William Akins Jr. was born in 1788 in Mecklenburg Co., North Carolina. He served as a private in the 43rd U.S. Infantry during the War of 1812. On March 17, 1819 in Walton Co., Georgia, he married Mary Quartermus (born: 1794 at Newberry Co., South Carolina; died: about 1865 at Whitesville, Marshall Co., Alabama, daughter of Isaiah and Mary (Harris) Quartermus).

Shortly after their marriage William Akins Jr., and his wife moved to Harris Co., Georgia, where they were living in the 1820's. About 1831 William and his wife moved to Carrollton, in Carroll Co., Georgia, where his father, William Akins Sr., had won 202½ acres of land in the 1827 Georgia Land Lottery.

In 1836 he was granted 160 acres of land in Polk (formerly Paulding) Co., Georgia, for his service in the War of 1812, where he and his family settled sometime before 1840, near the community of Fish Creek. In 1836 William Akins Jr. served as a private in Capt. John Townsend's company of the Highland Battalion of Georgia Militia during the Indian Wars (Cherokee Disturbance and Removal).

In 1855 William Akins Jr., his wife, and several of their children moved to the Whitesville community in Marshall Co., Alabama, where their daughter Elizabeth was living with her husband and his parents. Following the death of his wife, William Akins Jr., moved with his daughter Elizabeth and her husband to the Howell's Cross Roads community of Cherokee Co., Alabama, after 1867, where William Akins Jr. had relatives living nearby. In 1877, William Akins Jr., moved again along with his daughter and son-in-law to Walker Co., Alabama, where they settled on a 36 acre farm in the Spring Hill community. William Akins Jr., died a year later in 1878 and was buried in the Thomas cemetery at Rocky Plains, in Winston Co., Alabama.