James resided with his father in Worcester until he was the age of 12 years. He then moved to Leicester in the same county where he stayed about 3 years and from there he moved to New Braintree also in the same county.

On May 4, 1775, soon after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, James enlisted as a Private for 8 months in Captain Samuel Billings's Company, Colonel Ebenezer Learned's Massachusetts Regiment. He left New Braintree for Roxbury, Massachusetts in late June where he remained on duty until the expiration of his term of enlistment and returned to his residence in New Braintree.

In May 1776, James enlisted for 6 months as an Orderly Sergeant in Captain Daniel Warner's Company, Colonel Jonathan Holman's Massachusetts Regiment. They marched from Hardwick, Worcester County, Massachusetts via Hartford to New Haven, Connecticut. From New Haven they were transported by water to New York City where they remained until the Army was withdrawn by General George Washington and the city was taken possession of by British Troops. James was in the Battle of White Plains, October 28, 1776. At the expiration of his enlistment be was verbally discharged and retuirned home to New Braintree.

James married Elizabeth (Betsy) Delano (1756-1828) by whom he had 9 children (5 sons and 4 daughters): Abisha Delano (b. 1779), James (b. 1781), John (b. 1782), Hannah (b. 1784), William (1786-1796), Harriot (b. 1788), Cornelius (1790-1790), Amanda (b. 1792), and Sally (b. 1794).

In the year 1802, James moved with his family from New Braintree to Hardwick, Caledonia County, Vermont.

References:

(1) US Federal Military Pension File No. S.22,075

(2) "Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War." Vol. 1., by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, 1896, page 49

(3) "Vital Records of New Braintree, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850." by The New-England Historic Genealogical

Society, 1904, pages 9 and 131. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sgt James Adams was born on 16 June 1745, in Worcester, Worcester, Massachusetts. He was the son of James Adams and Mrs. Elizabeth Adams. He married Elizabeth DeLano in 1778, in Braintree, Norfolk County, Massachusetts. They were the parents of eight children. He died on 6 December 1833, in Hardwick, Caledonia County, Vermont, at the age of 88, and was buried in Hazen Road Cemetery, Hardwick, Caledonia County, Vermont.