Abigail Smith was born on November 11, 1744, in Weymouth, Massachusetts. Abigail Adams is best known as the wife of President John Adams and for her extensive correspondence. She was also the mother of John Quincy Adams who became the sixth president of the United States. The daughter of a minister, she was a devoted reader, studying the works of William Shakespeare and John Milton among others. Adams did not, however, attend school, which was common for girls at the time, instead she learned at home from her parents and siblings. Along with unprecedented academic skills for the time, Abigail learned a great deal about organization and management as she helped her family run their prosperous farm.