U.S. Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ -- USGenNet Inc. -- Please read the U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on the following page: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Adams, Nelson D. (b. 1859) ------------------------------------------------------------------- History of Tucker County, West Virginia From the Earliest Explorations and Settlements to the Present Time. by Hu Maxwell Kingwood, W. Va.; Preston Publishing Company, 1884. Pages 348-350 Nelson D. Adams was born April 9, 1859, on Cheat River, near the old "Pleasant Valley Church," in Preston County, W. Va. His father, G. W. Adams, removed to Limestone about the commencement of the Civil War. N. D.'s only recollections of the war were seeing his uncle, Samuel Martin, return from prison, and of seeing soldiers at his fathers house. The first school attended was at Limestone Church, taught by Eli Adams. The next winter he was sent to his grandfather, Philip Martin's, near Kingwood, and attended school there. After that, he attended several schools at Limestone Church, and two terms at White's, on the head of Mill Bun. Then he attended four terms at Jacob Dumire, Esq.'s, the last of which was taught by L. S. Auvil, and the subject of this sketch commenced the study of algebra. He was very studious, and devoted every minute of his spare time to his books. He lived on a farm, and a Tucker County farmer boy has none too good opportunities to become well acquainted with books. But Adams was ambitious, and surmounted difficulties and removed obstacles, and when the Teachers' Board of Examination met at St. George in the fall of 1877, he was an applicant for a teacher's certificate. As he said: "Entering with fear and trembling and coming out all right, I began to think that I stood high on the ladder of knowledge." He taught the school at Limestone Church that winter, and in the spring felt encouraged by the cash in his pocket. He worked that summer on the farm, and began to compose poems, which betrayed a poetical inclination, not dangerous, but perceptible. The next fall, 1878, he thought to strike a higher level, and went to Preston to get a school. He passed successfully the examination at Newburg, and shortly afterwards set out to hunt himself a school. His success was about like Simon Kenton's, who was trying to find Kentucky and came to the conclusion that he had passed it in the night. He could find no school. Clad in his best jeans coat and mounted on a mule, like the Mexican at El Paso Del Mar, or Don Quixote in his glory, young Adams wound his way over the hills and vales of Preston for a week, taking every road but the right one, missing all roads and getting lost, and meeting with but cold encouragement. At the end of the week he was turning back, somewhat disheartened, but still determined, and was planning an attempt in some new field, when he had the good fortune to light down on a school at New Salem, Union District, Preston County. He taught the school successfully, and in the spring, 1879, he attended the Portland (Terra Alta) school, taught by Professor Fike. He attended this school two terms, and in the winter of 1879-80 he taught the Freeland school, near Terra Alta. During the summer of 1880 he again attended Professor Fike's school and graduated. The winter of 1880-81 he taught the Fish Creek school in Preston. In the spring of 1881 he was appointed a cadet in the West Virginia University, and soon afterwards entered that school. He remained there that year. In the winter of 1882-83 he taught at Eighty Cut, in Preston County. He spent the vacation of 1881 in Ohio, canvassing for books. He went again to Ohio in 1882 for the same purpose, and visited Lancaster, the scene of M'Cleland and White's adventure with the Indians. Returning from Ohio after two weeks he devoted himself to farm work until school opened at the University, when he again returned to his books. The year 1884 was also spent at the University. During his leisure hours he still indulged in verse-making, and contributed to the newspapers, the principal of which were The Wheeling Intelligencer and The Preston County Journal. He is deeply read in the classics, ancient and modern. The Greek, Latin and French he reads in the original language. Homer, Herodotus and Cicero are his favorites among the ancients; and among the English he shows a preference for Shakespeare, Pope and Byron. ------------------------------------------------------------------- If you've reached this file through a SEARCH, you can access other biographies for Tucker County, WV by going to the following URL: http://www.us-data.org/wv/tucker/bios.html -------------------------------------------------------------------