Abigail SMITH

1744 - 1818  (73 years)

• Name	Abigail SMITH  [2, 3, 4]
  	Presidential First Lady. She was the wife of second United States President John Adams, and the mother of sixth United States President John Quincy Adams. Born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, on her mother's side she was descended from early prestigious leaders of the colony. Having received a basic education from her mother, Abigail and her sisters were largely self-taught by utilizing the extensive libraries of their father, grandfather and uncle. An avid reader, Abigail formed a strong bond with her third cousin, John Adams, who was a Harvard graduate, and they were married in 1764; three sons and two daughters were born to this union, which was to last more than fifty years. John's traveling as a circuit judge, a delegate to the Continental Congress and an envoy abroad led to long separations, and Abigail's many letters, written just a she spoke, with clarity, told the vivid story of a woman who stayed at home dealing with wartime shortages, running a farm with minimal help and educating her children. Even before the colonies had declared their independence from Britain, Abigail wrote to John to urge him to "Remember the ladies" when drafting the basis of law for the new nation and to not give husbands unlimited power over their wives. Abigail joined John in Paris in 1784 when he was named Ambassador, and she took great interest in the customs of the French Royal Court. When her husband became the first Vice President of the United States, she and the President's wife, Martha Washington, became good friends. Abigail was of great assistance in the official entertaining because of the experience she had gained from the courts and society abroad. When John Adams was elected President, she managed to continue a formal pattern of entertaining in spite of the primitive conditions of the "President's House" (now known as the White House), which was still under construction. After John Adams's presidential term ended in 1801, they retired to Quincy, Massachusetts and enjoyed seventeen years of companionship that they had longed for during the years of public life. Abigail's correspondence is feted for exhibiting strong leadership of Women's Rights. [1]
  Birth	23 Nov 1744	Braintree, Massachusetts   [3, 4]
  Gender	Female
  Death	28 Oct 1818	Quincy, Massachusetts   [3, 4]
  Burial	Quincy Congregational Church, Quincy Massachusetts   [5]
  Person ID	I53190	Main Tree
  Last Modified	17 Oct 2021

  
  

  Father	Rev. William SMITH, Jr.,   b. 29 Jan 1706/7, Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA d. 17 Sep 1783, Weymouth, Massachusetts (Age 76 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Mother	Elizabeth QUINCY,   c. 17 Dec 1721, Braintree, Massachusetts d. 1 Oct 1775, Weymouth, Massachusetts (Age ~ 53 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Marriage	16 Oct 1740	Braintree, Massachusetts   [3]
  Family ID	F29144	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Pres. John ADAMS, Jr.,   b. 19 Oct 1735, Braintree, Norfolk County, Massachusetts d. 04 Jul 1826, Quincy, Massachusetts (Age 90 years)
  Marriage	25 Oct 1764	Weymouth, Massachusetts   [3]
  Children	1. Abigail Amelia ADAMS,   b. 14 Jul 1765, Braintree, Norfolk County, Massachusetts d. 30 Aug 1813, Braintree, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts (Age 48 years)  [Birth]   2. Pres. John Quincy ADAMS,   b. 11 Jul 1767, Braintree, Norfolk County, Massachusetts d. 23 Feb 1848, "Speaker's Room" at the Capitol, Washington, D.C. (Age 80 years)  [Birth]   3. Susanna ADAMS,   b. 28 Dec 1768, Boston, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts d. 04 Feb 1770, Boston, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts (Age 1 year)  [Birth]   4. Charles ADAMS,   b. 29 May 1770, Boston, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA d. 30 Nov 1800, Manhattan, New York Co., New York (Age 30 years)  [Birth]   5. Hon. Thomas Boylston ADAMS,   b. 15 Sep 1772, Quincy, Massachusetts d. 12 Mar 1832 (Age 59 years)  [Birth]
  Family ID	F10837	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	17 Oct 2021

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 23 Nov 1744 - Braintree, Massachusetts  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Photos

  Abigail Smith Adams Abigail Smith is the wife of Pres. John Adams. Maintained by: Find A Grave Photo added by: Curtis Jackson

  
  

• Sources

  [S12691] Find A Grave: Bio of Abigail Smith Adams. [S03466] The Mayflower Quarterly - September 2003, Vol. 69 No. 3. [S5405] Gar Boyd Roberts, "Ancestors of American Presidents", (New England Historic Genealogical Society - 2009). [S3931] Andrew N. Adams, A Genealogical History of Henry ADAMS of Braintree, Mass., and His Descendants; Also John ADAMS, of Cambridge, Mass., 1632-1897. [S02329] Find A Grave Website.