Adams Family
Adams Family
Sir Thomas Adams 1586-1668, he was married to Anne Mapted, daughter of Humphrey Mapted of Trenton. They had five sons and three daughters. Sir Thomas was a Royalist; his loyalty to Charles 1st (1625-1649) was so well-known that at the start of the English Civil War his house was searched by the Roundheads, hoping to find the King there! The following year he was committed to the Tower of London and detained for some time. He was buried in the vault at Sprowston Parish Church, in the chancel is a monument, with two recumbent figures, to the memory of Sir Thomas Adams, Bart.
Adams Family Tree.
Heraldic Arms of the Adams Family.
Sir Thomas Adams. Copyright – University of Cambridge, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.
Tower of London.
Parish Church Monument to Sir Thomas Adams and his wife.
Parish Church Monument to Sir Thomas Adams and his wife.
Adams and the Clagett Family
Members of the Adams family settled in America, the Adams family had marriage connections to the Clagett Family. Our thanks to Sally Harbough of Atlanta, Georgia, who is a distant relative of *Captain Thomas Clagett.
Thomas John Claggett (1743-1816), was the first Bishop of the newly formed American Episcopal Church, U.S. A.
Sir Thomas Adams
Sir Thomas Adams, 6th Baronet (1738–1770) was an officer in the Royal Navy who served during Seven Years War. Born into a prominent and long-standing London family, Adams inherited a Baronetcy when young, and went on to have a successful career at sea. He was promoted to Lieutenant during the Seven Years' War, and within two years was commanding a ship of his own. He was captain of several frigates, and went out to the East Indies with one. He had some success against French and Spanish shipping, capturing privateers, before being sent to Newfoundland after the end of the war. Here he made the acquaintance of Constantine Phipps and the naturalist Joseph Banks, and also met the future explorer James Cook, who was conducting surveys of the Newfoundland coast at the time of Adams' visit. Adams returned to Britain and was given command of a new ship. He returned to North America with her, but died while in command of her. The baronetcy he had inherited became extinct on his death.
HMS Niger was a 32-gun Niger class Fifth rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1759. Similar to HMS Pomone (see image).
In 1766, under the command of Sir Thomas Adams, the Niger travelled to Newfoundland and Labrador. Also on board were Constantine Phipps, and the English botanist Joseph Banks. The purpose of the journey was to transport a party of mariners to Chateau Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador to build a fort, to continue strengthening relations with the native population, and to survey some of the coast of Newfoundland. Banks collected many species of plants and animals during that journey, including many which were previously unknown or undescribed by Europeans. In 1766 Banks met James Cook briefly in St. Johns, Newfoundland, through their mutual friend Thomas Adams. This meeting would lead to Banks joining Cook on his first circumnavigation from 1769 to 1771.
Constantine John Phipps.
HMS Pomone.
Capital St. Johns, Newfoundland.
