Johann Jacob Abel (abt. 1716 - 1807)

Born about 9 Jun 1716 in Münzesheim, Marksgraftschaft Baden, Heiliges Römisches Reich

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 21 Jul 1807 at about age 91 in Forks Township, Northampton, Pennsylvania, United States

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Biography

Jacob Abel is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A000148.

Jacob Abel performed Patriotic Service in Pennsylvania in the American Revolution.

Johann Jacob Abel was born to Johann Adam Abel and his wife Anna Fechtlin Abel on June 29, 1716. He was baptized a few days later on July 1, 1716 in Münzesheim, Amt Bretten, Baden,Heiliges Römisches Reich. Here is a link to a map of the area.(see source #1).^{[1] [2]}

Immigration

Jacob Abel left Münzesheim with his parents and siblings in 1732. Because Jacob was 16, he was listed by name and age on Rob Turpin's list of passengers. On September 25, 1732, he was required to sign the oath of allegiance to King George II at the Philadelphia courthouse. ^[3][4]

Marriages and Children

Jacob married Maria Catherine Messenger probably in Northampton, Pennsylvania. They had children.

• Elizabeth
• Susannah Elizabeth
• Jacob
• Peter
• John
• Anna Maria
• Michael, born in 1764 in Hecktown,Northampton, Pennsylvania^[5]
• Catherine,
• John Henry, born 9 Feb 1768^[6]

Residences

The Abels were living in Forks in 1768 where John Henry was baptized. Jacob Abel kept a hotel in Easton and in 1783 he was known as "old Squire Abel". He was one of the first owners of the flat bottomed pole driven Durham boats. These boats made it possible to transport goods on the shallows parts of the Delaware River in the vicinity of Forks and Easton.^[7]

Census records show Jacob Abel with some of his family were there in 1790 and 1800.^[8][9]

He paid federal taxes. The 1772 Forks township records show him owning 150 acres of land, 3 horses, 3 cows and 2 brown servants. He paid 1 pound, 4 shillings and 6 pennies in taxes.^[10]

In 1885, he paid in Easton- 9 shillings and 5 pennies- for owning 1 servant, 1 house, 3 lots and 1 ferry.^[11]

Jacob Abel Helps Washington Cross the Delaware

Rev. Uzal W. Condit in his History of Easton tells of Jacob Abel's patriotic service during the American Revolution. Elisha Allis was a friend and consultant to Condit.

George Washington began the battle of Brooklyn with an army of twenty thousand; when he arrived at Trenton he had about three thousand. They were poorly clad and poorly fed. He had sent to Congress an account of his defeat and his intention to retreat across the Delaware, and an order to have the boats on the Delaware collected on the west side, so he could cross without delay.

About the same time Washington had sent Colonel Humpton to collect all the boats along the Delaware and other craft. Jacob Abel (old Squire Abel) was called upon to help collect the boats to convey the patriots across the river. This we have from Elisha Allis, Esq., who received it from a member of the family.^[7]

Later Life

Jacob died 21 Jul 1807 at the age of 88 yrs 6 months in Forks, Northampton, Pennsylvania, USA. He was buried in1807 in Arndt's Burying Ground, now called Arndts and Messinger Cemetery.^[12][13]

Will

Jacob Abel left a will dated 8 Nov 1803 and witnessed by John Messinger. His daughter Susanna (Abel) Messinger had died in 1796 so wasn't named in this will. Persons named were.

• daughter Elizabeth wife of Jacob Warner
• son Michael
• son Jacob
• son Peter
• son John
• son Henry
• daughter Ann Mary (Anna Maria) wife of Jacob Fauentelders
• daughter, Catherine
• granddaughter Sarah

Michael Abel was to be the executor.^[14]

Research Notes

Jacob birth date is clearly documented in his birth record as 29 jun 1716. Another date, 29 Jan 1719, is found on Find A Grave and in Arndts and Messinger cemetery records. However, he arrived in Pennsylvania at the age of 16 putting his birth year in 1716.

Sources

1. ↑ Markgrafschaft Baden-Baden (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Markgrafschaft_Baden-Baden.png)
2. ↑ "Deutschland, ausgewählte evangelische Kirchenbücher 1500-1971," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPDF-HC45 : 18 September 2023), Fechtlin in entry for Joh. Jacob Abel, 1 Jul 1716; images digitized and records extracted by Ancestry; citing Baptism, Münzesheim, Bretten, Baden, Deutschland, , German Lutheran Collection, various parishes, Germany.
3. ↑ Strassburger, Vol 1, pp 87-92, https://archive.org/details/pennsylvaniagerm03penn_2/page/86/mode/2up
4. ↑ Strassburger, Vol. 2, p 78, (https://archive.org/details/pennsylvaniagerm43stra/page/78/mode/2up
5. ↑ "Pennsylvania Births and Christenings, 1709-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HFL3-VBW2 : 16 December 2023), Jacob Abel in entry for Michael Abel, 1764.
6. ↑ Some of the first settlers of "the forks of the Delaware" and their descendants; being a translation from the German of the record books of the First reformed church of Easton, Penna. from 1760 to 1852; tr. and published by the Rev. Henry Martyn Kieffer ... together with an historical introduction. In commemoration of the one hundred and fifty-seventh anniversary of the founding of the congregation, 1745-1902, p 90(https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t4gm8gh4x&seq=118)
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Condit, Uzal W, 'The History of Easton', [from old catalog] pg. 36-38, Publisher: [Easton, Pa.] G. W. West, 1889 (https://archive.org/stream/historyofeaston00cond#page/38 : 16 Sep 2018)
8. ↑ "United States Census, 1790", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHKJ-JPY : Thu Oct 05 16:21:50 UTC 2023), Entry for Jacob Able, 1790.
9. ↑ "United States Census, 1800", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHR4-ZY6 : Thu Oct 05 18:41:10 UTC 2023), Entry for Jacob Abel, Esquire, 1800.
10. ↑ Pennsylvania, U.S., Tax and Exoneration, 1768-1801,(https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2497/images/33020_254654-00206?treeid=&personid=&queryId=381d5f5f-0928-4871-a81d-a2a1ba1fe606&usePUB=true&_phsrc=OWu1449&_phstart=successSource&pId=1258337)
11. ↑ Pennsylvania, U.S., Tax and Exoneration, 1768-1801,(https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1252256:2497?tid=&pid=&queryId=3211d8c0-7e0e-4f61-b62a-84880b71ea03&_phsrc=OWu1452&_phstart=successSource)
12. ↑ "Pennsylvania Cemetery Records, ca. 1700-ca. 1950", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:8BJ9-5H2M : Sun Sep 24 04:35:15 UTC 2023), Entry for Jacob Abel, 21 Jul 1807.
13. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/44021705/jacob-abel: accessed 24 September 2023), memorial page for Jacob Abel (21 Jan 1719–21 Jul 1807), Find A Grave: Memorial #44021705, citing Arndts and Messinger Cemetery, Forks Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, USA; Maintained by (contributor 47059011).
14. ↑ "Pennsylvania Probate Records, 1683-1994," images, FamilySearch, Wills 1800-1842, vol 4-5, image 169 of 626; county courthouses, Pennsylvania, detail for Jacob Abel, p286, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9SM-W343?i=168)

Acknowledgments

Thank you to David Townsend for creating Abel-439 on 21 Nov 13. Click the Changes tab for the details on contributions by David and Jill Foster