evidence: John Adams (portrait above) was the great grandson of Thomas Boylston who was born 1615 in French, Kent, England. At age 20, Thomas sailed from London on the ship "Defence" and arrived at Boston, Massachusetts on 8 October 1635. He settled in nearby Watertown, in the colony of Massachusetts, and died there in 1653. Thomas Boylston was my 10th great grandfather. John Adams (great grandson of Thomas Boylston) became the--Second President of the United States from 1797 to 1801. President Adams was born on 30 Oct 1735 (19 Oct 1735 O.S. Julian Calendar) in Braintree, Massachusetts. He died on 04 Jul 1826 in Quincy, Massachusetts. He married Abigail Smith on 24 Feb 1764 in Weymouth, Norfolk Co., MA, daughter of William Smith and Elizabeth Quincy. She was born on 23 Nov 1744 in Weymouth, Massachusetts. She died (of Typhoid) on 28 Oct 1818 in Quincy, Massachusetts. President John Adams was my 3rd cousin 8x removed. [...] 1797 to 1801, President Adams built up the US Navy, fought an undeclared war with France, and signed into law the Alien and Sedition Acts (a legal instrument against French actions in America, but it was used by some politicians to silence their political opponents).