I am working on an indexing project for the Santa Clara County Historical & Genealogical Society in California and ran across the following information in an article about "old timers." I am not researching this man so I have no further information. If this is your ancestor, I will be glad to look in our files and see if we have any more information on him. Marilyn Lane Researching BURKHART & HEBERER in Madison Co. "John Hicks ADAMS was born on June 13, 1820 in Edwardsville, Illinois. He was the son of John Binney (Finney) Adams. His family owned a castor oil factory in Edwardsville. In December of 1841, he was married to Matilda POMEROY. John and Matilda had seven children, three sons and four daughters. Their sons were William H. Adams, Charles C. Adams, Abraham L. Adams. Their daughters were Mary Adams Hanna, Alice Adams Gordon, Sadie Adams Ford and Nellie Adams Stork. John Hicks Adams was one of the original Forty-Niners. He came to California in search of gold, arriving in Hangtown on Aug. 1, 1849. He mined and ran pack trains for two years. He then returned to Illinois, via the Isthmus of Panama. In 1852, he came back to California with his wife, Matilda, and two children. In August of 1853, Adams settled in the Santa Clara County. He established his family on a farm near Gilroy, and for the next twenty five years was active in the life of the county. Having obtained the rank of captain during the Spanish American War, he had the quality of leadership. He was a Santa Clara County Sheriff from 1863 to 1876. As such, he was connected with the capture of Vasquez, the notorious California bandit. Captain Adams became a Santa Clara County Supervisor. He also was said to have the first exploration of Lake Tahoe. Captain John Hicks Adams life was ended on Sept. 4, 1878, when he was killed by Mexicans, while on his way to Tucson, Arizona, where he owned a mine. One of his legacies was the land, which he donated for the Adam's School."