I do not know what caused William and May to live apart for over 20 years. Did William have an affair? Did May suffer from depression? These are questions that could be answered by one of their descendants.

William Wright Adams

Born: 10 FEB 1868 in Sheridan, Calhoun County, Michigan, USA

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

Spouse: May Eugenia Ward (1872 to 1943)

Married: 22 APR 1891 in West Granville, New York County, New York, USA

Children:

Howard Ward Adams (17 JUN 1892 to 10 NOV 1944)
George William Adams (25 APR 1898 to 1969)
John Wesley Adams (17 NOV 1908 to 28 JUN 1967)

Died: 17 MAR 1941 in Brockton, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA

Burial: Melrose Cemetery

Timeline:

1870 Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA
1875 Granville, Washington County, New York, USA
1880 Granville, Washington County, New York, USA
1891 Marriage to May
1892 Birth of son, Howard
1898 Birth of son, George
1900 Waltham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA
1908 Birth of son, John
1910 Brockton, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA
1912 Death of father, Washington
1920 Brockton, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA
1930 Death of mother, Emma
1930 Brockton, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA
1940 Death of brother, Harry
1940 Brockton, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA
1941 Death and Burial

Occupation: printer (1900), newspaper pressman (1910 to 1930)

Records:

1870, 1880, 1910 to 1940 United States Federal Census Records
1875 New York State Census Record
Michigan, Births and Christenings Index, 1867-1911
New York State, Marriage Index, 1881-1967
The U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current

Variations of Surname: none

William’s Wife:

May Eugenia Ward:

May was born in 1872 in Missouri, USA. She died on 21 FEB 1943 in Brockton, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA.

May’s father was Martin Eugene Ward. He was born in 1839 in New York, USA. He died on 23 JUN 1894 in Granville, Washington County, New York, USA.

May’s mother was Mary E Rice. She was born in 1846 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA. She died on 17 DEC 1901 in Brockton, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA.

May was the only child born during their marriage.

A Little History:

William was a printer’s compositor. He set the “type” or “sort” for printing presses that published newspapers, books, and brochures. This occupation was especially difficult because the compositor had to set the “types” backward. It also made compositors in high demand for publishing companies across America.

This may have been why William moved his family during the early years of their marriage. Here is the timeline of their movements:

In 1891, William and May were married in West Granville, Washington County, Massachusetts, USA.

In 1892, they were living in Montpelier, Washington County, Vermont, USA, where Howard was born.

In 1898, they were living in Fitchburg, Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA, where George was born.

The 1900 US Census shows that they were living in Waltham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA.

In 1908, they were living in Brockton, Washington County, Massachusetts, USA. William and May resided in this town until they died.

What Happened to William and May?

The 1920 US Census shows that May was not living in the household on Chester Avenue.

I discovered that in 1920 May was a patient of the Taunton State Hospital. This institution was a psychiatric hospital. The Wikipedia article explains:

“Psychiatric hospitals specialize in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative identity disorder, major depressive disorder, and many others.”

The 1930 US Census shows that May had returned to Brockton. She and her son, John, were living at 465 Warren Avenue.

In 1930, William was renting a room at a lodging house. He was living at 174 Warren Avenue. This was less than 1/2 mile from where his wife resided.

The 1940 US Census shows that May was living at 94 Weston Street. May’s son, John, and two of George’s sons were included in the household.

The last entry for this household may have been written in error. The name was listed as George W Adams who was 18 years old. May’s son, George, was already included in the second line of this entry.

In 1940, William was a lodger of the Salvation Army House on Crescent Street.

Did You Notice?

On the 1940 Census records, William and May indicated that they were both widowers. They did not die until 1941 and 1943, respectively.

Another Interesting Fact:

The Find A Grave website has memorials for William Wright Adams and May Eugenia Ward Adams. They were buried in Melrose Cemetery. The memorials include one photograph of a headstone that contains both their given names.

When Family Histories Matter:

I do not know what caused William and May to live apart for over 20 years. Did William have an affair? Did May suffer from depression? These are questions that could be answered by one of their descendants.

If you know the answer to this question, please contact me. My email is dlwakenight@yahoo.com. You can also leave a message in the Comments Section of this post.

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!