John Adams (September 18, 1772 – April 24, 1863) was an American educator noted for organizing several hundred

Sunday school A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. S ...

s. He was the 4th Principal of

Phillips Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = M ...

. His life was celebrated by Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. 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, 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 ...

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 (New Jersey), city in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, known by its nickname as "The Queen City."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 Wildlife ...

. He remained in that position until 1810, when he started at the

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. An encyclopedia (American Engli ...

. He remained there through 1833. He also served as the principal of Monroe Academy in Elbridge, New York. From 1836 to 1843 as the principal of

Jacksonville Female Academy 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 ( ...

Jacksonville, Illinois Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,446 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County. It is home to Illinois College, Illinois School for the Deaf, and the ...

. The Academy was incorporated in 1903 with Illinois College becoming an co-educational institution (the first president of Illinois College, was Edward Beecher,

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,

, 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 th ...

(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 Berkshire County (pronounced ) is a county on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 census, the population was 129,026. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield. The county was founded ...

, and died at

, 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 Pound Ridge is a town in Westchester County, New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United Stat ...

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 kille ...

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

1765 (a great great-grandson of William Leete, a governor of the Colony of Connecticut) and Martha Welles (a great great-granddaughter of Thomas Welles, the fourth governor of the Colony of Connecticut). He died in

, 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 wo ...

and a graduate of Andover Theological Seminary, 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 (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 Manha ...

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) is a surname derived from the given name Herman, and in turn occurs as a placename derived from the surname in the United States. Buildings * Dr. O.B. Harriman House, a historic home in Hampton, Iowa, U.S. * ...

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 The Humboldt University of Berlin (german: link=no, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick Will ...

from 1890 to 1892. He was ordained in the

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their na ...

in 1893. He was a member of the Yale Corporation 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.

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