31From 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...
Your Letters from Philadelphia of the 15th and 16th. have come to hand—From the last of them I hope you are by this hour. (6 in the Evening) at New–York. I answered your Letter from Wilmington, by a short one which I hope will overtake you at New–York— Major Grahame from Frederick has been here these three days with Coll. M Pherson a friend of his who wishes to obtain a warrant of Midshipman...
I received your Letters written in the Steam Boat, and that from Philadelphia—The immediate decision of Dr Physick upon the case of your brother, is doubtless the best thing that could have happened, and I hope the operation when effected, will not be so severe as you apprehend—I believe it is usually considered as safe, when skilfully performed, and have known several cases in which it was...
34From John Adams to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 15 February 1823 (Adams Papers)
Thanks for your Journal of the 26th. There is in human nature, a germe of superstition which has cost mankind very dear; And there is another germe, the love of finery, And which has done almost as much harm, And both have been employed with great sagacity by temporal, and spiritual politicians, to debase, degrade and subdue mankind, even with their own consent under the cruel iron rod of...
Last Evening I received your’s of the 14th: which makes me anxious to hear from you again—Your sore throat and George’s cough will keep me upon thorns untill I hear better tidings of you—I am perhaps the more susceptible on this subject from the heavy calamity so recently befallen the family here.—It is vain to lament or to anticipate—and would be vain to attempt expressing what I feel. The...
36From John Adams to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 17 May 1821 (Adams Papers)
Last night I received and read your lovely Letter of the 11th: As the three Cantabridgeans were here—they and I and all the family Uncle Aunt and Cousins all enjoyed the Luxury of it at Supper. It made a great impression on all of Us, especially upon George who with great dignity enjoined it upon his Brothers to lay the contents of it to heart. We all rejoice in the hope of seeing you in July...
I hasten to acknowledge the receipt of the letter you did me the honor to write me from Riga, dated the 5th. inst. from R o.S. and I rejoice to learn by it that your journey to that place has been both expeditious & made without difficulty or accident. I shall not fail to inform Mr de Kazadaedeff, as you have requested, of the high Sense you have of the attentions his orders procured you on...
Your Letter of Jan’ry 6 I received last Evening. your Children are very well, and very well taken care of. so do not give yourself any anxious solisitude about them. I believe they are much better off than they could have been at any boarding House in washington, where they must have been confined in some degree; or have mixd with improper persons; with respect to John, the Child enjoys...
Your journal of the 24th. and 25th. has been received—The complaint of cold, and the want of winter Clothes, almost makes me stare; though even here we have had two or three more moderate days— I give you an extract of a Letter which I have this morning from my father— “If you cannot come on yourself, I wish Mrs Adams would, and bring with her, her Brother Johnson.—The air of Quincy Sea, and...
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...
41From John Adams to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 6 March 1823 (Adams Papers)
As I consider y’r ladyship as always imprison’d during a session of Congress I congratulate you upon y’r jail delivery by their rise they have not been very angry during this session consequently not very entertaining—our two sons arrived here in good health & spirits at the proper season and a furious snow wh’ blocked up all the roads detain’d them here for three or four days and enliven’d my...
All your journals have been duly received, and I should not have failed writing to you for the exception which absorbs all my leisure—When I first began the remarks upon Jonathan’s duplicata , I told you it was to me an affair of more than life and death, and so it is still—The plot has been seven years hatching, and its whole history has not yet been told. Your advice to treat all...
Instead of four 5 dollar bills, I enclose you a draft, payable to your order , on a Bank in Philadelphia—I am a little shy of entrusting to the Mail Bank Bills payable to the bearer —for they are more apt than all others to make themselves wings and fly away—A draft which will not be paid without your endorsement is safer. We have had a little, but very little rain, and it comes too late to...
Altho I have not the pleasure to acknowledg any Letter from you of a more recent date, than one by mr Forbes of Sep’ber last, which I only received a few days since, I will thank you for that, and am happy that I can congratulate you, upon a change in the aspect of our National affairs since that date, when they appeard to us in America; in not much less of a gloomy cast than to you in St...
The latest letter I have from you is dated the 14th: when you were very unwell with a sore throat and George with a very bad cough—I wait every Evening with the hope of a line from you of a more cheering nature —not unmingled with an apprehension of having in its stead, addition of anxiety—My hopes and my fears must be postponed from day to day and the state of Suspense still hangs over me....
46From John Adams to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 15 November 1821 (Adams Papers)
I have to thank you for two amiable letters—the last is of too great importance for me to answer, to your satisfaction, or my own—I am myself too much under the influence of prejudices to have ever, have, reproached you seriously with yours. —As long as association of ideas and feelings and the consequent power of habit shall be a constituent part of the constitution of human nature; so long...
I have as little faith in presentiments as yourself—but the anxiety which I have felt for this whole week on your account has been such, that on receiving this morning your two letters of the 19th: and 21st:—I opened them with a trembling hand and heart—I lay this morning an hour before day-light, torturing myself with the fancy that some calamity of fire had befallen you or the children; and...
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...
49From John Adams to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 3 March 1820 (Adams Papers)
Mr Henry Warren, a Son of your late friend Dr John Warren—and a young lawyer of promising hopes is a bout to travel to Washington—and will have the honour to deliver you this letter—I hope you will receive him with the utmost cordiality, for his Name and Blood are very dear to me The last news we have from your Sons—was their visit to Mr Boyleston last Saturday—In fine health and Spirits—to...
I have received since I wrote you last two letters from you but cannot learn directly from either of them whether you had received my number 1. Yesterday the National birth day was kept here in small style. It rained great part of the day and yet the heat was melting—At the Capitol Dr Watkins read the Declaration, and Mr Hawley made a prayer. The dinner at Strothers was thinly attended but the...
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...
I received yesterday your letter of the 15th: and this morning that of the 17th: enclosing in the former a letter from to your Mamma, and in the latter, one to Mrs: Boyd—We are now at the last days of the Session, and you know how much we are oppress’d with public business at such times—This will give you my excuse for the shortness of this letter—It is not yet certain whether the members of...
From your letter of the 20th: which I have just received, I am in doubt whether even this letter will not reach New-York, too late to meet you—I wrote you last Thursday a letter directed to Washington enclosing one hundred Dollars for defraying the expences of your Journey—I hope you have left such directions, that the letter will be transmitted safely to you— The house which I expected to...
I have just received your letter of 24. Decr: and lament that the expression of my anxiety to hear from you should in any respect have been understood by you as implying any idea of complaint as if you had been negligent in writing—I never had such intention, and have always been convinced of your attention in writing regularly. It gives me great pain to find by your letter that your health &...
55From John Adams to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 29 November 1819 (Adams Papers)
one week more will effectually relieve you from your ennui which perhaps may be succeeded by fatigues more difficult to bear—if not more dangerous to Health— Kings of England when they have wished to carry some great point with Parliament, have informed that Assembly that the Eyes of all Europe were upon them it—and it may be safely said that the eyes of all Europe, and of all America North...
56From John Adams to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 25 December 1822 (Adams Papers)
Your Journal beginning the third of the month has given me great pleasure. You are much to be envied and much to be pitied; such a variety of good Company is very desirable, but so much cerimoney and such fatigues must be rather burdensome.— We have received this morning the annunciation of Mr. Clays “GREAT UNKNOWN VOLUME OF GHENTISH HISTORY ” It will appear I presume at least as soon as the...
57From John Adams to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 17 June 1820 (Adams Papers)
I have received your journal to the third of June—which is entertaining and Instructing as usual— We have reports in circulation here that many Mr Randolph or Roanoke is in a state of insanity—and many say he is confined—I wish to know the truth—for although Mr Randolph has appeared through his whole public life to be possessed of a Demoniacal Spirit of Malice and Vengence without cause...
My project of coming from Washington to this place, by the way of Annapolis was disappointed, by the badness of the roads, which prevented the arrival of the Stage from Annapolis in Season for us to take it the 4th:—so I took my passage on the usual way to Baltimore, Thursday and arrived here by the new line of Packets last Evening—To-morrow, I shall pursue my journey to New-York, where I...
59From John Adams to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 13 March 1820 (Adams Papers)
If Nature in scattering her bounties had bestowed upon me the genius of a Poet or a Painter I would entertain you with a description of a scene of sublimity, beauty, and novelty, such as eighty four winters never before presented to my sight: when I arose in the morning, the Sun was rising, the heavens were not of Brass but the Sky was a vast concave of clear blue marble and the earth was of...
I have received your Letters of the 9th and 10th. and am able now only to ask you not to be disappointed if I should not reach Dedham next Saturday as I have proposed. The day before yesterday I was obliged to send an Express to the President, who is at Shannondale Springs—His answer might have obliged me to put off my visit to the North entirely—The Express has just returned—I cannot start...