I write you without knowing where or when my Letter will find you, and must therefore I must omit much of what I wish to say to you—I received this Morning your Letter of the 21st. (Monday) from Lebanon, and its enclosure I suppose of the same day—but it was post marked Northampton the 23d—It is evident that when you wrote it, you had not received my Letter of the 17th. proposing to meet you...
I have concluded to part with George, at the very moment when he is most needful to me—I have made this sacrifice, yielding to your wishes, and shall endeavour to do this business relating to the Execution of my father’s Will, myself—He will follow you to Lebanon, or wherever he may learn on the road you are to be found—He goes with his Cousin the Cadet, who is upon his return to his duty at...
I have received your Letters of the 13th. and 14th from Lebanon, and rejoice with exceeding joy at the recovery of your health—From other Letters received here I learn that you intended to remain at Lebanon, only a very few days, and I scarcely know whether this will find you there My Letter of the 17th. which I hope you will receive this day will inform you of Mr Boyleston’s affectionate...
I have just received your Letter from Ballston, with the greater pleasure, as it gives a better account of your health, than that of the 7th. instt. from Cedar Grove. I am also glad to perceive that you had met Dr Hurtt, and no doubt received from him the Letter which I wrote you by him, from Boston—I have since written twice to you, and once to Charles, and addressed the Letters to Lebanon,...
Yesterday your Letter of the 3d. instt. from Fishkiln came to hand—It would have been altogether cheering had it given me a better account of your health—But I hear the Lebanon Springs much vaunted, and hope they will prove beneficial to you— I fear Dr. Huntt passed through Lebanon, too soon for the delivery to you of my Letter by him—But supposing you to have arrived there yesterday or this...
I received last Evening your Letter of the 1st. instt. from New York—I now enclose to you the Letter which I had wriiten you, on the 25th. of Last Month; and which was forwarded to Mr Charles King in the hope that it would meet you at New York—I wrote you also at Boston Wednesday Morning by Dr Huntt—He was to pass through Lebanon yesterday or this day, but I am afraid will again miss meeting...
Meeting here Dr. Huntt, who informs us that he left you last Friday at Bordentown, and Charles the next day at New York, I avail myself of the opportunity of saying to you that we are here well. I hope you have received the Letter which was enclosed to Mr Charles King, under the expectation that it would meet you in New–York—Yesterday, my father’s Will was proved by Mr Quincy and myself—We...
8From Harriet Welsh to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, July 1826 (Adams Papers)
You could not have asked my dear Mrs. Adams a happier a more glorious transition from earth to Heaven—on that day fifty years since consecrated to his blessed memory—I was not there at the moment but he left the world as I expected a tranquil calm sunset—when I had the ever to be remembered happiness of passing three days with him a short time since He could at times only give utterance to his...
I have but this moment received your Letter of the 18th. and hope that before leaving Washington you received mine of the 16th. advising you not to come on here for the present. Supposing however that it may have been otherwise, and that you did leave Washington last Saturday, I write this with the hope that it may find you at New York—I repeat the advice that you would go for health or...
I have duly received your kind Letters of 11. 12 and 16 instt—I wrote to you at New–York and on the 14th. and 16th. from this place—the last by Thomas Hellen—Since then I have been so much occupied in making the arrangements for the disposal of my father’s Estate, but three fourths of my time has been absorbed by Company—Not a day passes without visitors, and after nine O’Clock in the Morning...
Your excellent letter to me arrived at the close of the last week and was brought to me by John from Boston: The hasty letter written to my Father on the morning of the 5th. to announce the melancholy event of the preceding day was followed by so many others to different persons of your family at Washington that I was not anxious concerning the transmission of regular information to you from...
Thomas Hellen was here last Evening and goes to–morrow Morning for Washington—I furnished him with sixty dollars to defray the expenses for which I took an order upon Mr T. Cook—George has paid for him 125 dollars quarterly; but his expenses have exceeded that sum and he has contracted some debts which must be paid,—not considerable I hope. We shall begin tomorrow to make the arrangements for...
We arrived on Wednesday Evening at Boston, and yesterday Morning came out here. The weather until last Evening was the very extremity of the Season, but has now turned cool—All here are well—George came out with us from Boston—You have doubtless received the Letters from Mr Quincy and from George, written after my fathers decease, and have seen the copy of my father’s will—I propose to accept...
14From Harriet Welsh to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 13 July 1826 (Adams Papers)
The President, and your son, arrived last night my dear Mrs. Adams; well, and not more fatigued than was to be expected from so hasty a journey—or than he is usually—they go to Quincy this morn’g—. It is about three weeks since I passed two or three days at Quincy and then felt a conviction that it would not be possible to preserve your Fathers life much longer—without the greatest & most...
We arrived safe here, about two hours since, and in two hours more expect to be on our way to Providence in the Steam Boat.Mr John Sergeant came on with us thus far, from Philadelphia—I have met every where a kind and Sympathetic feeling—Here we have seen Mr. G. Sullivan, Mr C. King and Mr Blunt—As you will remember me this day, I have determined to shew you that I need not to be reminded of...
It was as I had apprehended—On our arrival this morning at Merrill’s, we were informed by him that my father expired at 5 in the afternoon of the 4th. instt. and on reaching this place the New–York Evening Post of Friday was put into my hands, containing the proceedings of the Governor and council of Massachusetts, and of the board of Aldermen, of Boston upon the Event—You are no doubt ere...
17From John Marshall to John Quincy Adams, 27 February 1826 (Adams Papers)
Mr. Marshall accepts with great pleasure the invitation of Mr and Mrs. Adams to dine with them on friday the 3d. of March at five MHi : Endicott Family Autograph Collection.
18From George Washington Louis Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 28 December 1825 (Adams Papers)
C’est avec une bien vive reconnoissance Madame, que j’ai reçu la lettre que vous avez eue la bonté de m’écrire, et les vers qu’elle renfermoit. il est bien précieux pour moi de les tenir de vous même, et j’acquère par là le droit d’en devenir le dépositaire.— j’ose espérer madame, que vous voulez bien me pardonner d’avoir été si longtems sans vous adresser mes remerciemens. depuis six...
You will by this time (I hope), have obtained some days of rest after the fatigue of your journey. I have been extremely afraid of the effect of it upon you before you started but am in hopes now that the change once obtained will be of some service. How long you will remain under the present circumstances, I am unable to guess but I should scarcely imagine that a sudden return however...
This extraordinary season has prevented all ideas of regular correspondence for few employments are so irksome as writing when the thermometer stands at 100, but it is so agreeable to receive letters from home that one endeavours to seize every opportunity to obtain them. Grandfather has been favoured lately with a visit from his highness the Duke of Saxe Weimar, a gentleman who intends soon...
Ever since the middle of the last month we have been in such a succession of events and interruptions that the time has slipped away with out a moments reflection on the interval between this letter and my last. On the 15th. of June General La Fayette came and his arrival was the signal for dinners parties and shows. You ask for a description of the 17th. of June. It has not been attempted...
Let me express to you my gratitude for your last note on reading which I had a foretaste of the suffering I should have undergone had the dreadful rumour you mentioned preceded it. I most heartily thank God that my Father was saved to you, to his children, to his country. The idea of his loss is too terrible to think of and at the time when your note arrived; not having recovered a calm tone...
23From William Duer to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 8 June 1825 (Adams Papers)
Presuming upon an acquaintance it was my happiness to form, many years ago, and upon the experience it afforded me of your affability and kindness, I venture, after this lapse of time, and the changes it has produced, to obtrude myself on your recollection, and to solicit your aid in submitting to the consideration of the President, a statement, which nothing but a sense of duty to those who...
Your letter of the 1st. instant has affected me deeply: it was received this morning and afforded me more real pleasure perhaps than any you have ever addressed to me. Your style in writing is known to be that of the most animated conversation but in this instance it seems to obliterate the ideas of time and distance and to bring me near to you not in the mood of mortified affection and...
You will no doubt my dear Mrs. Adams, be much surprised at receiving a letter from one of whom you have seen and known so little as myself; but the kind, and I may almost say affectionate manner that you have always shown towards me in our occasional meetings at Mr. Hopkinson’s, has emboldened me to sue for a favour which perhaps I should not otherwise have thought of— My brother has been for...
26From John Adams to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 30 March 1825 (Adams Papers)
Your journal which has become a necessary of life to me has failed me for a long time, but I must excuse it because it is too severe a tax upon you, and I hope and presume that George is too deeply absorbed in the studies of his profession to be able to spare time to copy your records. We are here in a news-paper flurry of flickenings for Governour and they will associate your Husband with Mr....
A most unpleasant journey was completed by our arrival at Quincy last week where we had the satisfaction of finding grandfather in better health and more comfortable than when we had last seen him. Two days afterwards Charles left us and returned to Cambridge anticipating much pleasure from the remaining months of his residence there but a little afflicted by the assignment of a part to him...
28From James Mease to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 14 February 1825 (Adams Papers)
I cannot help it! I can no longer resist the pleasure of expressing to my dear Mrs Adams my joy on the success of the election & my heart-felt congratulations on the signal triumph your husband has obtained over such plotting & treachery & malice & falshood! None of your friends have been more deeply interested than I—& not one more sincerely rejoices at this just & upright termination of our...
It is really afflicting to hear that you are again subjected to painful illness and to observe in your letters a depression and melancholy which are not natural to your character and which are I fear gaining ground over you. I do not think with those who attribute your indisposition to the election, although the scandalous persecution to which my Father has been subjected and the unblushing...
The heated and violent temper of the public upon the question of politics renders it necessary to keep individual feelings cautiously in check but this is not always possible. The low spirits indicated by your last letter to me and subsequently by the one to Mr Cruft have affected me more than any thing which is going on without. The atrocious application of the story of Mrs Moulton to the...