It was not untill Saturday morning when I went to See my poor old domestic Pheby, that I learnt a word respecting my dear little Elizabeths Sickness—I carried up Abigail with to See you Supposing you had returnd, too much fatigued to call in the Evening. Inda then informd me that She heard by mr Saxon that She was very Sick. you may easily imagine how anxious I was untill mr Adams returnd in...
Mrs Dexter went on Sunday morning to your House, as she promissed me she would on Saturday. the Children all dined with me on Sunday— I have had such a Succession of company yesterday and to day that I have not been able to get out untill this Evening, when I went up to See the children and found them all happy and at play, mrs Dexter at her spining wheel—I read her that part of your Letter...
I rode up to your house this morning to inquire how the Children were and heard that they were both well. dexter Slept there last night. I will Send George in with the chaise tomorrow, if mr Adams returns. George may come out in the Stage. If there Should be any Salmon to be had tomorrow and mr Foster would get me part of one, I will be much obliged to him—I should not like to give more than a...
4From Abigail Smith Adams to Ann Frances Harrod Adams, July 1814 (Adams Papers)
I Sit down to thank you for your Letter yesterday received by the post, and to Say that I was much rejoiced to find you and my Son, in improved health & Spirits, and at the Same time to Say to you that, your Children are well. Thomas my particular Charge is very well and as good a Boy as I wish— gives me no trouble—Hull is finely—I have heard from him every day, and been twice to See him, and...
I received your Letter of 17th of the last Evening and rejoiced with trembling. Dr Hoolbrook thought if Dear Child lived over that day, there would be hopes of he . I pray heaven it may be so, for all our Sakes— but arly for her afflicted parents. I never Saw greater distress My dear Sons when he came to See us, the night he left her for Haverhill; he had Struggled to conquer his feelings &...
I thank you my dear Grandson for your very pretty Letter, as you cannot have any remembrance of your Grandparents. it is the more praiseworthy in you, to write to them, and then your hand writeing is so handsome, that it does you honour for your Age. The house which Your Father has taken in the Country, having a Garden full of fruit and vegetables, must be much pleasanter to you, and to your...
7From Abigail Smith Adams to Charles Francis Adams, 12 July 1815 (Adams Papers)
A seperate Letter my dear Child is due to you, not only as a reply, to one which you have written me, for which I thank you! but to assure you; that the improvements you have made, in your hand writing; and composition, have given me great pleasure. and also to congratulate you upon the arrival of your two Brothers in England, towards whom I hope you will find yourself allied, not only by the...
I have received two very pretty Letters from you, with which I have been much pleased, both with the composition, and the hand writing. I should long ago, have written to you if I had known how to have conveyd my Letter to you! I think much about you, and your Mother, Since your Father left you, and more, Since your uncle and Aunt Smith; and your dear little Cousin have all come away I think...
9From Abigail Smith Adams to Charles Francis Adams, 28 March 1816 (Adams Papers)
I must write you a short Letter, least you Should think yourself neglected, as I have written to both your Brothers, and your Grandfather is so much engaged with his Books that he cannot write to any of his Grandsons now. your Mother writes me word, that you have forgotten your Russian & German Languages. you should not forget, what you learn that is valuable. that is the misfortune of old...
10From Abigail Smith Adams to Elizabeth Coombs Adams, 21 October 1810 (Adams Papers)
My Grandaughter The present Mrs. Treadway availed herself of your kind invitation to make you a visit, and her Friend miss Tracy, Sensible of the advantage Young people derive from mixing with those whose example and Manners ornament and improve, whilst they delight and Churm Charm those Susceptable of improvement. I consented to Susan earnest desire of passing a little time from home. her...
11From Abigail Smith Adams to George Washington Adams, 12 July 1815 (Adams Papers)
This is the House that Jack built And this is the curse that lay in the House &c Now George, I hear you Say, what in the world can Grandmother mean by this? why I am so joyfull, that I must Sport a little with you—but to explain, upon the 29th of June, arrived the Ship pacific at N york, from Liverpool 45 days passage and She brought news of the arrival at that place of the New packet from...
12From Abigail Smith Adams to George Washington Adams, 25 May 1812 (Adams Papers)
I thank you my dear George for your Letter. I was glad to learn that you had such an agreable Ride to Atkinson, and that the objects of Nature presented themselves in Such pleasing coulours to you The contemplation of nature, and its history fills the mind with the greatest variety of Ideas, and never brings weariness or disgust, and as an Elegant writer expresses it “The Study of Nature like...
13From Abigail Smith Adams to George Washington Adams, 9 April 1814 (Adams Papers)
I received your importent Letter so clearly exprest that for some time I was not able to define the true meaning of it. with the assistance of cousin Caroline, I finally discovered that you have a peice to speak at the approaching exhibition and that you thought the coat you had, was too short to appear in, and that the piece you had to deliver, would appear much better delivered in a more...
14From Abigail Smith Adams to George Washington Adams, 23 May 1816 (Adams Papers)
with this Letter I inclose to you a list of those Letters which I have received from you, with their numbers and dates. I am sorry to learn that you suffer from ill health. I would have you refrain from the use of the flute, while that is the case. it is very injurious to the Lungs while the Body is weak. You Should rise early; and ride on Horse Back previous to going to your studies. your...
15From Abigail Smith Adams to George Washington Adams, 9 January 1813 (Adams Papers)
I was much pleased with the improvement of in your hand writing. I have had to regret all my Life time the want of that accomplishment. when I was young, I was brought up in a Town where it was at that time, customary for Girls to attend Schools for writing, and female Education was much less attended to than at the present day; indeed it was almost wholy neglected—when you get a little...
16From Abigail Smith Adams to George Washington Adams, 25 January 1813 (Adams Papers)
I received this day a Letter from your father dated 21 Sep’br. it was a Letter different from any which I have before received from him.—it communicated to me, and to you the sorrowfull intelligence of the Death of your dear and only Sister. She was taken Sick in August, and died the 15th of Seb’br with a nervous fever which brought on convulsions your parents are in great affliction as you...
17From Abigail Smith Adams to George Washington Adams, 15 August 1813 (Adams Papers)
It is better to go to the House of mourning than to the House of Feasting, or dancing, for the living lay it to heart. you my dear Children are now calld to the House of mourning and Sorrow, by the death of your dear Aunt Smith and the only daughter of your Grandparents, the only Sister of your Father. your Aunt died last night, to the deep affliction of the whole Family—her pure Spirit I...
18From Abigail Smith Adams to George Washington Adams, 7 August 1815 (Adams Papers)
I have received your Letter written at Sea dated the 1st of May, and was pleased that you had kept your promise of writing to me, and I hope you will continue to inform me of what you see in your Tour, which you have marked out, in your Letter, when you tread upon the ground where Shakespear was born You will naturaly feel a veneration for the Spot, and wish for some spark of his genius. when...
19From Abigail Smith Adams to John Adams, 31 August 1815 (Adams Papers)
knowing what a punctilious young gentleman you are, I would not let your old Captain Bronson Sail again without a Letter to you by mr Charles Dexter You notice your Birth day, and Say you are twelve years old. I do assure you Sir it was celebrated here, not withstanding your absence as usual; with the ringing of Bells publick orations, military parade and social festivals, nor did we forget to...
20From Abigail Smith Adams to John Adams, 10 May 1815 (Adams Papers)
pray how did you succeed with your new commission? I heard you was made Commander-in chief of the Regiment of Poultry, on Board ship—with full powers to deal out their Rations, at your pleasure, and I learnt from a Letter of mr Ticknors two days after you sail’d, that you were well, and studied to his satisfaction. While I am writing this I flatter myself that you have made half your voyage,...
21From Abigail Smith Adams to John Adams, 21 May 1816 (Adams Papers)
I always feel gay, when I take my pen to write to you. it is the recollection of your ardour, your intrepidity your and your Sparkling Eyes, and rosy cheeks which appeard to me the other Night, heightned by your return to your Native State & country which animated your whole frame, when you ran eagerly into the Arms of your Grandmother, which so gratified me, that I regreted when I awoke, and...
22From Abigail Smith Adams to John Adams, 5 January 1812 (Adams Papers)
I hope you have received your mittins, and your Brother his, which Mrs. Foster took a fortnight since and promissed to send to you, but I fear she has not found a conveyance. I am the easier because your Aunt wrote me that she had provided for you. I thank you for your Letter which was so much better written than your Brothers, that I could not keep saying you had learnt more good hand writing...
23From Abigail Smith Adams to John Adams, 28 November 1815 (Adams Papers)
Your Letter of Sep’br th 11 came safe to hand, and I was well pleasd With the account you give me of your pursuits. if you give proper attention to each department of your Studies, You cannot Spend much Idle time.—you have improved in your hand writing, and in your composition. Your Mother writes me that you learn fast. I know that you have a capacity to acquire what ever with dilligence you...
24From Abigail Smith Adams to John Adams, 9 February 1812 (Adams Papers)
I Suppose you will think that Grandmama might have written you a few lines. well you shall not be dissapointed altho I have much writing to do, as vessels are getting ready to go to Russia—Captain Bainbridge arrived from there, this week, and brought Letters. he saw your Father and Mother in october, and he Says in a Letter to your Grandfather incloseing those from your father “Sir your Little...
25From Abigail Smith Adams to John Adams, 8 December 1811 (Adams Papers)
I have not written you a Letter yet, but I promissed you one, and I now have the pleasure of inclosing a Letter from your Brother Charles to you. I had a Letter from your Father dated in Sepbr th 11: the day after your Sister was Baptized. she was call’d Louisa Catharine, the Rev’d Dr Pitt, Chaplain to the English Church in St Petersburgh performed the Service, and mr Harris our Consul there...
26From Abigail Smith Adams to John Adams, 16 January 1814 (Adams Papers)
I thank you for your Letter: and was very glad to hear from you; I was the more gratified to hear from you because I had written to your Brother, and not to you. I thinke George ought to have written. to your inquiries how the Family are, I can give you but a poor account. I have been sicke and confined to my chamber ever since you went away, and your Aunt Adams has been, and still is sicke...
27From Abigail Smith Adams to John Adams, 24 October 1816 (Adams Papers)
I am not conscious that I have been deficient in a return to all the Letters you have written to me, and I now acknowledge your last, july 31st you have had a long vacation—I hope it has not all been Spent in amusement, and dissipation—you knew I used to wish you back to your School; when the vacation was only a fortnight. you sometimes used to think hard of it. you will not think so, when you...
28From Abigail Smith Adams to John Adams, 1 October 1815 (Adams Papers)
I was much pleased to receive your Letter of july 26th and to mark your improvement in your hand writing & in the regularity of your lines; Your Visit to Clapham must have been very delightfull to you: It is a pleasant village. I used to go often there when I resided in London, to visit an American family by the name of Vassel. I should like to know if any Branch of it, are yet living? There...
29From Abigail Smith Adams to John Quincy Adams, 24 September 1813 (Adams Papers)
I endeavour that you should hear from us by writing in every direction, yet when I take my pen my heart sinks, and my hand trembles. my last Letters which were in August were Sent to Halifax by a cartel to be conveyd to England to mr Beasley, and they contain’d such heart rending intelligence that I know not how to repeat it—Bad news has swifter wings than good, I have lost, O what have I not...
30From Abigail Smith Adams to John Quincy Adams, 5 April 1813 (Adams Papers)
I have already written to you, in replie to your Melancholy Letter of Sepbr 20th. and have offer’d to the wounded Bosoms of my dear Children all the consolation which a participation in their Sorrows could impart. “Some feelings are to mortals given with less of earth in them, than heaven And if there be a human tear From passions drop refind and clear A tear So limpid and So meek It would not...