Adams Family Papers 1639-1899; bulk: 1755-1889 Guide to the Microfilm Edition Microfilming sponsored by the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Table of Contents Collection Summary Collection Description Acquisition Information Other Formats Organization Detailed Description of the Collection Preferred Citation Access Terms

Collection Summary

Collection Description

The Adams family papers consist of correspondence, letterbooks, diaries, literary manuscripts, speeches, legal and business papers, and other papers of John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Charles Francis Adams, as well as papers of other family members, including Abigail Brooks Adams, Abigail Smith Adams, Brooks Adams, Charles Adams, Charles Francis Adams II, George Washington Adams, Henry Adams, John Adams II, John Quincy Adams II, Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, Thomas Boylston Adams, Abigail Adams Smith, and others. The collection also contains a large amount of incoming correspondence from hundreds of major and minor figures in America and Europe.

Acquisition Information

Gift of the Adams Manuscript Trust, 1956. The Adams Manuscript Trust was instituted in 1905 by the three surviving sons and one of the grandsons of Charles Francis Adams, in order to provide for the proper care and use of all the papers, public and private, of President John Adams, President John Quincy Adams, and Charles Francis Adams, together with the papers of their wives and children. The papers were on deposit at the Massachusetts Historical Society from the establishment of the trust until April 1956, when they were given to the MHS. The collection was microfilmed between 1954 and 1959.

Other Formats

The Adams Papers editorial project and Harvard University Press have published and continue to publish many volumes of Adams family papers. The volumes are arranged in four series: I. Diaries, II. Adams Family Correspondence, III. General Correspondence and Other Papers of the Adams Statesmen, and IV. Adams Family Portraits. See the Adams Papers's list of Volumes Published for more information.

The Founding Families project at the Massachusetts Historical Society contains all the content of the printed documentary editions of Revolutionary-era Adams Papers. Included in this digital edition is all the text of the historical documents, all editorial text, and a single index containing all entries from the 16 printed Adams Papers indexes.

Many Adams family manuscripts have also been digitized for the Massachusetts Historical Society website, including correspondence between John and Abigail Adams, the diary and autobiography of John Adams, and the diaries of John Quincy Adams. See the MHS's Guide to Adams Resources on this Site for a list of on-line resources.

The Adams family papers microfilm is available for purchase through:
UMI Research Collections
789 E. Eisenhower Parkway
Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346
(800) 521-0600 x2793
http://www.umi.com/en-US/catalogs/collections/rc-search.shtml

For a list of institutions holding this microfilm, see Microfilm Set Locations.

Organization of the Collection

The collection is organized into the following series:

Detailed Description of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Microfilm edition of the Adams family papers, Massachusetts Historical Society.

Access Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.