HISTORY
OF THE
Thomas Adams ahp Thomas Hastings Fakilies,
OF
AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS.
* t- .
^.bums.
BY
HERBERT BAXTER ADAMS,
IN MKMOHY AM) IIONOU OIT 1113 ►ATM III AND MOTUKn, NATIIANIKL
UICK1NSOH AUAUM, lUtllM JULY 5, 18IU, 1MUI) SKl'l'KMLlKK 7,
ISfiC, AND IIAUU1ET (IIA1TIMUH) AHAU8. IU)UN MAV-
IS, IS 10, UAUUIKU UtOKMIILU 1, 1M0.
AMHERST, MASS.
PRIVATELY PRINTED,
1880.
CS
71
.A2
1880ax
Research
Library
BOSTON
PUBLIC
LIBRARY
^ •
X
HISTORY
OF THE
Thomas Adams ju\d Thomas Hastings Families,
OF
AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS.
^buras.
BY
HERBERT BAXTER ADAMS,
IM KK.MOIIY AM» MOKOU rtr 1119 VATIIKU AND HUTIIKH, NATIIANIKL
Dlt.'KlNHON AUAUM, IHMIM JULY 3, 1(413, UIKI* 8KITK5IUKH 7,
1300, A.NI) IIAUU1KT (H.vaTINUS) AIIAIU. IU)BM MAY
IS, 1810, UAJUMKU UfcOKMIIJCU 1, ItfiW.
AMHERST, MASS.
PRIVATELY PRINTED,
1880.
Reprinted fry -
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INTRODUCTION
THIS piece of historical knitting work wns sug-
gested one hot day last August by a strange
but uncontrollable desire to recall the birthdays of
my father, mother, brothers, and of the hitter's
children. The failure of memory to respond to such
an unreasonable demand, and the reflection Unit,
even if once learned, it would be a hopeless tusk to
carry family data in one's head, when nephews are
rapidly multiplying, inspired in me the joyful thought
of printing our family record on a bit of card board,
which could be carried around in the vest pocket and
A The Adama Family.
studied liko the catechism on Sundays, or amid my
reveries us a bachelor, under the shade of an npple-
trcc of a summer' 8 afternoon.
Hut with this cheering thought came the idea of
registering the birthdays of my grandfathers as an
incentive to living on through hot weather and to a
good old age. Thinking of my grandfathers led me
to meditate upon my great grandfathers, who for
mere lensrth of life ought to stand at the head of the
list, like the patriarchs of old. There appeared to
me an obvious advantage in beginning my genealogy
with great grandfather Asa Adams, Sr., for I had
never heard of his having any father. I had always
thought him, like Melchizedek, " without father,
without mother, without descent," * but, in some
mysterious way, as sprung from the soil of Shutes-
bury or possibly as transplanted from New Salem, a
town hard by.
On my mother's side the case was different and by
no means so easy to manage. Great grandfather
Thomas Hastings had a father, and worse than that,
a grandfather, and a long line of ancestors reaching
back, not merely to the first settler, Deacon Thomas
Hastings of Ipswich, who came over with the Puri-
tans in 1C34, but also far back into English history.
• llobrowa, VII., 3.
TiUroductiou. .T
I had seen tlic printed '* Hastings Memorial," and
knew what an interminable record it was, with
nothing fundamental in its genesis, like Asa Adams,
Sr., or old Adam of all. Hut still there was one
convenience in treating.of my mother's family, which
I was desirous of associating with the Adamses in
my vest-pocket genealogy : the Hastings patriarchs,
after the first settler, all bore the name of Thomas,
and it would, therefore, be very easy to regard them
as one genus and to record their dates in connection
with the birthday of great great grandfather Thomas
Hastings, who was the first of that name in Amherst
and with whom I determined really to begin 1113* own
Hastings record, because Amherst adjoined Shutes-
bury and because through this proximity of towns
the Adams and the Hastings families were ultimately
allied.
This matter of tracing genealogies is, however, a
will o' the wisp sort of inquiry. One is lured on aud
on, and never knows when to stop. When a man
has inquired about his grandfathers, then he wants
to know about his grandmothers ; and when he has
found about his grandmothers, then he sees in fancy
his great grandmothers imploring recognition. And
behind these come other shadowy faces, other ghostly
pairs pressing up in a long lino and repeating, " We
too are your grandparents." And so the genealogist,
G The Adama Family.
moved 1))' a spirit of piety and fairness towards his
ancestors, both male and female, takes down all their
names and sutlers wives and husbands to live on
peaceably together in the thoughts of posterity.
But while determining to do justice to my Hast-
ings ancestry as far back as I could trace them, I
still adhered to ni}' former notion of making great
great grandfather Thomas Hastings of Amherst a
new point of departure in the history of. the Hastings
tribe. Abraham, son of Terah, had been called out
from the land of the Chaldeans to found a new nation,
and Lieutenant Thomas Hastings, sou of Dr. Thomas
Hastings, moved from HatGeld over to Amherst.
Now, thought I, if I can only find a great great
grandfather Adams to match the Hastings patriarch,
I shall have two symmetrical and altogether satisfac-
tory family trees. What was ray joy one day at
learning from my second cousin, Joseph II. Adams,
of Hod toy, that thcro was soiuo account of the
origin of the Adams tribo in a book "called the
* History of the Ward Family, owned by Alden
Adams, of Lcverctt, who himself had made quite a
study of the Adams Geucalogy. I soon visited
• " History of the Ward Family," by A. H. Ward; (published in
Boston, 1851, by S. G. Drake, but now exceedingly rare). A copy ia
ownotl by Aldnn Adama of Levcrctt, and another by Horace Ward of
AmliorsU
Introduction. 7
Lcverett and made my way to Alden Adams' house.
Not finding him at home, I borrowed the book from
his obliging wife, nnd hastened back to Amherst.
My joy was full on finding that, after all, Asa
Adams, Sr., had a father and that his name was
Thomas. He was said to have been born about
1G97, to have come over from England to Ashford,
Connecticut about 1720, and to have removed to
Amherst in 1737. " So, so ! " said I, " The Adamses
after all are not indigenous to Shutesbury, but came
over from England, and once lived in Amherst ! "
The name Thomas afforded me further food for
reflection. Thomas Adams of Amherst, — that sounds
well, thought I, and will make a good companion
name to Thomas Hastings. In an instant mjr mind
was made up : I would write the History of the
Thomas Adams and Thomas Hastings Families of
Amherst, Massnehusctts. Here were 1113' two great
great grandfathers and both of them had settled in
the same town. Thomas Adams came over from
England in person, and Thomas Hastings of Amherst
come over in the person of his ancestor in the third
degree, so both lines of my genealog}' seemed to
have been satisfactory traced to their English
origin. Things now appeared to be on a very sound
historical basis, tor, in the case of both families, I
had got back to the first settler.
8 The Adami Family.
*
But as I proceeded to write out the genoalogy of
the Adnins family, there came the haunting suspicion
that, after all, Thomas Adams of Amherst was not
the first settler of our line in this country. In exam-
ining for another purpose the manuscript collections
of the late Sylvester Judd of Northampton, I had
found many lists of names, copied from town and
parish records in Connecticut, and had discovered
that there were Adamses scattered all through that
State as early as 1650. I knew, moreover, that
there were very few emigrants to this country after
the year 1G10 ; from that time to the American Rev-
olution, more persons returned to the old country
than came to the new. Moreover, I had long been
aware of the existence of various Adams families in
the eastern part of Massachusetts, and, once on a
"time, had examined the New England Historical and ,
Genealogical Register and Bond's Genealogies of
Watcrtown in the hopes of finding the missing link
which should connect the Adamses of Eastern and
Western Massachusetts. I was now convinced, in
the light of the fact that Connecticut was colonized
from Eastern Massachusetts, that Thomas Adams of
Ashford was the connecting link above mentioned.
I determined to know more of him before rushing
into print.
Meantime, I began .to make more thorough work
of my genealogical researches. I consulted grave-
Introduction. 0
stones mid family Bibles and begun to interview my
cousins, aunts and uncles. Those whom I could not
reach in person I addressed by postal card, and very
soon abundant information began to pour in upon
me. From the far West, I obtained tidings of
Adams descendants there. The Hastings genealogy
I completely revised, for I found several mistakes in
the printed record. I inserted such new and inter-
esting data about the Hastings family of doctors in
Hatfield as I had learned from my reading of local
history. In fact, I began to get enthusiastic over
my work and wrote a little sketch of each ancestor,
as complete as biblical and other returns would
allow, and soon found that, on the Hastiugs side at
least, I had a tolerably full record of all the patri-
archs from the first settler, Deacon Thomas Hast-
ings, of Ipswich, down to Thomas Hastings of Am-
herst. I began to be rather ashamed of the Adams
patriarchs ; there were so few of them, only one
Thomas and two by the name of Asa. If " Old
Tom," as I began now to call my revered great great
grandfather Adams, would only explain himself,
there might be some chance for an Adams pedigree
by the side of that of Thomas Hastings.
One day in September (I believe it was " Cattle
Show Day") Alden Adams of Leverett called upon
me and wanted to know how I was getting on with
10 The Adams Family.
my genealogy. I told him it was all straight except
"Old Tom;" I didn't bclicvo Thomas Adams of
Ashforcl was the first of our line to settle in this
country. Aldcn Adams calmly informed me that he
knew he was not, and that the statement in the
il Ward Book " was a mistake which he himself had
unwittingly made in furnishing data for the compiler
of that volume. My informant further stated that he
had heard from Sanford Adams, of West Brookfield,
that the Thomas Adams in question was descended
from the Adamses of Quincy, and that we were
remotely related to the family of presidents. Here
was a revelation, which, if true, would enable the
Adams genealogy to rival that of the Hastings.
Alden Adams said, moreover, that he had received
sometime ago a letter from the aforesaid Sanford
Adams, giving the links in the chaiu which bound
the Adamses of Eastern and Western Massachusetts
together. But unfortunately when I visited Leverett
in order to get this letter, I found that it had been
lost, but Alden Adams advised me to write to his
West Brookfield correspondent and ascertain the
missing links. And, in the course of time, I wrote.
The following was the reply :
West Brookfield Depot, * *)
Worcester Co., Mass., 29th Oct., 1879. )
Deaji Sin. — Your postal card received. Henry
Adams with seven sons came from Devonshire, Eng-
Introduction. 11
land, in 1G30, to Quincy, then Braintrce, Mass.
Edward, one of seven, settled in Modlield, Muss. ;
his son John in Med way, Mass. ; his. son Thomas in
Amherst, Mass. Joseph, another of the seven, sot-
tied in Braintree, Mass. ; his son Joseph in Brain-
tree; his son John in B rain tree ; his son John, Ex-
Pres., in Brain tree. Abraham (same generation as
Thomas of Amherst) settled in Brook field, was my
great grandfather. Henry, Edward, John, Abra-
ham, Eloazer, David, and
Yours very respectfully, .
Sanford Adams.
This pithy letter speaks for itself and throws
much light on the beginnings of the Adams family
in America. I made further inquiries of Sanford
Adams and elicited many new facts. Among other
things, I learned that he had in his possession a rec-
ord of the Adams Family, dated May 2, 1798, and
containing five generations, in all, one hundred
and twenty-six names. This record was prepared
by Elisha Adams of Medfield. David Adams, the
father ot Sanford, died last fall (Nov. 12, 1879),
aged 91 years. " He had a wonderful memory," said
his son in a letter to inc. "He could tell the names,
ages, &c., of many families of -Adamses in Med-
field, Quincy, and other places. Hon. Charles
Adams, Jr., son of Dr. Charles Adams, Oakham,
Mass., used to call and see him and copy this infor-
mation, all of which he has in his possession.
12 The Adams Family.
When you conic this way, you had better sec
Charles' records, which aro very large, he having
been to England when -he was Treasurer for the
State of Massachusetts. The records ot Devon-
shin;, England, he examined, and others back five
hundred years."
After reading tho above, I began to rejoice that I
had not undertaken to write a History of the Adams
Family, but only that of Thomas Adams of Amherst.
Still, I thought it would afford my friends some sat-
isfaction to know the result of my researches
concerning Thomas Adams, the missing link, together
with the exact line of continuity Irom Henry Adams,
who settled in Braintree, now Quincy, Massachusetts,
down to the aforesaid Thomas. I had not attempted
to follow out the ramifications of the Hastings
family, but had given only the patriarchal line of
descent ; thus much would I attempt to do for the
Adams tribe of Western Massachusetts, who, for
the most part, were doubtless not aware of their
Eastern connections. If I could only get the dates
of Thomas Adams and his Massachusetts ancestors,
I thought I should be quite satisfied with the extent
of my genealogical studies, and be ready to hand
over my contributions to the future historian of the
Adams race. But these dates I failed to get from
Sauford Adams, and so I waited for something to
turn up. In course of the winter, I received a letter
Introduction.
J.V
from a gentleman in Washington, D. C, with an
interesting prefatory notice, printed exactly as
follows :
Hkcokds of tiik Adams Family
OK AiMKUICA,
(Ic.ncaloyical, Jliogvapliicat and Historical.
The abovo U tho propoud lltlo of a work now In
coures of pr* parailun. The co-oprrailoii or all ADAMS
famill**, ami olbura intereAted and allied by marring*,
l» earnestly rtt|tit:ated.
In forwarding coplaa of family records !>• careful
to give full Cbj-lailan name* aud mil datet of lilrtb,
marriugu nnd deutb, »o far aa practicable.
Address, Nelson D. Adams,
U. S. General Land Office,
Washington. I). C.
grants.
Washington, D. C, Jan. 16, 1SS0.
Prof. H. B. Adams, Baltimore, Md.
Dear Sir. — I have jnst.learned, through a cor-
respondent, that yon are collecting genealogical
material relative to the Adams' family, on which I
have devoted much time for the past three years.
In its inception, my search was confined to the
descendants of my own ancestor (George Adams of
Watertown, Mass., 16*15,) but, through correspond-
ence and other sources, having obtained much out-
side of that branch, and believing, from accumulated
data, that the early Adamses of New England were
mostly, if not all, more or less nearly related, I
finally determined to consider them as one family
and to collect all I could without distinction. The
result has been an extensive correspondence and a
mass of material, relating to all branches. I have
14 The Adama Family.
also consulted and mudc extracts ironi all printed
works which have conic to my knowledge, as con-
taining data on the subject, which could be found in
the Libtary of Congress, besides others, which I
have purchased*. I shall be pleased to be advised as
to which bianeh of the family you are interested in
and as to the progress }'ou have made, and to render
such aid as I can, and have to request your coopera-
tion on such branches as may not come within your
line of search. Hoping that I may be favored with
an early reply, I am
Ver}' respectfully,
Nelson D. Auams.
Of course I made haste to reply to this interesting
communication from a man bearing the same initials
to his name as my father and volunteering to aid me
in my researches. Indeed, so impressed was I with
the above offer and with the character of Mr. N. D.
Adams' undertaking, that I immediately forwarded
him my own manuscript, bidding him make use of
any of it, or all of it, only begging him to fill out the
dates of the Adams patriarchs of Thomas Adams'
line and to correct any errors in my record. The
answer I received was most courteous, and led the
way to quite a correspondence. u I find," he said,
"that I can add a little to your list of Thomas
A-dams' descendants as well as to his ancestors, and
can also suggest some few corrections." A very
considerable addition to the list of Thomas Adams'
ancestors was made, as is clearly shown by the
Introduction. Z5
sketch anil record of "The Welch-Knglish Ancestry
of the ni-Jiintroc Adams Family," which Mr. N. 1).
Adams sent me, and which I shall, further on, pre-
sent to my readers.
I desire in this connection to express my indebt-
edness to Mr. N. U. Adams for his great kindness
in furnishing me with the famous 4kAp Adam Pedi-
gree," and so much information concerning it ; also
for his courtesy in lending me the electrotype plate
of the Adams coat of arms and in completing the
record I had besriin of the Massachusetts ancestors
of Thomas Adams of Amherst. If it had not been
for the above assistance, this record would not have
been so early given to the press, for I should have
been obliged to make vacation journeys to Quincy
and Medfield. and other places, in search of data
now entirely at my command. Mr. IJ. D. Adams
has made a careful study of the History of the
Adams Family in Eastern Massachusetts and else-
where, and contemplates the publication, in the
course of a few years of the Records of the Adams
Family in America* in several large volumes. Some
• Thcro are already partial histories of various branches of the
Adams Family. Thorn i» nil Adams genealogy compiled by Thayer,
(1835); ono by Grace, (1841); one by Morse, (1657); one by Vinton,
(1858); and a tifth by Adams, (1801). All these, except Grace's and
Morse's, can be found In the Boston Public Library. (Sec Bulletin
Itoston Public Library, April, 1879.— Noto on Genealogy.) The chief
sources ol genealogical information, concerning early New England
1G The Adama Family.
idea of the enormous labor in the task Uo 1ms under-
taken may be obtained from a consideration of this
fact : there were at least ten first settlers in New
England alone who bore the name of Adams, and
when one reflects that the descendants of Henry
Adams of Brain tree arc enough to lill one volume,
one is amazed at the patient enterprise which could
undertake a <;cncalo":ical work on a still vaster scale.
I am permitted by Mr. N. D. Adams to reprint the
following list, which he has prepared for circulation
among the Adamses of various families in the hope
of obtaining further information of their descendants.
EARLIEST SETTLERS OF NEW ENGLAND,
OF THE NAME ADAMS.
1 John, came to Plymouth in the ship u Fort-
une," Nov. 11, 1621.
families, are (1) Sav Age's Genealogical Dictionary, (2) tho Now Eug-
l.iiul Historical and Genealogical Register, (3) Bond's Genealogies
vntl History of Watertown.
It is hoped that sometime tlioio will be published a complete His-
tory of iho Henry A Jama Family of Drulutroe, anil it is with thin
hope that I print the following record of our western branch, not
claiming any genealogical completeness or absolute Infallibility, but
presenting it simply as a report of progress. If this first attempt to
collect together the scattered sons of Thomas Adams under ouo
family tree slio.dd stimulate others to gather in children's children
unto the third and fourth generation, I should greatly rojoice, for it
is a goodly sight to seo all the wido-sprcading branches of one rugged
parent stem.
Introduction. J 7
2 Henry,* with eight sons, settled nt Mt. Wol-
laston (Braintrce) 1634.
3 William,* in Cambridge, 1G35 removed to
Ipswichf before 1642.
4 Roiikkt,* u tailor," Ipswich, 1635 ; Salem,
1638 ; Newbury, 1G40.
5 RicnARD,* Weymouth, 1635 ; a representative
' in 1G37.
6 Richard, " bricklayer," Salem ; came in the
ship " Abigail," in 1G35.
7 Jeremy,* Braintrce, 1G32 (?); Cambridge,
1635 ; Hartford, 1636.
8 Ferdinando, "shoemaker," from London,
Dedham, 1637,
9 George,* " a glover," Watertown, before
1645 ; removed to Lexington in 1664.
10 Christopher, "mariner," Braintrce, 1645;
Kittery, Me., before 1668.
* 'Phono designated hy n star hnvo boon supposed, by soinu gonoiil-
ogUta, to liavo been kinsmen, but positive evidence ia wanting to sub -
tain such mi opinion, in any ease.— Xoic by N. D. Attains.
t Tho gonealojfy of the Ipswich lino of Adamses Ii.ib becu
worked up by 1'rof. C. K . Adams, of the University of Michigan, and
It will be incorporated into tho History of tho Adams Family, by
Mr. N. D. Adams, at least, so I have been informed by Dr. Henry C
Adams, of Waterloo, Iowa, and late Fellow of Johns Hopkins Uni-
versity. Both he and Prof. C. E. Adams, and also Iho Adams slstors,
of Baltimore, Md., arc descended from the Ipswich stock.
13 The Adams Family.
EARLY SETTLERS OF THE NAME IN VIRGINIA.
Ralph, Elizabeth City, 1623.— " Adams," James
Island, 1623.
Robert, Martin's Hundred, 1624.
Riciiard, age 22, embarked for Virginia in the
ship " Globe," of London, Aug. 6, 1635.
Our Western Massachusetts branch, 'that of
Thomas Adams, of Amherst, and also the family of
the late Prof. C. B. Adams,* of Amherst College,
who moved into this town from Middlebury, Vt,
arc descended from Henry, on the above list, who
with eight sons, settled at Mt. Wollaston, afterward
Braintree, now Quincy, Mass. It is an occasion for
congratulation that, amid so great a variety of first
settlers bearing the Adams name in Now England, we
should so easily have hit upon the true progenitor of
our line. I had once thought, from the occurrence of
* Professor Churlea B. Adams came originally from Dorchester,
Mass., but was called to Middlebury College, Vt. He was a graduate
of Anilioixt College In llio uIiuh of 1834; ho aloud at tho head, mid
llunry Ward Beeclier at tho foot. Professor 0. B. Adams became a
very noted zoologist and loft valuable collections for the cabinets of
Amherst College. Ills widow and son Henry are still living in Am-
herst. An account of this family will appear in the future work of
Mr. N. D. Adams.
The other family of Adamses living in Amherst, that of the for-
merly well known booksellers, J. S. & O. Adams, the first publishers
of Webster's Dictionary, came to this town from Middletou, Mass
Their father was the Rev. Solomon Adams, of Middletou.
Introduction. 1ft
such names as Nathaniel (my father's name) anil Bcn-
jamin in the genealogy of the Adams Family of Water-
town, that we were descended from George Adams,
the ancestor of my Washington correspondent, but
it is now perfectly clear that Thomas Adams, the
" missing link," binds our family to the old Brain-
tree or Quincy stock, which is descended from John,
Lord Ap Adam of England, Baron of the Realm
from 1296 to 1307. For the benefit of those who
might be tempted to associate Ap Adam with the
apes, I venture to explain, that the family is of
Welsh origin, and that the prefix Ap signifies " the
son of" Adam, just the same as Mc Donald means
the son of Donald. The Adams name occurs also
as Mc Adam, Macadam, and Adamson. The Welsh
form of Ap Adam fell into disuse in the 15th cen-
tury, being anglicized to Adams.
Amherst, Mitsa.fJuly G, 1880. n. n. a.
THE WELSH-ENGLISH ANCESTRY
OF THE
BRAINTREE ADAMS FAMILY.
BY NELSON D. ADAMS.
THE pedigree of the Adams family of Braintrec,
Mas9., which follows, appeared in the New Eng-
land Historical and Genealogical Register in January,
1853, Vol. VII., pp. 39-40, and has been the sub-
ject of much speculation among New England gene-
alogists, as to its authenticity. It is not our inten-
tion to claim for this "pedigree ".that which we can
not now prove, viz : that it is absolutely correct, but
as it has been regarded authentic by several noted
• The. Welsh-English Anccshy. 21
genealogists who have made, a study of our family
histoiy aud were connected with our family b}* mar-
riage or maternal descent, viz : Messrs. Vinton,
Drake, Shattuck, and Morse, all deceased, and is also
regarded in that light by several now living, who
also have made and are making a specialty of Adams
genealog}', we deem an apology unnecessary for
presenting this, to sixy the least, curious and appar-
ently well authenticated document.
It is to be regretted that so few dates are included
in the pedigree, and particularly those of births, as
had they been supplied, in connection with places of
residence, a verification of the pedigree might have
been made, through parish, church, or other local
records.
This pedigree professes to show a line of descent
of sixteen generations from Ap Adam, father of
John, Lord Ap Adam, who was summoned to Par-
liament from 129G to 1307, as a Baron of the Realm.
In order to approximate the periods of manhood of
the descendants of the ancestor, we will suppose
that he (Ap Adam) settled in England, when a
young man, in the year 1250. Taking this as a
starting point, we find that sixteen intervening peri-
ods of twenty-seven years each" bring us down to
the 3rear 1G82, in which the descendants of the sev-
enteenth generation arc said to have been living, and
in order to more fully illustrate this approximation
22 The Adams Family.
we have Added to our copy of the originAl pedigree
the year, in small figures, opposite to the name of
the representative of eAch generAtion.
The following extract from the New England His-
torical and Genealogical Register, hefore mentioned,
precedes the pedigree which follows :
"PEDIGREE OF THE ADAMS FAMILY, ORIGINALLY
LOCATED AT BUAINTREE, MASS.
(The following very Ancient pedigree of the AdAms
family has been furnished by WilliAm Downing
Bruce, Esq., F. S. A., And Cor. Mem. of N E. II.
G. Societ}', of the Middle Temple, London. His let-
ter accompanying it, addressed to J. W. Thornton,
Esq., is as follows : — ' No. 9 Victoria Square, Lon-
don, Nov. 1st, 1851. DeAr Sir: I have found what
I consider of great interest to every American, the
geneAlogy of John AdAms, the second President of
the United States. It is copied from an Ancient
parchment roll with arms, etc., of the time of
Charles I., which I discovered among the papers of
the late Edwin Hamlin Adams, M. P. for the count}'
of Carmarthen, and it is now in possession of his
son, Edward Adams, Esq., of Middleton Hall, in
said county. Mr. Adams is a gentleman of great
wealth and consequence in this county, and takes a
great interest in genealogy.' Mr. Bruce is himself
maternally descended from the Adams family.)"
PEDIGREE OF ADAMS.
1230
Arms.* — Argent on a cross gules five mullets or.
Crest. — Out of a ducal coronet, or, a demi-lion affrontee gules.
Ap Adam1 came out of the John, Lord Gourney of Beverston,
f Marches of Wales. County Gloucester.
^Sir John Ap Adam*2 Kt., Lord Ap Adam, = Elizabeth
(Baron of the Realm from 1298 to 1307.)
, _ . _^v. »
""Sir Thomas Ap Adam3, Sir John Ap Adam,3 William Ap Adam,3 Sir Roger Ap Adam
who married and had issue. married anl bad issue. of Lancashire.
L<53lW*iHiara Ap Adam4, who had a son.^Sir John Ap Adam3, who was the father of
^Thomas Ap Adam8 = Jane, daughter and heiress of Sir John Guge.
""Sir John Ap Adam, Kt.7 = Milescent, dau. of Sir Matthew Besylls (2^ Kt.
1WBSir John Ap Adam, alias Adams8 == Clara, dau. and co-heir of Mr. Roger Powell.
(After this the Ap came into disuse.)
" >
1466Roger Adams9 = Jane, daughter of — Elh'ott.
14arrhomas Adams10 = Marie, daughter of Mr. — Upton.
uso
John Adams" = Jane, daughter of Mr. — Rennelegh
^John Adams1* = Catherine, daughter and heiress of Mr. — Stebbing.
— »-- —
""Nicholas,13 John13 = Margerye, George,13
1(J01Richard 4 Margaret, dau. of Mr. — Armager. (sic cop.)
,- %__ — _ . v
108Robertu= Elizabeth Shadow. Williamli= —daughter of — Boringoton. (?)
had Lwue.
^George16 = — - «iau. of Mr. connd HENRY." Ambrose,16 John,1*
Lieut, in service of Charles I. T™/i«n Died in Braintree, in had issue. had issue.
Died in Barbadoes in 1647. ix>nuoD. yew Englandt ^ lfr46
, * , , , A ,
1682Conrad.17 George.'7 John. 17+ 1C82Henry.17 Sam— 17 Joseph.17 — omas.17 Peter.17 Edward17
li. 1680. II. 1&80-. 1L 16*0. li. 1630. 1L 1680. li. 1680. li. 1682.§ li. 1680. 11. 1680.
* In the upper part of a Gothic window on the southeast side of Tiilenham Church, near Chopston, Eng., the
name " John Ab AJam, 1310," in old English, and Arms, as above, are still (1851) to be found beautifully executed in
stained glass of great thickness, and in perfect preservation.— From Note of C. F. Adamt, Jr.
t" Marches of Wales," i «., Borders of \Vales. " Lords of the Marches were noblemen, who, in times past,
inhabited and secured the Marches of Wales and Scotland, ruling as if they were petty kings, with their private
laws, which were abolished by Stat. 27, Hen. 8." — Phillips and Kersey. j
X The three sons of George and six sons of Henry were living when the ancientW rchment was drawn np. To
the U»te, 164*5. the year of Henry of Braintree's death, Mr. Brace has this remark: *"*>is note is in a later hand, I:
say about 16*}." ^-^^ » • .», ) •«
§ " 1&*2 " is presumed to be a misprint. It probably should be 1680, like the others of the 17tn ge»- - -*ion. , *rt.'_
"li." stands for living. < \
\
The Welsh-English Ancestry. 23
NOTE.
IN regard to the foregoing pedigree, which carries
back the history of the Henry Adams Family of
Braintree over six hundred years, I have received
the following further statement by letter from Mr.
N. D. Adams :
" Some of the Boston genealogists have been
inclined to doubt the authenticity of the document,
but I am of the opinion that it is entitled to confi-
dence, after having consulted several persons in
whose opinions I have much faith. The genuine-
ness of the pedigree is substantiated to some extent
from the fact that there was a Conrad, George and
John Adams living on Barbadoes in the 3'ear 1G79,
as I have ascertained from another source, and there
is at the present time an estate in Barbadoes known
as 'Adams Castle,' one of the oldest estates on that
island, from which facts we are led to infer that, at
least, the sons of George16 (brother of Heniy) were
not myths. There was also an Ambrose Adams liv-
ing in the town of St. Michaels, Barbadoes, in 1G80.
May this not have been Ambrose10 ? If so he was
probablj' quite aged.
In reply to your question, I would say that you
would probably discover no very important facts by
examining the records of Braintree and Brookfield.
I have the records of the families of each of Henry's
eight sons, but as your book professes to be only a
genealogy of the descendants of Thomas, I sent
3rou only enough to show family connection with the
ancestor ; if, however, you desire further records, I
shall be pleased to furnish you with them."
PART I.
THE THOMAS ADAMS FAMILY, OF AMHERST.
I. HENRY ADAMS, of Braintree.
HE was the first settler of our line in this countrj'
and the ancestor of the Braintree and Tboraas
Adams Families. It was believed by John Quiney
Adams that the above Henry came from Braintree,
Essex County, England, about 1C34. This is now the
more approved view ; it was formerly believed that
he came from Devonshire, England, and President
John Adams erected a monument in Quiney to his
ancestor with an inscription to this effect: "In
memoiy of Henry Adams, who took his flight from
the Dragon persecution, in Devonshire, England,
and alighted with eight sons near Mt. Wollaston.
One of the sons returned to England, and after tak-
ing some time to explore the country four removed
o/r
Henry Adams of Braintree. 25
to Med field and the neighboring towns, two to
Chelmsford. One only, Joseph, who lies here at his
left hand, remained here ; who was an original pro-
prietor in the township of Braintree incorporated
1G39." Henry Adams died in Braintree, Oct. G,
1G-1G. His wife was living at that time, but her
name is unknown. Henry Adams had eight sons
and one daughter, all born in England ; only five
sons, Peter, John, Joseph, Edward, and Samuel,
and his daughter Ursula, are mentioned in Henry
Adams' will.* The following is the complete list of
children :
• Will of Henry Adams of Braintree, 1C4C.— " First, my will Is,
that my sonne Peter and John, and my dau. Vraula, shall have tlio
ground in the Neck, both vpland and meddow, during the tenne I
was to enjoy it, vntlll it retunie into the townes hands againc from
whom I had it. AIbo tho Aker in tho Mill feilds. My will is, that my
bookes shall bo divided amongst all my Children ; that my wife shall
have aud Knjoy all my olhor GimhIb so Longo an shoo llvoth vnmarried.
And If she marry, then my will is y» Josephe, Edward, and my duu.
t'rsula, should enjoy all my ground in the Hold that lyeth in tho way
to Waymouth ferry, and my house Lott, with, all the houses and fruit
trocs, and all my moveables, at the death or marriage of ray wife;
Provided, thoy and tholr mother shall pay to my sonno Samuel tfiat
w«=h Is due to him for tho ground I bought of him, to be payd in Con-
venient tyme. But lu case Cod should sou deal w"> my wlfo that
shee be constrayned to make vse of something by way of Sale shee
may. , w ,
Unally, for moveables, my will Is, that my sonno Peter and John
shall have an cquall sharo wiUi my sonno Joseph and Edward, and
inv dau. Vrsula.
8. 4. 1C47. Beuiamin Axlbe,
Increase Nowell, sec. Riooaud Bbackett.
This will I have copied from the New England Historical and
Genealogical Register, for 1853, (Vol. VII., page 36.) u. b. a.
20 Tho Adum* Family.
1. IIicNicr, boni 1604, married Elizabeth Paine in
LG'1 3, removed to Unit part of Dcdhain which became
Medlield, of which he was the Gist town clerk, lie
was a lieutenant of an artillery company, and was
killed by the Indians in the second year of King
Philip's war.
2. Thomas, born 1612, married Mary Blackraore,
removed to Concord, then to Chelmsford, where he
died 1G88.
3. Samuel, born 1617, married (1) Rebecca
Graves, (2) Esther Sparhawk ; resided in Concord,
Charlestown, in 1654 removed to Chelmsford, and
died 1G66.
4. Jonathan, born 1619, married (1) Elizabeth,
(2) Mary; removed {o Med field.
5. Peter, born 1622, married Rachel; settled
in Medfield.
6. John, born 1624, married Ann ; removed to
Concord and afterwards to West Cambridge.
7. Joseph, born 1626, married Abigail Baxter,
remained in Braintree, and was ancestor of the
llruliitroo-Qitiuoy lino of Aduinuos. His «on Joseph
was the grandfather ol President John Adams and
great grandfather of John Quincy. Captain John
Adams, a brother of the second Joseph, was grand-
father of Samuel Adams of Revolutionary fame.
Charles Francis Adams is son of President John Q.
Adams aud father of the John Quincy who has so
Eihrnrtl Adams of ifidjUUl. '21
frequently been democratic candidate for the olllcc
of Governor of Massachusetts, also of Henry
Adams, formerly Professor of History at Harvard
College, of Charles Francis. Jr., and of Urooks
Adams.
8. Edward, born 1G30, married (1) Lyriia, and
settled in Med field ; she died March, 3, 1676. He
married (2) Widow Abigail (Crafts) Ruggles, of
Roxbury, and died Nov. 12, 1716. He was the
grandfather of Thomas Adams of Amherst. See
below.
9. Ursula, named in her father's will ; nothing
further known of her. It is refreshing, however, to
find such a name among the Mehitables and Susan-
nahs of our Puritan ancestry.
II. EDWARD ADAMS, of Medfield.
Dr. Savage, in his Genealogical Dictionary of
New England (I., 9), where considerable space is
devoted, to the Adams Family, says of the above :
u He was much employed in public duties, ensign,
selectman, for niairy years, representative in the two
first General Courts 1689, after the overthrow of
Andros, and died Nov. 12, 1716."
He had fourteen childen, as follows, viz. :
1. Lydia, born July 12, 1653. Married
Daniel.
2. Jonathan, born April 4, 1655.
2.9 The Adams Family.
3. John, born Feb. 18, 1G57, remained in Mcd-
field.
4. Eliasiiib, born Feb. 18, 1659, settled in Bris-
tol, R. I.
5. 8aiia.ii, born Ma}' 29, 1GG0, married a Turner.
G. James, born Jan. 4, 1G62, settled in Burring-
ton, It. I.
7. Henry, born Oct. 29, 1663, settled in Canter-
bury, Ct.
8. Meiiitable, born March 30, 1665, living uu-
married in 1715.
9. Eusiia, born Aug. 25, 1666, died noxt month.
10. Edward, born June 28, 1668, settled in
Bristol, R. I.
11. Bethia, born April 12, 1671, died in a few
days.
12. Betiiia (2d), born Aug. 18, 1672, died in a
few days.
13. Abigail, born June 25, 1675, died in infancy.
14. Miriam, born Feb. 26, 1676, died in infancy.
III. JOHN ADAMS, of Medfield.
lie married (1) Deborah ; (2) Susannah,
resided in Medfield, where ho had fourteen chil-
dren born, as follows, viz. :
1. Edward, born 1682, said to have settled in
Milton.
Thomas Adams of Amherst. 20
2. John, born Dec. 22, 1G84, resided in Med way.
3. Daniel, bora Jan. 12, 1G8G, resided in West
Med way.
4. Emsajser, born Sept. 22, 1G87, resided in
Med way .
5. Obamaii, born Jan. 28, 1G89, resided in
Med way.
6. Jonathan, born , resided in Medway.
7. Thomas, by 2d wife, born Feb. 5. 1G95,
removed to Ashford, Ct., then to Amherst.
8. Susannah, born 1G97.
9. Jeuemiaii, born July 13, 1699, settled in
Hrookfield.
10. Abraham, born Aug. 1, 1701.
11. Bethia, born 1702, married Timothy Steams
of Framingham.
12. Pihneas, born jMay 19, 1705.
13. Hannah, born 1707.
14. Esther, born .
IV. THOMAS ADAMS, of Amherst.
-^ Ho was born Feb, 5, 1G95, removed to Ash-
ord, Ct., about 1720, and from thence to Am-
herst about 1737. He probably settled in the region
of North Amherst " City," near Lcverett. His
son John was taxed in Amherst for owning a
mill and a negro. The name of the wife of
Thomas has not been found. She was a widow
30 The Adams Family.
ill 1715 anil her name was on the valuation list of
Amherst from that }'ear until December, 17/51,
inclusive. Thomas Adams was a tax-payer in 1740,
as may be seen by the Book of Births, Marriages
and Deaths, prior to 1843, preserved in the Oflice of
the Town Clerk at Amherst. On this record appear
the names of three daughters of Thomas : Sarah,
admitted to the First Church, Jan. 20, 1754; Doro-
thy, admitted Dec. 1756 ; and Betty admitted Feb.
9, 17GG. He had at least five sons, as follows:
1. ASA, born about 1728, married (1) Jan. 18,
1753, Sarah Dickinson, daughter of Dea. Kbenezer
and Sarah (Kellogg) Dickinson, of Amherst ; (2)
as early as 1774, Grace Ward, born 1752, daughter
Dea. Isaac Ward of Amherst and Leverett. She
died in Shutesbury in 1827, aged 75, and he died in
the same town, Feb. 15, 1826, aged 98. He was
the father of Asa Adams, Jr., and grandfather of
Nathaniel Dickinson Adams. For further account,
see below, V.
2. ABNER, born 1730, married May 9, 1754v
Dorothy Murray, born Aug, 11, 1729, daughter of
Gen. William and Hannah (Dickinson) Murray of
Amherst. They had two daughters, Naomi, who
married Lewis Gilbert of Leverett, July 23, 1778,
and Doroth}-, baptized April 10, 1757 ; afso two sons,
Reuben, baptized July 8, 1770, and Thomas, who
Nathan Adama of Leverctt. 31
lived to the age of 03 ; Reuben probably died early.
Little is known of Abner, except that he became
crazy in consequence of the loss of his wife and a
child, and used to wander in the swamps in search
of whip-poor-wills. lie is remembered by Achsah
(Adams) King, as brother to her grandfather, Asa
Adams, Sr. Abner Adams appears on an Amherst
tax list for 1770, and as late as 1792. He was
admitted to the First Church Sept. 24, 1769.
3. NATHAN ADAMS, born 1735, married (I)
a Miss Rood (Widow Rood of Sturbridge, Mass.,
was, in 1759, his mother-in-law) ; three children, (1)
Sauaii, born 17G1 (married Bezabeel AVilden), (2)
Levi, born 1763, had nine sons, Henry, Austin,
Levi, Newell, Baxter, Bradley, Willard, Aid en,
Edward F., and one daughter, Orenda. (See foot-
note about Isaiah, brother of Nathan Adams). Hen-
ry, the oldest son of Levi, was living in Peru, Huron
Co., Ohio, in 1873, aged 87; another son, Edward
F., has promised Alden Adams to work up the
record of Levi's sons; (3) Hannah, horn 17GG,
(married Nathan Zucll). Nathan Adams married
^(2) Sybil Ward, daughter of Dea. Isaac Ward, of
Leverett. With her he lived sixty lour years at
Leverett, where the}7 both died at the age of 97, he
Jan. 1, 1832, and she Oct. 25, 1839. They had
eight children, descendants of whom still live in
Leverett :
32 The Adams Family.
1. Ekastus, born Feb. 24, 1770, married Harriet
Ainsworth ; eight children, (1) Nathan born March
4, 1804, died 1838 ; (2) Erastua Jr., born ,
married "(1) Lncinda Jameson, Oct. 10, 1827, who
died 1831, leaving two children, William W., born
Dec. 12, 1828, settled in Lincoln, Me., and Elvira
born Dec. 28, 1830 (married C. F. Davis, of Mich.,
see Descendants of Asa Adams Jr., VI., 1,) ; Erastus
Jr., married (2) Octavia Cushman of Amherst, Aug.
15, 1834, and died Dec. 30, 1846; they had four
children, Lncinda born Nov. 26, 1836, died July 4,
1843 ; Mary born Dec. 18, 1838, died July 5, 1843 ;
11. Elizabeth born Feb. 12, 1841 (married James
A. Gilford, Milo, Me., Dec. 24, 1862) ; Nancy born
Dec. 20, 1843 (married R. A. Monroe, May 1, 1866
and died Jan. 16, 1877, six children) ; (3) William
W.% born Oct. 22, 1808, became an M. D., and
settled in Arkansas, married in Little Rock, Oct.
27, 1842, Elvira Cmnmings ; (4) CJtarles Marcy,
born May 15, 1810, often spoken of as "Ensign
Adams." died Jan. 25, 1835; (5) Itufus born April
1, 1813, married Ann Lirncrd, 1838 ; children, Julia
born 1839 (married Albert Pratt) ; Charles E., born
1841 (married Carrie Adams, Northficld, 111., Aug.
12, 1865, who haa borne him two children, Frank
W., born in Evanston, 111., Oct. 4, 1869 and Charles
E. Jr., born Feb. 17, 1874); Louisa born 1843,
(married Wm. Glazier) ; Marcus born 1844 ; Elvira
Allien Ailama of Lcvcrctt. tf.'l
born 1816 (married Otis Dodge) ; (G) Mury, born
July 18, 181G, (married S. S. Broad, of New York,
and died 1840) ; (7) Alden,* born Jan. 1, 1818,
married May 3, 1842, Hannah R. Bartlctt, born Jan.
28, 1818; three ehildren, (1) Mary L., born April 10,
1844 (married Edward F. Ingraham, six children,
Isabel, born April 5, 1867, Edna, born Aug. 24,
1869, Mary, born Aug. 31, 1871, Frederic, born
July 9, 1873, Nellie, born May 9, 1877, Estella,
born Sept. 1, 1878) ;(2) Austin W., born Oct. 9,
1846. (married Loretta J. Barber, Dec. 25, 1868,
two children, Sybil L., born July 22, 1871, Mollis A.
born Feb. 24, 1873) ; (3) Herbert O., born Oct. 18,
1859 ; (8) Louisa, born July 18, 1819, married
* Alden Adams of Leverett is the only Adams west of Brook field
who has heretofore interested himself in tracing the genealogy of
the Thomas Adams Family and to him the compiler of this record
fools greatly indebted. It wns a history of the Ward family, (owned
by Allien Adams and to which he made the Adams contributions)
that first pat the author of this history on the track of Thomas Adams
and gavo tho first decided Impulse toward gathering a record of tho
hitter's descendants. In this work, the author has been warmly
seconded by Aldou Adams, who furnished most of tho abovo data con-
cerning tiio offspring of Nathan Adams, also the chief facts about llio
Vfainily of John Adams, and other valuable information. Alden
Adams has a great rospect for tho Ward Family and thinks that if
there is any good in tho Adams tribe, it is duo to their intermarriage
with the Wards. In the light of the early history of tho Adams Fami-
ly, now first given to our Western Massachusetts branch, it is to be
hoped that our pioneor genealogist, Alden Adams, will be con-
vinced of tho respectability of his ancestry back of the Uirce Adams
brothers who man ied three Ward sisters !
:t i The Adams Family.
J. S. Gilbert; children, Ellon L.,born May 3, 1839
(married Almon Cowlcs, 1859, daughter Stella, born
18(10) ; Aldcn, born Sept., 1842, (married Minnie
Bard well.)
2. Eliphalet, born 1772, married Mary Field of
Leverett, 1795, both died 1813; three children, (1)
Hubbard, who married Mary Conant of Leverett,
who died aged 20 ; he died aged 33 ; (2) Roswell ;
(3) Louisa, who married Daniel Dickinson of
Amherst.
3. Nathan, born 1775, died 1797.
4. Baxter, born 1779, married Abigail Keith,
1805, and settled in Adams (Sackett's Harbor), N.
Y. ; sons, Eli, Baxter, De Fleury, Franklin, George,
and a daughter who married Silas Sawyer of New
Buffalo, Mich.
5. Lucinda, born 1781, married, 1802, Oliver
Clapp of Amherst, father of 0. M. Clajjp, the anti-
quary and marble worker in East Amherst, and also
father of Eliza, who married Dea. Nelson Rust
(father of Horatio, Helen, and Elizabeth). Oliver
Clapp, Sr., died in 1803, and Mrs. Clapp married
Asahel Blodgett in 1812 ; children, Eunice, Lucinda
(who married Silas Ward Adams), and Theodore
Blodgett.
0. Betsey, born 1783, married De Easting Salis-
bury of Adams, N. Y., in 1805, and died in 1844.
Hansom Adums of LcvnruU. i)fi
•
7. Cakomnk, born July 7, 178-1, married Alphcus
Field, of Lcverett, in 1812; children, Du Easting
Salisbury (married Edith Crocker), Caroline, (mar-
ried S tough ton D. Crocker), Levi Alpheus (who
became a minister and married Nancy Holmes).
8. Ransom, born July 7, 1790, married March 1,
1814, Dolly Keet, and died at Still Corner, Aug. 22,
1870. His wife, a bright, active old lady of 88, is
still living (1880) on the old place at Leverett.
Children of Ransom and Doll}' Adams: (1) Christo-
pher C, born Sept. 20, 1814, married, (1) June 1,
1843, Harriet H. Hubbard, who died Jan. 20, 1857 ;
(2) Marcia A. Weeks, June 9, 1859 ; children
of Christopher, Israel II., born Sept. 3, 1844, died
Jan. 22, 1845; William II., born Jan 6, 18-17, died
Oct. 22, 18G8; Frederic F., born June 7, 1849,
(married Oct. 3, 1878, Nettie Stetson, a 3Toung
woman brought up in the family of Mrs. Harriet
Hastings Adams, of East Amherst) ; Lizzie N.,
born Jan. 1, 1852; Ida M., born Aug. 30, 1854,
died March 12, 1880; (2) Maria, born 1817, mar-
ried Eliaha lngraham, May 12, 1841 ; children,
v Edward F., born Nov. 28; 1812; Lovina A., born
born May 14, 1844 ; Lizzie M., born July G, 18 IG ;
Ella L., born March 25, 1848 (married Geo. E.
Field, June 7, 1870) ; Mary A., born Feb. 20, 1850,
(married William II. Smith, June 14, 1873); (3)
Caroline, born 1819, married F. W. Field; (4)
36 • 77i0 Adams Family.
Dolly, born 1821, died Dec. 16, 1868; (5) Aurelia,
born 1824, married, Feb. 26, 1850, A. B. Strong,
M. D., who died Sept. 7, 1852.
4. JOHN, married, Nov. 1764, Betsey Ward, of
Lcveref , b6in about 1740, died in 1837. He was
living in Amherst as late as 1770, for his name ap-
pears on the Valuation List of that town as taxable
for owning a mill and a negro. (See List at the end
of M. F. Dickinson's Historical Address, delivered
at the Centennial Celebration in Amherst, p. 44).
John Adams finally moved away to the town of
Ilowe, in the north-western part of Massachusetts,
near Hoosac Tunnel. He was the father of seven
children, viz. :
1. Isaiah, who married Nuncy Brown, and for his
second wile, Sally Kendrick.
2. Sybil, who married Jonas Gleason, of Buck-
land.
3. Betsey, who married the Rev. Edward Daven-
port, of Coleraine, and died about 1825.
4. Estheu, who married Asa Kendrick, of Uowe.
5. Asenath, baptized in the First Church >y
Amherst, Sept. 28, 1766 ; probably died early.
6. Eunice, baptized in Amherst, May 14, 1769.
Married Jonas Corbctt. They removed to Whiting-
ham, Vermont.
Isaiah Adams of Amherst. 37
7. Asenath, baptized in Amherst, May 12, 1771,
married Artemas Rice, of Charlemont, and died in
1849.
5. ISAIAH,* born 1725. He was on the Am-
herst Valuation list in 1770 and a9 la*° as,;j.792
died 1810. ^
6. SARAH, admitted to the First Church at
Amherst, Jan. 20, 1754.
7. DOROTHY, admitted to the First Church at
Amherst, Dec' 175G.
8. BETTY-, admitted to the First Church at
Amherst, Feb. 9, 17GG.f
* This name does not appear in the list of Thomas' sous, as given
in the History of the Ward family. The following lcttor was commu-
nicated to me by N. D. Adams, of Washington, D. C, and contains
reference to Isaiah Adams. I have since ascertained his dates from
Alden Adams. "Peru, Huron Co., Ohio, April 27, 1878. Sir:— Your
letter was duly received. * * • My ancestors were from Leverett,
Mass. My Giandfather's name was Nathan. His brothers wore
Isaiah, Asa, Abuer and John. Nathan's sons were Levi, Erastus,
Kliphalct, Ransom and Raxter. I am the oldest son of Levi, (aged 87
years). * * • * My lather's sous were named llenry, Austin,
Levi, Newell, ISaxter, Dradloy, Wilhird, Alden and Kdward F., and
one daughter, Omnia. « • • » Very respectfully, Henry Adams.
V^ fThe names of the three daughters of Thomas Adams have just
m discovered in the Rook of Births, Marriages and Deaths, prior
1843, in Amherst. Into this book data from the Church Records
ave been copied. In addition to these names, there are mentioned
in Enoch Adams, son of Oliver and Retscy Adams, born June 5, 1804,
and a Sihw Adams, of Daltou, designated as " Unknown," but said
to have married Salome, daughter of Ebenozer Eastman, April 21,
18o:l. Ho was doubtless the son of Asa Adams, Sr., V., G.
88 The Adams Family.
V. ASA ADAMS.
The founder of the second generation in our line
of descent from Thomas Adams, of Amherst, set-
tled iu Shutesbury, then called Roadtown,p in 1751),
having received from the original proprietors, who
laid out a road from Lancaster to the Connecticut
River, a grant of 124 acres of land in the southern
corner of the town where Amherst, Pelham, and
Shutesbur}' meet (see Proprietors' Book, page 52,
now in possession of the town-clerk of Shutesbury,
George Paull) . Roadtown was settled from Lancas-
ter, in "Worcester County, about 1737. It was
incorporated and named Shutesbury, in 1761, in
honor of Lord Shute, a former Governor of Massa-
chusetts. . Although of noble origin, Shutesbury
has never been known to fame, except perhaps for
its high hills and fiue views, its mineral springs and
clear air, and the health and longevity of its inhab-
itants. Asa Adams did pioneer work in clearing
the forests upon those hills, and there are traditions
of his trapping and killing bears. The Adamses
have always been fond of hunting. Little is known
of the original Asa Adams, except that he xur^
constable for his part of the town. He was man
twice, the first time, Jan. 18, 1753, to Sarah Die'
inson, of Amherst, who died March 23, 177C
According to the Shutesbury town records, the fol-
lowing children were born to Asa and Sarah Adams :
I Asa Adams of Shnlesbury. JO
*
(1) Thomas, born Oct. 1, 1754 ; (2) Abigail, born
Oct. 2G, 1755; (3) Surah, born May G, 1757; (4)
Joanna, born Doc. 10, 1758, died Dec. 11, 1768;
(5) Eunice, born Dec 26, 17G0, died Dec. 9, 1768 :
(G) Jernsha, born July 16, 17G2, died Dec. 15,
17G7; (7) Mary, born March 25, 1763.
The names of Abigail, Joanna and Maiy appear
in the Records of Baptism in the First Church at
Amherst, where Asa Adams, Sr., probably attended
meeting.
Asa Adams was married, the second time, to Grace
Ward, of Leverett, about 1774. She was quite a
cultivated woman for her times and was very fond of
writing verses, some of which were printed and have
been preserved by her descendants. It is a remark-
able fact that three Adams brothers should have
married three sisters b}' the name of Ward. Their
names were Betsey, Sybil and Grace, daughters of
Deacon Isaac Ward of Leverett, who went thither
from Petersham, and Worcester, and who was of the
'third generation in descent from William Ward, who
settled in Sudbury, Mass., 1039, and who was the
■ancestor of all the Wards in the country, some of
^^m became very famous, for example. Major Gen.
VHemas Ward (see History of the Waid Family,
[ '». 45 — 50). The Wards were a prolific race, a
lozen children in one family being of no uncommon
occurrence in their genealogy. There were 11 chil-
40 The Adams Family.
rtrcii in Isaac Ward's family at LeVcrctt. Another
of the sisters, Susan, married Noah Dickinson, of
Amherst, who was a good friend of Asa Adams, and
who, like him, took a daughter of Dea. Ebenezer
Dickinson for his first wife, whose daughter Mary
married Hon. Ebenezer Mattoon. Twice, therefore,
the two friends married sisters ; but Susan Ward
outlived " old Noah," and a second husband besides,
and finally married another Dickinson. There must
have been something very attractive about the
Wards to thus captivate the Dickinsons as well as
the Adamses. At an}' rate the three families were
pretty well united. Grace Ward bore her husband
six children, and died Jan. 26, 1823, aged 75. Asa
Adams died Feb. 15, 1826, aged 98 years. Wife
and husband lie side by side in a little grave-yard
above Pratt Corner. Their children were :
1. Asa Adams, Jit., born Feb. 18, 1778, mar-
ried, Nov. 25, 1801, Clarissa Eastman, of North
Amherst, (born Oct. 8, 1784), and continued the
line of Shutesbury Adamses down to Silas Ward
and Nathaniel Dickinson Adams, whose middle
names aro derived from the above-mentioned farai- .
lies. Ho died Juno 26, 1833. f[]jf
2. Isaac Ward, born in 1779, married a WebstiWu
and removed to Vernon, N. Y. They had children^'
Conielia, Belina, Sejinour, Silas. A son of the \
latter, by the name of Francis Eugene, graduated
Asa Adams of Shutesbury. 41
at Amherst College in 1875, and is now practising
law in Fulion, N. Y.
3. Grace, born 1781, married Samuel Cady.
They removed to New York and had one daughter,
Grace.
.4. Joanna, baptized in the First Church at
Amherst, June 2, 1782, married Pelatiah Kimball,
Jr., of Windham, Ct., Nov. 19, 1794.
5. Lucy, baptized in Amherst June 2, 1782.
6. Silas, born 1783, married Salome Eastman,
and settled in Worthington, west of Chesterfield
7. Joseph, born July 8, 1791, married (1) Mary
Davis, Feb.-lo, 1817, who died May 1, 1823, and
was the mother of his three children ; (2) Luthera
Bangs Wheeler, April 12, 1825, who died Nov. 30,
1851, and (3) Rebecca Crosby Edson, Aug. 3,
1853, who survived him and now lives in Iladley.
Joseph Adams lived for many years in Shutesbury
and carried on the lumber business, first with Asa
Adams, Jr., and afterwards with the latter' s two
oldest sons, S. W., and N. 1). Adams; but Joseph
Adams finally removed to Had ley (Plainvillc) and
founded the linn of Joseph Adams & Sons. Joseph
Adams died April 16, 1865. He was a man widely
known and greatly respected. He never withdrew
from the Congregational church at East Amherst,
with which the Adamses of Shutesbury have always
42 llir. Adams Family.
remained connected. Joseph Adams was the father
of three sons: (1) Benjamin, born May 12, 1819,
married April 22, 1841, Lnthera Bangs Wheeler,
who bore him three children, Mary Davis, born
Feb. 17, 1842, died July 29, 1843; Joseph Henry
born Aug. 11, 1845, graduated at Amherst College,
class of 1870; Charles Wheeler, born August 3,
1848; (2) Levi, born Nov. 6, 1820, married Mary
Wheeler, of Hard wick, Mass., May 30, 1843, who
bore him six children ; Elizabeth, born April 12,
1844, married Thomas Winn, May 1G, 1867; Mary
born Dec. 7, 1845, married Charles Kellogg, of
North Amherst, Dec. 23, 1868, (one son, AVillie
Adams Kellogg, born Nov. 22, 1869) ; Sarah, born
Feb. 13, 1848, died July 31, 1849; Emma, born
Jan. 15, 1850, died Jan. 19, 1878; Frank, born
Jan. 17, 1853; Willie, born Sept. 13, 1861, died
Aug. 28, 1865 ; (3) Charles, died March 23, 1823,
aged one j'car (see grave stone in the yard above
Pratt Corner, Shutesbury).
8. Bknjamin, born 1792, went to Florida and
married there. Thence he removed to Texas.
The names of Joanna, Asa, Isaac and Lucy
appear in the Records of Baptism in the first Church
at Amherst, as baptized on the same day, June\2,:
1782. Joseph was baptized Ji
Benjamin, April 23, 1793.
same uaj, tUine\z,:
kily 24, 1791, aljd]
i 4tJk I »
Asa Adams Jr. of Shutesbury. 43
VI. ASA ADAMS, JR.
For date3 of birth and marriage, sec V. (1). Asa
Adams, Jr., built a new house by the road (the old
house was back in the lot towards the barn), and
became a prosperous farmer, for Shutesbury. He
was Selectman in 1820 and Chairman of the Select-
men from 1824 to 1827. lie died June 2G, 1833,
aged 55, and is buried beside his father, who died
only seven years before him. His wife survived him
thirty-seven years. She died Aug. 20, 1870, aged
80, and lies buried beside her husband. The only
grave-stones in the little yard which bear inscriptions
are those of Asa and Grace, Asa and Clarissa, and a
few others of the name of Adams. The children of
Asa and Clarissa Adams were as follows :
1. Mary, born July 26, 1803, married Joseph
Davis, and died Oct. 22, 1840. She had eleven
children: (1) Ch a vies F., born May 3, 1826, mar-
ried, Aug. 28, 1850, Elvira, daughter of Eraslus
Adams, Jr., of Leverett, and now lives in Marshall,
Mich., eight children: Herbert E., (graduated at
the Uuiversit}' of Mich., married Etta Ilobart in
Athens. Mich., May 15, 1878, one child, Bertha E.,
born Aug. 4, 1879 ; Herbert is now working for the
Home Missionary Society and has organized a
Presbyterian Church at Negaunee, Mich.) ; J.
Elwyn, born Jan. 29, 1855 ; Cora A., born Oct. 19,
185G : Charles S., born Sept. 8, 1858, died Aug. 5,
44 The Ailama Family.
1860 ; William S., boni Jan. 2, 1863 ; Edward W.,
born March 13, 1864; Eugene C, born Aug. 1,
1868; Clam E., born Sept. 18, 1871, died July 3,
1873 ; (2) Francis W., born Feb. 5, 1828, married,
June 22, 1853, Emma Prentiss, in Cazenovia, N. Y.,
and lives in Marshall, Mich., two children: Mary
E., born Sept. 16, 1854 (married, Sept. 12, 1877,
Frank L. Henderson, Marshall, Mich., one child,
Dora D., born April 8, 1879) ; Frank J., born Apr.
24, 1858 ; (3) Clarissa E., b Jan. 29, 1830, married
in Cazenovia, N. Y., James Adams, Nov. 16, 1858,
one child, John D., b. March 9, 1860 ; (4) Lucia M.,
born Dec. 18, 1831, married, April 1, 1858, Myron
Tower, of Hadley, who died Dec. 19, 1860 ; she
married again, Dec. 15, 1864, Sherman \Vhite, of
Hadley, by whom she has had one child, Harriet E.,
born Feb. 3, 1867; (5) Infant Son, born March 12,
1833, died April 14, the same year; (6) Ward
Adams, born Sept". 14, 1835, married (1) Licy S.
.JoIiuhuii, in Cazonovia, N. Y., Sept. 16, 1858, who
bore him four children ; Henry W., born July 4,
1859; Ilattie I., born Sept. 9, 1861 ; William A.,
born March 7,1865; Seymour H., born Oct. 3,
1867 ; she died June 18, 1872 and Ward married
(2) Maria S. Jones, in Meridian, N.'Y.,- Jan. 31,
1877 ; (7) Dwight H., born May 16, 1837, married,
March 11, 1858, Fannie Marvin, of Lysander, N. Y.,
who bore him three children : Mary E., born Oct.
Ana Adams Jr. of Shutesbury. 45
18,1859; Lucia S., born Nov. 3,1802; Charles
l«\, born Murcli 15, 1861 ; (8) William JT., born
Sept. 5, 1839, murricd, Murcli 5, 1807, Ksther E.
Smith, in Lysander, N. Y., lives in Tekonsher,
Mich., one child, George W., born Aug. 4, 1871 ;
(9) Seymour W., born Nov. 8, 1841, served in the
war, died Oct. 30, 1862 ; (10) J. Harlan, born
April 24, 1844, married Emma Dean, in Tekonsher,
Mich., Oct. 22, 1873, two children: Clara E., born
Dec. 24, 1874; Russell H., born June 10,1878;
(11) John E., born Oct. 6, 1846, married Lucy A.
Boies, in Hadle}-, Mass., Sept 5, 1876, lives in Van
Buren, N. Y., two children : Homer W., born Oct.
24, 1877; George H., born Nov. 16. 1878.
2. Joanna, born March 30, 1805, married Oct.
6, 1825, Park Warner, of Granby. She had eight
children: (1) Austin, born Aug 13, 1826, died Oct.
19, 1844 ; (2) Sarah, born March 2, 1828, died March
March 3, 1828 ; (3) Charles Adams, born Sept. 5,
1829, married Kate Knight, of South Hadley, Sept.
2, 1851, died at Chaska, Minn., Oct. 21, 1867 ; (J)
Qeorije, born Jan. 22, 1835, lives in Springfield ;
(5) Lucian, born Feb. 22, 1837, married Nov. 18,
1858, and lives in St. Paul, Minn. ; (6) Mary Jane,
born Dec. 8, 1841, married Clinton Stebbins, of
Granby, Oct. 2, 1866, died March 13, 1868; (7)
Ella Maria Austin, born Jan. 10, 1846, died March
12, 1846 ; (8) Milan, born Aug. 5, 1848.
46 The Adams Family.
3. Clarissa, born Nov. 15, 1807, married, May
8, 1834, to Danforth K. Bangs, of Amherst. They
have one daughter, Louisa, born Feb. 13, 1839,
married, May 14, 18C3, John A. Baker, who died
Feb. 5, 1875.
4. AcnsAii, born Sept. 24, 1809, married, Feb.
15, 1831, to Cyras Kiug, of Amherst, by whom she
had seven children: (1) Woodbridge Adams, born
April 1, 1S32, married Sophia Slate, July 4, 1852,
two children : Henry Woodbridge, born Aug. 16,
1855, and Flora, born June 25, 1858 ; (2) Clarissa
Lucena, born June 5, 1834, died March 2G, 1841 ;
(3) Ebenezer Atwood, born March 1, 1839, married
Clara Hawley, April 11, 1860, two children: I [attic,
born July 28, 18G2 ; Frank Arthur, born April 30,
18G9; (4) Isaac, born Sept. 12, 1841, married
Mary Dickinson, Dec. 20, 18G4, two children :
llomei' Cyrus, born Dec. 27, 1870, died Feb. 6,
1876, and Mary Adclla, born Aug. 1,1878; (5)
Edward Puy.iun, born Dec. 28, 1843, married Emily-
etta Dickinson, Aug. 3, 18G9, two children: Carrie
Isidore, born Aug. 26, 1871, and Edward Samuel,
born Dec. 4, 1875; (6) Chloe Ella, born July 29,
1846 ; (7) Clara Emma, born Oct. 23, 1850.
5. Silas Ward, boru Sept. 26, 1811, married
Dec. 59, 1835, Lucinda Blodgett, of Belchertown,
who died Dec. 19, 1848. He married, Oct. 31, 1849,
Asa Adams Jr. of Shutcshury. 47
Matilda Church, of Bland ford. By his first wife he
had four children : (1) Willard, born Oct. 1, 1838,
died May 19, 1848 ; (2) Jane, born July 2G, 1840.
married Jan. 14, 18G4, Levi Woods, of Levcrett ;
(8) Mary Ann, born May 20, 1814, married April
17, 1864, Joseph Howard, of Shutesbuiy, by whom
she had three children ; he dying, she married again,
Sept, 5, 1871, Orus Fitts,, of Leverctt, by whom
she has had four children ; (4) Ella, born Sept.
jJ8, 184G, married Jan. 1, 1863, John Church,.of
|Blandford, bj; whom she had four children. She
'died Dec. 22, 1876. Silas Ward Adams, by his
second wife had five children: (1) Dwight Ward,
born Nov. 19, 1851, married July 21, 1876, Emma
Taylor; (2) Laura, born August 4, 1853, mar-
ried Aug. 3, 1873, Rnfus Fitts, of Leverett, b}*
whom she has had two children ; (3) Carrie, born
Oct. 23, 1855, married Aug. 3, 1873, William E.
Roberts, of North Amherst, b}' whom she has had
three children; (1) Emma, born Oct. 18, 1859, died
Oct. 23, 1864; (5) John, born Nov. 10, 1861.
6. Nathaniel Dickinson, born Jul}' 5, 1813,
married Dtc. 1, 1836, Harriet Hastings, of East
Amherst, who was born there May 15, 1816, and
who bore him three children, whose names are given
further on. He died Sept. 7, 1856.
7. Joseph Baxter, born March 24, 1815, died
Nov. 23, 1879. He married April 30, 1845, Silence
48 TIic Adams Family.
Hull, who bore him four children : (1) Harriet, born
June 8, 1847, married April 17, 1873, Charles L.
Loomis, of Florence ; (2) Myron, born May 10,
1840, married April 18, 1877, Clara Allen, and
lives in Williamsburg, Mass. ; (3) Lizzie, born Jan.
3, 1852, married May 15, 1876, George Adams, of
Springfield, now living in Chicago, two children,
Esther, born Feb. 23, 1877, Grace, born May 30,
1879 ; (4) Marie, born June 10, 1860.
8. Lucena, born Dec. 18, 1816, married May 6,
1836, Alden Field, of Leverett, to whom she bore
one child, Ralph. She died May 11, 1837. Alden
Field married again, and Carrie Field was born of
this marriage.
9. Caroline, born July 24, 1818, married Jan.
1, 1840, Ebenezer Spear, ot North Amherst, by
whom she had four children: (1) Asa Adams, born
Nov. 23, 1841, served as Lieutenant in the war,
graduated at Amherst College in 1866, married
Caroline A. Crocker, Nov. 3, 1870, and is now a
lawyer in New York ; (2) George Porter, born May
20, 1844, served in tho war, married Pamelia A.
Mayo, Oct. 22, 1805, and lives in North Amherst ;
(3) Harriet Amelia, born Jan. 10, 1846, died Feb.
9, 1849 ; (4) Mary Joanna, born Sept. 30, 1851 ;
(5) Sarah Louisa, born June 8, 1853, married Chas.
"W. Conant, of Gardner, Mass., June 27, 1877.
Asa Adams Jr. of Shntesbury 49
10. "William, born Feb. 18, 1820, married Nov.
6, 1841, Mary Eastman Dickinson, born Oct. 30,
1823, daughter of Sophia (Hastings) Dickinson,
who was a sister of Harriet Hastings, of Amherst.
William Adams settled in North Hadley, (Russel-
ville) , became a prosperous farmer and a deacon in
the Congregational church. He is remarkable for
his adherence to principle, for example, never yield-
ing to the temptation to raise tobacco, as did nearly
every farmer in the Connecticut Valley. He is the
father of three children: (1) Connlla Sophia, born
Nov. 22, 1848 ; (2) George Herbert, born Nov. 6,
1852, died Oct. 6, 1853; (3) William Herbert,
born March 12, 1855, and now living with his
father.
11. Harriet Atward Newell, born Nov. 28,
1821, married, Oct. 28, 1852, Edmund Hobart, of
North Amherst, by whom she had two children: (1)
Henry Ward, born July 31, 1855, died Dec. 23,
1858 ; (2) F)-ank Adams, born Nov. 22, 1866.
Mr. Hobart had been married once before, and his
son by that marriage, Moses Montague Hobart,
boru March 26, 1846, was always accounted a cousin
by the Adamses, lie graduated from Amherst College
in 1872, in the same class with Herbert B. Adams,
and is now a successful lawyer in Cleveland, Ohio.
He was Supervisor of the U. S. Census in Cleveland
for the year 1880. His father is a deacon in the
50 The Adams Family.
Church at North Amherst and one of the moat
prosperous farmers in the whole region. A picture
of his residence is given in the History of the Con-
necticut Valley, Vol I, opposite page 254. lie was
Sclectmau in 1873 and again in 1874.
12. Asa Adams, the third of that name, born
June 25, 1824, married Jan. 7, 1855, Carrie Bing-
ham, who bore him three children: (1) Charles,
Bingham, born May 28, 1857, died April 4, 1874 ;
(2) Clara Emily, born Nov. 1, 1860, died Sept. 8,
1865; (3) Carrie Belle, born Oct. 1, 1866. Asa
Adams taught school in his early life, but finally set-
tled in North Amherst, where he became a deacon
in the church and a highly respected citizen. He
was for several years one of the Assessors of the
town of Amherst.
13. Isaac, born June 25, 1826, died Nov. 6,
1848. He was something of a scholar and taught
school a few terms.*
* Tko datos In tliln record of Uiu 1'umlly of A»a Admit*, Jr.,
wcro copied from the family Bible by " Undo Sam," Clarissa East-
man's brother, who for some time was book-keeper of 3. & N. Adams.
IIo is said to have mado some llttlo alteraUon in tuo dates of the
original record, which he thought wrong in a few cases, and, after
proparing his copy, to have destroyed the original, a very Improper
thing to do. "Undo Sam's," copy has now been lost sight of, but
an exact transcript was made by William Adams, from whom the
compiler obtained it, in a somewhat tattered condition. AH the
facts there recorded arc hero reproduced and very many others have
been added thereto, so that the Adams genealogy is uot likely to
perish from the earth.
Nathaniel Dickinson Adam*. SI
VII. NATHANIEL DICKINSON ADAMS.
The name Nathaniel wa9 borne by the first New
England ancestor of the Dickinsons, who removed,
in 1G59, from Wethersficld, Connecticut, to Iladley,
and by many of his descendants — all men of local
celebrity— down to Revolutionary times. One of
these was Nathaniel Dickinson, Esq., son of that
Nathaniel Dickinson, whose father, Samuel, removed
from Iladley to Shutesbury. He was a graduate, in
1771, of Harvard College, a delegate, in 1774, from
Amherst to the first Provincial Congress, and after-
wards a lawyer of great repute in Western Massa-
chusetts. It was in honor of him that the subject of
this sketch was named. The early and intimate
connection between the Adams famity on the one
hand, and the Ward and Dickinson families on the
other, has been already mentioned. Asa Adams,
Jr., having remembered the Wards in naming his
first son, was prepared to name his second in honor
of "Squire Nat," as he was called.
The brothers, Bela U., and William Z. Dickinson,
of Amherst, were life-long friends of Nathaniel
Dickinson Adams, and have given the compiler
many interesting facts concerning him. They, and
his other familiar friends, were wont to call hip
"Dick." They speak of him as a man of genial and
quiet ways, but of great energy and untiring indus-
try. Indeed, the disease of which he died was
"t2 The Adams Family.
induced, as was gcuorally bcliovcd, by overwork.
J lo was associated in the lumber business for many
years, with his brother, under the firm name of S. &
N. Adams. Ward Adams superintended the mill
and manufacturing department, while Dickinson
Adams attended to the out-door work and to the
finances of the concern. In his business relations he
was prudent and far-seeing, and in all his dealings
scrupulously honest and exact. He was highly
respected by all who knew him, and deeply inter-
ested in public affairs. In 1851 he held the office of
selectman in his native town. Though a democrat,
he would have voted, doubtless, had he lived, for
Fremont, in 1850. He joined, in his }Outh, the
Second Congregational church of Amherst, in which
he was a constant and devout worshipper, as was his
father before him.
His chief ambition in life was to provide a liberal ed-
ucation for his children. He used to encourage them
in their studies by offering rewards, but things won or
(lone; woro nover iiltorwards praised or spoken of by
him. He only incited them, by new rewards, to now
endeavors. He was fond of calling upon his boys
to recount in the evening what they had learned or
done during the day at school, and of making them
declaim in the presence of the family, and of friends
who chanced to be present. Though a kind husband
and indulgent father, he was withal strict, aud at
Nathaniel Dickinson Adams. !>3
times severe Ilia children always stood somewhat
in awo of him. If punished at school, they were sure
of being repunished :\t home. 1 1 is wife never called
him Dick, but Dickinson, and he always called her
Harriet. There was much of the Puritan in his
character and composition. He stood up at famity
prayers, and religiously kept Saturday night. He
was reserved with strangers, but given to hospitality
and fond of social intercourse. He was plain,
sometimes blunt, of speech, and intolerant of deceit
and everything narrow and low. In a word, he was
an honest, upright, God-fear.ng man. He died at
the age of 44, in the prime of his manhood and
usefulness, and his pastor, the Rev. Charles L.
Woodworth, preached a memorial sermon in the
parish church from the text: — "What I do thou
knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter." *
The children of Nathaniel Dickinson Adams by
Harriet Hastings his wife are as follows :
1. Charles Dickinson, born in Shutesbuiy,
October 11, 1839, educated at the Amherst Acad-
01113% at Williston Seminary, Kasthainpton, Mass.T
class of 1859, and at Amherst College, class of
18G3. Principal of the Amherst High School, Win-
ter term, 1862-3 ; Instructor of the Middle Classical
Class at Williston Seraiuary, Fall term 1863 ; Grad-
* John, xnr., 7.
54 The Adams Family.
uate of the Columbia College Law School, 1864 ;
Law3Ter in the City of New York, firm of Rodman &
Adams.
He married, August 14, 1873 at Clinton, N. Y.t
Mary Clark Wood, born in Utica, N. Y., March 15,
1841. The}' have two children: (1) Oeorgiana
Wood, born Sept. 29, 1874; (2) Mason Tyler,
born May 18, 1877.
2. Henuy Martyn, born in Shutesbury, May 8,
1844, educated at Amherst Academy, Williston
Seminary (English Department), Troy Polytechnic
Institute, and at West Point. His "military history,"
which follows, is taken from Cullum's Register of
Graduates, U. S. Military Academy :
" Appointed from Massachusetts. Class rank 1.
Cadet at the United States Military Academy from
July 1, 18G2, to June 18, 1806, when he was
graduated and promoted in the Army to Second
Lieutenant Corps of Engineers, June 18, 1866 ;
First Lieut. Corps of Engineers July 10, 1866 ;
Served with Engineer Company at West Point, N.
Y., Oct. 1, 1866 to Sept. 2, 1867. Served at the
Military Academy as Assistant Professor of Engi-
neering Aug. 31, 1867, to Aug. 28, 1869 ; as Assist-
ant Engineer of Repairs of Forts Jackson and St.
Philip, La., Improvement of the Mouth of the Mis-
sissippi, and of Galveston Harbor and Bar, Texas,
and Surveys for River and Harbor works in Missis-
Nathaniel Dickinson Adams. 55
sippi, Louisiana and Texas, Sept. 1, 1869 to June 1,
1874 ; on Survey of the Northern Lakes and the
Mississippi River (Captain, Corps of Engineers,
Sept. 2, 1874) June 6, 1874, to Dee. 31, 1878 (in
charge May 10, 1877 to June 25, 1878) ; since Jan.
2, 1879, in charge of the Fourth and Fifth divisions
in the Office of the Chief of Engineers. "
He married, Oct. 28, 1875, at Detroit, Mich.,
Fanny Louisa Maguire, born July 17, 1850, in
Nashville, Tenn. They now live in Washington,
D. C, and have two childreu : (1) Herbert, born in
Detroit, Mich., Aug. 13, 187G ; (2) Edward
Maguire, born in Detroit, Mich., Oct. 22, 1877.
3. Herbert Baxter, born in Shutesbury, April
i^« 1850, educated in the Public Schools of Amherst
at Phillips Academy, Exeter, N. H., class of 1868,
and at Amherst College, class of 1872. Instructor of
the Middle Classical Class at "Willistou Seminary,
Easthainpton, Mass., 1872-3 ; Student of Ilistoiy
and Political Science at Lausanne, Heidelberg, and
Berlin, 1873-76 ; Ph. D., Heidelberg, 1876 ; Fellow
in History at the Johns Hopkins University, Balti-
more, 1876-78 ; Associate Professor in History,
1878-80 ; Lecturer on History at Smith College,
Northampton, Mass., 1878-80.
PART II.
THE THOMAS HASTINGS FAMILY, OF AMHERST.
TIIK history of tho Hastings family has been defi-
nitely traced through all its American branches
and back through English stock to its parent Danish
stem. Freeman, tho English historian, says there
are only five families in England that can really
trace their lineage back of the time of Edward III.
(1327-1377), and the Hastings family is one of
these. Many English people fancy they can trace
their descent from tho Normans, but Hastings is a
name older than the Norman Conquest (1066), for
the castle and seaport of Hastings were held by that
Their Enylish Ancestry. 57
family wlien William the Conqueror landed in Eng-
land. The region of the battle of Hastings was in
the possession of the famihy before the Normans
had settled in Gaul (911), for, as early as the time
of Alfred (871-901), we hear of a Danish pirate by
the name of Hasting who made himself formidable
to the Saxons by occupying with his followers a
portion of Sussex..
The first of the family who was elevated to the
peerage was Henry, Lord Hastings, son of William
de Hastings, Steward of Henry II., (1154-1189).
The Hastings coat of arms, containing a maunch
(sleeve) shows that the office of steward was hered-
itary in the family. The Hastings became allied to
the royal families of England and Scotland, and
were allowed to wear the arms of those countries
and also of Frauce, as one of the heirs of Plantag-
enet by marriage with the Princess Ida. George,
the third Lord Hastings, was created Earl of Hunt-
ingdon in 1529, and married the daughter of David,
King of Scotland. The famity of Hastings has en-
joyed nineteen peerages, but only two or three now
exist, and for these scarcely an heir survives. The
estates of the late Marquis of Hastings reverted to
the crown, for his line was -wholly extinct. The
family is Roman Catholic and bears an implacable
animosity towards Queen Victoria, on account of
some alleged ill-treatment.
5S The ITaatinffs Family.
Tho American descendants of the Hastings family
are so very numerous that the possessions of their
English cousins, wealthy though they are, would not
make any of us rich , if once distributed. But English
real estate can never pass into the hands of aliens,
so there is little to expect. The connection between
the English and American families is this: Sir
Henry and George Hastings, grandsons of the first
Earl of Huntingdon, had sons who became Puritans
and fled to New England. " As early as 1634, we
find Thomas Hastings and wife had arrived on this
shore; and in 1G38, John and family had followed.
That they were brothers was a tradition of the
family ; but it has not been clearly showu, and it is
more probable that they were cousins, Thomas
being descended from a younger brother of [Sir
Henry] the Earl of Huntingdon.
"The Hastings coat of arms was as follows: —
Ermine on a Chief Azure (blue), two mallets Or
(gold). — Crest, one star Or (gold), — known by the
name of Hastings. The motto of the Lords Hast-
ings was: In veritate victoria, (In truth there is
victory)."
The above and many of the following facts were
taken from a book called "The Hastings Memorial-^-
A Genealogical Account of the Descendants of
Thomas Hastings of Watertown, Mass., from 1634.
to. 1864," a work which was compiled a few years
Tliomas Hastings of Wntcvtoxon. 59
ago by Lydia Nelson (Hastings) Ruckmin9ter, of
Framingham, and published in 18GG, by Samuel G.
Drake of Boston. Copies of this valuable work
which shows the connection between the Hastings
of this country with their English Ancestry are now
generally distributed among American branches of
the family. There is also an account in Judd's
"History of Hadlcy" of the Hastings who have lived
in Western Massachusetts. It is not my purpose to
reprint either of these accounts in full, but simply to
collect the scattered facts concerning the immediate
ancestors of Lieut. Thomas Hastings of Amherst,
the fourth of that name in direct descent from the
Thomas Hastings above mentioned, who came to
this country from England. I have revised and
supplemented existing accounts by personal inquiries
and by consultation of the family records.
I. DEA. THOMAS HASTINGS, of Watertown.
Embarked at the age of 29 with his wife Susanna,
aged 34, from Ipswich, England, April 10, 1634, in
the " Elizabeth," William Andrews, master, for New
England, and settled in Watertown, Mass., where
he was admitted freeman, May 6, 1635. He "laid
down" a lot in Dedham, but never lived tjiere. He
was Selectman of Watertown from 1638, to 1643,
and again from 1650 to 1671 ; town clerk, 1671, '77,
"80 ; representative, 1673 ; and he long held the office
GO The Jlaatinga Family.
of deacon. His wife Susanna, died childless, Feb.
2, 1G50, and he married (2), April, 1G51, Margaret
Cheney, of Roxbury, who bore her husband eight
children. He died in 1G85, aged eighty years.
According to an inventory, dated Sept. 9, 1G85, hla
real estate amounted to £121. He owned two farms
and as many as fifteen other lots. He was grantee
for seven lots, the remainder he purchased. The
west side of School Street, then called Hill Street,
was always his residence. The homestead passed to
his son Samuel. To his oldest son Thomas, who
received a professional education, he gave only £5,
in his will, saying: "I have been at great expense
to biing him up a scholar, and I have given him
above three score pounds to begin the world with."
II. DR. THOMAS HASTINGS, of Hatfield.
Born in Watertowu, 1652, and removed to Hat-
field, Mass., where he was admitted freeman, Feb.
8, 1678. He was the only physician for Northamp-
ton, Hadley, Hatfield, Doerfield, and the whole
country around, lie was also the first school teacher
Hatfield ever had. According to Temple's "History
of Whately," page 20, "It was not uncommon to
unite the professions of physician and teacher in the
same person, and, as the grandmothers were mainly
relied upon for prescriptions and poultices, he [Dr.
Hastings] seems to have found sufficient time for
Thomas Hastings of Hatfield. Gl
the discharge of duty in the double capacity." It is
a remarkable fact, in regard to this school taught by
Dr. Hastings, that girls were admitted from the out-
set and pursued the same studies as the boys, remark-
able because such liberality was unknown elsewhere in
New England until after the Revolution. In Boston
girls were not admitted to the public schools until
1789 (see Boston School Report, 1866, page 28) ; in
Northampton, not until 1802 (see Judd's History of
Hadley, page 65). In view of these facts, there
seems to be a certain historic fitness that a Hatfield
woman should found the first woman's college in
New England, (Smith College, at Northampton).
Dr. Hastings' son Thomas also taught School in
Hatfield. The Doctor had nine children, six by his
first wife, Anna Hawks, of Hadley, who died Oct.
25, 1705, and three by his second wife, Mary Burt,
of Northampton. He died April 13, 1734.
III. DR. THOMAS HASTINGS, JR., of Hat-
field.
Born Sept. 24, 1679, married, March 6, 1701,
Mary Field, of Hadley, by whom he had twelve
children. His two oldest sons bore each the name
of Thomas, but both died. A third son was called
Waitstill and became a physician like his father, and
handed down the family title to his grandson, Dr.
John Hastings. There is a tradition that the town
G2 The Ilastlnga Family.
of Hatfield, from its first settlement, was never
without a Dr. Hastings. Dr. Thomas Hastings, Jr.,
was much sought after for his professional services.
Indeed, he was often called upon to attend patients
in Boston. On one of these visits to Boston, he
was suddenly taken ill, nnd, as tradition says, thought
ho was the victim of slow poison. He lived to reach
home, told his wife of his impression, and that he
should soon die ; as he did, April 14, 1728, in his
49th year.
IV. LIEUT. THOMAS HASTINGS, of Amherst.
Like Thomas Adams he was the fourth in descent
from the first settler bearing his name. He was the
3'oungest son of Dr. Thomas Hastings, Jr., and the
third of that name in a single family. He was born
Jan. 28, 1721, married in 1742, Mary Belden, of
Hatfield. They removed to Amherst about 1753.
He was a farmer and a lieutenant in the militia. He
lived on the South Road, near the place of the late
Frederick Williams, and died Jan. 22, 1787, aged
GG. His widow died July 81, 1801, aged 79. They
had thirteen children.
V. THOMAS HASTINGS, of Amherst.
lie was the oldest son of Lieut. Hastings ; born
May 20, 174G ; married 17G9, Hannah Billings;born
Feb. 20, 1749, daughter of Deacon John Billings, of
Thomas Hastings of Amherst. 03
Amherst. They lived on the old place. He died
Jan. 22, 1827, aged 81; she died Oct. 5, 1823-
They had eleven children: (1) Salome, born July
22, 1770, married Asa Dickinson, of Amherst, a
fanner. She died Sept. 6, 184G ; (2) Jerusha, born
Aug. 8, 1772, married Luke Rich, of Amherst, a
farmer. She died April 8, 1842, in the 70th year of
her age; (3) Hannah, born Nov. 10, 1774, died
Sept. 15,1777; (4) Submit, born May 13, 1777,
married Clark Green, of Amherst, father of Moses
B. Green, who graduated from Amherst College.
She lived to be about 90 years old ; (5) Hannah,
born Jan. 15, 1780, married Martin Kellogg, father
of Stillman Kellogg, of Hadley. She died May 4,
1871, aged 91 ; (G) Thomas, (see below, VI) ; (7)
Eli, born June 1, 1784, married Sarah Paine, of
Amherst. He was a farmer, and removed to Char-
don, Ohio, where he died March 20, 1835. He had
three children : George, Nancy, and Edwin ; (8)
Judith, born Oct. 1 1780, married George Nutting,
and now lives alternately with her daughters, Mrs.
George Whipple and Mrs. Baxter Bridgman, at the
advanced age of 94, and with her faculties in a re-
markable state of preservation ; (9) Mary, born
Oct. 27, 1788, married Samuel Smith, of Amherst.
They removed West; (10) Lucius, born Oct. 13,
1791, married, March, 1810, Olive Smith, of
Amherst, and died Sept. 25, 1823. He left six
G4 TJic Hastings Family.
children; (11) David, born April 15, 1795, died
Aug. 17, 179G.
VI. THOMAS HASTINGS, of Amherst.
Oldest son of Thomas Hastings and Hannah Bil-
lings (V). He was born Feb. 6, 1782, and married,
Nov. 1, 1803, Eunice Clark, born March 26, 1785,
sister of Capt. Clark, of Mill Valley. They had
thirteen children, and lived on the place now occu-
pied by Edmund Hastings. " Uncle Tom," as he
was called, was a farmer, but a man of considerable
genius and fond of writing verses. He died Oct. 11,
1858, aged 7G. His widow died Aug. 11, 1873,
aged 88. Their children and grandchildren are as
follows :
1. Sophia., born Feb., 1, 1805, married (1) Asa
Dickinson, May 12, 1822, by whom she had one
daughter, Mary, who married William Adams (see
Adams Family, VI, 10), and (2) Erastus Smith.
She died July 13, 1852.
2. Mart, born Sept. 28, 1807, died October
8, 1808.
3. Maky, born Feb. 17, 1809, died Feb. 1G, 1811.
4. Lucy, born March 3, 1811, died June 15,
1812.
5. Thomas, born Oct. 12, 1812, removed to
Maryland, married, Feb. 2, 1837, Corrilla Shipley,
of Ellicott's Mills, and died Sept. 10, 1837, aged 25.
Thomas Hastings of Amherst. 65
6. Jame9, bom Oct. 1G, 1813, married, April 7,
1841, Clarissa Pease, of Amherst. No children
living.
7. Henry, born Nov. 11, 1814, died Sept. 28,
1815.
8. Harriet, born May 15, 1816, married, Dec.
1, 1836, Nathaniel Dickinson Adams, of Shutes-
bury, by whom she had three children (see Adams
Family, VI, 6). After the death of her husband,
she removed (1857) to East Amherst, where she
now lives.
9. Henry, born May 1, 1818, married (1) Sa-
rah Pomeroy, June 2. 1840, who bore him three
children. She died Sept. 21, 1849. He married
(2) Mrs. Esther (Billings) Dickinson, June 10,
1851, who bore him three children. He now lives
in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. His children are as
follows: (1) Harriet E.n born May 8, 1841, mar-
ried George A. Badger, Dec, 1859 ; (2) Emily P.,
born June 11, 1845, died December 15, 1845; (3)
Thomas IT., born Dec. 11, 1840, ninrrind (1) Ellon
Jane Dickinson, of Providence, R. I., Dec. 14, 1870,
who bore him two children, (1) Bertha Cora, born
Oct. 31, 1872, (2) Ilattie Belle, born Nov. 25,
1874, died Dec. 13, 1875. His first wife died July
6, 1875. Thomas Hastings married (2) Lucia
Smith, of North Amherst, May 10, 1876; (4) Cora
GO The Ilantlngt Family. '
Billings, born Sept. 18, 1852, married Charles Irv-
ing Plumb, of Fond du Lao, March 22, 1871 ; (5)
George F., born Jan. 1, 1857; married, Dec. 24,
1879, Emma Matthews, of Fond du Lac; (6)
Charles L., born Oct. 30, 1858.
10. William, born April 18, 1820, married (1)
Roxanna Goodman, of South Hadley, May 10, 1843.
She died April 27, 1853. He married (2) Mrs.
Kate (Cro9se'tt) Wheeler, of Prescott, Oct. 1, 1854,
who bore him four children: (1) Alice Madora,
born June 10, 1855, died September 23, 1856 ; (2)
Ella Maria, born Oct. 13, 1857, died Feb. 18,
1858 ; (3) Jennie Crossett, born Oct. 22, 1361 ; (4)
William Clark, born June 23, 1865.
11. Edmund, born March 4, 1822, married Mi-
nerva Lee, of Conway, May 23, 1849, who bore.him
five children: (1) Emma Adelia, born Oct. 25,
1851, married William A. Webster, Sept. 1, 1875,
by whom she had one child, Walter. She died Oct.
16, 1878; (2) Mary Luella, born Feb. 23, 1856;
(3) Esther Munsell, born April 25, I860 ; (4) Abbie
Maria, born Dec. 2, 1864 ; (5) Walter Lee, born
May J5, 1868, died May 26, 1872.
12. Lucy, born Nov. 27, 1823, married David
H. Fiske, of Ludlow, died May 20, 1847, in the
twenty-fourth year of her age. No children living.
13. Philomela, born Jan. 10, 1828, married
Charles C. Moore, of California, Sept. 26, L873.