Abigail Adams to Mary Smith Cranch, December 15, 1788

Jamaica December 15 1788

my dear sister

I thank you for your kind Letter of Nov br 30th Dec br 2d you judg’d rightly I was almost melancholy to be a month
from Home, and not to hear once from Home in all that Time, but the post is long in comeing I am Eleven miles from York with a great
Ferry between, and you are ten from Boston so that we do not always get our Letters
ready for post day. I wrote you the day after I arrived here & trust you have long
ago got the Letter. your Neice is very well, except weak, & very free with her mamma
as I can instance to you, for having written a Letter to her pappa & seald it, she
comes in & says o, mamma what is the Letter seald, why I must see it, and very
cordially opens it to read. the little Boy grows finely, but I dont feel so fond of him
yet as I do of william. whether it is because he was Born in our own House, or the first
or the best temperd child I cannot determine.

Dec’ br 18 th .

Mrs Smith has had several of her Neighbours to visit her since I have been here they
appear to be geenteel people, but all the acquaintance she has upon the Island are of
the ceremonious kind. In their own Family are four young Ladies all of them agreeable
sensible well behaved woman Peggy the Eldest is tall, agreeable rather than handsome,
and the most particularly attentive to her manners without discovering any affectation
of any Lady I have met with. 1 Belinda the
second daughter has less of person to boast of than her Elder Sister, but she has that
Interesting countanance & openness of manners that Interests you at first sight, nor
are you dissapointed upon a further acquaintance. her temper and disposition appear
perfectly amiable accommodating and kind. I have more acquaintance with her than with
either of the others. I found here when I came taking charge of mrs Smiths Family during
her confinement. this she performd with much ease and tender sisterly affection. 2 at Home their mamma has used them to the
care of her Family by Turns each takes it a week at a Time. Charity is the third
daughter, and if it was not for the loss of one Eye which she was deprived of at two
years old I think she would be the Bel of the Family. she has been absent till last
sunday ever since I came. I have seen her but once. she is more social has, Read more
and appears to have the greatest turn for literature of either, she has a taste for
drawing for musick &c the fine arts seem to be the objects of her attention, and as
she has a most inquisitive mind she would shine with brightness if she had Books to
direct her and masters to instruct her. she dresses with neatness but great simplicity
rather in the Quaker stile, avoids all publick company assemblies &c but is strongly
attachd to her Friends. I take from mrs Smith part of her History for as I observd before I have seen her but once 3 Sally is the fourth daughter about 17. tall as mrs Guile a fine figure & a pretty
Face unaffected and artless in her manners, modest & composed. she wants only a
little more animation to render her truly Interesting she has dignity, & that you
know is inconsistant with a gay, playfull, humour, 4 this Belinda has. They are four fine women and
well educated for wives as well as daughters. there are two young ones Betsy & Nancy
one of ten and the other seven years old. 5 Daughters so agreeable must have a worthy mother, and this is universally her
character. Mrs Smith is a Large tall woman, not unlike mrs Gray She is about 50 years
old and has been a very Handsome woman, tenderly attachd to all her children. she has I
tell her been too indulgent to her sons of whom she has four, but of them an other
Time. 6 she is really a Charming woman
as far as I have been able to form an acquaintance with her, and she has been here a
good deal & I have visited her. we have had company several Times from Nyork and I
have & many and repeated requests to go there, but my Trunk is, I know not where. I
have only one morning gown & a Green Sattin which I very fortunatly had in my small
Trunk or I should not have been able to have seen any body I have no shoes but the pr I
wear no Bonnet, very little Linnen & only my calimanco skirt, and there are very few
things of mrs smiths that I can wear, I am sadly of. we had yesterday a cold snow storm,
hardly enough to cover the ground, but it has cleard up very cold, I think of my poor
dear & pitty him. I long to get back to my Family, but must wait for snow as the
roads are too bad to Travel without I regreet daily the distance, but mrs Smith comforts
herself with thinking that I shall very soon be nearer to her, but I fear I shall not
have much comfort if that should happen tis only on plain ground that one walks easily,
up hill or down is painfull. I am affraid J Q will turn Hermit, if buisness does not
soon call him into the world, but how much better is this, than having no given object
no persuit— I had rather a son of mine should follow any mechanical trade whatever than
be a Gentleman at large without any occupation

I am sorry to hear my good Mother has met with such an accident. it is one source of my
anxiety to get home, that I have thought for some months that she would not Live through
the winter. pray present my duty to her and tell her that her Grandchildren & great
Grandchildren talk of comeing to see her. my Love to my two daughters, tell Betsy she
must not steal a march upon me. if she waits an other month
mrs Smith will come & be Bride maid. Present me kindly to Brother cranch & go as
often as you can & see my good Gentleman. tell Esther she must write to me & let
me know how she makes out. my fingers are so cold I can Scarcly hold a pen. adieu my
dear sister write as often as you can, mrs Smith desires me to present her duty &
Love. she will write soon. Yours most tenderly

A Adams