His father, Phinehas Adams, senior, married Sarah W. Barber, a native of Holliston, Mass., in 1811. Her father was an Englishman, who came to America from Warrenton, England, during the Revolutionary war, and married in this country a Scottish lady who came from Edinburgh.
Phinehas Adams, the senior, was both a farmer and a mechanic, and became quite an extensive manufacturer. At a very early date he constructed hand-looms, which he employed girls to operate; and, subsequently, started the first power-loom that was ever established in this country, at Waltham, Mass., in the year 1814.
In this year and in the same town he became a mill overseer, and afterwards gave his whole attention to manufacturing. He resided, when Phinehas was a child, at different times in Waltham and Cambridge, Mass., and in Nashua, to which latter place he removed later in life, and became proprietor of a hotel, the Central House. This business was more agreeable to him, since he had broken several of his ribs and received other injuries from an unfortunate fall.
Hon. William P. Newell, of Manchester, who was agent of the Amoskeag company from 1837 to 1846, was once a bobbin-boy for the elder Adams. This was ten years before the son, who was attending a private school in West Newton, Mass., until 1827, began to work in the mills. In the last-named year, his father became agent of the Neponset Manufacturing Company's mills—which were owned by himself, Dr. Oliver Dean, and others—at Walpole, in the same state; and to this place he removed his residence.
Phins. Adams
When quite young, the son disliked close confinement in school, the task of poring over books being to him rather dry and irksome; but his father said to him that he must either study or go to work in the mill. At the latter place he was soon found engaged in a work well calculated to dispel boyish romance in a summary manner. He almost repented making this choice, but pluckily "stuck to the work" with the indomitable perseverance so often displayed in after life, and was employed as a bobbin-boy for a year by the company. He then entered Wrentham Academy, where he remained, making progress in his studies, for a year and a half, when his father was compelled to inform him that he had met with serious losses by reason of the failure of the company, and that he, Phinehas, would now leave the academy and go to work. The father very much regretted feeling obliged to take this course, having cherished the hope of being able to give his son a thorough education. The latter readily accepted the situation, replied to his father that he was ready and willing to work, but, that if he must go to work in a mill, he preferred that it should be in a large one, and not in a "one-horse concern;" for he desired a wide field and the best possible opportunities to gain a knowledge of the business in its many details.
One of the greatest events in the commercial history of our country was the founding of the "City of Spindles," in 1821. Very naturally, the junior Adams was led to go there to gain his desired knowledge. On the 10th of November, 1829, he proceeded to Lowell, and at the age of fifteen became employed as bobbin-boy in the mills of the Merrimack company. At that time, the company had only about thirty thousand spindles in its mills.
In these early days of manufacturing, the system was adhered to in Lowell of keeping fierce bull-dogs—one, at least—in each mill. They were liberally fed with fresh meat, not for the purpose of making them less savage, and chained near the entrance to the mill, making effectual sentinels while the watch-men were making their rounds. This custom was followed until about 1831.