Nansemond County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....Adams, John Q., 1952 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ John Q. Adams, Former Active Realtor, Dies John Quincy Adams, one of the largest holders of Norfolk investment properties a few years ago, died January 4th at Tampa, Fla., where he had been making his home since about 1946. Adams first began acquiring real estate in Isle of Wight County while operating his ferries by purchasing woodlands and farms when they could be bought cheap. He made quite an impact on the Norfolk realty market in the early 1940's by acquiring upwards of 80 pieces of property valued in excess of $1,500.000. Since 1948, however, he had disposed of most of his interests in Norfolk, which included apartment houses, office buildings, homes, a dock and three warehouses. Adams became interested in resort property upon moving to Florida and at one time had control the operations of four Tampa hotels - the Puritan, Bay View, Fort Thomas and Mirasol. Native of Crittenden, Nansemond County, where he culled oysters for 25 cents a day in his youth, Adams raised sufficient capital to start a ferry business in 1907 from Chuckatuck Creek to Newport News. It grew through the years to a four-ferry business until he was "bridged- out," as he described it, by the James River Bridge System. Then he shifted his fleet to the upper Potomac, where he operated until 1941 between Colonial Beach and Morgantown, Md. He was "bridged out" again, but soon made a name for himself in the real estate investment field, particularly in Norfolk. His first investment there was in a Holt Street dwelling, which he bought for $8000. He then acquired some additional property property on York and Bute streets before reaching over to Colley and Colonial avenues, buying late in 1944, he had holdings all over the city. In an interview several years ago, he said his formula for succcess was, "Work hard and buy when the price is cheap." His only hobby was walking through the woods, but he admitted that he enjoyed a little fishing at times. Soon after moving South he acquired a heavily wooded 300-acre farm on which he made his home, later acquired another 1,000 acres near Tarpon Springs. His son, John Quincy Adams, III, left for Florida two days ago upon learning that his father was dying. Another son, Stanley, resides in Tampa and was in charge of the hotel operations. A third son is a tugboat captain. John Quincy ADAMS, II, real estate investor, former ferry operator, b. 13 Jan 1878*, Crittenden, Nansemond Co., d. 4 Jan 1952, Tampa, FL, interred in Garden of Memories Cemetery*, Tampa, Hillsborough Co., FL, "Smithfield (VA) Times," Vol. 34, No. 32, Thurs., Jan. 10, 1952, p. 1 *Additional information: Birthdate from WW-II draft registration; WW-I & 1900 Census give 1879. His grave marker shows "1878 - 1952." A photo of - added by Lawler Family - is posted with Find a Grave Memorial #35755984, which gives b. 13 Jun 1877. There is another John Quincy Adams (1879-1967) in the same cemetery. His parents, John Quincy Sr. & {1st wife} Ella Sarah (GRAY) ADAMS, are buried in Bunkley Hill Cemetery, Eclipse. (Find a Grave Memorial #5693031 &c.) Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Carolyn Keen (VAHistoricHouses@aol.com) & Mrs. Bruce Saunders (bs4403@verizon.net), and re-formatted by File Manager. file at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/obits/a352j1ob.txt