John Q. Adams was born around 1820 in Tennessee to Peter and Sarah Adams. He moved to Bexar County, Texas, around 1854, and he earned a living as a stock raiser. By 1860, he owned $3,000 of real estate and $2,000 of personal property. He married Sarah Haw on February 1, 1866, and they had at least four children: John, born around 1867; James, born around 1870; Martin, born around 1873; and David, born around 1878. By 1870, he owned $1,000 of real estate and $10,000 of personal property. He died of heart disease on January 24, 1881.