1Abigail Adams to John Adams, 26 April 1789 (Adams Papers)
Major Gibbs Captain Beals & mr Woodard all are going to New-york, and all have desired Letters, but as they all go at the same Time one Letter must answer. I wrote you this week by mr Allen, since which nothing has transpired in our little village worth communicating. the Newspapers I inclose to you all that I get in the course of a week, but the printers or the persons to whom they are...
2Abigail Adams to John Adams, 22 April 1789 (Adams Papers)
I received mr Bourn’s Letter to day, dated this day week, and I was very happy to Learn by it that you had made so Rapid a progress. I hope you stoped at my old acquaintance Avery’s, and that you met with as good entertainment as I had led you to expect. all your Friends rejoiced in the fine weather which attended you, and conceive it, a propitious omen. I enjoyed, the Triumph tho I did not...
3Abigail Adams to James Lovell, 22 April 1789 (Adams Papers)
I this evening received your letter of April 12 th. tho’ you love a labyrinth you always give a clue. M r & M rs L may be assured that an old friend so well qualified for the office he holds will not be forgotten, and that it would be of little consequence whether P: is at Braintree or N York. M r L is surely sufficiently acquainted with my friend to know that he may be sure of his interest. I...
4Abigail Adams to Sarah Livingston Jay, 20 February 1789 (Adams Papers)
When I left your Hospitable mansion, I did not design so many days should have elapsed, before I had express’d to you the pleasing sense I entertaind of your kindness and Friendship. they have left a durable impression upon my mind, and an ardent desire to cultivate them in future. I reachd Home Ten days after I left Newyork. we had an agreeable journey, good Roads fine weather and tolerable...
5Abigail Adams to John Adams, 12 January 1789 (Adams Papers)
I last wednesday received yours of Dec br 28 and should have answerd by the post of thursday but that the mail for thursday closes on wednesday Evening and does not give time for any replie to Letters which come by that post. I wrote you from this place on sunday last. at that time I was in hopes I should have been on my journey home before this, as we have every thing in readiness to set out...
6Abigail Adams to Mary Smith Cranch, 15–18 December 1788 (Adams Papers)
I thank you for your kind Letter of Nov br 30th Dec br 2d you judg’d rightly I was almost melancholy to be a month from Home, and not to hear once from Home in all that Time, but the post is long in comeing I am Eleven miles from York with a great Ferry between, and you are ten from Boston so that we do not always get our Letters ready for post day. I wrote you the day after I arrived here &...
7Abigail Adams to John Adams, 15 December 1788 (Adams Papers)
It was not untill yesterday that I received your Letter & mrs Cranchs. mr mccomick came up & brought them both to my no small satisfaction, and this was the first that I had heard from Home since I left it, except by the News papers which I have engaged George Storer to forward to me. I have written to you every week since I left you, and Subjected you to more postage than my Letters are...
8Abigail Adams to John Adams, 13 December 1788 (Adams Papers)
I hope every post to hear from you, but every post has hithertoo dissapointed me. a month is a long time to be absent from Home without learning any thing from you. you have often left me and always was very punctual in writing to me. this is but the second time I have left you, and the first that I have been so long without hearing from you. I have written three times before, but have very...
9Abigail Adams to John Quincy Adams, 13 December 1788 (Adams Papers)
I begin to think I am not of that concequence at Home which I supposed myself, or that you think me less solicitious about my Family than I really am, since a whole month has elapsed since I left you, in all which time I have neither received a single line or heard a word from one member of it. three times I have written to your Pappa once to your Aunt Cranch, and now I try you to see if I can...
10Abigail Adams to John Adams, 3 December 1788 (Adams Papers)
This day three weeks I left Home, since which I have not heard a word from thence. I wrote you from Hartford and once from this place since my arrival. I cannot give you any account eitheir of Newyork or Jamaica as I got into the first at seven in the Evening & left it at Nine the next morning, and in this place my only excursion has been in the garden. the weather has been bad cloudy & rainy...
11Abigail Adams to Mary Smith Cranch, 24 November 1788 (Adams Papers)
I know you will rejoice with me that all was happily over & mrs Smith safely abed before I reachd her She thought she should do as she did before, so told no one that she was unwell, untill mr Smiths mamma & sister could scarcly reach her, and a Negro Woman whom she has was obliged to officiate for her. happily she had on some former occasions assisted some of her own coulour, but all were...
12Abigail Adams to John Adams, 16 November 1788 (Adams Papers)
We Reachd this place last evening and put up at a mr Avery’s private Lodgings, where we are very well accommodated. I am delighted with the veiw I have had of this state, the River is in full sight from the House & the fields yet retain their verdure, Lands I am told are valued here at a hundred pounds pr acre, and it is not unusuall to let the Farms upon this River at four pounds pr Annum pr...
13Abigail Adams to William Cranch, 23 August 1788 (Adams Papers)
Will you be so kind as to wait upon the Govenour early on monday morning with the inclosed cards and take an answer from him; which Brisler will call for on Monday at mr Fosters. if he has any objection to thursday, let it be fryday only I would wish for a decisive answer. if he agrees to the day proposed, then I would request the favour of you to go with the card to mr Brecks, but if the...
14Abigail Adams to Abigail Adams Smith, 6 August 1788 (Adams Papers)
It grieves me to think how little I have been able to write to you since my arrival here. I have set apart many hours which I have determined to devote to you, but family cares company sickness have prevented I have received all your kind Letters and thank you for the intelligence containd in them I rejoice at your agreeable situation & wish that I could visit you more than in Idea, but at...
15Abigail Adams to Abigail Adams Smith, 7 July 1788 (Adams Papers)
It has been no small mortification to me since my arrival here, that I have not been able to hold a pen, or use my hand in writing, until this day. I came on shore with three whitloes upon the thumb and two fingers of my right, and two upon the left hand, so that I could not do the least thing for myself. I begged my friends to write, and let you know of our arrival, after a very tedious...
16Abigail Adams to Abigail Adams Smith, 29 May 1788 (Adams Papers)
I hope you are safe landed at Jamaica, before this time, with Mr. Smith and my sweet boy; how often have I thought of him, amidst the turbulent waves, which have so frequently encompassed us upon our passage, and prayed that you might have met with more prosperous gales, and a shorter passage than has fallen to our share. On the 20th of April we embarked from Cowes, from whence I wrote you; we...
Sunday London March 30. We took our departure from the Bath Hotell where I had been a Fortnight, and sat out for Portsmouth, which we reachd on Monday Evening. We put up at the Fountain Inn. Here we continued a week waiting for the Ship which was detaind by contrary winds in the River. The wind changing we past over to the Isle of Wight and landed at a place call’d Ryed, where we took post...
MS (M/AA/1, APM Reel 197). PRINTED: JA , D&A , 3:212–217 . AA began her Diary in London on 30 March on the eve of the Adamses’ departure first for Portsmouth and then for Cowes, where they were to meet their ship, the Lucretia . AA related the sightseeing they did while waiting two weeks to board the ship—including visits to Carisbrooke Castle and the town of Yarmouth—and also the boredom:...
19Abigail Adams to Abigail Adams Smith, 9 April 1788 (Adams Papers)
It is now ten days since we left London, and have been waiting at Portsmouth and here for the ship, but cannot yet learn that she has passed Gravesend. The weather is fine, but this waiting is very tedious, in a place where we have no acquaintance, and very little to interest or amuse us. We took a ride, yesterday, to Newport, the principal town in the island, and visited Carisbrook Castle....
20Abigail Adams to Thomas Brand Hollis, 5 April 1788 (Adams Papers)
There is something so disagreeable to one’s feelings in taking a final leave of our friends, and thinking that it is the last time we shall ever meet, that I avoided placing myself in that situation as much as possible. On this account I neither bid my worthy friends Dr. Price or Mr. Hollis adieu; for those two gentlemen I have the greatest esteem and regard, and regret the necessity which...
21Abigail Adams to Abigail Adams Smith, 2 April 1788 (Adams Papers)
April the 2 d: and the anniversary of the birth of my dear Grandson whom I am half distracted to see again, with all his pretty, winning pranks. God bless and preserve the dear boy and grant us all, a happy meeting on the other side the great water. We left London on Sunday about two o clock, and arrived here on Monday evening, having made a very good exchange of the Bath Hotel for the...
22Abigail Adams to John Bowring, [before 30 March 1788] (Adams Papers)
your obliging favour of Feb ry 27 was brought me in the absence of mr Adams, who is gone to Holland upon publick buisness, and who upon his return will be so much hurried & occupied that I fear he will not be able to attend at all to the demands of private Frindship accept from me sir as his Representitive our mutual acknowledgments for the obliging civilities we received at Exeter & every...
23Abigail Adams to John Adams, 23 March 1788 (Adams Papers)
I received yours of the 14 th and ever Since thursday have been in Hourly expectation of seeing you I hope it is oweing to all the packets being detaind upon this Side, as is reported, and not to any indisposition that your return is delayed, that unpleasing detention is sufficiently mortifying particularly as we wish to proceed to Falmouth as soon as possible, tho I shall fear to go from...
24Abigail Adams to Margaret Smith, 22 [March?] 1788 (Adams Papers)
Altho I have heithertoo felt a diffidence in addressing a Lady with whom I have not the pleasure of a personal acquaintance, I cannot upon this occasion permit my only Daughter to present herself to you in her new Relation, without requesting your kind and parental Reception of her. I have the greatest reason to hope, that she will prove to you, what she has ever been to me, a dutifull and...
25Abigail Adams to Lewis D. Ward, [before 17 March 1788] (Adams Papers)
Mr Adams being absent upon publick Buisness in Holland when your Letter came to Hand I take the Liberty of replying to it, as I know he will be so much hurried for time when he returns as to be unable to attend to private matters, but I can answer for him, and am sure that he harbours no resentment against mrs Ward but wishes both of you success in Life & will rejoice to find that you are in...
26Abigail Adams to John Adams, 11 March 1788 (Adams Papers)
The Mail is this day arrived, but not a Line have I got from you, nor have I heard a word from you since you left me. I hope you are well. I am anxious to learn when you expect to get back. I find by Letters received yesterday from France that mr Jefferson is gone to meet, you, which will render your visit in Holland much pleasenter to you. Callihan does not appear in any great Hurry, and I am...
27Abigail Adams to John Adams, 7 March 1788 (Adams Papers)
Not a word have I heard of, or from you Since you left me this day week. I am anxious to know how you got over & how you do. I am so unfortunate as to be confined for several days past with an inflamation in my Throat attended with canker, & some fever. it is rather abated to day, and I hope is going of. we go on packing, but it is a much more labourious peice of buisness than I imagind and...
28Abigail Adams to Thomas Jefferson, 26 February 1788 (Adams Papers)
Mr Adams being absent I replie to your Letter this day received, that mr Adams has written to you upon the Subject you refer to. our time here is short and pressing, yet short as it is mr Adams is obliged to Set out on fryday for the Hague in order to take leave there, owing wholy to the neglect of Congress in omitting to send him a Letter of Recall, tho he particuliarly requested it of them,...
29To Thomas Jefferson from Abigail Adams, 26 February 1788 (Jefferson Papers)
Mr. Adams being absent I replie to your Letter this day received, that Mr. Adams has written to you upon the subject you refer to. Our time here is short and pressing. Yet short as it is Mr. Adams is obliged to Set out on fryday for the Hague in order to take leave there. Owing wholy to the neglect of Congress in omitting to send him a Letter of recall, tho he particularly requested it of...
30Abigail Adams to Thomas Jefferson, 21 February 1788 (Adams Papers)
in the midst of the Bustle and fatigue of packing, The parade & ceremony of taking leave at Court, and else where, I am informd that mr Appleton and mrs Parker, are to set out for Paris tomorrow morning. I Cannot permit them to go without a few lines to my much Esteemed Friend, to thank him for all his kindness and Friendship towards myself and Family, from the commencment of our acquaintance,...