Quincy, Mass. Blog #4: John and Abigail Adams & Their Interesting Pew

In yesterday's blog, we visited the United First Parish Church of Quincy, Massachusetts, known as the "Church of the Presidents." In today's blog, you'll learn a little about the second President of the United States, John Adams, and his wife Abigail.  You'll also learn about John's pew and why there were doors on the pews! 

(Photo: On the tour in the Church of the Presidents. Credit: R.G.) 

JOHN ADAMS' PEW - Massachusetts was one of the first smart states that ruled there must be a separation between church and state. When that happened taxpayer money no longer funded churches, and the churches needed to make money. So, they sold pews (seats) to families. John and Abigail Adams purchased pew number 54. 

WHY DID PEWS HAVE DOORS ON THEM? In the wintertime, there was a small metal box on the floor of the pews so hot coals could be put inside them to keep parishioners' feet warm. 

ABOUT JOHN AND ABIGAIL ADAMS - The Massachusetts Historical Society  provided this brief paragraph about these 2 amazing people:
John Adams and Abigail Adams are two significant figures of the American Revolutionary Era. 

John Adams (1735-1826) spent much of his life in service to his country. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress, an officially appointed diplomat (who served as a commissioner in France, Great Britain, and the Netherlands, and minister to the Court of St. James), and president of the United States. 

Abigail (Smith) Adams (1744-1818), did not have a formal education, but proved to be an extremely resourceful partner to John Adams (they were married in 1764). While he was away on numerous political assignments, she raised their children (including John Quincy Adams, the 6th U.S. President), managed their farm, and stayed abreast of current events during one of the country's most turbulent times. The many letters she sent to John Adams demonstrate her perceptive comments about the Revolution and contain vivid depictions of the Boston area.

(Photo: Abigail and John Adams's letters to each other show a rare marriage of equals, historians say. Left: Abigail Adams, by Gilbert Stuart, in the collection of the National Gallery of Art; right: John Adams, unidentified artist, after Gilbert Stuart, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution)

NEXT: Meet John Quincy and Louisa Adams