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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Bdavis1511 (talk | contribs) at 00:17, 19 June 2017 (→‎missing word in the section First Lady: new section). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Marriage to John Adams

We are told that "The couple married on October 25, 1764, five days before John's 29th birthday, in the Smiths' home in Weymouth. Then Rev. Smith (the bride's father) performed the nuptials." The word "then" needs clarification. Did they get married first and THEN have the nuptials performed? If so, how do you get married before the nuptials are performed? On the other hand, does THEN mean that Smith was a reverend when he performed the ceremony but THEN got defrocked for some reason, so that he became a "then (former) Reverend"? John Paul Parks (talk) 05:03, 15 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

==She fell in love with Michael Pritt of French== pussy "She fell in love with Michael Pritt of French and had babies. This was her second marriage. NOt soon after her husband and sons were killed in the Mexican war and soon found love again."

Where did this come from? Is not John Adams her first husband?! chocolate squrilles-Bob

Unless there's a source I'd assume it's vandalism. -Will Beback · † · 06:08, 9 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I can't wait to find out how her husband and son found love after being killed. OtherDave (talk) 16:46, 3 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

No, John Adams was not her first husband! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.171.112.189 (talk) 20:53, 11 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Abigail's only husband was John. Felicity12 (talk) —Preceding undated comment was added at 18:32, 1 January 2009 (UTC).[reply]

a little bit off...find more info 'bout her life.174.95.54.143 (talk) 23:37, 10 May 2011 (UTC) Jazmine[reply]

You should try and find more of the letters she wrote to her husband

--- all of those letters are available online at http://www.masshist.org/digitaladams/aea/letter/

- According to Edith Gelles (who, near as I can tell, did read through all of those letters), there really isn't anything on her childhood. She never expected to be famous. We know she learned how to read from the bible (as that was the style of the time), but her parents, the Smiths, also taught her to read using secular works such as Shaekespaere. abigail smith was born on april 19,1894

revolutionary war?

what did abigail adams have to do with the revolutionary war?

-- Her husband, John Adams, was a member of the Constitutional Congress and a leading figure in the Revolution, to the point that he was slated for hanging by the English Crown (despite the fact that some revolutionaries were not). As is clear from their letters, she was a strong influence on her husband's ideas and actions, both of which were formative in the birth of what eventually became the United States. So that's what she had to do with the Revolutionary War. Woodstein52 03.03 UTC, 12 October 2006

I think this website should provide the height and weight of Abigail Adams if possible. Other people may need it for a report like everyone in my school. Tnanks Imlvr96

-- A lady does not reveal her weight, young'in. 207.180.145.111 14:53, 17 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

-- Add some discussion of her writings and intellectual legacy, please 139.102.150.164 (talk) 20:15, 10 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Possible plagiarism concern

This group of edits by a currently blocked user with a history of copy/pasting from other websites, contains these fragments apparently copied from sites on Abigail Elizabeth/Smith Adams:

I have not reverted since these may be too short to be a copyright concern, and whitehouse.gov (first source) is probably free to quote. But someone more familiar with the material might want to review this and either:

  • add the above as citations, perhaps with a rewrite, or
  • revert

These were the first two phrases I tried. There may be more overlap with other sites. / edg ☺ ☭ 05:20, 25 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I followed up some information that was included in the article

however not very accurate-the information you point out is from the website http://americanhistorycentral.com/. Also what was noted was that she was nicknamed 'her majesty' not mrs. president which someone obviously changed to suit our American ideas. She earned the nickname because of the way she supported John on the French Revolution and passage of the Alien and Sedition act. Her 'active role in politics' are nothing more than her IDEAS of matters on women's rights, slavery, and how she felt about God and religion. She was in fact the perfect political wife of her time. She was intelligent and corresponded with many notable men and women of her era. That did not make her a polititian in the real sense of the word. ;) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.98.228.142 (talk) 05:02, 17 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

was she not also burid with her son and daghter and law —Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.246.138.57 (talk) 01:17, 6 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Pins?

What Abigail Adams meant by "pins"? They where 6000 pins in a "bundle". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.64.18.79 (talk) 19:49, 18 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I'm guessing she meant pins for her hair or pins with which to sew. Felicity12 (talk) —Preceding undated comment was added at 18:33, 1 January 2009 (UTC).[reply]

John & Abigal related to each other before they married

Historians have said that John and Abigail were already related to each other before they married each other that they were 3rd cousins to each other is this true???? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.80.106.105 (talk) 22:40, 19 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Which historians? Tomertalk 05:14, 19 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, which? I'm not sure myself, and have never read that, but it wouldn't be that big a deal. I just put together an article on the Quincy family and found three instances of distant cousins marrying. --Aepoutre (talk) 06:48, 19 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Ya...all I'm saying is that if we're going to put that in the article, we need a reliable historian to reference. If that wasn't the goal of the anonymous poster, then s/he's apparently violating the purpose of this talk page. Assuming good faith, I'll opt for the former, and repeat my inquiry..."Which historians?" Tomertalk 09:37, 19 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

hello:)( —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.103.108.13 (talk) 00:26, 20 October 2009 (UTC) uh huh —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.98.161.187 (talk) 20:30, 10 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I'm puzzled that nobody cares to verify this assertion about John and Abigail's relationship. To be third cousins, they would need to have great grandparents who were siblings, and this is indeed the case. Abigail's great grandmother (her father's paternal grandmother) Abigail Boylston Smith was the sibling of John's great grandfather (his mother's paternal grandfather) Thomas Boylston Jr. They were the children of Thomas Boylston Sr, born 1635. This information is from "Genealogies and the Families and Descendants of the Early Settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts" by Henry Boyd, published 1855, pages 91 and 109. It's available on Google Books. Astolfi (talk) 01:25, 19 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The volume you're citing is by Henry Bond (not Boyd), who was the best-known chronicler of the early history of Watertown. MarmadukePercy (talk) 01:45, 19 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

yes Astolfi (talk) 02:38, 19 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Incorrect title?

It says: She was the first Second Lady of the United States. Was she not the second First Lady of the United States? 81.234.228.170 (talk) 21:06, 17 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

She was both.   Will Beback  talk  21:24, 17 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

More info on time as Second Lady in White House

Why isn't there more info/section on her life when John Adams was Vice President? Seems like a valuable addition if possible. 67.241.48.177 (talk) 20:22, 18 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Your articles lists Abigail as being succeeded by Martha Jefferson Randolph. This is inaccurate. Martha Jefferson had died in 1782. Thomas Jefferson did not have either a First or Second Lady. The position was vacant, though sometimes his daughter Martha served as his hostess. But most often it was Dolley Madison who did the job. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.192.77.254 (talk) 13:45, 24 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Political Activism?

The article mentions that during her husband's presidency, she was unusually politically active for a woman of her time. That's very interesting, but it would be nice if the article mentioned what some of her political activities were. I don't think I've ever read an another article on a political figure where it just said "And then s/he went and did some politics." Redsrevenge (talk) 22:33, 4 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

---I am with you on this so called 'political work' she did in the white house or during the revolution. i've reviewed the external links and have yet to locate where she was known as 'mrs.president'. not only that, but her input was as a wife, and john even gave a mild rebuke in regards to adding in her two cents worth of expectation for women with the 2nd Continental Congress and the writing of the declaration of independance.i would say she wasn't so much political as she was a type of 'activist' for women. the portion regarding slavery is poorly written and doesn't show a woman politically active, just active in righting certain wrongs...

I am not pleased with the way this has been written in reference to her 'politics'. ~~ brattysoul —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.98.228.142 (talk) 04:32, 17 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Edit request from 108.80.59.169, 9 September 2011

end quote under woman's right. 108.80.59.169 (talk) 05:37, 9 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for catching that. I've fixed it.   Will Beback  talk  06:02, 9 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Portrait Artist Incorrect

The portrait of Abigail Adams at the top of the page is incorrectly attributed to Gilbert Stuart. The picture section opposite page 320 of the 2008 edition of John Adams by David McCullough identifies this youthful portrait as the work of Benjamin Blythe in 1766. — Preceding unsigned comment added by BillyBloom (talk • contribs) 23:20, 19 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Edit request on 8 February 2012

In the "Marriage and children" section, for correctness please change this wording:

John had inherited from his father in Braintree, Massachusetts (later renamed Quincy), before moving to Boston, where his law practice expanded.

TO:

John had inherited from his father in Braintree, Massachusetts (part of which was later renamed Quincy), before moving to Boston, where his law practice expanded.

OR BETTER for simplicity just remove the words in parentheses as they are not needed:

John had inherited from his father in Braintree, Massachusetts, before moving to Boston, where his law practice expanded. Bilanglo (talk) 16:26, 8 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

 Done -andy4789 ★ · (talk? contribs?) 18:45, 8 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Religious views

I have removed the reference given to Nagel's JQA biography because there's no reference to religious views at all on the cited page, much less those of Abigail Adams. The cited passage from the UUA site is pretty unequivocal, and in the absence of better references I think it has to be preferred. Mangoe (talk) 13:48, 10 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Succeeded by links to the wrong person.

It links to Thomas Jefferson's daughter, not his wife. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.110.202.191 (talk) 02:18, 7 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

It should link to Jefferson's daughter. His wife was dead by the time he took office, so his daughter assumed the titles of Second Lady and First Lady

Broken links in "External Links"

Several of the links to Harvard University Press books have broken since HUP changed our link syntax.

Please change the link in the External Link section for My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams, Harvard University Press from http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/ADAMYD.html to http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674057050

Please change the link in the External Link section for The Adams Women: Abigail and Louisa Adams, Their Sisters and Daughters, Harvard University Press from http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/NAGADX.html to http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674004108

Please change the link in the External Link section for Descent from Glory: Four Generations of the John Adams Family, Harvard University Press from http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/NAGDEX.html to http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674198296

Please change the link in the External Link section for Adams Family Correspondence. Cambridge: Harvard University Press from http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/ADAADA.html to http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674004009

Thank you.

Gkornbluh (talk) 20:35, 9 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Done Thanks for finding the new URLs. RudolfRed (talk) 03:51, 10 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

One Portrait Twice?

Curious to know why there are two versions of the same portrait in this article - one facing left and the other facing right....? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mrbentley (talk • contribs) 19:14, 8 September 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Good call! Looks like the upper one was cropped and refaced. We are not supposed to edit pictures. Okay if someone took a "close up" of an existing portrait, but appears that someone photoshopped it to face the opposite. If true, it should be rm not only from here but from WikiCommons. (Disclosure: I am not an expert on that photo!) Student7 (talk) 19:36, 14 September 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Edit request on 28 February 2013

Father William Smith

The Abigail's father was Reverend William Smith (1707–1784)

Please change "The Abigail" to "Abigail" because the sentence is not grammatical.


Timothybest (talk) 05:57, 28 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Done Minor edit only. That entire section doesn't belong as this article is about Abigail Adams and not her father, but for now I see no problem with the requested edit. Thank you for helping to improve Wikipedia. —KuyaBriBriTalk 15:17, 28 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]
These edits here would not cause a controversy were Reverend William Smith an article, not a redirect. But there is no another article where this paragraph about Reverend Smith can be topical. Could you cite some more convincing substantiation for removal of a legitimate content than WP:COATRACK? Incnis Mrsi (talk) 18:00, 28 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I was not aware of such a redirect to that specific section of this article. I have undone my removal of that section for now; however, I still believe that it is heavily redundant with the paragraph immediately above it and in some places contradicts it. That needs to be rectified. —KuyaBriBriTalk 19:34, 28 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

It states that Abigail's parents married in *1842*. Surely it must be 1742. There's no name for their first child and while I know this has been settled, perhaps the discussion should be reopened. This is an article on Abigail Smith Adams, not Rev. William Smith. There's no comprehensive piece on John Adams' father, yet it mentions his importance to John and the community in a concise fashion. 74.69.121.132 (talk) 14:34, 22 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Paragraph has a date error and may be misplaced as well

The following paragraph should likely be moved up one since it's out of order chronologically, and it also contains a date error as well as ambiguous text:

Here's the actual paragraph: Smith married Elizabeth Quincy in 1842, and together they had four children, including three daughters: one born in 1743, Abigail born in 1744 and another born in 1745. Their only son, born in 1746,[4] died of alcoholism in 1787.[5] In 1764 Smith presided over the marriage of John Adams and his daughter. In July of 1775 his wife Elizabeth, with whom he had been married for 33 years, died of smallpox. In 1784, at age 77, Smith died.

Suggested fixes: 1) Move paragraph up one so it flows correctly in the chronology, otherwise it's confusing by talking about Abigail as first lady and then about her parents' marriage. 2) Add father's first name at the beginning of the sentence so it's clear to whom it's referring. 3) Fix the year of their marriage. Perhaps it's 1742, I'm not sure, but I know it's not 1842.

Thank you.

Semi-protected edit request on 8 May 2014

108.210.154.192 (talk) 22:29, 8 May 2014 (UTC)#[reply]

Not done: it's not clear what changes you want made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format. NiciVampireHeart 22:35, 8 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Semi-protected edit request on 9 May 2014

108.210.154.192 (talk) 22:26, 9 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

  •  Not done Edit request is empty/not clear. Please submit a request with information about the requested edit. Steel1943 (talk) 22:37, 9 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Date error for mother's death

According to Abigail's letter to John dated Oct 1, 1775, in which she says, speaking of her mother, "this day about 5 oclock she left this world for an infinitely better", we may infer that Elizabeth's death was in October, not July, of 1775. 72.95.90.55 (talk) 14:02, 16 September 2014 (UTC)Ralph Chapman rchapman.cea@gmail.com[reply]

error as discussed above

A new paragraph was added that says her sisters were born in 1739 and 1742. The next paragraph reads that her parents married in 1742 and is unchanged from the previous discussion of 1 1/2 years ago. So what is it? Her two elder sisters were illegitimate or the previous paragraphs are sloppy and need to be edited or eliminated. Which is it? Thanks! 66.67.32.161 (talk) 03:01, 20 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Born November Eleventh!

She was born November 11th, NOT November 22nd, and the correct date makes it true that she died two weeks before her birthday. ...Right? Yes and no. In 1752, the calendar changed from the Julian to the Gregorian. That meant 11 days were added to compensate for the shifting of the calendar. SO by the "old style" calendar, she was born on November 11th, just as her husband was born on October 19th. But since we now go by thee Gregorian, that means her birthdate is November 22, 1744, NOT November 11th. Ok. ? 66.67.32.161 (talk) 21:10, 3 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

ABIGAIL ADAMS

Abigail Adams was married to john adams they were married on october 25th 1764. john adams has children. john adams has kids because abigail adams had children. by kaylee hutchins at mckinley — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.179.123.238 (talk) 18:57, 12 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Abigail Adams

Abigail Adams was wife of john adams. and she wrote many letters to john adams. they known each other since 1762. adams died on october 28th. she was 73 years old when she died. crowns nearby penn hill. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.179.123.222 (talk) 17:56, 2 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Please add this to Memorials

She is commemorated on the Boston Women's Heritage Trail.[1]

Semi-protected edit request on 9 May 2016

date of birth: nov. 11, 1744 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.39.120.226 (talk) 17:40, 9 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]

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Semi-protected edit request on 25 October 2016

I've extensively seen that Abigail Adams was born November 11, not 22. Also I asked my teacher and she said the 11th as well 65.123.159.131 (talk) 21:58, 25 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]

 Not done We include both old style (November 11) and new style (November 22) dates. —MRD2014 (talk • contribs) 00:08, 26 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Article improvement "Good Article" goal

I recently added some citations to this article. I also rearranged some facts in the article to try and provide more of a chronology of Adams' life. I think having some of her positions on political issues at the end of the article works fine, I moved things like the death of her daughter Nabby, which had been in the Europe section and moved it to her later life where it fits chronologically.

There is a lot to be done on this article including expanding on several events and finding citations for facts already in the article. I welcome any collaboration. Given her importance in American history I think this article is a great target for improvement. Knope7 (talk) 02:04, 23 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Semi-protected edit request on 14 December 2016

she is a lesbian Jebbush69 (talk) 18:47, 14 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Not done: You're going to need a lot of very reliable sources to support that claim. —C.Fred (talk) 18:48, 14 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

missing word in the section First Lady

Current text: Adams brought the children of brother William Smith, her brother-in-law John Shaw, and her Charles to live in the President's House during her husband's presidency because the children's respective fathers all struggled with alcoholism

Suggested Edit: Add the word "son" in between "her" and "Charlies" to read:

Adams brought the children of brother William Smith, her brother-in-law John Shaw, and her SON Charles to live in the President's House during her husband's presidency because the children's respective fathers all struggled with alcoholism

  1. ^ "Abigail Adams". Boston Women's Heritage Trail.
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