Preparing for Quarantine with Mrs. Adams

Meet Abigail Adams in 1776 as she reflects on her life and prepares to move to Boston to undergo inoculation against smallpox, portrayed by librarian and educator Sarah Walsh. Supported by the Bel Air Friends of HCPL.

Meet Abigail Adams, wife and mother of presidents, who by necessity and circumstance almost single-handedly raised her children, managed a farm and negotiated business transactions. She was an educated, intelligent, perceptive woman. She and John Adams referred to each other as “Dearest Friend,” and she was his most trusted advisor and confidante.

It is the spring of 1776, and with John in Philadelphia working to forward the cause of Independence, Abigail Adams is preparing to move with her family into her uncle’s home in Boston to undergo inoculation against the smallpox. She reflects on returning to the city and how it has changed since her last residence there in 1774, and cautiously hopes for the success of the inoculation campaign, which is almost as fierce a battle as those being fought against the British army.