OHIO
Archaeological and Historical
PUBLICATIONS
SETH ADAMS
A PIONEER OHIO SHEPHERD
By Charles Sumner Plumb
Among the pioneers of the Northwest
Territory,
along the Ohio border on the east, were
many men of
sterling worth and rather unusual
administrative ability.
Notably among these men in Ohio
history, was Seth
Adams.
The following pages will briefly
discuss his ancestry,
review his movements as a citizen and
pioneer, and set
forth his relationship to early day
American sheep hus-
bandry.
The Adams genealogy herewith was
furnished by
a grandson of Seth, Mr. Washington
Adams of Zanes-
ville, who is now (1933) 83 years of
age, in good health,
with clear mental faculties.
THE ADAMS FAMILY GENEALOGY
HENRY ADAMS of Braintree, Massachusetts, came to
America in 1634 from England, and died
in 1646. He
was seven generations removed from
Seth. Henry had
a family of eight children.
(1)
2 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications
EDWARD ADAMS, the eighth son of Henry,
the sixth
generation from Seth, was born in
England in 1630.
He came to America with his parents. In
1652 he mar-
ried Lydia Rockwood, and died in his
Medfield home in
1716. Edward was a Selectman in
Medfield for many
years, and was also a Representative in
the Massachu-
setts General Court (the Legislature)
from Medfield in
1689-'92, and 1702.
JOHN ADAMS, the third son of Edward and
Lydia,
of the fifth generation from Seth, was
born in 1657 in
Medfield. John was twice married and
was the father
of fourteen children. His second wife
was Deborah
Partridge. John passed his days in
Medfield, where he
died in 1751 at the ripe age of
ninety-four years.
EDWARD ADAMS, the first son of John and
Deborah,
the fourth generation from Seth, was
born in Medfield
in 1682. He was married twice, his
first wife being
Rachael Saunders. He had a family of
seven children.
He died in 1742 in Milton,
Massachusetts, where he was
living.
JOHN ADAMS, commonly known as "Deacon Adams,"
of the third generation from Seth, was
a son of Edward
and Rachael. He was born in Milton in
1709, and like
hs father was married twice, first to
Sarah Swift, and
second to Widow Warren, mother of
General Joseph
Warren, hero of the Battle of Bunker
Hill. John was
the father of thirteen children, four
of whom were sons,
and each active in the Revolutionary
war. He died in
1790, aged eighty-one years.
SETH ADAMS, SR., the father of Seth,
Jr., was a son
of John and Sarah, born in Milton in
1740, married Ann
Lowder, and died in 1782. With John
Kneeland he
Seth Adams 3 established a publishing-house in Boston. He became a post-rider in 1769, and in 1765 became a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company. SETH ADAMS, JR., a son of Seth, Sr., and Ann, was born in Boston in 1767, and married in 1793 to Elizabeth |
|
Apthorp. Seth and Elizabeth were parents of the fol- lowing eleven children: Thomas Bulfinch, born in Bos- ton in 1794; Mary Ann, born in Boston in 1795; William Apthorp, born in Boston in 1797; John Apthorp, born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1798; Charles Ward, |
4 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
born in Dorchester in 1801; George
Frederick, born in
Dorchester in 1802; Elizabeth, born in
Dorchester in
1804; Francis Thomas, born in Marietta
in 1805; Rob-
ert Seth, born in Zanesville in 1806;
Lucy Ann, born in
Wakatomaka in 1809, and James Freeman,
born in
Zanesville in 1812.
Seth, the father of these eleven
children, was for
some years a merchant in Boston, and
engaged in ship-
ping, dealing in an assortment of
goods, as is shown in
the following advertisement, copied
from the Boston
Daily Advertiser of Saturday, October 15, 1796:
(From Old State House Collection,
Boston.)
ADAMS AND LORING
"Have received by the ships Minerva
and Galen, a
handsome and extensive assortment of
European Goods,
which they are now opening at their
Wholesale and Re-
tail Store, No. 55 Cornhill. having
personally formed
respectable connections in Europe for
their present and
future supplies. They flatter themselves
of having it
in their power to sell on such terms as
will be satisfac-
tory to purchasers."
Up to the early days of the eighteenth
century, but
little is known of the life of Seth
Adams. He no doubt
attended the public schools in Boston,
and like his father
followed up a commercial occupation, as
soon as his
years would permit. The period of time
in which he
engaged in wholesale and retail trade,
with an interest
in the shipping industry, is not known
to the writer.
In a search for some of the facts
associated with the
migration of Mr. Adams from
Massachusetts to Ohio,
Seth Adams 5
some newspaper articles by Mr. E. H.
Church,* a favor-
ably known Zanesville historian of some
half-century
ago, furnished considerable desirable
information as a
part of this study of Mr. Adams' life.
In 1783 the United States acquired from
Great Brit-
ain all the territory held by her east
of the Mississippi
River. A portion of this, including
what is now Ohio,
Indiana and Michigan, became known as
the Northwest
Territory. In 1786 there was organized
in Boston what
was known as "The Ohio Company of
Associates," with
the purpose of settling and developing
this Northwest
Territory. In 1788 General Rufus
Putnam, represent-
ing this company, with a group of
emigrants reached
the region where the Muskingum river
enters the Ohio,
and there founded Marietta. This
western country was
the scene of much border warfare with
the Indians, but
settlers poured in and the Indians were
either subdued
or forced back. In 1794 General Anthony
Wayne had
a well-organized army which at the
battle of Fallen
Timbers defeated the Indians and
brought organized
peace, which was signed by twelve
chiefs of different
tribes.
Ohio now grew with considerable
rapidity** and set-
tlements sprang up and developed in
every quarter. In
1799 there were in existence and
enjoying peace and
prosperity the towns of Marietta,
Columbia, Cincinnati,
North Bend, Gallipolis, Manchester,
Hamilton, Dayton,
Franklin, Chillicothe, Cleveland,
Franklinton, Steuben-
ville, Williamsburg and Zanesville.
Their prosperity
* "The Early History of
Zanesville"--The Zanesville Daily Courier,
January 11, 18, 25, and February 1,
1879.
** Encyclopedia Americana, Vol. XX, 1922, p. 617.
6 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
and safety was accomplished through
much tribulation
and danger, for during the period of
their development
the Territory had passed through its
second war with the
Indians, to which a retrospect is
necessary. Under
Governor St. Clair, Ohio had been
organized as a Ter-
ritory in 1798, at which time there
were about 5000
free males of age within its
boundaries.
At this time, according to Encyclopedia
Americana,
Ohio had a population of 42,000.
Transportation and
trade were increasing on all hands. On
the Ohio river
there were packets running regularly
for mail and
traffic between Cincinnati and
Pittsburgh, making the
round trip in about four weeks. The
first vessel of any
size or importance was the brig St.
Clair, built at
Marietta, of 110 tons burden. It was
loaded with pro-
visions, sailing down the Ohio and
Mississippi rivers
and across the Gulf of Mexico, finally
landing safely in
Philadelphia. Transportation by land
was by the heavy
and cumbrous trading wagons drawn by
four and six
horses. Cincinnati was a great
distributing point for
the southern and central part of the
territory.
The interest in these lands of the
Northwest Ter-
ritory was especially great in New
England, and Seth
Adams became filled with a desire to
see the West and
note its possibilities. So on March 3,
1803, in company
with the Rev. T. H. Harris and John
Dix, his brother-
in-law, he started with Marietta as his
objective. In a
two-horse carriage from Boston, they
crossed the Alle-
ghanies to Pittsburgh, and continued to
Wheeling.
From there they proceeded down the Ohio
river in what
was known then as a keel-boat. They
reached Marietta
in good condition, and the New
Englanders there re-
Seth Adams 7
ceived them hospitably. Among the
friends of Adams
at Marietta were General Rufus Putnam,
Judge Gilman,
Judge Woodbridge and Return J. Meigs,
Jr., who later
became governor of Ohio and one of its
noted citizens.
Mr. Adams had intended settling in
either Ohio or
Kentucky, and so desired to examine the
soil and study
the climate. With Dix as a companion,
Mr. Adams got
two horses from Marietta friends, and
started to ex-
plore the land in northern Kentucky.
They examined
lands about Limestone, now Maysville,
and then went on
to Lexington, Danville and Frankfort,
all small villages.
From Frankfort they traveled down the
Licking river
to Newport, Kentucky, where they
crossed the river to
Cincinnati, a town of perhaps 400
houses and 1000
population. From here they went up the Ohio to
Marietta, which they reached on June
1st.
Messrs. Adams and Dix had examined a
large area
of land, and were well pleased. The
beauty of the
country and fertility of the soil
surpassed their most
sanguine expectations, so they decided
to make their
home in the West, and planned to come
back with their
families. They returned to Wheeling,
which was reached
on June 9. Here they harnessed their
horses and re-
turned to Boston by the route by which
they had come
West. Mr. Adams was much pleased with
the land
between Danville and Lexington,
Kentucky. He bought
about 5000 acres there with the proviso
that Mrs. Adams
would make her home with him in that
part of the
country. On arriving home he gave a
glowing descrip-
tion of the country, but Mrs. Adams
refused to move to
Kentucky. As a New England woman she
compre-
hended the demoralizing effect of
slavery.
8
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
In the fall of 1804, Mr. Adams finally
decided to
make his home in Ohio, where he had
numerous friends
and acquaintances. So on November 1st,
in a strong
four-horse carriage which he had
purchased, he started
for the West with his family, which
consisted of the wife
and seven children, a nurse-maid, a
bound boy and a
hired man named William Gregory. This
latter rode
the family horse and assisted in
keeping the carriage
upright while crossing the Alleghanies.
The children
were Thomas, Mary Ann, William, John,
George,
Charles and Elizabeth, the latter six
months old.
After a long and tedious journey, with
an upset but
once, and that in crossing the Juniata
river, they arrived
safely at Wheeling late in November,
1804. Shortly
before their arrival the weather had
turned bitterly
cold, the boats had stopped running and
the river was
closed with ice. Consequently Mr. Adams
and family
remained in Wheeling until the next
March. During his
stay at Wheeling he sold his horses,
excepting the family
one, and the carriage. Then with the
river free of ice,
the family took passage down the Ohio
to Marietta,
which they reached about the middle of
March. The
river was then very high and had
overflowed its banks
and part of the site of Marietta. The
tavern at which
he stopped was surrounded with water,
which also cov-
ered the first floor. When the flood subsided Mr.
Adams rented a large frame house and
opened a store
in the front rooms. He had purchased a
stock of goods
in the East, and these followed him to
Marietta.
In the spring of 1806, Adams purchased
from Dud-
ley Woodbridge, of Marietta, 2000 acres
in one tract at
Seth Adams 9
the mouth of Wakatomaka Creek, near
where Dresden
is now located. For this he contracted
to pay $10,000,
in six annual payments, and gave his
notes for the same.
This purchase was for the purpose of
establishing a
flock of Merino sheep. On this tract
were two log cabins
and a sawmill, located three-fourths of
a mile up the
creek from its mouth. Into one of these
cabins he re-
moved his stock of goods from Marietta,
and established
here in the wilderness a trading-post,
and commenced
trafficking with the hunters and
Indians, trading goods
for pelts and furs. In October, 1806,
at the term of
court in Zanesville, he took out a
license to sell mer-
chandise and paid a fee of five dollars
a year for the
same. In the fall of 1806 and spring of
1807 Mr. Adams
erected a large, two-story hewed log
house on his farm,
with a wide hall through its center. He
covered the
house with shingles and built a cellar
under it, which
was such an unusual thing to do in that
day that it was
the wonder of the neighborhood. The
people marveled
at such a large house and the use he
had for it. One
part being completed in the fall of
1807, he placed his
family and goods on a boat at Marietta,
and started for
the new home on Wakatomaka Creek. All
things moved
smoothly until the boat arrived at
Duvall's dam, in the
Muskingum, when it got out of the
control of its pilot,
and ran under the water flowing over
the dam, and
barely escaped filling and going to the
bottom. The boat
was landed on the island at the point
and the goods
taken out and dried, after which it was
bailed out, and
the dried goods replaced on board. It
was a difficult job
to get up by the falls at Zanesville,
but by hard work
they were finally cleared. The boat
finally reached
10
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
Wakatomaka, one mile west of the home
of Major
Jonathan Cass.
When Mr. Adams moved to this new home
Indians
were numerous in this section. They
came from long
distances to trade their pelts and
skins for ammunition,
dry goods, trinkets, etc. Captain Pipe,
a noted chief of
the Delaware tribe, often visited this
post. His head-
quarters were on a branch of the
Mohican river in what
is now Ashland county. The branch of
the Delaware
tribe to which Pipe belonged, resided
along the Mus-
kingum, Tuscarawas and Cuyahoga rivers.
Chief Pipe
was over six feet tall, of erect and
splendid carriage,
and was well known to the white
settlers on the Mus-
kingum and its branches. He had great
influence among
the Indians and was popular with the
whites. In the
fall of 1808, Captain Pipe and his
squaw, a small, fair-
skinned woman, and a large number of
Delaware In-
dians, came to Seth Adams' trading post
to exchange
goods. While the braves were trading,
the squaws and
children remained on a grass-plot near
the post. When
the trading was over, the bottle was
passed around.
When it reached Captain Pipe he
politely declined. Day
after day trading was engaged in, each
evening the
Indians returning to their camp. At a
time when the
season of trading was about ended, Mr.
Adams invited
Captain Pipe and his squaw to dine with
him in their
home, which invitation was accepted.
The Indians were
ushered into a carpeted room, the first
they had ever
seen, and were wonderfully surprised at
the elegance
surrounding them. When dinner was
ready, Captain
Pipe seated himself at the right of Mr.
Adams, while
his squaw sat at the right of Mrs.
Adams. Said Mr.
Seth Adams 11
Adams, "Captain Pipe, you are the
only Indian I have
ever seen who would not drink
whiskey," to which the
Chief replied, "Mr. Adams, you are
greatly mistaken.
I like whiskey as well as any other
Indian, but always
refuse to drink in the presence of my
tribe because it
presents a bad example to my people,
and especially to
bad Indians. Among white gentlemen and
peaceful In-
dians I never refuse to drink."
Mr. Adams turned to
his son William and requested him to go
to the cupboard
and bring a green bottle and a glass,
which he passed
to Captain Pipe. The Captain poured out
a small drink
and said, "Mr. and Mrs. Adams (and
turning around)
and children, here's to your good
health." He then
drank, bowing at the same time politely
to each person
in the room. After drinking he turned
to Mr. and Mrs.
Adams and said, "We have a saying
in our language
which I think has a great deal of
wisdom in it. It is
this: 'Captain Whiskey is a great
warrior; fight him
long enough and he is sure to get your
scalp.'"
After the departure of Captain Pipe Mr.
Adams
called the attention of his sons to the
Indian's proverb
as being truthful and wise. At the time
Mr. Adams
established his home on Wakatomaka
Creek there were
in that section four or five Indians to
every white man.
They were the remnants of the Delaware,
Wyandotte,
Ottawa, Mingo and Mohegan tribes. They
lived on Owl
Creek, Mohegan, Killbuck, Tuscarawas,
Cuyahoga and
branches, and wandered over the region
between Lake
Erie and the Ohio river. The tribes
living in the north-
ern part of New York State claimed Ohio
as their hered-
itary hunting ground. When the power of
the Indians
was broken, and the remnants of the tribes
driven back
12
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
from the settlements, they made Ohio
their home until
crowded out by the whites. On some
occasions as many
as 150 Indians would collect at
Wakatomaka Creek and
trade the skins of fur-bearing animals
for whiskey, lead,
powder, tobacco, rifles and trinkets of
various kinds.
The Indian braves were merely overgrown
children.
Mr. Adams was a strictly temperate man
and in prin-
ciple was opposed to dealing in
whiskey, but it was neces-
sary to keep the article in stock in
the West at that time.
The Indians continued to trade at this
post until the
War of 1812, when they suddenly
disappeared and never
returned. It happened so in the case of
Captain Pipe,
who disappeared with another Chief
known as Big
Horn. It is worthy of note that in
July, 1788, Captain
Pipe with other Indian chiefs made a
peace treaty with
Governor St. Clair at the old Indian
town on the right
bank of the Muskingum. During the time
of Mr. Adams'
residence by Wakatomaka Creek, Indians
frequently
visited their old camping-ground on the
Muskingum to
look on the graves of their ancestors,
which were located
about three-fourths of a mile from the
Adams' residence.
Mr. Adams was for the time, in many ways,
what we
today commonly term a progressive
farmer. This is
illustrated in the following case.
After becoming estab-
lished on the Wakatomaka, he repaired a
dam that was
out of condition, that was convenient
to his residence.
A sawmill had been erected at this dam
in 1801 by a
Mr. Russell. It was here that lumber
was purchased by
Joseph F. Munro, with which he erected
his store build-
ing and residence in Zanesville, near
the end of Main
Street. After coming into possession of
his property,
Mr. Adams established a buhrstone
grinder in his mill,
Seth Adams 13
so that corn might be ground for
himself and neighbors.
No other mill was nearer than
Zanesville, so it proved
a great convenience in the community.
The Wakatomaka
Creek even then furnished more power
through the dam
than was necessary to operate the saw
and buhrstone.
So Mr. Adams rented water power to a
Mr. Chesney, a
settler from Connecticut, who erected a
factory on the
creek, in which to manufacture wooden
bowls. Here he
made bowls that ranged in size from a
quart to the large
ones used in bread making. This was the
first factory
of the kind established in this part of
the country.
In connection with this mill occurred
the following
interesting experience. One day Thomas and John
Adams, sons of Seth, were in the mill
sitting on the car-
rier by which logs were moved up to the
saw. A great
cogwheel carried the log forward. These
two boys were
in conversation, and while thus engaged
someone below
set the mill in operation. John was sitting
on the car-
riage next to the cog-wheel, and before
he knew it the
cogs had caught him by the thigh.
Thomas at once saw
the necessity for quick action, and he
jumped to the first
floor and stopped the mill. As it was
the boy barely
escaped having a crushed thigh. Even
then the bone
was fractured, and the flesh badly
lacerated. The father,
comprehending the dangerous nature of
the wound,
mounted a horse and rode with all speed
day and night
to Mt. Vernon, approximately 100 miles
away. Here
resided Dr. Hillier, a personal friend,
and said to be
one of the most skillful surgeons in
the West. He re-
turned to the Adams' home, cared for
the injured boy,
and remained with the family for
several days, until
serious results were passed. At the
time the Doctor in-
14
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
formed the father that the injury might
render his son,
in after years, liable to rheumatism
and swellings. Such
proved true, and in later years John
Adams suffered
greatly from these ills of the flesh.
Mr. Adams' brother William had lived in
Louisiana
for some time, and in 1808 he came back
north up the
Mississippi and Ohio rivers in a boat
from New Orleans.
He called upon his brother on the
Wakatomaka, and
brought with him some agricultural
seeds, and especially
of the tomato and asparagus. At this
time the tomato
was unknown in the West. William Adams
had eaten
tomatoes as prepared for the table in
New Orleans and
looked upon them with favor. At this
time horticulture
was an unknown art in Ohio. The pioneers
of that day
had given no attention to the raising
of fine vegetables
for the table. They had been satisfied
with corn, pota-
toes, cabbage and pork. The limited
land cleared was
needed for standard products, such as
corn, wheat, po-
tatoes, cabbage or pumpkins. It was
then too early for
experiments with new crops.
The eloquence of William Adams in
behalf of the
tomato, had caused Seth to plant the
seed in the rich soil
of the Wakatomaka, and from it he grew
a fine crop,
the first tomatoes raised in
south-eastern Ohio. How
to prepare them for the table was the
important ques-
tion. No one but William Adams had
before seen a
tomato, and he was not a skillful cook.
It was finally
concluded that the best way to do would
be to boil the
tomato, then squeeze out the juice, and
put it on bread.
The dish so prepared was not palatable.
Seth Adams
was not disposed to give up on a first
trial, so the family
continued experimenting until they
finally cooked the
Seth Adams 15
tomato so that it was palatable. Of
course over a century
ago this vegetable was unimproved in
comparison with
the tomato of today. However, this was
the beginning
of tomato-culture among the pioneers of
the West.
The part played by Seth Adams in early
American
sheep husbandry, is, however, the more
notable and
creditable episode in his life, whereby
he assumed a place
in agricultural history such as to
justify a permanent
place among the great American pioneers
in this phase
of livestock husbandry. As a prelude however, to
this subject, it may be said that for
several centuries the
people of Spain had bred a class of
sheep that had been
known as the Merino. On account of
their very superior
fleece, the Spanish government had
prohibited their ex-
portation. However, in spite of this
fact, sheep had been
taken from Spain to Germany, France,
England and
Australia prior to 1800. In 1786 Louis
XVI of France
asked the King of Spain for permission
to import a flock
to be established on his farm at
Rambouillet, which re-
quest was granted.* As a result, on
October 12, 1786,
there were delivered at Rambouillet 41
rams, 318 ewes
and seven wethers, all of superior
breeding. From this
flock has descended the Rambouillet
breed of sheep of
today.
In 1793 William Foster of Boston
smuggled from
Spain a ram and two ewes, which he
presented to a
friend, Andrew Craigie of Cambridge.
The recipient
did not realize their value, and used
them for food.
These were the first Merinos brought to
America from
Europe.
* Origin Rambouillet fold of sheep. American
Rambouillet Record,
Vol. I, 1891, p. 7.
16
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
Under the subject of the introduction
of Merinos into
the United States, Mr. Adams is
credited with the fol-
lowing statement.*
"I imported in the brig Reward,
Captain Hooper,
which left Dieppe in August, 1801, and
arrived in Bos-
ton in October following, a Merino ram
and ewe. These,
I believe, were the first pair of
Merinos imported to the
United States." In this connection
it may be stated that
a variety of unauthorized statements
have been published
relative to this importation, but the
one quoted is the
only one accredited on good authority
to Mr. Adams.
The following very interesting item on
this subject was
published in a Columbus paper at the
time of his death.**
"Fifty years ago he was a
(prominent) business man,
and extensively engaged in trade with
France. During
the period when American goods were
seized by Na-
poleon under some of his orders, Adams
lost all his
property, and since then has been one
of the claimants
for damages, which our government, by
the Rives treaty,
assumed to settle and pay. A bill
making appropriations
to pay off these claims was passed
during Polk's admin-
istration, but was vetoed by him on the
ground that we
wanted all our money to carry on the
war with Mexico.
"It is stated that Mr. Adams was
the first man that
introduced Merino sheep into this
country. Our Min-
ister at St. Cloud was about returning,
and as there was
a severe law against exporting
fine-wooled sheep, Mr.
Adams got a few on board the vessel as
stores for the
Minister's use on the passage home. It
so happened that
* Quoted in "The American
Shepherd" by L. A. Morrell, New York,
1846, p. 70. (From the American
Cultivator.)
** Ohio State Journal, September 21, 1852.
Seth Adams 17
they were not eaten, and were the first
of the kind that
had been imported." That Mr. Adams
was in the trans-
Atlantic trade is evident, from his
advertisement in the
Boston Advertiser (see p. 4),
but it is very doubtful
if he would import on other than one of
his own vessels,
on which the American Minister would
not be likely to
travel. Further the difficulty in
securing sheep applied
to Spain rather than France. This
quotation gives no
specific number, but mentions "a
few," while Mr. Adams
has stated specifically that two was
the number.
In 1802 Colonel David Humphreys
imported from
Spain 21 rams and 70 ewes to his home
in Derby, Con-
necticut. These were shipped from
Lisbon, Portugal, on
April 10, on the ship Perseverance.
Both Seth Adams and Colonel Humphreys
were
made aware of an offer by the
Massachusetts Society
for Promoting Agriculture relative to
special recogni-
tion for importing sheep.
In his letter to the American
Cultivator in 1846, Mr.
Adams made the following statement:
"The Agricultural Society of
Massachusetts having
offered a premium of $50.00 for the
importation of a
pair of sheep of superior breed,
Colonel D. Humphreys
imported a flock of Merinos, and sent
some of them to
Massachusetts, and he, or some one for
him, applied to
the Society for the premium. Knowing
from report that
his sheep did not arrive before the
spring season after
mine, I applied at the same time for
the premium, and
after having examined the sheep and
wool, and compared
with those of Colonel Humphreys, the
Society awarded
me the premium, and awarded to Colonel
Humphreys a
gold medal for having imported a larger
number. My
Vol. XLIII--2
18
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
sheep were from the flock imported by
Bonaparte, and
distributed through France to improve
the flocks of that
kingdom."
In view of controversies which had
arisen relative to
the awards made by the Massachusetts
Society for Pro-
moting Agriculture, referred to as the
Agricultural So-
ciety of Massachusetts by Mr. Adams, a
special study
was made of this subject by Mr. John
Bruce McPher-
son,* from which the following facts
are brought out.
On page 6 of the "Papers on
Agriculture," consist-
ing of communications made to the
Society, published
in 1801 by the trustees, the offer in
question is set forth
as below:
"An annual premium of thirty
dollars for five years,
to the person who shall introduce into
the State of Mas-
sachusetts for the purpose of
propagation, a ram or ewe
of a breed superior to any now in the
State; if from a
foreign country, fifty dollars. Claims
to be presented on
or before 1st of October annually.
"General Francis H. Appleton,
Secretary of the So-
ciety, finds from the records that on
October 20, 1802, a
letter was received from Seth Adams,
perhaps written
nearly a month previous, informing the
Society of his
importation of two sheep--Merino breed--prior
to Octo-
ber, 1802. The matter was referred to a
committee com-
posed of Dr. Aaron Dexter, and Joseph
Russell, Esq.,
to ascertain if Mr. Adams was entitled
to the premium
for the introduction of said sheep into
the State for the
year 1801. Upon stating this as a fact they were au-
* "The introduction of Merino sheep
into New England." By John
Bruce McPherson, Secretary. The Bulletin
National Association of Wool
Manufacturers, September, 1905, pp. 224-256.
Seth Adams 19
thorized to draw upon the treasurer for
the amount. In
the papers published in 1804 by the
Society is the ac-
count of Thomas Lindell Winthrop,
treasurer, on page
60. Among the credits claimed were
these:
Dec. 9, 1802. Paid for a gold
medal presented by the
Society to the Hon. David Humphreys
..............$48.00
June 3, 1803. Paid Seth Adams the Society
premium for
importing sheep
.................................
50.00
"If Mr. Adams was awarded the
premium for the
importation of sheep of an improved
breed for the year
1801, as General Appleton informs us,
and if Colonel
Humphreys was awarded a gold medal and
not a pre-
mium for his importation of 1802, was
Mr. Adams not
mistaken when he wrote that Colonel
Humphreys sent
some of his sheep into Massachusetts
presumably for
the purpose of claiming the premium? Is
it not well nigh
conclusive that neither he nor any one
for him applied
to the Society for the premium? And is
it not also clear
from the dates in the treasurer's
account that there could
have been no competition between the
two for the pre-
mium?" This investigation of the
payments in question,
seems to have been made clear by the
research of Mr.
McPherson, in which it is shown that
the Adams sheep
preceded those of Humphreys in coming
to America.
Mr. Adams' real experience as a breeder
and handler
of sheep began with his farming
operations in Ohio. Not
much is known regarding his experience
with sheep prior
to coming to Ohio. When he removed to
this State, it
is related by his daughter, Mary Ann,
later Mrs. W. M.
Lyons, that William Gregory drove
overland for him
between 25 and 30 Merinos that were
descended from
20 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications
the pair imported in 1801. This seems
an extravagant
statement. If there were that many
sheep brought west,
some of these must have been the result
of using the
ram on grade or native ewes. This
statement is sup-
ported in the contents of the following
letter written by
Mr. Adams in 1810 to William Jarvis of
Wethersfield,
Connecticut, noted as an importer of
Merinos, as well as
being a famous American breeder.*
"I have had the breed of sheep a
number of years,
and am continually applied to for the
full-bloods, and
know almost every person in this State
and Kentucky
who is in want of them; and I have
conditional engage-
ments for the next year. I imported in
the year 1801, a
pair of these sheep, the first pair
imported into the
United States, but I have but a small
number of the full-
blooded, and I intend rearing them; and
as I am known
to have the stock, I have a great
advantage over any
person on this side of the
mountains." These sheep, ac-
cording to Mrs. Lyons "were pure
white and very beau-
tiful, unlike the common sheep."
The wool was close,
fine and oily, caught the dust easily
and became quite
dirty. The boys of that day used to run
after the flock
and called them 'Adams' Renos.'**
In 1807 the Merino sheep owned by Mr.
Adams in
Massachusetts were in November started
for the West
in charge of William Gregory, the hired
man who came
west with him and assisted him in
getting settled. These
sheep were taken to Pittsburgh,
presumably being driven
overland, at which point they were
placed on a boat on
* Register Ohio Spanish Merino Sheep
Breeders' Assoc., Vol. I, 1885,
p. 48.
** Ibid., p. 50.
Seth Adams 21
the Ohio River, and thus shipped to
Marietta. The boat
on its course down-stream stopped at
Wheeling and
while lying there Mr. Ebenezer Zane
purchased a ram
for $750, says Mr. E. H. Church.*
Captain John Dulty
(now [1879] living in Marietta),
informed Mr. Church
at this time that he had a distinct
recollection of seeing
these Merino sheep on the boat while
docked at Wheel-
ing. The boys of that day looked upon
these Merinos
with big, long, twisted horns, as great
curiosities. On
arriving at Marietta, the sheep were
taken off and driven
up the river to the farm of Mr. Adams
on the Waka-
tomaka. Thus arrived the first flock of
Merino sheep
to Ohio and the first to pass west of
the Alleghany
mountains.
Due to the newness of the country,
wolves were very
common in Ohio at this time, and
whenever possible they
killed sheep. For this reason Mr. Adams
found it neces-
sary to put his sheep each night in a
strongly constructed
sheep shed, to save them from the
wolves. Mr. Church
states that he housed his finest sheep
during the winter
under a section of the family residence
which was not
in use. The sheep entered or left their
pen by a door
on a level with the ground. The common
sheep were
separately housed in strong pens. At
night the wolves
would prowl about, barking and howling
like dogs. One
night in the summer of 1811 the sheep
were left out of
doors, and according to his daughter,
Mrs. Lyons, wolves
killed 35 of the flock. "This
greatly discouraged my
father. He sold the balance and moved
to Zanesville,
Ohio."* It is worth recording here
that the Ohio Leg-
* Zanesville Courier, February 1,
1879.
* Register Ohio Spanish Merino
Breeders' Assoc., Vol. I, 1885, p. 50.
22
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
islature in 1810 passed a law
permitting County Com-
missioners to pay $2.00 for the scalp
of each wolf
produced.
Mr. Adams' daughter, Mary Ann, related
this in-
teresting incident to Mr. Church
relative to her expe-
rience with the sheep.** When she was a
little girl on
the farm at Wakatomaka, with her
father, on a cold day
she found a lamb nearly frozen. This
she took to the
house where she warmed it and fed it milk
from a bottle.
The lamb showed great affection for its
mistress, and
grew to be a great pet. After it had
attained a suitable
age for service, her father sold it in
Kentucky for $500.
This was a ewe and carried a very fine
quality of fleece.
It may be mentioned here that Mr.
Adams' custom was
to sell his wool to the Steubenville
Woolen Mill, the first
concern of the kind established in this
part of the
country.
According to Ezra A. Carman*** a number
of these
sheep or their immediate descendants
were sold to resi-
dents of Kentucky. Judge Todd, the
father of the wife
of President Lincoln, and resident of
Kentucky, paid
Mr. Adams $1500 for a pair. This
occurred in 1809,
and these Merinos were the first sent
into that State.
Following this sale he sold a number of
ewes in Kentucky
for $500 each.
An article in the National
Intelligencer, dated at Ma-
rietta, July 17, 1810, says "The
enterprising Mr. Seth
Adams arrived at this place on the 9th
inst. on his way
** Zanesville Courier, Feb. 1,
1879.
*** Special Rept. on Hist. and
Present Condition Sheep Industry in
United States, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Bureau Animal Industry,
1892,
p. 137.
Seth Adams 23
to Kentucky and Tennessee with 176
Merino sheep from
the flock of Colonel D. Humphreys of
Connecticut." A
letter written at Chambersburg,
Pennsylvania, dated
June 12, 1810, says, "that 203
Merino sheep belonging
to Colonel Humphreys of Connecticut
passed through
this borough on Saturday last, on their
way to Kentucky.
They were all males, and none less than
half-blooded.
We understand that Mr. John Ranfrew of
Guilford
Township, and Mr. John Hetich of this
borough, each
bought one of these valuable animals,
which had become
lame from traveling, the only ones the
agent of Colonel
Humphreys was authorized to dispose
of." The agent
in this case must have been Mr. Seth
Adams. It seems
almost incredible that this drove of
203 sheep should all
be males, as ewes were much in demand
for breeding
purposes at that time. It is stated in
the history of Stark
County, Ohio,* that the first Merinos
brought into Ohio
were doubtless by Mr. Adams, and were
Humphrey
Merinos, "undoubtedly the best
ever imported into the
United States, by whatever name
called." They were
kept for some time in Washington
County, where Ma-
rietta is the county-seat, and
afterwards removed to
Muskingum County, near Zanesville.
Quoting this his-
tory of Stark County, "He had a
sort of partnership
agency with Humphreys for keeping and
selling them.
They were scattered, and had they been
taken care of
and appreciated, would have laid a
better foundation of
flocks in Ohio than any sheep brought
into it from that
time until 1852." Of such great
importance did it appear
to the settlers of the western country
that this breed of
* History of Stark County with an
Outline Sketch of Ohio. Edited by
William
Henry Perrin, Bastin &
Battey, Publishers, Chicago, 1881.
24
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
sheep should be widely distributed,
says Mr. Carman,
that in the latter part of 1807 and
early in 1808 the
newspapers proposed that every bank
having national
encouragement should be obliged to give
assistance in
procuring them and providing for their
care and
increase.
According to William E. Hunt,*
"the first Merino
sheep of thorough blood brought into
this county
(Coshocton) were bought by Major
Robinson and Major
Simmons from old Seth Adams, who, as
partner or agent
of Colonel Humphreys, brought to the
Muskingum
valley some of Colonel Humphreys'
importation from
Spain, and had them in Muskingum
County, near Dres-
den, as early as 1812. They were not
cared for and no
trace of them is now left."
One naturally is interested to learn if
any line of
breeding back to the flock of Mr. Adams
were possible
in more recent days. One flock was for
many years per-
petuated near Marietta, Ohio, writes
Mr. Stephen
Powers in 1887.** "In 1809 Rufus
Putnam of Marietta,
Ohio, bought of Seth Adams some
full-blooded Merinos,
and founded a flock, which was
continued by his son,
L. J. P. Putnam, substantially to the
present time, but
without registration."
Negotiations for the sale of a Merino
ram in 1810
are of such a remarkable character,
that they are here
given as a part of early Ohio Merino
history, in which
Mr. Adams is one of the negotiators.***
The following
letter explains itself:
* Historical Collections of Coshocton
County, Ohio, 1764-1876, p. 85.
** The American Merino; for Wool and
for Mutton.
*** From Manuscript in possession of
Marietta College library, re-
produced by the author of this
biographical sketch.
Seth Adams 25
Marietta, September 24, 1810.
"Col. David Humphreys:
Sir: You probably have been informed by
your
agents, Mr. Elier Ives and Mr. Seth
Adams, that they
left with us a full-blood (yearling)
Merino ram on
the following terms, viz: We are to put
25 1/2 blood &
60 1/4 blood ewes to the ram. For the
former we are to
pay 300 dols. & for the latter are
to give half the lambs,
which may proceed from the 60 ewes. The
1/4 blooded
ewes are spring lambs & it is not expected
they will all
breed the first year.
Being very desirous of owning one of
this most val-
uable race of animals we take the
liberty of making you
the following offer for the ram in
question.
On condition of being exonerated from
paying the
above mentioned $300 and from
delivering half the
lambs of the 60 1/4 blood ewes, we will
give you for the
ram, one section & four fractions
of land in the Ohio
Company purchases, containing in the
whole sixteen
hundred & eighty-eight acres. We
make our offer in
land because cash, in this new country,
is almost out of
the question.
This property is not at this time
saleable, but there is
no doubt but the lands of the Ohio
Company will shortly
be in demand, as most of the land
surrounding it, which
belonged to the United States, is sold
and settled. In
the event of our purchasing this
animal, we should ex-
pect a certificate that he is a
full-blood Merino & on
our part, we would warrant the land
free of incum-
brance.
It was our intention to have made our
application
26 Ohio
Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
through your agent, Mr. Ives, but we are informed that
he has returned to Connecticut. We will thank you for
an answer, as soon as convenient, for should we not
purchase this ram, we intend to endeavor to buy of
Chancellor Livingston, or in some other quarter.
We own the following lands, any of which we are
willing to part with to accomplish the object in view.
Range 15 Township 11 Section 31 Acres 640
" 15 " 11 Fraction 3 " 262
" 11 " 6 Section 25 " 640
" 11 " 6 Fraction
34 " 262
" 11 " 6 " 25 " 262
" 11 " 6 " 31 " 262
" 11 " 6 " 17 " 262
" 15 " 13 " 11 " 640
" 14 " 6 " 22 " 262
3492"
This offer was made by B. J. Gilman and Paul Fear-
ing of Marietta in Mr. Gilman's writing, showing how
much a Merino sheep was worth when first introduced
into the valley of the Ohio. According to Mr. C. W.
Burkett,* in 1811 Colonel Humphreys sold a ram for
1600 acres of land in Ohio, to Paul Fearing and B. J.
Gilman of Marietta, Ohio, and this ram laid the
founda-
tion for a flock which was kept up for many years.
This
purchase of 1600 acres was apparently in reply to the
above quoted proposition.
Mr. Adams being greatly disappointed in his farming
operations, and in the damage to his sheep caused by
the wolves, sold his farm and moved to Zanesville on
December 31, 1811. Here he at first occupied with his
good-sized family a cabin a story and a half high, on
* History of Ohio Agriculture, 1900, p. 127.
Seth Adams 27
the corner of Second Street and
Fountain Alley. The
following spring he moved into a
comfortable frame
house on the southeast corner of Second
Street and
Locust Alley, where he resided until
his death.
After settling in Zanesville, Mr. Adams
purchased a
piece of farm land extending from
Seventh Street, north
to Elm Street. This included what has
long been known
as Blandy's Hill. He brought his sheep
with him from
the Wakatomaka farm, and pastured them
on this land.
He still believed in sheep husbandry,
if the wolves could
be kept away. At the foot of Blandy's
Hill he built long,
open sheds in which to furnish his
sheep shelter and
protection.
In 1812, Mr. Adams issued the following
advertise-
ment concerning his sheep, and this is
probably the first
document of the sort published in Ohio.
The following
is copied from an original in
possession of the Pioneer
and Historical Society of Zanesville.
Zanesville, January 7, 1812.
Sir: Believing that you have a wish to
increase and
improve the internal resources of the
country; and as
the improvement of our sheep is of the
first importance
to the country at large, and more
especially to this west-
ern part of it, I enclose you a sample
of wool from a
full-blooded Merino ewe, that you may
compare it with
any that may be offered for sale in
your neighborhood;
and also show it to such as wish to
examine it, or com-
pare it with the finest wool
from the common breed of
this country. I would also inform you
that I have for
sale a number of 3/8, 1/2,
3/4, 7/8, and some full-blooded Merino
rams and ewes, which I will sell on
such terms as cannot
28
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
fail to give satisfaction to those who
wish to improve
their flocks. I will sell the 3/8, 1/2,
or 7/8 on a credit of six
months, from $10 to $25 and take my pay
in neat stock;
or I will dispose of them, to receive,
for the 3/8 from 6
to 8 of the lambs that may be produced
by the rams, to
be delivered to me at the age of six
months; and for
the half-bloods, to receive from 6 to
10 of their lambs,
delivered at same age. I will also
dispose of higher
bloods (except the full-blooded) on the
same terms--
the price will vary as they are for
goodness.
I will also furnish to your friends,
either 1/2, 3/4 or 7/8
blooded rams, for the use of their
flocks, to have a cer-
tain proportion of the lambs for their
use; the degrees
of blood furnished, will depend upon
number of ewes
that they will engage to be put to him.
My terms are 1/4, 1/3 and 1/2 the
lambs produced to be
delivered at weaning age at the place
where the ram is
kept; and as the person who keeps him
will have some
trouble and considerable care, I will
give to him one-
sixth part of my part of the lambs as
compensation
therefore.
I will also furnish full-blooded Merino
rams to breed
ewes that are part Merino blood, either
for five dollars
each ewe, or one-half of the lambs,
delivered at the place
where the ram is kept; and if 120 ewes
(good) of the
common breed can be engaged, I will
furnish a full-
blooded Merino ram. As I have but a few
full-blooded
my first applicant will have them. I am
in hopes to make
all my arrangements for the rams I have
to let the next
season, by the first of May, that they
may be at their
stands in season. Should you or your
friends wish one,
please write me at this place, naming
the number of
Seth Adams 29
ewes that may be depended on, and I
will as speedily as
possible, inform you what degree of
blood can be sent.
Should your friends wish to purchase, I
will forward
samples of wool from the rams of blood
wanted, that
they may select one. I shall send three
samples of each,
viz. one from the shoulder, one from
the mid-rib and
one from the thigh; where I send only
one sample from
a sheep, it will be from the mid-rib.
Any ram purchased
from me I will deliver at the residence
of the purchaser
in their State, unless it should be
some extreme part of
it. I have in this town a few
full-blooded rams and ewes,
and some part-blooded, which I shall be
happy to show
you at any time you will please call at
my house.
I am with respect,
Your humble servant,
SETH ADAMS.
Just what returns came from this
advertisement there
is no means of knowing. However, his
financial situa-
tion did not justify an extended
campaign with high-
priced sheep. He disposed of his sheep
in the course of
time, and settled down to become a
useful citizen of
Zanesville. A few years following his
locating in Zanes-
ville, old claims are said to have been
made against Mr.
Adams,* caused by the seizure and loss
of his three mer-
chant vessels in international trade,
and captured by the
French, then at war with England. These
losses left
Mr. Adams a comparatively poor man.
In 1822 or '23, he opened a meat stall
in the new
market-house, and continued to operate
it for about a
year and a half. He also had a
vegetable garden at the
* Zanesville Courier, Feb. 1,
1879.
30
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
foot of Market Street, and raised
vegetables for the
Zanesville market, his land being where
the railway sta-
tion is now located. He cultivated
tomatoes, asparagus
and other vegetables not commonly
cultivated in the west
at that time. He appeared in market
each year with
peas, beets, radishes, lettuce, and
other vegetables. This
business yielded him a reasonable
profit.
Mr. Adams during his residence in
Zanesville was
one of the leading citizens of the
town. He served as its
Mayor in 1828 and 1829, and had many
terms in the
City Council. He was a public-spirited
man, and worked
to develop the resources of the city
and county, and
assisted in shaping and moulding their
future. He
always took a great interest in
agriculture, and was a
pioneer in its promotion, and in
getting the farmers to
meet cooperatively in handling their
farm products, to
compare opinions as to livestock merit,
and the best mode
of cultivating wheat, corn and
vegetables. He was the
prime mover in establishing the
Muskingum County
Agricultural and Manufacturing Society.
According to
J. Hope Sutor,* he was a representative
citizen of Mus-
kingum County, well known as a
merchant, farmer and
justice of the peace. He erected one of
the first houses
built in Zanesville. His political
allegiance was given to
the Whig party. At the organization of
St. Peter's Epis-
copal Church on October 17, 1816, he
was chosen a
warden.
Mr. Adams died September 5, 1852, aged
eighty-four
years, and was buried in Greenwood
Cemetery in Zanes-
ville. His wife Elizabeth died in
August of the same
* Past and Present of the City of
Zanesville and Muskingum County,
Ohio, 1905, p. 403.
Seth Adams 31
year. A plain marble monument about ten
feet high,
crowns a lovely slope where the subject
of this sketch
lies in the sleep that has no end.
The following is the inscription on the
tombstone:
Seth Adams
Born in Boston, Mass.,
2 April,
1767.
Died in Zanesville, Ohio,
5th Sept., 1852.
Elizabeth
Wife of Seth Adams
Born in Boston 22 Feb., 1770
Died in Zanesville, 2d Aug., 1852
This family monument has inscriptions
on all four
sides, some parts of which are more or
less illegible, due
to the weathering of the marble.
A Memorial to Seth Adams at the College of Agricul-
ture of the Ohio State University, was
proposed by the
writer late in 1902. In a circular
prepared at the Uni-
versity in 1903, after making a brief
statement regard-
ing Mr. Adams' part in sheep husbandry
in Ohio and
the West, was the following: "In
view of the great
work which Seth Adams rendered to Ohio
and even the
nation, it has been proposed that the
sheep-breeders and
feeders of Ohio erect a memorial to his
name and fame.
It has been further proposed that this
be in the form
of a structure to be known as 'The Seth
Adams Memo-
rial Building,' to be located on the
campus of the Ohio
State University among the buildings of
the College of
Agriculture, and to be devoted to
sheep-husbandry. This
to be a beautiful structure containing
a lecture-room,
sheep-judging auditorium, museum,
library of sheep
32
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
literature, and a Seth Adams Memorial
Room in one
part, with wool rooms, shearing-room,
dipping-room,
hospital, and feeding-paddocks in
another part--the
latter to be connected with the farm
fields; this building
to be a central point in Ohio, for the
free use of all or-
ganizations in the State for promoting
sheep husbandry,
in annual or special sessions, if they
so desire."
This proposed plan met with the
unanimous and offi-
cial approval of the Ohio Wool Growers'
and Sheep
Breeders' Association at their annual
meeting in
January, 1903.
On the basis of this circular, which
was given a wide
distribution, it was hoped to obtain a
sufficient sum of
money to carry out the contemplated
plans. It was speci-
fied that sums in any amount would be
acceptable. The
writer on various occasions addressed
groups of Ohio
stockmen, and solicited their
cooperation. Suffice it here
to state that the response to this
appeal fell far short of
what was desired. Contributions ranging
from ten cents
to $25.00 were received from 260
persons. A record was
kept of the name and address of each
giver and the sum
contributed. After a year or more of
solicitation, in
view of the difficulty in carrying the
plan through, the
matter was held in abeyance. The funds
collected were
placed in charge of the Office of the
Board of Trustees,
from which they were placed in savings,
to draw in-
terest. In a statement from the
University Accountant
in April, 1933, the sum at interest on
the Seth Adams
Memorial account amounted to $2761.59.
Here it may be said that, from one
viewpoint, it was
fortunate that such a building was not
erected on the
campus of the University. In 1903 a
large acreage south,
Seth Adams 33
west and north of the livestock
building at the Univer-
sity, bordered on the west by the
Olentangy River, was
used for pasturage and cropping by the
College of Agri-
culture. In 1906-'07, the University
erected on this same
land, fronting on Neil Avenue, a group
of three live-
stock buildings, at an expense of
$80,000, for some years
regarded as the finest buildings for
their purpose in the
United States.
The growth of the University since
1903, however,
has been so rapid and great that it was
found necessary
for its progressive development, and
placing of new
buildings, gradually to take possession
of the agricul-
tural lands on the east side of the
Olentangy. As a re-
sult, appropriations were made whereby
in 1924 the
University moved the headquarters of
this Department
across the river upon new lands
purchased by the Uni-
versity. Here a large group of
buildings was erected,
including one devoted to sheep
husbandry.
Thus it may be seen that the plan for
using the Seth
Adams Memorial money, was seriously
disturbed, with
the necessity for a sheep building as a
Memorial quite
minimized.
After due consideration in the summer
of 1933 by
the Animal Husbandry Department and
Dean Cunning-
ham of the College of Agriculture, a plan
was submitted
to President Rightmire of the
University, which met
with his approval for the use of the
income from the
Seth Adams Memorial in support of a
Scholarship,
under the following designation:
The Seth Adams Sheep Husbandry
Scholarship.
This plan was submitted to the Board of
Trustees by the
Vol. XLIII--3
34
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
President with the following action by
this body on
August 18, 1933:
"There is hereby established a
scholarship in Animal
Husbandry, known as the Seth Adams
Sheep Husbandry
Scholarship, the holder of which shall
enjoy the same
for one year, and shall be a senior
student in the four-
year course, specializing in Animal
Husbandry. The
student selected for this scholarship
must have a good
scholastic record and must show distinct
ability and
aptitude for sheep husbandry in his
class work. While
holding the scholarship he shall in
conference with
the instructional staff, plan and carry
out a trip in the
State of Ohio in which he shall visit
and study carefully
ten farms in which sheep husbandry is a
specialty. This
will constitute a field trip and the
holder of the scholar-
ship shall make observation on the
methods of breeding,
of the care and management of the
flock, and secure
and record such information as may be
possible. At least
two of these farms must breed Merino
sheep. A report
of this inspection and study trip is to
be submitted to
the Department of Animal Husbandry,
under such con-
ditions as that department may prescribe."
By action of the Trustees, one-half of
the interest
accruing annually on this Seth Adams
Memorial Fund
shall be devoted to increasing the
principal of the fund;
the other half of the said annual
interest to be used for
the support of the scholarship above
specified. When
this fund has been increased to $5,000
by the addition
of the interest annually, as above
noted, the entire in-
come shall be devoted to a scholarship
under such con-
ditions as may be recommended by the
Department of
Animal Husbandry at that time and as
may be approved
by the Board of Trustees.
OHIO
Archaeological and Historical
PUBLICATIONS
SETH ADAMS
A PIONEER OHIO SHEPHERD
By Charles Sumner Plumb
Among the pioneers of the Northwest
Territory,
along the Ohio border on the east, were
many men of
sterling worth and rather unusual
administrative ability.
Notably among these men in Ohio
history, was Seth
Adams.
The following pages will briefly
discuss his ancestry,
review his movements as a citizen and
pioneer, and set
forth his relationship to early day
American sheep hus-
bandry.
The Adams genealogy herewith was
furnished by
a grandson of Seth, Mr. Washington
Adams of Zanes-
ville, who is now (1933) 83 years of
age, in good health,
with clear mental faculties.
THE ADAMS FAMILY GENEALOGY
HENRY ADAMS of Braintree, Massachusetts, came to
America in 1634 from England, and died
in 1646. He
was seven generations removed from
Seth. Henry had
a family of eight children.
(1)