Abraham Howe (bef. 1637 - 1695)

Born before 1637 in Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony [uncertain]

Husband of Hannah (Ward) Howe — married 26 Mar 1657 in Watertown, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died 30 Jan 1695 after age 58 in Marlborough, Middlesex, Province of Massachusetts Bay

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Biography

No record of Abraham's birth has been found. His birth apparently took place between 1632 and 1637. Given that he was married in 1657, these estimates are within reason.

"It is not known that this Abraham How was related to any of his contemporaries of the name in this country, nor has anything been discovered indicating the name or origin of his father. It is not known from where nor when he came to this country. The first mention of this Abraham How in this country seems to be found in the records of Watertown, Massachusetts, where the marriage of Abraham How to Hannah Ward, daughter of William and Elizabeth Ward occurred on 26 Mar 1657. He probably lived there until 1661, when he moved to Marlborough, where his name appeared among the proprietors of Marlborough as early as 1660, and he participated in the first division of lands in that town, and there he passed the remainder of his life."^[1]

In Early Settlers of Watertown Massachusetts, Henry Bond states that Abraham How was probably a son of Abraham How of Roxbury, Massachusetts^[2]. However, after researching the records of Roxbury, I don't believe this to be the case, as nothing was found there to support this claim. I also note the use of the word "probably". Dee D'Errico

Abraham and Hannah had three children in Watertown; and then moved to Marlborough, where their other children were born. He died at Marlborough on January 30, 1695^[3][4] The preceding year he kept the inn at which the Commissioners of Massachusetts, who were to treat with the Mohawks, lodged the first night of their journey.

The Biographical Review states: "That Abraham Howe was a nephew of John Howe, of Sudbury and Marlboro, is a well grounded conjecture, we are told, in the mind of one of his descendants, an octogenarian of remarkable vigor and of excellent memory, who in his youth heard the family record discussed by his father and grandfather, and who has in his possession papers relating to the family ancestry."^[5]

NOTES from Dee D'Errico:

I, however, believe that Abraham and John Howe were brothers. It is the only scenario that makes any sense at all to my mind. Although this is purely speculation on my part, my reasons for this speculation follow. They both were Inn keepers. Marlborough and Sudbury were within walking distance of each other. The Inn which John had burnt down; but, on the same property, his grandson, David Howe, re-built the inn; and, it still operates today as the Wayside Inn. This inn was on the old Boston Post Road which is well hidden off of the Boston Post Road of today on the outskirts of Sudbury. Abraham Howe's Inn was not preserved as this one was. David's Inn was probably preserved so well because Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a regular there; and it became famous.^{[citation needed]}

Marriage

Abraham How married Hannah Ward on March 26, 1657, in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts^[6][7]

Children

1. Daniel How 1658 Watertown
2. Mary How 30 June 1659 Watertown
3. Joseph How 9 Feb 1662 Watertown
4. Hannah How 9 Nov 1663 Marlborough^[8]
5. Elizabeth How 5 Apr 1665 Marlborough^[9]
6. Deborah How 1 Mar 1667 Marlborough^[10]
7. Rebeckah How 4 Feb 1668 Marlborough^[11]
8. Abraham How 8 Oct 1670 Marlborough^[12]
9. Sarah How 20 Dec 1672 Marlborough^[13]
10. Abigail How 4 Mar 1675 Marlborough^[12]

Notes

Information Source: BNS site. res Watertown B: Watertown MA 1637 M: 26 Mar

1657 D: 30 Jan 1695 siblings: John, Thomas, Samuel, Sarah, Mary, Isaac, Josiah.

Abraham Howe was born in 1637, and multiple sources give the date of 05 April, but there is some question as to whether he was born in the Massachusetts colony or in England. There may have been a second Abraham who spelled his last name "How" in the colony at the same time who was a similar age.

Any additional assistance with this profile is appreciated.

Research Notes

"Unfortunately nothing is known for sure about the early life of Abraham Howe. The first time he appears in a record in New England was for his marriage to Hannah Ward in 1657 in Watertown. A marriage date of 1657 implies that he was likely born before 1636 (so he was 21 when he married) but he could have been, and probably was, older. We don't know who his parents were. IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY that he was the son of John Howe of Sudbury and Marlborough. There were many men living in New England at around this time in history with the last name of "Howe", and we don't know if or how they might have been related. "Howe" is a reasonably common name. John Howe of Sudbury and Marlborough dated his will May 24, 1680, and there is absolutely no mention of a child named Abraham. One of the witnesses to the will was Abraham How, and you could not witness a will if you were an interested party. Could John and Abraham have been related? Cousins? Nephew? Maybe. But there is no evidence to indicate. For another look at the evidence, and another author's conclusion that the parentage of Abraham is unknown, see this website: http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person:Abraham_Howe_(3)"

Name

Name: Abraham /Howe/^[14]

Sources

1. ↑ Howe Genealogies: Vol. 2, Page 279
2. ↑ Bond, Henry, M.D Genealogies of the Families and Descendants of the Early Settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts, Including Waltham and Weston (Boston: Little, Brown & Company 1855) (Free e-book) p. 304
3. ↑ Systematic History Fund, Vital Records of Marlborough, Massachusetts, To the end of the year 1849 (Published by Franklin P. Rice, Worcester, Massachusetts 1908)(Free e-book)(Records are also available at ma-vitalrecords.org) p. 366
4. ↑ Source: #S132 The Ward Genealogy, Page 1909
5. ↑ Biographical Review Containing Life Sketches of Leading Citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts (Boston, MA:Biographical Review Pub.,1899) Page 473 Ellsworth Eugene Howe, 2nd column
6. ↑ Watertown Records Comprising the First and Second Books of Town Proceedings with the Land Grants and Possessions also the Proprietors' Book also the First Book and Supplement of Births Deaths and Marriage (Prepared for Publication by the Historical Society)(Watertown Mass Press of Fred G Barker 1894)(Free e-book)(Records are also available at ma-vitalrcords.org) p. 20
7. ↑ Source: #S1340 p. 169
8. ↑ Systematic History Fund, Vital Records of Marlborough, Massachusetts, To the end of the year 1849 (Published by Franklin P. Rice, Worcester, Massachusetts 1908)(Free e-book)(Records are also available at ma-vitalrecords.org) p. 99
9. ↑ Systematic History Fund, Vital Records of Marlborough, Massachusetts, To the end of the year 1849 (Published by Franklin P. Rice, Worcester, Massachusetts 1908)(Free e-book)(Records are also available at ma-vitalrecords.org) p. 98
10. ↑ Systematic History Fund, Vital Records of Marlborough, Massachusetts, To the end of the year 1849 (Published by Franklin P. Rice, Worcester, Massachusetts 1908)(Free e-book)(Records are also available at ma-vitalrecords.org) p. 97
11. ↑ Systematic History Fund, Vital Records of Marlborough, Massachusetts, To the end of the year 1849 (Published by Franklin P. Rice, Worcester, Massachusetts 1908)(Free e-book)(Records are also available at ma-vitalrecords.org) p. 105
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} Systematic History Fund, Vital Records of Marlborough, Massachusetts, To the end of the year 1849 (Published by Franklin P. Rice, Worcester, Massachusetts 1908)(Free e-book)(Records are also available at ma-vitalrecords.org) p. 95
13. ↑ Systematic History Fund, Vital Records of Marlborough, Massachusetts, To the end of the year 1849 (Published by Franklin P. Rice, Worcester, Massachusetts 1908)(Free e-book)(Records are also available at ma-vitalrecords.org) p. 106
14. ↑ Source: #S-1393141952 Page: Ancestry Family Trees Data: Text: http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=38307705&pid=306

• Howe, Daniel. Howe Genealogies - Abraham of Roxbury, James of Ipswich, Abraham of Marlbourough and Edward of Lynn, Mass (New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, 1929) Vol 2 https://archive.org/details/howegenealogiest00howe/page/279/mode/2up
• Ancestral Heads of New England Families 1620-1700," Page 124
• Source: S116 Media: Book Abbreviation: William Ward Genealogy Title: William Ward Genealogy Author: Charles Martyn Date: 1925 Text: Charles Martyn, The William Ward Genealogy (1925).
• Source: S132 Media: Book Title: Genealogical and Family History of the State of Maine Author: Burrage,Henry S.; Stubbs, Albert Roscoe; Little, George Thoma Text: Burrage, Henry S, Albert Roscoe Stubbs, George Thomas Little,"Genealogical and Family History of the State of Maine": Book
• Ward Family Genealogy - Descendants of Thomas Warde on Archive.org Wayback Machine Author: Clare Prechel
• Source: S1340 Harriet Russell Stratton, A Book of Strattons (New York: The Grafton Press, 1908) Repository: #R104 Call Number: Ref# CS71/S9/1908
• Repository: R104 NEHGS, Boston, Massachusetts
• Source: S3 Type: Book Author: Bessie Burris Hunt Periodical: Ancestors & Descendants of Jonathan Burris Publication: Sun Printing
• "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FH9V-LM2 : 5 November 2017), Abraham How and Hannah Ward, 26 Mar 1657; citing Marriage, Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States, , town clerk offices, Massachusetts; FHL microfilm 745,869.
• Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 14 September 2020), memorial page for Abraham Anthony Howe (1632–30 Jan 1695), Find A Grave: Memorial #36138103, citing Maplewood Cemetery, Marlborough, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA ; Maintained by Diana L. Brace (contributor 46885260) Gravestone picture 1632 - 1685
• "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V5N4-TQH : 10 February 2018), Abraham How in entry for Ellizabeth How, 05 Apr 1665; citing MARLBORO,MIDDLESEX,MASSACHUSETTS, ; FHL microfilm 0844943 IT 2.
• Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives. Digitized images provided by FamilySearch.org) Case 11972: Will

See Also:

• Ancestry Profile

Acknowledgments

• Thank you to Michael Gillespie for creating WikiTree profile Howe-2162 through the import of Gillespie Family 10.ged on Apr 25, 2013.
• Howe person was created on 14 September 2010 through the import of 124-DeCoursey.ged.
• Howe-4872 was created by Matthew Green through the import of Green-Miller Family (2).ged on Aug 23, 2015