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

, 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 ...

, 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 ...

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

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 College

Union 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