He was an Iowa state senator and is believed to have been the first white settler in Linn County, Iowa. Originally from Ohio, he traveled west in search of land in 1836. Little is known about Mr. Abbe until this time. Abbe Creek, on which he established his homestead, still bears his name today. A one-room school house was established on the homestead site in 1856 and still stands today bearing the name of Abbe Creek School. He came to eastern Iowa by way of Rock Island, Illinois, in the summer of 1836. He followed the Red Cedar River to the site of the present town of Mt. Vernon, Iowa, and staked a claim of 400 acres on what is now known as Abbe Creek. He returned to his home in Lorain County, Ohio, to collect his family and they returned to Iowa in the winter of 1837. He reached his staked claim in April and immediately cleared the land around the creek. Later that fall he built a large double log house with three rooms and an upstairs sleeping loft reached by an inside ladder. Two years after William and his wife, Olive, homesteaded the land, Olive died. She was buried in an unmarked grave near their farm. This area later became Sugar Grove Cemetery. In 1840, Mr. Abbe married Mary Wolcott. The first two years he hunted and traded with the Indians and spoke the Winnebago language. Later he acted as interpreter for them in dealings with white settlers and trappers. Mr. Abbe’s cabin was a popular gathering place for the settlers and immigrants of early Linn County. It was the major stop between Iowa City and Dubuque on the old Military Road. Strangers could always find a good meal and a place to stay with William and Mary Abbe. Mr. Abbe was one of the best known and educated men in the county. He was an old time Democrat and served as state senator representing Cedar, Linn and Jones counties in the 7th and 8th Territorial Legislatures at Iowa City. He was a Justice of the Peace and later served a short time as sheriff of the county. He helped build the first jail in Marion. He also held the government contracts for the delivery of meat and provisions to the Winnebago Agency at Fort Atkinson and to the troops at Prairie du Chien in Wisconsin. For many years, he was the only person in the county who had a ready supply of money and he loaned it freely to his friends for them to purchase claims. When gold was discovered in California, Mr. Abbe left his family in 1849 for the gold fields where he was a land speculator and teamster. He came back to Iowa in 1851, but left again for California with his son the next year. In 1854, before he could return to Iowa to bring his family to California, he died at age 54. His widow, Mary, continued to live in Marion until her death in 1861.

He was an Iowa state senator and is believed to have been the first white settler in Linn County, Iowa. Originally from Ohio, he traveled west in search of land in 1836. Little is known about Mr. Abbe until this time. Abbe Creek, on which he established his homestead, still bears his name today. A one-room school house was established on the homestead site in 1856 and still stands today bearing the name of Abbe Creek School. He came to eastern Iowa by way of Rock Island, Illinois, in the summer of 1836. He followed the Red Cedar River to the site of the present town of Mt. Vernon, Iowa, and staked a claim of 400 acres on what is now known as Abbe Creek. He returned to his home in Lorain County, Ohio, to collect his family and they returned to Iowa in the winter of 1837. He reached his staked claim in April and immediately cleared the land around the creek. Later that fall he built a large double log house with three rooms and an upstairs sleeping loft reached by an inside ladder. Two years after William and his wife, Olive, homesteaded the land, Olive died. She was buried in an unmarked grave near their farm. This area later became Sugar Grove Cemetery. In 1840, Mr. Abbe married Mary Wolcott. The first two years he hunted and traded with the Indians and spoke the Winnebago language. Later he acted as interpreter for them in dealings with white settlers and trappers. Mr. Abbe’s cabin was a popular gathering place for the settlers and immigrants of early Linn County. It was the major stop between Iowa City and Dubuque on the old Military Road. Strangers could always find a good meal and a place to stay with William and Mary Abbe. Mr. Abbe was one of the best known and educated men in the county. He was an old time Democrat and served as state senator representing Cedar, Linn and Jones counties in the 7th and 8th Territorial Legislatures at Iowa City. He was a Justice of the Peace and later served a short time as sheriff of the county. He helped build the first jail in Marion. He also held the government contracts for the delivery of meat and provisions to the Winnebago Agency at Fort Atkinson and to the troops at Prairie du Chien in Wisconsin. For many years, he was the only person in the county who had a ready supply of money and he loaned it freely to his friends for them to purchase claims. When gold was discovered in California, Mr. Abbe left his family in 1849 for the gold fields where he was a land speculator and teamster. He came back to Iowa in 1851, but left again for California with his son the next year. In 1854, before he could return to Iowa to bring his family to California, he died at age 54. His widow, Mary, continued to live in Marion until her death in 1861.