Samuel Abbot
Encyclopedia
Samuel Abbot was a lawyer and the inventor of a process which made starch
from potato
es.
, an officer of the militia during the Revolutionary War
, often the representative from Wilton in the New Hampshire General Court, and much entrusted with the business of the town. He formed an excellent farm out of the wilderness. Of his 12 children, 10 lived to be adults. All of them were well educated, and three went to Harvard College
: Abiel (a D.D., later of Peterborough
), Jacob (later of Windham
) and Samuel. Abiel Abbot, Sr., was the son of Captain John Abbot of Andover, Massachusetts
, who was descended, in the fifth generation, from George Abbot, who emigrated from Yorkshire
, England
, and settled in Andover in 1643.
, which was known for the accuracy of its instruction and the scholars it offered for admission to universities. Samuel graduated from Harvard in 1808.
Soon after his graduation, Samuel Abbot entered the law office of C. H. Atherton
, Esq., of Amherst, New Hampshire
, as a student at law. Atherton availed himself of Samuel's classical
knowledge to prepare his son, C. G. Atherton
, later a United States senator, for college. For this purpose, Samuel resided for a time with the Atherton family. Samuel Abbot was admitted to the bar in 1812, and practiced his profession, first at Wilton, and then at Dunstable (now Nashua, New Hampshire
).
. Here his professional efforts were favorably noticed by the judges of the Supreme Judicial Court as indicating a well disciplined and argumentative mind. He would undoubtedly have met with success at the bar if his tastes had corresponded with the duties of his profession. It much better accorded with Abbot's feelings to pay the debt of a poor man, than to pocket the fee of a suit against him. His profession was no favorite with him, and he surrendered the prospects it offered to the natural bent of his mind in following a course of general reading.
and mechanics
, which had long been favorite pursuits with him. His aim was to apply them to the useful purposes of life. The qualities and uses of that most common of vegetables, the potato, with the machinery by which its flour might be extracted on a large scale by horse or water power, early attracted his attention. A starch factory at Wilton, under the care of his brother Ezra, was the result of his genius.
In 1818, Samuel returned to Wilton for the purpose of superintending and improving the starch manufacturing concern. Here, and occasionally in the nearby town of Jaffrey
, where a branch of the business had been established, he spent the remainder of his life, devoting his time principally to literary and scientific pursuits, and for relaxation to business and mechanical labor.
The flour of the potato recommended itself to the proprietors of the cotton cloth factories in New England
for use as sizing
, in preference to starch made from wheat flour. The demand for potato flour became general, and its manufacture a source of profit. The farmers of the neighborhood were also much benefitted in their agriculture by this manufacture, as it afforded them a home market and ready pay for one of their most abundant and safest crops.
In experimental philosophy, such was his caution that he was seldom if ever misled by his facts to form an erroneous theory. In 1828, when the “pneumatic paradox,” as it was called, was attracting the attention of scholars, he first suggested a true theory, which was afterwards experimentally proved by his nephew, Jos. H. Abbot, and an article thereon published in the American Journal of Science and Arts.
In 1837-1838, he detected the fallacy of the instrument called the geometer, to which the attention of Congress
was then called. The instrument supposedly applied an alleged discovery in magnetism
by which, in addition to the direction of the north pole
, latitude could be ascertained.
was a favorite pursuit of Samuel Abbot. Without being a religious disputant, he was well versed in the history of Christianity
and its various sects. Very few among the clergy were better skilled in Biblical criticism
, or better acquainted with the religious controversies of the day. Tolerant and kind to all Christian sects, he embraced the Unitarian
as distinguished from the Trinitarian faith.
In establishing and sustaining a lyceum
for Wilton, as well as in creating libraries for the town, for the parish, for the Sunday school, and for the Sabbath reading room, Samuel Abbot was a leading agent and liberal contributor. He represented the town in the state legislature for five years. He was a member of the school committee. He was a superintendent of the Sunday school, and a lecturer before the lyceum.
He took a lively interest in the morals and education of the young, and conferred benefits on the rising generation, the extent and magnitude of which cannot be calculated. If he did not create, he at least did much to sustain and perpetuate that standard of morals and taste for reading and education by which Wilton was distinguished in the men and scholars which proceeded from her loins.
His life was guided by the dictates of an enlightened conscience. While he felt and exhibited strong and decided marks of disapprobation, like his father he was never known to be in a passion. He was a man of uncommon meekness and modesty. No ambition for professional or political distinction beset him. Retiring in his feelings, averse to all ostentation, he abandoned the law, a profession regarded as the common highway to distinction; instead he took a course of life which best agreed with his peaceful disposition: the acquirement of knowledge. The consciousness that he was useful satisfied all his worldly aspirations.
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
from potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es.
Origins
Samuel Abbot was the 11th of the 12 children of Abiel Abbot, a farmer and an early settler of Wilton, New Hampshire. His father was a staunch WhigPatriot (American Revolution)
Patriots is a name often used to describe the colonists of the British Thirteen United Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution. It was their leading figures who, in July 1776, declared the United States of America an independent nation...
, an officer of the militia during the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, often the representative from Wilton in the New Hampshire General Court, and much entrusted with the business of the town. He formed an excellent farm out of the wilderness. Of his 12 children, 10 lived to be adults. All of them were well educated, and three went to Harvard College
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
: Abiel (a D.D., later of Peterborough
Peterborough, New Hampshire
Peterborough is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,284 at the 2010 census. Home to the MacDowell Art Colony, the town is a popular tourist destination....
), Jacob (later of Windham
Windham, New Hampshire
Windham is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 13,592 at the 2010 census.- History :The area was initially home to the Pawtucket Native Americans. Scottish immigrants began to settle in the area in 1719. The region was known as “Nutfield” and included what...
) and Samuel. Abiel Abbot, Sr., was the son of Captain John Abbot of Andover, Massachusetts
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
, who was descended, in the fifth generation, from George Abbot, who emigrated from Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and settled in Andover in 1643.
Education
Samuel Abbot pursued his preparatory studies in part under his brother Abiel, but was chiefly fitted for college at the public school at Andover, MassachusettsAndover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
, which was known for the accuracy of its instruction and the scholars it offered for admission to universities. Samuel graduated from Harvard in 1808.
Soon after his graduation, Samuel Abbot entered the law office of C. H. Atherton
Charles Humphrey Atherton
Charles Humphrey Atherton was an American Federalist Representative from New Hampshire.Born in Amherst, New Hampshire on 14 August 1773, Atherton graduated from Harvard University in 1794...
, Esq., of Amherst, New Hampshire
Amherst, New Hampshire
Amherst is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,201 at the 2010 census. Amherst is home to Ponemah Bog Wildlife Sanctuary, Hodgman State Forest, the Joe English Reservation and Baboosic Lake....
, as a student at law. Atherton availed himself of Samuel's classical
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
knowledge to prepare his son, C. G. Atherton
Charles G. Atherton
Charles Gordon Atherton was a Democratic Representative and Senator from New Hampshire.-Biography:The son of Charles Humphrey Atherton and Mary Ann Toppan-Atherton, Charles G. Atherton was born in Amherst, New Hampshire on 4 July 1804...
, later a United States senator, for college. For this purpose, Samuel resided for a time with the Atherton family. Samuel Abbot was admitted to the bar in 1812, and practiced his profession, first at Wilton, and then at Dunstable (now Nashua, New Hampshire
Nashua, New Hampshire
-Climate:-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 86,494 people, 35,044 households, and 21,876 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,719.9 people per square mile . There were 37,168 housing units at an average density of 1,202.8 per square mile...
).
Law practice
In 1817, Abbot opened his law office at Ipswich, MassachusettsIpswich, Massachusetts
Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,987 at the 2000 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island...
. Here his professional efforts were favorably noticed by the judges of the Supreme Judicial Court as indicating a well disciplined and argumentative mind. He would undoubtedly have met with success at the bar if his tastes had corresponded with the duties of his profession. It much better accorded with Abbot's feelings to pay the debt of a poor man, than to pocket the fee of a suit against him. His profession was no favorite with him, and he surrendered the prospects it offered to the natural bent of his mind in following a course of general reading.
Starch factory
In his course of reading, Abbot was particularly attentive to chemistryChemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
and mechanics
Mechanics
Mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the behavior of physical bodies when subjected to forces or displacements, and the subsequent effects of the bodies on their environment....
, which had long been favorite pursuits with him. His aim was to apply them to the useful purposes of life. The qualities and uses of that most common of vegetables, the potato, with the machinery by which its flour might be extracted on a large scale by horse or water power, early attracted his attention. A starch factory at Wilton, under the care of his brother Ezra, was the result of his genius.
In 1818, Samuel returned to Wilton for the purpose of superintending and improving the starch manufacturing concern. Here, and occasionally in the nearby town of Jaffrey
Jaffrey, New Hampshire
Jaffrey is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,457 at the 2010 census.The primary settlement in town, where 2,757 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Jaffrey census-designated place and is located along the Contoocook River at the...
, where a branch of the business had been established, he spent the remainder of his life, devoting his time principally to literary and scientific pursuits, and for relaxation to business and mechanical labor.
The flour of the potato recommended itself to the proprietors of the cotton cloth factories in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
for use as sizing
Sizing
Sizing or size is any one of numerous specific substances that is applied to or incorporated in other material, especially papers and textiles, to act as a protecting filler or glaze....
, in preference to starch made from wheat flour. The demand for potato flour became general, and its manufacture a source of profit. The farmers of the neighborhood were also much benefitted in their agriculture by this manufacture, as it afforded them a home market and ready pay for one of their most abundant and safest crops.
Scientific pursuits
In his continuing studies, Abbot informed himself on most of the discoveries of modern science of that time, so that it was difficult to touch on any subject, however abstruse, with which he had not made himself acquainted, and on which he could not throw light and give information. The peculiar characteristics of his mind were accuracy, caution and clearness. With a quickness almost like intuition, he detected the weakness or fallacy of an argument, and no man saw more clearly its legitimate application, or the point at which its force ceased.In experimental philosophy, such was his caution that he was seldom if ever misled by his facts to form an erroneous theory. In 1828, when the “pneumatic paradox,” as it was called, was attracting the attention of scholars, he first suggested a true theory, which was afterwards experimentally proved by his nephew, Jos. H. Abbot, and an article thereon published in the American Journal of Science and Arts.
In 1837-1838, he detected the fallacy of the instrument called the geometer, to which the attention of Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
was then called. The instrument supposedly applied an alleged discovery in magnetism
Magnetism
Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
by which, in addition to the direction of the north pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
, latitude could be ascertained.
Religious and civic pursuits
TheologyTheology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
was a favorite pursuit of Samuel Abbot. Without being a religious disputant, he was well versed in the history of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and its various sects. Very few among the clergy were better skilled in Biblical criticism
Biblical criticism
Biblical criticism is the scholarly "study and investigation of Biblical writings that seeks to make discerning judgments about these writings." It asks when and where a particular text originated; how, why, by whom, for whom, and in what circumstances it was produced; what influences were at work...
, or better acquainted with the religious controversies of the day. Tolerant and kind to all Christian sects, he embraced the Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
as distinguished from the Trinitarian faith.
In establishing and sustaining a lyceum
Lyceum
The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies between countries; usually it is a type of secondary school.-History:...
for Wilton, as well as in creating libraries for the town, for the parish, for the Sunday school, and for the Sabbath reading room, Samuel Abbot was a leading agent and liberal contributor. He represented the town in the state legislature for five years. He was a member of the school committee. He was a superintendent of the Sunday school, and a lecturer before the lyceum.
He took a lively interest in the morals and education of the young, and conferred benefits on the rising generation, the extent and magnitude of which cannot be calculated. If he did not create, he at least did much to sustain and perpetuate that standard of morals and taste for reading and education by which Wilton was distinguished in the men and scholars which proceeded from her loins.
His life was guided by the dictates of an enlightened conscience. While he felt and exhibited strong and decided marks of disapprobation, like his father he was never known to be in a passion. He was a man of uncommon meekness and modesty. No ambition for professional or political distinction beset him. Retiring in his feelings, averse to all ostentation, he abandoned the law, a profession regarded as the common highway to distinction; instead he took a course of life which best agreed with his peaceful disposition: the acquirement of knowledge. The consciousness that he was useful satisfied all his worldly aspirations.