The Abbott Family Genealogy
Compiled and Written by
Ernest James Abbott
Assisted by
Bruce Wayne Abbott
Genesis 2011
"We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time" T.S. Eliot "As water reflects a face, So a man's heart reflects the man." Proverbs 27:19 |
"Then shall the dust return to the Earth, as it was; and the Spirit return to God who gave it" Ecclesiastes 12:7 "Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars." Henry Van Dyke |
"Perhaps no other family in our New England history has, in an unobtrusive and quiet way, had a better influence on society than that of the Abbots." (22)
Francis Gould Butler said, in his book entitled "History of Farmington, Maine:" "Few of the early families, with so numerous a posterity, have preserved so unsullied a name as the family of Abbot." "Not many have been called to important offices in the state [Maine], but in quieter walks of literature and the pulpit they have won enviable fame. Wherever found, their influence is cast on the side of good morals and sound learning."
"To weave together the fading dates of old manuscript with the traditions that have survived sleeping generations, until the joys and tears, the quaint speech and early piety stand out upon the tapestry in the semblance of a living man - this gives a pleasure which he only who has stood at the loom can feel and understand." (Quote from the Unitarian Review, November, 1879)
"There is a satisfaction to most persons in being able to trace their lineage to remote ancestors; in knowing where they lived, and through what scenes and hardships, prosperity and adversity, they passed, and in recollecting what benefits they conferred on their posterity." “The great prevailing motive, which induced our ancestors to leave their pleasant homes, was to enjoy the inalienable right of worshipping God according to the conviction of their own minds, and their understanding of his word. They did not come here to accumulate property, to live in ease and splendor, or acquire fame. They had vastly higher and holier views and aims, to obey God and prepare themselves for heaven. With these motives and aims, and firm trust in God, they, with fortitude and cheerfulness, endured the toils and sufferings incident to subduing the wilderness, a severe climate, and cruel savages." (1)
This document traces generations of descendants, originally from England, who first made New England their home, are laid out before you. Prior to emigrating to New England in 1637, our family lived in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, England, an historic market town. It is located in the heart of corn country, 30 miles north of London. The staple commodity is brown malt, of which large quantities are made. The town began as a small Roman settlement around the 4th century. In 1060, William Bishop of London bought the Stortford manor and estate for eight pounds, and the town has been known as Bishop's Stortford ever since. The development of the town increased with the presence of a river and roads originally built by the Romans. Despite outbreaks of the plague in the 16th and 17th centuries, the town population continued to grow to about 1,200. After 1769, the River Stort was made navigable, becoming a market and corn exchange. The railroad came to town in 1842, and today it is considered a commuter town to London. The current population is about 35,000.
"The Abbott family in this country has produced few people of world-wide fame," but according to Lemuel A. Abbott, "the name has stood for quiet dignity, consideration, kindness of heart and great suavity of manner [a legacy I believe defines our family to this day]. Many of the family have been farmers who lived for generations on their ancestral lands, a home-loving, law-abiding, peaceful folk; but there are many writers, clergymen and college professors on the list." (11)
I will attempt to write about each of my direct ancestors, including known facts and anecdotal information gleaned from many readings and much research on the Internet. I attempted to find two or more sources for each bit of information contained herein. This website is a "living document" that will allow corrections, additions and deletions as they arise. In a work of this character, I cannot expect that the compilation will be entirely free from errors. I can only claim credit for faithful labor and honest purpose. I hope you will view it as your document as well and invite you to add your own voice by including comments on the blog page or contacting me directly.
Quoting Margaret Abbott from her document entitled "Ten Generations of Abbotts in America":
“They were of one mind, and one heart. The fatigue and inconvenience of a new settlement were endured with fortitude and cheerfulness.” “These sons of the forest had sound hearts, firm and fixed resolutions, and persevering effort. Their faith in God never failed. They kept constantly in view the grand design of their coming to this wilderness.” (4)