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A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England
Vol. 1
ABELL
CALEB, Dedham, 1665, may have been s. of the preced. rem. 1668, to
Norwich, there m. July 1669 Margaret, prob. d. of John Post of
Saybrook, had a d. b. 1671, d. soon, Samuel, Oct. 1672; Experience,
Dec. 1674; Caleb, Apr. 1677; John, [[vol. 1, p. 7]] Dec. 1678;
Theophilus, Nov. 1680; Joanna, Nov. 1683; Abigail, Mar. 1689; and
Hannah, Oct. 1692. His w. d. Nov. 1700, and he m. 1701, Mary, wid. of
Stephen Loomer of New London, wh. surv. him. He d. 17 Aug. 1731.
Source: Savage, James, A Genealogical Dictionary of the First
Settlers of New England, Boston, 1862, retrieved from
http://www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/newengland/savage/, Nov 2012.
Torrey's New England Marriages Prior to 1700
Abell, Benjamim [sic] (-1699) & Hannah [?BALDWIN], m/2 David
CAULKINS; b 1683; Norwich, CT
Loomer/?Lume, Stephen (-1700) & Mary [MILLER], m/2 Caleb ABELL
1701; by 1684; New London
Preserved (1644-1724) & 2/wf Sarah BOWEN (1656-1703); 27 Dec 1686;
Rehoboth
Source: Ancestry.com. U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700
[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2012.
Original data: Torry, Clarence A. New England Marriages Prior to
1700. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004.
History of Norwich, Connecticut
Three of this name are found at an early period among the inhabitants
of Norwich : Caleb, Benjamin, and Joshua. It is a natural supposition
that they were brothers, and nothing is known that disproves the
relationship. In all probability they came from Dedham.
1. Caleb Abell married in July, 1669, Margaret, daughter of John
Post. They had eleven children. The wife died in 1700, and Mr. Abell
married Mary, relict of Stephen Loomer.
He was chosen constable in 1684; townsman in 1689, and often
afterwards; appointed to keep tavern in 1694; enrolled among the
dignitaries with his military title, "Sargent Calib Abel," in 1702 ;
died Aug. 7, 1731, leaving wife Mary, and nine children.
Enough of the broken head-stone of his grave remains to show that he
was in the 85th year of his age.
Of the six sons of Caleb and Margaret Abell, the first three on the
list, Samuel, Caleb and John, married sisters, Elizabeth, Abigail and
Rebecca Sluman, daughters of Thomas Sluman and Mary Bliss.
Samuel, the oldest son, born in 1672, was a physician. In 1708, and
again in a list of land-owners in 1726, he appears with the prefix of
his profession. We assign him to the third place in the list of
Norwich physicians whose names have been recovered. Though cotemporary
with Dr. Caleb Bushnell, he was a few years senior in age.
Theophilus, the fourth son, died on the last day of August, 1724, aged
44. This was before his father's decease. He left a wife and two
daughters. His library seems to intimate that he was a religious
teacher. It consisted of about thirty volumes, and among them were the
following:
A Bible with silver clasps.
Wise's Church Quarrels.
Doolittle on the Lord's Supper.
Henry's Communicant's Companion.
Robert Russell's Seven Sermons.
Dr. Mather on Angels ; do. on Resignation to the Will of God.
Memorial on Milk for Babes.
Cotton Mather's Day of Rain.
Stoddard on Saving Conversion.
Dr. Mather's Now or Never.
Bunyan's Forsaken Sinner.
Do. Solomon's Temple Spiritualized.
Wadsworth's Guide to the Doubting.
Dr. Mather's Ecclesiastical Councils.
Pierpont's False Hope. Henry Gearing.
Burrough's Preparation for Judgment.
Stoddard's Guide to Christ.
Flavel's Husbandry Spiritualized.
Sundry old books.
No single book, except the Bible, was valued over 2s. 6d.
2. Benjamin Abell was in the settlement as early as 1670. His
inventory was presented to the Prerogative Court in June, 1699, and
the statement made that he left a son, Benjamin, and six daughters.
3. Joshua Abell married, Nov. 1, 1677, Mehitable, daughter of
Nehemiah Smith. He was constable in 1682, and was frequently chosen
townsman. He died March 17, 1724, in the 77th year of his age. His
estate was distributed the same year to four daughters, £915 to each.
They were the wives of John Lothrop, John Leffingwell, Hugh Calkins,
and Thomas Lothrop. Two other daughters, the wives of Nathaniel Fitch
and Obadiah Smith, had received their portions. No son is mentioned.
Source: Caulkins, Frances Manwaring, History of Norwich,
Connecticut, Norwich, CT: H.P. Haven, 1874, p. 210.
History of New London, Connecticut
George Miller, died in 1690.
This person had been a resident, east of the river, (in Groton,) from
the year 1679, and perhaps longer. He left four daughters, Mary, wife
of Stephen Loomer; Elizabeth, second wife of Edward Stallion; Sarah,
second wife of the second John Packer, and Priscilla, then unmarried.
...
Stephen Loomer, died in 1700.
This name is not found in New London before 1687. Mr. Loomer's wife
was a daughter of George Miller. His children, and their ages at the
time of his death, were as follows: John, sixteen ; Mary, thirteen;
Martha, eleven; Samuel, eight; Elizabeth, five. In following out the
fortunes of the family, we find that John, the oldest son, was a
seaman, and probably perished by storm or wreck, as in 1715, he had
not been heard from for several years. Mary, relict of Stephen Loomer,
married in 1701, Caleb Abel, of Norwich, and this carried the
remainder of the family to that place.
Source: Caulkins, Frances Manwaring, History of New London,
Connecticut, New London, CT: H.D. Utley, 1895, pgs. 327, 340.
One Branch of the Booth Family
The first mention of a member of the Abell family, of which we have
any record, is Robert Abell, of Weymouth, who probably came in the
fleet with Winthrop in 1630. He removed to Rehoboth in 1643, and died
there June 20, 1663, leaving a widow, Joanna, and seven children;
Mary, who was born April 11, 1642, was one of them, and Lieut.
Preserved Abell, of Rehoboth, was doubtless another. It seems to the
writer reasonable to suppose that Caleb Abell, who appears at Norwich
in 1668, was also a son of Robert's. The petition addressed to the
General Court, which was drawn up at Dedham in 1665, shows that
Caleb's name was fourth among about seventy signers, and as social
rank and precedence were as closely observed in early colonial days as
they had been in England, it is very unlikely that a youth who was
only eighteen would be allowed to put his signature so near the head
of the list unless he was the son of a man who was well-known and
highly esteemed in the community. In the Hyde Genealogy it is stated
that nothing is known of William Hyde's wife, but that she probably
died in Hartford or Saybrook, and there is no mention of a second one,
but on page 3 of Arnold's Vital Records of Rehoboth, under the heading
Marriages and Intentions, we find the following entry, "Joanna Abell
and William Hyde, of New Norwich, June 4, 1667," which seems to show
that William Hyde married Robert Abell's widow as his second wife.
When Caleb Abell appears at Norwich in 1668, he was barely of age, but
he was at once made welcome and received into the families of the
original proprietors, (Caulkins' Norwich, page 209), and permitted to
marry into one of them within a year. In view of the manners and
customs of those days it is difficult to explain this, unless we
accept the theory that his mother was already there as the wife of one
who was prominent among the original proprietors. After the father had
died, it would be quite natural for the three unmarried sons, Caleb,
Benjamin and Joshua, and the daughter Experience, to follow their
mother as they seem to have done. Preserved Abell had received the
house and land as his share of his father's estate, and had married
Martha Redaway, in Rehoboth, Sept. 27, 1667, thus establishing home
ties which would keep him in Rehoboth. The writer, in his efforts to
establish this supposed relationship between Robert and Caleb Abell,
has had the aid of Mr. George S. Porter, of Norwich, and Mr. James N.
Arnold, of Providence, both of whom are authorities in their
respective fields, but neither one was able to find anything in the
Norwich or Rehoboth records which would throw any light upon the
subject. In both places the records are very imperfect, and in
Rehoboth the Church records, previous to 1720, are lost. In view of
the fact, however, that Robert was the only emigrant settler of that
name of which we have any knowledge, added to the fact that there is
no evidence against the theory, the probability that Caleb, Benjamin
and Joshua were sons of Robert seems very strong. Experience Abell,
who married Dea. John Baldwin, was also, probably, his daughter. The
Register of Probate in Plymoth, in answer to my inquiry regarding the
settlement of Robert Abell’s estate, wrote me as follows : “His widow,
Joanna Abell, administered on the estate and gave bond as such
administratrix in 1664. An interesting seal with a coat of arms is
attached to the bond at the right of her name, but whether it belonged
to her family or not, I cannot say.”
…
Mr. George S. Porter, previously referred to in Note 2, was engaged to
examine the Norwich records to determine, if possible, the parentage
of Experience (Wood) Abell, and reported as follows : “I have given
the ancestry of Experience Abell, wife of Thomas Wood, a great deal of
time and attention, and while it is impossible to give you record
proof I am convinced that she was the daughter of Benjamin Abell. He
was in Norwich as early as 1670, but there is no record of his
marriage, death, the name of his wife, or the names of his children.
As the Norwich probate records do not begin until 1748, I went to New
London and examined the probate records there where Norwich Estates
were previously settled, but could find no trace of Benjamin's name
nor of his wife and children. I then searched the records of the old
New London county court, which, before the establishment of probate
courts, appears to have done a miscellaneous business of civil,
criminal, and probate. These records are all in manuscript, are much
faded and torn, and are written in the most difficult handwriting to
decipher that I think I have ever seen. The volumes are unindexed and
the pages are unnumbered. I found that in a court held in New London,
June 6, 1699, the inventory of the estate of Benjamin Abell, of
Norwich, deceased, was exhibited, was proved, accepted and ordered to
be recorded. The court granted administration to the widow, and also
distributed to the widow one-third part of the movable estate for
ever, and one-third part of the real estate during her natural life;
to son Benjamin a double portion at twenty-one, and to six daughters
at eighteen or days of marriage. By request of the widow, Joshua Abell
and John Baldwin were appointed overseers. In this court record the
name of the widow does not appear, nor do those of the six daughters.
The records appear to be first rough drafts of what was to appear in
more detailed form in other books, although, in some cases, they are
given at some length. Where these supplemental books are today, if
they ever existed, is unknown. We think ourselves fortunate that even
so much remains. I regret exceedingly that I can find no record proof
of Mrs. Experience (Abell) Wood's parentage, but it does not exist in
any known record to-day. Personally, with the evidence adduced, I am
satisfied that she was a daughter of Benjamin Abell by his unknown
wife.” As the foregoing report makes no mention of any examination of
deeds or wills, Mr. Porter was engaged a little later by another
descendant of the Abells to see what could be found among them, and
the result was published by W. B. H. S. in the Boston Transcript of
March 18, 1907,: “It does not solve the difficulties about the
parentage of Experience and Lydia Abell, but it makes some other
things certain heretofore in doubt. First, that Benjamin and Caleb
Abell were brothers. Benjamin, son of Benjamin, refers to his Uncle
Caleb in a deed bearing the date Dec. 8, 1709. Again it appears that
the lands of Joshua, Caleb, and Benjamin adjoined. Second, the
inventory of Benjamin, Sr.'s estate was recorded June 6, 1699.
Benjamin, Jr., was allowed a double portion to be set out to him at
the age of twenty-one. The widow was appointed administratrix. Mr.
Porter now finds that the administratrix in November, 1712, caused his
share to be recorded to him, thus making him born about 1691, and he
finds that as administratrix the widow signed herself Hannah Caulkins.
Thus we have her Christian name of Hannah. With Mr. Porter I feel
certain that Lydia (Abell) Williams and Experience (Abell) Wood were
children of Benjamin and Hannah Abell.”
Source: Booth, Charles Edwin, One Branch of the Booth Family,
New York: privately printed, 1910, pgs. 21-23.
Genealogical Guide to the Early Settlers of America
William Hyde, Hartford, an original propr., removed to Saybrook,
thence, about 1659 or 60, to Norwich, there died 1681. The only
children known of are Samuel and Esther, who married John Post.
Source: Whittemore, Henry, Genealogical Guide to the Early
Settlers of America, 1898, Baltimore, MD: Genealogical
Publishing Company, 1967 (reprinted from The Spirit of '76, published
in 1898-1906), p. 279.
Massachusetts Town and Vital Records
Name: Robert Abell
Event Type: Death
Death Date: 20 Jun 1663
Death Place: Rehoboth, Massachusetts
Name: Mary Abell
Event Type: Birth
Birth Date: 11 Apr 1642
Birth Place: Weymouth, Massachusetts
Father Name: Robert Abell
Source: Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records,
1620-1988 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations,
Inc., 2011. Original data: Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts.
Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research
Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook).
Vital Records of Norwich
William Hide Senior the father of Hester the wife of John Post
Deceased upon the 6th of January Anno Dom 1681
The marriage of Caleb Abell with Margaret post was in July Anno Domini
1669
The first child of the abouesd persons was a Daughter & borne in
March Ano: 1671 & Deceased the same month & yeare 1671
Samuell Abell was borne in Octob Anno: 1672
Experyence Abell was borne Desem Anno 1674
Caleb Abell was borne in Aprill Anno: 1677
John Abell was borne in Desem Anno: 1678
Theophelos Abell in Novem Anno: 1680
Johannah Abell was borne Novemr Ano: 1683
Abigail Abell was born march 16th Anno 1689
Hannah Abell was born octobr 12th Anno 1692
Margret the wife of Caleb Abell Deceased Novembr 1700
Mr Caleb Abell of Norwich Died the 7th: day of Augt 1731
Caleb Abell and Mary Loomer ware Married June anno: 1701
Noah Abell the son of Caleb and Mary was born December: the 25th 1706
John Bauldwen and Experience Abell ware married Anno 1680
Experience Baldwen was Born August 3d 1684
John Baldwen was Born Aprill. 27th 1687
Mary Baldwen was born may. 3d 1692
Mehitabell Baldwen was Born August 27th 1695
Tabitha Baldwen was born Aprill 2d 1699
The marriage of Jofhuah Abell with Mehittabell Smith was upon the
first of November Anno Dom 1677
Their first a fon borne the first of January Anno: 1678 & deceased
the 6th day of January the fame year
Nehemiah Abell was borne January 15th Anno 1679 & deeafed about
the 27th of the fame month & yeare
Anne Abell was borne Aprill the 2d And 1681
Martha Abell was borne ffeb 13th Anno 1682
mahitobell Abell Died march 14th Anno 1684/5
Jofhua Abell and Bathiah Gadger were married Nouembr 1685
Mahitobell Abell was Born Decembr 1686
Lidea Abell was Born in may 1688
Sarah Abell was Born ffebrur Anno 1690
Pheby Abell was Born may 1st Anno 1693
Mehitabell Abell Died Janur Anno 1694/5
Elizabeth Abell was Born octobr Anno 1695
Bethiah Abell was born August Anno 1697
Bethiah Abell the Wife of joshua Abell Died ye last Day of march:
1723:
Jofhua Abell Died ye first day of march anno D: 1724/5
Source: Vital Records of Norwich Connecticut, 1659-1848. (Online
database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical
Society, 2007.) Originally published as: Vital Records of Norwich,
1659-1848. Hartford, Society of colonial wars in the state of
Connecticut, 1913.
[Note: Some letters transcribed in the above record as F probably
should have been transcribed as S (letters S's at the time often
appearing a long F-like letters). So, for example, "poft" is actually
"post," "Defember" is actually "Desember" or December, and "Jerufha"
is actually "Jerusha." MB]
Connecticut Town Birth Records, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection)
Name: Margaret Post
Gender: Female
Birth Date: 21 Feb 1652
Birth Place: Saybrook
Parent: John
Parent: Hester
Name: John Baldwin
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 5 Dec 1654
Birth Place: Guilford
Parent: John
Parent: Hanna
Source: Ancestry.com. Connecticut Town Birth Records, pre-1870
(Barbour Collection) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com
Operations Inc, 2006. Original data: White, Lorraine Cook, ed. The
Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records. Vol. 1-55.
Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1994-2002.
Connecticut Town Marriage Records, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection)
Name: Caleb Abel
Marriage Date: 25 Jun 1701
Marriage Place: New London, Connecticut, USA
Residence Place: Norwich
Spouse: Mary Loomer
Source: Ancestry.com. Connecticut, Town Marriage Records, pre-1870
(Barbour Collection) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com
Operations Inc, 2006. Original data: White, Lorraine Cook, ed. The
Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records. Vol. 1-55.
Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1994-2002.
Connecticut Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index
Name:
Robert Abell
State: MA
County: Massachusetts Colony
Township: Freeman 19 Oct
Year: 1630
Database: MA Early Census Index
Name: Caleb Abell
State: CT
County: New London County
Township: Norwich
Year: 1672
Record Type: Resident's List
Page: NPN
Database: CT 1635-1807 Misc. Records
Name: Joshua Abell
State: CT
County: New London County
Township: Norwich
Year: 1672
Record Type: Resident's List
Page: NPN
Database: CT 1635-1807 Misc. Records
Source:
Ancestry.com. Connecticut, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes
Index, 1790-1890 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com
Operations Inc, 1999. Original data: Jackson, Ronald V., Accelerated
Indexing Systems, comp.. Connecticut Census, 1790-1890. Compiled and
digitized by Mr. Jackson and AIS from microfilmed schedules of the
U.S. Federal Decennial Census, territorial/state censuses, and/or
census substitutes.
Boston, MA: Marriages
Preserved Abel & Anna West Married By Mr. Thomas Bridge on Jan.
3, 1706
Source: Boston, MA: Marriages, 1700-1809. (Online database:
AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society,
2006), Originally published as: Report of the Record Commissioners of
the City of Boston, Containing the Boston Marriages from 1700 to 1751
(Vol. 28), Boston, Municipal Printing office, 1898. Records Relating
to the Early History of Boston, Containing Boston Marriages from 1752
to 1809 (vol. 30), Boston, Municipal Printing Office, 1903.
Massachusetts Compiled Marriages
Name:
Mrs. Anne West
Gender:
Female
Spouse:
Preserved Abell
Marriage
Date: 20 Dec 1706
City:
Rehoboth
County:
Bristol
Source:
Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT, Film # 0562559.
Source:
Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Compiled Marriages, 1633-1850 [database
on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
Original data: Dodd, Jordan, Liahona Research, comp. Massachusetts,
Marriages, 1633-1850. With some noted exceptions all marriage
records in this collection can be found at the Family History
Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and may be available through Family
History Centers throughout the United States.
Vital Records of Rehoboth, Massachusetts
Marriages
Abell
Joanna and William Hide of New Norwich, June 4, 1667.
Preserved and Martha Redaway, Sept. 27, 1667.
Intentions
Abell
Preserved of Rehoboth and Mrs. Anne West of Boston, Dec. 20, 1706.
Deaths
Abell
Lieut. Preserved, Aug. 18, 1724
Sarah, wife of Preserved, May 14, 1703
Anna, wife of Lieut. Preserved, Dec 11, 1723
Burials
Abell
Martha, wife of Preserved, buried March 1, 1685-6
Source: Vital Records of Rehoboth, Massachusetts, 1642-1896. (Online
database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical
Society, 2002.) Originally published as: Vital record of Rehoboth,
1642-1896. Marriages, intentions, births, deaths. With supplement
containing the record of 1896, colonial returns, lists of the early
settlers, purchasers, freemen, inhabitants, the soldiers serving in
Philip's war and the revolution, by James N. Arnold. Providence, RI:
Narragansett Historical Publishing Company, 1897.
Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850
Weymouth
Abell
Abraham, s. Robert, " burried " Nov. 14, 1639.
Source: Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850, Online Database:
AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society,
2001-2010.
Vital Records of Marshfield, Mass., to 1850
mehetabell Smith The daughter (o)f nehemiah Smith was (Bor)ne The 4
of July 1655
Source: Vital Records of Marshfield, Mass., to 1850 (Online Database:
AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society,
2007), (Vital Records of Marshfield, Massachusetts to the Year 1850.
Compiled by Robert M. Sherman and Ruth Wilder Sherman, Society of
Mayflower Descendants in the State of Rhode Island and Providence
Plantations, 1970.)
Connecticut Deaths and Burials Index
Name: John Baldwin
Birth Date: abt 1653
Age at Death: 51
Death Date: 18 Jan 1704
Death Place: Lebanon, Connecticut
Gender: Male
FHL Film Number: 3083
Name: Joshua Abell
Birth Date: abt 1650
Age at Death: 75
Death Date: 1 Mar 1725
Death Place: Norwich, Connecticut
Gender: Male
FHL Film Number: 3076
Name: Bethiah Abell
Birth Date: abt 1661
Age at Death: 62
Death Date: 31 Mar 1723
Death Place: Connecticut
Gender: Female
Marital Status: Married
Spouse: Joshua
FHL Film Number: 3357
Source: Ancestry.com. Connecticut, Deaths and Burials Index, 1650-1934
[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.,
2011. "Connecticut Deaths and Burials, 1772–1934." Index.
FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2009, 2010. Index entries derived
from digital copies of original and compiled records.
