Abraham Hathaway Howland (1802 - 1867)

Born 2 Mar 1802 in New Bedford, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States

Ancestors

Died 24 May 1867 at age 65 in New Bedford, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States

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Biography

This profile is part of the Howland Name Study.

Abraham Hathaway Howland was born of Quakers Weston Howland and Abigail Hathaway in New Bedford on 2 March 1802, and he was one of the 11 children. Abraham H. was actually the second Abraham, named after his older brother who died before his age of two.

His father, Weston Howland was a well-known, respected figure in New Bedford; he was a business mogul who bought and sold grain and flour in the 18th century into the early 19th century. He also owned most of the vessels that carried his product to and from his storehouse on Rotch’s Wharf.

Abraham Hathaway Howland began as a clerk and worked in virtually every department of his father’s business. He even captained his father’s vessels at one point which eventually led him to dip into the whaling industry and captain vessels of his own, most notably the 279 tonnage “London Packet.” He maintained a counting room at 13 Middle Street in New Bedford.

When whaling began to wane, he went directly into the petroleum refining business. He held high positions or was on the boards of many businesses, Burgess & Howland, director with the Whaling Insurance Company of New Bedford, director of the Western Railroad, Committee on Mercantile Affairs, and even the N.B. Fire Department.

He was a member of the Eureka Lodge F. and A.M. which was formed by members of the Star in the East Lodge, and the Sutton Commandery of Knights Templar.

In the early 1840s, showing his continuing desire to be diverse, he went into politics, and became a member of the Massachusetts State House of Representatives and served from 1843-1846. All the while still running his many businesses, and even expanded his whaling company and increased his fleet with the aptly named Abraham H. Howland, built in 1845. This vessel would make three trips before being lost at Honolulu in 1852.

In 1846, he obtained from the Legislature of Massachusetts a charter to begin to manufacture cotton, wool, and iron under the name of Wamsutta Mills.

Capt. Abraham Hathaway Howland married Mehitable Earle Russell Howland (1810 – 1892).

They had the following six children.

1. Abigail Howland
2. Hannah Howland
3. Abraham Hathaway Howland, Jr.
4. Alice Howland
5. Horace Howland
6. Mary Howland

Their son, Abraham Hathaway Howland, Jr. would follow his masonic and political footsteps, and served as chief engineer for the city from 1871-1874 and as mayor of New Bedford and president of the Water Board himself from 1875-1876.

When the city of New Bedford decided to incorporate on March 18, 1847, Capt. Abraham Hathaway Howland left his office from the House of Representatives and ran for mayor.

He became the first mayor of the newly incorporated New Bedford in 1847 and stayed in office until 1851, so his last term was in 1851 and he returned to his business life.

Gas for illuminating was first used in New Bedford in 1853. Abraham Hathaway Howland, James B. Congdon and business associates from Pennsylvania helped obtain a state charter and city franchise to use gas for street lighting.

Their company eventually grew to purchase the New Bedford Electric Light Company and the Edison Electric Illuminating Company who had a plant on Middle Street. By March of 1888 Howland’s company controlled the entire production of light for electricity for the entire city.

In 1857 he purchased the Joseph Ricketson Works and and began to distill oil from coal, along with most of the city’s Alderman, including John Hicks, Weston Howland, and Joseph C. Delano. Kerosene was first distilled in New Bedford in 1858. He was one of many powerful businessmen – William C. Taber, Joseph C. Delano, William Penn Howland, Henry T. Wood and son Weston Howland (who owned Fish Island at one point) that erected a factory at the foot of South Street.

Weston Howland’s factory on Fish Island distilled kerosene until it blew up in an explosion in 1861 which led to the death of two employees. It was quickly rebuilt and resumed turning a profit.

In 1865 he was wealthy enough that he purchased the Russell Warren designed William R. Rodman Mansion, built in 1833 for $25,000. He remained there until his death on May 24, 1887. Abraham and his wife Mehitable were both buried in the Rural Cemetery at the Abraham Howland Family Plot.

Sources

• Mayflower Births and Deaths, Vol. 1 and 2. Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.