The son of Jacob and Betsey Abbott, historian, minister, and pedagogue John S. C. Abbott was born in Brunswick, Maine (September 19, 1805 - June 17, 1877). He was Jacob Abbott's brother and worked alongside him to operate Abbott's Institute in New York City and to write his collection of succinct historical biographies. Dr. Abbott earned his undergraduate degree from Bowdoin College in 1825, completed his theological training at Andover Theological Seminary, and preached in Massachusetts' Worcester, Roxbury, and Nantucket before leaving the Congregational Church in 1844. Abbot's biography in The Biographical Dictionary of America (1906) states that he was gifted with an exceptionally clear and active mind and that he could leave the topic at hand for something completely different before returning to his previous work without the slightest inconvenience. He was also endowed with a singularly even temperament; by his personal best as well as by his books, he had a great influence on the world, and he remained active in work almost until the time of his death, to which he contributed greatly.
