Washington District of Columbia

Recently thanks to the Massachusetts Historical Society the complete diary of our sixth President, John Quincy Adams,(1767-1848) has come on line. The diary is at http://www.masshist.org/jqadiaries/how.cfm and is now available to scholars, genealogists and those who want to research the rich history of the District of Columbia. The Adams Diary covers the years 1779-1848. The John Quincy Adams collection presents images of the 51 volumes of John Quincy Adams Diary in the Adams Family Papers at the Massachusetts Historical Society. John Quincy Adams began keeping his diary, of more than 14,000 pages, in 1779 at the age of twelve and continued until shortly before his death in 1848.The diary can be searched by date or by using the detailed timeline. The diary has not been transcribed and because there is no transcription of the diary; it is not possible to search the text by keyword. Adams handwriting however is very readable and the diary timeline should give readers a key to particular dates and events of interest. A good part of the diary reflects events in Washington DC during President Adams Administration (1825 - 1829) and his years as a Senator (1803 - 1807) Congressman (1830-1848) representing his home state. For almost all the major events of the first haft century of American history JQA was either a principal actor witness or chronicler. The Adams Diary can also be used to help illuminate and add depth to what we know of the lives of ordinary citizens for instance Michael Shiner (1805 -1880) a slave and later a freeman who kept his own diary and recounts in a passage from year 1828 observing President Adams on July 4, 1828 when the president presided at the opening of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal at Georgetown. ’the preident walk ashore and all his cabnet all the other Distinich gentelmen and ladys and went up to the verry spot and they wher great masses of people wher there that day and several volunteer companies and plenty of everything [to] eat and drink and the Honable Mr John Qunicy adams presiident of the united states pulled oft his coat and takein hold of the spade as if he was going to set in for a day work and went right in to it and that the beginning of the chesapeake and ohio cannal24a and then the hold of the posesion Retired and after the posesion retired then we then we had the pleisure of tring the strenth of the surprise steam Boat the ohter row boats that went up with us and we run pass all the boats we got down to george town ten minits befor the steam boat then we had wait until that steam boat with captin thomas hold up stephens then when that steam boat arived then we takin the captin in the gig and the lieutenant Colnal charles Broom of the united states Marine corps and we started from george town and landed the Captins orders wher to Mr green gave My complements to Mr John kely which at that time wher first lieutenant of Washington navy yard to giv all those boys liberty that wher in the gig to day” This same July 4, 1828 as recounted by John Quincy Adams who by his own admission was never a great orator a very human light and how his struggle with a tree stump won him the admiration of his audience: Friday ­- Independence Day Chesapeake and Ohio Canal commenced. Between seven and eight I went with my son John to the Union Hotel of Georgetown where the assembly the President and Director of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company, Mayor and Committee of the Corporations of Washington, Georgetown and Alexandria. The Heads of the Departments, foreign ministers and a few other invited persons. About eight o¹clock a procession was formed and proceeded by a Band of music to the wharf where we embarked in the Steam boat Surprise followed by two others we proceeded to the entrance of the Potomack Canal and up to a spot selected for breaking the ground. The President of the Chesapeake Canal with a very short address delivered to me the Spade with which I broke the ground addressing the surrounding auditory consisting perhaps of two thousand persons. It happened that at first stroke of the spade it met immediately under the surface with a large stump of tree after repeating the stroke three or four times without making any impression threw off my coat and resuming the spade, raised a shovel full of the earth at which a general shout broke forth from the surrounding multitude and I completed my address which occupied about fifteen minutes. The incident that chiefly relieved me was the obstacle of the stump, which met and rejected the spade and my casting off my coat to overcome the resistance ­- It struck the eye and fancy of the spectators, more then all the rhetoric in my speech and diverted their attention from the stammering haste taken of a deficient memory." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Entry for July 4, 1828 ( page 20), transcribed from John Quincy Adams Diary number 36, 1 January 1825-30 September 1830, Massachusetts Historical Society. Transcription by J. Sharp

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