Joseph Adams, born Giuseppi Adamo, was born on October 20, 1873 in Sicily to Lorenzo Adamo and Teresa Marvello. In 1896, he married Magiuseppa Cinaglia who took the name Mary Adamo.
In November of 1902, they gathered up their belongings and their six month old son Ramondo (Raymond) and left their home and families in Agrigento, Sicily. From there they went to Naples, Italy to board the ship Victoria bound for the United States.
On December 3, 1902 they arrived in New York with a reported $10 in Giuseppi’s pocket. He claimed his occupation to be a laborer and his destination was Marion, Illinois with the LaSusa family as his contact there.
Like many immigrants, the Adamo’s americanized their name to Adams, but not until after the 1910 census.
In the 1910 census, Joseph and Mary Adamo are living in West Marion Township and they have three sons. Raymond is now aged 8, Lorenzo (later called Lloyd Adams) is 6 and Vincenzo( later called Charles Vincent Adams) is 10 months old. Joseph is working as a coal miner and it is revealed that Mary has had eight children with three that are living, indicating a loss of five children early on.
In 1913, the couple gives birth to a fourth son named Joseph Samuel Adams.
In the 1922 Marion Street directory the couple is listed at 103 N. Cunningham Street. Lloyd is an employee at Joe Laburgio’s West Side Shoe Shop on West Main Street learning the trade of shoe repair.
In 1923, the father, Joseph Adams died at the age of 50 as an active coal miner.
In 1926, Lloyd Adams opened up Adams Shoe Shop and would bring his brother Charles into the business. Around 1937, Raymond Adams opened up Adams Barber Shop and about the same time, son, Joseph started Adams Cab Company. All of their businesses were side by side in the 400 block of N. Market Street.
Joseph’s widow Mary continued living in their home on Cunningham Street until her death in 1953. Raymond died in 1948 at the age of 46. All three are interred at Maplewood Cemetery.
(Data from Federal Census Records, Marion Street and Business Directories, Marion City Cemetery Records, compiled by Sam Lattuca on 05/14/2013)