Perhaps only Nicholas-1 (c1630-1695), the first Ackley in America, experienced as much change in the world around him as did Abel (abt 1746-1835). In his early years, Abel lived among the descendants of the first settlers of Connecticut, mostly English and mostly Puritan. Before he reached 21, he had lost both parents, taken his younger sister by the hand and moved them both to the frontier (western CT/eastern NY) where they had relatives. This area was being settled by a diverse group, including Moravians from Germany, Huguenots from France, and Quakers never welcome in Connecticut.

Abel clearly adapted. He soon married Hannah, whose family had originated in France. About a decade later, he was on the move again, looking for better opportunities. He relocated the family to the area near Saratoga, NY, just in time for the Revolutionary War. Abel was part of the militia, as he had been 15 years earlier in the French and Indian War. After the war, he experienced the creation of the new nation as a man with a settled family life, raising his children and marrying once more after Hannah’s death in the late 1790s. By the time Abel died in 1835, the Erie Canal had been built, further transforming New York state, and the first steam engine trains were appearing.

This chapter will be part of the next published book, which will include Abel’s father Nicholas-2 and grandfather James. Each chapter includes details about the major events in the life of the man and his family and information about the times in which they lived. The chapter on Abel includes a brief summary, a table of events and dates, and a full discussion of the lives of the family. Appendices include additional detail on children, appearance in censuses, and Abel’s participation in the Revolutionary War.

Although the information is as complete, and as accurate, as possible, I may not have turned over every rock. I am very interested in any information others may have. Please feel free to contact me with comments or questions.

Abel’s generation is the fourth in my line, beginning with Nicholas (1630-1695). The chapter on Abel’s life will appear shortly, with more complete information and full references. Summaries for Abel and Hannah appear below.

Abel Ackley served in the French and Indian War in 1762 with his father Nicholas (1708-1763). He was at least 16 at the time, making his year of birth no later than 1746. After the death of his father, Abel (then abt 17) and his younger sister Sarah (then 14) left Colchester, CT for Sharon, CT where they had relatives (the offspring of Sarah Spencer, who had sued James and Elizabeth Ackley for slander). In Jan 1766, he married Hannah Shevalier whose father had immigrated from Jersey, Channel Islands. The Ackleys lived near Amenia, Dutchess County, NY where sons Arthur (1766-1848) and Solomon (1774-1861) were born (and possibly other children).

About 1775, Abel moved his family to the area where he lived until his death, White Creek, Washington County, NY. There, he served in the militia during the Revolutionary War probably at the time of the Battles of Saratoga in 1777. His son Lot West Ackley (1788-1854) was born in White Creek, as was his daughter Sophia (1777-1869), who married Elias Kelsey. Abel owned a small farm, which appears on the tax rolls in 1802 and 1803. Hannah died before the 1800 census, where she does not appear. In about 1815, Abel married Mary (1767-1850), probably a widow. He died at the age of 89 on 12 March 1835 (estate papers finalized in 1838). Mary died in 1850 at age 83.

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Hannah Shevalier Ackley was born on 14 March 1745 to Elias Shevalier, a Huguenot immigrant from Jersey, Channel Islands, and Mary Adams (1714-1770) in Pomfret, CT. Between 1747 and 1750, Elias moved the family to Amenia, Dutchess County, NY. The Shevaliers had ten known children. Hannah married Abel Ackley (abt 1746-1835) on 16 January 1766; her brother Elias, Jr. (1742-1768) had married Abel’s sister Sarah (1749-?) on 17 October 1765. (Sarah’s fate after Elias Jr’s death is unknown.)

Hannah and Abel lived in the Amenia area until about 1775, welcoming Arthur (1766-1848) and Solomon (1774-1861) and possibly other children. The Ackleys moved to what is now White Creek, Washington County, NY in about 1775 where Sophia (1777-1869) and my direct ancestor Lot West (1788-abt 1854) were born. Hannah does not appear in the 1800 census, or after, so likely died before that census was taken. Her father’s will, dated 1805, notes that she is deceased and leaves a sum to her children.

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Map source: Sauthier, C. J. (1779). A chorographical map of the province of New York in North America: divided into counties, manors, patents, and townships: exhibiting likewise all the private grants of land made and located in that province. London: William Fadden. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/2018588054/.