 He married Julia Turriff, who was the sister of John Gillanders Turriff, in 1882.In 1883, Adamson moved to Winnipeg and became involved in the grain trade.In 1899, he went to Rosthern, Saskatchewan, where he established the Canadian Territories Corporation, which became one of the largest land agencies in western Canada and also operated as a private bank; Adamson served as its president and manager.