Noted historian Paul Nagel joins Douglas Adams, the great-great-great-great grandson of John Adams, for an examination of the extraordinary multigenerational legacy of the John Adams family on Sunday, December 5, at 2 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

Nagel is the author of Descent from Glory: Four Generations of the John Adams Family, first published in 1983. Adams, an accomplished architect, is currently helping to lead a drive to construct a John Adams memorial in Washington, D.C.

Nagel will trace the careers of such notable descendants of John and Abigail Adams as John Quincy Adams, Charles Francis Adams, and Henry Adams. The Adams family gave America two presidents as well as a long line of major diplomats, cabinet officials, and noted historians.

Douglas Adams will discuss plans to construct the Adams Memorial in Washington, D.C. The United States Congress created the Adams Memorial Foundation in 2001 with the intention of building a memorial honoring Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams as well as Abigail Adams and other members of the Adams family. The talk will cover fundraising efforts as well as pending legislation and issues of site selection.

In October, the Library hosted another great-great-great-great grandson of John Adams, Henry Adams, for a program titled The Real Adams Family. Both programs complement the Central Library’s John Adams Unbound exhibit on display through December 19, 2010.