Family XXX (Jon Adams) - Adams Family DNA

Oldest Adams ancestors of Jon Adams (Kit 878049).

Generation 1 – William Adams

(b. 09 MAR 1820 in Ohio; d. 22 MAY 1907 in Adel, Dallas County, Iowa).

William was an orphan. He had one brother, Frank Adams, who supposedly was born in Ohio in 1825. Family lore tells us that William and Frank grew up in an orphanage, but I can find no information about any formal orphanage in northeastern Ohio in the 1820s and 1830s. Family lore also tells us that William left the orphanage about 1835.

William married Juliette Prouty in 1845 or 1846, but I have not confirmed a wedding date with any formal record. A related family tree on Ancestry.com puts the marriage date as 05 OCT 1845 in New Baltimore, Stark County, Ohio. Juliette was born 31 MAR 1829 in North Lima, Mahoning County, Ohio (although other family tree records show her birthplace as Stark County, Ohio). She died 30 SEPT 1903 in Adel, Dallas County, Iowa.

Juliette’s parents were Alvah and Anna Prouty. Court records from Stark County, Ohio (Canton, OH is the county seat) in the 1830s and 1840s implicate Alvah and Anna in failing to pay their debts, which may have prompted them (and eventually some of their children) to move out of the State of Ohio and into Iowa. One court record from the 1840s confirms that someone searched for Alvah and Anna to force them to appear in court, but the searcher reported that he understood that Alvah and Anna no longer resided in the County or the State. However, the 1850 Census shows Alvah and Anna living in Berlin Township, Mahoning County, Ohio. The 1860 shows them living in Summit Township, Marion County, Iowa.

1850 Census: William and Juliette living with 2 children in Marlboro Township, Stark County, Ohio. William is listed as a farmer.

1851: William and Juliette moved from Ohio to Iowa. It is unclear if their third child, Wilmer Linly, was born in Ohio or Iowa.

1860 Census: William and Juliette living with 4 children in Summit Township, Marion County, Iowa. William is listed as a farmer

1870 Census: William and Juliette living with 7 children in Adel Township, Dallas County, Iowa. William is listed as a laborer.

1880 Census: William and Juliette living with 5 children in the town of Adel, Dallas County, Iowa. William is listed as a gardener.

1880 Census: a Frank Adams, age 55 with marital status ‘single’, living in Tiffin, Seneca County, Ohio. Frank is listed as a laborer. (I have no idea if this is the same Frank Adams (brother of William Adams)

1891 Adel, Dallas Iowa city map showing William Adams plot

Children of William Adams and Juliette Prouty:

Rosella Adelaide Adams (b. in Ohio about 1846; d. in Iowa 08 DEC 1905)
Eliza Jane (“Jennie”) Adams (b. in Stark County, Ohio about 01 SEP 1848; d. in Iowa 19 MAR 1901)
Linly Wilmer Adams(1851-1905) (sometimes written as Wilmer Linly)
Rachel A. Adams(1853-1855)
Mary Caroline Adams(1856-1859)
Frank Hillis Adams(1858-1929)
Angie Danelia Adams(1861-)
Anna Amelia Adams (1863-1948)
Willie Mann Adams(1865-1949)
John Quincy Adams(1868-1950)
Lola Elva Adams(1872-1947)
Elvessa May Adams(1874-1969)

DS: below is a story on William Adams by Ed Gravley a descendant.

THE WILLIAM ADAMS FAMILY HISTORY as noted by Ed Gravley

William Adams was born In Ohio on March 9, 1820. He had one brother named Frank, and they were raised in an orphanage.
Juliette Prouty was born in Stark County, Ohio, on March 31, 1829. She was married to William Adams on October 5, 1845, at Baltimore, Ohio. They had 12 children: Rosella Adelaide, Eliza Jane, Linley Wilmar, Rachel Annie, Mary Caroline, Frank Hillis, Angle Danelia, Anna Amelia, Willie Mann, John Quincy, Lola Elva, and Elvessa May.
The Adams family moved to Iowa in 1851 and settled in Adel, Iowa, in 1867, which is where they were to live the rest of their lives.
The Adamses were married 58 years before Mrs. Adams passed away on September 30, 1903, and Mr. Adams passed away on May 22, 1907.
Willie Mann Adams was born December 8, 1865, at Pella (Marion County) Iowa, and Lillie Gertrude Jewett was born December 19, 1874, at Adel, Iowa. They were married March 29, 1893, at Adel, Iowa.
They lived on a farm near Adel for a number of years, then moved to Miller, South Dakota, for a short time; then they moved to Pierre, where Dad Adams worked as a watchman at the Indian school there. From Pierre, they moved to Adel again for a short time, then moving again to Redfield, Iowa, for one year where they operated a hotel; then they moved back to Adel. In 1918 they moved to Underwood, North Dakota, to live with their oldest son, Orvis, who had moved there in 1914. They moved to the Baldwin area In 1931, which is just north of Bismarck, North Dakota. While living in Adel, their son Louwayne died from a lung congestion on April 15, 1916. When they lived in Underwood, another son, Clarence, was taken to the Bismarck Hospital by train. Clarence died of a ruptured appendix on February 10, 1927. The family moved to the Painted Woods area, just south of Wilton, in 1933, again living on the same farm with Orvis. In May of 1934 Mother Adams suffered a stroke and was paralyzed on her right side and also lost her speech. Mother Adams remained an invalid until her death on April 22, 1937. The funeral and burial were at Underwood. During this time, Madeline and Hillis helped their Dad take care of their Mother. In 1935, they moved to another farm down by the Missouri River. Hillis married Alice Larson in 1937. Madeline married Harold Larson in 1939. Dad Adams remained living with Hillis and Alice until his death. On July 2, 1946, Dad Adams suffered a severe stroke. He was taken to the Bismarck Hospital by ambulance. He made a very rapid recovery and came home in just 12 days. Although he was never very well after his stroke, his speech being affected, he was always up and around and did a lot of walking. He became very ill before Thanksgiving In 1948 and was bedfast until his death on January 20, 1949. He had suffered with heart trouble, high blood pressure, diabetes, and kidney trouble. His funeral service had to be postponed one day because the roads were blocked with snow. The funeral service was held In the Presbyterian church in Wilton with the Rev. Carl Nelson of Washburn conducting the service. Burial was at the cemetery In Underwood, where his wife and son Clarence also are buried. On the day of the funeral, the snow was so deep, it took 25 different people to carry the casket from the highway to the cemetery. Everyone walked over the telephone lines.