“Robert Adams was a pioneer settler near Bedford. He underwent many hardships, and during the Indian troubles was obliged to go to the fort every night to escape being murdered. He moved to St. Clair Township where he died about 1822” (1)

Little more is truly known about the life of Robert Adams than those three sentences, whose information was provided by his grandson, Solomon Adams, son of William, around 1881. Solomon had the distinction of being the only grandchild who lived and died on the land that his grandfather first settled in northwest Bedford County.

Robert was born perhaps around 1745, give or take a few years. He may have been the son of Robert Adams Sr., who himself may have been an English or Scots Irish immigrant. He may have been born in Berks County, Pennsylvania, or else lived there prior migrating to Western Pennsylvania. (2)

It is thought that he was brother to Solomon, Samuel, and Rachel Adams. He may also have had brothers Henry, Benjamin, and John, and perhaps a sister or two; however, no records seem to exist to confirm or refute such family relationships. Some researchers speculate that his father remarried to a woman named Dorothy and provided Robert with at least half brother named Joseph and a half sister named Mary. This seems likely, for in 1790 both Robert and his father had at least seven people living in their households with them.

Robert and his family settled in Bedford County, Pennsylvania in the late 1760s or early 1770s. In addition to his father, brothers, and sister,  Elijah Adams, who may have been his uncle, also settled in Bedford County.

In 1772 Robert was taxed as a resident of Bedford Township with 50 acres, of which two were cultivated, two horses, and two cows. In 1783 Robert and his father, Robert Sr., were taxed as a nonresidents on land in Quemahoning Township, Bedford County. In 1785 he still owned 50 acres.

 

By 1790, Robert and his father were both residents of recently formed St. Clair Township of northwest Bedford County. On December 3, 1793 he was a warrantee of 300 acres, and on April 25, 1794 he was a warrantee of 200 acres in Bedford County. Perhaps he owned 100 acres that had become situated in another county when new county lines were drawn up.

Samuel, Solomon, and Rachael are recognized as the earliest known white settlers of Cambria County, which borders Bedford County on the northwest. The Treaty of Stanwix made between the chiefs of the Iriquois Nation and William Penn’s family in 1768 opened up the lands west of the Allegheny mountains to white settlement. The local Indians, the Delaware and the Shawnee, were not present during the signing, and some Indians were not receptive to white encroachment. Samuel, Solomon, and Rachel settled in what is now Elton, Cambria County around 1769.  Local lore has it that Rachel was killed by an Indian around 1770.  Samuel is said to have been fatally wounded in a knife fight with an Indian either in 1771 or 1777 (1777 is more likely since he appears on the Bedford County tax list of 1776), which also left the Indian dead. Sam's Run, Solomon Run, and Rachel's Run in Johnstown, Cambria County, PA are named after them.

Robert is thought to have married a woman named Mary. Their children are thought to be the following: Thomas Adams, John Adams, Elizabeth "Betsey" (Adams) Jones, James Adams, Mary Margaret (Adams) Jones, William Adams, Joseph Adams, Ruth A. (Adams) McAfee, Solomon Adams, and Robert Adams III.

Robert is thought to have participated in the American Revolution as a member of the Bedford County Militia, 4th Company, 3rd Battalion, under the command of his brother, Captain Solomon Adams. It is not known whether or not he saw any action.

Robert was a farmer, and he and Mary raised their family on a farm in St. Clair Township. Elijah Adams, who is presumed to be Robert's uncle, also raised a large family in St. Clair Township, where he died in 1798. It is not known when Robert's father died.

Robert and his family may have been members of the Society of Friends (Quakers), for many families of St. Clair Township, including Elijah Adams's, were Quaker.

In 1820 Robert and Mary were living with a teenage girl. It is presumed that she was a granddaughter.

Robert died an old man around August 1824 in St. Clair Township. His personal effects were divided up among his widow and a number of other family members and friends. (3)

May was still living in April 1826 when Robert's estate was finally settled. It is not known when Mary died, nor is it known where in Bedford County Robert or Mary are buried. There is no grave maker nor any record of their burials.

Their large family produced a great number of progeny who became pioneer settlers of the West. Their descendants  number in the many thousands.