Many family trees on Ancestry.com attach him as the son of William “Uncle Billie” Adams (1802-1881), son of Stephen Adams and Mollie Webb, and pioneer settler of Magoffin Co. But this seems unlikely, considering that (1) he does not appear on the list of William’s children in the biographical sketch, and (2) judging by the 1880 census, Samuel’s mother outlived both her husbands, since she is recorded with him as a widow Elizabeth Roark, age 75, in the 1880 census.

1850 census of Morgan Co., Ky, enumerated 14 Sep, lists on p. 124 as family #810:
Samuel J. Adams, 25, farmer; Mahala, 21, John, 3; Cyntha, 4/12. All born in Kentucky.

1860 census of Morgan Co., Ky, division 2, enumerated 24 July, lists on p. 87 as family #571:
S. J. Adams, 35, farmer; Mahala, 30; John A., 13; Cyntha A., 10; Farmer, 3; William S., 1. All born in Kentucky. Rebecca Rudd, 22, b. Va.

1870 census of Magoffin Co., Ky, precinct 1, Salyersville P.O., enumerated 31 Aug, lists on p. 33 as family #220:
Adams, Saml J., 45, farmer; Mahala, 43; Farmer J., 14; Wm Smith, 12; Louisa, 7; Melinda, 4. All born in Kentucky.

1880 census of Magoffin Co., Ky, Burning Fork precinct, enumerated 4 June, lists on p. 19 as family #154:
Adams, Samuel J., 56, farmer, b. Ky NC Tenn; Mahala, 48, wife, b. Ky Va Tenn; Farmer J., 24, son; William S., 21, son; Louisa, 18, dau; Malinda V., 14, dau; Henry P., 7, son. All children born Ky Ky Ky. Roark, Elizabeth, 75, mother, widowed, b. Tenn -- --; Williams, Frank, 25, servant, divorced, cooper, b. Ky Ky Ky.