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GEORGE
ADAMS, a native of Scotland and a worthy representative of that sturdy
country, is one of the prosperous farmers of Tilbury township, East. He
was born in August, 1849, a son of Robert and Mary (Barrie) Adams.
Leaving Scotland in 1869 he came to Canada, making a brief stop at
Hamilton on his way to Chatham, where he expected to engage at his trade
of blacksmith, but not finding a suitable opening, he came to Fletcher and
secured employment with Mr. John Couts, a farmer, receiving $18 per month
for his services. Soon, however, he decided to follow his trade at
Fletcher, so secured a lot, cleared it and erected a shop, and carried on
a very successful blacksmith business for three and one-half years. At
the expiration of that period he purchased Lot 4, Concession 6, upon which
improvements to the extent of the chopping off of twenty acres had been
made. The family moved into a lumberman’s log cabin, and the work of
still further improving and clearing began. Later he built a larger home
nearer the south road, and his present pretty house was built in 1884. At
the time Mr. Adams located upon his property, the surrounding country was
all wild, and no draining had been done. In addition to his home
property, Mr. Adams has fifty acres in the 7th Concession and
fifty acres of Lot 5, of the 6th Concession, besides other
land, making a grand total of 1511 acres. He is very successful in his
conduct of his farming operations, and is devoting himself largely to
stock raising, and making a specialty of cattle and hogs, shipping five or
six carloads per year. He carries all the time from three to four hundred
head. His son, Robert P., owns 800 acres on the Bow river thirty miles
south of Calgary, where he and his father are contemplating the finishing
and raising of cattle for export, there being an abundance of feed and
water there, with the climate most favourable for stock. In politics Mr.
Adams is a Reformer. All of his family are members of the Presbyterian
Church.
After coming to this township George Adams
married Ellen, daughter of John Fletcher, a sketch of whom appears
elsewhere. Children as follows were born to this union: Lottie, a
milliner of Detroit; Robert P.; Minnie J., a graduate of bookkeeping and
stenography from the Chatham business college, now filling a position at
Kingsville; Helen Gordon, a teacher at Tilbury where she has been employed
two years; Emma Ida, at home; Vida Elizabeth Gray, in attendance at the
Chatham high school; Laura Mabel, a graduate of bookkeeping and
stenography of the Chatham high school, now holding a position in Detroit;
John Fletcher and George Sherman, at home. Robert P., mentioned above,
completed a business course at the Chatham business college, and is now a
cattle dealer and ranchman at Calgary. Prior to going there he engaged
for a time in cattle buying in this section, and was a successful butcher
of Tilbury. Mr. Adams has attained to his present prosperity through
untiring efforts, thrift and good management, and he enjoys in the highest
degree the confidence of the entire neighbourhood. |
