16 - CHRISTOPHER3 , son of Christopher2, b. 16 FEB 1687/8 in Andover; m. Mary Preston, see family (e) of Haverhill 25 JUN 1719, intentions received 27 DEC 1718 Andover Church; d. 2 MAR 1732 in Andover. Christopher was given half his father's estate in 1718, to settle with his new wife. Six years later, his father gave him legal possession of the land with a deed. Estate inventoried at 209 pounds, 18 shillings and 6 pence, but he left no will.
Children
(All Born in Andover)
22 - CHRISTOPHER4, bap. 24 JUL 1721; d. before 1722.
23 - CHRISTOPHER4, b. 11 JUL 1722; m. Anna More (MOOAR) 15 FEB 1743. moved to Hollis, New Hampshire, 1743.
24 - ABIEL4, b. 4 MAY 1724; d. 15 MAR 1729.
25 - NATHAN4, b. 22 AUG 1726; m. Apphia Hoyt 25 AUG 1747; d. 16 APR 1783.
26 - MARY4, bap. 13 JUL 1729; d. 10 DEC 1729.
27 - ISAAC4, b. 13 APR 1731; m. Mary Pevey, widow of Elisha Wardell, 2 DEC 1756; d. 23 NOV 1811 in Andover. He and his son, Isaac, Jr., appear in the census of 1790 in Andover, Massachusetts.
Christopher's estate was inventoried on 3 APR 1732 and did not include any land. When he died, his eldest son was only ten years old. What happened to the land Christopher3 received from his father is unclear. He left a very small personal estate of about 45 pounds and his house and barn were valued at only 18 pounds. Most of his estate was in notes and bonds to him from a number of people, worth 192 pounds. He was indebted for only 3 pounds.
Christopher's3 widow, Mary m.2 Samuel Abbott on 8 AUG 1735. Charlotte Helen Abbott's research shows that the three children to survive their father's death, Christopher4, Nathan4, and Isaac4 grew up on their step-father's farm in Andover, near the Tewksbury line. When Christopher3 died in 1731, he left Mary with ten-year old Christopher4, Nathan4 age six, and a baby of eleven months, Isaac4. No doubt she received ample assistance from the large Lovejoy family and Christopher2, her father-in-law, who lived until a year after her second marriage.
When Nathan4 was sixteen and Isaac4 was eleven, a petition was made to the Essex County Court, for their guardianship. Why this was done ten years after their father's death and seven years after they became Samuel Abbott’s step-sons, is unknown. It is also interesting to note that Samuel was not involved in the petition, though he lived another twenty years after the act. A bond of twenty pounds was put up by Thomas Abbott, Henry Phelps and John Phelps. Thomas Abbott was appointed their guardian.
In honor of Samuel Abbott's generosity in raising this ready-made family, a synopsis of his ancestry is given here:
Samuel ABBOTT3, b. 8 or 19 MAR 1694 in Andover, son of Benjamin2 and Sarah (Farnum) Abbott; m. the widow Mary Lovejoy 1735 in Andover; lived near the Tewksbury line of Andover, in "Merrimac Corner"; had no children of his own; his wife, Mary (Preston-Lovejoy), d. 15 APR 1754 at 55 years in Andover; he d. 29 OCT 1762. The Genealogical Register.... of the various Abbott first settlers, by the Rev.’s Abiel and Ephriam Abbott in 1847, says of Samuel, "he was industrious and respected for his moral worth and piety...".
Benjamin2, b. 20 DEC 1661 in Andover, son of the first George Abbott1 of Andover; m. Sarah, eldest dau. of Ralph Farnum1 (early settler of Andover), 22 APR 1685 in Andover; d. 30 MAR 1706.
George ABBOTT1, b. 1615 in Bishop's Stortford, Co. Herts, Eng.; came over with Rev. Ezekiel Rogers in 1637; a first settler of Andover in 1643; m. Hannah Chandler, dau. of William and Anne Chandler, 12 DEC 1646 in Roxbury; d. 24 DEC 1681 in Andover.
When Samuel Abbott died in 1762, Christopher4 was already in Hollis, New Hampshire; Nathan4 went to Pepperell; and Isaac4 went to the estate of his father-in-law.
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