Abigail Adams
(1744-1818)
Abigail Adams was the wife and closest advisor of John Adams, the second president of the United States, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States. She was a founder of the United States, and was both the first second lady and second first lady of the United States, although such titles were not used at the time.
BORN:
Weymouth, Massachusetts
Nov 22, 1744
Abigail Adams was born at the North Parish Congregational Church in Weymouth, Massachusetts, to William Smith and Elizabeth (née Quincy) Smith. On her mother's side, she was descended from the Quincy family, a well-known political family in the Massachusetts colony. Through her mother she was a cousin of Dorothy Quincy, who was married to John Hancock.
In 1784, Abigail and her daughter Nabby joined her husband and her eldest son, John Quincy, at her husband's diplomatic post in Paris. Abigail had dreaded the thought of the long sea voyage, but in fact found the journey interesting. At first, she found life in Paris difficult and was rather overwhelmed by the novel experience of running a large house with a retinue of servants. However, as the months passed, she began to enjoy herself.
After 1785, she filled the role of wife of the first U.S. minister to the Court of St James's (Britain). In contrast to Paris, Abigail disliked London, where she had few friends and was, in general, cold-shouldered by polite society. One pleasant experience was her temporary guardianship of Thomas Jefferson's young daughter Mary (Polly), for whom Abigail came to feel a deep and lifelong love.
She and John returned in 1788 to their home in Quincy, Peacefield (also known as the "Old House"), which she set about vigorously enlarging and remodeling. It still stands and is open to the public as part of Adams National Historical Park.
With the relocation of the capital to Washington, D.C. in 1800, she became the first First Lady to reside at the White House, or President's House as it was then known. Adams moved into the White House in November 1800, living there for only the last four months of her husband's term.
DIED:
Quincy, Massachusetts
Oct 28, 1818
Abigail Adams
was here...
Places | Image | Address | GPS | Site |
---|---|---|---|---|
George Washington's Mount Vernon | 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy, Mt Vernon, VA 22121 | MUSEUM | ||
Old South Meeting House | 310 Washington St, Boston, MA 02108 | MUSEUM | ||
John Adams Peacefield | 1250 Hancock St, Quincy, MA 02169 | MUSEUM | ||
John Adams Birthplace - Adams National Historical Park | 127 Franklin St, Quincy, MA 02169 | MUSEUM | ||
John Quincy Adams Birthplace | 133 Franklin St, Quincy, MA 02169 | MUSEUM | ||
First Presidential Mansion Marker | PX5X+Q9V New York | MARKER | ||
Abigail Adams view of Battle of Bunker Hill Marker | 1-9 Viden Rd, Quincy, MA 02169 | MARKER | ||
Richmond Hill Marker | 161 6th Ave, New York, NY 10013 | MARKER |