John Adams (September 18, 1772 – April 24, 1863) was an American educator noted for organizing several hundred
Sunday schools. He was the 4th
Principal of
Phillips Academy. His life was celebrated by Dr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (; August 29, 1809 – October 7, 1894) was an American physician, poet, and polymath based in Boston. Grouped among the fireside poets, he was acclaimed by his peers as one of the best writers of the day. His most fa ...
in his poem, "The School Boy", which was read at the centennial celebration of Phillips Academy in 1878, thus recalls him:
Early life
John Adams was born in 1772 at
Canterbury, Connecticut
Canterbury is a New England town, town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 5,045 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census.
History
The area was settled by English colonists in the 1680s as ''Peagscomsuck''. It c ...
, to Captain John Adams, a farmer of Canterbury and an officer in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
and Mary Parker, the daughter of Dea. Joshua Parker and Jemima Davenport. He graduated from
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
in 1795.
Career
From 1800–1803, Adams taught at the
Plainfield, New Jersey
Plainfield is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, known by its nickname as "The Queen City." Academy when he took the post as principal of
Bacon Academy in
Colchester, Connecticut
Colchester is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 15,555 at the 2020 census. In 2010 Colchester became the first town in Connecticut, and the 36th in the country, to be certified with the National Wildli ...
. He remained in that position until 1810, when he started at the
Phillips Academy in
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 387. As of th ...
. He remained there through 1833. He also served as the principal of Monroe Academy in
Elbridge, New York
Elbridge is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the town was approximately 5,922. The town is named after Elbridge Gerry, the fifth Vice President of the United States, and one of th ...
.
From 1836 to 1843 as the principal of
Jacksonville Female Academy in
Jacksonville, Illinois.
The Academy was incorporated in 1903 with
Illinois College
Illinois College is a private liberal arts college in Jacksonville, Illinois. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (USA). It was the second college founded in Illinois, but the first to grant a degree ( ...
becoming an co-educational institution (the first president of
Illinois College
Illinois College is a private liberal arts college in Jacksonville, Illinois. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (USA). It was the second college founded in Illinois, but the first to grant a degree ( ...
, was
Edward Beecher
Edward Beecher D.D. (August 27, 1803 – July 28, 1895) was an American theologian, the son of Lyman Beecher and the brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe and Henry Ward Beecher.
Biography
Beecher was born August 27, 1803, in East Hampton, New York. ...
,
Yale College
Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...
, 1822 and a son of Dr.
Lyman Beecher
Lyman Beecher (October 12, 1775 – January 10, 1863) was a Presbyterian minister, and the father of 13 children, many of whom became noted figures, including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry Ward Beecher, Charles Beecher, Edward Beecher, Isabella B ...
,
Yale College
Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...
, 1797). While in Jacksonville, he served as an agent of the American Sunday School Union for the Middle West region, and assisted in the organization of several hundred Sunday Schools.
Personal life
John Adams married on May 8, 1798, as his first wife Elizabeth Ripley,
with whom he had ten children. She was born on March 12, 1776, and died on February 23, 1829. She was a daughter of Gamaliel Ripley and Judith Perkins and was a great great-granddaughter of
Governor William Bradford
William Bradford ( 19 March 15909 May 1657) was an English Puritan separatist originally from the West Riding of Yorkshire in Northern England. He moved to Leiden in Holland in order to escape persecution from King James I of England, and then ...
(1590–1657) of the
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony (sometimes Plimouth) was, from 1620 to 1691, the first permanent English colony in New England and the second permanent English colony in North America, after the Jamestown Colony. It was first settled by the passengers on the ...
and a passenger on the ''
Mayflower
''Mayflower'' was an English ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After a grueling 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, r ...
''.
John Adams married, as his second wife, on August 30, 1831, in Troy,
Rensselaer County, New York, Mrs. Mehitable/Mabel Burritt
She was born July 19, 1779, in
Williamstown,
Berkshire County, Massachusetts, and died at
Jacksonville, Illinois, on July 17, 1856. She was a daughter of Dea. Ebenezer Stratton and Mary Blair.
Mehitable/Mabel married as her first husband at Williamstown, Berkshire County, Massachusetts on April 12, 1798, Ely Burritt, born March 12, 1773, at
Pound Ridge,
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...
, and died September 1, 1823, in Troy, Rensselaer County, New York. He graduated from
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kill ...
in 1800, and was licensed to practice medicine at Troy, New York, on March 29, 1802, and quickly gained recognition for his medical skills. He was the eldest son of the Rev. Mr.
Blackleach Burritt
Blackleach Burritt (1744 – August 27, 1794) was a preacher during the American Revolutionary War. During the war, he was incarcerated in a sugar house prison.Mather., p. 206
Early life and ancestors
Blackleach Burritt was born at Ripton Pari ...
Yale College
Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...
1765 (a great great-grandson of
William Leete
William Leete (1612 or 1613 – 16 April 1683) was Governor of the Colony of New Haven from 1661 to 1665 and Governor of the Colony of Connecticut from 1676 to 1683.
Biography
Leete was born about 1612 or 1613 at Diddington, Huntingdonshire, E ...
, a governor of the Colony of Connecticut) and Martha Welles (a great great-granddaughter of
Thomas Welles
Thomas Welles (14 January 1660) is the only person in Connecticut's history to hold all four top offices: governor, deputy governor, treasurer, and secretary. In 1639, he was elected as the first treasurer of the Colony of Connecticut, and fro ...
, the fourth governor of the
Colony of Connecticut
The ''Connecticut Colony'' or ''Colony of Connecticut'', originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636 as a settl ...
).
He died in
Jacksonville, Illinois, on April 24, 1863.
Descendants
A son from his first marriage was the Rev. Dr.
William Adams, D.D. (1807–1880) an 1827 graduate of
Yale
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...
and a graduate of
Andover Theological Seminary
Andover Theological Seminary (1807–1965) was a Congregationalist seminary founded in 1807 and originally located in Andover, Massachusetts on the campus of Phillips Academy. From 1908 to 1931, it was located at Harvard University in Cambridge. ...
, 1830. He was a principal founder as well as president of
Union Theological Seminary.
His daughter,
Mary Elizabeth Adams, married on November 9, 1864,
John Crosby Brown
John Crosby Brown (May 22, 1838 – June 25, 1909) was a senior partner in the investment bank Brown Bros. & Co., founded by his family.
Early life
Brown was born on May 22, 1838 in New York City. He was the son of banker James Brown (1791–1 ...
(1838–1909), the son of James Brown and Eliza Maria Coe. James Brown was a well known banker and founder of the family company
Brown Bros. & Co. James and Eliza lost several of their children when the steamship
SS Arctic sank in 1854.
John graduated from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in 1859. From 1866 onward, he was the senior partner of
Brown Bros. & Co. This company merged in 1931 with
Harriman Brothers & Company
Harriman or Hariman (variant Herriman (disambiguation), Herriman) is a surname derived from the given name Herman (name), Herman, and in turn occurs as a placename derived from the surname in the United States.
Buildings
* Dr. O.B. Harriman House, ...
to become
Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. one of the oldest and largest partnership banks in the United States.
A son of John and Mary Brown's was William Adams Brown
(1865–1943). He was born in New York City and was educated privately at first, and then he went to
St. Paul's School in
Concord, New Hampshire. He received from
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
an A.B. degree in 1886, an A.M. degree in 1888 and a Ph.D. in 1901. He graduated from the
Union Theological Seminary in 1890, and studied at the
University of Berlin
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative ...
from 1890 to 1892. He was ordained in the
Presbyterian Church in 1893. He was a member of the
Yale Corporation
The Yale Corporation, officially The President and Fellows of Yale College, is the governing body of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
Assembly of corporation
The Corporation comprises 19 members:
* Three ex officio
An ''ex officio'' m ...
from 1917 to 1934, and was acting president of Yale University from 1919 to 1920.
A great-grandson of John Adams's was
William Adams Delano
William Adams Delano (January 21, 1874 – January 12, 1960), an American architect, was a partner with Chester Holmes Aldrich in the firm of Delano & Aldrich. The firm worked in the Beaux-Arts tradition for elite clients in New York City, Long ...
.
References
* ''Who Was Who in America: Historical Volume, 1607-1896.'' Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1963.
* ''William Bradford of the Mayflower and his Descendants for Four Generations.'' compiled by Robert S. Wakefield,
FASG and Published by the Gen. Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2001.
Notes
External links
Official website, Illinois CollegeUnion Theological Seminary webpage*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, John
1772 births
1863 deaths
People from Canterbury, Connecticut
Schoolteachers from Connecticut
American school principals
Illinois College
People from Jacksonville, Illinois
Phillips Academy
Yale College alumni
Andover Theological Seminary alumni
People of colonial Connecticut
Burials in Illinois
Schoolteachers from Illinois
Heads of Phillips Academy Andover