John Abbott (1661 - 1693)

Born 1661 in Tipperary, Ireland

Husband of Elizabeth (Nicholson) Wakefield — married 1684 (to 1693) in Salem County, Province of West Jersey

Descendants

Died 1693 at about age 32 in Salem, Province of West Jersey

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Biography

John was a cooper.

His brother (or father?) Thomas was one of the founders of the Cohansey Baptist Church and is said to have come with a group from Clogh Keating in Tipperary circa 1683. It is reported that the Baptist church from which it sprung in Tipperary was called Cloughkatier (or Cloughkatin) and was still in existence as late as 1838.

The first Baptists known to have settled in South Jersey came from Ireland and were members of a Baptist Church at Cleagh KEATING in the County of Tipperary in the Province of Munster in the south of Ireland. They arrived here about 1683 and settled Back and Shrewsbury Necks, in Fairfield Township.

Morgan EDWARDS, from whose history of the Baptist Churches of New Jersey all the early history of the Baptists of this part of the state has been drawn, visited the different churches in 1789 and 1790 in search of material for his work. He was at Cohansey on July 6th 1789. He states that the early records of the church had been destroyed but the loss was partly supplied by a historical sketch which had been sent him many years ago (as he then said) by Rev. Robert KELSEY, pastor of the church from 1756 until his death, May 30th 1789.

The Brutal Campaigns, Quoting from that sketch he says: about the year 1683 some Baptists from the County of Tipperary in Ireland settled in the neighborhood of Cohansey; particularly David SHEPPARD, Thomas ABBOTT, William BUTTON, etc. Those names are all English names and their parents were probably among the large number of English Protestants who settled in Ireland after the subjugation by the parliamentary forces under Cromwell in 1651.

Escape to America The Baptists of England, as of all other lands have ever been not only upholders of religious liberty, but equally zealous in seeking civil liberty. Large numbers of them served in the Parliamentary forces amongst the Royalists and must have been among those who received lands in Ireland, and settled there. During the reign of Charles the Second, from 1660 to 1685, the great pressure upon dissenters probably led these Irish Baptists to avail themselves of the peace and freedom of America. In doing so, no part of this country presented more attractions, civil and religious, of climate, soil, and easiness of access, than did South Jersey.

These Irish Baptists, when they settled here, had no pastor, but without doubt held meetings of prayer and praise amongst themselves and were visited occasionally by the few Baptist ministers who came this way.

Will

John made his will on 9 Mar 1692/3 in Salem, New Jersey. Non-cupative will probated 6 Aug 1693. Gave wife Elizabeth power to dispose of 500 acres, of which 225 acres belonged to his brother Thomas. He left to "every brother and sister 12 pence if demanded", but made no mention of his children. Witnesses – George Abbott and Ruth Abbott. Recorded August 8, 1693. Inventory of the personal estate, £100.7.5, made by Edward Wade and Thomas Abbott.

Marriage

John Abbott married Elizabeth Nicholson in 1684 in Salem County, New Jersey.^[1][2]

Sources

1. ↑ Source: #S62 Page: p. 856-857 FOOT Lee, Francis Bazley, Genealogical and Memorial History of the State of New Jersey (New York, Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1910), .
2. ↑ Source: #S64 Page: p. 213-222 FOOT Clement, John, Sketches of the First Emigrant Settlers in Newton Twp., Old Glouster County, West New Jersey (Camden, New Jersey, Sinnickson Chew, 1877), p. 213-222.

• "The Casto Story and Collections"
• Genealogies of New Jersey Families, Vol. II, Abbott, p. 18 (NJA 23:I)
• Source: S62 Author: Lee, Francis Bazley Title: Genealogical and Memorial History of the State of New Jersey Publication: Name: Lewis Historical Publishing Company; Location: New York; Date: 1910;
• Source: S64 Author: Clement, John Title: Sketches of the First Emigrant Settlers in Newton Twp., Old Glouster County, West New Jersey Publication: Name: Sinnickson Chew; Location: Camden, New Jersey; Date: 1877.

Note

Janet Mingham's site on Genes Reunited.com lists his birthplace as "Mayo, Ireland".