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Note: Thomas was a born adventurer. At 21 he served as a cadet aboard the USS Schooner "Gallatin." DRA has his journal for the period of this service. The ship was delivering a new Tide Timer to Woods Hole. In 1953, the residents of the land between the Oregon Teritory and British Canada having petitioned President Polk and Congress to accept the area as a U.S. territory, at 23 yrs of age Thomas joined Gov. Isaac Stevens' party to set up the Territory Of Washington; he acted as meteorologist, artist, photographer's assistant, gofer, wrangler, etc. He spent the winter of 1853/4 as Special Indian Agent for the Western Territory of Washington, the sole white man in the Marias Valley of the Bitterroot Range of the Rockies. His journals of the years 1853/59 are fascinating (in possession of DRA). He worked as a civil engineer, surveying for the railroad, horse-trader, and other jobs until the end of the Civil War. He returned to Washington in November 1858, apparently for a visit, then went West again until 1865. On his return from the West to Washington after the Civil War, he married Eliza Ruhamah Barry, widow of his friend Tom Brodhead. Eliza died in 1870; I have no record of what Thomas did between then and his death in 1900, but his obit says: 'For a number of years he was secretary and treasurer of the Mt. Vernon Steamboat Company." [Also, see George Adams's "Descendants of Francis Adams of Kingston, Mass."] National Intelligencer obit: "Adams. Suddenly on Tuesday, April 8, 1900, Thomas Adams, in his 70th year. Funeral from his late residence, 1023 16th St. northwest, Thursday at 4 o'clock." From the Evening Star, April 4, 1900, p.5 "Death of Thomas Adams Expires Suddenly from the Effects of uremia Mr. Thomas H. Adams was taken ill in the office of Judge Edward Lander in the Corcoran Building yesterday, and it being seen that his condition was serious, he was removed to the Emergency Hospital. It was found that he was suffering from uremia, and he died last evening. The remains were removed to his late residence, 1028 16th street. The deceased was born in the city in 1830. His father was James A. Adams, who was cashier of the Bank of Washington for many years. When a young man Mr. Adams held a position in the coast survey office. Leaving that service in 1852, he went west where he was engaged as a civil engineer in surveys for the Pacific railways. He lived in Montana for a number of years and returned to Washington at the outbreak of the civil war. He purchased a farm on the Tenleytown road, now known as Norwood, and resided there until the death of his wife, and then removed to the city. For a number of years he was secretary and treasurer of the Mt. Vernon Steamboat Company, but recently has had not been in active business. One son and a sister survive him. The former is Capt. James Barry Adams of Gaithersburg, Md., who served in the American-Spanish war in the 4th Immune [sic] Regiment and was also in the 31st Infantry." (It's interesting that JBA's son, Capt. John Carver Adams, served in the 30th Infantry, Third Division and was killed in the 2nd Battle of the Marne, 1917.] He was buried in Congressional Cemetery next to his wife, Eliza.
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