Susanna Boylston
Susanna Boylston Adams Hall was an early-American socialite, mother of the second U.S. president, John Adams and the paternal grandmother of the sixth president, John Quincy Adams.
Early life
Susanna was born in Brookline, Province of Massachusetts Bay, on March 5, 1708. Her parents were Peter Boylston and Anne Boylston. Her paternal grandparents were Dr. Thomas Boylston and Mary Boylston, and her maternal grandparents were Benjamin White and Susanna White.The Boylstons were one of the most respectable families in New England and among her relatives was cousin Ward Nicholas Boylston, a benefactor of Harvard College, and uncle Zabdiel Boylston, the celebrated physician who performed the first surgical operation by an American physician and was known for inoculating hundreds of people in Boston during a severe smallpox outbreak. Cousin Mary Boylston was mother of Mary Hallowell, wife of Chief Justice of Upper Canada John Elmsley.
Personal life
In 1734, Susanna was married to John Adams Sr.. She is among the least well known of the famous Adams family, for her name appears infrequently in the large body of Adams writings. Historian David McCullough notes that no writings of hers survive, though it is known that others would often read to her, suggesting that she might have been illiterate. In his memoirs, John Adams wrote that "as my parents were both fond of reading...I was very early taught to read at home.". Together, John and Susanna were parents of the following children:- John Adams, the 2nd president of the United States.
- Peter Boylston Adams, a farmer, militia captain of Braintree, Massachusetts.
- Elihu Adams, a company commander in the militia during the American Revolution who died from dysentery.