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Arranged by topic or record type (correspondence, Civil War papers, and business papers).
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Biographical/Historical:
Richard Joseph Adams (1833-1912) was born in Cavendish, Vermont. Adams' sister, Mary Elizabeth Adams, married Hubbard L. Hard, founder of the Hart Line Steamboat Company in Florida. Adams left a clerking position in Boston to join his brother-in-law in Florida in 1856. He started as a stage driver on the route between Palatka and Tampa, and later became a steamboat agent and riverboat captain for the Hart Line. During the Civil War, he served as a wagon master for the Quartermaster Department of the Confederate Army, in Waldo, Gainesville, Archer, and Jacksonville.
After the Civil War, Adams returned to Palatka, Florida to continue his work on steamboats. He married Emily Frances Holland of Madison, Georgia on September 21, 1869. They had one son, Richard Franklin Adams. In 1872, he leased a wharf and warehouse from Hart and entered the mercantile business for a short time. He later returned to the steamboat business as an agent until his death on November 22, 1912. Adams was a prominent figure in the development of Palatka, Florida, having served on the city council and in other positions in local government.
Summary:
This collection consists of the personal and business papers of Richard Joseph Adams, including family letters, Civil War records, business records, and a diary. The letters, sent from Adams' family in Vermont, span from his time in Boston in 1855 through his Florida residency from 1856 to 1867. The letters include discussions on family affairs and the hardships caused by the Civil War. Adams' Civil War service papers include orders for conveyance of supplies for the Confederate Army quartermaster. The collection also includes records of Adams' steamboat business, including correspondence and financial records. Adams' diary details daily occurrences, as well as personal finances, from 1861 to 1862.
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Previously State Library of Florida Manuscripts Collection MS1.
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Civil War (Fla.) Steamboats Florida
Letters. aat Diaries. aat Financial records. aat
Palatka (Fla.)
for detailed listing.