Vermilion county Illinois, ELLIS ADAMS ==================================================================== Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives Joy Fisher ==================================================================== p.200-201 ELLIS ADAMS. The history to which our attention is now directed is that of a man possessing some admirable traits of character and one whose course in life has been such as to command the esteem and confidence of all who have known him. During the vicissitudes of life he has spent many years in arduous labor, has handled probably a million dollars in money, has dealt honestly and fairly by his fellow-men and should reap a large measure of consolation from the fact that comparatively few have made personally so clean and admirable record. There are few who have not experienced adversity in their struggle with the world, some more and some less, and while with some it has had the effect to make them sour and cynical, others have learned wisely from the lesson and in this respect at least come off conquerors in the struggle. Nature endowed Mr. Adams with those qualities of mind and heart, which have enabled him to make the best of circumstances and leave the rest to Providence. The native place of our subject was not far from the New England coast in Sussex County, N. J., his birth occurring Sept. 25, 1817. He commenced the battle of life for himself at the early age of fourteen years, clerking in a store from that time until a young man of twenty, he then accompanied his father's family to Virginia and remained on a farm in the Old Dominion for a period of five years. Then leaving the parental roof he emigrated to Orange County, N. Y., where he was employed as clerk in the grocery store of Mr. Reeve in Goshen. Two years later he established himself as a general merchant at Unionville in the same county and sold goods there for fifteen years. Mr. Adams finally becoming wearied of mercantile pursuits concluded he would seek the farther West and settle upon a farm. Coming to this county, in 1857, he purchased 480 acres of land south of Fairmount and put up the largest residence in this vicinity. Thereafter he occupied himself at farming and merchandising until 1886, when on the account of the failing health of his wife he removed to Kansas, living there with a daughter one year and then returned to this county. Our subject in 1844 was united in marriage with Miss Amanda R., a daughter of Samuel King of Pennsylvania and a prominent farmer in his neighborhood. The ceremony took place at the home of the bride's mother in Philadelphia. This union resulted in the birth of three children, the eldest of whom, Frank A., was mnrried and died leaving his widow with two children. Anna is the wife of Stanley Conklin, a member of the firm of Jarvis, Conklin &. Co., in Kansas City, Mo., and they have two children. George C., married Miss Nellie, daughter of Hiram Catlett of Vance Township, and they have two children. Mrs Adams has been sorely afflicted with rheumatism, being in feeble health for the past twenty years and in 1884 was stricken with total blindness. She and her children are members of the Baptist Church in which Mr. Adams has been a Deacon for thirty years. In politics, Mr. Adams was first a Whig and later a Democrat. Although seventy-two years old he is in the enjoyment of good health and although having met with many reverses maintains the cheerful and genial disposition which has always attracted to him numbers of warm friends. He appreciates the importance of preserving the family record and a few years ago wrote up a complete history of his life placing it in the hands of his son. The father of our subject was Joseph Adams, a native of New Jersey and a farmer by ocupation. He married Miss Martha Post, a native of New Jersey and they lived there until 1839. Then disposing of their interests in that State they removed to Spottsylvania County, Va., where the mother died at the age of fifty-two years. Joseph Adams spent his last years in Virginia and departed this life in July, 1845. The parental household included eleven children, all of whom lived to mature years. Grandfather Adams was a prominent man in Sussex County, N. J. and held the position of Judge for some years.