41From 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...
44From 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...
45From 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...
46From 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...
47From 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...
48From 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...
54From 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...
55From 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...
59From 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...
60From 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...
I have been hoping every day since since I got home, that I should have more leisure tomorrow , for writing—But every day brings something to mind, company, & Care—& I am determined not to wait another moment, but immediately let you know that we set out for home, the Friday after I left Quincy, & arrived at Atkinson monday Eve—The Vacation was ended, & I knew I was much wanted in my family—Mr...
An occasion now offering to write you I sieze it with the utmost pleasure to inform you of our health which has hitherto withstood the severe shocks of a Russian Winter—I wish I could inform you of our comfortable establishment but I much fear that is fa r ther of than ever and we must submit to all the disagreeables of a Russian Hotel which are indescribable you can form no idea of the morals...
64From Mercy Otis Warren to Abigail Smith Adams, 9 January 1810 (Adams Papers)
I never received a Letter from my dear Mrs. Adams but that an emotion was awakened which is not felt in every epistolary intercourse.—When I saw her signature under date of Decr. 31st: my heart glowed with the same affection which had long been cherished in my bosom, towards one I had loved and placed confidence in, without a suspicion, that the regard was not mutual.— You assure me that there...
Le Commandr. de Maisonneuve a l’honneur d’annoncer à Madame Adams qu’elle est inviteé au Bal de Sa Majesté l’Impératrice Mère, demain 13. Janvier, à 7. heures du soir. Il saisit cette occasion de présenter à Madame Adams l’hommage de son profond respect. MHi : Adams Papers.
66From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 8 February 1810 (Adams Papers)
The Sunday before we embarked for this place, my excellent friend and Pastor Emerson, delivered in his pulpit a discourse upon the pleasing and not improbable doctrine of a guardian Angel, which Christians have often supposed to be assigned to every individual, to watch over him and as far as is consistent with the general designs of Providence to guide his conduct, and to preserve him from...
I scarcely know when was the last time that I wrote to my Dear Sister, but this I can fully assure you that I have been every Day thinking of you, & yours, & wishing to communicate some of my thoughts to her, who is ever affectionately interested for her Friends; but so many things have intervened, to prevent my writing, that one day after another, has almost imperceptably passed away, “like a...
A Day since I saw Mrs Harrod & she informed me that you had thoughts of making us a visit, & to take your Daughter Adams, Abigail, Elizabeth, & Thomas, in the Carriage with you—Will not the President do us the favour of a visit—Mr Peabody & I, both wish we had anything in this Town to render it more agreeable—When I lived in Haverhill, we could have company to amuse him more congenial to his...
The River being open at length, and the Vessels preparing for their departure, I sieze the earliest opportunity of writing, to assure you that the family are generally well, and that we have all excepting Mr Gray, suffer’d very little considering the length and severity of this tedious Winter.— I wish my dear Madam I could write any thing that would amuse you, but our lives are so uniformly...
Your very kind and welcome letter arrived yesterday and completely reanimated my frame which was almost congeal’d by the intense cold of these frozen regions it is now June and only the day before yesterday we had a Snow storm I verily believe my dear Mother had not the electric shock which the very unexpected good news your ever watchful kindness sent me us to cheer our painful exile from...