Adam was born December 14, 1721 at Scituate, Massachusetts to Isaac Prouty and Elizabeth (Merritt) Prouty. He was their seventh child out of twelve. He was baptized April 21, 1723 at the Second Church of Scituate.

Marriages & Children

His first wife was Grace Ramsdell, the daughter of Thomas and Sarah Ramsdell. She was born June 5, 1725 in Hanover, Massachusetts and married Adam in 1744. Together, they had five children, all at Hanover:

• Grace, bapt. July 12, 1747; d. July 2, 1812
• Sarah, bapt. with Grace; m. December 29, 1774 to Benjamin Hayward
• Desire, bapt. June 24, 1750; m. September 11, 1771 to Jacob Kent
• Adam, bapt. May 17, 1752
• Isaac, bapt. October 13, 1754

His second wife was Dorothy Howe, the daughter of Matthias Howe of Rutland, Massachusetts. They married January 15, 1761; she died October 23, 1809. Their children were all born at Spencer, Massachusetts.

Together, they had:

• Luther, date unknown
• Stephen, c. 1764
• Calvin, bapt. November 17, 1770
• Ezekiel, bapt. November 17, 1770
• Seth, b. November 12, 1771
• Rhoda, b. c. 1773; m. April 18, 1793 to Jude Hamilton

He is sometimes reported to have fathered children named Eunice, Patty, Dolly, and Lucy. These may have been illegitimate children, wives of his sons, or children whose records were lost over time (like Luther and Stephen).

Trade & Service

Adam was a house carpenter and had lived at Hanover for many years, where he owned a home, land, and part of a gristmill. He sold the mill in 1757 and moved to Spencer, where he bought property in partnership with James Capen.

He served in Capt. William Paige's company in the French and Indian War from April 17 through December 2, 1761. His signature on his deeds changed between "Proute" and "Prouty" over the years.

He died at Spencer in 1793, leaving his widow Dorothy as administrator of his estate.

Sources

• Crane, Ellery Bicknell. Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County, Massachusetts. Lewis Publishing Company, 1907.
• Cutter, William Richard. Historic Homes and Places and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Lewis Publishing Company, 1908.
• Pope, C. H. Prouty (Proute) Genealogy. 1910.
• Vital Records of Hanover, Massachusetts.
• Vital Records of Spencer, Massachusetts.