Adams, Hannah (1755–1831)
Adams, Hannah (1755–1831)
First professional female writer in America. Born in Medfield, Massachusetts, on October 2, 1755; died in Brookline, Massachusetts, on November 15, 1831 (some sources cite 1832); daughter of Eleanor (Clark) Adams and Thomas Adams (a bibliophile); never married; no children.
Hannah Adams was the first American woman to make writing a profession. Interested in political and religious history, she was determined to present the history of the world's various religions. Consequently, she compiled Views of Religious Opinions (1784; title changed to Dictionary of Religions in 4th ed.), which was broken down into the following three parts: (1) An Alphabetical Compendium of the Denominations among the Christians; (2) A Brief Account of Paganism, Mohammedanism, Ju daism, and Deism; and (3) An Account of the Religion of the Different Nations of the World. Adams also wrote History of New England (1799), Evidences of Chris tianity (1801), and History of the Jews (1812). Her Memoir was published a year after her death.