496 THE GROUNDSWELL. 



Soccer or later, in the revolution of the wheel of time, this 

 class come to the front, and are truly appreciated. 



When young Adams was four years of age, his father 

 died, and he was thus left to the care of one of the most 

 self-sacrificing cf mothers, who spared no pains to lead the 

 young mind in the paths of honor, probity, and religion. 

 His time, until sixteen years of age, was spent as that of 

 many New England boys is, in assisting in the work of a 

 rocky farm, attending the district school arid church, and 

 engaging in. the innocent frolics incident to such life. In 

 time the district school was exchanged for the village acad 

 emy, and to this early training is undoubtedly due the prac 

 tical workings, later in life, of a mind always studious and 

 eager for knowledge, and fostered and directed by the ju 

 dicious care of a devoted mother. From the age of seven 

 teen until his majority, he continued to work steadily on 

 the farm during the summer months, teaching school in 

 the winter, and pursuing his studies in the spring and au 

 tumn. 



His majority attained, Mr. Adams found that incessant 

 labor and study had seriously affected his constitution ; he 

 was threatened, in fact, with that dire scourge of New Eng 

 land, consumption. 



Carefully weighing the chances between an early death if 

 he remained in his native hills, and the possibility of regaining 

 his health in some other locality, he quickly decided to emi 

 grate to the then Eldorado, the West, and at once made his 

 way into north-eastern Iowa. Here, in 1852, he located on 

 a tract of wild land, which, under his skillful hand, was soon 

 transformed into an excellent farm, on which he has ever 

 since resided. That the choice of a location was sagac 

 iously made, has since been fully demonstrated. The flour 

 ishing village of Waukon has since grown up around it. 



