William Adams
William I. Adams came to America from Antrim
County, Ireland in 1742 at the age of 25 years. A loomer and farmer by trade,
he came with James McCoun. Both were Scots-Irish (Scots who had settled in
Northern Ireland after 1600 as part of the plan of James I of England to settle
Scots in the region to free up land in Scotland for grazing and pacify the
unruly Irish the Ulster region).
The Ulster Plantation is modern day
"Northern Ireland," which is part of the United Kingdom and the
subject of much news over attempts to bring peace to this violence torn region.
The Ulster Plantation was formed in the early 1600's by King James I of England
(who was also James VI of Scotland). England since the time of the Normans had
been unable to subdue the Irish - yet refused to withdraw from the island - for
fear of giving its strong enemies - such as Spain and France - a friendly
foothold, so close to its borders.
Elizabeth's soldiers - just prior to her
death - subdued, in a very bloody fashion, an Irish rebellion in the north.
James declared the rebel chiefs property as forfeited to the crown, and offered
to Scottish Presbyterians the opportunity to settle in the Ulster provinces.
This solved multiple problems ( in the short term) for James. The Scottish
lowlands were horribly impoverished and overpopulated. Scottish noblemen wanted
more grazing lands for sheep herding. The Irish were Catholic, and James wanted
protestants to secure his borders.
Hundreds of thousands of Scots settled in
Ulster. Between 1700 and 1800, hundreds of thousands of these Scots came to
America. they were called "Scotch-Irish" to distinguish them from the
native, Catholic Irish. They were not Irish, but did come from Ireland.
At the time of the Revolution, they
represented about 10% of the population. They were poor, rugged and courageous
settlers, carved the frontier and bore the brunt of the Indian attacks on the
colonies.
There are many reasons for immigration from
Scotland to Ulster. The reason would typically depend on the time of their
migration. The principal move of Scots to Ulster began when James I of England
(also James VI of Scotland) made it policy to settle Scots in Ulster. His
decision was an attempt to deal with a multitude of domestic troubles.
Landowners in Scotland wanted fewer tenants. Crime and theft in the lowlands
was becoming rampant as the clan orders were breaking down, food supplies
dwindled. He also was faced with Irish Catholics who would not submit to
English rule. His "solution" was to settle Scot Presbyterians in
Ulster. This would free up tenancies, give land to Scots and create a
counterforce to the troublesome Irish.
However, Northern Ireland proved a temporary
home for many of the Ulster Scots. Most did not receive land as promised.
Conflict with the Irish was constant. In 1700, the English mercantile policies
effectively destroyed the woolen industry of Ulster, and a huge number of
Scot-Irish migrated to America.
William married Mary Walker in 1744 and had
seven children (Anne, Margaret, Samuel, David, Jane (also called Jennet), Mary
and William, Jr.). They settled on the Carawba Creek in Botetourt Co. These
families migrated to Mercer Co. KY in the spring of 1779 with a group called
the McAfee Company. Mary Walker came to
Virginia with sister Margaret, an uncle, and her brother Samuel. Margaret
married James McCoun, Sr, the man who arrived with William I Adams in
1742. Samuel returned to Ireland to
settle the uncle's affairs after his death and never returned. The uncle was
Thomas Clark, who was the husband of Mary's mother's sister, and related to
George Rogers Clark.
William assisted in establishing American
Independence, while acting in the capacity of juror in Botetourt Co. May 9,
1775. According to the Journal of Robert B. McAfee. A reference to this has
also been identified as:
The Annals Of
Southwest Va. 1769-1800, page's 242 & 243, published by Lewis Preston
Summers, Abington, Va. 1929
Prior to settling in Kentucky, William's son
Samuel (born March 27, 1752) was one of the early explorers of Kentucky and took
part in the pre-Revolutionary War Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774 between
Virginia Colonial forces and a confederation of Indian tribes opposing
settlers. The defeat of the Shawnee Indians by Virginia militiamen opened the way for numerous settlers to Kentucky. This Samuel was an
adventurer and explorer at the age of 18. He was part of a group of 10 men
known as the McAfee Company that surveyed Kentucky in 1773. The men established
claims in the area but did not settle there until the Shawnee Indians were
defeated.
This Samuel, the son of William I. Adams, had
a son named William. This William was born in 1777 in Botetourt County, VA and
died 1851. He married a Mary Woods.
William I had a son, William Jr., who was born in 1768 in Botetourt County, VA and
died in 1808 in Mercer County, KY. He married a Mary Curry.
Some land transactions for early Adams’
include (Book
#1 is in Lincoln Co, Book A is in Jefferson):
|
Last Name |
First Name |
Acre |
Location |
Date |
Bk-Pg |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adams |
David |
664 |
Salt River |
06-03-1780 |
1-66 |
|
|
Samuel |
1000 |
Salt River |
06-26-1780 |
1-80 |
|
|
W. |
400 |
Salt River |
11-04-1779 |
1-1 |
|
|
William |
600 |
Salt River |
04-26-1780 |
1-23 |
|
|
William |
400 |
Salt River |
04-26-1780 |
1-23 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Curry |
John |
400 |
Chaplins Fk |
05-24-1780 |
A-96 |
|
|
William |
400 |
Chaplins Fk |
05-24-1780 |
1-50 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
McAfee |
George |
400 |
Salt River |
11-14-1779 |
1-1 |
|
|
James |
400 |
Salt River |
11-03-1779 |
A-2 |
|
|
|
1000 |
Salt River |
04-26-1780 |
1-21 |
|
|
Robert |
400 |
Salt River |
11-03-1779 |
A-1 |
|
|
|
600 |
Salt River |
05-20-1780 |
A-79 |
|
|
Samuel |
400 |
Salt River |
11-03-1779 |
A-2 |
|
|
William |
400 |
Salt River |
11-03-1779 |
A-2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
McCoun |
James |
1000 |
Salt River |
04-26-1780 |
A-26 |
|
|
James Jr. |
1000 |
Salt River |
04-26-1780 |
A-26 |
|
McCowan |
James |
400 |
Salt River |
11-03-1779 |
A-2 |
|
|
John |
400 |
Salt River |
02-03-1780 |
A-10 |
It is obvious that William Adams and James McCoun remained friends long after their arrival in 1742. Both acquired 400 acres of land with the first few days of November 1779, although one in Lincoln, and 1 in Jefferson, it is probable that they were still not all that far from one another. Both purchased, at the end of the following April, six months later, 1000 acres, and all the land is along the Salt River. James McAfee also purchased land at the same two dates, proving a long standing friendship with the McAfee family.
William Adams
married Mary Walker in 1744, the same year that James McCoun married her older
sister, Margaret, as before mentioned.
Both families settled on the Catawba River in Bedford County. We know almost nothing about the life and
times of William Adams. He and Mary
Walker Adams had seven surviving children, all were born in Augusta County,
Virginia. Ann, the oldest, was born
circa 1747. Augusta County was divided
in 1770 and the southern portion became Botetourt County with its county seat at Fincastle. Courthouse records show that William Adams purchased 145 acres on
the Catawba Creek from a John Armstrong in February of 1770. The sale of this
same property to a William McClellan was recorded in 1779 as he prepared to
move his family to Kentucky. William
was now 56 years old and his family included his youngest son who was just 11
years old, two unmarried daughters, and nine grandchildren.
All of William and Mary's children lived a portion of
their lives in Mercer County, Kentucky. ...Anne 1747‑1817, Margaret 1749‑1816,
Samuel 1752‑1828, DAVID 1754‑1825, (Jane) Jennet 1765, Mary 1766‑1840,
William 1768‑1808...
It is interesting to note here that in 1747‑48
James McAfee,Sr. moved his family from North Carolina to land on the Catawba
Creek which was then in Augusta County, Virginia. The original deed settled in McAfee's name was dated February 17,
1748. In December of 1749 he received a
grant for another 300 acres on both sides of the Catawba.
William Adams, Sr. is often involved in land
transactions with his sons and sons‑in‑law and these are found in Courthouse records: "this
indenture made and concluded on the ninth day of July Anno Domini 1786 between
WilliamAdams and Mary Adams his wife of the one part and Samuel Adams of the other
part, son‑in‑law to the former party, both of Lincoln County and
the State of Kentucky and the State of Virginia. Witnesseth that the said WilliamAdams and Mary for the
consideration of the sum of Three Hundred Pounds to us in hand paid by the said
SamuelAdams, the receipt whereof, we do hereby acknowledge, have granted,
bargained and sold, alienated and confirmed unto said Samuel Adams, his heirs
and assigns forever, all the parcel or tract of land containing Four Hundred
Acres, the residue in full of a Preemption Warrant".
William Adams, Sr. died in 1795 at the age of 72 and is said to be buried in the "old Adams's Cemetery" located one‑half mile southwest of the "old Brewer Home". This old cemetery is unfenced, in the middle of a large pasture. Cattle seeking shade among its remaining trees have scattered and destroyed the old markers, very few names or dates can be identified. That William's wife died sometime prior to 1789 is evidenced by the fact she is not mentioned in her husbands's will dated August 29, 1789, Book 1 page 205
(Last Will and Testament,
July 28,1795) In the name of God Amen.
I, William Adams, Sen. of the County of Lincoln in the Commonwealth of
Virginia, being frail and weakly of body but sound of mind and memory, blessed
be the Almighty God for the same, and calling to mind that there's an appointed
time for all men to die, do therefore make and ordain this my last will and
testament for the better regulating and disposing of my worldly estate and
affairs after my death viz. in the manner and form following, First, I agree and resign my soul into the
hands of Almighty God that gave it, and my body to the dust to be buried in a
Christian and decent like manner at the direction of my executors
hereafternamed and for the worldly estate and goods that providence has blessed
me with I agree and bequeath in the following manner. I order that all my just debts and funeral expenses be paid.
Item, I agree and bequeath to my son, William Adams, all my horses and horse creatures,
except a bay mare and colt hereafter
mentioned, and all my cattle, hogs, farming utensils, one bed and bedding, a
dutch oven, half of my pewter, and a frying pan to him and his heirs
forever. Item, I give and bequeath to
my daughter, Jennet Adams, all my beds and bedding, except the bed and bedding before mentioned, and one big pot,
and one kettle, a trunk, a pair of spoon moulds, half my pewter, a crock or pot
tramil (trammel), a loom of tacking, one bay mare and colt, all these
particular to my daughter, Jennet Adams, her heirs and assign forever.
Item, I agree and devise to my daughter, Jennet Adams, a missuage
survey and tract of land containing four hundred acres being part of my
settlement and preemption survey situated in the Couty of Mercer in the Commonwealth
of Virginia and on the waters of the Salt River being that part of said survey
adjouning George McAfee's land below, to have and to hold the said four hundred
acres to her, the said Jennet Adams and her heirs, being her issue lawfully
begotten, and their assign forever. But
if it should happen that my daughter should die and leave no child or children
lawfully begotten, that then it is in such a case my will that the four hundred
acres of land descend and be the absolute property of my son, Samuel Adams, his
heirs and assigns forever.
Item. I give and devise to my
son, William Adams, a missuage survey of a tract of land containing six hundred
acres being part of the afore mentioned settlement of preemption survey that
adjoins the four undred acres before devised and below the same, to have and
hold the said six hundred acres to the said William Adams, his heirs and
assigns forever.
Item,
I give and bequeath to my son, Samuel Adams, a quantity of iron sufficient for
a wagon, a pair of smoothing irons, my family Bible, the Westminster Confession
of Faith and F‑‑‑‑‑s Works, to him, his heirs, or
assigns.The reason why no provision is here made in this my last will and
testament for my son, DAVID ADAMS, and my daughters Anne Adams, Margaret Curry,
and Mary Wilson is because they have all been provided for according to my
abilities before this date. And lastly,
I hereby appoint and constitute my sons Samuel and DAVID ADAMS to be executors
of this my Last Will and Testament and disannulling all wills and testaments
heretofore by me and done pronouncing publishing and delivering this and no
other to be my Last Will and Testament.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this Twenty
Ninth day of July Anno Domini 1789 signed and sealed and acknowledged to be the
last Will and Testament of William Adams by him in the presents of us. Elizabeth Thomas William Stewart John
Thomas Mercer County July Court 1795 This Last Will and Testament of William
Adams, Sr. Deceased, was exhibited in Court and approved by the oaths of Elizabeth
Thomas, William Stewart and John Thomas witnesses thereto, and ordered to be
recorded. Test. Tho. Allin, Clerk of Court
Agreement to dispose of
articles not included in the will of William Adams,Sr.Articles of agreement
agreed upon and concluded between Samuel Adams, DAVID ADAMS, and William Adams,
and Samuel Adams, John Curry, Robert Robertson, and Thomas Wilson, sons and
sons‑in‑law of William Adams, deceased, late of the County of
Mercer in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
That whereas the said William Adams, deceased, in his lifetime by Last
Will and Testament bearing the date July 29, 1789 devised and bequeathed
several articles therein mentioned to the several legatees above mentioned in
his will. These presents is therefore to notify to all persons to whom
these presents may come, Greetings. The
said articles that now appears over and above the estate of the said William
Adams, deceased, we the said heirs and children of the said deceased will abide and have consented the same shall be
divided and disposed viz. One bay mare and colt to be the property of William
Adams and also one bed ‑‑‑‑ to be delivered to him as
his real property to him and his heirs and assigns forever, and further one
brown mare colt ‑‑ year old to be the property of Robert Robertson
his heirs and assigns forever. To which
each and every one do bind ourselves our Heirs and Executors respectively to
guarantee and conform to each persons so mentioned as its proper owner. Given under hands and seals under penalty of
One Thousand Pounds Virginia Currency this Twenty Eighth Day of July Anno
Domini 1795.
Comments: William Adams' will was written when he was
66 years old, six years before his
death. He describes the land he gives
to his son and daughter as being in Mercer County, while he considers himself a
resident of Lincoln County. Mercer had
been formed from Lincoln three years earlier, in 1776! It is interesting that he left the bulk of
his estate to the youngest children and his feeling that he had already
"adequately provided" for the older heirs. He was concerned that his daughter, Jennet was 24 years old and
still unmarried. As it worked out,
Jennet was married and almost presented him with a grandchild before he died,
certainly she left no chance for any "unlawfully begotten heirs".
Mud Meeting House cemetery in Mercer county Kentucky
David Adams
David Adams married Elizabeth Jane Woods, daughter of Archibald Woods (died in 1783) and his
wife Mary (died sometime in 1819 or early 1820, certainly after Oct 1818 when
her will was written). David was born Jun.2, 1754, and died Jan.19,1825 in Mercer Co.,KY. Mary
Woods mentions David Adams as her “friend”, but her daughter as Elizabeth
Adams. Elizabeth was born on a cold 4th
of December, 1756.
It is probable that the June 1780 land purchase
mentioned above is this David, son of William. And, as before mentioned, his
brother Samuel also purchased land.
That David and his wife Elizabeth owned slaves is
beyond doubt, some are willed to her from her mother Mary Woods, and certainly
Elizabeth herself mentions her slaves in her own will. One slave, a girl Liza, in Mary Woods’ will,
is freed as the grown woman Liza (with
a male son) in Elizabeth’s will. The
1820 census is distorted as to ages of these slaves.
David
Adams in 1810 Mercer county KY federal census - David was father of William
and Archibald Adams
David
and William Adams families in Mercer county 1820 federal census - William
was father of John Ward Adams
Elizabeth (Woods) Adams' statement part 1
Elizabeth
(Woods) Adams' statement part 2
Elizabeth (Woods) Adams' statement part 3
Elizabeth (Woods) Adams' statement part 4
Elizabeth (Woods) Adams’ will part 1
Elizabeth (Woods) Adams’ will part 2
Elizabeth (Woods) Adams’ will part 3
Elizabeth (Woods) Adams’ will part 4
William Adams
Both William and Archibald Adams fit in this
generation. William has John Ward
Adams, and Archibald has Henry N Adams, who then had a daughter Minerva Frances
Adams
William Adams was born Nov.15,1790 in mercer County, Kentucky.
Died in July 1861. Priscilla Armstrong was born Nov 25, 1791.They had the
following children--Robert A. Adams born Jan. I, 1820 in Mercer County,
Kentucky, died in July 1895 in McDonough County, Illinois. Robert married
Caroline Garrison in Parke County, Indiana in 1842. David W. Adams married
Laura Lillard in Mercer County, Kentucky in 1865. James Adams married Emma
Clark. Martha Bard Adams born in October 18, 1817 in mercer County, Kentucky,
married Lewis Smick. Martha and Lewis moved to Mound Township, McDonough
County, Illinois. Martha died on August 19, 1887 and is buried in McDonough
County, Illinois. Elizabeth Adams was born in July 1823 in Mercer County,
Kentucky and died in June 1847.Elizabeth married James J. McAfee in 1845 in
Mercer County, Kentucky. Adeline Adams married Sam Brinton. And Sue Amanda
Adams married ?Wardon.
John Ward Adams was the son of William Adams and
Priscilla Armstrong of Mercer County, Kentucky. He married Minerva Frances
Adams. More on John below.
Robert A. Adams born 1820 in Mercer Co, Kentucky. He
married Caroline June Garrison in 1842 in Parke Co, Indiana. They lived in
Kentucky and Illinois. Had six children-Sophia Ann Adams married Caleb Swayze
(she was probably born in Mercer Co, KY). Charles Edward Adams born in Mercer
Co, KY, married Charity A. Medaris. Charles moved to Garnett, Anderson Co,
Kansas with his wife. Priscilla Jenny Adams married Peyton T. Carson(she was
probably born in Mercer Co, KY.) John James Adams probably born in McDonough
Co, Illinois, he married Alice A. Hastie. Martha Susie Adams probably born in
McDonough Co, Illinois, married James Woodford Armstrong. And Samuel Oscar
Adams married Arabella B. Wilson. Samuel was probably born in McDonough Co,
Illinois. Robert died in 1895 in Bushnell, McDonough County, Illinois.
According to his estate records his wife Caroline was living in Corydon, Wayne
County, Iowa in 1897. It also stated on the estate records of Robert that his
son Samuel Oscar Adams was also living in Corydon, Wayne Co, Iowa.
It is interesting that
William Adams' brother Archibald had a son named Harvey (Henry in some
versions) Nelson Adams. This Henry N
had Minerva Frances Adams, who would marry John Ward Adams, her first cousin
once removed. Henry also descends from the immigrant William I.
Henry N Adams was drawn to
the land of Indiana where he appears in the 1840 federal census. Some of the early Adams families to mercer county
Kentucky, after settling the region, again moved, this time to Indiana (along
with the Nevins families), between 1811 and 1814, settling in what is now
Nevins Township in Vigo County and Adams Township in Parke County. They were
among the first settlers in the region. William Greer Adams was the first
settler in Nevins Township in 1811 (apparently some of the families may have
waited in Clark County before settling with the rest). Henry had some extended family in Parke
county, and this is where Minerva grew to adulthood.
The group that came to Indiana was composed of Samuel
Adams and his children - William, Mary, Anna, Margaret, Samuel, Jr., and
Rebekah; and sons of another Samuel Adams - William Greer, Joseph, Martin,
Elliot, Wayne, Merit (or Merritt) and David. The families migrated to Indiana
along with members of the McAfee and Nevins families.
Henry N Adams' wife's
ancestry has some documentation which establishes that her Curry ancestry goes
back to James curry who fought in the Indian Wars and the early days of the
Revolutionary War. James' wife Anne
applied for a pension after his death in 1828.
It is unknown whether or not she actually received pension moneys.
Another source for the dates
of William and Priscilla is listed as Mercer Co. Cemetery Records Vol. 2
William
Adams, his brother Archibald Adams, and their mother Elizabeth Adams families
in Mercer county 1830 federal census
William
Adams in Mercer county 1840 federal census - William was father of John W
Adams
John Ward Adams' parents in
Mercer county KY 1850 Census
Some other Adams families
and neighbors are in the rest of the 1850 Mercer county census pg 334 a b c d e
William Adams' 1860 Census
info, this comes from a transcription by Faye Sea Sanders (a rather limited
transcription at that), self-published in 1988. District #1, Enumerated by A.
D. Haynes – Thank
you Jenny!!
(no Post Office listed;
unincorporated area outside Harrodsburg)
Family #388 (no dwelling #
listed/no line # listed)
Adams, William, head, age 69,
male, b. Ky, farmer
Adams, Mary A., age 28,
female, b. Ky, seamstress
Adams, James A., age 23,
male, b. Ky, farm hand
Archibald
Adams in Mercer county 1840 federal census - Archibald was father of Harvey
Nelson Adams
Harvey
Nelson Adams in Parke county Indiana 1840 federal census - Harvey N Adams
was father of Minerva F Adams
James
and son John Curry in 1810 Mercer county KY federal census - John was
father of Phoebe Curry, wife of Harvey Nelson Adams, parents of Minerva.
Anne Curry’s pension request for husband James
from American Revolution – Thank you Gene Curry!!
Several
John and James Curry families in Mercer county 1820 federal census
One more John Curry in Mercer county 1820 federal census
Index to Adams’ in Parke county
IN 1850 census
Minerva Frances Adams in Parke
county IN 1850 Census with family -
just scroll to Adams
Henry Nelson Adams in
1860 Parke Co Indiana federal census returns
Henry
N Adams and son David in 1874 atlas of Washington Township, Parke County
Indiana
Henry N Adams’
second wife Mary in 1880 census
David Adams (Henry’s son,
Minerva’s brother) second wife (Dora’s) obituary
Caldwell lineage (Harvey Nelson Adams’
maternal grandfather was David Varner Caldwell)
John Ward Adams
There are several circumstantial
factors which lead us to believe that John Ward Adams was the son of William
Adams and Priscilla. The 1850 census
does not show John with his father's family.
This is not surprising, John is 28 years old, and is living somewhere
else (location undetermined as yet).
However, in the 1840 census, there is a male of the right age living
with William's family. It is also
noteworthy that the age of the eldest child in the 1830 census is a couple of
years too young for John. But if
someone else answered the census taker that year, perhaps John looked young for
his age. In the early years, the
accuracy of the returns often left something to be desired. Literacy, fatigue, inattention, and
hostility towards the census takers often played very real roles in what
information was transcribed for future generations.
But the most compelling
evidence is the fact that Robert A Adams and his brother John Ward Adams both
lived for many years in Mound township of McDonough county Illinois. The 1860 federal and the 1861, 1862, and
1865 state censuses verify this. In the 1860 census, it appears as if a David
Adams (born @ 1833) was living with them.
This is most likely the brother of
John Ward, although, again, the ages in the census are off a few
years.
Robert appears In the Index of Personal Names found in School Tax List -
McDonough County - of 1859, provided by Terry Moore, 18 Dec 00: Thanks
Terry!
Mound Township
District number four, Township number 6, Range number 1, McDonough County,
Illinois - September 6, 1859
R. A. ADAMS
The 1865 census shows a man
living with John's family between 20 and 30 years old. It isn't known whether this is the same
David, or whether the D W Adams now living a short distance away is David from
the 1860 census. It is likely the
latter, David W having married Laura Lillard, some reports indicating that this
marriage took place in Mercer county Kentucky.
Could David have returned to Mercer county, married and then come back
to McDonough county where he had established some roots near his brothers
Robert and John?
In the 1885 McDonough county
history, there is a history of the Bushnell church which mentions John and
Minerva as well as Robert and his wife.
There is also information available indicating that conditions in McDonough
county became fairly lawless and Robert was required to join in a civilian
group patrolling for the lawless elements.
John W was not in this group, as he had moved south to Jackson county
Missouri sometime around 1868 or 1869, perhaps as the conditions in McDonough
worsened, he decided that with his family of women a dangerous place indeed was
McDonough county, Illinois. Too
dangerous?
pg. 366-368 has an article on the formation
of a National Grand Order Anti Horse Thief Association. It began in 1863. The
Illinois state grand order sprung from the above. In 1881 it was divided into district or state grand orders. No.
124, A.H.T.A. Mound twp. In 1878-79
horse thieves, tramps, and cut throats got so bold and numerous in this
vicinity that the law abiding citizens were almost compelled to take the law
into their own hands, .As many as 10 or ll horses were storlen in the immediate
neighborhood, in the space of a year........houses broken into and women
insulted, and ordered around at the sweet will of the tramp. Such was the
condition when .....John Smick,....R.A. Adams . and others banded together and
organized, under a state charter, what is now known as Subordinate Order No.
124, which now numbers upwards of 50 of the best citizens of the Mound and adjoining
townships and it is a significant fact that not a single animal has been stolen
from any members since the organization of the order............ List of lst
officers. R.A. Adams, W.T. and six others listed
As a final confirmation of the
relationship, in the 1880 census down in Jackson county Missouri, Minerva is
living right next to a man James M (so says the census) Adams and wife Emma,
who turns out to be the brother of her deceased husband John Ward Adams. It is unknown when James moved to Jackson
county, whether before or after John's death.
It is unknown if James moved his family to Missouri because of John's
death.
It is quite interesting to
look through the census returns and find that John W Adams for the period 1860
– 1870 is the richest of the families immediately around him, in the latter
census quite dramatically. This might
explain the probable high expense required for the family portrait below. Photography was still a relatively little
used science at that time and the technology was still changing and improving.
Minerva
F Adams death certificate
I
suspect this to be a picture of John Ward Adams and his family circa 1873 -
note 8 girls. Significant because only seven known daughters.
Bushnell church (with John W
and brother Robert A Adams listed) – from 1885 McDonough county history
John
W Adams family in McDonough county Illinois in 1860 Federal Census
Robert A Adams (John’s
brother) in 1861 Mound Tnsp, McDonough county Illinois Military census –
where’s John?
John Adams and brother
Robert in 1862 Mound township, McDonough county Illinois military census
John
W Adams family in McDonough county Illinois in 1865 State census
John
W Adams family in Jackson county Missouri 1870 federal census
Minerva
F Adams family in 1880 Jackson county Missouri federal census
