John Lovejoy Abbot (November 29, 1783 – October 17, 1814) was an American clergyman and librarian. John Lovejoy Abbot was born in Andover on November 29, 1783. His father for whom he was named was a farmer. Abbot prepared for college at the

Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

in his native town, and graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

in 1805. He studied theology in

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia *Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Andov ...

under Dr. Ware. For a year (1807) he held the office of reader in the

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

church, and the next year he occasionally preached in neighboring pulpits. In 1811 he was made Harvard College Librarian, and held the office two years. In the spring of 1813, after his resignation from the Library, he was chosen pastor of the

First Church in Boston First Church in Boston is a Unitarian Universalist Church (originally Congregationalist) founded in 1630 by John Winthrop's original Puritan settlement in Boston, Massachusetts. The current building, located on 66 Marlborough Street in the Ba ...

. At his

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

on July 14, 1813, the sermon was by Professor Ware and the introductory prayer by Rev.

Samuel Cooper Thacher Samuel Cooper Thacher (December 14, 1785 – January 2, 1818) was an American clergyman and librarian. Thacher, who was born in Boston, on December 14, 1785, was sprung from a long line of preachers. His father Peter was the pastor of the Bra ...

, (Librarian, 1808–11). Abbot preached in this pulpit only a few Sundays; the

consumption Consumption may refer to: * Eating *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically known as consumption * Consumer (food chain), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of n ...

which had been threatening him grew so much worse that in the fall he was obliged to ask a leave of absence. His parishioners had already become deeply attached to their new pastor and they unanimously voted in their resolutions of sympathy and regret, "that the expenses of supplying the pulpit be paid by the Society during the absence of the Rev. Mr. Abbot, and that his salary be continued." About a month later, he married, 24 October, Elizabeth Bell Warland of Cambridge. In another month he sailed for

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

in hopes of benefiting by the voyage. But on his return in June 1814, he was so little recovered that he was unable to resume preaching. He gradually grew worse until his death on October 17. At his funeral, which was from his church in Boston,

Edward Everett Edward Everett (April 11, 1794 – January 15, 1865) was an American politician, Unitarian pastor, educator, diplomat, and orator from Massachusetts. Everett, as a Whig, served as U.S. representative, U.S. senator, the 15th governor of Mas ...

preached the sermon. He was a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbot, John Lovejoy People from Andover, Massachusetts 1783 births 1814 deaths American theologians Harvard University librarians 19th-century American clergy Harvard College alumni