Adolphus Stuart was born on April 19, 1840, in Lincolnton, North Carolina, to Nathaniel T. Stuart and Jane Caroline Robinson. His father was a farmer who owned $212 of personal property in 1860. Stuart grew up and attended school in Lincolnton. He served in the Confederate army, possibly in the 33rd North Carolina Infantry or the 57th North Carolina Infantry.
He married Eliza Gibson in Columbia, South Carolina, on December 20, 1868, and they had at least four children: Ainsley, born around 1870; Etta, born around 1872; Thomas, born around 1877; and Mary Floria, born around 1880. They moved to Dallas, Texas, around 1875. Stuart worked as a carpenter. He died in Dallas on September 23, 1913.