The daughter of a New England minister—Instructed by her
grandmother—Durable impressions received from her—Never at
school—Always sick—Austere religious habits and customs of her
kindred—Imaginative faculties suppressed—A great letter writer—A
reader of standard works—Not a learned woman—Her fondness for
religious topics and discussions—The daughters taught home
duties—The sons sent to college—No career for woman outside the
domestic circle where she toiled—Marriage of Abigail Smith to
John Adams—Her parents rather opposed to the match—She was the
daughter and granddaughter of a minister, and hence superior to
him in social position—Incident connected with her marriage—Her
Father’s sermon—A happy marriage—The mother of three sons and a
daughter—Mr. Adams a delegate to the Colonial Convention—Made the
trip from Boston to Philadelphia on horseback—Elected to
Congress—His wife alone at Braintree—Hears news of the battle of
Lexington—Manages her farm and does her own house-work—Studies
French at night—Long evenings alone with her four little
children—Three deaths in her household—Cheers her husband at his
far-off post of duty—The proclamation of the King arouses her
patriotism—In sight of the cannonading at Boston, and in the
midst of pestilence—Mr. Adams returns to his suffering
family—Leaves, after a month’s visit, for Philadelphia—The roar
of British cannon before Boston—Mrs. Adams climbs a hill to watch
the shells falling about the city—Writes her husband from her
post of observation—His long absence—No joy in his return to his
wife when she learns his news—Appointed Minister to France—Sails
in company with his eldest son—Mrs. Adams again alone—Manages her
farm and teaches her children—Does not hear from her husband for
six months—Her business ability enables her to support herself
and make her home a happy asylum for family—Writes sadly to her
husband—He returns after eighteen months—Ordered to Great Britain
to negotiate peace—Two of his sons accompany him—“The cruel
torture of separation”—Letter to her eldest son—Lofty sentiments
and sound views of the self-sacrificing woman—Rather her boy were
dead than immoral—A Spartan mother—Mr. Adams elected
Vice-President—Mrs. Adams with him in New York—Is the object of
much social attention—Dines with the President, “the ministers
and ladies of the court”—Washington gives her sugar-plums to take
to her grandson—Mrs. Adams congratulates her husband on his
election to the Presidency—Her feelings not those of pride but
solemnity—She joins the President in Philadelphia—Seat of
government removed to Washington—Letter to her daughter—Graphic
description of Washington—The city only so in name—None of the
public buildings finished—The White House cheerless and
damp—Fires in every room to secure its inmates against
chills—Thirty servants required to keep the house in
order—Surrounded with forests, yet wood is scarce and
expensive—Mrs. Adams returns the visits of Georgetown
ladies—Inconveniences of a new country—No fence or yard about the
White House, and not an apartment finished—The East Room used to
dry clothes in—Only six chambers habitable—Mrs. Washington sends
a haunch of venison from Mount Vernon—Invites Mrs. Adams to visit
her—Mrs. Adams has no looking-glasses and not a twentieth part
lamps enough to light the house—The roads intolerable—The work of
a day to make a visit—Location of city beautiful—Hon. Cotton
Smith describes Washington—The huts of the residents contrast
painfully with the public buildings—First New Year’s reception in
1801—The etiquette of Washington’s time adopted—Guests received
in the Library—Mrs. Adams ill—Returns to Quincy, Massachusetts—In
the White House four months—Attends to her husband’s private
affairs—Cheerful and bright under all circumstances—Retirement of
Mr. Adams from public life—Mrs. Adams the “Portia” of the
rebellious provinces—Her marked characteristics, truthfulness and
earnestness—Her place in history—Indifference to fashionable
life—Seventeen years of home-life—Writes her granddaughter on her
fiftieth marriage anniversary—Thankfulness for so much
happiness—Eldest son appointed Minister to Great Britain by
President Madison—Appointed Secretary of State by President
Monroe—Death of her daughter, Mrs. Abigail Smith—Friendship with
President Jefferson broken—Political differences the
cause—Silence of many years broken by the death of Jefferson’s
daughter—Her second letter criticising his course in the
appointments to office—The correspondence unknown to her
husband—His later endorsement—Jefferson writes to Adams—They
never meet again—Mrs. Adams’ imposing appearance—Her face
strongly intellectual, but never beautiful—Her old age possessed
of the sweetness of youth—Death of Mrs. Adams in 1818—A nation’s
private tribute to her worth—Jefferson expresses his sympathy to
Mr. Adams—Buried in the Congregationalist Church at Quincy—Her
husband buried beside her 87