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Adams, Moses, 1803-1837

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1803 - 1837

Biographical Note

Moses Adams grew up in Ellsworth, Maine, the son of Moses and Mary Adams. The elder Moses was a Harvard graduate, doctor, and state representative to the Massachusetts General Court; in 1815 he was tried and found not guilty of murdering his wife with an ax.

Following the death of this mother, Moses the younger went to Boston in 1816 and after 1820 worked as a seaman. He was captain of the brig Ellsworth at the time of his death.

Sources: Bulfinch, John, "The Trial of Moses Adams, High-sheriff of the County of Hancock, before the Supreme Judicial Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on an Indictment for the Murder of his Wife from Minutes taken at the Trial by John Bulfinch" (1815). Maine Bicentennial. 96. https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mainebicentennial/96

Rogers, Alan. "A Sailor "By Necessity": The Life of Moses Adams, 1803-1837." Journal of the Early Republic 11, no. 1 (1991): 19-50. Accessed August 2, 2021. doi:10.2307/3123310.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Moses Adams diaries

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Scope and Contents

Comprised of two volumes put together by Adams in 1834-1835. The volumes include copies of correspondence and other papers. Many of the entries are annotated. There are also lists of Adams' friends, schoolmates, and shipmates and the occupations they pursued in 1834-35.

Restrictions on access

Open for research.

Dates: 1815 - 1835