Holbrook line: Abraham Newell abt 1581-1672 Immigrant

"Great Migration 1634-1635" by Robert Charles Anderson tells us almost everything we'd like to know about Abraham, except who his parents are, where he came from, the name of his wife, and whether or not he was in the military.  On the military issue, I'm guessing probably not, as he was 50 years old when he arrived in Roxbury with his family, but I could be wrong about that.  If he served, it would not have been for long, due to his age, but he probably was at least required to bear arms for a time. 

Speculation (not by Anderson) is that he came from somewhere in Essex, but that is just a guess.  We know that Abraham Newell was a tailor, and we know he arrived in Roxbury on the Frances of Ipswich, which sailed about April 30, 1634.  He was admitted to the Roxbury church, where Rev. John Eliot taught, later that year as member 106, and was admitted as a freeman on March 4, 1634/5.  His wife was admitted to the church in 1636 as member 154.  It would be interesting to better understand the culture of Roxbury, as to why Abraham and his wife didn't join at the same time. 

Abraham's wife is listed either as unknown or as Francis Foote, daughter of Robert and Joane Brooke Foote.  The smoking gun evidence, as in documents, is so far lacking, but the arguments for this relationship are at least reasonable.  Abraham may have been more than "just" a tailor, or else he had a head for business, even though he seems to have been illiterate (he always signed his name with a mark).  He owned at least 10 pieces of property at one time.  In the first inventory of land I found, taken sometime between 1636 and 1640, he already owned 22 acres.  One wonders how Abraham supported his family and acquired so many land holdings, but perhaps we are limiting him by calling him a tailor.  Perhaps he actually ran a shop and had people working under him, as "table monkeys" cutters, and finishers. 

Abraham and possibly Francis had at least seven children together, including Jacob who was born on the voyage and Rebecca who was born at Roxbury. The family may have had one or more servants, because at one point his barn burned down and the blaze was said to have been started by "his girle".  The house itself burned sometime prior to 1666, and his son Abraham built another house on the site. 

His will and inventory give no hint of his occupation but by the time he died, shortly before June 21, 1672, he was about 91 years old.  He may have disposed of his business, if such it was, by then.  There were no weapons listed in his inventory, either, so perhaps he had passed whatever he had on to one of his sons by then.  At his death, his estate was valued at just 23 pounds, 4 shillings, which did not include real estate.  That had mostly already been given to his sons and son in law.  "Old Mother Newell" lived until 1683 when she was "neere one hundred years old".

Aside from descriptions of the land he owned, this is pretty much what is known about Abraham Newell.  The fact that he was so soon accepted into church membership and became a freeman so early signifies to me that he was known by other people in Roxbury, whether from his hometown or from shipboard friendships, or from Puritan church relationships.  More than that is, again, speculation.  At any rate, we can be proud of this tailor who came to America, got hit with some hard knocks here, and yet, survived to a good old age.

The line of descent is

Abraham Newell-Francis possibly Foote
Isaac Newell-Elizabeth Curtis
Sarah Newell-Nathaniel Hawes
Elizabeth Hawes-Samuel Wilson
Rebecca Wilson-Jonathan Wright
Molly Wright-Amariah Holbrook
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants