Caleb Abell was born in Orange County, Virginia on about 3 Mar 1744, but the date of his birth is uncertain. Caleb was very likely a son of Richard Abell and Ann (Stringfellow) Abell.
Caleb Abell was born in Orange County, Virginia on about 3 Mar 1744, but the date of his birth is uncertain. Caleb was very likely a son of Richard Abell and Ann (Stringfellow) Abell (1595, 1684). Caleb Abell had at least two siblings, a brother Ephraim Abell and a sister Jeremiah Abell. Caleb Abell’s mother Ann (Stringfellow) Abell may have died in about 1763.
Caleb Abell likely married in Orange County, Virginia before Mar 1762. Although his wife has not been identified, at least nine children were born to the couple. A daughter, Mary Abell, born in Orange County, Virginia before 2 Dec 1762 was likely the first born child of Caleb Abell.
On 6 Jan 1775, Caleb Abell witnessed the Will of Bernard Moore in Orange County, Virginia (1691). William Collins, Henry Cleaton, and James Adams also witnessed the will. The Will of Bernard Moore, deceased, was filed in Orange County, Virginia Court on 25 Mar 1775.
On 21 Apr 1777, in consideration of “natural love and fatherly affection”, Caleb Abell’s parents, Richard Abell and wife Ann, transferred 410 acres of land in Orange County, Virginia to Caleb Abell (1684). The 410 acres was part of a tract of 900 acres. Richard Abell and Ann Abell signed the indenture. Caleb Abell was about 33 years old when he acquired this land that was likely the first parcel of what would become extensive land holdings in Virginia.
On 2 Dec 1780, Caleb Abell’s daughter Mary Abell married Azariah King in the St. Thomas Parish of Orange County, Virginia (164, 1653). Born in Maryland in about 1760, Azariah King was a son of Francis King, Sr. and his wife Mary.
On 2 Feb 1781, a son John S. Abell was born to Caleb Abell and his wife in Orange County, Virginia (1595, Page 265, 1689). At the birth of his second known child, Caleb Abell was about 36 years old. A daughter Elizabeth Abell was born to Caleb Abell and his wife in Orange County, Virginia during the period 6 Sep 1782 – 5 Sep 1783 (1646).
A 1782 census of the heads of families in Orange County, Virginia 1782 includes Caleb Abell with four white family members: presumably Caleb Abell, his wife, son John S. Abell, and daughter Elizabeth Abell (84, Page 39).
The 1785 census of the heads of families in Orange County for the first U.S. Federal Census enumerates the Caleb Abell household with five members: likely Caleb Abell, his wife, John S. Abell, Susannah Abell, and Nancy Abell (84, Page 96). A 1790 tax list for Orange County, Virginia records the Caleb Abell household with one white tithable (1608).
A daughter Nancy Abell was born to Caleb Abell and his wife on about 20 Aug 1785 (1648), and a daughter Susannah Abell was born on about 11 Sep 1787 (1713). Nancy and Susannah were both born in Orange County, Virginia.
Caleb Abell, Richard C. Webb, and James Coleman appraised the estate of Benjamin Adams of Orange County, Virginia. The appraisal was filed with the Orange County Court on 28 Dec 1786 (1714). The 19 Feb 1792 Will of Henry Easly appointed Catlett Conway and Caleb Abell as Executors (1659 ). The will was recorded on 26 Jul 1802.
A son Caleb S. Abell was born to Caleb Abell and his wife in Orange County, Virginia between 27 Sep 1792 and 26 Sep 1793 (1595, 1607). A daughter Sarah Abell was born between 25 Aug 1793 and 24 Aug 1793 (1650). Based on their ages at the 1850 federal census, Caleb S. Abell and Sarah Abell were likely twins.
On 10 May 1794, Richard Abell conveyed an additional 225 acres of land in Orange County, Virginia to Caleb Abell for 5 shillings (1685). This tract adjoined land held by Caleb Abell’s brother Ephraim Abell. The transaction was recorded on 23 Jun 1794. On 29 Dec 1794, Ephraim Abell of Fauquier County, Virginia and Elizabeth his wife sold 268 acres of land, more or less, in Orange County, Virginia to Caleb Abell for £60 specie (1686). The land was on the little Black Walnut Run and adjoined land held by Caleb Abell in the same tract. The indenture was registered on 27 Apr 1795.
On 29 Sep 1795, William Wright was ordered to maintain the road from Jame Wills place to Captain Wrights and also the meeting house with William Wrights, Caleb Abell, John Dean, and Captain John Wright’s where he lives (1598).
On 17 Aug 1796, James Buckham and his wife Hannah conveyed 90 acres of land in Orange County, Virginia to Caleb Abell for 20 shillings (1687). The transaction was acknowledged on 27 Sep 1796.
In 1797, Caleb Abell of Orange County, Virginia began acquiring land in neighboring Albemarle County, Virginia. On 15 Nov 1797, Caleb Abell purchased 694 acres of land in Albemarle County, Virginia from Henry Mullins and John Mullins of Goochland County, Virginia (1605). Caleb Abell paid £2,000. In 1798, Caleb Abell acquired an additional 300 acres of land on the long branch of Moors Creek in Albemarle County, Virginia from John Mullins and other related parties (1606). Caleb Abell paid John Mullins and other parties to the agreement £2,000. John Mullins and Daniel Mullins signed the agreement that was recorded in Albemarle County, Virginia on Sep 1798.
A son Richard S. Abell was born to Caleb Abell and his wife, likely in Albemarle County, Virginia, between 19 Sep 1796 and 18 Sep 1797 (1649 ). At the birth of his son Richard, Caleb Abell was about 53 years old.
On 8 Jan 1799, Caleb Abell witnessed a deed by William Gholson and his wife Mary, of Spotsylvania County for 133 acres in Spotsylvania County, Virginia to John Bledsoe of Orange County, Virginia for £120 currency (1594). Moses Bledsoe, Joseph Johnson, Mary Johnson, Caleb Abell and George Bledsoe witnessed the deed.
On 30 Aug 1799, Caleb Abell acquired 106 acres of land in Orange County, Virginia from Jacob Coe and his wife Jane of Frederick County, Virginia for £200 current money of Virginia (1688 ). John S. Able, a son of Caleb Abell, was among the witnesses to this indenture. The indenture was proved on 28 Oct 1799 in Orange County, Virginia. On 12 Feb 1808, Caleb Abell transferred 694 acres of land in Albemarle County, Virginia to his son John S. Abell for one silver dollar (1673). The indenture names Caleb Abell as being of Orange County, Virginia, implying that Caleb returned to Orange County prior to the 12 Feb 1808 transaction.
On 8 Jan 1815, Caleb Abell made a will in Orange County, Virginia naming children: Caleb Abell, Richard Abell, Joshua Abell, Susannah Abell, Mary Abell, Elizabeth Abell, John Abell, Nancy Abell, Sally Abell, and Jose Abell (1661, 1596). John S. Abell and Caleb S. Abell were named as executors.
Caleb Abell died, very likely in Orange County, Virginia, before the Court of Orange County ordered an inventory of his estate on 27 Feb 1815 (1672).
On the 1st and 2nd days of Mar 1815, George Grasty, Thomas Graves, and William Graves inventoried the Estate of Caleb Abell (1672). The County Court of Orange County, Virginia ordered the inventory on 27 Feb 1815, and the inventory was filed in Orange County on 5 Sep 1875.
Notes and Comments
The Abell surname was also written as Abel and Able.
On 21 Apr 1777, Richard Abell and his wife Ann (Stringfellow) Abell conveyed 410 acres of land in Orange County, Virginia to their son Caleb Abell, documenting Caleb’s parents and providing evidence of Ann’s maiden surname (1684).
The date of the birth of Caleb Abell is uncertain. His first known child, a daughter Mary Abell, married on 2 Dec 1780 (1653). Assuming that Mary Abell was at least 18 years old at her marriage, then she was born before 3 Dec 1762. Assuming that Mary was born on 2 Dec 1762 and that Caleb Abell was at least 18 years old at Mary’s birth, then he was born before 3 Dec 1744.
Caleb Abell witnessed the Will of Bernard Moore on 6 Jan 1775 (1691). Assuming that Caleb Abell was born on 3 Dec 1744, then he was 30 years old when he witnessed the Will of Bernard Moore.
At the 1850 federal census of Orange County, Virginia, Caleb S. Abell and his sister Sarah (Abell) Richardson were both about 57 years old (1607, 1650). Although the census for age provides only a 12 month interval for dates of birth based on age at the census, based on census data alone, Caleb S. Abell and Sarah Abell may have been twins.
A monument at the grave of John S. Abell in the Maplewood Cemetery at Charlottesville in Albemarle County, Virginia displays the date of birth of John S. Abell as 2 Feb 1781 (1689). Consistent with the gravestone inscription, the 20 Oct 1850 federal census of Albemarle County, Virginia enumerates John S. Abell as 69 years old (1619).
A lapse of about 18 years between the birth of Caleb Abell’s first child Mary Abell and his second child John S. Abell may imply that Caleb Abell’s first wife, and the mother of Mary Abell, died before John S. Abell was born and that Caleb Abell remarried in the interim. No record of a second marriage of Caleb Abell has been found.
The 5 Sep 1850 federal census of Hampshire County, Virginia enumerates the George Smith household (1646). The wife of George Smith, Elizabeth (Abell) Smith was 67 years old, implying that she was born during the period 6 Sep 1782 – 5 Sep 1783.
The 24 Aug 1850 federal census of Orange County, Virginia enumerates the Josiah Richardson household, including Sarah (Abell) Richardson as 57 years old (1650). If Sarah was 57 years old on 24 Aug 1850, then she was born between 25 Aug 1793 and 24 Aug 1793. Based on their ages at the 1850 federal census, Caleb S. Abell and Sarah Abell were likely twins.
In his will made in Orange County, Virginia on 8 Jan 1815, Caleb S. Abell names children: Caleb, Richard, Joshua, Elizabeth, John S., Nancy, Susannah, Mary, Sally, and Jose (1661).
Geographic Boundaries
Orange County, Virginia was created on 1 Feb 1734 from parts of Spotsylvania County.
Sources
84. Heads of Families: At the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790. Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce and Labor. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1790. (PDF file and image on file.)
164. Marriage of Azariah King and Mary Abell. Orange County, Virginia, 2 Dec 1780. Bentley, Elizabeth Petty. Virginia Marriage Records from the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, the William and Mary College Quarterly, and Tyler’s Quarterly. Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., Baltimore, 1984. (Images: Ancestry.com. Image on file.)
996. Genealogies of Virginia Families: From the William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine. Vol. 2. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., 1982.
1594. Witness to Deed by William Gholson and wife Mary. Spotsylvania County, Virginia, 8 Jan 1799. Spotsylvania County Deed Book P. Crozier, William Armstrong, ed. Spotsylvania County Records 1721–1800. Vol. I. Baltimore, Maryland: Southern Book Company, 1955.
1595. Abell, Horace A., and Lewis P. Abell. The Abell Family in America: Robert Abell of Rehoboth, Mass. His English Ancestry and His Descendants. Rutland, Vermont: Tuttle Publishing Company, Inc., 1940. (PDF file on file.)
1596. Will of Caleb Abell. Orange County, Virginia, 8 Jun 1815. Sparacio, Ruth, and Sam Aparacio. Deed and Will Abstracts of Lancaster County, Virginia, 1654–1661. McLean, Virginia: Antient Press, 1991.
1598. Caleb Abell, Road Orders. Orange County, Virginia. Miller, Ann Brush, Orange County Historical Society, Virginia Transportation Research Council, Charlottesville, Virginia. VTRC 90-R6. Aug 1989.
1605. Deed by Henry and John Mullins to Caleb Abell, 327 acres. Albemarle County, Virginia, 15 Nov 1797. Albemarle County, Virginia Deed Book 12, Pages 441–442. (Images: FamilySearch. Image on file.)
1606. Indenture Between John Collins and Other Parties with Caleb Abell to Sell 300 acres. Albemarle County, Virginia, Sep 1798. Albemarle County, Virginia Deed Book 12, Pages 492–493. (Images: FamilySearch. Image on file.)
1607. Caleb S. Abell Household, 1850 U.S. Federal Census. Albemarle County, Virginia, 26 Sep 1850. Roll 932, Page 242a, Microfilm M432, Record Group 29. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C. (Images: Ancestry.com. Image on file.)
1608. Caleb Abell, 1790 Orange County, Virginia Tax List. Orange County, Virginia, 20 Mar 1790. (Images: Binns Genealogy. Image on file.)
URL: http://www.binnsgenealogy.com/VirginiaTaxListCensuses/
1619. John S. Abell Household, 1850 U.S. Federal Census. Albemarle County, Virginia, 20 Oct 1850. NARA Microfilm M432, Roll 932, Page 261b. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C. (Images: Ancestry.com. Image on file.)
1646. George Smith Household, 1850 U.S. Federal Census. Hampshire County, Virginia, 5 Sep 1850. NARA Microfilm M432, Roll 948, Page 194a. Record Group 29, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C. (Images: Ancestry.com. Image on file.)
1648. George Scott Household, 1850 U.S. Federal Census. Orange County, Virginia, 19 Aug 1850. NARA Microfilm M432, Roll 967, Page 223a. Record Group 29, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C. (Images: Ancestry.com. Image on file.)
1649. Richard S. Abell Household, 1850 U.S. Federal Census. Albemarle County, Virginia, 18 Sep 1850. NARA Microfilm M432, Roll 932, Page 235a. Record Group 29, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C. (Images: Ancestry.com. Image on file.)
1650. Josiah Richardson Household, 1850 U.S. Federal Census. Orange County, Virginia, 24 Aug 1850. NARA Microfilm M432, Roll 967, Page 227b. Record Group 29, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C. (Images: Ancestry.com. Image on file.)
1653. Marriage of Azariah King and Mary Abell. St. Thomas Parish, Orange County, Virginia, abt 4 Dec 1780. Marriage Register, Volume 1, 1757–1867. Orange County, Virginia Marriage Records, 1757–1938. Family History Library Film 0033031. (Images: FamilySearch. Image on file.)
1659. Caleb Abell, Executor of the Will of Henry Easly. Orange County, Virginia, 19 Feb 1792. Orange County Will Book 4, 1801–1814, Pages 58–59. Family History Library Film 33004, Image Group Number 7645706. (Images: FamilySearch. Images on file.)
1661. Will of Caleb Abell. Orange County, Virginia, 8 Jan 1815. Office of the Orange County Clerk, Orange, Virginia. Images courtesy of the Orange County, Virginia Clerk. (Print and images on file. Box 3.)
1672. Inventory of the Personal Estate of Caleb Abell. Orange County, Virginia, 1 Mar 1815. Orange County Will Books, 1814–1827, Volumes 5–6. (Images: Ancestry.com. Image on file.)
1673. Indenture, Caleb Abell to John S. Abell, 694 acres. Albemarle County, Virginia, 12 Feb 1808. Albemarle County Deed Book 16, 1807–1809, Page 263. Family History Library Film 007893704. (Images: FamilySearch. Image on file.)
1684. Indenture, Richard Abell and wife Ann to son Caleb Abell, 410 acres. Orange County, Virginia, 21 Apr 1777. Orange County Deeds 1768–1778, Volumes 15–16. General Index to Deeds, 1734–1892. (Images: FamilySearch. Images on file.)
1685. Indenture, Richard Abell to son Caleb Abell, 225 acres. Orange County, Virginia, 10 May 1794. Orange County Deeds, Volumes 19–20, 1786–1795. General Index to Deeds, 1734–1892. (Images: FamilySearch. Images on file.)
1686. Indenture, Ephraim Abell and Wife Elizabeth to Caleb Abell, 268 acres. Orange County, Virginia, 29 Dec 1794. Orange County Deeds, Volumes 19–20, 1786–1795, Page 440. General Index to Deeds, 1734–1892. (Images: FamilySearch. Images on file.)
1687. Indenture, James Buckham and Wife Hannah to Caleb Abell, 90 acres. Orange County, Virginia, 17 Aug 1796. Orange County Deeds, Volumes 21–22, 1786–1795. Volume 21, Page 120. General Index to Deeds, 1734–1892. (Images: FamilySearch. Images on file.)
1688. Indenture, Jacob Coe and Jane His Wife with Caleb Abell, 106 acres. Orange County, Virginia, 30 Aug 1799. Orange County Deeds, Volumes 21–22, 1795–1803. Volume 21, Page 488. General Index to Deeds, 1734–1892. (Images: FamilySearch. Images on file.)
1689. Gravestone, John S. Abell. Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Virginia, 12 May 1859. “Inscriptions from Maplewood Cemetery.” Genealogy: A Journal of American Ancestry 5, no. 7 (July 1915): 33. (Images: FamilySearch. Image on file.)
1691. Will of Bernard Moore, Transcript. Orange County, Virginia, 6 Jan 1775. Genealogies of Virginia Families: From the William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine. Vol. 2. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., 1982. Pages 705–707. (Images on file.)
1700. Indenture, Harmon Runnels and wife Hester to Shadrach King. Lawrence County, Mississippi, 20 Mar 1820. Lots 47, 48, and 49 at Monticello. Lawrence County, Mississippi, 20 Mar 1820. Lawrence County, Mississippi Deed Records, Volumes A–C, 1815–1840. Book A, Pages 86–87. Family History Library Film 008134328. (Images: FamilySearch. Image on file.)
1702. Caleb Abell Household, 1800 U.S. Federal Census. St. Anne’s Parish, Albemarle County, Virginia, 4 Aug 1800. (Image on file.)
1713. Joseph Hilman Household, 1840 U.S. Federal Census. Orange County, Virginia, 1 Jun 1840. Roll 573, Page 11, Family History Library Film 29691. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C. (Images: Ancestry.com. Image on file.)
1714. Caleb Abell, Appraisal of the Estate of Benjamin Adams. Orange County, Virginia, 28 Dec 1786. Orange County Will Book 3, 1779–1801, Pages 119–120. Family History Library Film 33004, Image Group Number 7645706. (Images: Family Search. Images on file.)
Revised 20 Dec 2021