Abigail Adams Was Our Country’s Second First Lady, And This Is Her Fascinating Story

Chip Chick |

May 20, 2023

There have been some pretty fascinating women who have held the title of America’s First Lady.

Can you name the first woman to ever live in the White House as First Lady off the top of your head?

It was Abigail Smith Adams, wife of President John Adams and the country’s second First Lady. Here’s Abigail’s fascinating story as an advocate, wife, mother, and First Lady.

Abigail was born to a prominent family in Weymouth, Massachusetts, in 1744. Although Abigail had no formal education, she read books in her family’s library throughout her childhood. She married John Adams in 1764 when he was fresh out of Harvard and ready to begin a career in law.

The couple lived on his farm south of Boston and had three sons and two daughters. John often had to leave home to work as a lawyer and a political revolutionary.

There were many times when they were separated, but the letters Abigail wrote to John soon became cherished historical documents that captured what life was like living in America during the revolution.

One of Abigail’s most famous letters was written to John when he participated in the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1776. She wrote, ‘Remember the ladies,” and encouraged him not to place too much power in the hands of husbands across America.

Although John did not always heed her advice, Abigail was a source of valuable opinions on political and social matters throughout their marriage.

Abigail had many duties when John was gone. She was responsible for teaching and raising their children at home, maintaining their farm, and managing their family finances.

Enrico Della Pietra – John Adams house during his presidential manadte, Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, MA.

Abigail followed John to Europe when he was given a diplomatic post in Paris in 1784. They moved back to Massachusetts in 1788 before John was elected President in 1797.

She remained her husband’s biggest supporter and held weekly dinners and Fourth of July celebrations in Philadelphia.

When the nation’s capital was moved to Washington, D.C., in 1800, she became the first First Lady to reside at the White House. Their family lived there for the last four months of John’s presidency before returning to their home, Peacefield, in Quincy, Massachusetts.

Abigail passed away in Quincy at 73 in 1818 due to typhoid fever. John died a little less than eight years later, on the 4th of July in 1826.

Their son, John Quincy Adams, became the sixth President of the United States in 1825.

Because of Abigail’s letters, we now have remarkable insight into what life was like for her and John, two extremely prominent figures in American history.

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