James Adams (1840 - 1866)

Born Apr 1840 in Truro, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Grace Ann (Waters) Wilcox — married about 1859 in Tennessee, United States

Descendants

Died 27 Jan 1866 at age 25 in Coal Valley, Rock Island, Illinois, United States

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Biography

James Adams was born in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom around 1840.

James lived with his parents William and Elizabeth (Tonkin) and older brothers John and William in the residence of Trevellas Downs, St Agnes, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom in 1841. ^[1]

According to the 1851 census, James, at the age of 10, already had an occupation as 'assisting sawyers" (timbermen). His father William, and brothers John and William were copper miners. Mother Eliza cared for Henry, Joseph and Eliza at home. The family lived in Truro, St Agnes, Cornwall.^[2]

James' family immigrated to Tennessee, United States before 1860. James, a miner, and his new wife Casandra (Grace Ann Waters) are found on the same census page as his parents, William, a miner, and mother Eliza, and siblings; Henry, Joseph and Eliza. His father's cousin Mary (Adams) Goard and her husband Samuel lived between the two Adams households. ^[3]Polk County Tennessee was known for copper mining and the Adams and Goard families had been copper miners in Cornwall, England. ^[4]

James died in mining accident in Coal Valley, Rock Island, Illinois in 1866. A newspaper article describes the cause of his death as a heavy stone falling from the roof of a room he was mining.

"'Mr. James Adams, a Miner, was instantly killed at Pratt's bank, in Coal Valley, on Saturday the 27th, by the falling of a heavy stone from the roof of the room in which he was mining. It took 8 or 10 men some 15 minutes or more to get the body from under the stone. He was probably about 28 or 30 years of age, and leaves a wife and 3 children, in very destitute circumstances.' The Rock Island Argus, Rock Island, IL 30 Jan 1866, page 3" ^[5][6][7]

Son Thomas was born posthumously in March 1866. ^[8]

Sources

1. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1841," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQB3-WPM : 5 March 2021), James Adams in household of William Adams, St Agnes, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom; from "1841 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO HO 107, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.
2. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1851," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SGKF-XTP : 9 November 2019), James Adams in household of William Adams, St Agnes, Cornwall, England; citing St Agnes, Cornwall, England, p. 31, from "1851 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO HO 107, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8TJ-CKX : 18 February 2021), James Adams, 1860.
4. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_Basin_(Tennessee)
5. ↑ https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84038628/1866-01-30/ed-1/seq-3/ The Library of Congress > Chronicling America > The evening Argus. > January 30, 1866 National Endowment for the Humanities; Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1770-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.
6. ↑ https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/163223086/person/102128639483/media/2b141846-a5af-44e6-b921-a592c7e2522e?_phsrc=sCJ40426&usePUBJs=true&galleryindex=6&sort=-created
7. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/220207913/james-adams: accessed 10 August 2023), memorial page for James Adams (Apr 1840–27 Jan 1866), Find a Grave Memorial ID 220207913; Burial Details Unknown, He died in a mining accident; his burial place was not mentioned in the new article about his death.; Maintained by RainbowLady777 (contributor 47433959).
8. ↑ "United States Census, 1900", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M398-S7Z : Thu Aug 03 12:25:21 UTC 2023), Entry for Thomas Adams and Jessie Adams, 1900.