Born at Carron Ironworks, Stirlingshire, Scotland

Son of James Adams and Margaret Barclay

Married Mary Cook, 7 Feb 1835, Shotts, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Married Lydia Catherine Mann, 30 May 1849, Council Point, Pottawattamie, Iowa

Obituary - At Green' Ranch in Potato Valley, of Epilepsy and Neuralgia, DAVID BARCLAY ADAMS, he was the son of James and Margaret Baraclay Adams, born at Carron Iron Works, in Sterlingshire, Scotland, May 4th, A.D. 1814, died August 4th, A.D., being 67 years, 4 months old. He with a part of his family were on their way from Escalante to the ranch. He had eaten a hearty breakfast, was well as usual excepting the neuralgia in his face, had been walking quite a distance when he got in to ride, sat down on the seat and straightening his back, his daughter looked at him and spoke to him; he was dead without a struggle or a word. So pass the righteous, peacefully away. He was a faithful and consistent Latter-day Saint. He came to the valleys in 1852; went immediately to Cedar City to labor in the Iron Works. Was the first man to produce good iron in the Territory. He leaves a large family and many friends.

Deseret Evening News
21 September 1881

History - Lydia Catherine Mann met David Barclay Adams soon after he arrived at Council Bluffs, Nebraska. He lost his wife and two little girls on the steamboat Mary coming down the Missouri River. They died of cholera and were buried in the river. The captain made them throw their bedding and most of the clothes in the river for they weren't allowed to land on the banks of the river on account of cholera. David was left with four motherless children and the baby was only a year old.

After emmigrating to Utah with his new wife, Lydia, Brigahm Young asked David to go to Southern Utah after only being there a few days to start an iron business in that area. They moved to Cedar City and then to Beaver.

They next moved to Adamsville, so named after David for he founded the town. There wasn't a church in Adamsville until 1868 so church was held at there home. David wasn't making much at the mine so it was hard to keep their little brood eating. Lydia had eleven children of her own and four step children. Most of the time all they had was bran bread and pig weeds.

David was set apart as bishop of the Beaver Ward in 1869. They moved to Escalante in 1876 to help establish and build up these places and died there in 1881.