Adams, Hannah

Adams, Hannah (1755–1831) compiler of historical data; born in Medford, Mass. Privately educated and in frail health from childhood, she was encouraged by a boarder in her family home to research comparative religions. Her Alphabetical Compendium of the Various Sects (1784) was well received and went into several editions in the United States and England. Her other compilations include A Summary History of New England (1799), History of the Jews (1812), and Letters of the Gospels (1824). She is remembered as the first American woman to support herself by writing.