Will County IL Archives Biographies.....Adam, William 1821 - 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Deb Haines ddhaines@gmail.com May 10, 2007, 1:06 am

Author: Portrait & Bio Album, 1890

WILLIAM ADAM, an old and honored resident of Joliet, has long been connected 
with its business interests as the oldest lumber dealer in the city, having a 
large and well-stocked lumber-yard on the corner of Des Plaines and Van Buren 
Streets. He is also President of the Joliet Paper Company, which was 
incorporated here in 1888, with a capital stock of $15,000 by himself and his 
son, and they also have a barbed fence and wire factory in the same building 
as their paper mill. Mr. Adam was born in Renfrewshire, Scotland, February 4, 
1821. He was a lad of eleven years when he came to this country in 1832 with 
his parents, James and Margaret Adam. They located in Montreal, Canada, and 
there the remaining days of his youth were passed. In 1850 he became a 
resident of the United States, coming to Joliet with his family, and for a 
period of forty years his life has been spent in this city. In 1853 he 
established a lumber yard here, and that being before the advent of railways 
in this part of the country, all of his lumber was brought to him by the 
canal. He also took charge of a grain business, and was much prospered in both 
ventures, and gained capital whereby he was enabled to branch out in other 
directions. He built the city roller flouring mill, in which he engaged in the 
manufacture of flour until it burned in 1887. He rebuilt on the same spot, and 
uses the present building as a paper mill, a wire mill, and a barbed fence 
factory, and is largely interested in the manufacture of those articles. This 
business, which is an extensive and constantly growing one, is conducted by 
himself and son, William J., under the firm name of William Adam & Son, a 
corporate company, which was incorporated in 1888, with our subject as 
President, and his son as Secretary and Treasurer. Mr. Adam is also 
prominently connected with the Peoples' Town and Homestead Association, of 
which he was one of the first stockholders, he giving great encouragement to 
the organization of the concern. He has avoided all official and political 
life, although he is well-adapted for both, and he has given his whole 
attention to his business affairs. He is a man of keen intelligence, and in 
his travels he has gleaned au interesting fund of knowledge, and from his well-
informed mind draws original topics of conversation, and is apparently well-
versed in all questions of general importance. Last winter he passed the 
season in California, and has visited other parts of the country, and is quite 
a tourist. Mr. Adam has been twice married. By his marriage with Jane Roach, 
in Canada, he had born to him A. R. and William J. His second marriage was 
with Miss Jane E. Martin, of this city, and to them have come two children, R. 
M. and Jeanette, now the wife of J. S. C. Royer, of Chicago. As their 
interests are so closely connected, we are pleased to incorporate a sketch of 
the life of the son in this biographical review of the life and work of the 
father.

Additional Comments:
Portrait and Biographical Album of Will County, Illinois, Containing Full Page 
Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens 
of the County; Chicago: Chapman Bros., 1890 

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