Father Abbey's Will: Very Funny and Very Sad

Father Abbey's Will

For the past eight years, Bill West of West in New England blog has his Annual Great Genealogy Poetry Challenge. The fun that comes from this challenge is, I need to find a poem that has something to do with genealogy or an ancestor or distant relative with perhaps history or genealogy in the theme. This is my sixth entry and many of my past entries have come very easily, while others I've had to rely on Google using search words such as a "surname" and the word "poem." My previous poems are at the end of this post.

This year's entry, Father Abbey's Will was written by Reverend Jonathan Seccombe in Boston in January 1732. He is my first cousin 8 times removed. Fortunately, I got pretty lucky to find this poem, thanks to the Harvard University Archives, when I used the search terms, "John Seccombe" and "poem." I already knew John had written a poem, but I hadn't read it. There was more information in the Harvard link, so I read a few things and learned that his famous poem, Father Abbey's Will was what I needed to post.

My joy and life 

I freely now do give her 

My whole estate, 

With all my plate, 

Being just about to leave her.

My tub of soap, 

A long cart rope, 

A frying pan and kettle, 

An ashes pail, 

A threshing flail, 

An iron wedge and beetle.

Two painted chairs, 

Nine warden pears,

A large old dripping platter,

This bed of hay,

On which I lay,

An old sauce pan for butter.

A little mug, 

A two-quart jug, 

A bottle full of brandy,

A looking-glass,

To see your face,

You’ll find it very handy.

A musket true As‘ever flew,

 A pound of shot and wallet,

 A leather sash,

My calabash,

My powder horn and bullet.

An old sword blade, 

A garden spade, 

A hoe, a rake, a ladder, 

A wooden can, 

A close-stool pan, 

A clyster-pipe and bladder.

A greasy hat, 

My old ram cat, 

A yard and half of linen, 

A woolen fleece, 

A pot of grease, 

In order for your spinning.

A small tooth comb,

An ashen broom,

A candlestick and hatchet,

 A coverlid,

Striped down with red,

A bag of rags to patch it.

A ragged mat, 

A tub of fat,

A book put out by Bunyan,

Another book,

By Robin Cook,

A skein or two of spunyarn.

An old black muff,

Some garden stuff,

 A quantity of borage,

 Some devil’s weed,

And burdock-feed,

To season well your porridge.

A chafing dish, 

With one salt fish, 

If I am not mistaken, 

A leg of pork, 

A broken fork, 

And half a flitch of bacon.

A spinning wheel,

One peck of meal, 

A knife without a handle, 

A rusty lamp,

Two quarts of samp,

And half a tallow candle.

My pouch and pipes, 

Two oxen tripes, 

An oaken dish well carved,

My little dog,

And spotted hog,

With two young pigs, just starved.

This is my store, 

I have no more, 

I heartily do give it, 

My years are spun, 

My days are done, 

And so I think to leave it. 

Thus Father Abbey left his spouse,

As rich as church or college

 mouse,

Which is sufficient invitation,

To serve the college in his station.

I found Harvard's Descriptive Summary rather interesting because they had his first name as Jonathan and I have him as John. I quote the Abstract, "Father Abbey's Will, later attributed to Reverend Jonathan Seccombe (Harvard AB 1728), was a humorous poem first published anonymously in Boston in January 1732. The verses appeared after the death of the Harvard College Sweeper and Bed-maker Matthew Abdy in the early 1730s and listed an inventory of Abdy's estate. A second poem purported to be a letter to Abdy's widow followed a month later. The poems were popular in both the colonies and England and were reprinted as broadsides into the 19th century. This collection contains broadside, manuscript, and sheet music manifestations of the poem."

Further down the page is a paragraph called, Biographical Note of Matthew Abdy. "Matthew Abdy (ca. 1650-ca. 1730) was born in Boston around 1650. Abdy's appointment as the College Sweeper and Bed-maker at Harvard was recorded in the February 19, 1717/18 diary entry of President John Leverett. Abdy worked for the College until his death. The exact date of Abdy's death is unknown but likely occurred in late 1730 or early 1731. Abdy married at least three times. His widow, Ruth Abdy, died on December 10, 1762, in Boston at the age of 93."

Two sources I had prior to discovering the Seccombe or Seccomb poem is below. There was mention of Father Abbey's Will, but perhaps I thought it was a book, or I just didn't investigate.

"The Rev. Mr. John Seccomb, of Harvard, was born April 25, 1708, the son of Peter and Hannah (Willis) Seccomb of Medford, Mass. His grandfather, Richard S. was of Lynn, 1660. He graduated at H.C. in 1728 and settled at Harvard, Mass. His brothers were Rev. Joseph of Kingston, who published several sermons, and Thomas of Medford, to whose accuracy and precision the records of that town are so much indebted."

NEHG Register.  Vol. 13: 247  (1859)  "Memoirs of Prince's Subscribers"

"JOHN SECCOMB, A.M., b. Medford, Apr. 25, 1708, son of Capt. Peter and Hannah (Willis) Seccomb ; H. C. 1728, A.B., A.M,; Ord. Harvard, Oct. 10, 1733, as the first minister; sett. Harvard, 1733-1757 ; dism. Sept. 7, 1757 ; sett. Chester, Nova Scotia, 1761-1792; author of "Father Abbey's Will" ; d. Halifax, N. S., Oct. 27, 1792, a. 84."
Weis, Frederick L., The Colonial Clergy and Churches of New England, (Lancaster: MA 1936, Genealogical Pub. Co., Inc., 1977). Page 184.

Additional source recently found:

Colonial Prose and Poetry: The transplanting of culture, 1607-1650, edited by William Peterfield Trent, Benjamin Willis Wells, Pg. 105.

"JOHN SECCOMB, who has won an unenviable immortality as a writer of doggerel, was born in Medford, Massachusetts, in 1708, and died in 1793 in Chester, Nova Scotia, whither he had gone in 1763 to be minister to a Dissenting congregation. He was graduated from Harvard College in 1728, and from 1733 to 1757 ministered to the Congregational Church in the town of Harvard, Massachusetts. He achieved great notoriety, while still connected with his Alma Mater, by his Father Abbey’s Will, a coarsely humorous poem, the subject of which was Matthew Abdy, who held some menial position in connection with the College. This effusion for some inexplicable reason so pleased Governor Belcher that he sent it to England, where it was printed in The Gentleman’s Magazine for 1732 and in The London Magazine of the same year. Perhaps not a little of the subsequent British depreciation of American literature was due to the belief that Seccomb’s doggerel fairly represented the latter. Fortunately Seccomb, after writing a companion skit, lapsed into comparative silence when he had won his laurels. His poem (sic) is given here for illustrative purposes only. Those who wish to know more about it may be referred to the edition of 1854, undertaken by the antiquarian John Langdon Sibley, well-known as the Librarian of Harvard, and a devoted student of its annals."

Previous Poems submitted to the Annual Great Genealogy Poetry Challenge:

THE LIBRARIAN'S EPITAPH, a Poem

http://lifefromtheroots.blogspot.com/2015/11/tombstone-of-author-of-librarians.html

Longfellow's poem, 'The Phantom Ship"  

http://lifefromtheroots.blogspot.com/2014/11/poem-for-bill-wests-sixth-great.html

Old Mammy Redd, an Accused Witch, Recently Pardoned

http://lifefromtheroots.blogspot.com/2013/10/old-mammy-redd-accused-witch-recently.html

Palmer, Daisy, Lowell and a Poem

http://lifefromtheroots.blogspot.com/2012/11/palmer-daisy-lowell-and-poem.html

A LONG LIFE ENDED

http://lifefromtheroots.blogspot.com/2010/11/obituary-poem-for-bill-wests-second.html

The NARA in Boston (Waltham) Sure Has Changed, What Else is New?

In October 2016 I paid a visit to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Waltham, MA (aka known as Boston). Below are photos of the big changes and new new event.

New room to the left, old room to the right.

The new in this article is described above.

For complete information for this Free Virtual Genealogy Fair

by the National Archives and Records Administration

see schedule here for October 26th and 27th, 2016.

https://www.archives.gov/calendar/genealogy-fair

Research area, with computers, I believe I saw only two microfilm readers on the side and two researchers working together.

No more Saturdays! It used to be the busiest day, and people had a limit of two hours if it was very busy.

This was the research room. It was filled with 5 or more rows of microfilm readers (NARA employee and I guessed 40) plus a few microfilm printers. And, a large number of cabinets with hundreds or more rolls of microfilm. The center of this room had a few tables, a copy machine and cabinets on each side, all containing censuses for 1790, 1800, 1810 and so forth. They had all the New England censuses for all the years, and for some of the states, but I'm not sure if all were there.

This facility had a friendly staff, and I got to know Bill Read and Cindy pretty well, along with Walter. I first started going here in 1995, at least twice a month because it was closer than NEHGS. In addition I found my Revolutionary War patriot's pension file there.

Around 2008 (give or take), I went and was surprised to see a table in the center of the room with about 5 computers, all loaded with Ancestry. I was told I could use that for the year I was interested in. I didn't, just left and never returned because I was an Ancestry subscriber, and realized there was no need to be there, other than to get a nice hard copy. Fast forward to yesterday, when I paid them a visit because I wanted to use their vending machine! I was totally surprised to see the room empty and other changes, including a security door locked in the hallway leading to the lunchroom where the vending machines were. Researchers now have no access to the lunchroom.

I chatted a bit with the one staff person at the main desk, about all the changes. He suggested I take the flyers and said I could scan them and post to my blog, which I will do in a day or two. NOTE: Copies of some of the Reference Quick Guides may be seen HERE.

He asked me to come back and do some research (they subscribe to all the genealogy databases), and I said I would. And, I will, when I'm in the area with some genealogy with me. I rather liked being in my part-time second home again.

 Main hall with information pamphlets. The research room is to the left of the red sign. Old room was straight ahead.

Main entrance to the:

NARA

380 Trapilio Road

Waltham, MA 02452

1-866-406-2379

boston.archives@nara.gov

The Boott Cotton Mills of Lowell, Massachusetts -- Before and After

Was this mill where your ancestor worked in the mid-1850s? For over 100 years many mills in Lowell, Massachusetts operated with laborers from all over New England and Canada. If you want to look back in time, I've included some photos from the 1930s. 

The banner above is for the Lowell National Historical Park. What you are looking at is the popular Boott Cotton Mill Museum. It is one of two Park centers in the city, both have National Park Service (NPS) staff, gift shops, restrooms, and lots to see. The largest museum, with a huge display of old, looms with quite a few operating to make dish towels to sell.

There are several ways to get to the Boott Cotton Mill in Lowell, Massachusetts. One is to walk from a multi-level parking lot across the street, for which you pay, or you could go to the Visitors Center about 5 blocks away, park for free and take the free trolley. I suggest the latter, especially if walking isn't your thing or if you have children.

 Above is the view, if you walk from the garage. If you took the trolley, you would get off in front of the entrance.

A door leads to Museum. The sign above and below is about the steps, which is shown below.

In the Steps of Mill Workers
For almost a century, streams of Boott Mills
workers-men, women and children, immigrants
and  native-born Americans climbed this stair
tower each morning to start another day in
the mill.

Park rangers are here to assist with questions, sell admission tickets or items from the gift store.

 

 Towels made inside the mill.

Below are three photos were taken in the 1930s and are part of the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) Collections. Those and others of Boott Cotton Mills are on the Library of Congress website at:http://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?q=boott%20cotton%20mills&sg=true

Distance photo, closeup is below.

I'm not sure of the exact year these were taken, but I do know the buildings were still standing when I lived in Lowell in the 60s. As a matter of fact, I walked through that middle door for about four months during the fall, when I had a part-time job to earn Christmas money. I loved that job.
The skywalks were removed, but the framework remains and flags are draped from them (see 2nd and 3rd photos).

Entry to the National Park Historic Museum is to your right.

Clock / Stair Tower

When the looms are running, earplugs are nearby. There are usually a few people watching the looms and making repairs. Cotton is woven to make towels, and several colors with different patterns are made, and sold in the gift shop (see example below).

Looking out at the canal below. Notice how thick the walls are.

Below you'll see the row of red fire buckets!

The second floor displays various exhibits to explain the cotton manufacturing business.

The photo in the background is shown below.

When you want to return to your car via the trolley, check out the timetable schedule and enjoy a ride through Lowell.

Another staircase took me up to a different tower where I could view the courtyard. This was from a special tour.

Other views from the ground level and from a nearby parking lot roof.

The skywalks below may be seen above, in the center. The entrance to the museum is on your right.

The Eastern canal, and Boott Mill on the left. I took this photo last week, and on Friday, the canal was drained (as it is every year for several weeks).

You can walk around the huge complex.  The buildings are occupied by renters, condos, businesses, and NPS training rooms. The photos above show open windows and a view of the Merrimack River. From here, you can walk along the side of the river and the distance of the mill onto another mill,  go under a bridge, and see some interesting things along the way.