19 November 1839
adams-john10 Neal Millikan Health and Illness
270

19. IV:30. Tuesday.

Woodward Dr Ebenezer Holbrook Dr. Amos Adams Charles F. Mrs C F. Adams Lunt Revd. William P.

Mr William Ellis reminded me last evening that it was the 84th. anniversary of the great earthquake— I had never charged my memory with the date but I remembered that it was the earliest entry on my fathers diary minutes— He began with them at Worcester 1. Jany 1756. on a small sheet of foolscap paper folded into 16. pages. The year begins on the right hand page of the 2d. leaf but at the top of the left hand page is an entry apparently made at Worcester of the Earthquake which on the 18th of November 1755—had awaked him from sleep, and for the space of 4 minutes made the house shake and crack as if it was coming to pieces— He says—I was then at my fathers house—and adds that it shook down seven chimnies in the town of Braintree— It probably suggested to him the idea of minuting events in the form of a Journal; which floated in his mind till the beginning of the next year.— I looked up this manuscript and read to Mr Ellis the entry about the earthquake— The 18th of November is also one of the memorable days of my own life; being the single day and night in 1806. which I passed at the House of Mr Gulliver in Poplar Street, Boston. Mr Ellis talked much about sundry claims for pensions in his neighbourhood, and said he should write to me concerning one of them— Peter Turner, paid me the 55 dollars he had borrowed last Saturday week, and took up his note. He talked much and asked me to repeat for the fourth time a good saying which had struck him, which upon attempting to repeat to his wife had slip’d from his memory. I told him that it was the common adage that enough is always a little more than a man has got— That’s it, said he—why did not I remember it— But I did remember the saying of John Jacob Astor, that riches are nothing and that a man, with five hundred thousand dollars clear of the world is as well off as a rich man. My Son and his wife came out from Boston this morning— He returned home after dinner— She remains for the night— The Doctors Holbrook and Woodward met here at 4 this afternoon, and thought the child could not survive the Night; and gave this opinion to the family, except the mother who discovered from the condition of the child the hopelessness of the case; and was so overwhelmed with grief and it became necessary to remove her to another chamber— Miss Cutts accompanied her— My wife and Charles’s retained all their self-possession and watch the dear child with Mrs Kirke without intermission— Mr Lunt called this Evening; and at my request in my chamber prayed for the child and for us all— I did not take him in to the sick chamber, dreading the effect of such a service on the agonizing mother but his prayer was earnest and appropriate, and soothing to my own feelings— From 9 to 10 O’Clock this evening I forced myself to pass an hour by the bedside of this suffering Seraph as she seemed to me to be— Her sufferings were not acute, but in her beseeching and moaning helplessness they wrung my soul— Nether my wife nor Abby would leave the bedside— I retired without undressing for the Night.

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