History of Andover

The territory within the limits of the town of Andover was originally called Cochicawick. Andover was incorporated as a town May 6, 1646, and was named for the town in Hants County, England, which had been the home of many of its settlers.

A committee was appointed by the General court on June 1, 1652, to lay out the bounds between Andover and Cambridge, and the same day the Court granted that the five or six hundred acres laid out by Rowley, without their line near Andover town, should belong to Andover.

Before its division, Andover contained about one sixth of the territory of Essex County. Its boundaries, before a portion was set off to Lawrence in 1847, were, the Merrimack River on the northwest (separating Dracut and Methuen), Bradford and Boxford on the northeast, Middleton on the southeast, Reading and Wilmington on the south, and Tewksbury on the southwest. In 1709 the town was divided into two parishes, North and South, from the latter of which the West Parish was set off, and incorporated in March 1827. In 1855 the town was divided nearly by the parish lines, the north division being incorporated as the town of North Andover. The name of Andover was relinquished to the south division, with whose institutions of learning it had become almost essentially identified. This transfer of the name makes it difficult to separate the history of the two towns, as the present North Andover was, for more than two hundred years, Andover. 

Sometime before June 14, 1642, the first settlement was established in town, made up of men from Newbury and Ipswich. 

The first transaction of any kind by an Andover resident, on record, is that of a deed of land and stock in Ipswich to Richard Barker, dated August 13, 1643.

The first sale of land in Andover of which a deed has been found, was by Mr. Simon Bradstreet to Richard Sutton; a house lot, and swelling house and some fifty acres of meadow land in 1658. 

The bounds between Andover and Billerica were established May 26, 1658.

The bounds between Andover and Wills Hill were established May 9, 1678.

June 20, 1728, a part of Andover was included in the new town of Middleton.

April 17, 1847, a part of Andover was included in the new town of Lawrence.

April 7, 1855, a part of Andover was established as North Andover.

February 7, 1879 a part of Andover was annexed to Lawrence.

The bounds between Andover and Tewksbury were established May 21, 1903.

The bounds between Andover and North Reading were established April 22, 1904

      The population of Andover at different periods was as follows:    

Information from Vital Records of Andover, MA and Historical Sketches of Andover, by S. L. Bailey.