Abigail Adams and Her TimesRichards, Laura Elizabeth Howe
History
Abigail Adams and Her Times
Richards, Laura Elizabeth Howe
Adams, Abigail, 1744-1818
SECOND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES;
BORN 19/30 OCTOBER, 1735.
ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, 1776,
HE PLEDGED HIS LIFE, FORTUNE, AND SACRED HONOR
TO THE
INDEPENDENCE OF HIS COUNTRY.
ON THE THIRD OF SEPTEMBER, 1783,
HE AFFIXED HIS SEAL TO THE DEFINITIVE TREATY WITH
GREAT BRITAIN,
WHICH ACKNOWLEDGED THAT INDEPENDENCE,
AND CONSUMMATED THE REDEMPTION OF HIS PLEDGE.
ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, 1826,
HE WAS SUMMONED
TO THE INDEPENDENCE OF IMMORTALITY,
AND TO THE
JUDGMENT OF HIS GOD.
THIS HOUSE WILL BEAR WITNESS TO HIS PIETY;
THIS TOWN, HIS BIRTHPLACE, TO HIS MUNIFICENCE;
HISTORY TO HIS PATRIOTISM;
POSTERITY TO THE DEPTH AND COMPASS OF HIS MIND.
AT HIS SIDE
SLEEPS, TILL THE TRUMP SHALL SOUND,
ABIGAIL,
HIS BELOVED AND ONLY WIFE,
DAUGHTER OF WILLIAM AND ELIZABETH (QUINCY) SMITH;
IN EVERY RELATION OF LIFE A PATTERN
OF FILIAL, CONJUGAL, MATERNAL, AND SOCIAL VIRTUE.
BORN NOVEMBER 11/22, 1744,
DECEASED 28 OCTOBER, 1818,
AGED 74.
MARRIED 25 OCTOBER, 1764.
DURING AN UNION OF MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY
THEY SURVIVED, IN HARMONY OF SENTIMENT, PRINCIPLE,
AND AFFECTION,
THE TEMPESTS OF CIVIL COMMOTION;
MEETING UNDAUNTED AND SURMOUNTING
THE TERRORS AND TRIALS OF THAT REVOLUTION,
WHICH SECURED THE FREEDOM OF THEIR COUNTRY;
IMPROVED THE CONDITION OF THEIR TIMES;
AND BRIGHTENED THE PROSPECTS OF FUTURITY
TO THE RACE OF MAN UPON EARTH.
PILGRIM.
FROM LIVES THUS SPENT THY EARTHLY DUTIES LEARN;
FROM FANCY'S DREAMS TO ACTIVE VIRTUE TURN:
LET FREEDOM, FRIENDSHIP, FAITH, THY SOUL ENGAGE,
AND SERVE, LIKE THEM, THY COUNTRY AND THY AGE.
FOOTNOTES:
[21] John Quincy Adams was at this time Ambassador at St. Petersburg.
[22] "Memoir of S. E. M. Quincy."
[23] "Memoir of S. E. M. Quincy."
* * * * *
Transcriber's note:
Obvious punctuation errors were corrected.
Varied hyphenation was retained, such as "a-piece" and "apiece",
"bed-chamber" and "bedchamber", and "cox-comb" and "coxcomb."
Page 53, "cirumstances" changed to "circumstances" (singular
circumstances attended)
Page 109, "scarely" changed to "scarcely" (scarcely find a well person)
Page 119, "oclock" changed to "o'clock" (night by twelve o'clock)
Pages 124-125, "Engand" changed to "England" (banished altogether from
New England)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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