Extract from the 1860 Census:
Name: John A Church
Age in 1860: 17
Estimated birth year: 1843
Birthplace: New York
Race: white
Sex: male
Relation to head-of-house: son
Home in 1860: Brooklyn Ward 3 District 1, Kings, New York
Post office: Brooklyn
Occupation: clerk
Siblings living at home: Emma (age 27), Frank P (21), and Sarah J (18)
Census place: Brooklyn Ward 3 District 1, Kings, New York; Roll M653_764; Page: 448; Image: 20; Family History Library
Date: 21 Jun 1860

Education:
Baccalaureate degree, Columbia University, New York, 1867
Columbia University School of Mines, New York, EM

Extract from U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925:
Name: John A Church
Birth date: 5 Apr 1843
Birthplace: State of New York
Application date: 28 May 1868
Passport issue date: 28 Nov 1868
Age: 25
Stature: 5 feet 8 inches
Forehead: broad
Eyes: brown
Nose: [illegible]
Mouth: medium
Chin: dimpled
Hair: brown
Complexion: fair
Face: round
Distinguishing marks: not listed
Passport includes a photo: no
Source: passport applications, 1795-1905 (M1372)
Extract from the 1870 Census:
Name: J A Church
Age in 1870: 27
Estimated birth year: 1843
Birthplace: New York
Race: white
Sex: male
Relation to head-of-house: not listed
Living with: W C Church and wife, ages 34 and 30
Home in 1870: New York Ward 21 District 17 (2nd Enum), New York, New York
Occupation: engineer
Census place: New York Ward 21 District 17 (2nd Enum), New York, New York; Roll: M593_1050; Page: 529; Image: 380
Date: 17 Dec 1870

Extract from the 1880 Census:
Name: John A Church
Age: 37
Estimated birth year: 1843
Birthplace: New York
Race: white
Sex: male
Relationship to head-of-household: son
Home in 1880: Greenburgh, Westchester, New York
Marital status: single
Occupation: mining engineer
Sibling: John A (age 41)
Census place: Greenburgh, Westchester, New York; Roll: T9_945; Family History Film: 1254945; Page: 272.2000; Enumeration District: 98; Image: 0546
Date: 1 Jun 1880

Extract from U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925:
Name: John Adams Church
Birth date: 5 Apr 1843
Birthplace: City of Rochester, State of New York
Residence: Tarrytown, New York
Application date: 14 Feb 1887
Passport issue date: 17 Feb 1887
Purpose: travel to China and other countries with wife Jessie Peel Church age 29 and son John A. Church Jr. age 18 months
Age: 43
Stature: 5 feet 8 3/4 inches
Forehead: high
Eyes: brown
Nose: acquiline
Mouth: medium
Chin: medium
Hair: brown
Complexion: light
Face: long
Distinguishing marks: not listed
Passport includes a photo: no
Source: passport applications, 1795-1905 (M1372)

Extract from the 1900 Census:
Name: John A Church
Age at last birthday: 57
Date of birth: Apr 1843
Birthplace: New York
Race: white
Sex: male
Relationship to head-of-house: head
Home in 1900: Manhattan, New York, New York
Address: 1350 Madison Avenue
Marital status: married
Number of years of marriage: 16
Able to read, write and speak English: yes
Father's birthplace: New York
Mother's birthplace: Vermont
Farm or home: home
Home owned or rented: rented
Occupation: mining engineer
Months not employed: 0
Census place: Manhattan, New York, New York; Roll: T623 1116; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 802
Date: 4 Jun 1900

Extract from the 1910 Census:
Name: John A Church
Age in 1910: 67
Estimated birth year: 1843
Birthplace: New York
Race: white
Sex: male
Home in 1910: Manhattan Ward 12, New York, New York
Address: 697 West End Avenue
Marital status: married
Number of years of present marriage: 25
Able to speak English: yes
Able to read and write: yes
Father's birthplace: New York
Mother's birthplace: Vermont
Farm or house: house
Home owned or rented: rented
Occupation: engineer
Type of industry: mining
Salary or wage worker: working on own account
Census place: Manhattan Ward 12, New York, New York; Roll: T624_1028; Page: 17A; Enumeration District: 744; Image: 493
Date: 27 Apr 1910

Taught at Michigan and Ohio State University
1868-1870 Studied and traveled in Europe
1872 Professor of mineralogy and metallurgy at Columbia University
1872-1874 Editor of the Engineering and Mining Journal
In 1878 helped the US Geographical & Geological Survey west of the 100th meridian
1880 Published a book on the Comstock silver lode in Nevada
1881 Superintendent of the Tombstone Mill & Mining Company in Arizona
1887 Appointed mining engineer to Li Hung Chang, Viceroy of China
1879 PhD from Columbia University; continued to publish articles.

Extract from "Descendants of Richard Church of Plymouth, Mass." by John Adams Church, 1913:
John Adams Church, b. 5 Apr. 1843, at Rochester, N.Y.; m. 30 July, 1884, Jessie Angeline Peel, b. Chapel Hill, Texas, 12 Sept. 1858, daughter of Judge Bryant Lorindo and Anna Belle (Ruter) of Los Angeles, Cal. She is the granddaughter of Rev. Martin Ruter, LL.D. a learned divine of the Methodist Church, Orientalist, President of, and said to be the first Methodist minister to receive the degree of LL.D. in the United States.
Mr. Church is a mining engineer and graduated from the School of Mines, Columbia University, 1867. He went to Europe in 1868, traveled extensively among the continental mines and published the results of his observations in "Notes on a Metallurgical Journey in Europe," 1873. From 1872 to 1874 he was assistant editor of the Engineering and Mining Journal, New York. Joined the U. S. Geographical Surveys West of the 100th Meridian, 1877, being assigned to the study of the Comstock Lode in Nevada, Professor of Mining and Metallurgy in the State University of Ohio, at Columbus, for two years. Superintendent of the Tombstone Mill and Mining Co. which had important silver mines at the place of the same name in Arizona.
In spite of its lugubrious name, Tombstone was then not only a lively but a pleasant town with agreeable society. The name is distinctive enough to be useful for when a man named Church was reported killed in one of the Indian raids, an aged relative of Mr. Church wrote to the postmaster at Tombstone for news but, in her agitation, addressed the letter "to Graveyard" Arizona. Apparently all such names looked alike to the Post Office and the letter went straight to Tombstone! The Legislature of Arizona offered a prize of $3,000 for the first discovery of artesian water in the Territory and Governor Tritle appointed Messrs. E. B. Gage, John H. Farrell, and Mr. Church commissioners to determine the rights of a claimant. Their report was published in a pamphlet entitled "Artesian Waters in Arizona." Mr. Church was appointed Commissioner to the Denver Exposition, from Arizona and in 1885, President Cleveland appointed him a member of the Assay Commission which tests the coinage annually. In 1886 he was employed by the Chinese Government to undertake mining operations in that country. The story of this engagement is somewhat peculiar. The late Empress, Tsi An, issued a decree in which she pointed out the debased condition of the copper coinage and enjoined the Provincial Viceroys to encourage the mining of copper. The celebrated Viceroy, Li Hung Chang, obtained the services of Mr. Church, who was surprised, under the circumstances, to receive an intimation that he would do well to take with him plans for an iron furnace and steel mill! On arriving in Tientsin the Viceroy discussed plans for sending him to the Amur river where there are frozen gold gravels like those in Alaska. When this was found to be inadvisable, similar work in Yunnan, a province on the border of Burmah, was suggested, but it was found that the cost of freight to Shanghai would be equal to the price of copper in the open market. Finally the project of copper-mining was abandoned and Mr. Church went to re-open some old and famous silver mines in Mongolia, 150 miles north of the Great Wall of China. Here he spent nearly three years installing mining and smelting machinery. He was accompanied by his wife and infant son and learned enough of the difficulties of work in China to make him skeptical of industrial success on modern lines until the country had railroads.
There were half a dozen Americans in the party and life passed pleasantly enough and without great incident except for the operations of a noted robber who got together a band of 90 men to attack Mr. Church's house and offices. The band was organized as a stock company, a man who had a gun or horse receiving more shares than a man who had only a knife, and a man with a "long knife" (sword) got ever so many more shares than a man who had nothing. Still there was something for all who applied. This band menaced the works for a month or more and probably there was danger. At least one of the Chinese officials became so alarmed that he rode to the provincial Capital, Jehol (pronounced Ruhu, u as in hut), notified the military Governor and obtained a detail of fifty cavalry, under a good officer. Thirty-five of the robbers were captured and fifteen of them beheaded, including the chief.
Since his return Mr. Church has practiced as a consulting engineer. He is actively interested in professional subjects and has written frequently for technical periodicals. In addition to works mentioned above he published "The Comstock Lode," 1880, and in 1871 Columbia College reprinted an article by him on the Mining Schools of the United States from the North American Review. He is a member of the Am. Inst. of Mining Engineers and the Century Club of New York.
Child:
John Adams, Jr. b. 17 Aug. 1885, at Prescott, Arizona; m. 18 May, 1911, at New York, Gabriella Brooke Peters, b. 1 Aug. 1885, daughter of Rev. Dr. John P. and Gabriella Brooke.

Obituary from the "New York Times" dated 13 Feb 1917:
John Adams Church, long prominent as a mining engineer and the oldest living graduate of the School of Mines of Columbia University, died yesterday at his home, 697 West End Avenue, in his seventy-fourth year. He was born in Rochester and after being graduated from the School of Mines in 1879 received the degree of Ph. D. from Columbia. Mr. Chuch was Acting Professor of Mining and Metallurgy at the School of Mines during 1872-73, and for a time was editor of The Engineering and Mining Journal. Following this he joined the United States Geodetic Survey and made a survey of the famous Comstock lode. In 1886 Li Hung Chang, then Viceroy of China, engaged Mr. Church to open the Mongolian silver mines, and he spent four years in that country before returning here to open offices as a consulting engineer.

Funeral notice from the "New York Times" dated 14 Feb 1917:
Church - At his late residence, 607 West End Av., on Feb 12, 1917, John Adams Church, in his 74th year. Funeral service at All Angels' Church, West End Av. and 81st St., on Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 12:30 P.M. Kindly omit flowers.

He married Jessie Angeline Peel 30 Jul 1884 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.