| Life fact | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | William Burton Adams |
| Born | February 25, 1903, in Campton, Walton County, Georgia |
| Parents | George Lee Adams and Rosa Griffin |
| Spouse | Martha Duckworth |
| Child | Betty Virginia Adams |
| Career center | Roanoke, Virginia |
| Principal role | Asphalt contractor and president of the Fuel Oil and Equipment Company, Inc. |
Genealogy of William Burton Adams
This genealogical account was constructed from the family information contained in the biography below. No relationships or life facts have been added from outside sources.
William Burton Adams was born February 25, 1903, in Campton, Walton County, Georgia, a son of George Lee Adams and Rosa Griffin.
On September 25, 1920, he married Martha Duckworth, daughter of Oscar Duckworth and Bessie Saunders. Their daughter, Betty Virginia Adams, was born January 6, 1925, in Taylor County, Georgia.
Family outline
William Burton Adams
- Father: George Lee Adams
- Mother: Rosa (Griffin) Adams
- Wife: Martha Duckworth
- Father: Oscar Duckworth
- Mother: Bessie (Saunders) Duckworth
- Daughter: Betty Virginia Adams
Source
This biography appeared in History of the Shenandoah Valley: Family and Personal Records, Volume III (Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1952), pages 36-37.
Verbatim biography
The following is a faithful transcription of the original biography. OCR errors have been corrected against the printed page images, but the original wording, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and factual claims have not been rewritten.
WILLIAM BURTON ADAMS—For many years engaged in the asphalt business, William Burton Adams centers his activities in Roanoke, where he has taken over the personnel and facilities formerly in charge of Sam Finley. His firm specializes in asphalt surfacing, performing its work over a wide area of Virginia, the Carolinas and Tennessee.
Mr. Adams was born February 25, 1903, in Campton, Walton County, Georgia, son of George Lee and Rosa (Griffin) Adams. His father was a farmer and building contractor.
Georgia schools provided William Burton Adams’ early formal education, and after graduation from the Technical High School, in Atlanta, he studied at the Agricultural and Mechanical Junior College, in Monroe, Georgia, and spent a year at Georgia Technical Institute, Atlanta. Becoming a pioneer in the asphalt industry, he served as foreman in a mixing plant in 1921, in association with the interests of Sam Finley, incorporated in Atlanta in 1926. He was employed as a truck driver during the summer months with this organization while still attending school. In 1927 he was promoted to superintendent of construction, and until 1931 served as a promoter in the asphalt industry in southern states. He became vice-president of the Sam E. Finley organization, in Atlanta, Georgia, a position that he held until 1942, the year of the death of Sam Finley. Mr. Adams was both a stockholder and a director of the company, while continuing as vice-president under Mrs. Finley’s ownership until 1945. The company was sold in that year.
After the death of Sam Finley, in 1942, William B. Adams started laying the groundwork for his own business, the firm of Adams and Tate. The new company started actual construction on January 1, 1946, with the personnel of the former Finley company. In addition to his work with Adams and Tate, who specialize in asphalt surfacing over a wide area of the South, Mr. Adams is also president of the Fuel Oil and Equipment Company, Inc., of Roanoke, Virginia. During World War II, Mr. Adams was engaged in the construction of vital defense projects, such as airports, highways, docks and war plants.
In addition to his work in construction, Mr. Adams is a director of the Virginia Road Building Association. He is also a member of Lakeland Lodge of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Elks Club Shrine. He belongs to the Rotary Club and the Hidden Valley Country Club. His religious affiliations are with the Roanoke Methodist Church.
William Burton Adams married, September 25, 1920, Martha Duckworth, daughter of Oscar and Bessie (Saunders) Duckworth. They became the parents of one child, Betty Virginia Adams, born January 6, 1925, in Taylor County, Georgia.