Abigail Adams Historical Society

07/04/2021

Happy Independence Day!

07/02/2021

"The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more." - John to Abigail Adams, just slightly wrong regarding the date of Independence Day Celebrations, on 3 July 1776

Image: John Adams by John Singleton Copley

06/29/2021

Join our friends at the Royall House & Slave Quarters for this event.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS EVENT IS POSTPONED TO FRIDAY, JULY 9 BECAUSE OF RAIN.

This Friday, July 2 -- NOW NEXT FRIDAY, JULY 9 -- at noon we'll join several local organizations in co-sponsoring the annual communal reading of Frederick Douglass's "The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro" on Boston Common.

In his fiery July 5, 1852 speech, Douglass took exception to being asked to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, reminding his audience that "the rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me."

We are truly honored to have been invited to join the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice at Harvard Law School, Community Change Inc, Mass Humanities, the Museum of African American History, and ten other civic and community organizations in co-sponsoring this event, which will take place at the newly renovated Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial, located across Beacon Street from the State House.

Visit masshumanities.org for the schedule of other readings across the Commonwealth.

04/28/2021

Another First Lady in the news.

04/23/2021

Rain is predicted for Sunday afternoon, so why not join Board member Michelle Coughlin for her talk about the world of colonial women on Sunday, April 25th.

The Complex Worlds of Colonial New England Women
April 25 @ 3:00 pm

2020-2021 Lecture Series: Benjamin Lincoln’s World: Stories from Colonial Hingham to the Early Republic

The Complex Worlds of Colonial New England Women

How did women like Mary Cushing Lincoln do it? Historian and author Michelle Coughlin (“Penelope Winslow, Plymouth Colony First Lady: Re-imagining a Life”) will describe the challenges and constraints that colonial women faced & the important roles they played in their communities.

Michelle Marchetti Coughlin focuses much of her research as an historian on the recovery of information about early American women, who, she points out, continue to be underrepresented in the telling of America’s story. Michelle serves on the board of the Abigail Adams Birthplace, and is the author of One Colonial Woman’s World: The Life and Writings of Mehetabel Chandler Coit, and Penelope Winslow: Plymouth Colony First Lady: Re-Imagining a Life. She received her master’s degree in History from Tufts University.

Sunday, April 25th 3 PM via ZOOM
Ticket holders will receive the Zoom link by email on Sunday, 4/25 by 10 a.m. Please check your spam folder if you do not receive the email. Email [email protected] or call 781-749-7721 x1 if you have any additional questions.

Tickets
4/25: Complex Worlds of Colonial New England Women Lecture
$ 30.00Unlimited

03/31/2021

Remember the Ladies

From our friends at Adams National Historical Park. We miss them.

03/03/2021

One Colonial Woman's World

Please join the Marshfield Historical Society on Sunday, March 21, 2021, 1:30 pm in commemorating Women's History Month by exploring the lives of the region's early female residents with independent scholar Michelle Marchetti Coughlin, author of Penelope Winslow, Plymouth Colony First Lady: Re-Imagining a Life, and One Colonial Woman's World: The Life and Writings of Mehetabel Chandler Coit. Marshfield-resident Susannah White Winslow, widow of a Mayflower Pilgrim, wife of a Governor of Plymouth Colony and mother of Peregrine White will be included. The subject of this virtual Pro-Am Historical Highlight lecture is The Challenges (and Rewards) of Researching Colonial Women.


Elizabeth Paddy Wensley (1641–1711)
Courtesy Pilgrim Hall Museum

The link to register/join is:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8178818811649945616

Colonial women have often been overlooked in the telling of America's story because they weren't involved in politics and left behind few written records. But a variety of other sources survive to illuminate their experiences and reveal the significant impact these women had on their surroundings. Piecing together this evidence can enrich our understanding of our communities and has the potential to shed new light on the American past.

As a follow-up to her February 2020 lecture for the Marshfield Historical Society on her book Penelope Winslow, Michelle will describe the sources that exist for early American women's history and how she has used them in research for her books, articles, and consulting work for historical organizations. The painting of Elizabeth Wensley, above, gives us a rare glimpse of a 17 th Century Colonial American woman, who was the wife of a successful merchant in Boston.

Please register today and mark your calendar.


Michelle Marchetti Coughlin is an independent scholar and the author of Penelope Winslow, Plymouth Colony First Lady: Re-Imagining a Life, and One Colonial Woman's World: The Life and Writings of Mehetabel Chandler Coit, a biography of the author of what may be the earliest surviving diary by an American woman. Coughlin has served as a Mass Humanities Scholar in Residence, a historical consultant, and a guest curator on Pilgrim Hall Museum's recent exhibit pathFOUNDERS: Women of Plymouth. She currently serves on the board of the Abigail Adams Birthplace and is at work on a book about the wives of the colonial governors ("The First First Ladies").


The first-edition of Stephen O’Neill’s The Life of Peregrine White, The First Englishman Born in New England is available for $20 plus $5 for Postage and Handling by sending a check to “Marshfield Historical Society – Books”, 79 Parker Street, Marshfield, MA 02050. Please include your email or telephone number.

Michelle's books are now available with special discounts:
Penelope Winslow, Plymouth Colony First Lady: Re-Imagining a Life
Pilgrim Hall Museum is offering a Women's History Month discount through the month of March via its online store:

One Colonial Woman's World: The Life and Writings of Mehetabel Chandler Coit
The University of Massachusetts Press is offering a 30% discount + free shipping; please enter the code MAS021 at checkout: https://www.umasspress.com/9781558499676/one-colonial-womans-world/

This book reconstructs the life of Mehetabel Chandler Coit (1673–1758), the author of what may be the earliest surviving diary by an American woman. A nati...

03/01/2021

Happy Women's History Month! Spend some time this March learning more about the women, past and present, who shape our world. Check out our website for virtual exhibits, biographies, classroom-ready resources for educators, upcoming events, and more. Together, we can tell a more inclusive and representative history: www.womenshistory.org

#womenshistorymonth #nationalwomenshistorymuseum #womenlead

03/01/2021

March has been designated Women's History Month. This quote from one of Abigail's many letters to John is a good way to begin the month,
"If we mean to have Heroes, Statesmen and philosophers, we
should have learned women." (August 14, 1776)

12/16/2020

“Abigail was keenly aware of tea’s political divisiveness following the arrival of the three ships bearing the East India Company’s 342 chests of Chinese teas in Boston Harbor.

On December 5, 1773, Abigail wrote to Mercy Otis:

‘The Tea that bainfull weed is arrived. Great and I hope Effectual opposition has been made to the landing of it.’”Quote from our Friends at The Boston Tea Party Ship

11/26/2020

Massachusetts Historical Society

On 29 November 1798, Abigail Adams writes to John Adams: "This is our Thanksgiving day. when I look Back upon the year past, I perceive many, very many causes for thanksgiving, both of a publick and Private nature. I hope my Heart is not ungratefull, tho sad; it is usually a day of festivity when the social Family circle meet together tho seperated the rest of the year. No Husband dignifies my Board, no Children add gladness to it, no Smiling Grandchildren Eyes to sparkle for the plumb pudding, or feast upon the mincd Pye. Solitary & alone I behold the day after a sleepless night, with-out a joyous feeling. am I ungratefull? I hope not." Wishing everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

11/23/2020

National Trust for Historic Preservation

A nice shout out from our friends at the National Trust for Historic Preservation!

Born on November 22, 1744, First Lady Abigail Adams lived in her birthplace for the first 20 years of her life. Education was important to her and her father, Reverend Smith, who regularly taught boys who were going to attend Harvard University subjects like law, ministry, and medicine at the home.

Her mother taught Abigail how to read and write, and Abigail would later read from her father’s many books in the study’s library. She and President John Adams left to make a life of their own after exchanging vows at the home in 1764. https://savingplaces.org/stories/abigail-adams-birthplace-american-history-through-a-womans-eyes #TellTheFullStory

11/23/2020

Grateful for The Boy Scouts of Troop 19 and their families who assist. Over 40 bags of leaves raked today!

11/22/2020

Our neighbors in the cemetery. Abigail's parents are buried here.

Last week the info posts will be out about the carvers in the cemetery. I'll be taking them in for the winter. If you want to take a walk through the cemetery after your thanksgiving feast, look at the different carvers and their styles and also check out the corresponding videos on here... just wear some solid walking shoes and watch the acorns and leaves. And mind the traffic on North St if you cross to the cannons.

11/15/2020

First ladies receive recognition in Washington D.C.

Happy “First Lady Friday!” Today, we celebrate the opening of the National Portrait Gallery’s new exhibit, “Every Eye Is Upon Me: First Ladies of the United States,” which features portraits from the White House Collection and other repositories. In honor of the exhibit’s opening, let’s learn more about Harriet Lane, White House hostess during the presidency of James Buchanan and avid art collector.

When bachelor James Buchanan was elected to the presidency, he recruited his young, charming niece, Harriet Lane, to act as first lady and White House hostess. Lane quickly became an American celebrity, featured in newspaper articles and women’s magazines, invited to social and philanthropic events, and proclaimed namesake to “societies, ships of war, [and] neck-ties.”

After leaving the White House, Harriet Lane remained a staple among Washington, D.C. society, and amassed a collection of European art that rivaled the best galleries of the time. Harriet Lane designated in her will that her collection be donated toward the creation of a national gallery of art—at the time, no such museum existed. Her donation contributed to the foundation of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection, which shares a space with the National Portrait Gallery today.

Harriet Lane is just one of many examples of the American first ladies acting as a philanthropist—another unspoken role filled by the president’s spouse. Many first ladies have used their voice and platform to advocate for charities and causes that they personally support.

Get your tickets for the National Portrait Gallery’s new exhibit, “Every Eye Is Upon Me: First Ladies of the United States,” to learn more about Harriet Lane and the lives and legacies of America’s first ladies.

https://npg.si.edu/exhibition/every-eye-upon-me-first-ladies-united-states

For information on visiting tips, please visit: https://npg.si.edu/visiting-tips-faqs

11/02/2020

Royall House & Slave Quarters

We have been closed since March as well. Tours are a source of revenue for the Society and provide the income for our insurance and operating costs. there are no paid or stipend workers at The Birthplace. Everyone is a volunteer.

Our museum's usual tour season extends from late May through Halloween, so we'd be closed now in any case. But we never opened this year at all, because we just couldn't guarantee visitor and guide safety in some of our buildings' smaller spaces. Historic New England's Peter Gittleman, co-president of our board, explains the challenges in the linked article.

"While a small number of these sites have reopened, the vast majority are still shut tight – some with plans to remain closed until next spring. Historic homes make up around 55 percent of New England museums, and many of the features that make these homes unique – original artifacts and older spaces – also make it nearly impossible to make them COVID-compliant.

"Historic New England, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving historic heritage sites, owns 37 historic properties across New England, and only six have reopened their buildings, including the Sleeper-McCann House in Gloucester, Gropius House in Lincoln, and the Eustis Estate in Milton.

"Peter Gittleman, team leader for visitor experience at Historic New England, said there is visitor interest – tours are regularly selling out in advance. But opening more properties or expanding the currently reduced hours was too complicated given the realities of COVID."

10/30/2020

Adams National Historical Park

John Adams was born #onthisdate in 1735. Happy 285th Birthday!

Image: John Adams by Jane Stuart (a copy of the original by her father, Gilbert Stuart). John Adams is bald on top with grey hair around the sides. He is wearing a dark suit with a white shirt and sitting on a red sofa.

10/24/2020

Sonnet Bakery

After a lot of research into this project, it is such a thrill to see my cakes displayed in the Abigail Adams house! Thanks to the Abigail Adams Historical Society for giving me the honor of recreating these 18th century desserts.

10/02/2020

Adams National Historical Park

You may notice some different stories than you’re used to on our page next week. From October 5 to October 9 the rangers from Women’s Rights National Historical Park will be taking over our Facebook feed! We will be returning the favor for them. Be sure to follow @womensrightsnps to see the connection between the two parks and get the full, exciting story. You won’t want to miss this fascinating glimpse into the anti-slavery and women’s rights movements!

https://www.nps.gov/wori

Image: Inside the Women's Rights National Historical Park Visitor Center. A collection of statues representing individuals who participated in the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848.

#WomensHistory #FindYourPark #EncuentraTuParque #FindYourVirtualPark #National Park Service #ParkSwap #NationalParkSocialMediaSwap #SocialMediaSwap #NPS19th

10/01/2020

Royall House & Slave Quarters

Abigail Adams wrote to her husband John in 1774 about the hypocrisy of Patriots agitating for freedom from British rule, while slavery was legal in all 13 American colonies:

“It always appeared a most iniquitous scheme to me—fight ourselves for what we are daily robbing and plundering from those who have as good a right to freedom as we have. You know my mind upon this subject.”

In 1733 Matthew Ellis—a resident of our museum's home community of Medford, Massachusetts, who was a faithful member of the Church of England—protested paying taxes to support the local Congregational minister. Ellis was jailed for his failure to pay the tax, sued the local constable, and eventually prevailed. According to the Historical Magazine of the Protestant Episcopal Church, "For practical purposes, freedom of worship had come to Massachusetts."

And yet just 2 years earlier, in October 1731, the New England Weekly Journal carried this ad: "Stray'd away from Mr. Matthew Ellis, on the 26th of Sept. last, Two new Negro Men, one about 40, the other about 30 years of Age.... Neither of them can speak English. Whoever shall take up the abovesaid Negro's, and them bring or convey to the abovesaid Ellis at Medford ... shall have Reasonable Satisfaction, & necessary Charges paid."

Another iniquitous scheme.

- - -

Thanks for alerting us to historic Medford-related ads go to The Slavery Adverts 250 Project, conducted by Carl Robert Keyes, associate professor of history at Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts: adverts250project.org

09/28/2020

Royall House & Slave Quarters

Royall House & Slave Quarters

"It was strange to realize that providing a holistic account of what slavery was, and the horror it wrought, might be understood as indoctrination—especially if the only stories one has been told about America have been cloaked in the one-dimensional mythology of exceptionalism.

"... the truth is that our country is not made worse by young people reckoning fully with the legacy of slavery. Such reckoning better prepares them to make sense of how our country has come to be, and how to build systems and institutions predicated on justice rather than oppression. Nothing is more patriotic than that."