes Evans
Cordelia’s mother, Agnes Evans, was born in 1848 and died in 1936. J.K.P. Wilkins was born 1845 and died in 1895. There is no record of her being married to anyone else during the 40 years between his death and hers. In 1900, 5 years after James died, she was recorded as the head of the household, a farmer and able to speak English but could not read or write. She had 7 of her many children still living at home ages 22 down to 7 years old. She had, however, many relatives — both Wilkens’ and Evans’ — as close neighbors.
The children of James and Agnes
They had 12 children between 1867 and 1892:
- William Ziba 1867-1917
- Mary 1870-1894
- James Wesley 1873-1915
- Melvina 1875-1875
- Julia 1877-1932
- Idelia 1880-1979
- Cordelia 1882-1955
- Anna Bell 1885-1938
- John Andrew “Andrew” 1887-1938
- Maudie 1888-1889
- Hiram 1891-1914
- George Alfred 1892-1962
The Wilkins Clan – about 1910
Click to see who is in the picture
- Agnes Wilkins
- Della Allison + Virgil as baby
- Andrew Wilkins
- Weslie Wilkins in front
- Hyram Wilkins
- Cordelia Neal + Buela as a baby
- George Wilkins behind Beulah
- Ethel Wilkins
- Willie ???
- Nora Wilkins and Weslie 2.nd
- Idabell Neal in back
- Laura Wilkins
In 1910, only 4 children remained on the farm. The 2 boys worked the farm together with Agnes as head of household. by 1920 she was over 70 years old. The boys, George and Andrew, were farming the land but she is still registered as the head of the household. In 1930, only Andrew remained on the farm.
Both George and Hiram had married and established their adult lives elsewhere.
Andrew remained and worked the farm
click here to read Andrew’s story
John-Andrew-Wilkins-story
Agnes died in 1936 of cancer of the liver
According to the original death certificate, she broke her hip in 1933 and had been bed-ridden since then. There is no date on the picture on the left but it was taken before 1933.
James Knox Polk Wilkins died nearly 45 years before she did. It was her boys who helped her keep the farm. Up until 1930 she was listed as the head of household on the census but in reality it was Andrew who was the farmer.
James Knox Polk Wilkins married Agnes in 1866 after he came home from fighting in the Civil War for the Union side.
James’ preserved letters home reveal a great deal about conditions during the Civil War.
James was born in 1845 in Pope, Illinois. He grew up with a stepfather as his father died in 1847. His mother had re-married and he had 3 siblings and a number of half siblings. Apparently he lied about his age in order to fight in the Civil War and what he saw there seems to be reflected in his portrait.
The information about J.K.P.Wilkins and the Civil War comes from Ancestry.com and was prepared by Marilee Wilkins Dittrich in 2013.
Click here to read about James Wilkins
President Polk’s belief in the doctrine of Manifest Destiny fueled the nation’s expansionist policies but also ignited fierce debates over slavery, economic reform, and the role of government, ultimately leading to the Civil War.
Agnes’ brother also fought in the Civil War. Robert was on his way home on the Union transport ship General Lyon together with other discharged soldiers and war refugees when the ship caught fire and sank, killing 500+ people – men, women and children. Only 29 survived.
click here to read the story of the General Lyon disaster
“The General Lyon was a screw steamer that had been used as a blockade runner. With the Civil War winding down, the U.S. government chartered the vessel for transport. A recently discharged 205-man contingent from the 56th Illinois Volunteer Infantry boarded the ship, along with some 160 paroled and escaped Union soldiers and approximately 130 war refugees and civilians, including families.
The ship departed Wilmington on March 29. On the morning of the 31st, the General Lyon encountered gale winds that soon increased to hurricane strength. Heavy seas buffeted the ship and made forward progress difficult. When the vessel was some 60 miles off Cape Hatteras, a fire broke out after a barrel of kerosene in the porter’s room broke open, saturated the deck, and eventually came in contact with an open flame in the furnace. Most passengers were in their berths below deck and the hatches were closed to keep water out.
The fire spread quickly and the crew tried desperately to suppress the flames. Below deck, passengers panicked as smoke filled the cabins. When they rushed to the deck, a wall of fire pushed them back. Some were washed overboard by large waves and others jumped into the broiling seas to escape the flames. Most passengers, however, remained aboard.”
The ancestors of James Knox Polk Wilkins and Agnes Evans
An Aside: Although not a descendant in a direct line from the immigrant, Peter Andrew Wilkins to James Knox Polk Wilkins, Grace Arlene Wilkins is also a descendant of Peter Andrew. She married Will Rogers in 1936 in New Mexico. The story is Rogers had been on tour with the O-Bar-O Cowboys in June 1933, and while they were performing in Roswell, New Mexico, a caller to a radio station, Grace Arline Wilkins, promised Rogers that she would bake him a pie if he sang “The Swiss Yodel”. They were married in Roswell on June 11, 1936, having corresponded since their first meeting In 1941, the couple adopted a daughter, Cheryl Darlene. Two years later, Grace gave birth to daughter Linda Lou. A son, Roy Jr. (“Dusty”), was born in 1946; Grace died of complications from the birth a few days later.
Ancestors of James and Agnes
All we really know about Agnes Evans ancestry is that she was the daughter of Ziba John Evans and that she was born in Kentucky. Her family moved to Illinois. They were farmers and probably searched for more fertile land than Kentucky could offer.
The Wilkins, on the other hand, can trace their ancestry back to the early middle ages in Wales, but not with certainty. James Knox Polk Wilkins can trace his ancestry with certainty back to John Wilkins from Virginia born in 1721. We don’t know much about these people other than their birth places and residences.
Peter Andrew Wilkins immigrated to Virginia sometime in the early 17th Century. He is the earliest American ancestor for James Knox Polk Wilkins:
The Wilkins family genealogy back to England and Wales is more speculative, but generally accepted as at least quite probable if not 100% correct.
The Wilkins in England:
It would appear that they may have had commercial or religious reasons for immigrating to Oxfordshire and that the move the Essex and then on to Virginia were motivated by commercial and/or maritime endeavors:
The Wilkins in Wales can trace their roots back to roughly 1000 (not recorded here) and they appear to have enjoyed a high social standing.
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