John married Rebecca Sluman on June 2 1703 in Norwich, New London Co, Connecticut.
John is the father of: John, Sarah, Solomon, Rebecca, Hannah, Bethia, and David

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS RECORDED HEREIN AS FOUND IN RESEARCH:
"When John and Rebecca were first married, they settled in the Goshen part of Lebanon Township, New London County, Connecticut. This was a new community, about ten miles northwest of Norwich. Here, their children were born." per ABEL Family Genealogist H. Thompson Stock (dec.)

During John Abell's lifetime (@1678-1769), there were four French and Indian Wars. (NOTE: The Indian "King Philip's War" ended the year that John was born, 1678.) The last war was the decisive one. In America and in Europe, these wars were known respectively as the following:
1689-1697: King William's War War of the Grand Alliance
1701-1713: Queen Anne's War War of the Spanish Succession
1744-1748: King George's War War of the Austrian Succession
1754-1760: French and Indian War Seven Year's War. (NOTE: The European treaty was signed in 1760)

The English and the French made conflicting claims to the lands west of the Appalachian Mountains. So, clashes were inevitable. These wars were precipitated by events in Europe.

The English claimed all the lands west of their settlements along the Atlantic Coast. The charter given to the Connecticut River Colony by Charles II in 1662 made the "Southern Sea" (the Pacific Ocean) its western limit. The part of northern Ohio that is known as the Western Reserve is a remnant of this grant.

The French claimed all of the lands drained by the river systems where they had forts at the mouths or the sources. To prevent the expansion of the English colonies westward, the French established Fort Duquesne at a strategic site on the Ohio River (the present location of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that was named after the English Prime Minister, Sir William Pitt) and elsewhere; thereby, connecting the Great Lakes and present Canada with Louisiana.
---------------------------------
Due to interest in both the Abel(l) and Gifford families of early Lebanon and Norwich, Conn., at p. 59 of the 1940 pub. "Robert Abell of Rehoboth, Mass...." is found the descendant family of Capt. John Abell (Dec. 1678-aft. Oct. 1769) of Lebanon, Conn. Following the death of known wife Rebecca Sluman in 1738 at Lebanon, the sketch includes the following statement:

• He [Capt. John Abell] prob. married 2nd, September 20, 1744 [Norwich VRs], Hannah, dau. of Samuel and Experience (Hyde) Gifford.

While two children b. in 1746 and 1748 are attributed to this 2nd marriage, this marriage makes no practical sense. Hannah Gifford, dau. of Samuel and Experience (Hyde) was b. of record at Norwich on Sept. 20, 1724, suggesting that on Hannah's 20th birthday she willingly m. a 65-year old widower, whose purported youngest child by her was b. when he was short of 70 years of age. All manner of family associations have been erected trying to validate this 2nd marriage claim.

What the authors of the Abell genealogy did not investigate was that a John Abel was bapt. at the Lebanon, Conn. church in 1719, but his birth does not appear in printed Lebanon vital records. Nor is this John associated with another Abel surnamed family then residing at Lebanon.

Following is the more likely marriage association and John "Abel" family of Norwich, Conn.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Capt. John Abel, Jr. (q.v. Abell), the unrecorded 7th child and 2nd oldest surviving son of Capt John Abell and Rebecca Sluman, bapt. of record May 17, 1719 at Lebanon, Conn. [Lebanon Ch. Rec.] Unlike his siblings, his birth is not of printed record at Lebanon, but he was baptized in both chronological and ascending page order in the Lebanon church records with three other recorded children of Capt. Abel and Rebecca Sluman whose births are recorded in the printed Lebanon vital records.

Capt. John Abel and Rebecca Sluman's first born child was son John, b. of record Mar 10, 1703/4 who d. the same day. The second s. named John is verified by his father's own will written at Lebanon, Conn. on Apr. 10, 1759 (Windham Probate District, Vol. 7, folios 43-44; probated May 7, 1765) in which he is the first child named in the will:

• In the Name of God Amen, I John Abel of Lebanon in the County of Windham & Colony of Connecticut in New England being this 10th day of April in the year of our Lord 1759 under some indisposition of body...
• Imprimis. I give & bequeath to my loving & well-beloved son John Abel Ten Pounds to be paid within one year after my decease.
• Item. I give & bequeath to my loving & well-beloved son David Abel the one half of my right in the Commons and undivided land in the Five Mile Square of land in Lebanon and one half of my outdoor moveable estate.
• And I give to my loving & well-beloved Daughters Sarah Metcalfe, Rebecca West, & Bethiah Randall to each of them Five pounds paid to each of them within two years of my decease, and also all my indoor moveable estate except my bed & bed furniture to be equally divided between them.
• Item. I give to my loving & well-beloved Grand Daughters Betty & Sarah Hackley the daughters of my daughter Hannah Hackley dec'd all my beds & bed furniture to be equally divided between them.
• Item. I give to my loving & well-beloved Grand Sons Samuel & Peter Hackley the sons of my daughter Hannah Hackley dec'd to each of them ten shillings to each of them to be paid within one year after my decease or within one year after they reach the age of Twenty-One years.
• Item. I give & bequeath to my loving & well-beloved son Solomon Abel all my estate both Real & Personal which I have not already given & disposed of in this my Last will & Testament.
• And the sd. John Abel do hereby constitute my Son Solomon Abel to be executor...

In the cited will, no wife is mentioned, and no provision is made for a wife. All of the children of Capt. John Abel and Rebecca Sluman, who are of recorded birth and/or baptism record are included in the will along with the four recorded children of deceased daughter Hannah (Abel) Hackley.

At age 25 on Sept. 20, 1744 at Norwich, Conn. (by Rev. Benj. Lord), John Abel, Jr. m. Hannah Gifford on her 20th birthday, dau. of Samuel Gifford, Jr. and Experience Hyde (q.v. Hide), b. of record Sept. 20, 1724 at Norwich. In the Sept. 28, 1753 will of Samuel Gifford, Jr. of Norwich, dau. Hannah is called "the wife of John Abell."

John Abel and Hannah Gifford had the following two known children of record at Norwich under the surname Abel, both bapt. at the Norwich Cong. Ch. also under the surname Abel:

• i. Hannah Abel, b. Mar. 7 (bp. Mar. 9), 1745/46; d. in her youth Jan. 7, 1755.

• ii. Jerusha Abel, b. Mar. 11 (bp. Mar. 13), 1747/48; m. Dec. 6, 1767 as Jerusha "Abel" at Norwich, Thomas Williams, s. of Ebenezer and Hannah (Bacon) Williams of New London, Conn., b. at New London Feb. 6, 1734/5.

According to Hale's Connecticut Newspaper Notices, 1629-1934:
• Mrs. Hannah Abel, wife of Capt. John Abel, d. at Norwich, Conn., age 62, as reported by a newspaper pub. on Aug. 24, 1786.
• Capt. John Abel, age 73, place not stated, died per a newspaper pub. Feb. 19, 1793.

In both cases, the reported age at death is a virtual match to John Abel and wife Hannah Gifford. Although no additional primary or secondary documentation can be readily found that adds further confirmation to the writer's basis of the above Abel family, the records and resulting construction make substantially more sense than as published in 1940. by: HHB