Abigail Adams

Abigail Adams was the wife of the second president of the United States, John Adams. She also was the mother of the sixth president, John Quincy Adams. Abigail left a glimpse of the revolutionary years through her remarkable letters.

Abigail Smith Adams was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts. Her father and his forbears were Congregrationalist ministers, leaders in a society that held its clergy in high regard. Her mother was a descendant of the Quincys, a prestigious family in the Massachusetts colony.

Abigail received her education at home. Her father encouraged her to read, which she did avidly. Her family had a large library that she tapped to learn as much as she could. Abigail developed her own ideas on women’s rights and government, which would play an indirect role in the founding of the United States.

Abigail Smith married attorney John Adams in 1764. The young couple lived on John's small farm at Braintree (later Quincy), and later in Boston, as his practice expanded. The couple had their first child in 1765, and over the next 10 years, Abigail would give birth to three sons and two daughters. Abigail took care of the home and family while her husband traveled for long periods as a circuit judge.

The couple lived apart for even longer periods while he served the country they both loved, as a delegate to the Continental Congress. They wrote to each other while he was away. Her precious letters detail the times and tribulations during the War for Independence, including the struggle with shortages and what little help she had to run the farm. But most of all, she told him how much she missed him and longed for him to return.

In 1784, Abigail joined her husband in Paris, at his diplomatic post. After 1785, she filled the role of the wife of the first United States minister to the Kingdom of Great Britain.

In 1788, she returned to the United States to a house they bought in Quincy, then took on the task of remodeling and enlarging it. The Adams home still stands today and is open to the public as part of Adams National Historical Park.

Abigail's husband served as vice president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Martha Washington became her good friend during that time, and Abigail helped Martha with the entertaining, drawing from experiences of her time abroad.

From 1797 thru 1801, Abigail was the wife of the president. She continued the pattern of entertaining, even in the new capital's primitive circumstances. The president’s mansion was far from completion. She complained in private to her family about the conditions, but gracefully held receptions and dinners in Washington anyway.

Following the close of John Adams' presidency, the couple retired to Quincy, and spent all the time together they could, making up for the time they had been apart early in their marriage.

Abigail died on October 28, 1818, of typhoid fever. Her remains are buried next to those of her husband at the United First Parish Church (also known as the Church of the Presidents). She passed away seven years before her son, John Quincy Adams, became the sixth president.

Abigail Adams left a singular picture of her young country through her letters, a remarkable record as patriot and First Lady, wife of one president and mother of a future commander in chief.

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American Revolution - Abigail Adams
... Abigail Adams 1744-1818 Adams, Abigail (1744-1818) Wife, Mother, Home-maker: Abigail Adams received no formal education, but was taught at home. Although she was never a published author, much of her private correspondence with heAbigail Adams 1744-1818 Adams, Abigail (1744-1818) Wife, Mother, Home-maker: Abigail Adams received no formal education, but was taught at home. Although she was never a published author, much of her private correspondence with heAbigail Adams received no formal education, but was taught at home. Although she was never a published author, much of her private correspondence with her husband ...
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Biography of Abigail Adams
... Smith Adams Abigail Smith Adams Inheriting New England's strongest traditions, Abigail Smith was born in 1744 at Weymouth, Massachusetts. On her mother's side she was descended from the Quincys, a family of great prestige in the colony; her ...
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Women in The American Revolution - Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams When Abigail Smith married John Adams in 1764, she probably wasn't thinking about life in the White House. She was thinking, however. She displayed a great mind and love for learning, teaching herself French. She lovedAbigail Adams When Abigail Smith married John Adams in 1764, she probably wasn't thinking about life in the White House. She was thinking, however. She displayed a great mind and love for learning, teaching herself French. She loved to write ...
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Abigail Adams

Colonial America, 1744-1818

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