In packing, pitching, and organizing my belongings – and mother’s – in an effort to move out of and sell the house I’m living in, I came across an article that my great-aunt had saved in her own collection and photocopied for me. It’s from a 1961 article published in the Charleston Daily Mail (WVGazette) by Adrian Gwin titled, “‘“John Henry’ Mighty Man, Says One Who Knew Him.” [The Charleston Daily Mail (Charleston, West Virginia), Friday, July 14” Page 5]. The article can be obtained at Newspapers.com.
Photos of “the one who knew” the legendary John Henry – Sylvester Adams – grace the article. I’ve learned since locating my photocopy that Sylvester Adams was about 115 years old at the time he was photographed. Adrian Gwin, the writer of the Daily Mail article, obtained his information from Chessie News, a publication for those interested in the C&O Railroad, in which an article on Sylvester Adams was either written or published by Bill Girgash. It seems that Mr. Gwin visited the nearby family of Adams’ son and daughter-in-law, Sylvester and Nannie Adams, Jr, residing in St. Albans, WV for the purpose of interviewing them in regards to the elder gentleman.
The article is fascinating particularly in regard to Sylvester Adams’ advanced age: Somewhere between 110 and 120 years old! Is that even possible? I admit that I was curious enough to learn more about his history than what I could read. So I setup a research family tree and went to work attempting to learn everything I could.
I can tell you that on 24 May 1919 at Mahan, Fayette County, WV, 57-year-old Sylvester Adams, a widower, married what is presumed to be his third wife, 35-year-old Sarah Jane Ellis (maiden name) previously divorced from her husband surnamed Person. In the 1920 Census in Fayette County, Sylvester’s age is given as 57; In the 1930 Census in Raleigh County, Sylvester’s age is given as 66. In 1940 Kanawha County, he is 85 years old, and in 1950 Kanawha County, his age is 98 years old. The 1960 Census has yet to be released but suffice it to say Sylvester was well over 100 years old. On his death record in Virginia (Orange County where he had been placed in a nursing home), the informant – daughter Mrs. Lucy Pearl “Williemay” Johnson – gave his date of birth as April 16, 1846.
There is no way to corroborate Sylvester’s date of birth. Firstly, the state of Virginia did not require the keeping/recording of births or deaths until 1858. Even then, the task of reporting births/deaths was not of utmost importance among the citizenry, mainly because no one made special trips to the courthouse for that purpose. Besides, it apparently wasn’t enforced. Secondly, Sylvester Adams was born a slave to a slave. Whether Sylvester had his birthdate memorized or whether his children misremembered it is not for me to say but his year of birth is, to me, dubious.
Here’s why: On Sylvester’s marriage record to Sarah Jane Ellis Person in Fayette County, WV, he gave his place of birth as Caswell County, North Carolina. On his death record in Virginia, his parents are listed as Brooks Adams and “Nannie” Ferrell, whom I now know was named Mary. The ONLY Brooks Adams and wife Mary that I can locate (to date) is in the 1870 Pittsylvania County, VA Census in which Brooks’ year of birth is about 1830; Mary’s year of birth is about 1850. If this couple is in fact Sylvester’s parents, note that father Brooks would have been 16 years old, mother Mary would not yet have been born at the time of his birth. Therefore, I postulate that Sylvester’s year of birth was more like 1864 – that the DOB on his death certificate was accidentally transposed. At that time, mother Mary Ferrell would have been 14 years old. That I can accept. With this in mind, Sylvester would have been about 97 years old in 1961 when the article referenced above was published.
Another thing I should point out: in 1870, the Brooks Adams family was living in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, the nearest post office being Chatham. That’s just 32 miles north of Yanceyville in Caswell County, North Carolina meaning the state line falls in between.
In the article, Sylvester purportedly was older before he was taken from his mother because he was a sickly child. His owner wouldn’t sell him I suppose for fear of having to refund the payment. I feel ill thinking about human beings as property, a commodity to be bought and sold, even worse at a young age.
Perhaps Sylvester was old enough to remember his parents’ names. But it is likely he was sold just prior to the end of the Civil War (April 1865). This is all speculation based on whether Brooks Adams and Mary Ferrell of 1870 Pittsylvania County, VA were in fact his parents.
Also according to the article, Sylvester Adams was married 3 times and had 16 children. I can only account for possibly 7. In the 1920 Census (Fayette Co, WV) Sylvester was newly married to Sarah Jane Ellis and has a new son, (Sylvester) Junior aged 10 months. Two other children in the household were Mary, 6, and Richard, 4. It is possible that Mary and Richard were actually Sarah’s children by her former husband and should have been marked as “step-children.” Their surnames are given as Adams, however, so the two were children born to Sylvester’s previous wife (name unknown) or their surnames should have been Person. Only a DNA would confirm/deny and I, of course, am not related.
Yes, folks lived together back in the day and had children without the parents being married until later. BUT, note from the article that Sylvester had been a deacon in the Baptist church for 70 years prior to his death and as devout as folks were, I can’t picture Sylvester “living in sin” with Sarah Jane Ellis.
Here are Sylvester’s children that I can confirm born to Sarah Jane Ellis:
- Sylvester Glen Adams, Jr; b. 22 Feb 1920, Princeton, Mercer County, WV (this info was taken from his WWII Draft Card, except for the middle name). Sylvester married a woman called “Nannie” in the article but I’ve yet to locate her surname. They had a son in 1950 Census named “Willie” born about 1948 but no trace on him as of this writing. According to Findagrave.com, Sylvester died 21 March 1968 in Columbus, Franklin County, OH but is buried in the Spring Hill Cemetery in South Charleston, WV. I still call it South Charleston anyway. That’s directly across the Kanawha from Dunbar.
- Lucy Pearl Adams, who I now realize went by the name “Williemay,” was born 23 Sep 1922 at Mahan, Fayette County, WV; m. Andrew Broaddus Johnson 16 Sep 1951 in Louisa County, VA; d. 1 Oct 1998 in Albemarle County, VA according to her findagrave listing. I believe the birth year given on FaG is 1922 rather than 1907 otherwise Lucy Pearl would have been listed in the 1920 Fayette Census with her parents and brother Sylvester. Instead, she doesn’t appear until the 1930 Raleigh County WV Census aged 8; the 1940 Kanawha County Census as aged 17 and the 1950 Kanawha Census aged 26. Lucy Pearl’s obituary [The Daily Progress (Charlottesville, VA) Sunday, Oct 4 1998 Page 16], two brothers are listed as still living: James Adams of Baltimore, MD and Rudolph Adams of Connecticut. I’ve yet to locate records of these two gentlemen.
- Eva Sarah Adams, b. About 1926 in Raleigh County, WV according to Ancestry’s births index. There is a Family History Library Film Number provided [598417] but I am prevented from accessing the film due to what I suspect is Privacy Law. Eva married Earl Bruce Burks on 7 July 1951 in Kanawha County, WV. [“West Virginia Vital Research Records – Record Image”. 2025. Wvculture.org. https://dach-image-proxy.digital-relativity.workers.dev/?film=521724&frame=00512] On 11 December 1954 Earl Bruce Burks and Eva Sarah Adams Burks were divorced in Lake County, Ohio – this information was taken from the marriage record of Earl Bruce Burks’ second marriage to Helen Conyer in Lake County, Ohio. This is where I lose track of Eva Sarah/Sarah Eva Adams Burks.
I can state for the record that Earl Bruce Burks had a younger sister, Retta Pearl Burks, who married William Theodore Rhea. “Pearl” Burks Rhea was also featured in an article published in the Charleston Daily Mail on Saturday 17 Feb 1973, Page 7A, entitled, “A Man’s Job? Bless Ma Bell, Don’t You Believe It!,” by Wilma Higginbotham. Mrs. Rhea served as a supply serviceman for C&P Telephone Company; her husband William was an employee of DuPont at Belle, WV, and their daughter Seondra, 10 years old, attended Ruffner Elementary School.
Marriage Record of Sylvester Adams and Sarah Jane Ellis: “West Virginia Vital Research Records – Record Image”. 2025. Wvculture.org.
https://dach-image-proxy.digital-relativity.workers.dev/?film=494264&frame=00137
Death Record of Sarah Jane Ellis Adams: “West Virginia Vital Research Records – Record Image”. 2025. Wvculture.org.
https://dach-image-proxy.digital-relativity.workers.dev/?film=1953905&frame=02308
I should be able to find Sylvester Adams in the Census’ prior to 1920 but so far, I haven’t. Historic documents show that the Great Bend Tunnel/Big Bend Tunnel at Talcott, WV was constructed sometime between 1869 and 1872. That means I should be able to locate Sylvester Adams in Summers County (where Talcott is located), Monroe, or Greenbrier County (where by the way, the Burks family is from). Even Mercer and Raleigh Counties are possibilities but it is 36 from Princeton (Mercer Co) to Talcott; at least 26 miles to Raleigh County. The hike to work gets further away but it is apparent that Sylvester did live in Raleigh County (1930) and whether he lived in Mercer County or the nearest doctor/hospital was located at Princeton, at which Sylvester Jr was born, has been documented.
He should appear in the censuses somewhere between Danville, VA and Talcott, WV. Unless he was going by a given name other than Sylvester or a nickname. If you make that determination or find him in a census between 1870-1910, please, please, let me know.
For the record, I believe that Sylvester Adams was a treasure, someone I could have sit and listened to for hours, listening to his stories – both heart-rending and joyful – because I’m left with nothing but my imagination. If I could be granted one wish, it would be to travel back in time for visits with living history.