James Lawrence Adams

Locating and confirming the parentage of James Lawrence Adams is important in linking my husband to the Revolutionary War Patriots Captain Andrew Beatty and General James Cox.

I presently believe that James Lawrence Adams was born 19 June 1872 in Des Moines, Iowa to James William Adams and Mary I. Cox. 

Information found in the Illinois Death and Stillbirth Index of 1916-1947 and James Lawrence Adams death certificate offer the best information to date. This sounds nice, but the death certificate informant was Mrs. J. L. Adams. Information she supplied may also be recorded in the death index. I must search for another source with a different informant.

Mrs. J. L. Adams (Charlotte Adams nee Ludiger) was not present at his birth and most likely learned about his birth date and parentage from James himself. I know for a fact that Mrs. J. L. Adams never met her in-laws. While this does not diminish the importance of her knowledge or information, I feel it necessary to gather more evidence to confirm her stories.

Official, governmental proof from the Great State of Iowa can provide the proof of birth date and more importantly his parentage. If James was born in 1872, I am out of luck. The Great State of Iowa began recording births in 1880.  My next avenue for information will be the Iowa Genealogy Society. Perhaps their library will hold other records there linking James to his parents.

I currently have the 1880 and 1990 U.S. Census and his death certificate as evidence of parentage. I was hoping for another piece of evidence. Patience . . .