Daniel Adams, in spite of living on Adams Island with various parents, siblings and extended family, waited to marry until he was 25 years old, which is typical for that era, when he wed Sarah Ann Parker on 15 September 1836 on Deer Island, West Isles, New Brunswick, Canada.

It is a bit surprising that his bride, Sarah Ann Parker, was willing to begin her married life on tiny Adams Island, where it is thought that at least five of their children were born. The death certificate Daniel’s and Sarah’s son Nelson states his birth place as Adams Island. He was born on 2 June 1850.

Sarah was born on 24 January 1817 on Campobello Island, West Isles, New Brunswick, Canada. Campobello Island is much larger than Adams Island and had a vibrant social life with many families living there.

She was the daughter of Benjamin Parker and Maria Wilson and the second of six children born to the couple. Sarah’s mother, Maria, died about 25 October 1828 on Campobello, per a death notice in the Eastport Sentinel newspaper.

It appears that Daniel Adams, his wife and children might have continued to live on Adams Island until shortly after son Nelson was born.

The first census of the West Isles in New Brunswick, Canada that has survived is that of 1851. The location is only stated as the West Isles. However, it is evident from the other families enumerated that they were living on Deer Island. Even Sarah’s father, Benjamin Parker, had removed from Campobello to Deer Island. It’s also possible that Daniel met Sarah in the early 1830s while visiting friends and family on Deer Island.

Notice that in the above census, Daniel’s occupation is fisherman. The next three paragraphs, in which Daniel sold his Canadian land make mention of a weir privilege, support the statement that he was a fisherman.

In Part 1, land ownership on Adams Island was mentioned. There are no extant deeds proving how Thomas or Daniel Adams came to own land on Adams Island. However, there are deeds proving that they owned and sold land on the island.

On 10 September 1852, Thomas Adams mortgaged his five acres of land to John Morrison, noting that it included the agreement for Daniel Adams to have weir (an enclosure to trap fish) privileges.

On 22 May 1854, Daniel Adams sold his 15 acres of land to John Morrison, mentioning land owned by the late Sturges Adams (Daniels’ uncle) and land sold to him by Henry Adams (Daniel’s brother), proving that extended family all lived there at one time or another. Daniel’s land deed description even included his moiety or undivided half privilege of weir access.

No. 113 Deed Daniel Adams To John Morrison

Know all Men by These Presents that I Daniel Adams of the Parish of West Isles in the County of Charlotte and Province of New Brunswick Yeoman for and in consideration of the sum of twenty five Pounds of current money to me paid by John Morrison of the same place yeoman the receipt whereof I hereby acknowledge have bargained granted and sold and by these Presents do bargain grant sell release convey and confirm unto the said John Morrison and to his heirs and assigns the following described land and premises situate on Adams Island so called in the Parish aforesaid and butted and bounded as follows to Wit Beginning at the westerly corner of my Fish House and the north westerly beach on said Island thence running easterly by a straight line to an old cellar about Ten Rods more or less thence easterly by the line of the late Sturges Adams land about Twenty five rods to the Westerly corner of Milking Yard Cove so called and thence by the shore northerly and Westerly to the place of beginning containing about fifteen acres more or less saving and excepting nevertheless out of and from the said described Premises about three fourths of an acre situate at said Milking Yard Cove sold by me to Henry Adams as by reference to my deed of the cause will more fully appear Also one moiety or Undivided half of the Bar and Weir_____ So called at Chatter Point in the north easterly side of said Island Extending to Low Water Mark including the Ledge or Nabble? and I do ______ my heirs executors and administrators covenant and agree to and with the said John Morrison his heirs and Assigns that I am Lawfully seized of the aforedescribed land and premises as a good and ___ible estate of inheritance saving and excepting as aforesaid in fee simple free of all incumbrances and that I will Warrant and defend the same together with all the privileges and appurtances thereunto or in any ___ _____ thereto to him the said John Morrison and to his heirs and assigns against the lawful claims of all Persons In testimony whereof I hereunto subscribe my name and affix my seal with Sarah Ann Adams my wife at Adams Island in West Isles in the County aforesaid this 22^nd day of May 1854.

Daniel Adams LS  Sarah Ann Adams LS Attest John McKenny
Eliza Ann Heney? Charlotte LS
Be it remembered that on this 23^rd day of May 1854 Personally appeared Daniel Adams and Sarah Ann Adams and Acknowledged that they executed the above and before written deed For the use and purposes therein named and the said Sarah Ann Adams wife of said Daniel Adams was further examined by me separate And apart from her said husband and acknowledged that the ____ She said freely and voluntarily without any threat fear or compulsion

Before me John McNeill J P — Recd and Regd April 4^th 1868

Previously, on 15 May 1852, Daniel sold land he owned on Deer Island to George D. Street.

From these transactions, it appears that Daniel Adams grew up on Adams Island and sometimes before the 1851 census he moved his family to Deer Island, seemingly buying land there, which he sold the following year.

However, Daniel and Henry Adams were busy men in the early 1850s. In addition to selling land on Deer Island and family land on Adams Island, Daniel and his brother, Henry, bought land from James Huson on 6 July1852 in Calais, Washington, Maine. they then completed several transactions between themselves and to others with the purchased land.

The Calais deeds mention the Hayden plan, laying out the streets of Calais, that was created in 1820. I haven’t been able to locate an image of that plan. However, Daniel’s and Henry’s deeds make reference to the easterly and westerly half of Lot 83, as called in Hayden’s plan, with the reservation of the right of way over the river end to the railroad.

Look at this 1879 Calais map:

The numerous docks indicate the success of Calais’s harbor industries, which included shipping and boat building. Lot 83 had to be close to the water front with what looks like short rail lines crisscrossing the dock area.

Let’s jump back in time a couple of decades to the 1860 census of Calais, Washington, Maine:

Daniel and his family are listed in the middle of the census page and he has a new occupation – boat builder! His sons Benjamin and Calvin were working with him, too. His brother, Henry, lives two doors away, but has turned from fishing to farming.

So, in 1851, Daniel was a fisherman in the West Isles, but by 1860, he was called a boat builder in Maine.

When did Daniel begin his new career? Apparently, even though he was called a fisherman in 1851, there is proof that he had already begun building boats ON ADAMS ISLAND by 1849:

The third entry from the bottom of the above page describes the Plover, a 7-ton schooner built in 1849 at Adams Island, New Brunswick, Canada by DANIEL ADAMS, of Adams Island.

Daniel was successful with his first known boat build and, from that time, seems to have made plans to expand and continue his new trade. That might well explain why he bought some land on Deer Island for a short time (home to other boat builders) before moving to Calais.

Daniel appeared in two more censuses during his life. In 1870, his name was written incorrectly by the census taker as DONALD. His is the first family at the top of the page.

In 1880, the family still lived in Calais:

Family members at home were fewer as the years went on and children married and set up their own homes.

However, Daniel Adams remained a boat builder in all three of the U.S. censuses in which he appears.

Several of his sons also took up carpentry in the boat building industry, as censuses show Benjamin, Calvin, Nelson and Lowell all involved at some point. Calvin remained in the business until retirement.

In Part 3, we’ll look at the family of Daniel and Sarah Ann (Parker) Adams.