1Abigail Adams to John Cranch, 7 March 1787 (Adams Papers)
your obliging Letter of November 7 th. came safe to hand, as well as a couple of Hares since Received, for which accept my acknowledgments: I was happy to find that the Books I sent were acceptable to you, tho they painted some of your Countrymen in very black coulours; and one cannot refrain from being affected by the disgraces brought upon their Country from the evil conduct of it’s Members,...
2Abigail Adams to Mary Smith Cranch, 8 March 1787 (Adams Papers)
It was not untill yesterday that captain Callihan brought us the bundle containing Newspapers and some Letters, one from my Neice, but none from you tho you refer to a former one in that which I acknowledg’d the recept of by captain Barnard, the New york packet arrived in 18 days passage & mr Adams received Letters to the 10 of Feb ry & a Boston paper of the 5th by which we have an account of...
3Abigail Adams to Elizabeth Smith Shaw, 10 March 1787 (Adams Papers)
Tho I have already acknowledged all your Letters, I will not let captain Scoet sail without a few lines from me, I had not time to write you by Barnard, but Cushing had Letters for you I write now to inform you, that the more quarrelsome and turbulent you grow, the more anxious I am to be with you, not that I think it pleasent fishing in troubled waters, but because immagination paints higher...
4Abigail Adams to Cotton Tufts, 10 March 1787 (Adams Papers)
your Letters by Captain Callihan did not come to hand untill the 7 th ult. and I embrace the earliest opportunity of writing you. in yours you mention the account forwarded by you last fall, which was duly received, and I thought it had been acknowledged; I sometimes leave these matters in hopes mr Adams will notice them, but he is too much engaged in publick affairs, to attend at all, to his...
5Abigail Adams to Isaac Smith Sr., 12 March 1787 (Adams Papers)
I have sent by Captain Scott the Books you wrote for, and if there is any thing else in which I can serve either you or my cousins, I shall be happy to do it— it is with much pleasure I learn that my cousin W.S. is like to be so pleasingly connected, and with a family to whom both you, & my Late parent, were much attached by a long accquaintance, and established Friendship. Educated under...
6Abigail Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 15 March 1787 (Adams Papers)
I would not omit writing you, because you seem to think you have been agrieved. I do not recollect what I wrote you, but I have Some Idea, that it was an enumeration of the various accidents you had met with, and advising you to more care and attention in future. I had no occasion to chide you for want of application to your studies, because your uncles your Aunts & your Brothers had been...
7Abigail Adams to John Quincy Adams, 20 March 1787 (Adams Papers)
I have procured the Books for you, and Captain Folger not sailing quite so soon as I expected, I have sent them to mr Boylstones Store requesting him to send them for me. I think it would be worth while to inquire at the post office in Boston with regard to the other Books which were put into the Bag with the Letters, & must have gone to the post office, or have been taking out, before they...
8Mary Rutledge Smith to Abigail Adams, 12 April 1787 (Adams Papers)
I have the happiness to inform you that we are again settled, in Charleston, we had a Passage of seven weeks, it was as you may suppose, disagreeable, it blew a heavy gale for ten days, & the patience of every person on Board, was exhausted, except our little Boy, who is both, by Sea, & Land, an excellent traveller. When we left London, you intended a visit to Bath, I hope nothing happened to...
9Mary Smith Cranch to Abigail Adams, 22 April and 20 May 1787 (Adams Papers)
Captain Cushing arriv’d last Monday after a tedious Passage It was so long since I receiv’d any Letters from you that I began to be very impatient. Cousin JQA had one in the winter but I have only heard of it. he forgot that I should want to see it & so did not bring it with him this vacancy your sons are now all of them with me. cousin JQA return’d last evening from an excurtion. I perswaided...
10John Brown Cutting to Abigail Adams, 25 April 1787 (Adams Papers)
It may perhaps afford you satisfaction to learn that M r Adams and his secretary pro tempore arrived at the Crown Inn within the ramparts of this naval arsenal last evening before eight, after a journey as pleasant as coud be expected considering the unverdant aspect of far the greater portion of the country through which we travel’d. To speak candidly (excepting the farm at Cobham) I never...
11Abigail Adams to Lucy Cranch, 26 April 1787 (Adams Papers)
I write you a few lines my dear Lucy to thank you for your kind Letter, and to inform you that I am a Grandmamma ! my Grandson be sure is a fine Boy, & I already feel as fond of him as if he was my own son, nay I can hardly persuade myself that he is not, especially as I have been sick for six weeks, I cannot however Nurse him so well as his mamma, who is already so fond of him, that I...
12William Stephens Smith to Abigail Adams Smith, 26 April 1787 (Adams Papers)
I dare say, my friend, when you receive this, you will think I have moved with great rapidity. There have but two things occurred on the road which are worth mentioning; the one is my having met Mr. Rucker; we stopped, jumped out of our carriages, I into the dust, and he out of it; he had a great coat on, and his beard he brought from Paris with him; I wonder how it passed the custom-house...
13Abigail Adams to Mary Smith Cranch, 28 April 1787 (Adams Papers)
I have now to acknowledge your kind favour of April 7th by Captain Folger— I have already written to my Neices and informed them of the addition to my family— you will rejoice with me that an event which as a parent so nearly concernd me, is so happily over, and that the mother and Child are both finely. indeed I never saw a healthier Lad in my life. he has not even had those complaints...
14Abigail Adams to Cotton Tufts, 29 April 1787 (Adams Papers)
yours of Febry 6th did not reach me untill Folger had saild. I take the first opportunity to write you respecting the vermont land. I thought I had conversd with you upon it before I left America and related all the circumstances relative to it, you know I suppose that no person could hold more than one Right in their own Name. mr Adams’s Name stands upon the Grant as an original proprieter of...
15Abigail Adams to Elizabeth Smith Shaw, 2 May 1787 (Adams Papers)
mr Blodget is going passenger in Captain Callihan and has offerd to take a Letter to you, who are his great favorite. he will be able to tell you that he has seen my little Grandson who was, not the first, but the 2d of April Born. we had him brought down on purpose that mr Blodget might report to you, that he is a fine Boy. His Mamma is as well as persons usually are she dinned below the day...
16Abigail Adams to John Quincy Adams, 6 May 1787 (Adams Papers)
I would not omit writing you by captain Callihan, as your sister is unable to perform that office herself. I know you will be anxious to hear from us, and in particular from her. Learn then my dear son that you became an uncle on the 2d day of April & that your Nephew is as fine a Boy for a month old as ever I saw. he has the Brow of his Grandpappa & the Shape & form of his Father. This will...
17Abigail Adams to Richard Cranch, 10 May 1787 (Adams Papers)
Inclosed Sir I send you the Review of the defence of the American constitution, which if you please you may have published in the Boston papers, and an other pamphlet is inclosed; calld political Sketches, written by a mr Murry a young Gentleman from Maryland who is a student in the Temple. you will see that he has parts, and Genious, tho I think he has sometimes renderd his meaning obscure by...
18Abigail Adams to Mary Smith Cranch, 11 May 1787 (Adams Papers)
Captain Callihans delay gives me an other opportunity of writing you, tho I have nothing material to add, but that I have pleasd my fancy in a peice of chintz which I have sent to my Neices. when I first came to this country near 3 years ago I bought one for mrs smith & an other for myself like it. it wore so well, washt so nice, & lookd so pretty; that I have been frequently seeking the same...
19Abigail Adams to Mercy Otis Warren, 14 May 1787 (Adams Papers)
I have lately been reading Mrs Montague’s essays upon the Genious and writings of shakspear, and I am so well pleased with them; that I take the Liberty of presenting them to you. The Lady is still living, a widow, and possessd of an ample fortune, without any children, she has a Nephew who bears the same name and has lately been returnd a member to parliament. I should have wished to have...
20Elizabeth Smith Shaw to Abigail Adams, 20 May 1787 (Adams Papers)
Yours of July 19 th which either did, or was to have come in Callihan last Fall, I did not receive ’till the 6 th of March —where it had lain, or where Peabody got it from I cannot tell—but this I know, I am glad I have it, for it is a valuable acquisition to me, as rich, & precious Treasure, as all my dear Sisters Letters are— Your eldest Son made us a Visit of a few Days in March— He says he...
21Cotton Tufts to Abigail Adams, 21 May 1787 (Adams Papers)
I rec d. your several Letters of Jan y. 24. Feb y. 8 t & March the 10 th. by Cushing, Barnard & Scott who all arrived in the latter End of April. Before the Receipt of M r. Adams Letter I had purchased the Half of the House & Land occupied by Belcher at £70— although it appeared to me to be dear— yet as it stood connected with your Land and the other half of y r. Building would go to Ruin...
22Richard Cranch to John Adams, 24 May 1787 (Adams Papers)
I herewith send you the News-Papers by which you will see the state of our publick proceedings. Our most excellent Governor M r. Bowdoin is to be left out this Year—M r Hancock will doubtless succeed him. Strenuous efforts have been made at the present Election to get a Gen l. Court that will suit the minds of the Insurgents and their Friends—Many good Men, however, will be chosen into both...
23Mary Smith Cranch to Abigail Adams, 27 May 1787 (Adams Papers)
I went to Boston yesterday & had the mortification to find my Letters did not go by Barnard or Davis although they had been on Board each of them. they got to town just as the vessels were sailing. Knox the Pilot took them as he was going on Board, & promiss’d to deliver them to the captain, but forgot it So after wearing them in His Pockit four or five days he return’d them as dirty as I...
24John Brown Cutting to Abigail Adams, 28 May 1787 (Adams Papers)
Agreably to the intimation in the note I had the pleasure to address you from the Inn —we reached Harwich the next morning by eight, where Cap t Flynn soon recognized his Excellency and congratulated himself on the prospect of once more conveying him to Holland. Yet he did not forget politely to regret that M rs Adams was now absent and cou’d not therefore join in “his triumph nor partake the...
25Abigail Adams to John Adams, 29 May 1787 (Adams Papers)
I received mr Cuttings Letter on Monday morning, and was glad to find you had stoped Short of Hardwick. I prognosticated from the wind on saturday that you made your passage by nine or ten on sunday morning. I commisirated your sickness, and that I might feelingly sympathize with you, used mr Hollis’s prescription yesterday morning, finding a return of some of my former complaints. the effect...
26Abigail Adams to William Stephens Smith, 30 May 1787 (Adams Papers)
I have written you only a few lines since your absence; and those conveyed to you rather an unpleasing account, but you will find my letter attended with so many others of a different complexion, that I hope it will not give you a moment’s uneasiness. Mrs. Smith is now very well, and sitting here at the table, making herself a mourning bonnet, for the Princess Carolina Wilhelmina, whom neither...
27John Adams to Abigail Adams, 1 June 1787 (Adams Papers)
We are lodged in our old Chamber at Amsterdam, and Sleep as soundly as if there were not a dozen houses plundered every night. The two nights before the last were very Seditious. last night was quiet, and the Precautions which Secured the Peace then, will be continued, so t[hat] all will be still.— dont be anxious for Us, nor believe half the Reports that will be circulated. Such Events are...
28John Adams to Abigail Adams, 2 June 1787 (Adams Papers)
I wrote you Yesterday, that I had executed the Contract and should return to England by the Packet of Wednesday the Sixth of June. But as the Money Lenders, whether to make a mere Compliment to me, whether to shew their Patriotism, or whether from simple Caprice, made it an original Condition that my Name should be Subscribed to all the obligations, as it was in the first loan, instead of...
29William Stephens Smith to Abigail Adams, 4 June 1787 (Adams Papers)
I have recived your agreable Letter of the 5 th. of may and am much obliged for it, at the same time I had the happiness of getting one from my dear Abby I ask your pardon Nabby you like best and when I am acquainted with what will give my friends pleasure— I shall alway’s attend even to the minutest particle—therefore to you Nabby is the word—Amelia to herself—my daughter for Sir—& for myself...
30William Stephens Smith to Abigail Adams Smith, 6 June 1787 (Adams Papers)
I was much pleased this morning by the receipt of yours of May 19th. Look at the dates—May 5th, Paris, and Blois, May 11th—the places are very distant, and it is impossible to write in a chariot going post. I have answered your mamma’s letter from this place; I have not gone through the necessary visits to the royal family, but they are nearly finished. I find everything here much more...