2nd Missouri Infantry
National Guard
Private Russell Ray Adams was born in Adrian, Missouri on July 26, 1886, the son of Newton John and Sinah Elizabeth (Williams) Adams.
Adams married an Adrian-born gal, Miss Louise Baie, in Harrisonville on January 7, 1911. They made their home working a farm on 5th Street in Adrian, Missouri. Adams served in the Missouri National Guard (Company B, Second Infantry), from May 15 through August 23, 1917. A few years later, the Adams’s moved to north Independence where Adams operated barbeque places in the intercity area, until taking a job with the Jackson County highway department in 1937. That December, Adams died from a gunshot wound in the chest, caused by an apparent hunting accident near his home. He was survived by no children – only his wife, mother, and a brother.
Adams was laid to rest at Crescent Hill Cemetery and a brick has been laid in his honor at the Lt. Charles Garrison Veterans Memorial (section A, line 34).