Where can I find, for purchase or for rent, a copy of the television
mini-series  "The Adams Chronicles?”  It is a thirteen-episode PBS
docudrama which aired in January of 1975.  It chronicled the story of
John
Adams, Abigal Adams, John Quincy Adams and other members of the Adams
family (not Gomez and Morticia of the Addams Family).

I have searched through several movie and television databases for it
and have found reviews and character lists and episode lists but no
information on where I can buy it.  I have seen similar questions
posted on movie databases and saw responses stating has never been
available for purchase because of copyright problems.  I have not been
able to confirm this.

My local library (Rockford, IL) does not have the series nor do any of
the libraries they exchange materials with.   I have found several out
of state libraries that have it but no one at my local library has
been able to find one that will loan out their copy.  One university
library, I do not know which one, told my local library they may be
able to loan out their copy but only one or two tapes at a time and
not necessarily in the correct order.

I would like to purchase a copy of the series, so I could donate it to
my library after watching it, but will rent or borrow a copy if this
the only way I am able to see it again.

According to this page:
http://www.neh.gov/projects/medialog/us.html

The distributor is:
DISTRIBUTOR: Indiana University, Audio-Visual Center 

http://www.neh.gov/projects/medialog/distrib.html#indiana

Indiana University, Audio-Visual Center
Bloomington, IN 47405-5901
1-800-552-8620 (out of state)
1-800-942-0481 (in Indiana)
812-855-2103 (Film Library, local)
Fax: 812-855-8404

Check out this link:

http://us.imdb.com/Title?0146402

This link may be a little closer to what you're looking for:

http://www.geocities.com/tmafc/

That college library above got the film from Films Inc. back in 1983.