Early Kentucky Settler Alexander Adams

Alexander Adams in Fayette County, Kentucky, 1787‒1805

Jean M. Hoffman, CG

Alexander Adams was “one of the first settlers” in the Lexington area living there by 1787.¹ He didn't apparently own land in the early years but he did have political opinions. He signed a counter-petition to the Virginia legislature—while Kentucky was still part of Virginia—on 24 October 1788 against a petition to divide Fayette County. Levi Todd, the county clerk, was the third to sign the counter-petition. The man signing after Alexander was his son-in-law, Robert Eckles.² Most years from 1789 through 1795 they appeared on the same book and page in the roughly alphabetic county tax rolls as Robert was listed as “Ackles.” Neither was taxed on land, just one white male over 21 and livestock.³

Where He Lived

Alexander Adams lived “at M’Connel’s mill near Lexington” in 1795. He placed an ad in the newspaper with a reward for return of two horses strayed or stolen from there on 17 February 1795.⁴ McConnell's mill may have been in the vicinity of McConnell Springs Park in the current city of Lexington but outside the original town site.⁵ Robert Eckles also lived near McConnell's mill in 1791 when Lexington was surveyed in a rough circle two miles across. Beginning on Main Street southeast of the courthouse and continuing clockwise, the description eventually included these bounds: “northeast of the old Leestown road, crossing the head of McConnell's mill pond at 45 poles; thence north 56¼, east 125 poles to post, passing and leaving out Eckle’s and Brown’s plantations.” The drawing illustrates two dwellings outside the perimeter northwest of Lexington and north of the Town Branch.⁶ With no other records of the surname Eckles in Lexington at this time, this is undoubtedly the location of the home of Robert Eckles near McConnell’s mill.

Alexander Adams purchased Lot No. 17 in the town of Lexington from John and Penelope Harrison for 20 pounds current money in October 1796.⁷ He first appears in the tax rolls for the town of Lexington in 1796 when he was described as a “very old man” with tax on three town lots and four cattle.⁸ Alexander and his wife Ann sold a portion of Lot No. 17 to Benjamin Love on 14 November 1800.⁹ Lot 17 was described in 1796 as bounded by Upper and Second Streets measuring four poles (66 feet) on Upper Street and ten poles (165 feet) on Second Street. The portion they sold in 1800 was twenty feet in front and sixty-six feet back. The neighbors were Vanpelt on the southwest, John Keizer on the northeast, the cross street, and Alexander Adams on the northwest.

Death in 1805
Alexander Adams died in January 1805 at age 85 according to the newspaper death notice.¹⁰ If his age was correct, he was born around 1719. Invitations to attend his funeral were printed and delivered, the funeral held at his house in Lexington at 10:00 am on Saturday, 12 January 1805.¹¹ He had written his last will and testament on 23 December 1799. It was presented for probate in May 1805 and Isaac McIsaac, one of the witnesses, testified to its authenticity. An executor named in the will, John Maxwell, went to court and refused to take on the execution of the will.¹² An inventory of the estate was ordered to be taken in the July 1805 term of court. His estate was appraised at 603 pounds, 12 shillings, 9 pence by Thomas Wallace, George Trotter Sr, George Trotter Jr, and James McCoun on 20 January 1807, the inventory recorded at the May 1807 session of court.¹³

Miscellaneous household goods, many described as old, two pots as damaged, and some bedding as much worn, made up a small value of the inventory. Furniture was given a greater value, but all together the personal property came to very little. A cow and calf listed at 2 pounds, 14 shillings, were the only livestock. A set of six blue-edged dessert plates might imply a once higher level of goods. Other interesting items include a gold scale with a part of the weights, one sheep shears, an old spinning wheel, and a reel. Since the inventory was two years after Alexander’s death, part of his personal property may have been distributed or claimed by his widow. No clothing was listed. Real estate was where the money was. The house and lot in Lexington came in at 225 pounds. Outlying lots were a surprise given the lack of tax records on land outside of town. There were two adjoining Mrs. Megowan’s meadow valued at 270 pounds and one adjoining Mrs. McNair’s locust lot at 90 pounds.

Alexander’s estate was for his widow’s use during her life and after her death to be divided equally among his daughters Mary Milligan, Jane Eason, Eleanor Steele, and his grandson Alexander Eckles, son of his daughter, Agnes (Nancy) Eckles.¹⁴ Ann Adams was granted her petition for administration of the estate of her late husband Alexander Adams. She entered into bond with Andrew McCalla and William Millegan as her securities in the penalty of 1,000 pounds on 08 July 1805 in Fayette County.¹⁵ Benjamin Stout, Samuel Ayres, Matthew Elder and James Morrison, or any three, were appointed on 10 April 1808 to examine and settle the accounts of Ann Adams, executrix of Alexander Adams, deceased, and make a report.¹⁶

Though Alexander Adams was considered quite elderly when he died in 1805, his widow Ann outlived him by many years. She was head of a household of three in 1810¹⁷ and lived alone in 1820.¹⁸ She probably didn't die until about 1827 when she was last in the tax rolls.¹⁹ Alexander would have been 107 then if 85 as reported when he died, so Ann was likely considerably younger. She could still have been the mother of his daughters, but might have been a later wife.

Endnotes:
All online images reviewed 8 January 2023.

1. Fayette County, Kentucky, Tax Assessor, Tax Books, 1787‒1797 and 1799‒1804; Family History Library (FHL) film 2110987, DGS 7833953 (https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/007833953), image 14 (1787), image 96 (1788).
2. Inhabitants of Fayette County: Counter-Petition, Kentucky Counties, 24 October 1788, Legislative Petitions Digital Collection, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. (https://lva-virginia.libguides.com/petitions); citing Legislative Petitions of the General Assembly, 1776‒1865, Accession Number 36121, Box 287, Folder 79, microfilm reel 229.
3. Fayette Co., Tax Books, 1787‒1797 and 1799‒1804; FHL film 2110987, DGS 7833953, image 135 (1789), 225 (1790), 262 (1791), 272 (1792, Ackles), 286 (1792, Adams), 322 (1793, Ackles), 336 (1793, Adams), 370 (1794), 431 (1795), names in alphabetic grouping by surname initial.
4. “Five Dollars reward,” Kentucky Gazette, Lexington, Ky., 7 March 1795, p. 2, col. 4; (https://kentuckynewspapers.org/view.php?id=xt737p8tbg2q).
5. National Park Service, “Lexington, Kentucky: The Athens of the West,” A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary (https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/lexington/mcc.htm), McConnell Springs.
6. George W. Ranck, The History of Lexington, Kentucky, Its Early Annals and Recent Progress . . . (Cincinnati, Ohio: Robert Clarke & Co., 1872), 166‒67, citing Trustees’ Book for 1791 survey and drawing.
7. Fayette County, Ky., Deed Book A:466‒67, Harrison to Adams, 1796, recorded 1797, County Clerk, Lexington, Ky.; FHL film 8679, DGS 8141011 (https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/008141011), images 262‒63.
8. Fayette County, Tax Books, 1787‒1797 and 1799‒1804; FHL film 2110987, DGS 7833953, image 525 (1796).
9. Fayette County, Ky., Deed Book C:365‒66, Adams to Love, 1800, County Clerk, Lexington, Ky.; FHL film 8685, DGS 8336982 (https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/008336982), images 213‒14.
10. “Died (Alexander Adams),” Kentucky Gazette, Lexington, Ky., 15 January 1805, p. 3, col. 1; (https://kentuckynewspapers.org/view.php?id=xt7wwp9t2d5t).
11. James D. Birchfield, editor, A Collection of Lexington, Kentucky, Funeral Invitations, 1802‒1846 (Lexington, Ky.: Special Collections & Archives, University of Kentucky Libraries, 1999), p. 17, item 5.
12. Fayette County, Ky., Order Book 1:274, will of Alexander Adams, May 1805, County Clerk, Lexington, Ky.; FHL film 232704, DGS 7646993 (https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/007646993), image 167.
13. Fayette County, Ky., Will Book A:408‒09, Inventory of Alexander Adams estate, 1807, County Clerk, Lexington, Ky.; FHL film 2111465, DGS 7553686 (https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/007553686), image 239.
14. Fayette County, Ky., Deed Book 5:112, Agnes Eckles to Fulton Thompson, 1829, County Clerk, Lexington, Ky.; FHL film 8697, DGS 8141012 (https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/008141012), image 304. Deed explains terms of missing will of Alexander Adams.
15. Fayette County, Ky., Order Book 1:291, petition of Ann Adams, July 1805, County Clerk, Lexington, Ky.; FHL film 232704, DGS 7646993 (https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/007646993), image 176.
16. Fayette County, Ky., Order Book 1:535, settle Adams estate, April 1808, County Clerk, Lexington, Ky.; FHL film 232704, DGS 7646993 (https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/007646993), image 299.
17. 1810 U.S. census, Fayette County, Kentucky, Town of Lexington, p. 757 (penned), line 13, Ann Adams; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7613); from NARA M252, roll 6.
18. 1820 U.S. census, Fayette County, Kentucky, population schedule, p. 63 (penned), line 9, Ann Adams; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7734); from NARA M33, roll 17.
19. Fayette County, Tax Books, 1805‒1816; FHL film 2110988, DGS 8201647, image 42 (1805, Adams widow), image 240 (1807, Ann Adams), image 293 (1808, Ann Adams, wd), image 401 (1809, Ann Adams, widow), image 531 (1811, Ann Adams), image 652 (1812), image 847 (1814), image 1041 (1815), image 1073 (1816). And, Fayette County, Tax Books, 1817‒1827; FHL film 2110989, DGS 8339272, image 7 (1817), image 117 (1818), image 370 (1820), image 491 (1821), image 563 (1822), image 647 (1823), image 726 (1824), image 1050 (1827). Then, Fayette County, Tax Books, 1828‒1839; FHL film 2110990, DGS 8309527, image 7 (1828, heirs of Alexr. Adams). Ann Adams taxed 1805 to 1824 and in 1827 then apparently heirs of Alexr. Adams in 1828. Plus, Deed Deed Book 5:112, Agnes Eckles to Fulton Thompson, 1829.