Abigail AdamsAbigail Adams
Abigail Adams was a unique woman because
she had an education and an interest in politics. She learned how to read
and write and enjoyed poems most. She was also very resourceful by helping
her husband on difficult problems.
Abigail was born on November 11 on the
Julian calendar, or November 22 on the modern Gregorian calendar. Abigail
had two sisters named Mary and Elizabeth or Betsy. She had one brother
named William or Billy. Abigail’s name was originally Abigail Smith. Each
baby was baptized on the first Sabbath of its life and was recorded in
their parish records. Abigail live in a comfortable house. When Abigail
was sixteen, her father added a wing that was bigger than the original
building to make room for the children, servants, and visitors. When I
say servants it means that they were probably slaves but were called servants
to avoid the dehumanizing effect that the word ‘slave’ can mean. Their
house was a sight of luxury in the eyes of the common folk in the parish.
Though they lived well, the Smiths had no fortune. Abigail’s father often
worked with his own hands, planting corn and potatoes, gathering hay, sowing
barley, or making sure that his sheep received proper care. Abigail, with
the help of her family grew a very religious bond between each other and
a long lasting friendship.
Abigail never went to a real school because
of poor health. So, she learned at home. Her father’s library was not big,
but she still went to it to read books. Abigail’s favorite books were novels
by Samuel Richardson. Abigail’s father knew John Adams by working with
him and she grew rather close to him starting a wedding. This now made
her name Abigail Adams. Their wedding was held on October 25, 1764, a month
before her twentieth birthday. John was a lawyer and very often was not
at home due to court cases he had to attend to. When Abigail was pregnant
with her first son, John was only at home for eight out of the nine months.
The baby was born on a hot day on the morning of July 14, 1765. The baby’s
name was ‘Abigail’, but was called Nabby. She was with her parents when
she had the baby. Shortly after, she was again pregnant. July 11, 1767,
she delivered a healthy boy named John Quincy. John Adams soon moved his
family to Boston to be closer to his important clients and the center of
political action. In Boston, Abigail had two more children. one named Susanna,
who died thirteen months later, and Charles who was born healthy at the
end of May 1770. John Adams sent everyone in his enlarged family back to
there old house because of the recent Boston Massacre happening. While
Abigail was there, She had her last son named Thomas. John soon bought
a brick house back in Boston and moved everyone back in. Abigail started
teaching the children to read and write.
John told Abigail almost everything that
he knew and went to her for political problems. He understood what she
could understand and trusted her. Abigail became the most informed woman
on public affairs in the nation. On August 10, 1774, Abigail parted with
John as he left to attend the Congress called at Philadelphia to try and
unite the colonies against Great Britain’s plan to punish Boston and Massachusetts.
Though her sons would not be of military age for another decade, Abigail
dreaded war, in which only God knew what would happen. When the shots at
Lexington and Concorde were fired, John was again off to the Congress and
cautioned Abigail that she should ‘fly to the woods’ with the children
if the British attacked Boston. Abigail prayed for the war and on June
17 John Quincy and Abigail went to Bunker Hill and watched the roar of
the cannons and saw the flames of burning Charleston atop of Penn’s Hill
near where they lived. Soon they learned of the British losses and how
greater they were, but Abigail knew someone named Dr. Warren who died.
He helped John Quincy from the loss of his finger. Abigail wrote many letters
to her husband and it became a way of life for her. She was always keeping
John up to date with what’s happening at the immediate point in time. Abigail
sometimes called herself ‘Mrs. Delegate’ because she was the wife of a
Revolutionary leader. Abigail continued to keep in tact with her husband
throughout the war. She also was very political. Then later she led a very
productive life.
