Raymond was the oldest of four Adams brothers who owned Marion businesses. The Adams brothers were all the sons of Joseph and Mary Adams who emigrated from Sicily in 1902 and made their home in Marion prior to 1910. Raymond was the only one of the sons who was born in Sicily and was six months old when the family made the journey to the U.S. The Adams family made their home at 103 N. Cunningham Street.
Raymond’s father Joseph, a coal miner, passed away in 1923 at age 50.
In the late 1920’s, Raymond worked as a barber for the Travelstead and Graves Barber Shop at 404 N. Market Street.
Raymond tried working in Perry County during the depression in 1935 but returned to Marion with his wife Ann and their two children Mary Ann and Jack and lived with his brothers and widowed mother on Cunningham Street.
Around 1937 he started up his own barber shop and ran it until his death in 1948 at age 46.
After Raymond’s death, his younger brother Lloyd, took over the operation of the barber shop and ran it until about 1956 when it was operated by Howard Crain under the Adam’s name.
In 1959, operation shifted to Rubin Morgan but the name remained Adam’s Barber Shop until 1963 when he changed it to Rubin’s Barber Shop.
Morgan ran the business into the 1970’s when it changed to Luke’s Barber Shop, operated by Luther Bradley.
(Data from Marion City Directories, Federal Census Records; compiled by Sam Lattuca on 05/13/2013)