Mrs. Nowland

Mrs. Nowland was born around 1762 though few details about her early life, including her first name, are known.¹ She worked as a servant and nurse for the family of President John Quincy Adams from at least 1828. On December 1, 1828, President Adams wrote in his diary that Mrs. Nowland acted as a nurse for Mary Hellen, the wife of his son John, as she gave birth to daughter Mary Louisa Adams.² Hellen and John lived at the White House at the time.³ 

When Adams’s term as president ended in 1829, Mrs. Nowland stayed in his family’s employ and moved with them to Quincy, Massachusetts. She cared for Louisa Catherine Adams, Hellen and her infant daughter Mary, and even held the baby when she was baptized on September 26, 1830.⁴ She also may have helped prepare meals for Adams and his family.⁵ She remained in the Adams household until November 16, 1832, when she moved into the home of her son-in-law.⁶ Over the next several years, she continued to visit the Adams family on occasion, with the last recorded visit occurring in 1838.⁷ Little else is known about Mrs. Nowland at this time.⁸