Elias Adams: War of 1812 Hero Turned Utah Pioneer Who 'Kept the Faith' (1792–1886)
Published August 25, 2026 at 6:24 AM
Contributed by
Todd Morgan
Beaumont, CA, 92223
Elias Adams (1792–1886) served in the War of 1812 in Captain Benjamin Forsythe's Rifle Company, seeing action at Ogdensburg, Little York, Fort George, Stony Creek, and Odelltown. Wounded three times, he was known as one of Colonel Forsythe's top riflemen. Discharged in 1817, he pushed west, settled in Illinois, and helped found the town of Quincy; Adams County was named to honor an ancestor, John Adams. In later life he gathered among the Latter-day Saints in Utah, ending his long life in full faith. At his death he had, in the words of his monument, 'fought the good fight and kept the faith.'
Sources & References
'Elias Adams 1792–1886,' Utah Society of the War of 1812 (https://utahsocietywar1812.org/utahs-war-of-1812-warriors/elias-adams-1792-1886/); Frank David Adams, Ancestors and Descendants of Elias Adams: The Pioneer, 600–1930 (archive.org/details/ancanddesc00adams); Elias Adams Pioneer Monument dedication, August 15, 1964 (FamilySearch).
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