Abijah Cheever

Vocation

American doctor and politician. In 1779 Cheever graduated from Harvard College. He then studied medicine and surgery under John Warren and obtained his M. D. in 1782. On May 13, 1782 Cheever was commissioned as a surgeon aboard the Tartar, a ship fitted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for service in the American Revolution. On the ship's second voyage, it was captured by the HMS Belisarius and Cheever was sent to a prison ship in New York Harbor. Once the war ended, Cheever was exchanged and returned to Massachusetts. After the war, he settled in Boston's North End, where he worked as a physician and surgeon. On July 5, 1789 he married Elizabeth Scott. The couple would have three children before her death on July 5, 1795. On October 16, 1798 he married Sally Williams, with whom he had two children. Cheever returned to Saugus in 1806 and would remain here for the rest of his life. Cheever was one of Saugus' largest land owners with over two-hundred acres. He was also one of Saugus' few slave holders. On his family's land he built an elegant home that became well known throughout the region. In 1815, Cheever was elected to Saugus' first Board of Selectmen, Assessors, and Overseers of the Poor. In 1821, 1829, 1830, and 1831, Cheever represented Saugus in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. During his political career, Cheever frequently competed with his brother Joseph Cheever. Abijah Cheever died on April 21, 1843. Link to Wikipedia biography