Hannah Adams

NAME Hannah Adams

WHAT FAMOUS FOR Hannah Adams is renowned for being the first American woman to support herself by writing. 

BIRTH Born October 2, 1755, in a remote country town in Medfield, Massachusetts, USA.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Adams came from a modest family.  Hannah was the second of five children born to Thomas Adams and Elizabeth Clark1. Her father, Thomas Adams, had been educated at Harvard College and came from a family that had held important positions in their town for generations. Hannah's grandfather was a land proprietor who had wanted Thomas to take over the family farm but he became a bookseller.

Her mother died when Hannah was around 11 years old. After her mother's death, Hannah and her younger sister were cared for by their eldest sister, Elizabeth.

Despite their limited means, her family encouraged intellectual pursuits.

CHILDHOOD Adams spent much of her childhood in frail health, which kept her indoors and sparked her interest in reading and learning. Her father’s small book collection became a crucial influence on her intellectual development.

EDUCATION Due to her delicate health, Hannah did not attend regular school. Instead, she was educated at home by her father, whose small store selling books and goods gave Hannah access to a wide range of reading material from an early age. She developed a passion for literature, particularly poetry, history, and biography.

The family took in boarders, many of whom were divinity students. From these boarders, Hannah learned Greek and Latin.

By age 20, Hannah had read more than most women of her time

CAREER RECORD Hannah Adams began her writing career in the 1780s. She contributed articles to various newspapers and magazines, primarily on religious and historical topics. Her most significant work, A Summary History of New England, was published in 1799. Adams was highly regarded for her detailed research and objectivity in discussing religious topics.

APPEARANCE Hannah Adams was described as having a timid and frail demeanor. Her timidity and frailty are mentioned as traits that were confirmed and sometimes exaggerated in historical accounts.

She was known for her "remarkably awkward" manners, according to her own admission. In her memoir, Adams wrote about being "tremblingly apprehensive of exposing myself to ridicule" due to her awkwardness and ignorance of social etiquette.

Portrait of Hannah Adams by Francis Alexander, c. 1828

FASHION Adams was known for her modest and simple clothing, fitting for a woman of her time and economic status. She didn’t indulge in fashionable trends.

CHARACTER She was determined, intellectually curious, and resilient, pursuing knowledge and writing despite health issues and financial challenges. Adams was humble and known for her modesty.

SENSE OF HUMOUR Adams was known to be gentle and soft-spoken, traits that may not align with a boisterous sense of humor.

RELATIONSHIPS Adams never married and had no known romantic relationships. Her focus was always on her intellectual pursuits. She is described as a "shy woman who never married."

Despite her generally shy and timid nature, Hannah Adams was da popular guest in New England society. She once stayed for two weeks at the house of her distant cousin, President John Adams. During this fortnight stay, Hannah spent most of her time reading in the president's extensive library.

MONEY AND FAME Adams lived much of her life in poverty, but her writing eventually brought her modest income. In 1809, a group of prominent Boston intellectuals, including William Shaw and Joseph Stevens Buckminster, established a modest annuity for Adams that would keep her out of poverty. The annuity eased the financial difficulties of her later years, allowing her to continue her scholarly work without relying solely on inconsistent income from book sales

Though she was respected, Adams did not achieve widespread fame in her lifetime.

FOOD AND DRINK  Living in New England in the 18th century, Adams likely ate simple, local foods typical of the time, such as bread, dairy, and meats.

MUSIC AND ARTS Adams was more focused on intellectual studies than the arts. However, as a cultured woman, she may have had some appreciation for the arts.

LITERATURE Born in the sleepy hamlet of Medfield, Massachusetts, in a time when women were often relegated to domestic roles, Hannah Adams defied societal expectations and carved out a niche for herself as a professional writer.

Adams' first foray into the world of letters was her book, A View of Religions, first published as An Alphabetical Compendium of the Various Sects, in 1784. This work not only brought her financial stability but also allowed her to help her sister, who was struggling with ill health. Undeterred by her own physical limitations, Adams continued to write, producing A Summary History of New-England in 1799.

Her most ambitious project, The History of the Jews, was a testament to her dedication. While researching this book, she suffered serious eye damage, forcing her to rely on an amanuensis to prepare her manuscript. Despite these challenges, the book was eventually published and reprinted in London.

Adams' story is a testament to the power of the human spirit. Against all odds, she overcame adversity to become a pioneer in the field of American literature. Her legacy lives on, a reminder that even in the most humble of circumstances, intellectual curiosity and perseverance can lead to extraordinary achievements.

A View of Religions, Second Edition, (1791), by Hannah Adams

A voracious reader, Adams was greatly influenced by religious and historical texts. Her writing was marked by meticulous research, and she contributed significantly to religious literature in America.

Adams was enthusiastic about poetry, memorizing works by her favorite poets such as Milton, Thomson, and Young. In her later years, she entertained friends by reciting poetry she had learned in her youth

NATURE Growing up in rural Massachusetts, Adams would have been surrounded by the countryside.

HOBBIES AND SPORTS  Her primary interest was in writing and scholarly pursuits, especially in the areas of religion and history

SCIENCE AND MATHS Adams' work as a historian required her to have a basic understanding of these subjects.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY Hannah Adams was a trailblazer in the field of comparative religion, known for her objective and unbiased approach to studying and writing about different religious sects and denominations. Unlike many of her contemporaries, who often displayed prejudice in their writings, Adams aimed to present various religious groups without judgment or bias.

As a Unitarian Christian herself, Adams was committed to fairness and balance in her work. She was dissatisfied with the sectarian bias exhibited by most writers on religious topics, motivating her to write her own comprehensive and impartial accounts. Her scholarly approach involved extensive research and careful compilation of information from various sources.

Adams' pioneering works, such as An Alphabetical Compendium of the Various Sects and A Dictionary of All Religions and Religious Denominations, were significant contributions to the field of comparative religion. She was dedicated to presenting the tenets of different sects in the words of their own adherents, avoiding personal interpretations or criticisms.

Adams rejected the derogatory terms used by many authors to describe religious groups they disagreed with, recognizing the importance of education and knowledge in understanding different perspectives. Her work continues to inspire scholars and researchers today, serving as a model for objective and unbiased study of religion. 

POLITICS Adams' work was part of a larger Enlightenment trend of intellectual independence and religious tolerance.

SCANDAL Adams led a quiet, modest life and was not involved in any public scandals.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Adams struggled with frail health throughout her life, which limited her physically but did not prevent her from pursuing her intellectual work.

HOMES She lived primarily in Massachusetts, spending her early years in Medfield. Adams moved to Boston in 1810, where she had better access to resources for her research and writing and was closer to intellectual circles.

TRAVEL Adams did not travel extensively, spending most of her life in Massachusetts.

DEATH Hannah Adams passed away on December 15, 1831, in Brookline, Massachusetts, at the age of 76. She was buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, one of the first women to be interred there.

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Adams does not appear widely in modern media, but her work is still referenced in discussions of early American writers, especially women authors.

ACHIEVEMENTS Adams was the first American woman to support herself through writing. Her comparative religious study, An Alphabetical Compendium of the Various Sects, is a pioneering work in the field of religious scholarship, and she remains an important figure in early American literary history.