The ancestor of this family was Henry Adams of Braintree (Quincy), MA. He came from England, and is said to have arrived in Boston, MA, with his wife, eight sons and a daughter in 1632 or 1633. Charles I, in 1629, granted 40 acres of land in Massachusetts to Thomas Adams, who was Alderman, High Sheriff and Lord Mayor of London. It is said that Henry Adams was a brother of Thomas, and took up the latter's grant. President John Adams erected a monument to the memory of Henry Adams in the old churchyard at Quincy with the following inscription: "In memory of Henry Adams, who took his flight from the Dragon persecution in Devonshire, England, and alighted with eight sons near Mt. Wollaston. One of the sons returned to England, and after taking time to explore the country, four removed to Medfield and two to Chelmsford. One only, Joseph, who lies here at his left hand, remained here - an original proprietor in the township of Braintree".
President John Quincy Adams dissented from his father's opinion that Henry Adams came from Devonshire, and gave his opinion that Braintree, Essex County, England, was the place of origin. This opinion seems to have been based largely on the fact that Braintree, MA was settled by Hookers' company, which was made up from Braintree, Chelmsford and other villages in Essex County, England.
Joseph(2) Adams, who in the epitaph to Henry Adams, is referred to as he "who lies here at his left hand, an original proprietor of Braintree", was born in England in 1626, and was married in Braintree, MA in 1650 to Abigail Baxter. They had twelve children, the second of whom, born in 1654, was also named Joseph(3). Samuel Adams, the Patriot, was descended from Joseph(2) Adams through his son, Capt. John Adams.
Joseph(3) Adams was married three times. By his second wife, Hannah Bass, he had ten children, the first of whom, Joseph, was born in 1688, graduated from Harvard College in 1710, was ordained as a minister, and settled in Newington, NH, in 1715, where he remained as a pastor for 66 years. John Adams, second president of the United States, was a son of Deacon John Adams, brother of Rev. Joseph Adams.
Rev. Joseph Adams was married twice, and by his first wife, Elzabeth Knight (Janvirn), had five children, the fourth of whom, Benajmin (b. 1728) was a justice of the peace and selectman in Newington, and delegate to the convention which adopted the Federal Constitution. Benjamin Adams married Abigail Pickering, and had eight children, the first of whom was James (b. 1752), who became a selectman in Rochester, NH. James Adams married Mary Cole, and had six children, the first, Benjamin (b. about 1799). Benjamin Adams married Elizabeth Horne, and had six children, the youngest of whom was Charles William, b. 1813 at Rochester, NH.