In 1761, Somes, a
cooper by trade, brought his wife (Hannah Herrick) and family from
Gloucester, Massachusetts, to the island, along with James Richardson and Richardson's family. Somes obtained the land for development on grants from
Francis Bernard, the governor of
Massachusetts; who, in 1761, still maintained an interest in securing the property for
the Crown. Somes chose to establish a village at the north end of the
fjard which cuts through the center of the island. It would later be named after him as
Somes Sound, and it is the only natural
fjard on the east coast of the United States. Abraham named his settlement
Somesville and it would develop into an important trading location that largely allowed for the rest of the island to be permanently colonized in the years following the
American Revolutionary War. During the
American Revolution, Abraham Somes served as a 1st Lieutenant in
Ezra Young's 7 Co., 6 Lincoln Co., regiment of the
Massachusetts militia. He also served in Capt. Daniel Sullivan's Company of Volunteers in 1779. After fulfilling his duty in the military, Abraham returned to Somesville, where he lived out his days. He had 13 children. ==Death==