Abell, Joshua (1793–1846), philanthropist, was born 15 November 1793 in Cork city into a long established and talented quaker family, among eleven children of Richard Abell, a well known merchant, and his wife Elizabeth Beale. He was educated at the quaker boarding school of Ballitore, Co. Kildare, and subsequently settled in Dublin, where he established a school in Eustace St. (1818–46). Though quaker tradition encouraged private philanthropy, Abell supported many philanthropic schemes that had national ambitions. He was founder and first secretary of the Hibernian Society for the Promotion of Permanent and Universal Peace (1824), arguing that the success in mobilising public opinion against the slave trade might be just as successful in promoting the cause of peace. In the first year the society gained subscribers in fourteen towns and distributed more than 1,500 copies of publications. Abell was an early – probably the first – secretary of the Dublin Anti-Slavery Society when it was founded (c.1827) and he promoted the Hibernian Negroes' Friend Society established in July 1830; the two societies were incorporated into the Hibernian Anti-slavery Society in 1837. He was the founder, proprietor, and editor of the Dublin Literary Journal (1843–6), in which he published his poetry; a monthly magazine, it reported on Irish literary and scientific societies and a variety of social issues (though repudiating any religious or political discussion), and reviewed new publications. A member of the RDS, he was practitioner of medical electricity and galvanism to the lord lieutenant and several members of the aristocracy.
Abell died 3 November 1846 in his home at 22 Eustace St., Dublin. He married first (27 January 1831) Sarah Pattison (d. 1835); their two daughters died in infancy. After her death he married (15 March 1839) Anne Wethereld; they had a son and a daughter. His brothers include Abraham Abell (qv) a prominent citizen in Cork, and Richard Abell (1789–1840), an Edinburgh doctor, well known as a phrenologist.
Research Notes
Note that birth and death dates reported in his entry in the Dictionary of Irish Biography differ from the dates recorded in the Quaker records.
Sources
Ireland, Society Of Friends (Quaker) Family Lists, image, FindMyPast (https://search.findmypast.ie/record/browse?id=ire%2fquaker%2fmmv111m-1%2f0104 : accessed 08 March 2020), birth of Joshua Abell in Cork on 15d 12mo (Dec) 1793, father: Richard, mother: Elizabeth; citing Cork MM Family lists 1671-1872, Religious Society Of Friends In Ireland Archives.
“Ireland, Society Of Friends (Quaker) Marriages,” database with images, FindMyPast (https://www.findmypast.ie/transcript?id=IRE%2FQUAKER%2FMARR%2F11691G : accessed 08 March 2020), marriage of Joshua Abell and Sarah Pattison daughter of James and Sarah Pattison of Mountrath in Dublin on 27d 1mo (Jan) 1831; citing Register of marriages, DUBLIN, 1859, Religious Society Of Friends In Ireland Archives.
“Ireland, Society Of Friends (Quaker) Marriages,” database with images, FindMyPast (https://www.findmypast.ie/transcript?id=IRE%2FQUAKER%2FMARR%2F12667G : accessed 08 March 2020), marriage of Joshua Abell and Anne Wethereld daughter of George and Susanna Wethereld of Mulladry Rich Hill in Dublin on 15d 3mo (Mar) 1839; citing Register of marriages, DUBLIN, 1859, Religious Society Of Friends In Ireland Archives.
“Ireland, Society Of Friends (Quaker) Deaths,” database with images, FindMyPast (https://www.findmypast.ie/transcript?id=IRE%2FQUAKER%2FBURS%2F33037 : accessed 08 March 2020), death of Joshua Abell on 3d 2mo (Feb) 1846, buried in Dublin; citing Register of deaths, DUBLIN, 1859, Religious Society Of Friends In Ireland Archives.
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Joshua by comparing test results with other carriers of his ancestors' Y-chromosome or mitochondrial DNA.
However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line.
It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Joshua: