Crawford County IL Archives News.....Was " Shorty"  Adams kidnapped? March 6, 1997
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Sally Knauss knowse@bellsouth.net October 29, 2006, 6:54 pm

The Robinson Argus March 6, 1997
The Robinson Argus, March 6 1997, Page 4
From Argus Files:
News Briefs of the Past

Compiled by Sue Jones
1909    88 Years Ago


An incident in connection with the war of the rebellion.

	Was "Shorty" Adams kidnapped?  This was a question that came to mind 
recently on meeting "Shorty" on the street.  What is his real name?  That is a 
question he does not know himself.

	In August, 1865, at Selma, Alabama, the 11th Missouri regiment was 
encamped doing such provost duty as was continued at certain points after the 
surrender of General Lee.  Company H of this regiment was made up from 
Crawford County, and nearly all the regiment was from Illinois, composed of 
men who were anxious to get into the service, and being at the beginning of 
the war when the quota of their own state was full they went to fill that of 
Missouri.

	In this company were two brothers, Zach and Joe Adams, who had made 
their home with an uncle, Josiah Adams, on Lamotte Prairie.  A disturbance of 
some kind was started in Selma, and in an effort to quell it by a squad of Co. 
H, Joe Adams was shot and killed.  While at home on veteran furlough in the 
spring of 1864, the young man had been married to Miss Mary Jane Goodwin of 
the Prairie.  His brother got a furlough and a permit to bring the body home 
for burial.  He came on a government transport to Cairo, and from there by 
rail to Sullivan, Ind., which was then the nearest railroad point to the 
Prairie.

	When he arrived home with the corpse, a small boy was also with him, 
and the report was given out that when the boat stopped for a short time at 
Memphis, this little boy came aboard selling papers, and that Sergeant Adams 
got to talking with him as is not uncommon for men to do with strange boys at 
times, and told him about taking his brother home for burial.

	Some time after leaving Memphis he said the boy was discovered to be 
on the boat.  Being questioned about being a "stow-away," he said his purpose 
was to go and see the dead soldier buried.  And so Sergeant Adams brought him 
home with him.

	Mr. and Mrs. Josiah Adams were childless, and had raised the two 
nephews, the elder being married and the younger one recently married and now 
dead, decided to keep the little boy, as it was not known what to do with 
him.  Sergeant Adams, being about to return to his regiment by another route 
and not having opportunity to take him back to Memphis.  The little fellow 
knew no name for himself except that he had always been called "Billy."  So he 
was given the name of William Adams, and as such he was known.

	When the regiment was discharged, Sergeant Adams was not desirous of 
taking the boy back to Memphis, and so he continued to have a home with these 
good childless people, grew up, but the growing up was quite limited, and it 
was thus he got the name of "Shorty," which still remains his pseudonym.  The 
boy was sent to school and given such advantages of education and training as 
the youth of the time were given by their own parents.

	When the boy had grown up Mr. Adams thought it but right that the boy 
should have an opportunity to find his people, and gave him money and told him 
to go to Memphis and make some investigations.  The young man left, and in 
about ten days returned, saying he saw no one that "looked like any one he had 
ever known," and that there was nothing about the city with a familiar look.

	As the good people who had raised him had nothing for him to 
do "Shorty" learned the trade of painting, and Mr. Adams, dying about this 
time, he was without a home.  He soon after married,  and raised a family of 
two or three children, who have married and gone into homes for themselves.

	His wife died some time ago at Marshall, where he was then residing 
and he came back to Robinson, where he had formerly lived, and got employment 
at his trade, making his home with old friends.

	A few weeks ago I questioned him about his early history, of which he 
says he has no recollection whatever of any event prior to his meeting on the 
boat with Sergeant Adams when he was bringing his brother home for interment, 
except that he was selling papers.  He has no memory of parents or a home, of 
his age, or of any name except that of "Billy."


Additional Comments:
Zachariah and Josiah Adams were the son's of Zachariah Adams and Margaret 
Murphy Kellogg.  Zachariah married 1st. Julia Ann Pritchard Meeker 2nd. Sarah 
Jane Willard.  Josiah married Mary J. Goodwin.  They possibly had a brother 
named John R Adams.

Zachariah and Josiah Adams Sr's were the son's of Joel Adams and Mary "Polly" 
Preston.  Josiah married Sarah Jane Kellogg.  Sister Cynthia Ann Adams married 
Absalom Higgins

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