Elias Abel was born on June 7, 1800 in Wythe County, Virginia to unknown parents.  There are no mention of any of his siblings.  It is said that his father died in about 1820 and he was then left to care for his invalid mother.  In 1824, he arrived in Indiana, at the house of his brother-in-law, Luke Ward, but nothing is said of his mother.  I don't see that she came with him anywhere, but it's hard to know when I don't have any mention of her name.

When he came to Bloomington in 1824, establishing his own farm, Bloomington was very rural and had fewer than a thousand residents, but it was growing rapidly.  On April 28, 1828, he married Hannah "Hattie" Ottwell (?-?), daughter of Naomi Ottwell/Otwell (1770-1853).  They had at least three children: Joseph W. Abel (1829-1852), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana; Elizabeth "Eliza" Abel Snodgrass (1830-1920), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana (she died of bronchial pneumonia); and Margaret Elizabeth Abel Howe (1836-1915), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana.  He continued his farming up until 1841, when he began his duties as Monroe County Treasurer.  He was, during this time, also elected to serve in the Indiana General Assembly (1856-7).  After his term was over, he took up the seat of Deputy Treasurer, which he held until 1862 when he retired.

During his time serving in various political posts, he constructed the house that we know today as the Elias Abel House, located on Fairview Street in the Historic Near West Side neighborhood.  It was completed in 1845, but he only lived there until 1856, when he sold the property for $1,000.  This time coincides with his election to the General Assembly.  After his term, he returned to Bloomington and purchased what we now know as the Blair-Dunning House.

Elias is mentioned numerous times in the county court records, sometimes information on what his part was is listed, but most of the time it wasn't noted.  There is an entry that shows him as "served as riding bailiff" in 1838.  Another one lists him as road viewer, while another is listed as land redemption.  With his work as the county treasurer, I can only assume that a lot of his work was set up by the county.  His name is also mentioned several times in the County Deed Index as a buyer of various properties.  I don't know if he was actually buying these properties or if he was just involved in the transfer for estate purposes.  It's rather vague.

Elias' wife, Hannah, passed away in March of 1864.  I have been unable to find her burial site, but it is likely in Rose Hill Cemetery in the Spencer Addition.  There are, unfortunately, many unmarked graves there.  

In October of 1870, he married for a second time, to Cerelda/Zerelda PauleyWorley (1820-1890), daughter of Issac Pauley (1789-1833) and Sarah Paugh Pauley (1790-?), early settlers of the county. They are all buried near one another in Rose Hill Cemetery.  

It is interesting that his in his obituary, dated January 29, 1890, it is stated that he continued to live in his house on West 7th Street until his death, but that doesn't coincide with the history of the house and its ownership.  The Blair-Dunning House is located on West 3rd Street in the Prospect Hill neighborhood, while Elias' house was indeed located on West 7th Street.  

His will, dated February 6, 1890, lists his daughter Margaret E. Howe as the one who was receiving everything that he had to his name, "real and personal".  I find it interesting his wife, Cerelda/Zerelda wasn't mentioned in his will.  

Elias is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery with a small headstone.  I have not yet found that headstone, so I don't have a photo of it, but his entry on Find-A-Grave shows it, as well as the house.

Rest in Peace Elias Abel.

REFERENCES

Wikipedia - Elias Abel House

Find-A-Grave - Elias Abel

Monroe County, Indiana Archives - Monroe County Will Records 1818-1904