Biographical Dictionary of American Sports
David L. Porter provides a biography of Doc Adams in his book, “Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: A-F”.
Continue reading →Yearly Archives: 2021
The Fly Game
In the May 29, 1859 issue of The Sunday Mercury, a weekly New York newspaper that extensively covered the expanding world of base ball playing, an untitled paragraph announced the possibility of a forthcoming game that would be strikingly different from all others played during the past few years: “We have heard it rumored — we do not know with what truth — that the Knickerbocker Club, of this city, will shortly play a match with the Excelsior Club, of Brooklyn, in which they will repudiate catching the ball upon the bound.” William Cauldwell, the editor of the newspaper, predicted … Continue reading →
Ridgefield Bank President
In 1871, Doc Adams became the first President of the Ridgefield Savings Bank (now the Fairfield County Bank where his photo still hangs in the lobby of the main office), a position he would hold in two separate terms for ten of the next fifteen years.
Continue reading →Searching for Mary Schäffer: Women Wilderness Photography
What may you ask does a book titled “Searching for Mary Schäffer: Women Wilderness Photography” by Colleen Skidmore have to do with Doc Adams? The description of the book is as follows: Mary Schäffer was a photographer, writer, botanical painter, and mapmaker from Philadelphia, well known for her travels in the Canadian Rockies and Jasper at the turn of the twentieth century. In Searching for Mary Schäffer, Colleen Skidmore takes up Schäffer’s own resonant themes—women and wilderness, travel and science—to ask new questions, tell new stories, and reassess the persona of Mary Schäffer imagined in more recent times. Public and private … Continue reading →
How Did the Shortstop Position Get Its Name?
Patrick Pinak asked this question this week in FANBUZZ in his article, “How Did Shortstop Get The Name “Shortstop”?”. Of course, everyone who knows Doc Adams’ story already new the answer. It is re-assuring that more people are becoming aware of Doc and his contributions to the National Pastime. This continues to be important in the year that Dr. Daniel “Lucius” Adams should appear on the Hall of Fame ballot for the second time. If he receives enough vote at the 2021 Winter Meetings, he will be enshrined in the class of 2022.
Continue reading →John Thorn Mentions Doc At ‘The Fred’
In a recent post in his blog, Our Game (April 26), John Thorn detailed the talk he gave at SABR’s 11th annual Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference. In ‘How We Got Here: 19th century baseball and why it matters‘, Thorn made a couple of mentions of Doc Adams: … I have had a hand in much of this … except for the Overlooked 19th Century Baseball Legends, in which I vote but otherwise do not pop my head above the trench line. My MLB role militates against open advocacy though of course I hold briefs for Doc Adams, … Continue reading →
American History Through American Sports
Coombs and Batchelor write about Doc Adams in their book, “American History Through American Sports: From Colonial Lacrosse to Extreme Sports, Volume 1“, referencing the work of John Thorn.
Continue reading →Yale And Harvard
In 1830, Doc enrolled in Amherst College. In 1833, he transferred to Yale College from which he graduated in 1835. Later that year, Doc entered Harvard Medical School and graduated in 1838. It was at Harvard that Doc made the acquaintance of Oliver Wendell Holmes (Sr.) where they roomed at the same boarding house. “Having nothing to do at Commencement, it will be a considerable saving of both time and money not to attend” . June 29, 1835
Continue reading →Ridgefield Encyclopedia: Adams, Dr. Daniel L.
The Ridgefield Library has a “Ridgefield Encyclopedia” online by Jack Saunders that contains information on more than 4,000 people, places and things relating to Ridgefield, Connecticut. Of course, the entry that we find most interesting is:
Continue reading →Doc Marries Cornelia
Daniel Lucius Adams and Cornelia Cook married on May 7, 1861, and remained together until Adams’ death. The couple had five children; the first, a son named Charles, died less than a month after his birth in 1864. The others, two sons (Frank and Roger) and two daughters (Catharine and Mary), were born between 1866 and 1874. “My marriage was the crowning achievement of my life.” – Daniel Lucius Adams, MD Biographical & Historical Record of the Class of 1835 in Yale College (1881)
Continue reading →