Nonfiction - Local History
1 min
People Behind the Street Names-The Adams Family
Halton Hills Public Library
Discover the history behind street names in Halton Hills.
Adams Court: The Adams family became known as the original settlers of Acton when brothers Zenas, Ezra and Rufus began to move their families there starting in 1825. Acton itself was once known as Adamsville and wasn't named Acton until 1844.
Many of the streets in Acton were named after members of the Adams family.
John Street: John Quincy Adams was the son of Rufus and Maria Adams, born in the late 1820s.
Wilbur Street: Wilbur Adams was the son of Zenas and Ruth Adams, born in the 1830s. He taught for some time in the old schoolhouse and was a prominent citizen of Acton.
Maria Street: Rufus Adams' wife, Maria, opened the Acton School in 1826. However, Ezra Adams daughter, Maria, could also be the person for whom this street is named.
Ransom Street: Ransom Adams was the son of Eliphalet Adams Jr., but was raised by his uncle, Ezra. He sold wood to the Grand Trunk Railway, as well as boiled maple syrup, and made good money from this work. In fact, he was described as being "a hustling business man, with one object in life – that of making money" (Acton's Early Days, p. 140).
Frederick Street: Frederick Adams was a member of the Adams family.
Agnes Street: Agnes Adams was the daughter of Zenas and Ruth Adams, born in the early 1840s. She was a teacher in Acton and never married. Eventually she moved to live with a relative in Michigan.
To learn more about the history of Halton Hills, visit the Halton Hills Public Library website: https://www.hhpl.ca/en/learn/local-history.aspx
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