John and Samuel Adams, Patriot Cousins

How These Key Figures of the Revolution Were Related

Aug 19, 2009

In addition to sharing political goals, John and Samuel Adams shared a family tree. They were both great-grandsons of Joseph Adams and Abigail Baxter Adams of Braintree,

John Adams and Samuel Adams were among many descendants of Henry Adams and his wife Edith Squire Adams of Somersetshire, England, who were part of the great Puritan migration to Massachusetts in the 1630s. Henry and Edith had nine children, including eight sons. One of those sons was Joseph, great-grandfather of Samuel and John Adams.

One of Joseph Adams’s sons was John Adams, who became a sea captain. He had a son named Sam Adams, who in turn had a son named Sam Adams, who became the famous revolutionary figure.

Another of Joseph Adams’s sons was named Joseph Adams. He had a son named John Adams, who in turn had a son named John Adams, who became the revolutionary figure and second president of the United States.

From Failed Tax Collector to Master of Propaganda

Samuel Adams, born in 1722, grew up in Boston. He received an education at Harvard and seemed early on destined for the clergy. That ambition was abandoned, however, and Samuel eventually helped in his father’s malting business, which was related to brewing beer. After the elder Adams died, young Sam couldn't keep the business going. He eventually won a position as a tax collector in Boston. He was inept at that job, but he developed friendships and political associations, which served him well when, in the 1760s, he became deeply involved in politics. He was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives and served as a pivotal figure in crafting propaganda, organizing political activities, and establishing contacts throughout Massachusetts and all over colonial America. He was an important figure in the Continental Congress. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and after the war eventually served as governor of the state of Massachusetts. He died in 1803.

From Courtrooms to the Presidency

John Adams, born in 1735, grew up in Braintree, was Harvard educated, and worked briefly as a schoolteacher before embarking on a career in law. He established his law office in Braintree, but soon moved to Boston, where career prospects were better. His writing and his triumphs in the courtroom won him attention and brought him to the forefront of the evolving movement toward independence. He, like Samuel Adams, was a key figure in the Continental Congress, and like, Samuel, he too signed the Declaration of Independence. After the Declaration of Independence, he crafted the constitution for Massachusetts, which was drawn upon in the writing of the United States Constitution. John Adams became the first vice president and the second president of the United States. He died in 1826.

Sources:

"Adams, John." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition. 19 Aug. 2009.

"Adams, Samuel." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition. 19 Aug. 2009.

The copyright of the article John and Samuel Adams, Patriot Cousins in Colonial America is owned by Brian Deming. Permission to republish John and Samuel Adams, Patriot Cousins in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.