Maine Civil War Soldiers from Franklin County

Daniel Witham Abbott

April 26, 1845-August 25, 1927

Maine played a significant role in that war to save the union and end slavery, contributing more than 70,000 troops, national leaders such as Vice President Hannibal Hamlin and Secretary of the Treasury William Pitt Fessenden, and such notable generals as Joshua L. Chamberlain and Oliver Otis Howard.

The Civil War veterans here were from a list called “Some Civil War Soldiers of Northwestern Maine.” Sources used for this list were Ancestry.com (Census, pensions, service records), civilwardata.com (service records), the Franklin County usgenweb.com page (cemeteries), and local histories and genealogies, including Shirley Adams’ Rangeley Allied Families, the Thompson genealogy of Freeman and the Gould history of Farmington. It should be noted that some of the sources may differ.

Daniel Witham Abbott was born in Lexington on April 26, 1845, the son of Richard Wing Abbott and Susanna (Davis) Abbott.

He enlisted from Dead River in Company K, 9th Maine Infantry, on September 16, 1864, and was discharged at Raleigh, NC, on June 30, 1865. This regiment was raised at large and was organized at Augusta, Sept. 22, 1861, to serve three years. In less than two weeks from the arrival of the first company at Augusta, the 9th was on its way to Washington, with more than 1,000 men in its ranks. The original members (except veterans) numbering 158 men were mustered out of service Sept. 27, 1864, and the regiment composed of veterans and recruits, retained in service until July 13, 1865, when it was mustered out under orders from the war department.

His sister Susan Jane was born on March 24, 1848, in Maine when Daniel was about three years old.

Sister Priscilla D Abbott(1844–1849) was born in 1844 in Highland, Maine, and died on June 27, 1849, also in Highland, when Daniel was four years old.

His father Richard Wing Abbott passed away on December 5, 1853, in Lowell, Massachusetts, at the age of 41.

His mother, Susanna remarried on July 8, 1855 in New Portland, to Albee Parsons (1812–1877) and they had they had three children together, Emma Mae, John Henry and Olive W Parsons. Susanna died on February 3, 1880, in Eustis, Maine, at the age of 61, and was buried there.

Daniel Witham Abbott married Esther A. Ricker in 1864 of Eustis when he was 19 years old. His occupation in the 1880 census was listed as farm laborer. At that time, he and Esther had four children listed, Alice (13), Bertha (12), Fred (10), and Della (5). Birel Abbott, born in 1869 was not listed, perhaps he passed away?

Ancestry (Rangeley Families tree) says they had seven children, as does the information in the Find a Grave website, Alice Ethel (1867-1941); Bertha Gertrude (1868 -1956); Birel Abbott (1869 – ?); Fred Enos (1870-1946); Della Syrena (1874 -1951), born in Eustis plus Arthur Sibley, 1876 – 1968); and Minnie Lee (1878 – 1910) both born in Leeds in Androscoggin County. Since he lived in Eustis when Esther died in 1889, the last two children could belong to a different Abbott, one family tree has Arthur’s father listed as Stephen H. Abbott and his mother as Esther Ann Ricker. Without diving into documents and doing research, this is a question for another genealogist. (Perhaps a family member might have a better source of information?)

Daniel’s mother Susanna Wade passed away on February 3, 1880, in Eustis, Maine, at the age of 61.

Yes, Daniel was married four times, though sources say he only had children with Esther. Daniel and Esther A. Ricker (1845-1889), (Her gravestone in Stratton Upper Cemetery in Eustis, has her name as Estha A. and a verse from the 23rd Psalm engraved on it.) lived in Eustis Plantation in 1870. After her death in 1889, he married Arvilla F. (Gilbert) Landers (1850-1900) of Kingfield in 1891; his wife Arvilla passed away and he then married Elizabeth Bangs Whitney (1858-1905) Jan. 9, 1902 in Freeman(From Bennett/White family tree); and then married Beatrice Higgins (1873-1952) in 1909 in Georgetown, Sagadahoc County, Maine. He and Beatrice lived on Rochester Street in Westbrook in 1920. He died on August 25, 1927, in Farmington and is buried side by side in the Strong Village Cemetery with Beatrice.

Stay tuned… there’s other brief bios to come.

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