Abigail Smith, of Weymouth, Mass., became the wife of John Adams at twenty. Ill health during her early years retarded her education, but her strong mind overcame this difficulty. Her letters to her husband and her son prove her mental powers and strong character, and many of them have been published on account of their literary and historical value. During her husband’s term the Capital was removed to Washington, and, though the White House was not yet completed, and the city was only a straggling town, the ceremony of Washington’s time was resumed there during her short reign of only half a year. In private life she was her husband’s constant companion, until, at the age of seventy-four, eight years prior to her husband’s death, she died, leaving the record of a unique life. She was the mother, as well as the wife, of a President, John Quincy Adams being the eldest of her three sons, and in this respect she stands alone.