31From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 9 August 1806 (Adams Papers)
I left Cambridge yesterday, after having finished my weekly performance, to come here and meet my wife whom I expect hourly here—I received this morning letters from her, dated one at Philadelphia 30. July—and one at New-York 3. August—She was with my Sister, who was well and in good Spirits—She intended to stay over Commencement which was last Wednesday, and then come on as soon as possible—I...
Last week I went to Newburyport to accompany Capt Peabody, when I returned a Letter from my Sister Cranch was handed me, which announced the joyful tidings of the birth of your Grandchild—Most sincerely I congratulate you, & the Parents, who by this circumstance I suppose, are made completely happy—I long to clasp my dear Thomas & Nancys little Bantling to my bosom, I hope it will live, and be...
33From Mercy Otis Warren to Abigail Smith Adams, 28 December 1806 (Adams Papers)
It is a long time since I have had a line from a friend who for many years I have cordially loved, and have been grieved that in so many of them, the intercourse has been seldom.—It is true I have by me an excellent letter of yours which has lain too long unanswered;—but the great debility which has long afflicted my eyes has & still deprives me of the use of my own pen, nor is it easy to...
34From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 3 February 1807 (Adams Papers)
I have hardly been able to reconcile it to my own conscience for some weeks that so much time had elapsed since the Commencement of this Session, and that I had not written directly to you—The occasion of my silence has been explained in my letters to my father and my brother, which you have certainly seen—Your favour of 16. Jany: has been these ten days in my possession, but this is the first...
35From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 13 February 1807 (Adams Papers)
I have received your kind letter of January; and shall particularly attend to your directions at Philadelphia, respecting the flour—It is at present my intention to leave this place the 4th: of next month; but the winter and the roads are now breaking up; so that I know not whether the roads will at that time be passable The termination of this Congress will leave our public affairs in a...
It is a long time my Dear Sister, since I have written to you; but I consider it a priviledge that we can think of our Friends, animate our Souls by a view of their useful lives, & refresh ourselves by a retrospect of past scenes, when we cannot find one leisure moment to visit them, or impress our Ideas upon paper.— Ever since Thansgiving we have had one, or other of our Family sick in bed,...
37From Hannah Phillips Cushing to Abigail Smith Adams, 25 April 1807 (Adams Papers)
If my hands could have obeyed the dictates of my heart I should have written to you long before this. But I have been constantly nursing my poor sick Husband, who has been confined to his room for 82 days. I never knew him enjoy better health than he did from July to the last of Jany. He attended Court Feby. 2nd., called on the President, & that night was taken with a Remitent Fever, & sore...
38From Mercy Otis Warren to Abigail Smith Adams, 11 July 1807 (Adams Papers)
Though your last Letter was not immediately answered, I offer no apology but my own frequent infirmity. It was, my dear Mrs Adams, a very pleasant circumstance to me, to receive an account from your own hand, of your appreciated health, nor did I find in your late letter, any marks of the shattered condition of your head, of which you complain.—Indeed, I think the bough that bends to the gale,...
39From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 27 October 1807 (Adams Papers)
I wrote a line to my father, from New-York, enclosing a letter for Mr: Shaw, and informing you of our safe arrival thus far, upon our Journey.—We stopp’d at New-York two days, and then proceeded with as much expedition as we found practicable, untill we reached Baltimore. We stopp’d only one Night at Philadelphia, and had no opportunity to visit any of our acquaintance there—We came on in the...
40From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 4 November 1807 (Adams Papers)
Last Evening I had the pleasure of receiving your favour of 25th: ulto: which contained the first information we had received from you or from our children since we left Boston—and for which we began to be very anxious. I am glad to hear that George is so well satisfied with his situation and promises so well—If the french Gentleman will allow him to chatter with him according to his own...
Your very kind letter has eased my heart of a load of anxiety, on account of our dear George, whose health appear’d to me to be in a very indifferent state. and I could not have quitted him with any satisfaction, had I not placed him under your protection. recieve my dear Madam our united thanks for your extreme kindness in taking him to Atkinson which journey I sincerely hope proved...
I have delay’d answering your very kind letter owing to my Baby’s having been very seriously sick and requiring all my attention during a fortnight. He is now entirely recover’d and has two teeth— I much fear it will be a long time before I shall be permitted to see you as every thing appears to be in such a state of confusion and hostility that it is impossible to form any idea of the time...
43From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 24 February 1808 (Adams Papers)
I have just received your affectionate letter of the 15th:— and do not a moment delay to answer your question— I did attend the meeting of members at the Capitol on the 23d: of last Month— but not without invitation— I received the same invitation, which was given to the other members— And besides that I was also personally urged to attend, by another member of the Senate— I did not attend...
44From Hannah Phillips Cushing to Abigail Smith Adams, 17 March 1808 (Adams Papers)
We were blessed with fine weather & roads from Providence to Phila., where we staid a fortnight; & from thence here as good as usual in Jany. My Husbands health daily increasing, & my own entirely restored from the anxious & destressing winter, & summer, I had just passed through, also having heard as late as the 26th. Novr of the welfare of our dear Relatives at New Orleans, my spirits were...
45From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 20 April 1808 (Adams Papers)
My wife received a few days since a letter from you, and I had the happiness of receiving one also from you, yesterday or the day before—In the former there seems to be an intimation that on our part, we had not been so punctual in our correspondence with you, as our duty and affection justly requires—My wife had written you not long before—As for myself I have not indeed written you so often...
46From Elizabeth Smith Shaw Peabody to Abigail Smith Adams, 9 May 1808 (Adams Papers)
Last Wednesday Miss Livermore was conducted by her Brother, from this House, as far as Haverhill, accompanied by Mr Eliot, for she told her Brother she would not ride with him , he looked so plaugy homely, & cross—Mr Eliot should go with her, certainly as far as Haverhill where they would stop one night, for she was not able to go further—The next day was fine weather & Dr Clapp was good...
47From Hannah Phillips Cushing to Abigail Smith Adams, 11 May 1808 (Adams Papers)
I had the happiness of receiving your excellent letter at Middleton, for which my heart is alive to gratitude. My dear Connexions were thankful for your kind rememberance of them. We returned home last week, & expect to set out for Portsmouth next Mony, when we hope to have the satisfaction of passing some social hours at Your Mansion. Excuse the brevity of this my Dear Friend, as many cares...
I received your kind letter, with the sum enclosed for Mr Little. Butter has, since yours was engaged, fallen to fifteen Cents pr pd—but we have had none yet, under a shilling—It is very mortifying to the Farmers to bring their produce so many miles, & have to take a quarter less than they expected—An high price, has for many years sweetened their Labour—& their heavy toils have been lightend,...
Mr Lion and his intended I suppose so , as the modern phrase is, called here last Wednesday—I was very glad to see any one from your house, that could give me any information of my Dear Sisters health & welfare—I told Mary, she I fancied, was going to add one more pair to the Nuptial Circle of your Dometicks—She with down cast smiling simpers, blushed the Affirmative— She talked as if she...
You my beloved Sisters, whose time is ever filled , with the various duties of Life, can more readily pardon me, for not sooner acquainting you how, & when I got home—Leaving a large family only for a few weeks, makes domestic Cares press hard, & my Boarders Cloatths got very much out of repair, in my absence, & the cold season, & thanksgiving advancing, made new, highly necessary, so that no...
I had anticipated a visit from Mrs Adams, & both her Children, for a few days at least, when she came to Haverhill, & we regretted very much that it was not in our power to send for them, or to visit her while there—Abby, & I, both went down a monday, and had the mortification to find she went to Boston the Saturday before—Mr Peabody was absent the whole of your Thansgiving week, & I could not...
To tell you that I am exceedingly grieved , to hear that you have been very sick, would be to inform you, of what I am sure you already know. For, when three Sisters love each other, with such sincere affection, the One, does not experience Sorrow, Pain, or affliction of any kind, but the Others Heart wishes to relieve, & vibrates in tender Unison. Like a well organized musical Instrument, one...
53From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 8 March 1809 (Adams Papers)
I had heard of your illness with extreme concern, from my wife, and also through Mr: Cranch and Mrs. Quincy—The sight of your hand-writing again, has given me the purest joy, though allayed by the evident weakness in which you wrote—I believe there is in the sentence I have just written there is something which might be called a bull —But my feelings both of pleasure and pain at the idea of...
54From Richard Cranch to Abigail Smith Adams, 23 March 1809 (Adams Papers)
Agreeably to your request I have been recollecting some particulars respecting the antient and honourable family of Quincy (from which you are descended) that I have met with in reading or that my long acquaintance with the family have brought to my knowledge. It appears from antient historians, particularly from Mathew Paris, who flourished in the thirteenth century, that Robert De Quincy...
It would be impossible for me to tell you how disappointed, grieved, vexed, & everything, I was, when Mr Peabody returned from Andover a Friday Eve, & told me Mrs Adams was to return the next day home—If I had been the least apt to shed tears, I am sure they would fallen in plenty—For to have conversed with her, would have been next to having seen you my dear Sister,—I had many questions to...
By last Friday mail, I received your very excellent Letter, wherein you observe, it was thought a journey might be of service to your health, I have not time now to make any remarks, only upon this part of your Letter, & warmly would second the motion, & would wish you to set off immediately, without stoping to adjust every preliminary —For if you do, you will see, I fear so many Lions, in the...
I am rejoiced to hear that you, & my niece got home safe. Such little excursions are really advantageous to our Health—We require some relief from the same round of cares, & objects. Though I have often found myself fatigued at the time, yet the Friendship & cordiality of my Friends, has proved the balm of Life, & very beneficial to my health & spirits— To your kind enquiries after my Abbys...
58From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 9 August 1809 (Adams Papers)
Often as it has been my fortune in the course of my life, to be parted from my Parents, and dearest friends, as well as from my Country, upon no occasion has the separation been so painful, as at the present time—When my wife and Catherine went out to Quincy the Thursday before we sailed, had even the time permitted, I know not whether I could have prevailed upon my feelings, to go and repeat...
59From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 21 October 1809 (Adams Papers)
The seventy-ninth day since our departure from Boston, and not yet in Petersburg—But we are on land, within twenty miles of it, and at the end of our voyage in the ship Horace.—We have indeed had a very long passage, and it has not been without its interesting incidents, had I but the time of narrating them—But to you as well as to us, the most interesting of them is, that we are all, thanks...
At length my dear Madam we have arrived in this splendid City and find ourselves plunged into the midst of difficulties, and expences from which nothing but a return to our own Country can extricate us, unless the American Government will double the present appointments, which I am almost certain will never take place— Mr Adams has not yet been presented owing to the indisposition of the...