Adams Family Correspondence, volume 15
r:1801.
After a passage of 58 days from Hamburg we have this day landed here, where we purpose to stay five or six days— My wife will then go to spend a few weeks with her parents at Washington, and I shall 117 hasten towards Quincy where I hope within three weeks to present myself before you—1 Her health though yet very infirm is better than we could have expected, and your little Grandson is as hearty as any sailor of his age that ever cross’d the ocean.
My brother Thomas is with us, and we have so much to say to each other that I have scarcely been able to snatch a minute to inform you of our arrival, and to renew the assurance of our ever faithful and dutiful affection
RC (Adams
Papers); internal address: “J. Adams Esqr.”
The ship America, Capt. Wills,
carrying JQA, LCA, and GWA, arrived on 4 Sept.
in Philadelphia, where they were reunited with TBA, who had booked
accommodation for them in Martha Roberts’ boardinghouse. The trio’s arrival was
reported in the Philadelphia Gazette of the United
States, 4 Sept., and other city newspapers. JQA and LCA
parted on 12 Sept., with LCA and GWA leaving for Washington,
D.C., to visit the Johnsons and JQA departing for Quincy.
JQA was reunited with AA2 in Newark, N.J., the following
day and on 14 Sept. they traveled to New York City, where they saw WSS.
JQA departed New York aboard the packet Fame, Capt. Justin, on 18 Sept., landing at Newport, R.I., on the 19th. The
next day he secured passage to Providence, R.I., “in a trading sloop, from Albany.” On
the 21st he took the stage to Boston and a chaise to Quincy, where he was reunited
with JA and AA. AA wrote to Catherine Nuth
Johnson on 21 Sept. (Adams Papers) for the
purpose of “expressing to you the joy and thankfullness I feel at the Safe return of
our dear Children to their Families and Friends. I hope e’er this reaches you that you
have folded to your Bosom, Your long absent Daughter, and the dear Boy for whom She
had So Severely Sufferd” (vol. 13:470, 471; Philadelphia Gazette, 4 Sept.; Philadelphia American Daily Advertiser, 5 Sept.;
D/JQA/24, APM
Reel 27; LCA, D&A
, 1:157–158, 2:779–780).
th1801
Inclosed is a Letter for your Brother should he arrive as we
expect in Philadelphia; I am told by mr Welch who was yesterday to see us that you
have Letters from Hamburgh from your Brother dated in july—1 if He & family should arrive in health, as
I pray God they may, there first visit will be I presume to Washington, I think as
they will be so near, it ought to be—tho I can scarcly give up the pleasure of being seeing them as soon as they arrive— Yet I know
both duty and inclination must lead Your Sister to visit her Parents as soon as
possible after there her arrival. I would however
enjoin it upon them, to come on here early in Novbr both
the doctor Tufts and I have [thou]ght it best that Mrs Whitwell should give up the
House she occupies in october when her year Ends, that Your Brother might have it to
go into [for] a temporary residence this winter;2 She has it at a much smaller Rent than he can
possibly hire even a poorer one for—and he can let it upon better terms whenever he
chooses to 118 quit it— Here at Quincy both he and his Family
shall have a Home, untill he can be accom[od]ated in Boston.—
We have had some of the hottest weather for this fortnight that we have experienced through the Summer. the Glassess have stood at 90 in Boston, at 88 here for the four last days. it has debilitated me a good deal and given me a return of the old intermitting together with some Rhumatism. I find the best remedy a warm Bath— how do you sustain the Heat?
Sally went to Boston last week in order to return to Nyork, much against my advice and opinion, but the weather has been so intence that she is still there, and as I learnt yesterday very unwell. I have sent for her to return again here, and wait till october3
I hope you deliverd Brislers Letter to our Baker, as it is now so late in the Season I Should like to have new flower and four Barrels instead of two.4 when it is shiped he may give you a Bill of laiden, and his Bill which you will forward to me, and I will make the remittance through you— Your Father received a Letters from you last week. miss Brecks [was] sent to her—5
It is really so Hot I cannot add an other word, but that I am Your ever affectionate Mother
I have a pr of half Boots at your se[rv]ice here, when ever you can send an order for them; or I get an opportunity of sending [them]—
RC (MHi:Adams Papers, All Generations). Some loss of text due to wear at the fold.
AA’s enclosed letter to JQA and LCA has not been found ( TBA to AA, 20 Sept., below). In a 7 July letter to TBA, JQA discussed his travel plans and noted that Bird, Savage & Bird held £500 that he hoped to collect when he returned to the United States (NN:Lee Kohns Coll.).
Rebecca Parker Whitwell, the tenant of JQA’s Court Street house, occupied the property until her death in 1805 (vol. 13:249).
Perhaps in response to AA’s summons,
SSA reported in a [Sept. 1801] letter that
she planned to depart Boston for New York City despite her continuing illness (private
owner, 1957).
Philadelphia merchant Thomas Allibone (d. 1809) lived at 98 North
Fourth Street and operated a store next to 109 Water Street (TBA to
AA, 14 April 1802, Adams
Papers; Philadelphia American Daily Advertiser,
11 July 1809;
Philadelphia Directory
, 1802, p. 16, Shaw-Shoemaker, No. 2893).
Not found.