If I had written to you my dear sister half as often as I have thought of you and contemplated writing, you would have had a Letter by every Mail for these two months: I have to acknowledge the receipt of two kind Letters from you since I have made you any return the last bearing date May 29th, which came last week to hand, and to which I should have replied yesterday by a young Man who lives...
I was unable to replie to my dear Sisters Letter of May 19th when I received it, being visited by St Anthony, who scourged me most cruelly. I am sure I wished well to the Spanish patriots in their late Struggle for Liberty, and I bore no ill will to those whose tutular saint thus unprovoked beset me. I wish he had been preaching to the fishes who according to tradition have been his hearers ,...
I was unable to replie to my dear sisters Letter of May 19th. being visited by St Anthony who scourged me most cruelly. I am sure I wished well to the Spanish patriots in their late struggle for their Liberty. I bore no ill will to the portegeze whose tutelar Saint thus wantonly beset me, I wish he had been preaching to the fishes, who according to tradition, have been his Hearers, for so ill...
It looks like a want of those gratefull feelings which I am sure are inmates of my Heart, that three weeks have elapsed since I left my dear sister, and her Hospitable Mansion, and I have not written her a line to tell her that I was highly gratified with my ride and visit; that my Health and that of Louisas was much benifited by it, and that I have wanted to hear directly from my dear Neice,...
your Letter of july 26th has lain by me unanswerd untill now. your own mind will easily suggest to you the multiplied cares and anxieties through which I have passt since that date and plead my excuse.— the destination of my dear son and family to a foreign country, at this period of the lives, of both his Father and Mother has been a trial to us of the most a most painfull & tender kind we...
I this day received your kind Letter of the 17th. I know not any thing which would give me more pleasure than accepting your kind invitation. I had anticipated the pleasure of making you a visit this Spring, with the hope of improveing my Health, and invigorating my Spirits by the hospitable greetings of my dear Sister and Friends. I had find upon this month, but have had a Series of Sickness...
I ought to have written to you before this day and have informed you of my Safe return home. benefitid by my excursion—on fryday I left Haverhill and went on to Newbury port, where I was kindly received and hospitably entertaind by mrs Coombs and family: my cold became less troublesome, and on Saturday morning we Sat our faces homeward. the morning was cloudy, and warm. we proceeded Slowly,...
Your Letter of August 25th I received, and have felt very anxious for you and your family ever since. this is the first Day since, that I have been able to take my pen and tell you so, The damp wet close dog day weather always unhinges my frame and debilitates me not a little. It brings on complaints to which for several years I have been Subject, and which I cannot expect Age to cure or...
We have lost an excellent Neighbour and Friend in the death of Mr Black, for more than a Year he has Sufferd great bodily disease but for the last Month, a fever in concequence of his other complaints Seizd upon him, and put a period to his days—he was patient and resignd, and like a good Man who has better hopes beyond the grave, Cheerfull and pleasant to his last tour . Thus have two of my...
I was much gratified at receiving a Letter from you, as well as at the play of fancy, and the fire of Imagination which you displayed in it, Neither your Severe Sickness, or the premature Winter which so early visited us, had power to damp the ardour of your intellects. they rather appear now burnished and refined. long, long may they be continued to Solace your Friends, and Cheer the Evening...
I received your Letter by the Mail of yesterday, and by the return of it to day I write you a few lines to give you all the information which I have been able to collect respecting your Son; mr George Beal who lodges near him; and is frequently going back to to Boston & returning I get him to call and inquire after him. my last account was on monday two days Since. he reports that he is...
I received your Letters by the Mail of yesterday, and by the return of it to day I write to give you all the information I have been able to collect, respecting your Son Mr George Black has lodgings near him and is frequently at Quincy. I got him to call and bring me word respecting him. my last account was on Monday, 2 days since. he was then getting better; tho not able to go out. the...
An inflamation in one of my Eyes, will prevent me from writing more than to thank you for your last very flattering Letter; and to say that I place it amongst my richest treasures— The president was in Town last Saturday and brought out with him your son. he does not appear to me to be fit for Buisness. he is very lame, and full of Rheumatism yet. he wants a wife to Nurse and tenderly care for...
Not having Wholy dissolved by the intense heat of the last week, I am enabled from a change of the weather to take my pen, in lieu of my fan, and to ask you how much of you is left? when I Saw how much you sufferd the Saturday I left you in Boston from the heat, I was not a little anxious for you the last week: when it was 20 degrees hotter. I know not whether for four days together, I ever...
Truly my dear sister I blush and am asshamed that I have not written to you in replie to your Several kind Letters; I will not hunt for excuses, or pretend the extreem heat of the weather prevented, altho it was so oppressive that I could not do any thing but fan and pant. I have repeatedly said well I must write this day. abbe have you written—No Mam why have you not, you have leisure? “I do...
I wrote to you upon fryday, but I do not now recollect what I have written. I know that my heart was full and my mind wrought up, to a pitch, beyond what it would bear. The Solemn Scene which presented to me, two Dear Relatives Sleeping in Death at the same moment, can never be effaced from my mind. upon Saturday I followed their remains to our own Tombs and Saw them dposited Side by Side,...
I recieved your Letter by the last Mail inclosing one for your daughter, who left me last week, to our great regreet. I expostulate with her for making her visit So short She Said She had been five weeks with us. I could Scarcly credit it, untill I looked back, and then So many events had during that period rapidly Succeeded each other, that I had not calculated how the time had passed It was...
I hear that Cousin Abbe is to return tomorrow to Atkinson. I Send by her two pr Socks for George and John. mittins I have not yet got knit, nor Georges waistcoats done; I hope I Shall before he wants them. I know they are where every proper care will be paid to them. they will both want new Hats Soon—I thought they could be purchased in Haverhill as well as here, and that it would be better...
A very droll accident happend to the inclosed Letter, as you will See by the address; I wrote two Letters yesterday, one to you, and one to the Select Men of the Town of Quincy in behalf of a poor woman who I thought Stood in need of assistance. the Letters were folded, and being call’d Suddenly down Stairs, I handed the wrong Letter to Susan desiring her to address it, the Letter was Sent...
I had got comfortably through the cold of the winter, but the chilling winds of March have laid me up in April. I was threatend with a Setled fever last week, which has reduced me in a few days quite low. the dr gives me hopes that he has broken it up with opium & calomil pills—and saline . I feel relieved both in my head and Limbs—and am now able to write, which I was not last week. I did...
21From Abigail Smith Adams to Elizabeth Smith Shaw Peabody, 5 May 1812 (Adams Papers)
I received by the last Mail your Letter of the 26th of April. the Severe weather of this week has made me almost Sick. it has brought an inflamation in my Eyes with Such a pain in the Eye Balls that I have not been able to turn them in my head. they are rather better than they were two days past, or I could not have written a line. my intention was to have gone into Boston with the Children,...
I received your Letter written upon the Birth-day of my only daughter, and memorable to me for that occasion, as well as the Eleventh of the Same Month upon which was Born J Q Adams, and a Sister whom I lost, and whom no doubt you recollect from the circumstances attending it, for you were with me. so much for Egotism. now I will replie to your queries. in the first place, I have the pleasure...
Inclosed are two Letters for you & family or to Speak more correctly one for you, and one for Mrs Cranch— I was anxious to hear from you, as I had heard of Nortens Sickness. he has a Billious constitution, and Slender health. I hope it will become firmer. we have indeed so wet a season that the fruits of the Earth are decaying for lack of Sun Shine. let us acknowledge our intire dependence...
My daily care and visits for a fortnight past have been to the sick and dyeing Bed of our good old Domestic Pheby—and my anxiety for her when I am absent, least she should not be sufficiently attended to, makes me frequently wish I had her under my own Roof. Mrs Greenleaf is my Second in all my cares. She amply Supplies the place of our dear sister as far as means will permit. Mrs Adamss...
Yesterdays post brought us heavey tydings tidings from Philadelphia. our Friend, our Physician, the constant and weekly correspondent of my Husband is no more; the Learned the accomplished, the Benevolent Rush is gone; I cannot describe how heavily this loss falls upon us in our old Age. it is like severing a Limb from the Body. upon the 10th of this Month the president received a Letter full...
26From Abigail Smith Adams to Elizabeth Smith Shaw Peabody, 5 May 1813 (Adams Papers)
I have made up packets of Letters for this mornings post, to Wiscasset, to N york, to the Valley & to Philadelphia. You will readily suppose that I am weary no I really am, tho correspondence of Harriot welch to Caroline & hers to Harriot all pass through my hands—She is now with mrs Bailey, and Yesterday brought a large packet from William Smith to his Mother Brother and Sister, all of which...
I received your Letter of June 22d and rejoiced to find your Spirits So good. The Scriptures tell us to rejoice allways. this we cannot understand in a literal Sense, because we know that it is not consistant with reason, with our condition as human Beings, Subject to many calamities and by the Same Authority we are told, there is a time to mourn. we must therefore consider it as a direction...
I received this morning your Letter of 10th I feard that you were Sick, not hearing from you by the last mail, and knowing that you had a hoars cold. fevers upon the lungs are very prevalent at this time, and voilent inflamations upon the Throat. Susan who has been much with her Aunt, was this morning taken, or rather yesterday was seizd with the disorder to an allarming degree—we were obliged...
with the middle finger of my right hand bound up with a , which you know is very soar, I attempt to write you a few lines. altho they will be a detail of sickness and sufferings. For a fortnight past, my best Friend has been confined to his Chamber, a circumstance which has not taken place before for more than twenty years. he took a violent cold at the commencement of Sleighing, by going into...
I received this morning your Letter of the 10th and I have the pleasure to inclose to you a Quarters Rent which I received from mr Foster yesterday. I have Sent two Receits which I wish you to Sign, and return to me. when I Sent the last, there Should have been 50 cents more, but I did not love to put Silver with the paper least in conveying by mail, the paper would be injured. I now Send 38...