Madison County, Illinois - Chapter 17: The John Adams Journal, 1912

John Adams - Down the Ohio to Illinois - Building the Edwardsville Mill - Prepares for the Clothing Business - Manufactures Castor Oil - Fails to Make Beet Sugar - Business and Piety.

John Adams, who became a permanent set¬ tler at Edwardsville in March, 1823, and was the first to set up wool-carding machines there, wrote a journal of his personal and business experiences. This journal, making a carefully written book of more than two hundred and fifty pages, is a record of his career during his early life in western New York, his journeys and final settlement in Illi¬ nois, and his residence in Edwardsville up to 1838, when he was elected sheriff of the county. The first part of the journal was written probably almost a hundred years ago. It is now the property of Mr. Adams' grand¬ son, J. Magnus Ryrie, of Alton.

John Adams was born at St. Johnsbury, Vermont, January 25, 1796, a son of Jona¬ than Adams. In February, 1807, the family moved to Cayuga county, New York. John Adams was reared there, had some schooling, and early began learning the trade of a wool carder. He was employed in a factory at Cazenovia for some time, beginning in 1815, spent nearly two years in Canada in charge of a factory, and in March, 1818, set out upon his first journey to Illinois. After spending a few weeks in this state about Carlyle and in St. Louis, he returned to New York, where

In September, 1818, having bought some carding machines and other merchandise, Mr. Adams again started for Illinois. His wife remained in the east, and he was accompanied on this trip by his brother Robert. Their goods and machinery were transported by wagons to the Allegheny river. "October 6th, after getting our machinery etc., on board," says the Journal, "we pushed off down the Allegheny river, the water being uncommon low, and we were under the neces¬ sity of getting into the water to pry and push our boat over the riffles and bars, sometimes making temporary dams with stones and flood-wood to turn the water all in one chan¬ nel. . . . November 5th we arrived at

Pittsburg, almost discouraged and worn out with fatigue and trouble. Here we concluded to stop until the water should rise or we could find some more convenient way of get¬ ting along. Robert and Mr. Thomas worked a few days in the coal mine, but not liking the business they quit it, and they and my¬ self engaged to split rails for 3714 cents per hundred. . . . We finally decided to sell cordingly put our machinery on board and sold our boat for about the same we gave. After waiting some days and the water not rising, winter coming on, we were fearful the keel-boat would not leave Pittsburg be¬ fore spring, and as we were very anxious to proceed on our journey we purchased a small flat-boat and took our property again out of the keel-boat and put it in ours. We pre¬ pared a fire-place and some berths and took in three families as passengers. . . .

pany and a pilot on board to show us the way. We got along very slow on account of low water, and sometimes in the water. About the 5th of December we had a heavy rain which raised the water considerable, so that we got along very well except when detained by head winds. . . . The water being and then proceeded on down the river. At the Ohio falls (Louisville) we undertook to follow another boat which had a pilot on board. But the boat had so much the start of us that they left us immediately when they came into the rapids. We endeavoring to follow them run about the worst place we could and for a few minutes were in imminent danger and were considerable frightened. We however got through safe and continued on, nothing more of consequence occurring until we arrived at Shawneetown, excepting some severe head winds. We landed at Shawneetown the 17th of December, 1818.

purchased a horse and took our tea, cloths, etc., in our wagon and started for Carlyle, peddling our articles on our way through. We arrived at Lemuel Lee's about the first of January, 1819. We were now in a situation that we could not return to New York as soon as we had calculated, our machinery not being in a situation to sell. We therefore concluded to get into business to be earning something. Robert hired to some surveyors himself and horse and wagon to attend and move their camp, etc. ... I went to Turkey Hill settlement to see Mr. Mitchell about taking the carding machines he had contracted for and found him ready to receive them ; but Padfield was ofif about taking or owning onehalf of the double machine with me as he had agreed with me previous to my return to York state.

"From Turkey Hill settlement I went to Edwardsville, where I sold a chest of tea and partly engaged to set up a carding machine there with James Mason. From there I re¬ turned again to Mr. Lee's. By this time I had about concluded to enter land and try to establish a home in Illinois. I accordingly re¬ turned to Edwardsville and entered a quarter section of land which lay near Carlyle, where the people generally expected the state seat (capital) would be established at that time, although we were all afterwards disap¬ pointed."

Mr. Adams was unable to carry out his plan to establish a factory at Edwardsville. His wife joined him at Carlyle in May, 1819, and he continued to reside there several years, en¬ gaged in farming and minor business under¬ takings. Early in 1823 he determined to set up a carding mill at Edwardsville, and having purchased the machinery at Vincennes, In¬ diana, the journal describes his location and first experiences at Edwardsville as follows : "March 9, 1823, having engaged Thomas Wil- ton with one yoke of oxen and wagon, to which I put two yoke of oxen more which I had bought to take with me, we commenced our journey for Edwardsville. We were heavy loaded and the roads very bad, not hav¬ ing got settled. We had not proceeded more than one mile before we stuck in the mud and were obliged to unload a great part of our load, and after considerable difficulty got out of the mud and proceeded on. I hired two young men to go on with me and help me about building for one month. I now had plenty of help on my way, but was obliged to leave a part of my load, and the fourth day after leaving Carlyle we arrived at Edwards¬ ville without house or home to go to. I, how¬ ever, hired a horse of Jeptha Lamkins, and was to give him five dollars a month. I had previously made a contract with H. P. Win¬ chester for ten acres of land where I intended establishing my business, but after a few days Winchester appearing to be rather off about letting me have the land, and having an oppor¬ tunity to purchase the place I had hired of Lamkins on tolerable good terms, I concluded to buy. ... I now went about the build¬ ing as fast as possible. . . . and in less than a month had up a frame for the mill 24 feet square, two stories. I bought an old in¬ clined wheel at Milton, a part of which I moved to Edwardsville. I employed a mill¬ wright who with the old and new timber con¬ structed a mill. In May, having got my millhouse covered and weatherboarded, I started for Vincennes for the carding machine.

Vincennes but found the machine much heavier than I expected, and the water being high and the roads muddy, we had a great deal of difficulty in getting along with our load. We broke down a number of times, but arrived at Edwardsville the 5th of June, hav¬ ing been absent between three and four weeks. The mill was not quite completed, but we soon had it finished and the carding machine put up, and commenced carding the 23d. We had a very good run of business through the sea¬ son. We were obliged to work night and day, and carded in the course of the season near six thousand pounds of wool.

"In September I began to prepare for the clothing business. I took another trip to Vin¬ cennes in pursuit of utensils for the business. . . . I found considerable difficulty in ob¬ taining workmen who understood making a fulling mill, in consequence of which I had to build and rebuild a number of times before I could do business, so that the expense of establishing the clothing business was consid¬ erable. Our work for that season amounted to about two hundred dollars. ... In May I purchased another carding machine of Judge Thomas. . . . Our carding busi¬

"In February, 1825, I purchased about ninety bushels of castor beans, gave one dol¬ lar fifty cents a bushel. I made use of my cloth press to express the oil. I obtained about one hundred and thirty gallons of oil, which I sold for two dollars a gallon. In March I advertised to purchase all I could the ensuing season and give three quarts of oil or one dollar twenty-five cents per bushel. I offered a premium of fifty dollars to any per¬ son who would deliver me five hundred bush¬ els of his own raising."

Mr. Adams was apparently the pioneer manufacturer of oil from castor beans in this county, and in succeeding years developed it to a large business. In 1835 the product of the oil business was about 14,000 gallons.

Another experiment of Mr. Adams is an in¬ teresting item of history. "In April, 1826," says the Journal, "I planted a large quantity of beets seed with the intention of trying the experiment of making sugar from beets the ensuing fall. . . . Finding the prospect of making sugar from beets to be rather poor, that the expense would be more than the profits, I concluded to sell my beets (of which I had a considerable many), some in St. Louis and in the neighborhood." of business and of family afifairs, together with the transcript of many letters received from other members of the family, helps to throw much light on the character and cir¬ cumstances of the people of that time. The record of business affairs is set down with a serious dignity, and through all the letters is breathed in a tone of religious trust and ex¬ hortation. Business and piety were regarded very seriously by the men and women of early Madison county. This article will be con¬ cluded with one more brief quotation : "Quite a revival of religion took place at Edwards¬ ville during the spring (1828), and many im¬ proved the offers held out by the Holy Script¬ ures and found peace and comfort through the merit of the Redeemer. A Baptist church was established and myself and wife became members thereof."