Abner reed was born in East Windsor, CT in 1771. Abner began his career engraving plates for saddles. By 1811 he had moved on to engraving bank notes for both the United States and Canada. He was one of the earliest bank note engravers in the country doing his first engraving for the Hartford Bank in 1792. He also wrote and published at least two books of his own, "Love Triumphant or Constancy Romoved," and a children's book called "First Steps in Learning." He died in Toledo, OH in 1866.