Abel Holt (1740 - abt. 1815)

Born 10 Jun 1740 in Marlborough, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Eunice (Keyes) Holt — married 21 Oct 1765 in Shrewsbury, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died about Feb 1815 at about age 74 in Boylston, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

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Biography

Private Abel Holt served with 6th Regiment, Worcester County Militia, Massachusetts Militia during the American Revolution.

Abel Holt is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A057196.

ABEL HOLT, b. (recorded at Lancaster), 14 Jun 1740 son of Berzillai Holt Elizabeth Goss;^[1] d. at Boylston, MA, Feb 1815;^[2] m. 21 Oct 1765,^[3] EUNICE KEYES, b. at Shrewsbury, 19 Apr 1745 daughter of Henry and Ruth (Moore) Keyes;^[4] Eunice d. at West Boylston, 21 Oct 1840.^[5]

Abel and Eunice were first in Shrewsbury where Abel purchased property from William Thomas in 1766. The family moved to Boylston about 1788. On 1 December 1788, Abel Holt purchased an 89-acre tract of land from David Child of Boylston for £50.^[6]

Abel served during the American Revolution as a private from Massachusetts with 1) Capt Asa Rice, Col Job Cushing 6th Worcester, MA.^[7]

In May 1804, Abel and wife Eunice conveyed to Jonas Holt a tract of land in Boylston for a payment of $58. On 16 June 1813, Abel and Eunice conveyed land in Boylston to Henry Keyes Holt for a payment of $44.^[8]

Probate

In his will written 20 February 1811 (proved 14 March 1815), Abel Holt bequeathed to beloved wife Eunice the use and improvement of all the real and personal estate, after the payment of debts and legacies, during her natural life. He bequeathed one dollar each to children Lois Drury, Amasa Holt, Asa Holt, Jonas Holt, Eunice Prescott, Henry Keyes Holt, and Tyler Holt. Fifty cents each was bequeathed to Lucy Holt and Jarvis Holt the children of son Abel who was deceased. Lucy and Jarvis will receive an additional four dollars and fifty cents each after the decease of Eunice. Eunice was named executrix, a duty she declined due to her advanced age and requested William Drury be named. The heirs signing their agreement with the will were Lois Drury, Amasa Holt, Asa Holt, Jonas Holt, Eunice Prescott, Henry K. Holt, and Tyler Holt.^[9]

Military

On 8 February 1838, Eunice Holt of Boylston aged seventy-four made application for a widow’s pension based on Abel’s service in the Revolution. She recalled that near the beginning of the war, he enlisted in the company of Capt. Seth Newton and was in service for five months. He then re-enlisted in the same company. He had other periods of service but could not recall the details. He was at Bennington for six weeks. She and Abel married at Shrewsbury and her husband died 23 years before in February. Abel was credited with 8 months, 6 days service in the militia with service periods in 1777, 1780, and 1781. Eunice was awarded a pension.^[10]

Children

Abel Holt and Eunice Keyes were parents of eight children, the oldest five children born at Shrewsbury and the youngest children at Boylston.

i LOIS HOLT, b. 11 May 1767; d. at Holden, about 1819 (husband remarried 1820); m. at Holden, 6 Sep 1787, WILLIAM DRURY, b. in Shrewsbury, 11 Jan 1758;^[11] William d. at Holden, 20 Jan 1850. William married Hannah How in 1820. He likely also is the William Drury who married Lucy Drury in 1782.

ii AMASA HOLT, b. 24 Apr 1772; d. at Berlin, MA, 3 Nov 1815; m. 1st at Berlin, MA,^[12] 25 Jun 1799, “NABBY” NOURSE, b. at Berlin, MA, about 1777 (based on age 30 at death) daughter of Benjamin Sybil (Bailey) Nourse;^[13] Nabby d. at Berlin, 7 Jul 1807. Amasa m. 2nd at Berlin, 12 Apr 1808, HANNAH MOORE whose parents have not been identified; Hannah d. at Berlin, 8 Sep 1843 (probate 1843). Hannah married Daniel Holbrook on 21 Dec 1828.

iii ASA HOLT, b. 11 Jan 1775; d. at Boylston, 10 Aug 1847; m. at Southborough, 18 Dec 1801, NANCY PIERCE, b. at Southborough, about 1783 daughter of Jonathan and Lydia (Bowman) Pierce;^[14] Nancy d. at West Boylston, 10 Sep 1863.

iv ABEL W. HOLT, b. 22 Jun 1776; d. at Holden, 1802 (probate 1802 with widow Sally as administratrix); m. at Boylston, 16 Jan 1799, SARAH “SALLY” STRATTON,^[15] b. at Rutland, 30 Apr 1776 daughter of Samuel and Mary (Eaton) Stratton;^[16] Sally d. at West Boylston, 15 Feb 1852. Sally second married David Fairbank in 1804. Abel and Sally had two children, Lucy and Jarvis.

v JONAS HOLT, b. 22 Oct 1779; d. at West Boylston, 9 Oct 1853; m. at Boylston, 17 Apr 1802, ANNA READ, b. about 1780 daughter of Simeon and Anna (Read);^[17] Anna d. at West Boylston, 6 Sep 1845.

vi EUNICE HOLT, b. 21 Oct 1782; d. at West Boylston, 22 Dec 1870; m. at Holden, 19 Apr 1807, BRIGHAM PRESCOTT, b. at Shrewsbury, 1783 son of Jonathan and Mary (Brigham) Prescott; Brigham d. at West Boylston, 20 Nov 1865.

vii HENRY KEYES HOLT, b. 2 Jul 1788; d. at West Boylston, 8 Sep 1828; m. at West Boylston, 16 Nov 1813, LYDIA FAIRBANK, b. at Sterling, 19 Sep 1788 daughter of Seth and Relief (Sawyer) Fairbank; Lydia d. at Leominster, 23 Feb 1875. Lydia married second Nathaniel Davenport on 25 Sep 1844.

viii TYLER HOLT, b. 2 Sep 1790; d. at West Boylston, 8 Nov 1866; m. 1 Oct 1812, ARETHUSA FAIRBANK, b. about 1792 daughter of William and Keziah (Houghton) Fairbank;^[18] Arethusa d. at Sterling, 16 Aug 1837.

Sources

1. ↑ Lancaster Vital Records; https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/1244389?mark=bf4c47e77eab1c75958abe334dfaffba843f749014272333f284e488b413c251
2. ↑ U. S. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, Case W14942
3. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHQK-N6T : 20 May 2022), Abel Holt, 21 Oct 1765; citing Marriage, Shrewsbury, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007011135
4. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F4NK-FPT : 20 May 2022), Eunice Keyes, 19 Apr 1745; citing Birth, Shrewsbury, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007011135.
5. ↑ Eunice, w. Abel, Oct. 21, 1840, a. 95 y. 6 m.; West Boylston Vital Records; https://ma-vitalrecords.org/MA/Worcester/WestBoylston/Images/WestBoylston_D136.shtml
6. ↑ Massachusetts Land Records, Worcester County, 57:6, 106:226
7. ↑ Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed 17 March 2024), "Record of Abel Holt", Ancestor # A057196.
8. ↑ Massachusetts Land Records, Worcester County, 183:280; 186:402
9. ↑ Worcester County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1731-1881. Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. Case 30608
10. ↑ U. S. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, Case W14942
11. ↑ William’s place and date of birth are given in the Holden records but without the names of parents.
12. ↑ There is a 1798 marriage intention for Amasa Holt of Boylston and Thankful Fairbanks, but it is not clear that this is his marriage or if the marriage occurred.
13. ↑ Houghton, History of the Town of Berlin, p 444
14. ↑ The names of Nancy’s parents are given as Jonathan Peirce and Lydia Bowman on her death record.
15. ↑ Durrie’s Holt genealogy states that Abel married Hannah Wright daughter of Judah and Tabitha Wright, but it was Abel’s third cousin John Holt that married Hannah Wright the daughter of Judah and Tabitha
16. ↑ Sally’s father’s name is given as Samuel Stratton on her death record.
17. ↑ Anna’s last name is not entirely clear in the records. The transcription of the marriage record says “Wren” and her death record lists parents as Simeon and Anna and what looks like Rood or might be Read or even Rand. This needs further investigation.
18. ↑ The 1841 probate of William Fairbank includes the children of Tyler Holt as heirs.

• Abbott, Patricia A. 2019. The Descendants of Nicholas Holt of Andover Through Six Generations. Emerald Isle, NC: Patricia A. Abbott.

• Durrie, Daniel S. 1864. A Genealogical History of the Holt Family in the United States More Particularly the Descendants of Nicholas Holt of Newbury and Andover, Mass. Albany: Munsell.

• Houghton, William Addison. 1895. History of the Town of Berlin, Worcester County, Mass., from 1784 to 1895. Worcester, MA: F. S. Blanchard & Co., Printers.