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The Birth of Abigail Smith
Abigail Smith was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts to the parents of William and Elizabeth Adams. She was raised in a simple, well educated, rural setting home. She was the second child of five. Her father was a minister (he taught her to respect God and help others as she grew up) and her mother spent much of her time helping the sick and needy families. -
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Life of Abigail Adams
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Marriage
Abigail married John Adams. The two were third cousins and had known each other since children. The two met at a social gathering when she was a shy 17 year old. They had spent long weeks apart but always kept in touch by writing letters to each other. They got married when she was 19 and John was 25. The young couple moved into the house John inherited from his father. Their marriage was successful. -
The Start of a New Family
Abigail and John gave birth to their first daughter, Abigail Amelia “Nabby” Adams, in Braintree Norfolk County Massachusetts, USA. She was the only surviving daughter of John and Abigail. She married Stephens Smith in London on June 12, 1786, but their marriage was not a happy one. He always seemed to abandon her to search for his fortune. She never complained and always kept her children under one roof. She was a well loved person. -
The Birth of a Future President
John and Abigail had there second child, John Quincy Adams on July 11,1767. John Quincy grew up watching the United States of America form from the beginning. Him and his mother watched the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. Returning home from France, in 1785, he entered Harvard College and graduated in 1787. And then soon became the 6th President of the United States in 1825. -
3rd Child
John and Abigail had their 3rd child on December 28, 1768, in Massachusetts. Her name was Susanna, named after Johns mother. They often called her Suky. On February 4, 1770, Suky had died of undefined illness. He father never said her name but once after her sudden death. -
Youngest Son
Thomas Boylston Adams was the third and last son of Abigail and John Adams. He was born on September 15, 1772 in Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard University in 1790 and studied law successfully. In 1805, Thomas married Ann Harrods and settled in Quincy, which he represented in the Massachusetts legislature in 1805-1806. And, in 1811, he was appointed chief justice of the Circuit Court of Common Pleas for the Southern Circuit of Massachusetts. -
Last Child
Elizabeth Adams was a Stillborn child of Abigail and John Adams. She was born on July 11, 1777 and died on the same day. She named after her grandmother, Elizabeth Quincy Smith. -
First Lady
Abigail Adams was an American first lady (1797-1801), the wife of John Adams. She was often separated from John due to John’s political work, Abigail oversaw the family’s household and raised their four children on her own. Abigail encouraged her husband and other members of the Continental Congress to “…remember the ladies…” as they began the work of creating a new American government. -
Life on the Farm
In 1800, John Adams lost the presidential election to Thomas Jefferson. In the same year, the Adams' lost their son Charles. They retired to their farm in Quincy where they were surrounded by their extended family and their beloved farm. Abigail became involved in the Unitarian church, and the running of the farm -
Death
Abigail was never shy to say her thoughts. Often John would ask her for advice that she was sure to give. As First Lady, from 1797 to 1801, she attacked was at times for being too much an influence on her husband’s decisions. She ignored the criticism well, but was glad to be out of the public view when her husband’s presidency ended. She died from Typhoid fever on October 28, 1818 in Quincy, Massachusetts at the age of 73.
