The Genealogy of David L. Moody & Yvonne L. La Pointe. - Person Sheet
The Genealogy of David L. Moody & Yvonne L. La Pointe. - Person Sheet
Birth27 Oct 1785, Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina, USA ®1891, ®1856
MemoMiddleton Plantation
Death7 Mar 1851, Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia, USA ®1891
Burial1851, Richmond County, Georgia, USA ®1891
MemoCottage Cemetery
ReligionSt. Paul's Episcopal Church, Augusta, Georgia ®118
FlagsAugusta, Georgia, Internet
FatherCAPTAIN Oswell EVE JR. (1754-1829)
MotherAphra Ann PRITCHARD (ca1765-1821)
Misc. Notes
She was the second daughter and the beauty of the family. She supported herself, as well as 3 of Henrietta’s children, after John Adams died in 1812.
SARAH EVE ADAMS: Born on the "Middleton" plantation, near Charleston, South Carolina on 27 October 1785; Died, Augusta, Georgia on 7 March 1851.
Sarah Eve was the second daughter of Captain Oswell Eve and Aphra Ann Pritchard; she was the namesake of Captain Eve's deceased sister Sarah who had been engaged to Dr. Benjamin Rush. She married John Strong Adams on 3 March 1803 in Augusta, Georgia.
Their life in Charleston was idyllic, except that they had no children. Reasonably wealthy and socially prominent, they traveled extensively, especially to John's home in Ireland, where the servants accompanying Sarah on the streets were a curiosity that caused crowds to gather and follow them.
On one of their trips to Ireland, they took with them Oswell Eve's eldest son, Oswell Eve III, to be educated there. Oswell was then about fourteen years of age. Three years later, in 1812, John and Sarah Adams returned to Ireland for a visit when John suddenly took ill and died. Oswell, then seventeen years old, ran to his sister to help and to escort her back home to Charleston and Augusta. Young Oswell and Sarah sailed to Liverpool to connect to the ship that would bring them home, but the boy suddenly took ill the day before they were to sail and died, but not before he elicited a promise from the ship's captain that he would personally see to the grief stricken Sarah's care and her safe deliverance home.
John Adams had died on 5 June 1812. Exactly one week later, on 12 June 1812, the United States declared war on England. After thirty days at sea the ship bringing Sarah Adams home was captured by privateers, then was recaptured by an English man-of-war which brought Sarah into Halifax, Nova Scotia, as they could not sail into an American port. Sarah embarked on another ship for Philadelphia where Captain Oswell Eve met her and brought her back to Augusta in his own carriage.
For eighteen months Sarah kept to her room immersed in her mourning, greatly reduced in health and wealth. Gradually, under the influence of a loving and devoted family she emerged determined to support herself and her servants, rather than accept dependence on her generous family. She trained her servants in needle work, something at which she excelled, and they began together to produce clothes for slaves and, as her sister Emma recorded, "... fancy work in feathers and embroidery which they sold, and thus procured occupation and support for themselves."
When Aphra Ann Eve died in 1821, Sarah Eve Adams took over her father's household, taking care of her father and all of her younger siblings who were literally a generation younger than herself -- she became their second mother. After Oswell Eve died, Sarah purchased The Cottage from his estate, along with much of his furniture and some additional land, thus, both The Cottage and Cottage Cemetery came under Sarah's control.
When, Sarah's sister Henrietta [Martha Henrietta Eve, Mrs. Gilbert Longstreet] died, she left five children, three of them to Sarah Adams to raise and support. "...She took them to her cottage and clothed, educated and cared for them till her death. Often did she deprive herself of luxuries to advance their interests, and lived economically that she might leave them comfortable at the end. This she did, as they inherited her home, servants, etc., and a good support besides. This self-sacrificing Sister slowly declined in health for several years, and brightened in Christian loveliness each day as death advanced. She was a devoted member of the Episcopal Church, to which she generously contributed. In 1851, she fell asleep, surrounded by a large group circle of mourning friends."

by a lady 80 years of age
Mrs. Emma Eve Smith (1798 - 1882)
copied by Mrs. Mary E. Miller Eve 1907
transcribed by Patricia E. Kruger 1994

Sister Sarah, the second daughter, was the beauty of our family. Delicate and refined in appearance, highly cultivated, but very retiring, she was universally beloved and admired. She spent much of her early life in Charleston with Mother's Sister, Mrs. Christopher FitzSimons and travelled with her to the North every summer. On one of these visits to Newport, she was unpacking Uncle F's trunk and came across a beautifully written order from one of his clerks for two volumes of poetry. "Campbells pleasures of Neope" and Goldsmith's "Deserted Village" and imagining that the young gentleman with such a literary taste must be superior to most of her admirers she became favorable to his suit which soon followed her return to the South.

Mr. Adams was a very handsome young Irishman and splendidly educated. He was her beau ideal of a perfect gentleman and she idolized him. They resided in a pretty house of their own which they called Adams and Eve's paradise, and had everything to make them happy excepting children. Mr. Adams was a commission merchant and frequently had slave ships consigned to him. The owners of the young slaves would when they reached the plantations arrange the men in one row and the women opposite and Father, intimating to them by signs to choose every man his wife, would read the marriage ceremony to them and thus save time by settling their matrimonial affairs.

The young people of the family would select names from the works which they had read and from other sources, as Juno, Cato, Hector, Caesar, etc. and sew these names to the clothing of each. Sister Sarah chose two little maids, Martha and Fatima. The former was very good but with Fatima she had a great deal of trouble. Through patience and perseverance she succeeded in making her a beautiful seamstress.

She embroidered handsome dresses for sister. Martha was sister's waiting maid and when Mr. Adams health made it necessary for them to return to Ireland, she took Martha with her. There she was of course a curiosity and frequently had to take her mistress' arm to protect herself from the crowd which followed her in the streets.

Oswell, the first son after six daughters accompanied Sister Sarah to Ireland to be educated. He remained there while Sister and her husband returned home. They visited Ireland a second time and there Mr. Adams died. Sister and brother Oswell then started for their home but when they reached Liverpool, brother was taken suddenly ill and died the day before they had appointed to sail. Crushed to the earth and praying to die, Sister was put on board a ship under the Captain's care. After being at sea thirty days the vessel was captured. It was recaptured by an English man-of-war and taken to Halifax. Sister embarked on another vessel and sailed to Philadelphia. There my father met her and brought her in his own carriage to Georgia.

Greatly reduced in health and strength, she had also lost all her husband's property and now she
commenced her life work. She kept her room for eighteen months and took in sewing for her support. Though in the bosom of a devoted family, she resolved not to eat the bread of dependence and to divert her mind from her great sorrow she was allowed to indulge every desire. She and Martha cut out and made the negro clothes and did fancy work in feathers and embroidery which they sold and thus procured occupation and support for themselves.

When mother died, Sister Sarah took care of Father and the younger children and was a second Mother to us.

My sister Henrietta died and left five children, three of them to Sister Adams. She took them to her
cottage and clothed, educated and cared for them till her death. Often did she deprive herself of luxuries to advance their interest and lived economically that she might leave them comfortable at the end. This she did as they inherited her home, servants, etc. and a good support besides.

This self-sacrificing sister slowly declined in health for several years and brightened in Christian loveliness each day as death advanced. She was a devoted member of the Episcopal Church to which she generously contributed. In 1851 she fell asleep, surrounded by a large circle of mourning friends.
Research
She kept a Journal. ®1893 Oswell Eve, Jr.'s will refers to his daughter "Sarah, as Sarah Adams (widow of John S. Adams)".
Spouses
Birth1775, Ireland
Death5 Jun 1812, Randalstown, County Antrim, Ireland ®99, ®1891
BurialIreland ®1891
MemoIn his Father's grave
OccupationMerchant
Misc. Notes
He worked as a clerk for Mr. FitzSimons, Sarah’s uncle, when he met Sarah. His health made it necessary for them to return to Ireland. Sarah's oldest brother Oswell went to Ireland with them to be educated. Mr. Adams died, as did Oswell, in Liverpool, as they were trying to return home. Sarah Adams was put on a vessel for America, which was captured by an English Man of War, and taken to Halifax. She then sailed for Philadelphia. She was late of Charleston in1851. ®1891

JOHN STRONG ADAMS: Born, Ireland, 1775; Died, Ireland, 5 June 1812.

John Adams was the young assistant to Christopher FitzSimons, and was not only handsome but splendidly educated and "a perfect gentleman." John Adams was a commission merchant who became acquainted with Oswell Eve's second daughter, Sarah Adams, when, while on vacation with the FitzSimons' in New York, she stumbled across an order written by him for two volumes of poetry: "Campbell's Pleasures of Hope" and "Goldsmith's "Deserted Village "

Thinking that "... a young gentleman with such literary taste must be superior to most of her admirers, she became favorable to his suit which soon followed her return to the South." John Adams married Sarah Eve and their home on Laurens Street in Charleston was dubbed "Adam and Eve's Paradise."

The Adams's frequently made trips back to his home in Ireland, and on one of those trips, in 1812, John Adams suddenly took ill and died. His death was so abrupt that there was no time to adequately prepare a proper tomb and he was interred in the tomb of his father who had died only a few years earlier. John Adams was 37 when he died.

A monument to John Adams was subsequently erected in The Cottage Cemetery, but his legacy has been so pervasive that descendants on all branches of the Eve and FitzSimons families have named children for him down to the present day, viz: John Adams FitzSimons; John Adams Carmichael, John Adams Neely, John Adams Sibley [chairman of Georgia's famed "Sibley Commission" and Chairman / President of SunTrust] and the current John Adams Sibley, III, president of the Georgia Conservancy.

Extraordinary portrait miniatures of John and Sarah Eve Adams were in Augusta until recently; they descended in the family of J. Hammond Carmichael, and were published in 1975 in the book "Early Georgia Portraits " [National Society of Colonial Dames; University of Georgia Press, Athens, 1975.]
Family ID1481
Marriage3 Mar 1803, Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia, USA
No Children
Last Modified 23 Jun 2012Created 9 Mar 2018 using Reunion v12.0 for Macintosh
Created 1 April 2018 by David L. Moody

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