This is a guest blog post by Noella Suchecki, a recent graduate of Salve Regina University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in American History. Noella is the 2026 John E. McGinty Fellow (Salve Regina University) in partnership with the NHS Buchanan Burnham Summer Scholars in Public History program.
Postcard by Edith Ballinger Price featuring an engraving of General George Washington at Vernon House. FIC.2013.108, Newport Historical Society.
During the Revolutionary War, the success of the nation depended on more than victories in battle. It also relied on communication across the Atlantic, naval operations, and trusted partnerships. One important but often overlooked relationship is reflected in the correspondence between Founding Father John Adams (1735-1826) and William Vernon Sr. (1719-1806), a leading merchant from Newport, Rhode Island, who played a key role in managing the nation’s early naval affairs.
William Vernon Sr.’s influence extended well into the maritime operations of the American Revolution. Most notably, Vernon served as head of the Eastern Navy Board, established by the Continental Congress to oversee naval affairs in the eastern district. In this role, he managed the construction and outfitting of Continental Navy ships.[1] When British forces occupied Newport in December 1776, Vernon left behind his property in Rhode Island and relocated to Boston to continue serving the Patriot cause.
Vernon, Sr.’s correspondence with Adams grew out of their shared involvement with the Continental Navy. During the Continental Congress, Adams was a leading advocate for the creation of the Continental Navy and played a key role in its establishment. He later served as the American ambassador to France, where he worked to secure financial assistance, military aid, and diplomatic support for the Revolutionary War. Their letters kept Adams up to date on the condition of the Navy, maritime captures, and fleet movements, helping him stay informed while representing American interests in France. In a letter in the Newport Historical Society’s collections dated December 2, 1778, Adams acknowledged the importance of Vernon’s updates: “I thank you, Sir, for the full and clear Accounts you have given me from Time to Time of the State of our little Navy: and notwithstanding the long Catalogue of Disasters that has attended it, I Still build great Hopes upon it.”[2]
John Adams to William Vernon Sr., December 2, 1778, Box 62, Folder 5, Item 1, Newport Historical Society.
Beyond naval affairs and diplomacy, one of the more personal aspects of their relationship involved Vernon’s decision to send his son, William H. Vernon Jr. (1759-1833), across the Atlantic during the war. Seeking to provide his son with a European education and gain a more well-rounded experience in commerce, Vernon wrote to Adams in February of 1778, requesting his assistance: “I presume it is unnecessary to say one Word, in order to impress your mind with the Anxiety a Parent is under, in the Education of a Son, more especially when not under his immediate inspection, and at three thousand miles distance… I have only to beg the favour of you, Sir, to place my Son, in such a Situation, and with such a Gentleman, as you would choose for one of yours…”[3]
Reflecting the trust between the two men, William Vernon, Jr. crossed the Atlantic aboard the same ship as Adams and his young son, John Quincy Adams. Vernon, Jr. later recorded this journey, writing, “In Febry. 1778 I embarked with the Honble. J.A. Esqr. on board the American Frigate the Boston for France.”[4]
Copies of letters between John Adams and William Vernon Jr., Paris and Bordeaux, 1778-1779, Box 49, Folder 6A, Item 17, Newport Historical Society.
Traveling with Adams provided the young Vernon with access to educational opportunities and European connections that would have been difficult to obtain otherwise. Adams took a personal interest in his development, keeping track of his progress and regularly inquiring about his activities. In later correspondence found in the Newport Historical Society’s collection from Paris in March 1780, Adams sent Vernon Sr. updates on his son’s well-being and progress: “I passed through Bordeaux in my Way from Ferrol in Spain to Paris, I had the pleasure to see your Son, in perfect health, and to find that he had pursued his Studies to such purpose as to speak French very well; what proficiency he has made in other Branches of Knowledge and Business, I had not an Opportunity to know, but as the Youth, who makes an handsome progress in one thing seldom fails to do so in more, and in all the things that he aims at, I doubt not he is proportionably advanced in Commerce.”[5]
Letter from John Adams at the Paris Hotel de Valois to William Vernon in Boston, March 16, 1780, Box 62, Folder 5, Item 2, Newport Historical Society.
John Adams and William Vernon Sr.’s correspondence reveals that the American Revolution was shaped not only by military and diplomatic efforts but also by the personal relationships that supported them. Alongside discussions of the Continental Navy and the progress of the war, their letters tell the story of a father placing his son’s future in the hands of a trusted friend. Preserved in the Newport Historical Society’s collections, their correspondences offer an insight into the relationships and responsibilities of the individuals behind the Revolution.
[1] Christian McBurney, “A History of Enslaved People at the Vernon House,” Rhode Island Slave History Medallions, https://rishm.org/newport-county/newport/vernon-house/vernon-house-a-history-of-enslaved-people-at-the-vernon-house/
[2] John Adams to William Vernon Sr., December 2, 1778, Newport Historical Society, Box 62, Folder 5, Item 1.
[3] John Adams autobiography, part 2, “Travels, and Negotiations,” 1777-1778, sheet 2 of 37 [electronic edition]. Adams Family Papers: An Electronic Archive. Massachusetts Historical Society. http://www.masshist.org/digitaladams/
[4] Copies of letters between John Adams and William Vernon Jr., Paris and Bordeaux, 1778-1779. Newport Historical Society, Box 49, Folder 6A, Item 17.
[5] Letter from John Adams at the Paris Hotel de Valois to William Vernon in Boston, March 16, 1780, Newport Historical Society, Box 62, Folder 5, Item 2.
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