This text was obtained via automated optical character recognition.
It has not been edited and may therefore contain several errors.
ANNIE RICHTN2R ADAMS GRAHAM Annie Richtner Adams Graham was bom December 9, 1906 in New York City. Her father was German, her mother Austrian **** She was 1 year and 9 months old when she came to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Louis Roberts who later lived on Leonard Street and was an artist, and, Willie Adams who now lives at Gulfport, Mississippi, came with Annie on the train. She was wearing the number "205" sewn on her "drawbody" (that's underwear to you) and that was the number that her adaptive family had been given to "match". Incidentally, when her husband of years later chose a box at the Post Office, he chose the # 205. She was "indentured" and later adopted by John Sherry Adams* and his wife, Mary Bourgeois Adams **. "Willie" was adopted by Mr. Adams' brother, Tom. The> Adamses had a natural daughter named Agnes who was 5 years older than Annie. (They had lost a 2nd daughter, the reason for wanting Annie as their child). She loved her father and her grandmother, Anastasia Bourgeois, and has many fond memories of them as a child. She took her first communion at St. Joseph's Chapel and was confirmed in the Catholic faith at Our Lady of the Gulf. She attended public school in Bay St. Louis, Miss.. Since her fazmily spoke French she learned French and her first grade teacher taugh in French. Annie was in the second or third grade before she learned English. She attended school until the 8th grade and then went to work in the shrimp packing factory - the Peerless - next tx> where we are meeting. In 1917 she had the flu and after that grew tall. However, in those days girls could go to work at any age especially in the factories. In 192*4- (c 18 years old) she went to work for the Bell Telephone Co., here in the old "Echo" building on the Beach. She worked for Bell for 32 years as Junior and Senior operator, and, as Assistant Chief Supervisor. She knows lots of Bay St. Louis citizens only as "customers" of Bell. She recognizes names of people who came with NASA. When she left Bell Telephone she was assistant supervisor of 23 operators.
Orphan Train Riders of BSL Document (168)