John T. Adams, was a senior member of the firm of John T. Adams & Son, general merchants, at Talladega. He was of Scotch-Irish extraction. His father, John M. Adams, was born in Scotland, about the close of the eighteenth century. His mother, whose maiden name was Frances McLaughlin, was a native of Donegal, Ireland. They were married in Scotland in 1819, and soon afterward came to America, settling in Canada. In 1821 they came to the United States, first locating in North Carolina, where they remained until the year 1830. They then removed to Winchester, Franklin County, Tenn., where Mr. Adams built a cotton factory, and where John T. Adams was born, May 25, 1833.
About the time of his birth his father lost his life from the effects of a rattlesnake bite, and in November 1833, the mother, with her six children, came to Talladega County, Ala., where she passed the remainder of her life and died at the age of eighty-eight years.
Mr. Adams was the only one of the family living in 1904 and was the only man in Talladega county who was there in 1833. He acquired a good common school education at Talladega, after which he learned the trade of carriage maker. For more than a quarter of a century he was a manufacturer of and dealer in vehicles and he accumulated considerable means. He owns several farms and some valuable property in the City of Talladega. For about seven years he was in the livery business with P. Gardner Foster, he later associated with his eldest son in merchandising.
Before the war, he was a Whig, but since that time he always voted and affiliated with the Democratic party. He served in the Confederate army four years as a member of Company G, Thirty-first Alabama infantry, and at the close of the war was captain of the company.
For fifteen years he was a member of the city council of Talladega, where his sound judgment and public spirit were appreciated by his constituents. In Masonic circles he was well known, being a member of the Talladega lodge, chapter, and commandery. He was president of the Talladega Land Improvement company for one year and was for years been regarded as one of the leading business men of the place. Several of his sons were also prominent in the business circles of Talladega.
He was married, June 7, 1855, to Miss Charlotte Miller, a native of South Carolina, whose parents were early settlers in Talladega County. Ten children were born to this marriage, eight of whom were living in 1904. The children were:
John T. Adams and his family were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, in which he was a steward for more than thirty years. He passed away November 13, 190,6 and is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Talladega, Talladega County, Alabama along with his wife and other family members.
SOURCES
Notable Men of Alabama: Personal and Genealogical, Volume 1 edited by Joel Campbell DuBose
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