The second First Lady, Abigail Adams, will turn 280 on 22 November 2024. She is known today as a prolific letter writer, expressing her cares, worries, and frank opinions to her friends, family, and her husband, John.
John’s protracted absences from their home in Quincy, Mass., often left Abigail with five children to raise, a farm to manage, the household and tenants to supervise, and extended family and friends to care for—even while the Revolution in Boston unfolded on her doorstep.
Her many letters, housed at the MHS, reveal an extraordinary view of everyday life in 18th-century New England from her unique perspective.
View her portrait up close.
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