Descendants of Robert Adams: Generation 3

Captain Abraham¹⁷ Adams (ABRAHAM¹⁶, ROBERT¹⁵, ROBERT¹⁴, RICHARD¹³, JOHN¹², JOHN¹¹, JOHN¹⁰, THOMAS⁹, ROGER⁸, JOHN AP⁷, JOHN AP⁶, THOMAS AP⁵, JOHN AP⁴, WILLIAM AP³, JOHN AP², JOHN AP¹) was born 02 May 1676 in Newbury, Essex, MA and died 08 April 1763 in Byfield, Essex, MA. He married Anne Longfellow December 1703, daughter of William Longfellow and Anne Sewell. She was born about 1684 and died 24 September 1758 in Byfield, Essex, MA.

Notes for Captain Abraham Adams[1]:
Abraham began life as a sailor and became a sea captain. He made numerous voyages to the West Indies and to England. His father, Sergeant Abraham, gave him a farm above the falls in Byfield (now ‘Highfields’) and he built there the house shown as it now appears in the frontspiece, the home of Mr. George W. Adams (1880). In it are the original deed of the estate and two chairs which were brought to her new homeby the bride. Many other relics – desks, spinning wheels, tables, chairs, warming pans, china, pewter, a tall clock, a sword used in the battle of Bunker Hill, the diary of Josiah Adams, silhouettes of colonial men and maids are among the treasures of the house. Captain Abraham became a successful farmer and died in Byfield at the age of 86.

Notes for Anne Longfellow[2]:
Anne Longfellow was the daughter of William and Anne (Sewell) Longfellow. William came from England and was the ancestor of the poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. His wife, Anne, was the daughter of Henry and Jane (Dummer) Sewell, and sister of the Honorable Chief Justice, Samuel Sewell. Anne Longfellow Adams died at the age of 74 years.

Children of Abraham Adams and Anne Longfellow are:

i.	Stephen18 Adams. Notes for Stephen Adams: Died young.
ii.	Samuel Adams, b. Newbury, Essex, MA; d. 08 May 1791; m. Mary Jewett Brown, 26 November 1747. Notes for Samuel Adams: He succeeded to the Homestead, Newbury-Byfield (Highfields), and is described as a shrewd businessman who acquired a large property. He went with four of his sons as soldiers in the war of the Revolution and his house was a rendezvous for all the patriots. He died 08 May 1791, aged 73 years. His widow died 17 November 1812 at the age of 90 years.
iii.	Anne Adams, b. 29 April 1705, Newbury, Essex, MA; d. 1787, Kingston, NH; m. Robert Stuart, 11 December 1727; b. 26 November 1701; d. abt. 1778, Kingston, NH. Notes for Robert Stuart: He was born 26 November 1701 and died near the close of the Revolutionary War. They settled in Kingston, NH. Their first home in the woods of Kingston (afterward Newton), NH was a log cabin. He had been an employee of Gov. Dummer at Rowley. He was a Baptist and helped to organize the first Baptist Church in New Hampshire at Newton in 1755. He built a church of logs called “Stuarts Church” and supported the preaching, refusing to pay the town minister’s tax for which an unsuccessful attempt was made to arrest him.
iv.	William Adams, b.08 May 1706, Newbury, Essex, MA; d. 1766; m. Elizabeth Noyes, 17 April 1728; B. 16 January 1707/08; d. 1787 Notes for William Adams: He settled in that part of Rowley which is now Georgetown, MA and built a house (long after occupied by his son-in-law, Benjamin Adams, Jr.) on land which his father, Captain Abraham had purchased as early as 1721/22. The house was burned in 1800. He was one of the original founders of the church in Georgetown in 1732, then the 2nd parish of Rowley. He was a farmer and died in the winter of 1765/66. His will was made 9 May 1765, proved 24 March 1766 and makes mention of his brother, Abraham, and the nine children.
v.	Mary Adams, b. 26 September 1707, Newbury, Essex, MA Notes for Mary Adams: She married 30 September 1728, Thomas Poor of Andover, MA. Died without issue.
vi.	Sarah Adams, b. 29 September 1713, Newbury, Essex, MA; m. Deacon Samuel Somerly, 29 September 1735, Newbury, MA. Notes for Sarah Adams: Residence: Rowley, MA Notes for Deacon Samuel Somerly: He was of Newburyport, MA. They resided in Rowley, MA.
vii.	Abraham Adams, b. 24 August 1715, Newbury, Essex, MA; d. 18 September 1771; m (1) Mary Coleman, 18 November 1737; b. abt. 1717; d. 06 May 1752; m. (2) Sarah Foster, 20 January 1760. Notes for Abraham Adams: He was a tanner in Metheun 1743-1747, but resided most of his life in Rowley (now Georgetown) on what was the Shute place, Nelson Street. His mind became unsound and he hung himself in the entry of his house, 18 September 1771, age 56 years. Notes for Mary Coleman: She died of fever at the birth of triplets, 06 May 1752, age 35 years. The children died the same day.
viii.	Reverend Joseph Adams, b. 08 May 1719, Newbury, Essex, MA; d. 24 February 1785, Stratham, New Hampshire. Notes for Reverend Joseph Adams: The banns were published 29 November 1746 for Joseph and the widow Mary Greenleaf of Newbury. He graduated from Harvard College in 1742 and became a “zealous new light preacher”, his converts organizing a church in Newburyport. He settled in Stratham, NH in June 1756 and died there at age 65. All the information on the children of Captain Abraham and Anne Longfellow came from The Genealogy of Robert Adams of Newbury by Andrew N. Adams. Originally published 1900 (reprint 1983).
ix.	Reverend Benjamin Adams, b. 08 May 1719, Newbury, Essex, MA; d. 04 May 1777, Lynn, Essex, MA; m. (1) Elizabeth Payson, 15 May 1748, daughter of Reverend Payson of Rowley, MA; d. 23 December 1753; m. (2) Rebecca Nichols of Amherst, NH. Notes for Reverend Benjamin Adams: He was a twin (but no mention is made of the other child). He graduated from Harvard College in 1738, became a teacher, then a minister, ordained at Lynn (now Lynnfield), MA, 5 November 1755, where it is said he died in his pulpit, 4 May 1777, age 57.
x.	Captain Nathan Adams, b. 17 June 1721, Newbury, Essex, MA; m. Mary Trumbull, 17 February 1757. Notes for Captain Nathan Adams: He was a carpenter; settled in Charlestown, where he was an innkeeper and his house was burned by the British in 1775. He served as a captain in the French war.
xi.	Henry Adams, b. 18 November 1722, Newbury Essex, MA; d. 15 October 1773, Newbury-Byfield, Essex, MA; m. (1) Sarah Emery of Newbury, 20 November 1746; d. 07 February 1764, age 37; m. (2) Catharine Gerrish, 02 March 1767/68; she married (2) Benjamin Poor, 04 December 1777. Notes for Henry Adams: Henry was a farmer near his father at Newbury-Byfield. He died at the age of 51.

Isaac¹⁷ Adams (ABRAHAM¹⁶, ROBERT¹⁵, ROBERT¹⁴, RICHARD¹³, JOHN¹², JOHN¹¹, JOHN¹⁰, THOMAS⁹, ROGER⁸, JOHN AP⁷, JOHN AP⁶, THOMAS AP⁵, JOHN AP⁴, WILLIAM AP³, JOHN AP², JOHN AP¹) was born 26 February 1678/79 in Newbury, Essex, MA and died 03 September 1775 in Boxford, MA. He married Hannah Spofford[3] 24 April 1707, daughter of Samuel Spofford and Sarah Burpee of Rowley, MA. She was born 17 February 1683/84.

Notes for Isaac Adams[4]:
Isaac died in Boxford, 03 September 1775, aged 96 years. According to information on file at the LDS Library in Salt Lake City, UT, Isaac married Hannah Burpee, 24 April 1707 in Newbury, MA.

Children of Isaac Adams and Hannah Spofford are:

i.	Hannah18 Adams b. 15 June 1709, Rowley, MA; d. 20 August 1744; m. [pub. 15 January 1731] Daniel Burbank[5]. Notes for Hannah Adams: Resided: Bradford, MA
ii.	Samuel Adams, b. 09 February 1710/11, Rowley, MA; d. 18 December 1736, Rowley, MA; m. Mary Burbank (given also as Sarah Burbank) 28 June 1732. His widow remarried Benjamin Scott [pub. 04 January 1738].
iii.	Captain Isaac Adams[6], b. 25 May 1713, Rowley, Essex, MA; d. 20 March 1797, Rowley, Essex, MA; m. Mercy Wood, 01 April 1743; b. 1720; d. 1794. Notes for Captain Isaac Adams: He settled in Boxford, MA in 1738; was commissioned as captain of the 2nd Co. of militia of Boxford, 01 September 1762. Was selectman for 14 years; represented the town in the General Court in 1783, and the three years following, also in 1778. He died on his home farm, age 83 years. Notes for Mercy Wood: Her name is given as Mercy and Mary.
iv.	Israel Adams[7], b. 25 April 1716, Rowley, Essex, MA; d. January 1799; m. Deborah Searle of Rowley, 16 October 1740. Notes for Israel Adams: He made his will 21 April 1784; was proved 08 May 1799. Notes for Deborah Searle: Died in Georgetown, MA October 1789. Church records say she was buried the last day of the month.
v.	David Adams, b. 15 June 1720, Rowley, Essex, MA; d. 18 May 1751, Byfield Parish, Essex, Rowley MA; m. Hannah Jackman, 29 September 1742.
vi.	Abigail Adams, b. 28 June 1722, Rowley, Essex, MA; d. 24 November 1737, Rowley, Essex, MA.
vii.	Mary Adams, b. 12 October 1724.

Sarah¹⁷ Adams (ABRAHAM¹⁶, ROBERT¹⁵, ROBERT¹⁴, RICHARD¹³, JOHN¹², JOHN¹¹, JOHN¹⁰, THOMAS⁹, ROGER⁸, JOHN AP⁷, JOHN AP⁶, THOMAS AP⁵, JOHN AP⁴, WILLIAM AP³, JOHN AP², JOHN AP¹) was born 15 April 1681 in Newbury, Essex, MA and died 22 March 1734/35 in Andover, Essex, MA. She married (2) John Hutchinson 28 January 1714/15. He died 08 March 1746/47 in Andover, Essex, MA.

Notes for Sarah Adams:
According to information by Gregory H. Laing of the Haverhill, MA Public Library, the following has been unearthed: Sarah Adams named her fatherless child “Benoni”, meaning ‘child of my sorrow’. She refused to name the father and was committed and fined until she informed the court of his name. At that point, she accused Thomas Morris of being the father. We still know nothing about Tom Morris and his subsequent activities. Sarah later married and moved to Rindge, NH.

This account of the birth of Israel is received from an old record in possession of Mrs. Julia A. M. Spofford of West Boxford, MA – one of the descendants. It has been published in the Essex Antiquarian, Vol. II, No. 2, February 1898. It is also given in “Robert Adams of Newbury” by Pierce.

Its correctness is disputed and another account given of Israel’s ancestry by John M. Adams of West Lebanon, Colombia Co., NY. He claims that Israel was the son of Abraham Olney Adams and his wife, Hannah La Grasse, daughter of Donald La Grasse of Drumlanrig, Scotland; that he was born in Quincy, MA in 1706, removed to Keen, NH and thence to Andover and Littleton, MA, finally to Rindge, NH where he died 16 October 1789. That he married (1) Mercy Holdridge of Stonington, CT in 1726; (2) Tabitha Farnum; (3) Polly White of Providence, RI.

Abraham Olney Adams, according to this account, was born near Charlestown, MA, 11 January 1680 and was the son of Stephen Olney Adams who was b. 18 April 1620 in Tenterden, Kent, England; married (1)Lydia Hartwell 01 May 1645 in Maidstone, England. She died in Maidstone 1650. Stephen Olney Adams was an officer in Cromwell’s Army and was wounded in the battle of Worcester, 03 September 1651. Fleeing to America to save his life, he settled near Charlestown, MA and married (2) Priscilla Durrie, who was the mother of Abraham Olney Adams and others. She died in 1718, aged 98 years. It is stated that the only child of Israel by his first wife, Mercy, was Stephen b. 06 June 1727 in Rowley, MA.

Note: If Priscilla Durrie was to be the mother of Abraham and others, it is difficult to imagine a woman of 60 years old to be of child-bearing age. (See page 26 of “Robert Adams of Newbury” for further information on this dispute.)

Child of Sarah Adams is:

i.	Israel18 Adams b. 24 February 1707/08, Newbury, Essex, MA; d. 16 October 1789, Rindge, NH.

 

Children of Sarah Adams and John Hutchinson are:

ii.	Elizabeth Hutchinson, b. 1715
iii.	Sara Hutchinson, b. 1719

---

[1] Page 7, A Genealogical History of Robert Adams of Newbury, Massachusetts and his Descendants 1635-1900 by Andrew N. Adams, published 1900, the Tuttle Co. Printers, Rutland VT.

[2] Page 7, A Genealogical History of Robert Adams of Newbury, Massachusetts and his Descendants 1635-1900 by Andrew N. Adams, published 1900, the Tuttle Co. Printers, Rutland VT.

[3] Banns pub. 20 Feb 1707

[4] Page 7, A Genealogical History of Robert Adams of Newbury, Massachusetts and his Descendants 1635-1900 by Andrew N. Adams, published 1900, the Tuttle Co. Printers, Rutland VT.

[5] Page 13, A Genealogical History of Robert Adams of Newbury, Massachusetts and his Descendants 1635-1900 by Andrew N. Adams, published 1900, the Tuttle Co. Printers, Rutland VT.

[6] Page 13, A Genealogical History of Robert Adams of Newbury, Massachusetts and his Descendants 1635-1900 by Andrew N. Adams, published 1900, the Tuttle Co. Printers, Rutland VT.

[7] Page 13, A Genealogical History of Robert Adams of Newbury, Massachusetts and his Descendants 1635-1900 by Andrew N. Adams, published 1900, the Tuttle Co. Printers, Rutland VT.

About these ads