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Frequently Asked Questions
What did Abigail Adams say in the "Remember the Ladies" letter? Abigail Adams used the famous phrase "Remember the Ladies" in a letter to her husband John, dated March 31, 1776. John Adams was 
then away from home in Philadelphia, representing Massachusetts
in the Continental Congress. Abigail Adams devoted much of
her letter to inquiries about the state of American military
defenses and to informing her husband about conditions in
Boston, recently evacuated by the British. As with all of
the voluminous correspondence between Abigail and John Adams,
the letter is a mixture of family and domestic news—the
approach of spring and her plans for their farm—and the
writer's thoughts about the political events of the day.The most famous portion of the letter occurs near the end, where, having heard that the colonies would "declare an independancy"—something she longed for—Abigail hopes that
This letter is published in The Book of Abigail and John (pages 120-121) and in Adams Family Correspondence, Volume 1 (pages 369-371). The full citations for these books are listed below. You may also view a full transcription and a facsimile of the original document at the Selected Manuscripts of the Adams Papers. The Massachusetts Historical Society holds the papers of the Adams family, including, most notably, John and Abigail Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Charles Francis Adams. The Society is also home to the Adams Papers editorial project, which has edited and published 36 volumes of diaries and correspondence of family members. Please see the Adams Papers web pages for more information. The Book of Abigail and John: Selected Letters of the Adams Family, 1762-1784. Edited by L. H. Butterfield, Marc Friedlaender and Mary-Jo Kline. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1976. Adams Family Correspondence. Vol. 1, December 1761-May 1776. Edited by L. H. Butterfield, Wendell D. Garrett, and Marjorie E. Sprague. Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1963. Is there a list of members of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry? The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, made famous by 
the 1989 movie Glory, was the most important African
American regiment raised in the North during the Civil War.
The regiment won acclaim for its bravery during the July 18,
1863, attack on Fort Wagner, a Confederate bastion that guarded
the entrance to the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina.
Col. Robert Gould Shaw, who led the attack, lost his life
that day, and more than half the soldiers fighting with him
were killed, wounded, or captured. The official roster of men who served in the 54th Infantry appears in Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines in the Civil War, compiled and published by the Adjutant General, 1931. These volumes contain the names and brief service records for all Massachusetts Civil War veterans. The Society holds some manuscript materials that document the history of the 54th. A small collection of Robert Gould Shaw's letters and materials includes photographs that Capt. Luis F. Emilio 
gathered to write a history of the regiment.The sources listed below provide further information on the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. Burchard, Peter. One Gallant Rush: Robert Gould Shaw and His Brave Black Regiment. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989. Emilio, Luis F. History of the Fifty-fourth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, 1863-1865. Salem, N.H.: Ayer Co. Publishers, 1990 (originally published 1891). Robert Gould Shaw's letters, including those held by the MHS, have been edited by Russell Duncan. Shaw, Robert Gould. Blue-eyed Child of Fortune: The Civil War Letters of Col. Robert Gould Shaw. Edited by Russell Duncan. New York: Avon Books, 1994. What caused the great Boston Molasses Flood? In 1919, a 50-foot-high steel tank loomed over Boston's North End. Built by the Purity Distilling Company four years earlier, the tank could hold up to 2.5 million gallons of molasses to be used in the production of rum and industrial alcohol. At 12:40 pm on Wednesday, January 19, 1919, the tank burst, sending a gigantic wave of molasses rushing down Commercial Street through the North End, eventually covering two city blocks. Twenty-one people died in the disaster and 150 were injured. The official investigation of the incident never conclusively determined what caused the tank to collapse. The owners contended that it was an external explosion, possibly anarchist sabotage (the alcohol distilled from the molasses was destined for use in government munitions), but few people accepted this explanation. Other theories ascribed the explosion to fermenting molasses, overfilling of the tank, or a structural defect in the tank. After much legal wrangling, the Purity Distilling Company was held liable for the damage. A Massachusetts court determined that insufficient safety inspections had played a part in the accident. The MHS does not hold any significant research materials for the Molasses Flood. To answer this question the MHS reference staff had to turn to published accounts, including a newspaper article by MHS Director William M. Fowler, Jr., that appeared on the most recent anniversary of the Flood. Citations for three recent articles appear below. Bisbee, Dana. "Sweet Horror: 80 years ago, a fatal explosion drowned the North End in molasses." The Boston Herald, January 13, 1999. Fowler, William. "The Great Molasses Flood." The Boston Sunday Globe, City Edition, January 16, 2000. Park, Edwards. "Without Warning, Molasses in January Surged over Boston." Smithsonian, vol. 14 (August 1983): 213-230. How can I find out if an ancestor fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill? There is no one source to determine which individuals fought at the Charlestown engagement, June 17, 1775. A number of the soldiers wrote accounts of the battle in letters and diaries, some of which now reside in the MHS collections. Peter Brown, a citizen soldier who fought with William H. Prescott in the redoubt at Bunker Hill, wrote a letter to his mother, June 25, 1775. In the letter, he provides the fullest account that survives of the feelings and observations of a participant in the ranks. The official roster of men who served in the Revolutionary War appears in Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War, compiled and published by the Secretary of the Commonwealth in 1891. These volumes contain the names and brief service records for all Massachusetts Revolutionary War veterans. For more on the Battle of Bunker Hill and a comprehensive list of sources about the battle, please visit the Society's virtual exhibit "The Decisive Day Is Come: The Battle of Bunker Hill." I have a collection of old books/newspapers/manuscripts.How can I tell how much they're worth? A variety of factors affect the monetary value of old books, newspapers, and manuscripts. Furthermore, the historical importance of a book or manuscript may be very different from its monetary value. While an unpublished letter written by a Revolutionary War soldier can hold great historical interest, it may be of less monetary value than the same man's discharge certificate signed by George Washington—an autograph sought after by collectors. The MHS reference staff can help you determine the historical importance of documents and books and can advise you whether or not there are similar materials in the MHS collection or other repositories. Since the MHS is not a museum, the staff has much less knowledge about historical artifacts or works of art. The MHS cannot make monetary appraisals, but we can assist you in locating an independent appraiser who will be able to estimate the value and potential market for your historical materials. I've seen references for Massachusetts Historical Society Proceedings and Collections. How can I get copies of these? The publication of primary source materials on American history has been an important goal of the Massachusetts Historical Society since its founding. Two publications have helped to serve this purpose. The Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, published since 1792, includes edited transcriptions of historical documents and rare early publications, including manuscripts from Society's own collections. The Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society, published annually from 1859 through 1997, contains reports of MHS meetings, edited lectures on American history delivered at MHS meetings, transcriptions of materials from the collections, and notes on MHS acquisitions. Both of these series are widely available in large public libraries and research libraries throughout the United States. The Proceedings series' last volume was volume 109 (1997). Its successor is the Massachusetts Historical Review. The MHR, an annual journal, publishes essays, photo-essays, historical documents, and review articles. Subjects span the full spectrum of Massachusetts history, from its settlement to the 21st century. More information about these and other MHS publications is available on the What We Publish web pages. If you have questions about citations or need assistance locating a copy of the Collections or Proceedings at a library near you, please contact the reference librarian. |
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