Abigail Adams

Abigail Adams was a unique women 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.