Berry ADAMS

The following bio was taken from page 84 of the book entitled “Rusk County History” compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.

Transcribed by Gloria Riley

Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Rusk County TX Coordinator

The story of our ancestors starts in the once-thriving East Texas town of Harmony Hill. The first of our ancestors to settle in Rusk County was Berry Adams, born July 25, 1825 in Ashley County, Arkansas. Bringing his wife, Emily, and their family, consisting of Amanda, John Q., Harriett, Cydney, Willoughby, and B., they settled in Harmony Hill in the early 1850’s. Within the few years before the Civil War, Berry established himself well in the community. The 1860 Census of Rusk County records the value of his estate at $1,650. Garland Farmer’s “Realm of Rusk County” notes Berry’s trade as being that of a wheelwright. He supplied Harmony Hill with looms, spinning wheels, plow stocks, and other farm implements. At the beginning of the Civil War, Adams enlisted but was detailed by the Confederate Government to continue his regular line of work. Rusk County Commission’s Court records show that there was demand for wheelwrights’ services during the war years. Records show that Berry Adams was active in community affairs. He served as an officer of the Harmony Hill Cemetery Association and was one of its founders. He took his place there in October 1906 at the age of eighty-one. Cydney Wilborn Adams, son of Berry Adams, was born July 4, 1854, in Rusk County, Texas. He married Betty Jones in 1874, and to this union was born one son, William Turner; and two daughters, Mrs. Amanda Wright and Mrs. Annie B. Price. They made their home in the Dirgin Community. Although Cyd was a farmer by trade, he also was owner and operator of a lumber and planing mill and a cotton gin. In later years Cyd owned a general store, and his wife served as postmistress for the Dirgin Community. They closed the store in 1920 and the post office was established in Tatum. Cyd lived in Dirgin until he died of pneumonia on January 25, 1938. His wife died one year later on January 13, 1939. Williams Turner Adams, son of Cyd Adams, was born September 13, 1882, in Rusk County, Texas. He married Grace Fall on December 25, 1918. To this union was born one son, Wilton Turner Adams. Turner was owner and operator of a sawmill and a cotton gin in Dirgin. He was also Commissioner of Rusk County, Precinct 2, in the 1930’s. Over the years Adams acquired much land in the Dirgin area. In his later years, after the cotton gin was destroyed by fire and the sawmill was closed, he grazed cattle on his many acres. Turner did as his father had done, lived in the Dirgin Community until his death on June 15, 1954. He was buried in the Harmony Hill Cemetery. His wife, Grace, still resides in Dirgin. Wilton Turner Adams (W. T. “Buster” Adams, Jr.) was born on July 29, 1924 in Rusk County. He was the only child of William Turner and Grace Adams. He married Mildred Marie Adams on January 31, 1946, and to them were born five children; Cydney, Loyd, Sharmen, Wilton, and Sam. In his early years, W. T. worked for his father in the sawmill, but his primary interest was in automobiles. After serving in the Army Air Corps in World War II, he owned and operated a garage in the Dirgin Community where he repaired cars, sold gas and oil, and had a salvage business on the side. Shortly before his father’s death, W. T. closed the shop and concentrated on maintaining his land and cattle. Suffering like all farmers from the droughts of 1955, he accepted industrial work at the Trailmobile Company in Longview, where he served the maintenance department for twenty-one years. After his retirement in 1976, W. T., with his wife, Mildred, and several of the children settled themselves to the simple business of living, like their ancestors before them, as Rusk County farmers. Written by Sam Adams