Abbott

ABBOTT, HOPKINS, BISH, CORD, AUGUSTINE, FISHER

Posted By: Peggy Webster Volunteer (email)
Date: 4/11/2014 at 14:22:55

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND ELISA S. (BISH) ABBOTT
By Lisa (Abbott) Aune

Rueben Abbott was born in Decatur, Indiana, November 16, 1827. Minerva Hopkins was born September 15, 1828. They were married January 1, 1846, in Decatur. They had a son, Benjamin Franklin, born August 1, 1855.

Charles Bish and Lucy Cord had a son Stephen, who was born June 10, 1830, in Sussex, England. Stephen came to America, landing at New York, on April 18, 1855.

Henry Augustine and wife, Phoebe Fisher, came to America in 1836 and had a daughter, Mary Ann, December 5, 1842, in Ashland, Ohio. Stephen Bish and Mary Ann Augustine were united in marriage February 15, 1860. Their son, Charles, was born in 1861 at Fontanelle, Adair County, in the building intended for the jail. Stephen was engaged in plastering the jail building for the county at the time.

During the Civil War, Stephen was in the 29th Regiment of the Iowa Infantry. His wife was expecting their second child during this time. Stephen wrote a letter asking that if the baby was a girl, she be named Eliza S., the "S" standing for his name. He died April 1863 in the war and his daughter, Eliza S., was born two months later on June 10, in Grand River Township, Adair County.

Benjamin Franklin Abbott and Eliza S. Bish were married July 10, 1883. They had five children. Albert Vernon (June 17, 1884), John Elmer (December 18, 1885), Stella Elsie (June 3 1890), Eliza B. (June 1, 1895) and Florence May (August 3, 1900). Benjamin was known as "B. F.," and his pet name for his wife was "Peggy."

B. F. and Eliza lived on a farm near Howe that was to be in the family for 140 years. Sometimes B. F. would take the grandchildren along when he went to the store in Howe. He fed out cattle and hogs and shipped them to Chicago. He was a good fence builder, and granddaughter, Velta, helped him build fence one summer. B. F. predicted the small farm would vanish and the big farmers would take over. Today this has come to pass, except he said that the big farms would be out on horseback looking over their farms.

Elisa had a one-horse buggy and would go visit the children by herself and help where needed. She kept bees and sold honey to the country store in Howe about two and one-half miles from the farm. Eliza was operated on for appendicitis on the kitchen table in her home. She later had a carbuncle on her neck lanced by the doctor and got blood poisoning. While in the hospital, not expected to live, she wanted to see her twin baby grandsons, Earl and Verl, so her son Elmer brought them to her. In 1935, after chasing down a wild cow and corralling her in the barn so they could have milk, Eliza caught pneumonia. She died May 1, 1935, the day her granddaughter, Velta, was married. B. F. died November 2, 1938.

Transcribed from Adair County, Iowa Sesquicentennial Edition 1851-2001
Pg. 184