Joseph Abbott (1752 - 1832)

Born 18 Jul 1752 in Lexington, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay

Ancestors

Husband of Ruth (Buckman) Abbott — married 30 Apr 1778 in Lexington,Middlesex,Massachusetts

Descendants

Died 30 Mar 1832 at age 79 in Livermore, Livermore, Oxford, Maine, United States

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Joseph Abbott participated in the American Revolution. Join: 1776 Project Discuss: 1776

Research Note

Corporal Joseph Abbott served with Middlesex County Militia, Massachusetts Militia during the American Revolution.

The Abbotts of Massachusetts have been a source of great confusion. There were at least two ancestral families, using similar names, and both tracing back to immigrating ancestors named “George”. Accordingly, there is always some doubt regarding identification. The spelling of the last name is no help; in both families, the spellings of “Abbott” and “Abbot” were used. When Major Lemuel Abbott wrote a book ^[1] to describe his own family’s history, he wrote about the other family also to ensure that there was no confusion.

Other confusions are noted in the biography.

Biography

Joseph Abbott, Jr, was born 18 July 1752 in Lexington, Massachusetts to Joseph Abbott, Sr. and Hannah White.^[1] Aside from the Jr./Sr. distinction, some writers also differentiate the two by indicating their military ranks. The younger Abbott was a Sergeant in the Revolutionary War and the elder was a Lieutenant in the French and Indian War.

There is some confusion regarding birth place. During Joseph’s lifetime, the town of Lincoln was created and incorporated parts of Lexington. The Abbott property straddled the border and the Abbott family insisted that they were residents of Lexington. The courts eventually ruled otherwise, rendering him a resident of Lincoln. Therefore, some have concluded that he was born in Lincoln, despite the fact that Lincoln did not exist at the time. The Lincoln confusion goes further. Because he died in Maine and because the only "Lincoln" existing in Massachusetts Bay at the time of his birth was in the District of Maine, some writers have concluded that he must have been born in Lincoln, Maine.

There is also some disagreement about the birth date. The “Illustrated History of Kennebec County,” ^[2] gives his birth year as 1743, based on hearsay. The family history written by the aforementioned Lemuel Abbott gives his birth date as 10 July 1752. ^[3] The most likely date is given in the town records—18 July 1752, with baptism occurring on the following day. ^[4] Abbott was a veteran of the Revolutionary War, as described in pension records and other sources. ^{[5] [6] [7] [8]}

In 1775, Abbott enlisted in the militia of Lincoln, under Capt. Smith. As we all know, the British fought a confused engagement with the militia of Lexington in the early morning hours of April 19 and then marched on to Concord. As they returned toward Boston, the road led back through Lexington and perhaps 2000 militia, including Capt. Smith’s company and, presumably, Joseph Abbott, were there waiting. In the ensuing hours, a militia force growing to perhaps 4000 harassed the British during their withdrawal. Approximately 80 British soldiers were killed. Abbott later made a deposition ^[9] stating what he witnessed at Lexington.

Some family have stated that Abbott served at the battle of Bunker Hill, but there is no evidence of this.

In spring 1776, George Washington fortified the Dorchester Heights in a maneuver that resulted in expelling the English from Boston. In March 1776, Abbott served one month as an orderly sergeant in Capt. Hartwell’s company of Col. Eleazar Brook’s regiment at Dorchester.

Later in 1776, the American stationed troops at upstate New York’s Fort Ticonderoga to block any invasion from British-held Canada. Abbott served six months there as a sergeant in the company of Capt. Asahel Wheeler of Col. Eleazar Brooks’s regiment, mustering out in Albany.

An undated entry (other nearby entries are in 1777 and 1778) in the Middlesex Town Clerk’s record states the intention of Joseph Abbott “of Lincoln” and Ruth Buckman “of Lexington” to marry. ^[10] Ruth was the sister of Joseph Buckman, the owner of Buckman’s Tavern, the unofficial headquarters of the rebel militia in Lexington. Joseph Abbott and Ruth Buckman married in Lexington on 30 April 1778. ^{[11] [12] [13] [14]} The precise date becomes important later in this narrative.

Joseph and Ruth owned property and lived in Lincoln until 1804, where he held various positions such as highway surveyor, field-driver, constable, deer-reeve, and fence-viewer. Apparently, he was also prominent in his church because he served on a committee to consider the expense of an ordination. ^{[15] [16] [17] [18]}

During this time, Joseph and Ruth had 11 children, plus 3 more later. ^[19]

In 1804, the family moved to Sidney, Kennebec County in Maine (then part of Massachusetts). He purchased 1000 acres of land. Until his death, he made numerous land transactions, including one in the amount of $10,000.) Perhaps his intent in moving to Maine was to be a dealer in land. He also worked as a miller and a farmer. ^[20] His brother Asa Abbott also moved to Sidney, at roughly the same time or earlier. Lemuel Abbott places the date of Asa's move as about 1798.^[21]

In 1818, the family moved to Livermore, Maine. ^[22]

Joseph received a pension of $20.31 for this Revolutionary War service, with an effective start date of 4 March 1831. He died a year and a half later, 30 November 1832. Ruth applied for the continuation of his pension but was declined because their date of marriage occurred after his service. The pension file includes some sad attempts to suggest that the marriage occurred earlier or his service occurred later. Eventually, Congress passed a law easing the eligibility requirements for widows and Ruth was awarded his pension in 1838. She died about a year later. ^[23]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Abbott, Lemuel Abijah. Descendants of George Abbott, of Rowley, Mass.. (Published by the compiler, Boston, 1906). (Two vols., consecutive pagination) (Boston, MA: T. R. Marvin & Son [printer], 1906), Vol. 1, pp 416-418 (online image, Internet Archive), accessed 17 May 2017; genealogical sketch of 277 Sergt. Joseph Abbott.
2. ↑ Henry D. Kingsbury, Simeon L. Deyo, editors, Illustrated history of Kennebec County, Maine 1625-1799-1892; H. W. Blake and Co., New York, 1892.
3. ↑ Abbott, p. 416.
4. ↑ "Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850: Lexington," database of images, New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (AmericanAncestors.org: transcribed 28 February 2016), vol 1, p 1, Abbott family births and christenings; citing "Lexington Mass.: Record of Births, Marriages and Deaths to January 1, 1898," Wright & Potter, Boston, 1898.
5. ↑ Abbott, p. 416
6. ↑ "Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files," database with digital images, Fold3.com (https://www.fold3.com/image/1/10940512 : accessed 3 June 2016), file for Joseph Abbot and widow Ruth Abbott, Massachusetts, W.26,972; citing Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service, M804 (Washington D. C.: National Archives [n.d.]), roll 0002.
7. ↑ Frank Warren Coburn, The Battle of April 19, 1775 in Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Arlington, Cambridge, Somerville and Charlestown, Massachusetts, Special limited edition with the muster rolls of the participating American companies (Lexington, MA: F. L. Coburn & Co (printer), 1912), pp. 13-14; digitial images, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/battleofapril19100cobu : accessed 2 July 2016; Corp. Joseph Abbot and Nehemiah Abbot are included in the muster roll of Capt. William Smith's company from Lincoln in Col Abijah Pierce's regiment; citing Lexington Alarms, XIII, 97.
8. ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, (compiler), Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War (17 vols.) (Boston: Wright & Potter Printing, 1896–1908), vol. 1, p. 11; database index to page images, Ancestry (http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7726 : accessed 2 July 2016; entry for Joseph Abbot from Lincoln.
9. ↑ Record Group 360: Records of the Continental and Confederation Congresses and the Constitutional Convention, 1765 - 1821, Series: Papers of the Continental Congress, 1774 - 1789, File Unit: Massachusetts State Papers, Item: Deposition #6 of Benjamin Tidd and Joseph Abbot of Lincoln Regarding the Events of April 18 and 19, 1775 at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts Bay Colony, 4/25/1775 , https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6883154
10. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database index with images, Family Search, FamilySearch.org (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-31538-13088-59: accessed 1 June 2016), p 105, handwritten entry "Joseph Abbott Junr of Lincoln and Ruth Buckman of Lexington"; citing Middlesex > Lincoln > Births, marriages, deaths 1745-1845 > image 94 of 266; town clerk offices, Massachusetts; FHL microfilm 771,077.
11. ↑ "Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850: Lexington," database of images, New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (AmericanAncestors.org: accessed 25 April 2015), vol 1, p 103, entry for Buckman (http://www.americanancestors.org/databases/massachusetts-vital-records-to-1850/image/?volumeId=13776&pageName=103&rId=245573424).
12. ↑ "Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850: Lexington," database of images, New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (AmericanAncestors.org: accessed 28 February 2016), vol 1, p 94, Abbott family marriages.
13. ↑ Abbott, p. 416.
14. ↑ "Massachusetts, Marriages, 1695-1910," database, Family Search (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FCCH-QPV: accessed 4 July 2016), Joseph Abbott and Ruth Buckman, 30 Apr 1778; citing FHL microfilm 0962818 IT 2.
15. ↑ Abbott, p. 416.
16. ↑ "1790 U. S. census," database index (no images), New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (http://www.americanancestors.org/: accessed 1 June 2016), entries for Joseph Abbott on lines 34436 and 34437; citing index from FamilySearch; data from NARA, Series M637, Origin 4, Archive Roll # 568144.
17. ↑ "Massachusetts and Maine 1798 Direct Tax," transcription and images, New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (http://americanancestors.org: accessed 2 June 2016), Lincoln, Middlesex, MA, vol V.9, p 627, Joseph Abbott; citing original manuscript "Direct Tax List for Massachusetts and Maine, 1798", R. Stanton Avery Special Collections, NEGHS, Boston, MA.
18. ↑ "1800 U. S. census," database index (no images), New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (http://www.americanancestors.org/: accessed 2 June 2016), Middlesex, Lincoln, Joseph Abbot (also Abiel and Nehemiah); citing NARA series M32, roll 17 (Mass V.5) p 1270, film # 205615, image 19, origin 17.
19. ↑ Abbott, p. 416.
20. ↑ Abbott, p. 416.
21. ↑ Abbott, Vol. 1, page 418, person 283.
22. ↑ "Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files," database with digital images, Fold3.com, file for Joseph Abbot and widow Ruth Abbott, Massachusetts, W.26,972.
23. ↑ "Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files," database with digital images, Fold3.com, file for Joseph Abbot and widow Ruth Abbott, Massachusetts, W.26,972.

Acknowledgement

This biography was created originally by Jim Moore through the import of JWM-GEDCOM.ged on May 21, 2015. It has been extensively revised.