John Adams, Sr.

John Adams Sr. (February 8, 1691 – May 25, 1761), also known as Deacon John, was a British-North American colonial farmer and minister. Adams was the father of the second U.S. president, John Adams Jr., and paternal grandfather of the sixth president, John Quincy Adams. He was the son of Joseph Adams Jr. (1654–1737), the grandson of Joseph Adams (1626–1694), and the great-grandson of Henry Adams, who emigrated from Braintree, Essex, in England to Massachusetts Bay Colony in about 1638. His other ancestors include John and Priscilla Alden. Adams worked as a farmer and cobbler (also called a cord-wainer or shoemaker) for most of his life. Adams' descendants include many prominent persons in American history, and his home is a National Park, the Adams National Historical Park. Not only was he the father and grandfather of presidents; he also was a first cousin, once removed, of Samuel Adams. Career In 1720, Adams purchased a farm in what is now Quincy, Massachusetts (then called the "north precinct" of Braintree, Massachusetts). The location of his farm, and where his children were born, is now part of Adams National Historical Park. This saltbox house, a simple and common dwelling characterized by its sloping roof, is operated by the National Park Service as the John Adams Birthplace, and is open to the public. On December 19, 1960, the birthplace was designated a National Historic Landmark. The future President lived here with his parents on the farm until 1764, when he married Abigail Smith. It is a few feet from the John Quincy Adams Birthplace. Oddly, his house lay at an angle to the road.