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William Henry Adams

Adams, William Henry, mining engineer and metallurgist; born, Pontiac, Mich., June 14, 1843; son of Henry Perry and Eliza (Young) Adams; direct descendant of the Adams of Welsh history who landed in Plymouth Colony about 1637--families which gave two presidents to U.S. His father, Henry Perry Adams, civil engineer with record on Erie and Illinois canals and construction of railroads in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, etc. He was brigadier-general under Fremont, St. Louis, Mo., 1861. On mother's side is direct descendant Rev. John Young, who brought a colony of Dissenters to America about 1646 ; who purchased the eastern end of Long Island from the Indians; who established his home and church at Southold, L.I, where he is buried under historic monument.

Educated in public schools, Syracuse, N.Y., until 1860; Chicago University one year; specialized under tutors in engineering practice on railroads during vacation periods many years; on staff Brigadier-General H. P. Adams, fall 1861, at Canton, Mo. ; member Ellsworth Zouaves, Chicago, III., 1862-63-64; with army and navy in Mississippi River campaigns 1862-63-64 and invalided home. Married Josephine A. Curtis at Quincy, III., April 17, 1865. Opened and managed copper mines; constructed and operated smelters and chemical works for utilization of pyrites-copper ores in Canada and U.S. and Mexico;

opened and managed Louisa County (Va.) pyrites mines; extensive professional and technical work throughout the U.S. during the period between 1865 and 1906, since which special operations on Pacific coast connected with utilization of low-grade coals; recovery of iron and steel from black sands by new electric process smelting the magnetic ores. Member N.Y. Press Club (eighteen years) ; Reform Club, N.Y. (eight years); Geographic Society, N.Y. (ten years) ; Am. Inst. Mining Engrs. (thirty-three years), and Inst. Meehan. Engrs. (ten years) ; Engineers' Club (twenty-two years) ; other clubs elsewhere, but never affiliated with secret societies. Contributor and correspondent of newspapers and technical journals every year since 1867; special work in "Mineral Industry," New York City, 1892-96. Residence: 978 Council Crest Drive. Address: Box 200, Portland, Ore.

Source: Builders of Our Nation, Men of 1914 pub. Men of Nineteen-Fourteen, Chicago, Ill. 1915.

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