no image
Privacy Level: Open (White)

John Adams Sr. (1710 - 1794)

John Adams Sr.
Born in Burlington, West Jerseymap
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married [date unknown] [location unknown]
Husband of — married 1771 [location unknown]
Descendants descendants
Died at about age 83 in Hampshire, Mineral, West Virginia, United Statesmap
Problems/Questions Profile managers: Sara Patton private message [send private message] and Ruth Silk private message [send private message]
Profile last modified | Created 14 Sep 2010
This page has been accessed 1,616 times.

Contents

Biography

It has been suggested that John Adams was the son of James Adams (1671-1722) and Esther Allen (1677-1722), a Quaker family from Chester Twp, Burlington, New Jersey. If so, this line may go back to John Adams the immigrant who came to Plymouth, MA in 1621.

Wilmer Kerns, Chapter 17 The Adams Family Intermarried With Early Back Creek Families in the northwest corner of Virginia (now in WV.)

Cartmell stated that William Adams came to Frederick County from West Jersey in 1755. Pollock conducted an intensive investigation of the origins and early generations of the Frederick County Adamses, and found that John Adams (1710-1794) was the patriarchal immigrant to the county before 1752. In that year, John Adams was referred to as a prior owner of land that was reassigned and warranted to Thomas Babb. Adams served as a pilot for Fairfax surveyor John Mauzy. The 400 acre farm was situated west of Babb's Mountain in the Hoge's Creek watershed. Subsequently, John Adams Sr. owned numerous pieces of property in Frederick County. His residence was between White Hall and Gainesboro, Virginia.

John Adams said to have served in the French and Indian War-Frederick Co Militia between 1755 and 1761 when the Indians attacked many settlements in this part of the region. John Adams of Company of Capt. Isaac Parkins was fined 20 shillings for missing 2 private musters. Not known if he was active part of the militia (since he was a Quaker) or reluctant warrior.[1]

Records at Hopwell Meeting show that John Adams and six children, viz, William, Henry, John Jr., Joseph, Mary and Susannah Adams, joined the Quaker Meeting in Frederick County on July 7, 1766. Name of his spouse not given. Another record suggests that a wife was named Hannah, maiden name not known but often claimed to be Pickering.

In 1778, John Adams Sr. was disowned by the Quakers for not attending meetings, and a reference was made in 1777 regarding his remarriage. Pollock has made a case for John Adams Sr. marrying Catherine Wagonner of Hampshire County. After the marriage, they lived near Fort Ashby, VA, in present-day Mineral county, West Virginia.

On June 19, 1790, John Adams Sr. of the town of Frankfort purchased Lot 198 in the Town of Frankfort from the Trustees of Frankfort, Hampshire County, Virginia.[2] On October 6, 1791, John purchased to additional lots in the Town of Frankfort, Lots 9, 10 from John and Ann Keller who were the orginial patentees for all of the lots under a Northern Neck Virginia Land Grant of June 1, 1779.[3]

Marriage

John Adams may have been married twice: first to Hannah (maiden name unproven though some claim it to be Pickering) and secondly to Catherine Waggoner. In 1778, John Adams Sr. was disowned by the Quakers for not attending meetings, and a reference was made in 1777 regarding his remarriage. Pollock has made a case for John Adams Sr. marrying Catherine Wagonner of Hampshire County. After the marriage, they lived near Fort Ashby (Frankfort), Hampshire County, Virginia, in present-day Mineral County, West Virginia.

Death and Probate

John Adams died intestate in late November or early December of 1794 in Frankfort, Hampshire County, Virginia. His intial inventory and appraisal was accepted in the Hampshire County Court on December 10, 1794. Final Sale was approved the same day with a number of items sold to Caty Adams.[4]

Children

  1. William
  2. Henry
  3. John
  4. Joseph
  5. Mary
  6. Susannah
  7. Lydia
  8. David
  9. Jacob
  10. Catherine
  11. Rachel

Research Notes

Most of the names and dates of this family came from "Frederick Findings", a short lived historic publication that dealt with families and happenings in old Frederick Co, VA. The publisher, Michael Pollard, was an Adams descendant and collected the data on the Adams family. Where possible, I've tried to reconfirm his info using info from the Hopewell Friends Records.

Dates listed in the Hopewell Friends Records are listed numerically rather than monthly (e.g."21st day 3rd month 1723") In the early part of the 1700s, the old calendar was used with March as the 1st month and beginning of the year. At some point toward the middle or end of the 1700s, the calendar changed and January became the first month. Without knowing exactly when this happened, I have translated those dates after the 1750s in modern terms, ie Jan = first month. This may later prove to be incorrect, but it's only a difference of 2 months either way.

From Hopewell Friends History :

p.408 July 7 1766 excerpted from Hopewell Certificates of Membership and Removal: Book 1 1759-1776: Certificates of Membership at Hopewell: John Adams, wife & children: William, Henry, John, Joseph, Mary, Susannah (wife not named, nor are Lydia and David listed, perhaps not yet born or too young??) [5][6]

Quaker Records p.254 July 18, 1771- Marriage of WILLIAM ADAMS son of JOHN ADAMS of Frederick Co and LYDIA MALIN. JOHN ADAMS, HANNAH ADAMS, HENRY ADAMS listed.

p.502 Jan 6, 1778 JOHN ADAMS SR. disowned for marrying contrary to discipline and conniving son's marriage by hireling teacher.

p.267 Jan 13, 1779- Attendee at marriage of David Berry and Hannah Pickering include JOHN ADAMS, LYDIA ADAMS-probably John Jr. who md Lydia Pickering.

p.280 Jan 16, 1783

Attendees at marriage of Jonathan Wright, son of Thomas and Esther Wright, and Hannah Ridgwey, daughter of Richard and Margaret Ridgwey of Berkley Co. included JOHN ADAMS (probably Jr.), MARY THATCHER

p.293 Dec 10 1788 Back Creek

Marriage of Jacob Pickering and "LYDIA ADAMS, Daughter of JOHN AND HANNAH ADAMS." Other siblings listed at Lydia's wedding: David, Henry, Mary, William.

p.308 Dec 10 1794-Back Creek

Attendees at marriage of Elisha Ellis of Frederick Co, son of Theoder(sic) and Elizabeth Ellis and Sarah Rogers, Daughter of Evan and Sarah Rogers included: THOMAS ADAMS, JOHN ADAMS, LYDIA ADAMS, MARY ADAMS. Also Jacob Pickering and other Pickerings, Barak Fisher, Josiah Jackson and others.

From Kerns: Frederick Co, VA: Settlement and Some First Families in Back Creek Valley.

TK Cartmell states that William Adams came to Frederick County from West Jersey in 1755 though Michael Pollock (see Kerns' book pp. 245-252) has determined that John Adams (1710-1794) was the patriarchal immigrant arriving in VA before 1752. He served as a pilot for surveyor John Mauzy and had bought 400 acres west of Babb's Mtn. in Hoge's Creek watershed that was later reassigned and warranted to Thomas Babb. (Joyner, V2:4) Subsequently, he owned numerous pieces of property in Frederick Co, residing between White Hall and Gainesboro, Virginia.

Catherine Adams died in 1807, and named Jacob, Catherine and Rachel Adams in her will. (If this is same John Adams, he would have been in his 70s when he fathered Catherine's children. However, he was a disowned Quaker and his son was already married to Lydia Pickering.)

Sources

  1. Little, Barbara Vines, Frederick Co, VA Militia Records 1755-1761 (Orange Co, VA: Dominion Mkt. Research Corp. 1991). Text: p. 28 John Adams - Company of Capt. Isaac Parkins fined 20 shillings for missing 2 private musters.
  2. Virgina, Hampshire, Deed Book 8, p. 9 Available here
  3. Virgina, Hampshire, Deed Book 8, p. 356 Available here
  4. Virginia, Hampshire, Will Book 2, p. 365-366Available here
  5. U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, Hopewell MM, July 7, 1766, View Ancestry Record 2189 #1107430685 (requires subscription).
  6. Wayland, J.W., Hopewell Friends History, 1734-1934, Frederick County, Virginia, Records of Hopewell Monthly Meetings and Meetings Reporting to Hopewell; Two Hundred Years of History and Genealogy, p. 408 (1936) Available here
  • Wilmer L. Kerns. Frederick County, VA: Settlement and Some First Families of Back Creek Valley 1730-1830. Baltimore, MD: Gateway Press, Inc., 1995. Genealogy of various families of the area. Not much history, no sources. Text: Most of Kerns info from others who did genealogy and wrote him. He hasn't checked it.




Is John your ancestor? Please don't go away!
 star icon Login to collaborate or comment, or
 star icon contact private message private message a profile manager, or
 star icon ask our community of genealogists a question.
Sponsored Search by Ancestry.com

DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with John by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with John:

Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.



Comments: 2

Leave a message for others who see this profile.
There are no comments yet.
Login to post a comment.
posted by Bob Pickering
edited by Bob Pickering
Adams-10867 and Adams-507 appear to represent the same person because: This is same Quaker John Adams who moved to Frederick Co, VA and the father of my Joseph Adams and your David Adams. I would like to merge so that his full family can be shown.
posted by Sara (Stevens) Patton