Benjamin Adams was born 10 October 1782, a son of James Adams an established early settler of Jefferson County, Kentucky, and his wife who was believed named Catherine. His father's estate was settled 9 May 1814 in Jefferson County and brothers William and Francis Adams were administrators (see Book 3, p. 86-87). It is assumed he descends from the same Adams line as the two U.S. Presidents although this hasn't been verified.
Ben became both a circuit riding Methodist preacher and a self-taught medical doctor who could heal the spiritual body as well as the physical one. In 1814 an explorer to southern Indiana's wilderness came by his office with a sackful of white powder crystals and asked the doctor if it had any medicinal value. Dr. Adams tasted it and replied in the affirmative. He asked where it was from and the young man replied it was abundant in a big cave west of Corydon, Indiana. Dr. Adams offered six dollars, a huge sum for a ox cart load, but the man never returned. So the doctor ventured to see Big Wyandotte Cave for himself.
The oldest authentic dated signatures found in Wyandotte Cave to date are 1814 explorers A. Dean, J. Baldwin, and Abraham Harman (Harman is my wife Karen's ancestor) who managed the grist mill for Indiana Territorial Governor William Henry Harrison. It is possible Harman may have accompanied Dr. Adams on his cave exploring trip. Harrison toured earlier in 1806 with Major Floyd of the militia in search of saltpeter and signed another avenue wall, but without a date. Francis I. Bentley and others came from Ashborough, England via Evansville, Indiana and on 19 October 1821 left several well signed areas. They may have been looking for minerals, salts, clays, or tourism potential and may have considered purchasing the cave. England already had many sport caves.
Finding cave avenues and passages covered like snow banks with the powder known as epsomite (which is magnesium sulfate or epsom salts.) Dr. Adams searched for the cave's owners. Returning to the Jeffersonville Land Patent Office, Adams entered the land and made his first two dollar an acre payment to the U.S. Government for 160 acres on December 12, 1814.
Levi Brashear of Nelson County, Kentucky had started semi-annual payments on the same tract in September 1810, but ceased in 1813 when the War of 1812 ended because the value of saltpeter greatly dwindled. Saltpeter is potassium nitrate used in the manufacture of black gunpowder and was mined from two large caves on the tract, now called appropriately Saltpeter Cave and Wyandotte Cave. We are not sure how much saltpeter Dr. Adams mined if any, but it was not profitable during his ownership.
At about the same time Paul Mitchem and his wife Susannah Meeks came to Harrison County, Indiana with a multitude of slaves which they freed at Wyandotte. Paul died in 1814 and is buried in the mound at Wyandotte Cave's Rothrock Cemetery along with his wife who joined him in 1823 and two slaves who helped in the saltpeter mining. The Mitchem's bought over ninety slaves in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky, They brought them to Indiana and gave them freedom papers.
Paul Mitchem's will stipulated his adopted son William Vinsett or Vincent would oversee getting the freed men established in farming and trades. William refused and a slave son named Littleton Mitchem filled the void. He studied herbs, chemicals, salts, and oils and was soon a trusted doctor as was his mentor, Dr. Adams. Dr. Littleton Mitchem lived to be 110 years old, so he must have learned his methods well.
The Henry Peter Rothrock family sailed down from Pennsylvania in 1818 and in 1819 started buying land for timber at $1.25 per acre. Some say they amassed 4,000 acres and we find the Wyandotte Cave land recorded by them in 1847. They commercialized the caves for tourists in 1850, making it the third oldest commercial cave business in the United States. My wife, Karen is a double descendant of Henry Peter Rothrock and I managed Wyandotte Caves State Recreation Area from 1987 to 1999. The State of Indiana took over cave management in 1966 after a purchase of 1,274 acres from the Rothrock's Cave Corporation. Just last May they privatized cave operations by contracting with the corporation that runs Marengo Cave and Cave Country Canoes.
There were other exciting things happening in Doctor Adams' life in 1814. On the 4th of November that year he applied to marry Sarah "Sallie" Bottorff or Pottoff in Jefferson County, Kentucky. Her father, Simeon Pottorff, signed his consent on 7 October 1814. Her brother, Andrew Pottorff, was a witness on the bond by William Farquar on 16 November 1814 in Jefferson Co., Ky.
Simeon Pottorff was born 7 September 1756 in Bethel, Berks Co., PA and married Polly Danielson or Davidson who was born about 1762 in Harrisburg, Berks Co., PA They removed to Hagerstown, Washington Co., MD then to Blue Grass Creek, 17 miles east of Louisville, Jefferson Co., KY where Sallie, their fifth child was born. Their sixth child, Catherine "Kattie" Pottorff married a doctor who practiced in Greenville, IN by the name of Josiah Lamb. In all, Simeon had seven children and nearly fifty grandchildren. He disappeared around 1806 and some of his remains and personal effects were found years later in a wooden area not far from his home in Jefferson County. It is thought he may have been killed by Indians.
Dr. Benjamin Adams and Sallie had five children. They were Benjamin James Adams who married Caroline S. Throckmorton on 29 October 1845 in Louisville, Kentucky; Sarah Adams who married first a Milton, then a Newman and died in the 1920's in Washington, D.C.; Kate Adams who married a Brannon and lived in Louisville, KY; Francis St. Clair Adams, born 28 February 1820 Corydon, Indiana, who married Sarah S. Jennings Heth on 21 November 1842 in Harrison Co., IN; and H.P. Adams or Parker Adams who lived in Corydon.
After the death of Francis St. Clair Adams on 1 May 1862, his widow, Sarah, married a Mr. Hill. Sarah was born in 1824 and died 1900, the daughter of Henry Wilford Heth and Elizabeth Jameson. Francis and Sarah Adams lived on the southwest corner of Walnut and Mulberry Streets in Corydon, which was later known as the Dr. Bottorff residence and is now a law office for Susan Schultz and her law associates.
Francis and Sarah Adams raised three children: Ben Adams who was married twice and went out West where he died; Agnes Elizabeth "Addie" Adams, born 1845 and died in 1914 and married George Self, the founder and editor of the Corydon Republican, a weekly newspaper; and Frank Adams, born 1846, died 1904, who was a Corydon printer and never married. This youngest son committed suicide and is buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Corydon.
Dr. Benjamin Adams purchased Lot 27 in Corydon in 1817 from the Harvey Heth heirs, original proprietors of the town. The name, Corydon, came from a song liked by another early resident, William Henry Harrison, and sung by Jenny, the daughter of the first resident Edward Smith. The location of Dr. Adam's residence was the northeast corner of Walnut and Market Streets. It was later called the Carter Likens house and half of the house was torn down to enlarge a parking lot. Some businesses have located in the building recently. One was Brewer's General Store. O'Bannon Publishing owns the buildings across the street on the south side of Walnut Street.
Dr. Adams died during a cholera epidemic on 9 August 1833. The disease also claimed the life of Dr. James B. Slaughter, leaving Corydon with one practicing physician named Dr. David G. Mitchell. His widow, Sallie Adams, married Nathan Benton and died on 11 May 1847 in New Albany. She is buried alongside her first husband under a large flat tombstone in Cedar Hill Cemetery, just south of the cemetery office. The writing is illegible on the huge stone.
Looking through Adams estate papers in File Box 1, Harrison County Courthouse, I found that he was owed $30.00 by Henry P. Coburn, Clerk of the Indiana Supreme Court, for medicines, herbs, and chemical concoctions starting 30 June 1820 and ending 18 April 1823 or 1825.
Henry Bogart was owed $4.50 out of $15.50 for the family's shoes, boots and slippers manufactured 8 April 1829.
W.A. Porter was owed $2.25 for tutoring Ben James Adams in Latin between 7 June 1830 and 13 August 1830; owed also for a suit with E.B. Wilson, Administrator of the Estate of L.D.Wilson before Thomas Farquar, Esquire in 1832; and for writing his will and last testament and two arbitration bonds in 1833. Porter received a nice chess set from Kate, daughter of Dr. Adams which is still in the family, according to Frederick P. Griffin, past historian of Harrison County, Indiana.
On 25 July 1829 a horse and stage coach was hired by Sallie Adams for 1 and 1/2 days from Dr. John Johnson, wagon maker, and in October 1830 beef weighing 14 and 1/2 pounds was purchased at 31 and 1/2 cents, totalling $1.81 and 1/4 cents.
Between the fall of 1831 and September 1833 pantaloons, roundabouts, and bonnets were made for Sallie Adams and Catherine Adams at a cost of $4.37 and 1/2 cents.
In September 1831 James Newbanks was owed $2.00 for attending Adams' horse for two weeks; $1.00 for riding two days on business; $1.00 for helping the Dr.'s family remove from Utica to Corydon; and $1.40 for seven bushels of apples at 20 cents each.
On the 6th of October 1832 Dr. Adams sent a horse to his brother-in-law, Dr. Lamb of Greenville, via the mail carrier. If Lamb refused it then the carrier could purchase the good horse for $70.00.
Jesse Mitchem was owed $13.00 for taking her and the children to Utica then going to Utica to bring the children back, and other illegible deeds between October and December 1833.
Dr. John Hurst, Jr. issued a bill for $8.00 total for 22 December 1820 through 28 December 1820 and 15 February 1821 for castor oil, ether, etc. for Dr. Adams' son on Pigeon Creek in Perry County, Indiana.
On the 15th of August 1833 Thomas Farquar made a coffin for H.P. Adams, the son of the decedent, for $7.50.
On 14 November 1833 a tax of $1.25 was collected for Lot 19, Lower High Street in New Albany from Ben Adams, son of the Doctor.
Rent of his house in Corydon was unpaid for the last 14 months at a sum of $26.62 and 1/2 cents as of 28 October 1833.
The full settlement of medical aid rendered by Dr. Adams was paid by Mary Boon on 10 October 1833.
William Stallings was owed on 25 August 1832 for spooling, warping and weaving 16 yards of flannel and also for spinning, carrying, etc. for $18.72.
On 27 January 1832 a bill for $5.37 and 1/2 cents was owed Israel Butt for horse shews (sic), bridle bit, coffy (sic) mill, removing shoes, new pair shews by Ben James, making a wagon bolt for Miss Adams when she moved away.
Received of Louis Vaughn $2.00 on account of rent of piece of ground to Vaughn by William Pinddle of Clark Co. for Sarah Potterff, formerly Sarah Kinkead, by Benjamin Adams 27 July 1832.
On the 16th August 1833 William Grant and George Bly received from John Smith, Executor, the sum of $1.00 each for digging a grave for the reception of the corpse of Parker Adams, son of Benjamin Adams, deceased.
Dr. Adams' family purchased the following items from H & T Kinzer, Corydon, Indiana: handkerchief, socks, pound coffee, dozen eggs, broom, grease paper, pound coffee, indigo, six pounds sugar, 1/4 lb. tea, pound coffee, 2 lbs. coffee, quart whiskey, 4 lbs. sugar, quart of whiskey, 2 dozen eggs, pint wine, sundries, peppermint, 3 fish, and hire of wagon to move in. These purchases were made from 23 June 1833 to 14 August 1833.
There was a fi fa decree by Ben J. Adams, Jr. against the others to sell the property on Lot 19, Lower High Street, New Albany, Indiana 24 October 1846.
And finally $20.00 was owed the account of J. W. McReynolds (rest cut off, but it mentioned last will and testament).
Editor's Note: Roger Gleitz interpreted the life of Dr. Benjamin Adams at the Indiana Territory Festival held in Corydon, Indiana, the weekend of July 1 and July 2, 2006. He presented this program to ATHS the following Friday evening at our monthly meeting.