Morgan Pioneer History Binds Us Together A Sketch of the Pioneer History of Samuel Adams, Sr. and Family Samuel Adams, Sr. My grandfather, Samuel Adams Sr., a navigator and stone mason, was the third child of John Adams and Sarah Brindley Adams. He and grandmother, Elizabeth (Bessie or Betsy) Mountford, the eldest child of William Mountford and Hannah Hibs Mountford, were each born in Baddeley Edge, Staffordshire, England, on these dates respectively: August 1805, and (11-15) April 1815. My grandparents were married June 4,1832. Thirteen children were born to this union: John, born June 5,1833; Samuel, born April 16,1835; Bessy, born April 30,1837; Ann, born March 22,1839; Thomas, born December 26, 1840; Sarah, born May 12, 1843; Joseph, born March 9, 1845; Hyrum, born October 22, 1846; Elijah, born May 18, 1848; Emma, born January 27, 1850; Eliza, born June 8,1852; Isabella, born June 19, 1854; and Lorenzo, born May 10,1857. Information regarding the place and date of conversion of my grandparents is missing. But there is a possibility that my grandparents listened to Elder Woodruff's teachings for they lived near places where he preached. My grandfather's vocation was that of "boatman." He transported bullion, and on the return trip, the boat was loaded with freight. He was also an apt stonemason. Through the years of earnest endeavor, he and his family were preparing to emigrate to America. During the meantime, two daughters, Bessie and Sarah, preceded them to America in 1857. Bessie's experience was of short duration. She died May 23, 1859, leaving a baby and husband. She was buried in Newton, Jasper County, Iowa. Prior to this time, two of their sons had died. John, the eldest, at the age of seven years, and Elijah in his first year. There were buried in Norton, in the Moors, England. In May of 1860, with nine of their children, they undertook the long voyage from England to America, with Utah as their goal. Grandfather kept a diary of the voyage. It was necessary for Grandfather and his family to remain in New York for nearly a year to earn sufficient money to purchase supplies necessary to make the journey. On August 3,1860, their youngest daughter, Isabella, died and was buried in the Calvary Cemetery, Long Island, New York. The family put their trust in God and received strength and courage to carry on. Their daughter, Sarah, had made a temporary sojourn in Iowa and met them in New York in 1861. The family was assigned to travel in Joseph W. Young's Company and Sarah to Ira Eldridge's Company. The long, tiresome trek across the plains with ox teams was not just one drab picture, for there were many pleasant memories. As a child, I remember hearing my father relate this incident: "At one time they put some milk in a small wooden keg and tied it up under the wagon to be in the shade so that it could be saved for the evening meal. It worked very well, for instead of milk, there was butter and buttermilk - a delightful surprise." They never had any regrets or discouragements. They still maintained an attitude of faith that urged them to make the venture to the land of Zion. They were also desirous of looking upon the bright side of life. They arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on September 20,1861. Ira Eldridge's Company, in which Sarah traveled, arrived in the valley September 15,1861. During the journey Sarah made the acquaintance of Jesse Bond and they were married September 24,1861, in Provo. Seemingly, the Adams family entered the valley by the ringing of wedding bells, for on the same day her sister, Ann, and his brother, William, were married in Salt Lake City, Utah. The family stayed for a short while in Salt Lake and then went to Porterville, Morgan County. At a later date Grandfather was sustained as branch president. In Porterville, they homesteaded and cultivated some farming ground. There were many problems to be solved. With the scarcity of food due largely to the cricket invasion, bread was a problem. They learned to like such foods as pigweed and nettle greens. Each sensed the responsibility of trying to procure the bare necessities; each grasped any opportunity of earning such as would be helpful. Grandfather got work at the saw mill. His pay was chiefly garden vegetables. After cooking beets, the water was boiled to a syrup. My father said the kids called it "Black Jack."