Josiah Adams (1781-1854) was the fifth child and second son born to Moses and Abigail (Stone) Adams. While little is known of Josiah’s childhood, we do know that he was educated at home by his father (New 156). Moses, a Harvard educated minister residing and preaching in Acton, was a firm believer in the value of education. Beside his own children, Moses also prepared some of the local boys for admission to college.
After graduating from Harvard in 1801, Josiah went on to study law with Thomas Heald, Esq. He was admitted to the bar in 1807. In 1808, he came to Framingham and set up his legal practice in Central Square just east of Benjamin Wheeler’s store. After several years, Josiah moved his law office into his home which was located just south of High Street and up the hill from The 1812 House.
One wonders why a highly educated lawyer would choose to move to Framingham at the beginning of the nineteenth century. At that time, Framingham was a small community. Central Square had a mere twenty seven houses within a half mile radius of the Meeting House, Nobscot was farmland, Saxonville was barely settled, and South Framingham was wilderness (Adams 2). Perhaps it was family ties that brought him here. For you see, Josiah’s mother was the daughter of the Honorable Josiah Stone of Framingham. At any rate, he not only came, but stayed, and became an influential member of the community.
Josiah had quite the personality. He was a man of strong likes and dislikes, detested hypocrisy, and spoke his mind. He possessed a good sense of humor and loved to play practical jokes and tell funny stories. An example of his humor is found in a conversation with Chief Justice Shaw about a recent discovery of wheat kernels in a mummy case in Egypt. When planted, these kernels actually sprouted and produced a crop …”of mummies?” exclaimed Josiah. “No, of wheat!” responded the Judge (New 162).
Josiah was an old school lawyer skilled in real estate law. He was endowed with a great deal of common sense, integrity, and a high sense of professional ethics. As a tenacious and resourceful litigator, he never undertook unnecessary cases. He was not one to overcharge his clients.
Early in his tenure in Framingham, Josiah became involved in local politics. This involvement would continue throughout his life. He served as a selectman from 1812-1815. According to Herring (136), he was chosen by Town Meeting as its Moderator, a position he held for the best part of the next twenty-four years. Josiah was selected as a delegate to the 1820 convention to revise the state constitution. In 1827, he was elected to one term as a Representative to the General Court. Josiah replaced the Reverend Charles Train who lost favor with the voters due to his fiery temperance sermons. From 1840-1842, he was appointed to the Governor’s Council. He also served two terms (1844-1850) as County Commissioner of Middlesex County.
Like his father, education was very important to Josiah. He was a supporter of the public schools and took a great interest in the fledgling Framingham Academy. He served as a trustee for the Academy from 1820 to 1852 at which time it was merged into the high school. Josiah’s interest in education also extended to the library.
In 1809, Framingham’s library was housed in Martin Stone’s tavern. The tavern was located in Central Square across from Wheeler’s store in the vicinity of modern day Main Street and High Street (Herring 121). A committee of leading citizens including Josiah Adams was formed in 1815 with the purpose of re-organizing the library. Shares in the Social Library, as it was called, cost four dollars and the annual fee was fifty cents. The library possessed four hundred and forty three books which were loaned out for sixty days at a time. Through gifts and purchases the collection increased to approximately six hundred volumes. This library eventually evolved into the Framingham Town Library in 1854, the predecessor to the current Framingham Public Library (Temple 378).
Among Josiah’s most important accomplishments is the part he played in founding the Framingham Bank. In 1832, Massachusetts General Court issued charters for ten new state banks. Framingham was awarded one of these charters. This was a major event as the closest banks were located in Concord, Dedham and Worcester (Herring 138). This new bank not only served the residents of Framingham, but also the residents of the surrounding towns. The Framingham Bank, which opened in 1833, was located in Central Square on the south side of the Turnpike. Josiah was selected as President, an office he held for several years. Charles Merriam was chosen as Secretary, and Rufus Brewer as Cashier.
As you can see, Josiah Adams was Framingham’s leading citizen in the first half of the nineteenth century. Through his extensive involvement in the political, civic, and professional life of Framingham, he earned the moniker “Squire of Framingham”. A title he inherited from the aging Jonathan Maynard. Josiah died at the age of seventy-two years of paralytic shock and is buried in Church Hill Cemetery, Framingham, Massachusetts.
Facts
- Born: November 3, 1781 in Acton, Massachusetts; died: February 8, 1854; Married Jane Park (d. May 22, 1861) of Windham, New Hampshire on February 8, 1810. The couple did not have children.
- Josiah Stone: Selectman, Town Treasurer, Town Clerk, Representative, Delegate to the Provincial Congress of 1775-6, State Senator and Counselor, Special judge of the Court of Common Pleas.
- Adam’s first office is pictured in Captain Daniel Bell’s painting of Framingham Common in 1808. He is standing outside his office door talking to Isaac Fiske, a lawyer from Weston and Register of Probate for Middlesex county for many years.
- Adams’ house has not survived, and was located on present day Adams Road.
- Framingham Academy was incorporated March 1, 1799 (Temple 339).
- Library committee members were: Rev. David Kellogg, Rev. Charles Train, Benjamin Wheeler, Nathan Stone, Major Larson Buckminster, Jesse Haven, Col. Jonas Clayes and others (Temple 378)
Bibliography
Adams, Walter. “Early Lawyers of Town.” Framingham Evening News. 24 May 1943, pp. 2.
“Josiah Adams.” Find a Grave. Memorial ID 58644585, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/58644585/josiah-adams. Accessed 20 March 2022.
Herring, Stephen. Framingham: An American Town. Framingham Historical Society. The Framingham Tercentennial Commission, 2000.
Merriam, John McKinstry. Sketches of Framingham. Bellman Publishing Co., 1950.
New England Historic Genealogical Society. Memorial Biographies of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Vol. 2, 1853-1855. The Society, 1881.
Temple, Josiah H. History of Framingham, Massachusetts, 1640-1885. A special Centennial Year reprinting of the 1887 edition. New England History Press, 1988.