NOTE: Recommended Reads will be back next week.
While Recommended Reads is on hiatus, I will be sharing some digitized resources that I have written through the years and will also share a couple of books that have been invaluable to me along my genealogical journey.
The last article I would like to share with you is one I put together in the 1990’s, outlining some of the thousands of descendants of Loyalist John Adams who left his home, friends and family in Fairfield County, Connecticut during the American Revolution and sailed to Canada at the close of the war.
John Adams was born about 1740 and died after 1818, possibly on Adams Island, West Isles, New Brunswick, Canada. He married Sarah Coley, daughter of Jonathan Coley and Lucy Sturges, on 31 August 1765 at Weston, Fairfield, Connecticut.
John and Sarah were apparently the parents of about ten children:
1. Jonathan, born 1766, who married Grace Rideout.
2. Hannah, born c1768; died before 1851 census; married William Segee.
3. John, born c1771; married Elizabeth (MNU).
4. Daniel, born c1772; married Sarah Ives.
5. Edward, at Lincoln, Sunbury, NB in 1818; nothing else known.
6. Sturges, born 1777, CT; married Lydia Brawn.
7. William, listed in Martha Barto’s book, Passamaquoddy; nothing else known.
8. David, granted 100 acres in Sunbury County in August 1839, Lot 1, Susowasis Brook. In 1842, David and sister Hannah sold land in Lincoln (part of grant to Wilmot).
9. Thomas, born 1783, New Brunswick; married Sarah Brawn.
10. James, married Elizabeth Moffatt.
John’s descendants today live both in Canada, primarily New Brunswick, and in the United States.
When I compiled this family history, I actually brought it down to about the year 2000. However, for privacy’s sake, I created an abridged version of the family history, covering four generations. The youngest descendants in this version were born right around 1900.
As always, I love to hear from distant cousins, so if you find your Adams people in this article, please contact me.
Outstanding research. You saved me a ton of time as i was trying to track my ancestry back to the revolution. My lineage goes through Sturges, Frederick, Alonzo and Wallace C Adams.
Thanks for your hard work, John Adams
Hi John, Glad you found my post. I worked with several other Adams researchers back in the 1980s – all of whom I believe have passed away – and we eventually cracked the brick wall. Sturges’s name was the clue.
Great info. It connects with the info that my grandfather and I gathered. We are descendants of John sons John and Daniel (my great grandparents were 3rd cousins). Several of the cousins moved to Linneaus, ME around 1846. Considering this town has only 600 inhabitants, by the 1950 about half the town was related to the Adams family. I have many pictures and notes on the family in Linneaus from the 1800’s to the present. My uncle and a cousin still own 2 of the family farms that the family has worked since 1800’s.
My husband Eric Adams is a descendant of Daniel Adams through his son Justus. Only a small number of Daniel’s family remained in New Brunswick. Most went to linneus maine. So nice to find new cousin. BTW We have been to Fairfield Connecticut where the first Adams in our line settled in the 1600s. W e found a lot of info there about the family at the Fairfield history centre and museum. Don’t know if you had gotten that far back. Which one of Daniel’s children is your ancestor? We also have met cousins in Utah , descendants of Daniel;s son James William. Gloria
Chris, I just saw your post from 3 years ago. I too descend from John Adams through Daniel. From Daniel, my line goes through William Adams (Eliza Hughes), Margaret Jessie Adams (John Hughes), Jessie Hughes (Eben Collins) and my grandfather Murlin “Mickey” Collins. My grandfather was born in Linneus in 1909. He later moved to Houlton where my mother was born. My grandfather would drive as young lads through Linneus pointing out the family farms and cousins. Regrads, Dana Fenton
Fascinating work. Thanks for sharing. I am an Adams whose ancestors also appear to have been British loyalists who relocated to Canada (many settled in Gaspé, Quebec, just north of New Brunswick.)
I’ve traced my roots to John Henry Adams, born in Gaspé between 1777-1782. But there’s where my trail goes dark. I can’t find anything about his arrival, his parents, etc.
I’m happy to share what I’ve found thus far. If you have any hints, tips, or clues for me, I’d be much obliged.
Thank you and kind regards,
Ed
My family lived on Adams Island from about 1835 to 1870. John Morrison raised a large family there. His wife died there. Do you know if there is a cemetery there? I want to visit the Island and like to contact the owner. Any information?
Hi – came across this in researching my own family. This John Adams was my 6th great grandfather- and then I was descended from the Daniel Adams/ Sarah Ives line. I have been using a self-published book by my great grandfather orville adams “the story of an adams family” in researching most of this. I am in the process of developing a photographic project in northern maine that would use this family history as a backdrop…would love to understand more specifics of their migration through the region