Sixth president wrote about parents’ burial
A letter written by President John Quincy Adams about burial plans for his father and mother was rediscovered in the basement of Quincy City Hall. (Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff)
By David Abel
Paul Hines, an assistant city solicitor, was combing through dozens of old boxes in the musty basement of City Hall, searching for records to defend the city from a lawsuit, when he made an unexpected find.
A dust-covered box in one of the 126-year-old building’s former jail cells was filled with old scrapbooks.
As Hines leafed through the brittle pages earlier this month, he came upon a letter from 1826 that addressed the burial of John Adams and his wife, Abigail, in First Parish Church across the street from City Hall. And when he flipped over the sheet of yellowing paper with neat, cursive handwriting, Hines saw it was signed by the second president’s son, John Quincy Adams, who at the time he wrote the letter was serving as the nation’s sixth president.
“It was very exciting,’’ Hines said. “I was wondering whether anyone knew this existed, and when the last time it was seen. I thought we should take it out of those conditions, so it could be shared and preserved.’’
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A dust-covered box in one of the 126-year-old building’s former jail cells was filled with old scrapbooks.
As Hines leafed through the brittle pages earlier this month, he came upon a letter from 1826 that addressed the burial of John Adams and his wife, Abigail, in First Parish Church across the street from City Hall. And when he flipped over the sheet of yellowing paper with neat, cursive handwriting, Hines saw it was signed by the second president’s son, John Quincy Adams, who at the time he wrote the letter was serving as the nation’s sixth president.
“It was very exciting,’’ Hines said. “I was wondering whether anyone knew this existed, and when the last time it was seen. I thought we should take it out of those conditions, so it could be shared and preserved.’’
Read the rest of this entry >>
