I mentiond to mr D. Greenleaf the money which was to have been Sent to the Young Cranchs for their use. he Said he had found a minut of it in mr Cranch’s Books and that he had written to Judge Cranch respecting it, and that he waited for his direction, respecting which he expected soon to receive— My Love to cousin Abbe. tell her the more She writes, the better She will love it—and that She...
I had got comfortably through the cold of the winter, but the chilling winds of March have laid me up in April. I was threatend with a Setled fever last week, which has reduced me in a few days quite low. the dr gives me hopes that he has broken it up with opium & calomil pills—and saline . I feel relieved both in my head and Limbs—and am now able to write, which I was not last week. I did...
Your Letter of August 25th I received, and have felt very anxious for you and your family ever since. this is the first Day since, that I have been able to take my pen and tell you so, The damp wet close dog day weather always unhinges my frame and debilitates me not a little. It brings on complaints to which for several years I have been Subject, and which I cannot expect Age to cure or...
My daily care and visits for a fortnight past have been to the sick and dyeing Bed of our good old Domestic Pheby—and my anxiety for her when I am absent, least she should not be sufficiently attended to, makes me frequently wish I had her under my own Roof. Mrs Greenleaf is my Second in all my cares. She amply Supplies the place of our dear sister as far as means will permit. Mrs Adamss...
I took a ride to Weymouth on Tuesday, and carried the letter received from Atkinson to the Dr., in return he gave me the one encolsed. I found him in better health and spirits than for some time past; but old age gallops upon us with rapid strides, and a small indisposition takes us down without the youthful powers of renovation, we are soon laid prostrate. This I see in my dear partner and...
We have lost an excellent Neighbour and Friend in the death of Mr Black, for more than a Year he has Sufferd great bodily disease but for the last Month, a fever in concequence of his other complaints Seizd upon him, and put a period to his days—he was patient and resignd, and like a good Man who has better hopes beyond the grave, Cheerfull and pleasant to his last tour . Thus have two of my...
How have your Lungs borne this severe cold weather? mine have hitherto sustaind it better than the last winter, but we have advanced only a little way yet. The Barn is compleated and the accounts all payed, the amount 920 Dollars. 4ct. there is some timber & stuff amounting to about 15 dollars included in the amount which is thought best to leave for repairs to the old Barn Mr Foster had some...
I ought to have written to you before this day and have informed you of my Safe return home. benefitid by my excursion—on fryday I left Haverhill and went on to Newbury port, where I was kindly received and hospitably entertaind by mrs Coombs and family: my cold became less troublesome, and on Saturday morning we Sat our faces homeward. the morning was cloudy, and warm. we proceeded Slowly,...
I received your Letter written upon the Birth-day of my only daughter, and memorable to me for that occasion, as well as the Eleventh of the Same Month upon which was Born J Q Adams, and a Sister whom I lost, and whom no doubt you recollect from the circumstances attending it, for you were with me. so much for Egotism. now I will replie to your queries. in the first place, I have the pleasure...
your Letter of july 26th has lain by me unanswerd untill now. your own mind will easily suggest to you the multiplied cares and anxieties through which I have passt since that date and plead my excuse.— the destination of my dear son and family to a foreign country, at this period of the lives, of both his Father and Mother has been a trial to us of the most a most painfull & tender kind we...
11From Abigail Smith Adams to Elizabeth Smith Shaw Peabody, 5 May 1813 (Adams Papers)
I have made up packets of Letters for this mornings post, to Wiscasset, to N york, to the Valley & to Philadelphia. You will readily suppose that I am weary no I really am, tho correspondence of Harriot welch to Caroline & hers to Harriot all pass through my hands—She is now with mrs Bailey, and Yesterday brought a large packet from William Smith to his Mother Brother and Sister, all of which...
12Abigail Adams to Elizabeth Smith Shaw Peabody, 12 August 1797 (Adams Papers)
I arrived here this day week, but have been so constantly occupied in seeing company that I have not had time to write a single Line. I received your Letter which I suppose had been on to Philadelphia, on fryday last, in the full Faith that mr Peabody & you would comply with our request. I took the Children, and brought them with me. John is somewhat indisposed with a return of his Ague— I...
13Abigail Adams to Elizabeth Smith Shaw Peabody, 14 May 1799 (Adams Papers)
I am much mortified and dissapointed that I cannot have the pleasure which I anticipated of visiting you with the Chilrdren on their Return to Atkinson. I was threatned last week with a return of the complaint under which I labourd last summer; but I was in hopes it would go of, and that a Ride would serve me but I have not found it so. my things were all put up yesterday to sit out, but I am...
14Abigail Adams to Elizabeth Smith Shaw Peabody, 2 June 1798 (Adams Papers)
Judge Blodget is here again, and offers to take Letters to you. he says he call’d and that you was not at home, nor My Dear Cousin Betsy for whose Health I feel not a little anxious— how is she? has she a fever? has she a cough? would not a journey serve her? has she been bled? I hear from you but seldom. You would write oftner if you was a little more careless. I mean if you did not attend so...
15Abigail Adams to Elizabeth Smith Shaw, 17 September 1783 (Adams Papers)
It will not be in my power to get Beaf. Bisquit I can procure, I shall prepaire a dinner here and stop all our Boston Friends with me, in order to save you as much trouble as I can. Cannot you get mourning clothes made at the drs Dr. Cotton Tufts . Sister Cranch sent for 15 yds possibly she may spair some. You had better take what black Gauze you want for the family at the drs. I think it...
16John Quincy Adams to Elizabeth Smith Shaw, 29 March 1786 (Adams Papers)
I should, certainly have written before this, at least to show how gratefull a Sense, I retain, of the numerous obligations, I was under both to my Uncle, and Aunt, while I was at Haverhill. But what with going to Braintree, and what with having been since I ca me here, much more closely engaged, than I shall be for the future, my in tention till now has failed. About 10 this morning, the man...
We availed ourselves of the good Sleighing to visit our friends here, and it would have given us much pleasure to extend our ride to Atkinson, but as we can allow ourselves only this day, in Town we must deny ourselves the gratification of a personal interview. My wife & two of our children came with me from Quincy yesterday, in a Single Sleigh; we left our friends in usual health, and we...
18Abigail Adams to Elizabeth Smith Shaw Peabody, 19 May 1801 (Adams Papers)
This will be deliverd to you by the children who leave me this day. I hope they will return to their Studies with undiminishd zeal, they have had three months dissipation, in which I hope they have not acquired any ill habits, but close application will be necessary for them to retrieve the past time. William if he chuses may be fitted for colledge by the next july twelvemonths and it is the...
I recieved your Letter by the last Mail inclosing one for your daughter, who left me last week, to our great regreet. I expostulate with her for making her visit So short She Said She had been five weeks with us. I could Scarcly credit it, untill I looked back, and then So many events had during that period rapidly Succeeded each other, that I had not calculated how the time had passed It was...
I realy ought to have written to you and have inclosed the few Lines to Cousin Abbe which were Sent me from Boston for her. now what excuse shall I make? why really I have not any. Yet I believe I will hunt up one. I remember that I could not agree with you in your politic’s you seem to have imbibed an undue prejudice against the chief Majistrate from the papers Stiled Federal. now I will tell...
your Letter of Feb’ry 15th, lies yet unacknowledged My Spirits have been in a whirl, the intelligence from new orleans, of the total defeat of the British forces, with the circumstance of Such Slaughter amongst the assailants, and Such unheard of protection of our Troops, ought Surely, by every Moral and Religious people, to be asscribed unto that Being, unto whom we pray, to “teach our hands...
Yesterdays post brought us heavey tydings tidings from Philadelphia. our Friend, our Physician, the constant and weekly correspondent of my Husband is no more; the Learned the accomplished, the Benevolent Rush is gone; I cannot describe how heavily this loss falls upon us in our old Age. it is like severing a Limb from the Body. upon the 10th of this Month the president received a Letter full...
I this day received your kind Letter of the 17th. I know not any thing which would give me more pleasure than accepting your kind invitation. I had anticipated the pleasure of making you a visit this Spring, with the hope of improveing my Health, and invigorating my Spirits by the hospitable greetings of my dear Sister and Friends. I had find upon this month, but have had a Series of Sickness...
A very droll accident happend to the inclosed Letter, as you will See by the address; I wrote two Letters yesterday, one to you, and one to the Select Men of the Town of Quincy in behalf of a poor woman who I thought Stood in need of assistance. the Letters were folded, and being call’d Suddenly down Stairs, I handed the wrong Letter to Susan desiring her to address it, the Letter was Sent...
I was unable to replie to my dear Sisters Letter of May 19th when I received it, being visited by St Anthony, who scourged me most cruelly. I am sure I wished well to the Spanish patriots in their late Struggle for Liberty, and I bore no ill will to those whose tutular saint thus unprovoked beset me. I wish he had been preaching to the fishes who according to tradition have been his hearers ,...
I received your Letters by the Mail of yesterday, and by the return of it to day I write to give you all the information I have been able to collect, respecting your Son Mr George Black has lodgings near him and is frequently at Quincy. I got him to call and bring me word respecting him. my last account was on Monday, 2 days since. he was then getting better; tho not able to go out. the...
If I had written to you my dear sister half as often as I have thought of you and contemplated writing, you would have had a Letter by every Mail for these two months: I have to acknowledge the receipt of two kind Letters from you since I have made you any return the last bearing date May 29th, which came last week to hand, and to which I should have replied yesterday by a young Man who lives...
Not having Wholy dissolved by the intense heat of the last week, I am enabled from a change of the weather to take my pen, in lieu of my fan, and to ask you how much of you is left? when I Saw how much you sufferd the Saturday I left you in Boston from the heat, I was not a little anxious for you the last week: when it was 20 degrees hotter. I know not whether for four days together, I ever...
Truly my dear sister I blush and am asshamed that I have not written to you in replie to your Several kind Letters; I will not hunt for excuses, or pretend the extreem heat of the weather prevented, altho it was so oppressive that I could not do any thing but fan and pant. I have repeatedly said well I must write this day. abbe have you written—No Mam why have you not, you have leisure? “I do...
It looks like a want of those gratefull feelings which I am sure are inmates of my Heart, that three weeks have elapsed since I left my dear sister, and her Hospitable Mansion, and I have not written her a line to tell her that I was highly gratified with my ride and visit; that my Health and that of Louisas was much benifited by it, and that I have wanted to hear directly from my dear Neice,...