Project Gutenberg's Bay State Monthly, Vol. I, No. 3, March, 1884, by Various

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Title: Bay State Monthly, Vol. I, No. 3, March, 1884
A Massachusetts Magazine

Author: Various

Release Date: May 28, 2005 [EBook #15925]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Illustration: J.W. BOOTT]

THE BAY STATE MONTHLY.

_A Massachusetts Magazine._

VOL. I. MARCH, 1884. No. III.

* * * * *

Hon. JOSIAH GARDNER ABBOTT, LL.D.

By Colonel John Hatch George.

The Honorable JOSIAH GARDNER ABBOTT, the subject of this
biographic sketch, traces his lineage back to the first settlers of this
Commonwealth. The Puritan George Abbott, who came from Yorkshire,
England, in 1630, and settled in Andover, was his ancestor on his
father's side; while on his mother's side his English ancestor was
William Fletcher, who came from Devonshire in 1640, and settled, first,
in Concord, and, finally, in 1651, in Chelmsford. It may be noted in
passing that Devonshire, particularly in the first part of the
seventeenth century, was not an obscure part of England to hail from,
for it was the native shire of England's first great naval heroes and
circumnavigators of the globe, such as Drake and Cavendish.

George Abbott married Hannah, the daughter of William and Annis
Chandler, whose descendants have been both numerous and influential. The
young couple settled in Andover. As has been said, ten years after the
advent on these shores of George Abbott came William Fletcher, who,
after living for a short time in Concord, settled finally in Chelmsford.
In direct descent from these two original settlers of New England were
Caleb Abbott and Mercy Fletcher, the parents of the subject of this
sketch. Judge Abbott is, therefore, of good yeomanly pedigree. His
ancestors have always lived in Massachusetts since the settlement of the
country, and have always been patriotic citizens, prompt to respond to
every call of duty in the emergencies of thei