My Genealogy Hound

Adam Clark May, another prominent farmer and stock-raiser of Polk County, Mo., was born in Washington County, Tenn., April 3, 1837, and is the son of Adam C, Sr., and Mary (McGinnis) May, who were among the early settlers of East Tennessee. The father was of German, and the mother of Irish descent. They never left the State of Tennessee, the mother dying there when the subject of this sketch was but eighteen months old, and the father died when Adam was thirteen years of age. The longest term he ever attended school was one and a half months, and in all he did not attend more than three months. When eighteen years of age he came to Taney County, Mo., driving a team to pay his passage. After coming to this State he hired out by the month or worked at whatever he could find to do. March 21, 1861, he married Miss Catherine J. McHaffie, a native of Greene County, born February 9, 1844, and this union resulted in the birth of seven children: Luther M., Charles F., Herschel H., Mary M., William A., Eugene C. and Clara. Both he and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He did not take an active part in the late war, but resided in this and Greene Counties until peace was declared, when he moved to Polk County, and has since made it his home. Having rented a time, he bought a place, which he sold in 1886 with a view of going to Texas, but backed out and bought the place where he now lives. He has 170 acres, with about ninety acres under cultivation. During the period of township organization he was collector a year, and filled the office in a highly efficient manner. He is a member of the Masonic order, and was noble grand of the Odd Fellows lodge at Morrisville when the hall burned. He affiliates with the Democratic party politically.