Adams Township, Minnesota
Encyclopedia
Adams Township is a township in Mower County
Mower County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 38,603 people, 15,582 households, and 10,315 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile . There were 16,251 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile...

, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 475 at the 2000 census. The largest town in the township is Adams
Adams, Minnesota
Adams is a city in Adams Township, Mower County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 787 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...

 with a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 of 800 people.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the township has a total area of 34.9 square miles (90.4 km²), all of it land.

History

Adams Township was organized in May 1858. By one account, Adams Township was named by an early settler
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...

, William Madden, for a friend of his in New York State
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. By another account, it was named for President John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...

 and/or his son, President John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...

. The first settler, Thomas Knudtson, came in 1855 and built a log house
Log home
A log home is structurally identical to a log cabin...

 on his claim in Section 2. The first town meeting
Town meeting
A town meeting is a form of direct democratic rule, used primarily in portions of the United States since the 17th century, in which most or all the members of a community come together to legislate policy and budgets for local government....

 was held in 1858. The first town meeting was held on the open prairie in section 16, which is approximately one mile south and two miles west of the city of Adams
Adams, Minnesota
Adams is a city in Adams Township, Mower County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 787 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...

. At this meeting the people of the township elected a township board, a treasurer
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...

, a clerk, two justices of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

 and two constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...

s.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 475 people, 151 households, and 130 families residing in the township. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 13.6 people per square mile (5.2/km²). There were 155 housing units at an average density of 4.4/sq mi (1.7/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 99.79% White and 0.21% from two or more races.

There were 151 households out of which 45.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 80.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 4.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.9% were non-families. 12.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 3.44.

In the township the population was spread out with 36.0% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 112.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.1 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $50,500, and the median income for a family was $54,167. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $25,625 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the township was $16,218. About 6.2% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.

Johnsburg

Johnsburg is a small unincorporated area
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 near the southern border with Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

. It is located along Mower County Highway 7.

Cemeteries

  • St. John's Lutheran Cemetery is located in the southeast quadrant of section 32 of the township. Its oldest known burial
    Burial
    Burial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...

    dates to the early 1870s.

Further reading

  • Mill on the Willow: A History of Mower County, Minnesota by various authors. Library of Congress No. 84-062356
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