Joseph Alexander Smith Acklin (1816 - 1863)

Born 6 Jul 1816 in Huntsville, Madison County, Alabama, USA

Ancestors

Husband of Adelicia (Hayes) Cheatham — married May 1849 in Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee, USA

Descendants

Died 11 Sep 1863 at age 47 in Louisiana, USA

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Biography

Joseph Alexander Smith Acklen was born 6 Jul 1816 to Samuel Black Acklen and Elizabeth Hunt in Huntsville, Alabama. He was a lawyer and a planter.

Marriage

Joseph Acklen was the second husband of Adelicia Hayes Franklin, later Cheatham. Acklen signed a marriage contract in which he agreed that Adelicia would remain sole owner and final authority over all the property she brought with her into the marriage. This document was one of the earliest "pre nups" in Nashville's history. They were married for 14 years, and during that time they had 6 children together.

From the 1850 and 1860 Census' :

1. Joseph Hayes Acklen, b. 1850 who later became an attorney, Congressman, and the first game warden for the state of Tennessee before earning notoriety as legal counsel for the Tennessee suffragettes who helped get women the right to vote.
2. William Acklen, b. 1855 Tennessee (see 1850 Slave schedule - 27 (28 Oct) + 9 (10 Dec) enslaved in Madison, Alabama)
3. Claude Acklen, b. 1857 Tennessee
4. Pauline Acklen, b. 1859 Tennessee
5. Sallie Acklen, but likely Franklin as she was b. 1842 during Adelicia's marriage to Isaac Franklin.^[1]
6. Emma Franklin b. 1845 was the daughter from her marriage to Isaac Franklin

By the outbreak of the Civil War, Joseph had tripled the value of his wife's million-dollar estate; at one point, the Acklens were the wealthiest family in both Tennessee and Louisiana. Consisting of 36 rooms and 20,000 square feet, Belmont Mansion the Acklen summer home.

In February 1862, Nashville became the first major Confederate city to fall to the Union army. At Adelicia's suggestion, Joseph fled to Louisiana, where he could personally oversee the plantations that were their main source of income.

Slavery

See: Belmont Mansion

In the 1850 Slave Schedule Joseph owned 13 slaves in Davidson, Tennessee.^[2]

In the 1860 census Jos A S Acklen owned 659 slaves in Ward 7, West Feliciana, Louisiana, United States.^[3]

His last surviving letter home indicates his belief that the South had no chance of winning the war and that he would be glad to see the end of slavery, as he had never been much in favor of the "peculiar institution." Despite this, Joseph A. S. Acklen saved and expanded his wife's already considerable fortune.

Death

Acklen died on 11 Sep 1863 at Angola Plantation, apparently of an illness contracted following a carriage accident. Originally buried in Louisiana, he was later moved to the Acklen family mausoleum in Nashville.

Sources

1. ↑ Year: 1860; Census Place: District 10, Davidson, Tennessee; Roll: M653_1246; Page: 171; Family History Library Film: 805246
2. ↑ 1850 Census:"1850 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules"
   The National Archive in Washington DC; Washington, DC; NARA Microform Publication: M432; Title: Seventh Census Of The United States, 1850; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29
   Ancestry Sharing Link Ancestry Record 8055 #92218939 (accessed 9 January 2022)
   Joseph Acklen in Davidson, Tennessee, USA.
3. ↑ 1860 Census:"1860 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules"
   The National Archives in Washington DC; Washington DC, USA; Eighth Census of the United States 1860; Series Number: M653; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29
   Ancestry Sharing Link Ancestry Record 7668 #91824921 (accessed 9 January 2022)
   Jos A S Acklen in Ward 7, West Feliciana, Louisiana, USA.

• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Alexander_Smith_Acklen
• Marriage: "Tennessee, U.S., Marriage Records, 1780-2002"
  Tennessee State Library and Archives; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002
  Ancestry Sharing Link Ancestry Record 1169 #642446 (accessed 9 January 2022)
  Joseph A S Acklen marriage to Adelicia Franklin on 8 May 1849 in Davidson, Tennessee, USA.
• 1850 Census: "1850 United States Federal Census"
  Year: 1850; Census Place: Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee; Roll: 875; Page: 113b
  Ancestry Sharing Link Ancestry Record 8054 #6041274 (accessed 9 January 2022)
  J A S Achlon (33), Lawyer, in Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee, USA. Born in Alabama.
• 1850 Census: "1850 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules"
  The National Archive in Washington DC; Washington, DC; NARA Microform Publication: M432; Title: Seventh Census Of The United States, 1850; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 8055 #92218939 (accessed 8 July 2022)
  Joseph Acklen in Davidson, Tennessee, USA. (13 enslaved)
• 1850 Census: "1850 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules"
  The National Archive in Washington DC; Washington, DC; NARA Microform Publication: M432; Title: Seventh Census Of The United States, 1850; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 8055 #92213095 (accessed 8 July 2022)
  J A S Acklen in Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee, USA. (28 enslaved)
• 1860 Census: "1860 United States Federal Census"
  Year: 1860; Census Place: District 10, Davidson, Tennessee; Roll: M653_1246; Page: 171; Family History Library Film: 805246
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7667 #19040186 (accessed 8 July 2022)
  Joseph Acklen (41), Plasterer, in District 10, Davidson, Tennessee. Born in Alabama.
• 1860 Census: "1860 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules"
  The National Archives in Washington DC; Washington DC, USA; Eighth Census of the United States 1860; Series Number: M653; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7668 #94176813 (accessed 8 July 2022)
  Joseph Acklen in District 10, Franklin, Tennessee, USA. (32 enslaved)
• 1860 Census: "1860 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules"
  The National Archives in Washington DC; Washington DC, USA; Eighth Census of the United States 1860; Series Number: M653; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7668 #94176813 (accessed 8 July 2022)
  Joseph Acklen in District 10, Franklin, Tennessee, USA. (3 enslaved)
• Unclassified: "Alabama, U.S., Surname Files Expanded, 1702–1981"
  Alabama Department of Archives and History; Montgomery, AL; Alabama Surname Files; Box or Film Number: M84.0039
  Ancestry Sharing Link Ancestry Record 61266 #56404 (accessed 9 January 2022)
  Name: Joseph Alexander Smith Acklen; Gender: Male; Marriage Age: 32; Death Age: 47; Birth Date: 6 Jul 1816; Birth Place: Huntsville; Marriage Date: 9 May 1849; Marriage Place: Nashville, Tennessee; Death Date: 11 Sep 1863; Death Place: Feliciana Parish, Louisiana; Spouse: Adelicia Franklin.
• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=21012245
• Unclassified: "North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000"
  Book Title: Lineage Book : NSDAR : Volume 159 : 1920
  Ancestry Sharing Link Ancestry Record 61157 #3725450 (accessed 9 January 2022)
  Name: Joseph Alexander Smith Acklen; Gender: Male; Birth Date: 1816; First Marriage Date: 1849; Death Date: 1863; Spouse: Adelicia Hayes; Child: Joseph H Acklen.