Individual Details
Abraham Toppan
(Abt 1606 - 6 Nov 1672)
Abraham and Susannah Taylor Toppan are our 8th great grandparents by the following path: RWA → Vera Esler Abbott → Martha Amy Tappan Esler → William W. Tappan → Jonathan Tappan → David Tappan → Isaac Tappan → Abraham Tappan → Isaac Tappan → Abraham and Susannah Taylor Toppan
Tappan is a family name that made it all the way through the generations to RWA’s brother John Tappan Abbott. The first of our American ancestors with this name was Abraham Toppan, although the name was also sometimes spelled Topham.
Abraham Toppan was born in 1606 in Calbridge, England and lived for some time in Yarmouth, Norfolk. The Toppan family in England had owned considerable property dating back to the early 1400’s and held a lordship. There is a coat of arms for this family and the motto Cruce non predentia: By the cross, not by wisdom. This motto appears to be a biblical reference related to relying on spiritual truths and power, not words of human wisdom.
Abraham’s wife Susannah Taylor was born in 1607; her mother had inherited a large amount of property. Abraham and Susannah married and had their first two children prior to 1637. Abraham, Susannah, their two children, Susannah’s mother, and a maid Ann Goodin set sail on May 10, 1637 from Yarmouth on the ship Mary Ann.
The family settled in Newbury where they were among the first settlers. Abraham was a selectman for several years. He was involved in trade and made several trips to Barbados and brought back sugar, cotton, wool, and molasses for sale. He built the house pictured above in 1670 for his son Jacob. Abraham died in 1672 and Susannah died in 1689. They are buried at the Burying Ground of the First Settlers in Newbury.
The couple had a total of seven children. The youngest of these children, Isaac (1653-1711), is our ancestor. Isaac and his brother Abraham left Newbury for Woodbridge, New Jersey. Our branch of the family stayed in New Jersey, but others branched out to Liberty, Indiana and other areas of the mid-West. Isaac’s granddaughter Hannah Tappan married Gach Bloodgood creating one of the connections between English and Dutch branches of the family.
Source:
Tappan, Daniel Langdon. (1915). Ancestors and descendants of Abraham Toppan of Newbury, Massachusetts 1606-1672. Privately printed by Daniel Tappan. (available at archive.org)
Brandon Fradd, Abraham Toppan Was Not a Yorkshire Man, in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society), 161 :92-94, 2007.
Abrahm1 Toppan was not bp 10 Apr 1606 in Coverham, Yorkshire, England son of William Toppan of that parish! That was based on the work of the notorious Horatio Gates Somerby (who is well known for publishing fraudulent maternal). The registers in question don't even begin until 1707; Somerby presented a fictional pedigree. The author discusses other problematic issues with this work.
https://web2.americanancestors.org/databases/new-england-historical...=
Tappan is a family name that made it all the way through the generations to RWA’s brother John Tappan Abbott. The first of our American ancestors with this name was Abraham Toppan, although the name was also sometimes spelled Topham.
Abraham Toppan was born in 1606 in Calbridge, England and lived for some time in Yarmouth, Norfolk. The Toppan family in England had owned considerable property dating back to the early 1400’s and held a lordship. There is a coat of arms for this family and the motto Cruce non predentia: By the cross, not by wisdom. This motto appears to be a biblical reference related to relying on spiritual truths and power, not words of human wisdom.
Abraham’s wife Susannah Taylor was born in 1607; her mother had inherited a large amount of property. Abraham and Susannah married and had their first two children prior to 1637. Abraham, Susannah, their two children, Susannah’s mother, and a maid Ann Goodin set sail on May 10, 1637 from Yarmouth on the ship Mary Ann.
The family settled in Newbury where they were among the first settlers. Abraham was a selectman for several years. He was involved in trade and made several trips to Barbados and brought back sugar, cotton, wool, and molasses for sale. He built the house pictured above in 1670 for his son Jacob. Abraham died in 1672 and Susannah died in 1689. They are buried at the Burying Ground of the First Settlers in Newbury.
The couple had a total of seven children. The youngest of these children, Isaac (1653-1711), is our ancestor. Isaac and his brother Abraham left Newbury for Woodbridge, New Jersey. Our branch of the family stayed in New Jersey, but others branched out to Liberty, Indiana and other areas of the mid-West. Isaac’s granddaughter Hannah Tappan married Gach Bloodgood creating one of the connections between English and Dutch branches of the family.
Source:
Tappan, Daniel Langdon. (1915). Ancestors and descendants of Abraham Toppan of Newbury, Massachusetts 1606-1672. Privately printed by Daniel Tappan. (available at archive.org)
Brandon Fradd, Abraham Toppan Was Not a Yorkshire Man, in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society), 161 :92-94, 2007.
Abrahm1 Toppan was not bp 10 Apr 1606 in Coverham, Yorkshire, England son of William Toppan of that parish! That was based on the work of the notorious Horatio Gates Somerby (who is well known for publishing fraudulent maternal). The registers in question don't even begin until 1707; Somerby presented a fictional pedigree. The author discusses other problematic issues with this work.
https://web2.americanancestors.org/databases/new-england-historical...=
Events
| Birth | Abt 1606 | England |  | ||
| Marriage | By 1634 | Susannah Taylor | |||
| Immigration | 10 May 1637 | Newbury, Massachusetts Bay |  | | |
| Will | 30 Jul 1661 | Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts Bay | | ||
| Death | 6 Nov 1672 | Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts Bay |
Families
| Spouse | Susannah Taylor (1607 - 1688) |
| Child | Dr. Peter Tappan (1634 - 1707) |
| Child | Elizabeth Tappan (1635 - ) |
| Child | Abraham Tappan (1644 - 1703) |
| Child | Jacob Tappan (1645 - 1717) |
| Child | Susanna Tappan (1649 - ) |
| Child | John Tappan (1651 - 1723) |
| Child | Isaac Tappan (1653 - 1711) |
Notes
Immigration
Abraham was admitted into the township of Newbury on October 16, 1637.Will
In his will, Abraham Toppan has bequests to his son Peter, his son Jacob who is about to marry Hannah Sewall daughter of Henry and Jane Sewall, sons Abraham, Isaac, and John, son-in-law Samuel Mihil and wife, grandchildren Elizabeth Tappan and Peter and Samuel, beloved wife Susan, and there is reference to "my other children" but it is not at all sure to whom this refers.Endnotes
1. , Daniel Langdon Tappan, Tappan-Toppan genealogy : ancestors and descendants of Abraham Toppan of Newbury, Massachusetts, 1606-1672 (Arlington, MA: Parker River Researchers, 1915), ; digital images, (https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=CRV (N.p.: n.p., n.d.).
2. , Daniel Langdon Tappan, Tappan-Toppan genealogy : ancestors and descendants of Abraham Toppan of Newbury, Massachusetts, 1606-1672 (Arlington, MA: Parker River Researchers, 1915), ; digital images, (https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=CRV (N.p.: n.p., n.d.).