There must have been something that drew Harry to Wichita Falls, Texas. He and Grace left Granville, New York, and traveled 1,700 miles to Texas. Harry was an auto mechanic when cars were becoming increasingly popular in the USA.

Harry Charles Adams

Born: 18 DEC 1874 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA

Father: Washington Irving Adams (1848 to 1912)
Mother: Emma S Hewitt (1848 to 1930)

First Spouse: Neva M Sykes (1882 to 1905)

Married: 30 JUN 1904 in Battle Creek, Calhoun County, Michigan, USA

Children: none

Second Spouse: Grace Emma Howland (1869 to 1963)

Married: 8 MAR 1910 in Granville, Washington County, New York, USA

Children: none

Died: 20 MAR 1940 in Wichita Falls, Wichita County, Texas, USA

Burial: Rosemont Cemetery

Obituary:

Timeline:

1875 Granville, Washington County, New York, USA
1880 Granville, Washington County, New York, USA
1892 Granville, Washington County, New York, USA
1904 Marriage to Neva
1905 Death of wife, Neva
1910 Marriage to Grace
1910 Granville, Washington County, New York, USA
1912 Death of father, Washington
1915 Granville, Washington County, New York, USA
1920 Wichita Falls, Wichita County, Texas, USA
1930 Death of mother, Emma
1930 Wichita Falls, Wichita County, Texas, USA
1940 Death and Burial

Occupation: salesman (1910), auto mechanic (1915 to 1940)

Records:

1880, 1910 to 1930 United States Federal Census Records
1875, 1892, and 1915 New York State Census Records
Michigan, U.S., Marriage Records, 1867-1952
New York, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1847-1849, 1907-1936
Texas, U.S., Death Certificates, 1903-1982
The U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current

Variations of Surname: none

Harry’s First Wife:

Neva M Sykes:

Neva was born on 22 OCT 1882 in Albion, Calhoun County, Michigan, USA. She died on 2 SEP 1905 in Lansing, Ingham County, Michigan, USA. Neva was buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Albion, Calhoun County, Michigan, USA.

Neva was 22 years old when she died. The death certificate listed the cause of death as puerperal convulsions or eclampsia. Neva must have been pregnant at the time. The Wikipedia article explains that this disorder occurs during pregnancy, or before or after childbirth.

Neva’s father was Adelbert J Sykes. He was born on 15 FEB 1855 in New York, USA. He died on 18 FEB 1935 in Hill, Ogemaw County, Michigan, USA. Adelbert was buried in the Oak Grove Cemetery in South Branch, Ogemaw County, Michigan, USA.

Neva’s mother was Amanda Ballard. She was born on 20 MAR 1852 in Canada. She died on 19 OCT 1925 in Hill, Ogemaw County, Michigan, USA. Amanda was buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Albion, Calhoun County, Michigan, USA.

Neva was their only known child.

Harry’s Second Wife:

Grace Emma Howland:

Grace was born on 6 NOV 1869 in Schuylerville, Saratoga County, New York, USA. She died on 13 APR 1963 in Manchester, Bennington County, Vermont, USA.

Obituary:

Grace’s father was Smith Benjamin Howland. He was born in 1843 in Schuylerville, Saratoga County, New York, USA. He died on 9 OCT 1924 in Granville, Washington County, New York, USA.

Grace’s mother was Carrie A Perkins. She was born in 1847 in Schuylerville, Saratoga County, New York, USA. She died on 2 OCT 1910 in Granville, Washington County, New York, USA.

Grace had four known brothers and sisters:

Arthur Rouse Howland (1866)
Stuart Allen Howland (1868)
Frank Giles Howland (1875)
Cressie Carroll Howland (1883)

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!