Diary of John Quincy Adams, volume 1

6th. JQA

1785-09-06

6th. Adams, John Quincy
6th.

At about 9 o'clock in the morning I again tackled my horse into my uncle's Chaise, and we put every thing into it, and set out, and arrived at Boston at about 11. I immediately went to my uncle Smith's store, and enquired after the missing trunk. I found it was in one corner of the Store. I then went to his House and found there a Letter from the Marquis de la Fayette:1 I also 320received Letters from My father, mother and Sister dated as late as June 27th.2 Waited on Mr. Breck with a paper upon the subject of refining oil. Dined at Mr. Foster's and immediately after dinner had the horse again tackled in the Chaise. By 3 ½ o'clock we were ready, and as the wind was somewhat high my aunt did not incline to cross the ferry: so we went round, over the neck. We stopp'd at Mr. Gannett's, the steward of the College. We at first intended to go as far as Lincoln, to night, but have been perswaded to remain here. My Brother and Cousin drank tea with us, and I spent the evening with them, at the College.

1.

12 June (Adams Papers). The paper for Samuel Breck referred to later in the entry was enclosed in Lafayette's letter.

2.

JA to JQA, 26 June; AA to JQA, 26–27 June (Adams Papers). AA2's letter has not been found.

7th. JQA

1785-09-07

7th. Adams, John Quincy
7th.

We breakfasted early and were on our way by 8 o'clock. We stopp'd at Captain Brookes's1 house in Mystic, four miles from Cambridge, and about a quarter of a mile. We then rode 10 miles further; after which we stopp'd an hour to rest our horse. So far we found the roads very good: but the next 6 miles, to Mr. French,2 (the minister at Andover)'s house are very sandy and heavy. We dined there: Mr. French was not at home. At 3 o'clock, we left Andover and at about 5 ½ got to the river which runs by Haverhill. The roads were not good, being sometimes sandy, and sometimes very hilly. We cross'd the river in a flat bottom'd boat, and at 6 o'clock arrived at Mr. Shaw's;3 where I found my brother Tom, who when I left him was not 7 years old, and is now 13. Mr. Thaxter too who sailed in the first french Packet immediately after the Peace is here, and spent the evening at my uncle's. He is practising the Law and has a good run of business.

1.

Capt. Caleb Brooks Jr. (1745–1812), brother of Gen. John Brooks and a distant cousin of JQA's through his father's (Boylston) family (Henry Bond, Family Memorials. Genealogies of the Families and Descendants of the Early Settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts . . ., 2 vols. in 1, Boston, 1855, p. 703–704, 723–724; Richard B. Coolidge, “The Brooks Estates in Medford from 1660 to 1927,” Medford Hist. Register, 30:5–7 [March 1927]).

2.

Jonathan French, minister at South Church from 1772 (Sibley-Shipton, Harvard Graduates , 17:514–520).

3.

John Shaw (1748–1794), brother-in-law of AA, minister at Haverhill from 1777. JQA was to live in his house until the following March. Shaw had been the preceptor of CA and TBA since 1783. JQA had been advised to study with Shaw until the following spring, though Shaw at this date had apparently not yet decided to take him as a student because of the great responsibility in trying “to qualify a young Gentle man to enter the University as Junior Sophister” (AA to JA, 28 April 1783; Elizabeth Smith Shaw to AA, 7 Sept. 1785, both Adams Papers).

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