Elias Adams

Ninety-two-year-old Catherine Adams Pilling, a daughter of Elias, in a 1931 interview with a newspaper reporter said that her family traveled west in a small pioneer company (only 17 or 18 wagons), under the leadership of a Captain Ivins. Other sources fail to confirm the existence of an Ivins Company, however. Elias Harris Adams in his book "Elias Adams: A Pioneer Profile," speculates that the reporter must have misunderstood Mrs. Pilling and that the Adams family actually traveled with the 1850 David Evans Company. The author's arguments are suggestive, but not conclusive. One reason is that the Evans Company consisted of fifty-four wagons and thus was three times the size of the one in Mrs. Pilling's memory. A history of the Adams family by Frank D. Adams, a grandson of Elias, claims that Elias and family were in the 1850 Aaron Johnson Company, but the author cites no sources. Finally, a "Brief sketch of the life of Elias Adams" (n.d.) by Hyrum Adams, a son of Elias (the son was born in Utah), says that the Adams' "traveled in Capt. Bigelow's company and Father was captain over fifty." There was no Bigelow Company but a Bigelow family crossed the plains in the Edward Hunter Company of 1850. Given these divergent opinions we have listed the family on the 1850 Unidentified Companies list. His travel to Utah is mentioned in his son's obituary.  The 1850 Utah census was taken in early 1851.  At the time of the 1852 Bishop's Report Elias was living in Kaysville.  His name appeaars in the Utah Territorial Militia Records at Farmington on 17 August 1857.  Elias was a High Priest.