Résumé

Draftsman, Office of the California State Architect, Sacramento, CA, 1917. (See Sacramento, California, City Directory, 1917, p. 15.)

Chief Draftsman, Office of the California State Architect, George B, McDougall, Sacramento, CA, 1918. By 1921, the Sacramento City Directory referred to Adams as the "Deputy State Architect." (See Sacramento, California, City Directory, 1921, n.p.) The Fiifth Biennial Report of the California State Civil Service Commission to the Governor, (Sacramento: California State Printing Office, 1923), (p. 16), also referred to him as the "Deputy State Architect."

Officer, US Army, Field Artillery Central Officers Training School (F.A.C.O.T.S.). Camp Zachary Taylor, Louisville, KY, 10/21/1918-11/20/1918. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation California State Library; Sacramento, California; California, World War I Soldier Service Records; Roll: 01, accessed 02/11/2019.)

Principal, George J. Adams, Architect, Los Angeles, CA, c. 1928. In 1928, Adams maintained his office at 1462 North Stanley Avenue in Los Angeles. (See Los Angeles, California, City Directory, 1928, p. 2265.)

Partner, Adams and Wynkoop, Architects, c. 1941-1945. The Adams and Wynkoop firm had some success designing school buildings in Southern CA and US Housing Authority (USHA) war housing in Lerdo, CA, near Bakersfield.

Professional Activities

President, Sacramento Architects and Engineers Club, Sacramento, CA, 1919. Adams served as this professional group's first president. (See “Sacramento Architects Organize,” Architect and Engineer, vol. LXX, no. 3, 09/1922, p. 106.)

In 1922, George J. Adams assisted the State of California, Civil Service Commission, in grading civil service examinations for architectural positions. At this time, the commission used 14 architects and engineers from across the state as subject experts to judge qualifying tests for state architectural positions that included Architectural Draftsman, Architectural Designer, Engineer of Estimates and Costs, Buildings, and Assistant and Junior Estimator. The 14 architects and engineers included: George J. Adams, Deputy State Architect, Sacramento; Edwin Bergstrom, architect, Los Angeles; Morris M. Bruce, architect, San Francisco; George J. Calder, engineer, City Filtration Plant, Sacramento; James Dean, architect, Sacramento; William Baker Faville, architect, San Francisco; Henry H. Gutterson, architect, San Francisco; William C. Hays, architect, San Francisco; Roy C. Mitchell, structural engineer, R.C. Mitchell Company, Los Angeles; Sylvain Schnaittacher, architect, San Francisco; Leonard F. Starks, architect, Sacramento; C.L. Weeks, architect, Los Angeles; John W. Woollett, architect, Sacramento; and A.C. Zimmerman, architect, Los Angeles. (See Fifth Biennial Report of the California State Civil Service Commission to the Governor, December 15, 1922, [Sacramento: California State Printing Office, 1923], p. 16.)

College

Graduate, University of California, Berkeley (UCB), Berkeley, CA, 1910.

Relocation

George J. Adams was born in Los Angeles, CA on 12/17/1889. The Adams Family arrived in Los Angeles, CA, by 08/30/1886, when George's father, Jay Adams, registered to vote there and they remained in Southern California through at least 1896. Their Los Angeles addresses included 1123 Court Street (1890), 246 South Bunker Hill Street (1892) and 642 1/2 Olive Street (1896). By 1900, he lived with his parents and three siblings in San Francisco, CA, at 819 Haight Street. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1900; Census Place: San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Page: 2; Enumeration District: 0157; FHL microfilm: 1240104, accesse 02/11/2019.) Voters records of 1900 listed that Jay Adams, made his residence at 1686 Page Street.

Sometime during the 1900-1906, period, perhaps following the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, George's family relocated to Alameda, CA, across the bay. Voter records for 1906 listed Jay as living at 1247 Sherman Street and, two years later, at 1717 8th Street. They remained on 8th Street in that city, as per the 1910 US Census. George attended the University of California at Berkeley (UCB) during the time. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1910; Census Place: Alameda Ward 6, Alameda, California; Roll: T624_69; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 0015; FHL microfilm: 1374082, accessed 02/11/2019.)

According to his World War I draft registration card, Adams made his home at 2105 3rd Avenue in Sacramento on 0605/1917. During 10 and 11/1918, Adams served at the Field Artillery Central Officers Training School at Camp Zachary Taylor, near Louisville, KY. He was discharged nine days after the Armistice was signed on 11/11/1918.

In 1920, he and his wife, Margaret, resided in an apartment building at 1416 11th Street in Sacramento. CA. (See Ancestry, Source Citation Year: 1920; Census Place: Sacramento Assembly District 15, Sacramento, California; Roll: T625_126; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 117, accessed 02/10/2019.) They continued to live here through 1922, according to state voter records. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation: California State Library; Sacramento, California; Great Register of Voters, 1900-1968, accessed 02/10/2019.)

He and Margaret returned to Southern California before 1930. The US Census of that year listed them inhabiting a 4-unit apartment building at 333 North Sycamore Street in Los Angeles. They paid $75 per month in rent for this apartment. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1930; Census Place: Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 0114; FHL microfilm: 2339871, accessed 02/10/2019.) The 1940 US Census noted that George and Margaret had resided in Los Angeles as of 04/01/1935, but they moved to Glendale, CA, sometime between 1935 and 1940.

In 1940-1942, they dwelled in Glendale, CA, at 2430 Cascadia Drive. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1940; Census Place: Glendale, Los Angeles, California; Roll: m-t0627-00232; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 19-238, accessed 02/11/2019 and Source Citation The National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; World War II Draft Cards [4th Registration] for the State of California; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System, 1926-1975; Record Group Number: 147, accessed 02/11/2019.)

Adams died in Los Angeles County, CA, on 06/22/1959.

Parents

His parents were Jay Waldo Adams (born 06/03/1858 in Newark, NJ-d. 01/24/1940 in CA) and Martha Louise Skinner, known as "Mattie," (born 08/30/1858 in Troy, IL-d. 10/06/1943 in CA); they married on 04/21/1880 in Livingston County, IL, probably in the City of Sunbury, where they lived in 06/1880 when the US Census was taken. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. Illinois, County Marriage Records, 1800-1940 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016, accessed 02/11/2019 and Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1880; Census Place: Sunbury, Livingston, Illinois; Roll: 226; Page: 179D; Enumeration District: 108, accessed 02/11/2019.) Jay and Martha had four children: Nonie Lyde Adams (born 04/13/1881 in IL-d. 03/08/1958 in CA), Nina L. Adams (born 09//12/1883 in IL-d. 02/09/1952 in CA), George and Harry Vaughn Adams (born 10/27/1892 in CA-d. 03/22/1965 in Los Angeles, CA). The 1910 US Census recorded that Martha had had six children, four of whom survived in that year. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1910; Census Place: Alameda Ward 6, Alameda, California; Roll: T624_69; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 0015; FHL microfilm: 1374082, accessed 02/11/2019.)

From the 1880s until 1910, Jay W. Adams worked as a passenger agent for a railroad. In 1900, the US Census indicated James's profession to be a "travelling passenger agent" and, ten years later, the census recorded it as the same.

Spouse

He married Margaret Smiley (born 07/08/1894 in NE-d. 09/01/1983 in Fremont, CA). They wed on 05/08/1915.

Children

George and Margaret Adams did not have any children.

Biographical Notes

California State voter records indicated that Adams registered as a Republican in 1916-1918 and 1920-1922. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation: California State Library; Sacramento, California; Great Register of Voters, 1900-1968, accessed 02/10/2019.)

According to his draft card of 06/05/1917, Adams was tall with a medum build, and had blue eyes and brown hair. (See Ancestry.com. Source Citation: Registration State: California; Registration County: Sacramento; Roll: 1531276; Draft Board: 1; accessed 02/10/2019.)

The California Death Index mistakenly noted Adams's date of birth as 12/17/1890.

SSN: 563500849.