When Joel registered for the World War I draft he was a farmer living at Route 3, Hartselle, Morgan County, Alabama. They descried him as tall, stout built with brown eyes and dark brown hair. Joel listed his wife as his nearest relative. (His daughters would described him as having red curly hair.)

Sometime in the mid 1920's, Joel and his family lost just about everything when their house caught fire. Some of the boys did manage to save their mother's sewing machine. The losses were devastating to the family. Hearing the children tell the story about the fire makes one appreciate how dangerous "fire" was to the families of that day.

Joe Cornelius Atkins, of 708 Keelway Street, passed away Monday morning in Milledgeville, Georgia, after several months illness. He was born in Bartow County, Georgia, Nov. 8, 1880, and had lived in Rome only about two years before his illness. He was a member of the Baptist church. Funeral services were held this afternoon at 3:30 o'clock from the Cross Roads Baptist Church, near Taylorsville, Georgia, with the Rev. J. E. Smith, officiating. Interment was in the family lot in the adjoining cemetery.

Surviving Mr. Atkins are his widow; five sons, Glenn and J. C. Atkins, of Rome; Herman Atkins, of Los Angeles, Calif.; Clifford Atkins, of Dallas, Tex.; and Clarence Atkins, of Ft. Lewis, Washington; four daughters, Mrs. Reuben Stone, Mrs. Von Brock and Mrs. F. L. Cornelison of Rome, and Mrs. Booth Evans, of Sommerville, Ala.; four sisters, Mrs. L. L. Osborne, of Hartselle, Ala.; Mrs. S. A. Brock, Mrs. T. T. Jones and Mrs. F. H. Jones, all of Rome. The following nephews served as pallbearers; (?) and Preston Mull, Eugene and Ed Broom, Harold Jones, and Claude Strickland.

His daughter, Christine, recalled how her mother would sit and read stories to the children. Her father would sit and listen with them. Although her father could read and write, he would enjoy listening to his wife read.