Mt. Vernon, IL Register News -
Saturday, February 28, 1900
Submitted By: Mary Zinzilieta

Mrs. George W. ALEXANDER, 5945 South Flower Street, Los Angeles, California, has written a brief story of the life of her mother, the late Mrs. Susan A. ADAMS, formerly of Jefferson County. Portions of the story follow:

Susan Polly GILBERT was born April 10th, 1836 in Washington County, Ohio; died June 3, 1919. Her parents were Eli GILBERT, Jr., born in Waterbury, Chitadon County, Vermont; and Lucy (FAIRCHILDS) GILBERT, born in Preston Henanko County, New York. Her parents both passed away on the same day, January 20th, 1878; the mother survived the father by seven hours, and they were both laid to rest in the same grave in the Gilbert Cemetery near Waltonville, Illinois. Several brothers and numerous other relatives have been laid to rest in the same cemetery; her husband, John ADAMS, also three sons, Charley, James, Wilson and Eli Mathew, and a daughter, Lucy Elvira BRAVARD.

Mother was the fourth child born in a family of eight, and survived the entire family for a number of years; she attained the greatest age of any of them, being eighty-three years and fifty-four days at her death.

At the age of two years, and when her next younger brother, Eli Wilson, was an infant, her parents moved from Washington County, Ohio, to Jefferson County, Illinois, where they resided until death, and where many of their descendants still reside.

July 22nd, 1852, she was married to John ADAMS, who was born May 4th, 1827, in Kentucky; nine children were born to them, four of whom are still living:

John ADAMS, Jr., of Jaqua, Kansas
William Ira ADAMS, of Egnar, Colorado
Hannah Elizabeth ALEXANDER, of Los Angeles, California
Amy Celestia HILL of Des Moines, New Mexico

After mother's children were all grown she took an orphan daughter of Elvira's, Susan Elizabeth BRAVARD and raised her to womanhood, now Mrs. Wesley HUBBARD of Los Angeles, and always considered her as a daughter, and this grand daughter is the mother of the only twins born in the family, Marjory and Madaline, now two years old.

Beside the four children, there are now living 26 grand children, 58 (great) grand children, and two great great grand children, making a total of 90 direct living descendants. Two grand children and seven great grand children have died, and with the five children make a total of 14 descendants that have passed away, bringing the entire number born to 104. She was buried in Los Angeles, California.