General Notes

RFN847
BIOGRAPHY
. JOHN2 ABBE, son of John1 and Mary ( ) Abbe, born in 1636 o r 1637,
probably in Salem, Mass., died suddenly, December 11, 1700, in
Windha m, Conn. As early as 1663, he was one of three to oversee the
Town's Common an d to resist encroachments on the timber. He may be the
John Abbe who was const able in 1669. He is first described as a yeoman
of Wenham, and was admitted to freedom by the court at Boston, May 11,
1670. In a document of 1683, his fath er designated him as the heir to
his estate in Wenham upon the condition of hi s caring for his father
and mother in their old age. He apparently resided upo n this estate
until about 1696.
The following items from the inventory of Rob ert Macklaflin of
Wenham,  September 19, 1690, doubtless refer to this John Ab be:
To Jno. Abbe for nursing--
1
To Jno. Abbe more for tending the swine
for fatting--s16-d3
To John Abbe due for worke to save
the corne & thresh the ry & killing the
swine & carrying them to Salem & about
fencing,

1-s18-d6.
M arch 9, 1694-5, he sold to Francis Wainwright a house and
lands in Wenham, 50 acres in all; and in the following year, February
21, he had a deed of the sam e property back from Wainwright. In 1696
he disposed of his property in Wenham and purchased of Lieutenant
Exercise Conant, July 13, 1696, for
70, silver m oney, home lot number
7, at Windham Centre, with the 1000-acre right
belongin g, dwelling house, etc. May 23, 1695, Jo. Abbey was a witness
to a deed of Exe rcise and Sarah Conant of Beverly (Essex Deeds, Volume
2, page 101). He sold h is farm in Wenham, 30 acres with buildings, to
Nathaniel Wainwright, October 1 9, 1696, for
130. He probably soon
after removed to Windham, Conn., for on De cember 9, 1696, he was
admitted a freeman of that town as John Abbe, Senr, of Windham. He and
his wife, Hannah, were dismissed from the Wenham Church to tha t of
Windham by a letter of October 28, 1700, and were both original
members of the first church in Windham at its
organization, December 10, 1700.