John Abrams was born in Sanbornton, Belknap, New Hampshire on January 18th 1793 and he is the next ancestor in our line of Abrams. John IV was a trained Millwright and Carpenter probably apprenticing with his father early in life. We know that he enlisted and served in the War of 1812 as a private and would later become a Captain in the New Hampshire State Militia.

John is known to have married three times in his life. His first marriage was to Sarah Abbott (1795) on August 23rd 1815 in Sanbornton, Belknap, New Hampshire. Sarah is the daughter of Ezra Abbott (1763) and Mary Brown (Abt. 1767). Sarah would pass on May 16th 1817 in Sanbornton. No children are known of this union.

He would go on to marry Nancy Rollins (1798) in Sanbornton, Belknap, New Hampshire on June 11th 1818 where they had seven confirmed children; Sarah K. (1819), William Penn (1820), Rebecca Chapman (1823), Rosinda (1825), Daniel Kendrick (1829), Betsy Ayres (1831), and Nancy Jane (1835) all born in Sanbornton, Belknap, New Hampshire. Nancy Rollins is the daughter of Jotham Rollins (1751) and Keziah Burleigh (1749).

Nancy passed away just two short years after the birth of the youngest daughter on February 26, 1837 and this may have resulted in the younger children being looked after or even taken in by the older siblings. There are some indicators to this effect that will surface later in our text. Nancy is most likely buried in the Abrams Cemetery in Sanbornton, Belknap, New Hampshire.

John lastly marries Ruth Sanborn (1786) on June 6th 1838 in Sanbornton and they will remain married until his death. This last marriage may have been for convenience or for political reasons (note the last name of Sanborn) as she is several years his senior at fifty-two when they marry. I find her listed on the US Census of 1850 living with John and the younger children in Sanbornton. Ruth passes January 2nd 1870 in Tilton, Belknap, New Hampshire at the age of eighty-four.

In 1850 a vast flood occurred in central New Hampshire and as a result the mills, both the grist and shingle, built by his fatherJohn and taken over by John were washed away. And this may have started John thinking about a westward movement of the family. As you will see in later passages the older son has already established himself in Alabama and beyond by this time. Or he may have been considering this all along and been awaiting some catalyst to push the decision forward.

John may have been involved in the shipping trade at least to the extent of trading among the other states and territories of the time. We find indications that he traded with or may have established a base in Alabama in the mid 1840’s as his oldest son is found to be living in that state during this time. New Hampshire might have provided Granite building materials, Cod fish oil, Salt Cod, and other commodities unique to New Hampshire around the marketplaces of the growing United States. He possibly returned cottons and timbers to the New England states in exchange.

There are also some markers that he may have gone on to California at the start of the gold rush days as one of the daughters marries in San Francisco in 1852, and his final voyage is reported with his death at sea in the Gulf of Mexico on July 4th 1853. John reportedly dies of yellow fever while on a return trip to New England.

The question arises as to why he was at that place and time and where he was going. One distinct probability is that John is returning to the Northeast to see his children and may have been intending to move them and wife Rachel to the west coast. Remember that communication at that time was by ship and sending a letter would take as long as or even longer than making the trip yourself. As to what caused John Abrams death we may get a clue in the route he may have taken in his haste to return to the east coast. A faster route was being employed across Panama and it seemed like a logical shortcut. But traversing the rain forests of Central America in the 1850’s was an adventure in itself. Malaria and cholera were common and those who survived faced another dilemma of being stranded. Ships to carry them across the Gulf of Mexico were rare and unscheduled. And so they waited for weeks or months, in overcrowded, disease infested coastal towns.

- Ronnie Miller