Abigail Adams

She gave birth to six children over the ensuing years. One of her sons, John Quincy Adams, would follow in his father’s footsteps to become the president in future. Her family life was replete with tragedies as her son, Charles, died of alcoholism and daughter, Nabby, died of cancer before her eyes.

Abigail Adams suffered from ill health during her later years and suffered a stroke in October 1818. She died on October 28, 1818, of typhoid fever, exactly two weeks shy of her 74th birthday.

She was born as Abigail Smith to William Smith and Elizabeth (née Quincy) Smith on November 11, 1744, in Weymouth, Massachusetts Bay. Her father was a liberal Congregationalist minister who emphasized the importance of reason and morality in his preaching. She had one brother and two sisters.

Abigail was sickly as a child, so her parents did not send her for formal schooling. Instead, her mother herself taught the little girl to read and write. The family had a huge library which enabled her to study English and French literature.

She grew up to be an open-minded, well-read young woman with a deep passion for books.

Abigail married a country lawyer, John Adams, in 1764, and moved to Boston with her husband. In addition to being a busy lawyer, John Adams was also an active participant in the American Revolution and Revolutionary War.

The couple had several children over the ensuing years. Due to her husband’s hectic schedule, Abigail was the one who had to carry out most of the family responsibilities. In addition, she also cared for the family farm.

Despite being away from each other for much of the time, John and Abigail Adams frequently wrote letters to each other, maintaining a continuous and intimate correspondence. It is believed that they exchanged more than 1,100 letters.

After the revolution, she moved to France to join her husband and later followed him to England where he served from 1785 to 1788 as the first American minister to the Court of St. James.

By this time her husband was deeply involved in politics and was made the Vice President of the United States in 1789. She spent some time with him in New York and helped First Lady Martha Washington in her responsibilities. During this period she often returned home to Massachusetts to look after their farm.