"She was a quaint and pathetic figure about the square, in her outworn garments and faded shawl. But she was also a gifted woman; and she was a brave soul, who fought out unwaveringly a long battle with poverty and ill health." The Andover Townsman, Andover, Massachusetts, October 21, 1921, Page Five

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Recently in pursuing genealogical research into one of my ancestor families that began their lives in the colonies in Andover, Massachusetts, I came across the research and writings of Charlotte Helen Abbott from over a century ago.

Eventually my curiosity extended into finding out about Abbott herself, and after only a minor bit of internet searching I discovered that Abbott is responsible for a staggering amount of work during her lifetime, and today she is regarded as one of the "starting places" for doing genealogical research among early New England families. In addition, the internet abounds with search results in which her past work is cited in footnotes and bibliographies in a variety of modern historical and genealogical works.

And here is an astonishing statistic representing the reach of Abbott's work among modern genealogical researchers: According to a records page citation for her at Ancestry.com, Abbott has been cited in 2,661,966 Family Trees.

Here are a few quotations and details that can be gleaned about Charlotte Helen Abbott in less than a half hour of internet surfing.

Quoted details from a piece in the electronic version of The Andover Townsman, March 18, 2015:

"Vying for the honor of "Andover's historian" were three townswomen who each wrote in a unique way: Sarah Loring Bailey, Charlotte Helen Abbott, and Bessie Goldsmith.

….

"Abbott was a member of Punchard High School's first graduating class in 1859. As both a teacher and a dressmaker, her first love was documenting the families of early Andover history. For 25 years, she also wrote a column in The Andover Townsman. She authored "Abbott Genealogies." That and other works may be seen at the historical society."

From another source for The Andover Townsman:

"Charlotte Helen Abbott authored over one hundred articles in the Andover newspaper over more than a decade. Her articles supplement the greatly acclaimed 'Abbot Genealogies' available at the Memorial Hall Library's Andover Room."

Memorial Hall Library, Andover Genealogies: An astonishing Family Surname list with links to ALL genealogies Charlotte Abbott wrote.

"Andover genealogist Charlotte Helen Abbott wrote these unpublished genealogies. Earlier versions of some genealogies were published in the Andover Townsman, the local newspaper. They generally cover older Andover families through the late 19th century. Miss Abbott's genealogies are subjective and rich with anecdotes, but list few sources. [Staff member name omitted], with the cooperation of the Andover Historical Society, worked to digitize the typescript manuscript. Originals are also held at Memorial Hall Library." [Over 200 Family Surname Files are listed at this source.]

A testimonial for Abbott's work is presented on a Genealogy.com link under the heading "Charlotte Helen Abbott Is a Good Source":

"Enders A. Robinson, in his excellent book, Salem Witchcraft and Hawthorne's House of Seven Gables, which is really about Andover not Salem, singles out Charlotte Helen Abbott as his by far most valuable source. I have not reviewed all of her work, and information from England may not be first hand, as her information from Andover is, but her reputation is first rate."

These random notes provide very meager recognition for a woman whose contribution to genealogical research now reaches far beyond anything she would have dreamed possible during her lifetime a century ago in Andover.

James Hart

Brookfield, Missouri

April 13, 2015