Capt. John Adams, of Annapolis Royal

Not the same as John Adams, Sr., of Boston, malster who married Hannah Winkley

Biography

https://www.masonicworld.com/education/articles/Freemasonry-In-Cana...

“John Adams” who came from Boston with Sir Charles Hobby's Regiment to the capture of Annapolis in 1710, was for thirty years a conspicuous figure. His daughters married Hibbert Newton, Dr. William Skene, and Major Otto Hamilton. Adams was a trader between Annapolis and Boston between 1710 and 1720, and a resident councillor at Annapolis between 1720 and 1740.”

Disambiguation

From History of the town of Durham, New Hampshire : (Oyster River Plantation) with genealogical notes by Stackpole, Everett Schermerhorn, (1850-1927). Page 3-4. < Archive.Org >

Several persons named John Adams have been confused by some genealogists. John, son of Alexander Adams, seems to have died before 1684. See Suffolk Deeds, XIII, 222. John Adams, malster, son of Joseph Adams, malster, married Hannah Webb and died 2 Nov. 1702. His widow married 12 Dec. 1705, Samuel Winkley, and died in 1707. This John Adams had children, (i) Samuel born 6 May 1689, who married 21 April 1713, Mary Fifield, and had son, Samuel Adams, the patriot, born 16 Sept. 1733; (3) Hannah who married 22 Sept. 1710, Samue Holbrook of Weymouth; (3) Abigail born 6 Oct. 1691, died 4 July 1712; (4) John born 4 Nov. 1693, bound out in 1707. He chose uncle Peter Adams for guardian; (s) Joseph born 20 Dec. 169s, bound out; (6) Mary born 20 Dec. 1695; (7) Bethiah born 20 Aug. 1697, died 8 Dec. 1702; (8) Thomas born 2 March 1700; (9) Abijah born 11 May 1702, who married 1725, Deborah Cutler, and later had second and third wife. He died 9 Feb. 1768, aged 66.

I am indebted to Miss Virginia Hall, genealogist, of Boston, for much information about these often confused persons, named John Adams, of Boston.

Biography

From History of the town of Durham, New Hampshire : (Oyster River Plantation) with genealogical notes by Stackpole, Everett Schermerhorn, (1850-1927). Page 3-4. < Archive.Org >

2. John Adams (John) married, 19 Oct. 1693, Hannah, daughter of Anthony and Hannah (Wheelwright) Checkley. Her father was attorney general. John Adams, Jr., was cordwainer, shopkeeper, captain and lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia. Jan. 8, 1700, the heirs of Henry Stevens convey to John Adams of Boston, shopkeeper, a house at the south end on highway leading to Roxbury, bounded east by Bishop's Lane, the same house that his father had once bought, lived in and sold. The next year John Adams sold this house and moved into a brick house adjourning, where he was a tenant of John Wainwright. Oct. 4, 1 7 12, Thomas Newton wrote a letter to Capt. John Adams of Annapolis Royal saying that "Mr. Wainwright is now sueing out his mortgage of the house your aunt and I live in and the house your family lives in, and creditors have a deed of the Overplus thereof when that and your mortgage are satisfied, and I am desired by the creditors to know what is due to you or yours, which I desire you will' let me know by the next conveniency." [See Suffolk Court Files.]

John Adams was still at Annapolis Royal in 1718. In 1741 he was in Boston and was blind. He then sold to John

WikiTree contributors, "John Adams (abt.1672-abt.1745)," WikiTree: The Free Family Tree, (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Adams-55412 : accessed 18 January 2024).

John Adams was born in Boston in either 1672 or 1673 to John and Avis Adams.

Captain John Adams, moved, presumably with his family to Nova Scotia no earlier than 1710, that year he participated under the leadership of Sir Charles Hobby in an expedition against Anapolis Royal, where he settled. There he became a Trader, Real Estate agent, and Contractor. Among his official positions was membership on the Nova Scotia governing Council, which he served for 20 years beginning in 1720. https://books.google.co.uk/books?redir_esc=y&id=ARv_bXJdxF8C&q=Hann...

It seems John was a Mason. In 1738, a Masonic Lodge was established at Annapolis Royal. This lodge was the first lodge in the Dominion of Canada and was fifth in order of precedence in Lodges chartered from Massachusetts. All his 3 Son’s in Law Hibbert Newton, Dr.William Skene and Otho Hamilton were also Masons and members of the same Lodge. https://www.masonicworld.com/education/articles/Freemasonry-In-Cana....

https://annapolisheritagesociety.com/sinclair-inn-museum/first-cana...

John married Hannah Checkley on October 19th 1694. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/discoveryui-content/view/8362986:2495?ss...

Johns daughters all married, Hannah married Hibbert Newton, Ann married William Skene and Avis married Otho Hamilton Lieutenant Governor of Placentia.

Around the mid-1720s, his eyesight began to fail, leading to his near-blindness in 1730. After this, he was less active in community activities and trade. John petitioned to the king for a pension several times, but failed. He blamed his disability on over-exposure to the sun during an Indian attack on Annapolis Royal in 1724. http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/adams_john_3E.html

References

1. History of the town of Durham, New Hampshire : (Oyster River Plantation) with genealogical notes by Stackpole, Everett Schermerhorn, 1850-1927; Thompson, Lucien, b. 1859; Meserve, Winthrop Smith, 1838 https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofd02stac/page/2/mode/2up
2. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Adams-55412 cites
   1. Adams, Captain John. Biography taken from the book “The Other John Adams 1705-1740 by Benjamin Franklin. Pages 23-24.
   2. Adams, John. Marriage, Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 for John Adams, Boston, Births, Marriages and Death, City document No. 130, Page 213.
   3. Reference to failing eyesight taken from Dictionary of Canadian Biography Vol III (1741-1770).
   4. Reference to John’s Parent’s and children - * Stackpole, Everett. History of the Town of Durham, New Hampshire (n.p. 1913) [https://archive.org/stream/historyoftownofd02stac#page/4/mode/1up Vol. 2, Page 4
   5. Masonic Connection- Freemasonry In Canada before 1750, www.MasonicWorld.com.
   6. Masonic connection - Annapolis Heritage Society, Annapolis, Port Royal, Canada. (www.annapolisheritagesociety.com)
3. “Adams” in Stackpole’s History of the Town of Durham.” < PDF >
4. “The Other John Adams” by Benjamin Franklin. https://books.google.co.uk/books?redir_esc=y&id=ARv_bXJdxF8C&q=Chec... (Page 24)