PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM
page 191, 192
SAMUEL N. ADAMS.
Of all the gallant soldiers who bravely marched to meet a foe no less
determined than themselves, of the patriotic citizens devoting the strength of
manhood to their native land, none were more gallant than he whose portrait
appears on the opposite page and whose biography is herein narrated. As County Recorder of Greene County he has secured the
confidence of the people, and is constantly receiving evidences of the public
approbation. He is always at the
post of duty, and with his comprehensive insight into business matters and
promptness in executing the details of office work, he is recognized as a
prominent factor in the upbuilding of the city.
Being first elected to fill a vacancy in
the office of the County Recorder in September, 1881, so ably did he discharge
its varied duties that he was duly elected thereto in the fall of 1882. He was re-elected in 1885 and again in 1888, qualifying each
time the following January. His
present term will expire on New Year’s Day, 1892.
That he is fulfilling the office to the satisfaction of his constituents,
his continuance year after year amply proves.
He does not confine his interest in public duties to the routine of
official cares, but in every measure having reference to the development of
Xenia and Greene County, he is enthusiastic.
Before more fully outlining the history of
Recorder ADAMS, a few words in regard to his ancestors will not be amiss.
His father, Samuel ADAMS, was born in Leesburg, Loudoun County, Va., and
when a young man went to Maryland. There
he married Miss Nancy BURNSTON, of Baltimore and made his home for a time in
that State. He was a finisher in a woolen factory and removed in order to
follow the same business. In 1842
he went to Fredericktown, Knox County, thence to Delaware County, and in 1847
became a resident of Ohio, locating in Spring Valley, this county, where he
spent nearly all the remaining years of his life. He breathed his last October 14, 1871, his widow surviving
until 1882. They reared a family of
eight children, of whom N. G., A. J., Eliza, Mrs. E. BUNTING, and our subject
are in this county. The others are:
Amelia, wife of William KIRKPATRICK; Virginia B., widow of J. D. HEPFORD,
of Council Bluffs, Iowa; Mrs. Catherine KAUFFMAN, of Canton, this State, and W.
H., whose home is in Arkansas.
Samuel N. ADAMS, the subject of this
biographical notice, was born in Bedford County, Pa., December 15, 1835, and in
his boyhood and youth received such educational privileges as were afforded by
the section in which he lived. At
the age of twenty-two years, he left the parental roof to begin life for
himself, working at the trade of a carpenter, and continuing so employed until
after the breaking out of the Civil War, when he enrolled among the defenders of
the Union. He became a member of
Company D, One hundred and Tenth Ohio Infantry, under command of Col. J. W.
KEIFER, his term of service beginning August 16, 1862.
As an integral part of the Army of the
Potomac, Mr. ADAMS participated in numerous engagements, the list including
Union Mills (Va.), Winchester Heights, Stevenson’s Depot, Wapping Heights,
Brandy Station, Mine Run, the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, York River, Cold
Harbor, Petersburg, Ream’s Station (Va.), Monocacy (Md.), Snicker’s Gap,
Charleston and Smithfield (Va.), Opequan, Fisher’s Hill, Cedar Creek, Cedar
Springs, Petersburg (Va.), March 25, 1865, and the assault on the same city
April 2. At this contest he was wounded so severely that his right
foot had to be amputated in Washington ten days later, the left foot also being
badly injured. He spent five months
in the hospital and was then mustered out in September, 1865, returning to his
home in Spring Valley, this county. Mr.
ADAMS received the appointment of United States store-keeper at Beaver Station,
now Trebein’s and served the Government in that capacity there a year, at the
expiration of that period being transferred to Mt. Holly in the same capacity.
He remained in the employ of the Government until 1871, and then went
into the grocery business at Spring Valley, continuing the business until about
1880. In the meantime he held the
commission of Postmaster under Gen. GRANT for the term ending in 1876, and also
acted as Government store-keeper at Osborn two years.
His next move was to the position which he now occupies and in which he
has worked faithfully and conscientiously.
In Spring Valley, March 11, 1867, Mr. ADAMS
led to the hymeneal altar Miss Amanda RIDDELL, of that place.
She is the daughter of Silas RIDDELL, an old settler of the town in which
she was born July 6, 1842. Mr.
RIDDELL is now deceased but his widow survives, making her home with her
daughter, Mrs. ADAMS. Of the three
children born to Mr. and Mrs. ADAMS, two are yet living, namely, Rella E. and
Gertrude. They will receive all the
advantages in the way of schooling that the means and desire of their parents
can compass, and such careful home instruction as will ensure their usefulness
in the years to come.
While residing in Spring Valley, Mr. ADAMS served the township in the capacity of Treasurer. Certainly the people have manifested their appreciation of his ability and character, and it is with pleasure we record the fact. He belongs to the lodge and encampment of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and to the Grand Army of the Republic. His wife is a woman of fine character and cultured mind and is esteemed by the entire community.