5129 Sunday. (Adams Papers)
Went to Leicester with Thayer. Heard him preach all Day. Dined at Mr. Whitneys. Returned home and drank Tea, and spent the Evening at Mr. Paines.
52[March 1756] (Adams Papers)
Wrote out Bolingbrokes reflections on Exile. For JA ’s lifelong study of, and his extensive commentaries on, the writings of Henry St. John, first Viscount Bolingbroke, see Haraszti, JA and the Prophets of Progress Zoltán Haraszti, John Adams and the Prophets of Progress, Cambridge, 1952. , ch. 4. JA ’s own copies of Bolingbroke’s writings are now divided between the Boston Athenaeum and the...
53March. 1756. 1 Monday. (Adams Papers)
Wrote out Bolingbrokes reflections on Exile. For JA ’s lifelong study of, and his extensive commentaries on, the writings of Henry St. John, first Viscount Bolingbroke, see Haraszti, JA and the Prophets of Progress Zoltán Haraszti, John Adams and the Prophets of Progress, Cambridge, 1952. , ch. 4. JA ’s own copies of Bolingbroke’s writings are now divided between the Boston Athenaeum and the...
542 Tuesday. (Adams Papers)
A snow fall last night, half leg deep. Began this afternoon, my 3rd. quarter. The great and almighty Author of nature, who at first established those rules which regulate the World, can as easily Suspend those Laws whenever his providence sees sufficient reason for such suspension. This can be no objection, then, to the miracles of J esus C hrist . Altho’ some very thoughtfull, and...
553 Wednesday. (Adams Papers)
Fair Weather. Natural Phylosophy is the Art of deducing the generall laws and properties of material substances, from a series of analogous observations. The manner of reasoning in this art is not strictly demonstrative, and by Consequence the knowledge hence acquired, not absolutely Scientifical, because the facts that we reason upon, are perceived by Sence and not by the internal Action of...
564 Thurdsday. (Adams Papers)
A fine morn.
575 Fryday. (Adams Papers)
Dined at home, Mr. Barnes dined here, drank Tea, and spent the evening at Coll. Chandlers. The ambiguous punctuation of the MS has been retained. JA probably intended a full stop after “dined here.”
586 Saturday. (Adams Papers)
Rose 1/2 after 4. A clowdy morn. Wrote Bolinbrokes letter on retirement and study.
597 Sunday. (Adams Papers)
Heard Mr. Maccarty all day. Spent the Evening and supped at Mr. Greenes, with Thayer. Honesty, Sincerity and openness, I esteem essential marks of a good mind. I am therefore of opinion, that men ought, (after they have examined with unbiassed Judgments, every System of Religion, and chosen one System on their own Authority, for themselves) to avow their Opinions and defend them with boldness.
608 Monday. (Adams Papers)
Spent the Evening at Major Chandlers. Fair Weather.
619 Tuesday. (Adams Papers)
A charming Day. Spent the evening up Chamber.
6210 Wednesday. (Adams Papers)
A misty morning. Sun brake out about noon. Spent Evening at Gardiners.
6311 Thurdsday. (Adams Papers)
Dined at the Colonels. Drank Tea at Mr. Paines with a number of Ladies, and spent the Evening at Major Chandlers, with Thayer.
6412 Fryday. (Adams Papers)
Clowdy. Laid a pair of Gloves with Mrs. Willard that she would not see me chew tobacco this month. We do not know who won this wager. We do know something about JA ’s use of tobacco. In 1805 his friend Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse of the Harvard Medical School published a tract entitled Cautions to Young Persons concerning Health in a Public Lecture...; containing the General Doctrine of Chronic...
6513 Saturday. (Adams Papers)
Some Snow last night, a clowdy, raw morning.
6614 Sunday. (Adams Papers)
Heard Mr. Maccarty all Day upon Abrahams Faith, in offering up Isaac. Spent the Evening, very Sociably at Mr. Putnams. Several observations concerning Mr. Franklin of Phyladelphia, a prodigious Genius cultivated with prodigious industry.
6715 Monday. (Adams Papers)
I sometimes, in my sprightly moments, consider my self, in my great Chair at School, as some Dictator at the head of a commonwealth. In this little State I can discover all the great Genius’s, all the surprizing actions and revolutions of the great World in miniature. I have severall renowned Generalls but 3 feet high, and several deep-projecting Politicians in peticoats. I have others...
6816 Tuesday. (Adams Papers)
Sat out for Uxbridge, arrived about 12, dined. Rode to Aldridges after Mr. Webb, and brought him with me to my Uncles. Spent the Evening there. Lodged with Webb. Presumably Nathan Webb (1734–1760), Harvard 1754 , nephew and namesake of JA ’s “Uncle Webb"; he is said to have practiced medicine, and it was to him that JA addressed his first letter that survives, 1 Sept. 1755 ( Adams Papers ; JA...
6917 Wednesday. (Adams Papers)
A fine morning. Proceeded on my Journey towards Braintree. Stop’ed at Josiah Adams’s. Baited at Clarks of Medway. Dined at Clarks of Medfield. Stopd to see Mr. Haven of Dedham, who told me very civilly that he supposed I took my faith on Trust from Dr. Mayhew, and added that he believed the doctrine of the satisfaction of J esus C hrist to be essential to Cristianity, and that he would not...
7018 Thurdsday. (Adams Papers)
A cloudy morning. Spent the afternoon at my Uncles, and part of the Evening at the Doctor’s. Ebenezer Adams (1704–1769?) , youngest brother of Deacon John Adams; his wife was Ann, sister of Susanna Boylston, JA ’s mother; their daughter Ann was Mrs. Elisha Savil, mentioned in the preceding note ( Braintree Town Records Samuel A. Bates, ed., Records of the Town of Braintree, 1640 to 1793,...
7119 Fryday. (Adams Papers)
A rainy morning. Went down in the afternoon, to the Point. Spent the afternoon and Evening and lodged with my dear Friend Cranch, in the usuall social friendly Strain. Richard Cranch (1726–1811) , who in 1762 became AA ’s brother-in-law before her marriage to JA . Cranch conducted a glass manufactory at a settlement called Germantown (from the German artisans who worked there), on a point of...
7220 Saturday. (Adams Papers)
After breakfast, rode to my Uncle Hunts, dined there, came Home, went to see my Aunt Owen, drank Tea at Deacon Webbs with Mrs. Nabby Webb . Came home. Spent the evening at the Drs. JA ’s aunt Hannah Adams had married Benjamin Owen of Braintree, 1725; his aunt Bethiah Adams had married Ebenezer Hunt of Weymouth, 1737 ( A. N. Adams, Geneal. Hist. of Henry Adams of Braintree Andrew N. Adams, A...
7321 Sunday. (Adams Papers)
Vernal Equinox. Heard Mr. Wibird preach two excellent Discourses from Eccles. 9.12. Spent the Evening at Mr. Wibirds with Messrs. Quincy, Cranch, Savel, in Conversation upon the present Scituation of publick affairs. Mr. Quincy exerted his Talents in the most Eloquent Harrangue. Mr. Cranch quoted the bishop of Quebecks Letter concerning the french Missionaries among the Indians. Some, he says,...
7422 Monday. (Adams Papers)
A fair but cool morn. Mounted for Boston, arrived about 11 o’clock, went to friend Wm. Belchers, drank a bowl of punch, dined at my Uncle Sympsons, rode to Cambridge, drank Tea with Tom Went-worth. Spent the Evening partly at Hills Chamber, partly at Slewmans Sluman’s , and partly at Trumbles Trumbull’s and partly at Harry Hills. Lodged with John Hill. Nathan Simpson , a blacksmith of Boston,...
7523 Tuesday. (Adams Papers)
A fine morn. Breakfasted with Slewman at Prentices, mounted for Braintree, arrived about 1, dined, went to Dr. Millers, to see friend Sam. Drank Tea there with Mrs. Veasey and Mrs. Mary Miller, stopped in my return at Dr. Marshes, smoked a pipe there, came home, went to my Uncles and spent the Evening. Returned home and went to bed. Samuel Miller, Harvard 1756 , was a son of Ebenezer Miller,...
7624 Wednesday. (Adams Papers)
Sat out for Worcester. Dined at Dedham and rode from thence in the rain to Mendon, supped and lodged at Josiah Adamses.
7725 Thurdsday. (Adams Papers)
Rode to Uxbridge. Tarried at my Uncle Webbs and lodged with Mr. Nathan Webb .
7826 Fryday. (Adams Papers)
A delightful morning. Rode to Grafton, dined at Josiah Rawsons. He exerted his rawsonian Talents concerning the felicity of Heaven. I sat and heard for it is vain to resist so impetuous a Torrent. Proceeded to Worcester, drank Tea at Mr. Maccarty’s and spent the evening at Major Gardiner’s.
7927 Saturday. (Adams Papers)
The Stream of Life sometimes glides smoothly on, through flowry meadows and enamell’d planes. At other times it draggs a winding reluctant Course through offensive Boggs and dismal gloomy Swamps. The same road now leads us thro’ a spacious Country fraught with evry delightful object, Then plunges us at once, into miry Sloughs, or stops our passage with craggy and inaccessible mountains. The...
8028 Sunday. (Adams Papers)
Heard Mr. Maccarty, spent the Evening at Coll. Chandlers, in Conversation concerning Lands and Farms &c.
8129 Monday. (Adams Papers)
A little hail and rain fell to Day. We find our Selves capable of comprehending many Things, of acquiring considerable Degrees of Knowledge by our slender and contracted Faculties. Now may we not suppose our minds strengthened, and Capacities dilated, so as fully to comprehend this Globe of Earth, with its numerous appendages? May we not suppose them further enlarged to take in the Solar...
8230 Tuesday. (Adams Papers)
A fair day. Drank Tea and spent the Evening at Mr. Putnams, with Mr. Maccarty, very Sociably.
8331 Wednesday. (Adams Papers)
A cool morning. Drank Tea with the Ladies at the Judges. Spent the Evening at Gardiners with the Coll., Mr. Putnam and Thayer.
84[April 1756] (Adams Papers)
A very rainy Day. A little Snow. On this day JA wrote a remarkable letter to his classmate Charles Cushing, who was then keeping a school in Newbury, on the choice of a profession. Extracts are printed in JA, Works The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: with a Life of the Author, ed. Charles Francis Adams, Boston, 1850–1856; 10 vols. , 1:29–30, 32; a complete text is...
85April 1756. 1 Thurdsday. (Adams Papers)
A very rainy Day. A little Snow. On this day JA wrote a remarkable letter to his classmate Charles Cushing, who was then keeping a school in Newbury, on the choice of a profession. Extracts are printed in JA, Works The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: with a Life of the Author, ed. Charles Francis Adams, Boston, 1850–1856; 10 vols. , 1:29–30, 32; a complete text is...
862. Fryday. (Adams Papers)
Cool and very windy. Drank Tea, and Spent the Evening at Coll. Chandlers.
873 Saturday. (Adams Papers)
Dined, Spent the afternoon and drank Tea at Coll. Chandlers.
884 Sunday. (Adams Papers)
Heard Mr. Davis of Holden all Day. Spent the Evening at Mr. Putnams.
895 Monday. (Adams Papers)
A warm pleasant Day. Drank Tea at Mrs. Paines, came home, lodged with Dr. Upham.
906 Tuesday. (Adams Papers)
A fair Day. Drank Tea at Coll. Chandlers, and fixt a Letter for Cushing, Wentworth, Dalton, Lock Locke , my Father, and Dr. Savel. Fix: to set down in writing ( OED The Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford, 1933; 12 vols. and supplement. , fix, vb., 5b). None of the six letters enumerated here, the first four of which were addressed to Harvard classmates, has been found.
917 Wednesday. (Adams Papers)
A fair Morning. Mr. Thayer set out for Coll. Harvard College .
928 Thurdsday. (Adams Papers)
Heard Mr. Maccarty preach the Lecture, drank Tea with him, and spent the Evening at Mr. Putnams.
939 Fryday. (Adams Papers)
Drank Tea at Coll. Chandlers, spent the Evening at home with My Friend Eliot, lodged with him.
9410 Saturday. (Adams Papers)
A raw cold day. The man to whom Nature has given a great and Surprizing Genius, will perform Great and Surprizing Atchievments, but a Soul originally narrow and confined, will never be enlarged to a distinguishing Capacity. Such a one must be content to grovel amidst pebles, and Butterflies thro the whole of his Life. By dilligence and Attention, indeed, he may possibly get the Character of a...
9511 Sunday. (Adams Papers)
Heard Mr. Maccarty preach all Day. Spent the Evening at Mr. Paines, and supped upon fresh Fish with the Coll., Mr. Putnam, Major Gardiner and his Lady. Talking about Law and Pollitics.
9612 Monday. (Adams Papers)
Signs of Rain. Cleard off about 10. A most beautiful Day. Drank Tea with Coll. Chandler, and spent the Evening, at Major Gardiners, with the Coll., Messrs. Maccarty, Paine, Putnam, Green.
9712 [i.e. 13] Tuesday. (Adams Papers)
A fine morning. A Charming warm Day. Every thing looks gay and lively. The Grass begins to spring, and the sprightly sunbeams gleam upon the houses. The windows are opened, the insects begin to buz, and every thing wellcomes the Joyful Spring.—Went to the Drs. Farm.
9813 [i.e. 14] Wednesday. (Adams Papers)
A pleasant morning. Wheeler drank Tea here. I went with him in the Evening, to Capt. Stearns.
9914 [i.e. 15] Thurdsday. (Adams Papers)
Wheeler and I breakfasted at Mr. Maccarty’s. Went to Mr. Dyers. Very warm. Drank Tea and spent the Evening at Mr. Putnams, in conversation concerning Christianity. He is of Opinion that the Apostles were a Company of Enthusiasts. He says we have only their word, to prove that they spoke with different Tongues, raised the Dead, and healed the Sick &c. Joseph Dyer, “an excentric Character ......
10015 [i.e. 16] Fryday. (Adams Papers)
A Stormy Day.