BENJAMIN ABBE/BENJAMIN BURGESS--Page 1

If you are descended from the Benjamin B. Abbe who married Mary Emma Burgess, your ancestors include Benjamin's father Alanson Abbe, a doctor who graduated from Yale Medical School. But, you may also find it interesting to know that Benjamin Abbe was actually raised by his maternal grandfather, the successful Boston merchant Benjamin Burgess.

Benjamin Burgess the merchant was born in Sandwich August 26, 1778. He lived and prospered there for some years, and became an elected representative to the state legislature. After the War of 1812, he moved to Boston and began a profitable Cuban trade. He continued successfully in this pursuit for another decade, becoming in the process a respected local community leader. He was also an active temperance-man, being among the first of the local traders to eliminate the ration of alcoholic beverages customarily allotted to men at sea. (He authorized a pay raise to offset the hue and cry of the sailors.)

As a member of the Boston merchant community, Mr. Burgess was intelligent, enterprising, and energetic, yet also quiet and unassuming. He eventually moved back to the family property at Sandwich, which he had retained during his years in Boston. The Burgess genealogy states that he could point out the fruit cellars that were used by Thomas Burgess, the immigrant Burgess ancestor.

After he 'retired' in Sandwich, he remained active in local business affairs, using his knowledge, competence, and skill in several positions of trust--including membership on the board of directors of a bank, an insurance company, and the Cape Cod Railway company.

The wife of Mr. Burgess was Mary Swift, who died January 29, 1861. Benjamin Burgess died January 29, 1864. They were married June 3, 1804. They had seven children, one of whom was Hepsibah, born February 7, 1816. Hepsibah was the mother of Benjamin Abbe. She had married Dr. Alanson Abbe in 1839 as his second wife, and she died when Benjamin was only a few months old. At this time the baby came to be a member of his grandfather Burgess' household. [Abbe: Page 2]