16081From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to Charles Francis Adams, 22 December 1818 (Adams Papers)
As I hear there has been a great fall of snow during the last week or two in Boston I suppose you have seen many of those booby huts which you wrote me about last winter and perhaps have rode in one—I am not fond of them for they are apt to make me sea sick and should like much better to have a pretty Russian Traineau— As it is also the season for skating I must renew my cautions both to John...
16082From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Quincy Adams, 20 February 1807 (Adams Papers)
Tomorrow week being the 1st. March I presume this must be the last letter I address to you at Washington supposing you will set off on your journey home the earliest opportunity after the Session closes— I yesterday recieved your favor of the 9th. and was rejoiced to find that you supported the extreme severity of the Cold with so much philosophy Poor Quincy, what would he have done here when...
16083From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Quincy Adams, 3 August 1821 (Adams Papers)
Mr. Shaw brought me your letter last night of the 29 and you may be assured I will attend to the confidential injunction it contained— At the same time I will take the liberty of expressing my doubts as to the propriety of shrinking thus for ever from any manifestation of the publick feeling which it is natural to expect (and which with our Institutions which are altogether popular) it is...
16084From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Quincy Adams, 20 July 1806 (Adams Papers)
I last night recieved your letters of the 10 and 13 together and the extreme satisfaction of learning that your long silence was not caused by any new misfortune and that your health and that of our dear children was good. Your mother and, Sister Smith both wrote me last week who writes in better spirits than I expected. I am not surprizedat any thing Yrujo does. He has every reason to think...
16085From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Adams, 17 June 1818 (Adams Papers)
You tell me that the highest prize in the Lottery is only 5000 dollars therefore you have not purchased my Ticket as I wished to make an experiment of your luck I suppose you think 5000 dollars a paltry prize however I should like you to purchase me a ticket in any of the Lotteries in which you can procure one for $4 and 50 Cents, or 5 which I see advertised in all the Boston papers and beg it...
16086From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Quincy Adams, 8 July 1824 (Adams Papers)
Your Letter is this moment brought me my dear John and I confess I was very much disappointed in not seeing you in propria personea as my last epistle was to be considered positive if your father did not go soon to Boston—I trust however that the one I last sent will induce you to start immediately— I had written thus far when it occurred to me that John would probably have left Washington...
16087From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to Charles Francis Adams, 11 March 1823 (Adams Papers)
I have been so sick with the Influenza it has not been possible to write independent of which the perpetual round of dissippation in which I have lived seems to have deadened all my faculties and destroyed all the little gleam of light which was wont to illumine my ideas when I wished to throw them on paper—Party’s of every description being done with there is not a word of news stirring and...
16088From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Quincy Adams, 7 August 1814 (Adams Papers)
I am so exhausted by fatigue that it is with the utmost difficulty I can scrawl a few lines having just return’d from a Fète at Pavloski which lasted two days & Nights I may say as you know at what hour the Balls break up The fète was most beutiful and we recieved every possible mark of Distinction the Emperor spoke to me and asked where you were I told him you had seen at Ghent he said he had...
16089From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Adams, 27 April 1819 (Adams Papers)
I yesterday received your highly complimentary Letter which of course gratified my affection very much. I will not say my vanity for I am by no means certain that your praise is merited; on the contrary I am almost always dissatisfied with my own Letters, which are always dictated by the impulse of the moment; very useless, and little or no attention paid either to language or style—In writing...
16090From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 11 May 1806 (Adams Papers)
A few days since I recieved your very obliging letter in which you mention having procured the articles I wrote for and for which I return you many thanks. I am much distressed at the idea your letter seems to convey of want of respect or attention to Mrs. Cranch it has ever been my most ardent desire so to conduct myself to every branch of your family as not only to merit their esteem but...
16091From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Quincy Adams, 13 August 1814 (Adams Papers)
The last time I wrote you I was so excessively fatigued and it was so late that I scarcely know what my letter contained since which I have been expecting a letter from you and am much disappointed at not receiving one though I shall cease to regret it if your silence is caused by the arrival of the English Commissioners we have news to the 22d from England from which we learn that Mr...
16092From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 15 August 1810 (Adams Papers)
Your letter of the 24th of march, my dear Madam, is but just arrived, and although it was so long before it reached us, it afforded us the satisfaction of hearing from yourself, that my dear Boys were well at that period.—We have not yet heard any thing of Mr Harrod, I fear he has stopped at some other port in the Baltic, and that we shall not see him at Petersburg this Season—I feel much...
16093From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Quincy Adams, 27 August 1822 (Adams Papers)
August 27. I see by the papers that Mr. Harrisson has lost his daughter Mrs. Mason—This is a severe stroke, but I believe it has been anticipated for some months by her friends—was it in child birth? and did the child live? She was too delicate a Blossom to live through the trials attached to married life, there was no stamina to enable her to support suffering—Mr. Douroughty is likewise...
16094From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Quincy Adams, 1 January 1807 (Adams Papers)
To offer you, the kindest wishes of the season, my best friend, is almost unnecessary; my happiness, & felicity, in this world, is so interwoven with yours, that I fondly believe, the one cannot be sensible of a joy, or a pain, which is not sincerely participated by the other. To say that I hope each revolving year, may produce additional felicity, is poorly to express describe my feelings;...
16095To John Adams from Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 26 November 1819 (Adams Papers)
The day before yesterday our City was enlivened suddenly by the report of the ratification of the Spanish Treaty and every thing looked gay excepting my husband who gave no credit to the news when yesterday morning a cloud in the form of Capt Reid of the Hornet dispersed our sunshine and confirmed Mr. As doubts and destroying all the fond hopes of the too credulous citizens—Congress will of...
16096From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to Charles Francis Adams, 1 June 1823 (Adams Papers)
The Mail is this moment arrived and as I am at leisure I hasten to answer your Letter which is a very good one if it had been a little more legible to read.—Hard things to get at are we know often thought more valuable but Enigma’s but would be worthless if we never discovered their meaning—I therefore again pray you to attend to your hand writing and to write a large hand which will correct...
16097From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Adams, 25 April 1822 (Adams Papers)
I will not apologize for not writing as I hate excuses none especially when they are bad or indifferent I hope your character is not changed for the worse and that whatever change may have taken place in you that your principles are still sound and fixed not withstanding I am aware that the theological controversies that are so fashionable in your part of the world are more calculated to...
16098To John Adams from Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 14 December 1822 (Adams Papers)
& Miss Mason Capt & Mrs. Crane Mr. Kerby with several others Members of Congress—Mr. Petry came in the Eveng. and talked freely of the Bonaparté family He told me that while he was in Poland Napoleon was very much attached to a beautiful Polish Lady and that he (N.) rode fifteen miles every night during a fortnight at the risk of his life through the enemies Country to visit her—He likewise...
16099From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Adams, 6 May 1822 (Adams Papers)
I am so concerned about Charles that I once more write to you on the subject and beg of you to let me know how he gets on and if you think there is any prospect of his being dismissed from College. His spirits appear to be so bad that I hope his fears are greater than there will be occasion for. But your utter silence concerning your brother is so extraordinary and when you consider his age so...
16100From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 16 November 1810 (Adams Papers)
Having an opportunity to write you by Mr Lewis of Philadelphia who leaves this place for England early tomorrow morning I hasten to inform you of the general health of the family which although not perfect is as good as we can rationally expect Winter comes on us in so harsh a form that we anticipate an unusual degree of severity in its course this morning the River and Canals were hard frozen...
16101From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to Charles Francis Adams, 19 February 1821 (Adams Papers)
I enclose you a Letter from one of your young correspondents which was received a few days after your departure and which I suppose you would regret very much to lose. In taking the Desk which your Brother lent you I want to know what you did with the papers which were in it among which the two Contracts of Mr. Van Coble were placed and I am very much concerned at not being able to find them...
16102From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Quincy Adams, 8 October 1826 (Adams Papers)
Having received a very elegant Lace Cap from the Ladies of the Lace school at Newport I write to request that you will do what you think proper while there as to the expression of thanks and the real admiration which the extreme beauty of the work deserves—as it is really equal to the finest European Lace—We leave Boston tomorrow morning and expect to be at New York on Friday night— Give my...
16103From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to Charles Francis Adams, 19 February 1819 (Adams Papers)
I have just received your little and your big Letter, and return you many thanks for both, which gave me infinite pleasure—As I am not at the head of so large a literary Institution as Mr. Shaw, I am not so fastidious in my taste; and find your production very good, considering the circumstances under which it was written: and I have no doubt, that altho’ it was full of defects as to the...
16104From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Greenleaf, 12 June 1820 (Adams Papers)
Mrs. Adams requests the favour of Mr. Mrs. & Miss Greenleafs company at Tea on Wednesday Eveng. PHi : Etting Collection.
16105From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to George Washington Adams, 25 February 1819 (Adams Papers)
Your Grandfather has expressed so much satisfaction at your conduct during your visit to him this vacation, that I have great pleasure in giving you this information; as it must be a great relief to your mind to know , that he has forgiven your late conduct, which I am sorry to say Dr. Kirkland informed me, had been deficient both of affection and respect—I will not say any more on this...
16106From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Quincy Adams, 31 July 1822 (Adams Papers)
July 31 Mrs. Powell, Mrs. Fisher, and Mr Saul from New Orleans, called on us, and I returned all my visits excepting the one to Mrs. Markov—My Brother is again better—Poor Mrs. Lee—We were told on our arrival that Dr Physick seldom ordered his patients into the Country if he could do any thing for them; and this circumstance has been a proof of his practice—I believe she remained but a few...
16107From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to Mary Catherine Hellen Adams, October 1816 (Adams Papers)
On the Portrait of My Husband. The painters Art would vainly seize That harmony of Nature; Where Sense and goodness joined with ease Shine forth in every feature.— That open front where wisdom sits, That eye which speaks the Soul; That brow that study gently knits That bright attempered whole, That vast variety of mind Capacious, clear and strong, Where brilliancy of wit refined Enchants the...
16108From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Quincy Adams, 2 August 1822 (Adams Papers)
August 2 We last night paid our intended visit to the Masonic Hall and were received by the Grand Master with great politeness—We found the gas lights burning which I am informed was a special favour—The Grand Lodge is very handsome, the decorations showy and the Seat of the Grand Master placed on a sort of throne supported by pillowsand an arched dome—Having had the honour of being seated in...
16109From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Quincy Adams, 17 February 1807 (Adams Papers)
We return’d to Town yesterday morning which was one of the most bitter Cold I ever experienced but fortunately were not frozen The Children bore the ride better than I expected though George could not refrain from tears nothing contributed so much towards producing a free circulation as the sight of Mr. Shaw with a letter from you my beloved friend written apparently in great spirits and...
16110From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Adams, 28 February 1820 (Adams Papers)
Your Letter distressed both your father and myself on account of the painful news it contained—but we were neither of us displeased with you as we were perfectly sensible of the motive both of duty and affection by which you were situated—We are still very uneasy at your Grandfathers situation altho I have had a letter from him since the receipt of yours which has induced us to hope that both...