Capt John Abbot, Westford Academy Trustee (1792-1804)

Capt. John Abbot Westford Town Clerk, Treasurer and a Founder of the Westford Academy 

When Westford Academy was founded in 1792, it was led by a group of gentlemen who had the talent and dedication to turn a school which did not even own land or a building into one of the top secondary schools in the country.

One of these gentlemen was a man named Captain John Abbot. John Abbot was born in Westford in 1743 and lived in town until his death in 1804. Mr. Abbot was married twice, his first wife Lucy Proctor died at the age of 33 in 1779, John married his second wife Mary Farrar in 1780. John Abbot had two children with his first wife and one child in his second marriage. Abbot’s title of captain came from his participation in America’s War for Independence with Great Britain.

However, Captain Abbot’s patriotism started well before the war with England. He was one of Westford’s first citizens to oppose the 1765 Stamp Act. The Stamp Act was a direct tax on the American Colonies by the British that required taxed printed matters in the colonies be made from stamped material made in England.

To protest this tax, John Abbot along with Jonas Prescott, Samuel Fletcher, Ebenezer Stone, and Thomas Comings formed a committee in Westford that recommended the use of local goods and rejected the importation of goods from Great Britain. The town of Westford voted unanimously to support the position of Captain John Abbot and his committee.

Captain John Abbot’s leadership was also evident when the Westford Academy Trustees first met to establish a new secondary school in town. Unlike their neighbor Groton Academy, who had wealthy partners. The founders of Westford Academy had to rely on thrift and ingenuity when establishing their new school.

The formation of Westford Academy required Abbot and his fellow trustees to obtain land and to construct a new building for their Academy. This venture involved such matters as purchasing building material and hiring skilled laborers to construct their school. All of this had to be accomplished on a limited budget. Not an easy task.

Of course, the task was accomplished, and Westford Academy flourished into one of the best secondary schools in the country. An early testimony to the Academy’s success is noted in the fact that one of Paul Revere’s sons was a student at Westford Academy. It must also be noted that Westford Academy was one of the first co-educational secondary schools in the country and produced such female scholars as Ellen Swallow Richards. Richards graduated from Westford Academy in 1862 and became the first woman to attend M.I.T.

Abbot was not only instrumental in the establishment of Westford Academy, but he also played a major role in the creation of Westford’s first public library. “On February 14, 1797, 25 public spirited citizens of the town who desired to establish a library for the benefit of the future generations as well as their families, met to form the first library here, the “Westford Social Library.” Each citizen promised a varying amount of money. One of these broadminded citizens was John Abbot.

The name Abbot is a famous name in Westford and John Abbot was only the beginning of this famous family. John’s son John graduated from Harvard in 1798. In a talented academic class, the young Abbot was highly ranked. Following graduation, he became the preceptor of Westford Academy for two years. He then studied law and started to practice law in Westford.

After the death of Jonathan Carver in 1805, John Abbot, jr. was selected treasurer of Westford Academy, a job that he held until his death 50 years later. During his long tenure as treasurer, Westford Academy was able gain a financial foothold: “To (John Abbot, jr.) his careful management and prudent foresight, Westford Academy is indebted. During his long administration, they increased nearly threefold.”

Aside from the Abbots contributions to the founding of Westford Academy. The family is best known for the Abbot Worsted Company which was established in 1855 and began operations in Forge Village in 1879. By the year 1916, the company was the largest producer of carpet yarn in the world. The mill operated in Westford until 1954.

In the fall of 1973, the old Westford Academy on Depot Street became a junior high school. The question then became what to name the old Academy. Several worthy names were mentioned, but one name seemed to be most appropriate. It was named the Abbot School for John Abbot and his family who did so much to establish the Academy that we all know and admire today. James Van Bever (2021)

Notes

Lowell Sun, August 26, !951, p. 45, “Westford Academy Has Long and Distinguished History of Service.
Rev. Edwin R. Hodgman, History of the Town of Westford, p. 89
Lowell Sun, July 16, 1950, p. 42, “Plan Anniversary Program at Westford Public Library”.