Description
Chesley Francis Adams was both city and county superintendent of schools in Marshall and Harrison County. He was born July 24, 1856 to Chesley M. Adams, a lawyer who came originally from North Carolina, and Martha Stephens Adams. Adams' early education was in Marshall. He received Bachelor degrees from Emory and Henry College in Virginia. Returning to Marshall, he read law and was admitted to the bar. Before entering practice, he taught school for two years. Elected to the office of school superintendent in 1890, he dedicated the rest of his career to city and county schools. Most of the schools at the turn of the century were built during his administration. He is known to have appointed H. B. Pemberton to the position of principal at the new Central School, which was the first public African-American school in the city. In 1891, Adams married Alice C. Stuart, daughter of the president of the Marshall Masonic Female Institute. Mrs. Stuart was a teacher there. Chesley and Alice had three children. The Adams are buried in the old Marshall City Cemetery. He died in 1940. This Marshall News Messenger newspaper photo shows him standing in front of a frame building.
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