COLLECTION GUIDES

1639-1899; bulk: 1755-1889

Guide to the Microfilm Edition


Collection Summary

Creator: Adams family
Title: Adams family papers
Dates: 1639-1899
Bulk Dates: 1755-1889
Physical Description: 608 microfilm reels
Microfilm Call Number: P-54
Repository:
Massachusetts Historical Society
1154 Boylston StreetBoston, MA 02215library@masshist.org

Abstract

This collection consists of the 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 many other Adams family members and incoming correspondence from hundreds of major and minor figures in America and Europe.

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.

All known Adams family documents are cataloged in the Online Adams Catalog (OAC). The searchable database describes all Adams documents dating from 1639 to 1889 held by both the MHS and elsewhere. For items held by the MHS, once items of interest are identified, users should use this guide to request the corresponding microfilm reel(s) containing those items.

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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.

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Other Formats

Digital facsimiles of the Elise Charlotte Otté diary are available on Leisure, Travel & Mass Culture: The History of Tourism, a digital publication of Adam Matthew Digital, Inc. This digital resource is available at subscribing libraries; speak to your local librarian to determine if your library has access. The MHS makes this resource available onsite; see a reference librarian for more information.

Digital facsimiles of the Samuel Cooper Johonnot and Samuel Tucker journals are available on Life at Sea, a digital publication of Adam Matthew Digital, Inc. This digital resource is available at subscribing libraries; speak to your local librarian to determine if your library has access. The MHS makes this resource available onsite; see a reference librarian for more information.

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 Adams Papers Digital Edition 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 printed Adams Papers indexes.

The John Quincy Adams Digital Diary contains verified and searchable transcriptions and page images of the 51-volume diary kept by John Quincy Adams from 1779 to 1848. Many more Adams family manuscripts have also been digitized for the Massachusetts Historical Society website, including correspondence between John and Abigail Adams and the diary and autobiography of John Adams. See the MHS's Adams Family Resources 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
1-800-521-0600 x2793
https://about.proquest.com/en/content-solutions/microform/

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

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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I. Diaries, 1755-1880

Close I. Diaries, 1755-1880

II. Letterbooks, 1755-1881

Close II. Letterbooks, 1755-1881

III. Miscellany, 1761-1899

This series consists of miscellaneous manuscript material, largely in bound volumes, of various Adams family members, friends, and connections. In some cases, a single volume was used for different purposes or by more than one person.

The material in this series is arranged as follows: first by generation, beginning with John and Abigail Adams. Each generation is then organized from the oldest son to the youngest, with the wife of each son immediately following her husband. For family members with extensive material, papers are arranged in this order: 1. autobiographical material, including diaries (except those of John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Charles Francis Adams, whose diaries are located in Series I), memorandum books, etc.; 2. financial papers; 3. legal papers (notes, briefs, fees received, etc.); 4. literary material, including student exercises, commonplace books, translations, and original compositions; 5. political writings; and 6. unclassified material (manuscripts not classifiable in the other categories). Within these categories, manuscripts are arranged in chronological order whenever possible, with the exception of John Quincy Adams's literary manuscripts, which are arranged into two sequences: Reels 217-236 and Reels 237-243.

Non-Adams material, arranged alphabetically by author, is located at the end of the series.

Close III. Miscellany, 1761-1899

IV. Letters received and other loose papers, 1639-1889

This series contains letters received and other loose papers in a single chronological sequence, 1639-1889 (followed by undated material); a supplement of material arranged topically (ciphers, cipher keys, genealogical material, newspaper clippings, wills, deeds, etc.); and addenda consisting of portions of the diaries of John Adams, 1761, and Charles Francis Adams, 1820, 1824-1827, discovered too late for inclusion in Series I.

Close IV. Letters received and other loose papers, 1639-1889
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Preferred Citation

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

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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.

Persons:

Adams, Abigail, 1744-1818.
Adams, Abigail Brooks, 1808-1889.
Adams, Brooks, 1848-1927.
Adams, Charles, 1770-1800.
Adams, Charles Francis, 1807-1886.
Adams, Charles Francis, 1835-1915.
Adams, George Washington, 1801-1829.
Adams, Henry, 1838-1918.
Adams, John, 1735-1826.
Adams, John, 1803-1834.
Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848.
Adams, John Quincy, 1833-1894.
Adams, Louisa Catherine, 1775-1852.
Adams, Thomas Boylston, 1772-1832.
Smith, Abigail Adams, 1765-1813.

Encoded by Susan Martin, March 2009

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