Abel was born on the Sylvanus Newton farm, which is where his family was living at the time. Later in his life he lived on his father's farm on Newton Ridge with his wife and family until his death.

Abel was drafted at the age of 32 into the Civil War as a Private of Company I, 78th Regiment, Ohio Voluntary Infantry on Sept. 24, 1864 at Marietta, Ohio, for a period of one year. His army papers indicate that he was a farmer, was reported to be 6 foot tall, fair complexion, blue eyes and dark hair (other sources indicate red hair). When Abel left for service on Sept. 24th, his wife Maria Jane was pregnant. Their daughter Ella Newton was born Oct. 23, 1864, their fifth child. In a letter home Abel had said "name the baby what ever you want."

When he left for war the ones at home had to do the farm work. The oldest child was Allie Newton, then Alice Newton, Jennie Newton and Perley Newton. The family sold all that they owned but two cows and a few chickens when Abel went into the service. Two men in the neighborhood would come and cut down trees so they would have fuel for the fireplace. The trees were green and did not burn very well. Maria Jane and her children would cut wood also. They had a cook stove but just used it on wash days. In the spring a woman came and plowed and harrowed the garden and a spot for potatoes. They had one and one half acres for the garden and potatoes. This land was prepared with a plow but the rest of the land was plowed by hand.

Abel came home at the end of the Civil War. He took part in Sherman's march to the sea and marched north through the Carolina's. He was mustered out May 30, 1865, at Washington, D.C. He was in poor health when he returned home from the war and never regained his health fully. He was so poor and in such condition when he came home that his children did not recognize him. The were in the field and when he walked over a slope to where they were working they didn't know him. According to one report they asked their mother who that old man coming was and when she looked up she went to meet him on the run. She had recognized him by his manner of walking.

One report indicates that Abel and his then oldest son-in-law, Thomas Reverdy White came out to Nebraska in 1880. They returned home and Abel and his family made plans to move to Nebraska in the spring of 1885. Abel's health worsened and he died on July 22, 1884. His war records indicate that he died of kidney and lung diseases. However, in later years one Maggie Simpson Metcalf from Morgan County stated she was there when Abel died, and was of the opinion that he died of an acute attack of appendicitis. Abel is buried in Baileys Cemetery beside his four year old son Harold. Maria Jane Forsythe Newton didn't change her plans with the death of her husband and made the trip west, the next spring, as everything had been planned while her husband was still living.