BIO:  CHESNUT, Abraham, s/o Benjamin & Mahala (Howard) Chesnut

Submitted by: phill@redrock.net   (Phyllis Hill)

CHESNUT   HOWARD   TAYLOR   WILLIAMS   

History of Knox and Daviess Counties, Indiana
Chicago:  The Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1886

Daviess County, Borgard Twp., page 885

ABRAHAM CHESNUT, a prominent farmer of Bogard Township, Daviess County, Ind.,
is the youngest of a family of nine children born to Benjamin and Mahala
(Howard) Chesnut, who were born, raised and married in Kentucky.  After
several years of married life they came to Lawrence County, Ind., where they
spent the remainder of their lives.  The father was a blacksmith and farmer,
and was ordinarily successful.  He died when our subject was but eight years
of age, and the mother when he was but eighteen months old.  He was born
December 1, 1822, and was raised by his eldest brother until he was sixteen
years old, when he began doing for himself.  His educational advantages were 
limited, and what education he has had has been secured by desultory applica-
tion since attaininag his majority.  He worked as a farm hand for a number of 
years, and when twenty-three years old purchased land in Martin County, where
he farmed for about four years and then sold out and located on a farm where
he now lives.  He owns eighty acres of land, sixty-five acres being under
cultivation.  February 19, 1846, he was married to Mary Taylor, born in
Kentucky, in 1825.  Five children were the result of their union, all of whom
are dead but one:  Nancy J., born in 1847, and died in 1880; William M.,born
in 1849, died in 1850; Susan M., born in 1851, and is now the wife of Louis
Williams; Benjamin H., born in 1854, and died in 1876; Harvey T., born in
1858, died in 1881.  Mr. Chesnut and wife are members of the Methodist Church,
and politically he is a very ardent Republican.  He has held the office of
township trustee and has been urged many times to accept other positions.

Update: This Abraham Chesnut, the son of Benjamin and Mahala Howard Chesnut was
the grandson of John and Patience Gumm Chesnut.  The family lived in Auusta Co.
Va until 1790, then went to Greene Co. TN until 1795, moved to Washington Co. KY,
and then moved to Knox Co. near the town of London (now LAUREL CO. KY) where 
they purchased land in the Talbot Survey in 1804.  John died in 1805, and his 
wife and some of the children, John, Jacob, and Benjamin moved to Lawrence Co. 
Indiana in 1818.  Source:  Elmer Compton's book published in 1998, titled "John 
Chesnut Revolutionary War Soldier, shows documentation of his sources.
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