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Samuel Adams Sr.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Samuel Adams Sr. (1689–1748) was an American brewer, father of American Founding Father Samuel Adams, and first cousin once removed of John Adams.

Biography

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He was born in Boston, on May 16, 1689 to Captain John Adams (1661–1702) and Hannah Adams (nee Webb). He was a deacon in the Congregational Church.[1]

He was a Boston Caucus member with Elisha Cooke.[2] Advertisements from Boston suggest that Adams Sr. owned and sold at least one "Carolina Indian" slave in 1716.[3]

In 1740, he helped create a Land Bank, in Massachusetts Bay Colony, using paper money to promote commerce, with a scarcity of gold and silver coins. In July 1741, the House of Commons passed a bill destroying the land bank, by making shareholders liable for the bank's debts.[4][5]

Family

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In 1713, he married Mary Fifield (1694–1748).[1] They had twelve children. Three survived into adulthood, including Samuel Adams.[6] Adams Sr. died in 1748.

In the marriage of Samuel Adams Sr. and Mary Fifield, twelve children were born, three of whom survived:

  • Aaron Adams (1713–1740)
  • Richard Adams (1715–1716)
  • Mary Adams (1717–1767) – married James Allen (1708–1755)
  • Hannah Adams (1720–1721)
  • Samuel Adams (1722–1803) – founding father of the United States, governor of Massachusetts from 1793 to 1797.
  • John Adams (1724–1726)
  • John Adams (1727–1738)
  • Joseph Adams (1728-1762)
  • Thomas Adams (1731–1732)
  • Sarah Adams (1733–1734)
  • Abigail Adams (1735–1736)
  • Mehitable Adams (1740–1741)

References

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  1. ^ a b Mark Puls (28 July 2015). Samuel Adams: Father of the American Revolution. St. Martin's Press. pp. 31–. ISBN 978-1-250-09144-4.
  2. ^ Andrew Stephen Walmsley (1 October 2000). Thomas Hutchinson and the Origins of the American Revolution. NYU Press. pp. 19–. ISBN 978-0-8147-9370-1.
  3. ^ Navin, John J. (2019-12-31). The Grim Years. University of South Carolina Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctvgs0bnf. ISBN 978-1-64336-055-3. S2CID 213094122.
  4. ^ John K. Alexander (13 January 2004). Samuel Adams: America's Revolutionary Politician. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp. 5–. ISBN 978-1-4616-4278-7.
  5. ^ Harlow Unger (2011). American Tempest: How the Boston Tea Party Sparked a Revolution. Da Capo Press. pp. 16–. ISBN 978-0-306-81976-6.
  6. ^ Michael Burgan (1 January 2005). Samuel Adams: Patriot and Statesman. Capstone. pp. 16–. ISBN 978-0-7565-1069-5.