Adams Archive Instant

If you want to visit the primary Adams Archive, there is only one destination: The Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) in Boston.

For over a century, the MHS has been the official steward of the family papers. The collection is staggering:

In 1954, the family formally deposited the papers at the MHS, ensuring that the Adams Archive would be preserved in a climate-controlled environment accessible to serious researchers. adams archive

Access depends entirely on which archive you need.

For the Political Papers (John & John Quincy): If you want to visit the primary Adams

For the Photographic Works (Ansel):

For Genealogy:

The physical collection is staggering:

For nearly 200 years, accessing this collection required a pilgrimage to Boston. That changed with the Adams Papers Editorial Project. Funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the archive has undergone a meticulous process of transcription and digitization. In 1954, the family formally deposited the papers

Today, the Digital Adams Archive is available online (often via Rotunda or the MHS website). This database allows users to search the exact handwriting of two presidents. You can watch the ink bleed on the page where John Quincy Adams argued the Amistad case before the Supreme Court, or read the emotional devastation in Abigail’s letter regarding the death of her daughter.