History of Macon County, Illinois, 1880, p. 198 DAVID M. ADAMS Among the prominent farmers of Friend's Creek township stands the name of the subject of this sketch. He is a native of Pennsylvania, and was born in Center county, November 8th, 1822. The family are of English ancestry, and are closely related to the Adams family of Massachusetts, two members of which were Presidents of the United States. Alexander, the grandfather of the present sketch, was born in Massachusetts, and was a cousin of John Quincy Adams. He emigrated to Pennsylvania a short time before the revolutionary war, and was a soldier in that memorable struggle for independence. He was captured at Chadd's Ford, in one of the battles in Pennsylvania. John his son, and father of D.M. Adams, was born in Center county, Pennsylvanis: he remained there until his death, which occurred about the year 1868. During his life he was largely engaged in the iron business, but met with reverses by endorsing and trusting too much to the honesty of would-be friends. John Adams married N! ancy Miller; she was also a native of Pennsylvania, and died in 1843. There were ten children by this marriage--five sons and five daughters. Seven of the children have survived the parents. The subject of this sketch is the second son, and fifth in the family. His advantages for an education in his youth were limited, as it was before the era of free schools in Pennsylvania. He, however, received the rudiments of an education, to which he has added a valuable store of information by extensive reading and close observation. During his school-days he was the companion and fellow-pupil of Andrew G. Curtin, afterwards the Governor of Pennsylvania, and yet a distinguished citizen of that state. Mr. Adams remained at home until his twenty seventh year, when he started out in life for himself. He first went to Kentucky, but soon after removed to Clinton county, Ohio, where he remained ten years. While there, he engaged in farming and trading in stock, which has been the principal bu! siness of his life since that time. In the month of November, 1862 18-3, Macon county, where he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land and improved it; remaining there until 1875, when he sold out and purchased land in section 26, 18-3, to which he removed, and where at present he still resides. In February, 1860, while yet a resident of Ohio, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Hankins, a native of the same state. By this union there have been six children, five of whom are living. Their names are: Ada B., William E., Mary E., Helen L., Charlotte M. Frederick, the youngest, died in the third year of his age. Both he and his estimable wife are members of the Christian Church. Politically, he was originally an old-line whig, and cast his first vote for Henry Clay in 1844. He continued a whig until the formation of the republican party, when he joined its ranks. In late years, however, he has been to a certain extent independent, and a believer in the principles and theories of the greenback party. In local and state elections he v! otes for the best men, regardless of politics; but in all national elections he has always voted the old-line whig or republican ticket. Upon the subject of temperance he is an advocate of its principles, and is a temperate man, but he is not a radical prohibitionist. His business through life has been that of a farmer and stock-raiser, except the younger part of his life, when he was an assistant of his father in the same business; but since his residence in the west he has been identified with the agricultural interests of the county. He started life unaided, except that he had strong hands and an abundance of energy, and, with the assistance of his excellent wife, he has succeeded in gaining a comfortable competency. Typed by Pat Hageman hageman@inx.net ------------------------------------------------------------ USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ------------------------------------------------------------ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Pat Hageman (© 1997 Pat Hageman)