James Otis Martin was the first cousin, once removed, to Sardis Charles Otis. Sardis was the son of Catherine Raney Adams and the half-brother to Charles Henry Adams.

Charles Henry Adams

Born: 17 JUN 1816 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA

Father: Wright Adams (1773 to 1817)
Mother: Catherine Raney (1786 to 1850)

Spouse: Harriet Coleman (1826 to 1902)

Married: 1847 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA

The marriage date is an estimate based on the birth of their oldest child.

Children:

Mary Eudora Adams (1848 to 12 APR 1943)
Romelia L Adams (20 SEP 1852 to 22 MAY 1944)
Henry Brigham Adams (21 MAR 1857 to 8 OCT 1925)

Died: 18 MAR 1897 in Aurora, Kane County, Illinois, USA

Burial: Spring Lake Cemetery

Timeline:

1817 Death of father, Wright
1847 Marriage to Harriet
1848 Birth of daughter, Mary
1850 Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA
1850 Death of mother, Catherine
1852 Birth of daughter, Romelia
1855 Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA
1857 Birth of son, Henry
1860 Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA
1863 Death of half-brother, Henry Amos Otis
1865 Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA
1870 Aurora, Kane County, Illinois, USA
1875 Death of brother, Earl
1880 Aurora, Kane County, Illinois, USA
1887 Death of brother, Wright
1895 Death of sister, Margaret
1897 Death and Burial

Occupation: farmer, merchant, constable, justice of the peace

Records:

1850 to 1880 US Census Records
New York, State Census, 1855
New York, State Census, 1865
U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current

Variations of Surname: none

There is a book on the Internet Archive website that contains the biography of Henry Brigham Adams. It is entitled “The Biographical Record of Kane County, Illinois“.

Page 547 lists Henry’s parents and grandparents. This biography confirms that Charles was the son of Wright and Catherine Raney Adams. It was also the first record that I found that included Catherine’s maiden name.

In 1890, his sister, Margaret, wrote her Last Will & Testament. In this document, she named her brother, Charles, his wife, and their three children. This was another record that connected this family with Wright and Catherine Raney Adams.

Charles’ Wife:

Harriet Coleman:

Harriet was born on 19 FEB 1826 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA. She died on 30 JUL 1902 in Aurora, Kane County, Illinois, USA.

Harriet’s father was Noah Coleman. He was born in 1799 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA. He died on 7 OCT 1874 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA.

Harriet’s mother was Mary Ann Martin. She was born in 1802 in Vermont, USA. She died in 1879 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA.

Harriet had three brothers and sisters:

Edward Coleman (1829)
Ruth Coleman (1831)
Horace B Coleman (1836)

Charles and Harriet’s Daughters:

Mary Eudora Adams:

Dora was born in 1848 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA. She died on 12 APR 1943 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA.

Dora married Phineas S Lamb in 1869 in Aurora, Kane County, Illinois, USA. No known children were born during their marriage.

Phineas S Lamb was born on 3 MAY 1843 in Vermont, USA. He died on 13 DEC 1882 in Aurora, Kane County, Illinois, USA. Phineas was 39 years old when he died.

After Phineas died, Dora married Henry G Gabel on 3 JAN 1888 in Cook County, Illinois, USA. No known children were born during their marriage.

Henry G Gabel was born in 1842 in Germany. He died on 25 APR 1914 in Aurora, Kane County, Illinois, USA.

Henry had previously married Ella Mariah Olds on 8 AUG 1876 in Aurora, Kane County, Illinois, USA. Two known children were born during their marriage. Both of the children died before they reached adulthood.

Frank Lathrop Gabel (1877 to 1894)
Alice A Gabel (1880 to 1885)

Ella Mariah Olds was born on 12 AUG 1855 in Berlin, Bureau County, Illinois, USA. She died on 12 FEB 1886 in Aurora, Kane County, Illinois, USA. Ella was 30 years old when she died.

Dora, Henry, Phineas, and Ella were buried in Spring Lake Cemetery.

Romelia L Adams:

Roma was born on 20 SEP 1852 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA. She died on 22 MAY 1944 in Aurora, Kane County, Illinois, USA.

Roma married James Otis Mason in 1875 in Aurora, Kane County, Illinois, USA. One known child was born during their marriage:

Marquis Edgar Mason (1880)

James Otis Mason was born on 6 FEB 1846 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA. He died on 24 JUN 1912 in Aurora, Kane County, Illinois, USA.

Roma and James were buried in Spring Lake Cemetery.

The Otis Connection to Fort Ann Families:

James was christened with the middle name of Otis. This was his mother’s maiden.

Sarah Ann Otis was born on 3 JAN 1812 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA. She died on 31 DEC 1900 in Granville, Washington County, New York, USA.

Sarah’s father was Joel Otis. He was born on 2 JAN 1779 in Marlow, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, USA. He died on 2 SEP 1844 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA.

Sarah’s grandfather was Richard Otis. He was born on 23 JUN 1745 in Colchester, New London County, Connecticut, USA. He died on 5 JAN 1825 in Westfield, Chautauqua County, New York, USA.

Sarah’s uncle was Richard Otis. He was born on 9 AUG 1782 in Marlow, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, USA. He died on 9 OCT 1851 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA.

Sarah’s cousin was Sardis Charles Otis. He was born on 14 SEP 1824 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA. He died on 26 JUN 1905 in Granville, Washington County, New York, USA.

Sardis’ mother was Catherine Raney Adams. She was born in 1786 in Michigan, USA. She died on 24 MAY 1850 in Whitehall, Washington County, New York, USA.

Catherine was Richard Otis’ second wife. She was the first wife of Wright Adams (1773 to 1817). She was the mother of Charles Henry Adams.

The Otis and Adams families are connected through Catherine and her son, Sardis. His name appears on probate records for Wright A Adams and Margaret H Adams Reed.

The 1850 US Census shows that Wright A Adams, Orvin T Martin, and Richard Otis were living within a few miles of each other.  This was probably how Catherine Raney Adams met Richard Otis.

Following the chain from James Otis Martin to Charles Henry Adams was not as complicated as I thought. The name Otis played a big part in this discovery.

Notes:

John Adams (1595 to 1633) was the first person with that English surname to immigrate to North America from England. In 1621, John boarded the Fortune. This was the second ship, after the Mayflower, to bring Puritans to North America. In late November of that year, the Fortune arrived at Plymouth Colony. John was the progenitor of all the Adams descendants listed in these posts.

Creating Your Family Tree

Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:

Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also excellent sources for births, marriages, and deaths.

Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory that is passed down from generation to generation.

Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.

When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. The records can include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestor.

If you have a unique surname, like Wakenight, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are many others on the internet for other countries like Ireland, Italy, and Germany.

Genealogy is the study of a person’s “line of descent.” As you create your family tree, you would typically start with one individual and go “back into time.” You would add their parents, grandparents, and so on.  There are also family trees that go “forward into time.”  Many of these family trees start with a famous person, such as a president or royalty, and move forward into the present time.  The purpose of this type of pedigree is to establish a person’s bloodline with that famous person.

There is no limit on how big your family tree can grow. The blank canvas is there for you to use. Cherish your family history, and it will be there for generations to come!