Benjamin Abbott (1732 – August 14, 1796) was an evangelist who successfully converted much of southern New Jersey to Methodism.

He was born in Pennsylvania in 1732 to Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Abbott. He started out as a hatter's apprentice in Philadelphia, later leaving that position to work on his brother's farm in New Jersey. He is said to have been addicted to card-playing, cock-fighting, drinking, and brawling.

In 1772, he converted to Methodism because of the preaching of Abraham Whitworth, and became a local preacher. In 1790, he was ordained a deacon, and later, in 1793, he became an elder of the church and a circuit preacher. He particularly attacked Calvinism, and preached that Methodism was the only means of salvation. He died in Salem, New Jersey, in 1796.

[edit] References

• Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1967.

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