Visitation Part One

Historical Visitation of Andover

1863 ~ Part One

Started from home in West Haverhill at 9 a. m. on May 5, 1863, passing through Salem, NH., Methuen and Lawrence, and arrived at W. F. Draper's about 2 p.m. Called on John H. Manning who says that Wilson Flagg, who came from Beverly, resided in Andover, a few years and now probably resides in Cambridge, is interested in history and is a writer for periodicals. Dr. Sanborn's son is interested in entomology. Mr. Manning says that his grandfather, Thomas Manning, shoemaker, came from Billerica to Andover when he was about twenty-one years old. He purchased the homestead where he now resides, probably about the time he was married, of Joseph Ballard and his widowed mother. Timothy, who owned the mills, from whom the village derived its name, was brother to Joseph Ballard.

Thomas Manning's wife was Mehitable Kidder, and probably all ten children were born on the farm. Some of the children were born in a house which stood about forty rods west of the present house. A part of this old house was moved to form the ell of this house, but in 1842 it was taken away and a new ell built. The house was built in 1758, and the barn which was raised up about 1850-1851, was probably built at the same time. The balm of gilead trees in front of the house were set out about 1833 and the elm tree on the opposite side of the street, and which contains about five cords, was brought there on Mr. Ballard's shoulders and set out the day he was twenty-one years old. His shoemaker's hop, which was once a blacksmith's shop, stood just below the old house, but it was torn down before Mr. Manning can remember. Deacon Gould's wife if related to the Ballard's. Nathaniel Whittier's wife, Summer street, is a descendant of the Manning's.

Thomas Manning's children were: Thomas, father of John H.; Chloe, married a Holley and her son William edited a newspaper in New Hampshire; Hannah, married a Burtt and lived near Haggett's Pond, William Burtt being a chaplain of the State almshouse. Thomas Manning, the father of John H., and probably the youngest of the children, married, first, Sarah, daughter of Joseph and Anna ______, of North Reading, and settled on this homestead, where he always lived. She was the mother of all his children and died in 1839, aged about 55 years, and was buried in the Old South graveyard. He married, second, Adeline A., daughter of Asa _______, who still resides at the homestead. In his younger days, Thomas Manning was a shoemaker, but many years before he died, in 1849, he was a farmer. The farm consisted of 48 acres, and he owned 80 acres more; the family now own about 20 acres near Pomp's Pond.

The children of Thomas Manning, jr. were : (1) Edward Augustus, farmer, now of Manchester, Iowa, who formerly owned the place where Mr. Church now resides on Phillips street; he was overseer of repairs on the Boston and Maine Railroad from very soon after the road was built until he removed to Iowa, first from Andover depot to Wilmington and when the double track was built he had a section from the depot to Ballardvale; he married Hannah Merrill of Derry, NH and has four children living, three daughters and one son, the oldest having died in March 1863 and a daughter in 1840; his son, Augustus L., about twenty-one years old, is in the 12th or 13th Iowa Regiment, and was taken prisoner at Pittsburgh Landing, held eight months, suffered very much and was nearly all the time at Macon, Georgia; (2) Sarah A., d. 1840, unmarried; (3) Mary K., died young; (4) Joseph M., died young; (5) Mary Angenett, who married Henry F. Barnard and d. 1850, leaving two children; (6) John Hart, b. Feb. 8, 1824, married Lois Ann, daughter of Amos and Myra (Nichols) Batchelder, who was b. North Reading, Mar. 11, 1832; her father was son of Simeon and Betsey Batchelder and her mother was daughter of Mrs. Lois Nichols; children all b. at the homestead, (a) Mary Alton, b. Oct. 31, 1850; (b) John Hart, Jr., b. Feb. 3, 1858; (c) Martha, b. Apr. 23, 1860; (d) Frederick Wilber, b. June 26, 1862. John H. Manning lived in Nahant in 1851-2, in the south in the winters of 1859 and 60, and in Magnolia St. John's River, Florida, for his health in 1860-61; (7) Rebecca Jane, b. Mar. 23, 1827, mar. Henry F. Barnard, her deceased sister's husband.

Two other families have occupied this house, Horace Lewis, who came from New Hampshire, perhaps New Boston, lived in the Abiel Abbott place a while, then moved here and occupied a part of the house from April, 1852 to April, 1854; and John W. Haley, a member of the middle class at the Seminary, who occupied it in Nov. 1861, but later moved into one part of the house in which FitzWilliam Rogers now resides.

Called on Asa A. Abbott, who has been one of the selectmen often and found him in his field south of his house, which land extends about 80 rods to where Dr. Whitney of Charlestown, formerly of Haverhill, now owns. The latter was a West lot and was given to Holt; probably Benjamin West had no children. One Allen once owned the land about three quarters of a mile southwest of A. Abbott's, now owned by hi brother Sylvester and Nathan B. Abbott, and it was here that Mr. Abbott's great-great grandfather Ephraim Abbott, settled. The plan before reaching Ballardville was called Preston's Plain as long ago as 1718, perhaps from one John Preston who once lived there . Isaac Wilson, who resides near the line between Andover and North Andover, has the proprietor's records, he being the clerk. John Russ probably resided where Peter Smith now resides.

Mr. Abbott says that beginning at the turnpike where Moses Abbott now resides, the land formerly was owned by the Chandlers until about 1806. John Chandler, son of David, had left the place before 1807, because that year the turnpike was built and the workmen lived there. John Chandler was a shoemaker and probably mortgaged his place to Jonathan Swift, the tanner, who resided where the present Jonathan Swift now lives. Moses Abbott, son of Moses and grandson of Barachias, came into possession of the place after the Moses first referred to was born.

On May 6th, called on Capt. Joshua Ballard, who says his grandfather, Dea. Hezekiah Ballard, was son of Hezekiah, and a descendant of William who came to this town from Saugus. Dea. Hezekiah married Lydia Chandler and lived where Mr. Manning now resides.

Their children were (1) Lydia, b. July 30, 1742, mar. Dane Holt, settled at Prospect Hill, had three children and d. Nov. 1813; (2) Rebecca, b. May 16, 1744, mar. Dea. Zebediah Abbott, and d. 1821 in West Andover where Benjamin Boynton now resides. Children : (a) Dea. Zebediah, (b) Anna, mar. Christopher Osgood, settled in Pembroke, NH: (c) Hermon; (3) Lois, b. July 19, 1746, mar. Joshua Phelps, d. Dec. 26, 1836, settled in West Andover, about a mile and a half from the West Andover church on the road to Lowell. Children : (a) Joshua, (b) Mrs. Blunt, (c) Mrs. Noah Abbott; (4) Hannah, b. Dec. 6, 1748, mar. 1st Obadiah Foster, 2nd Capt Joshua Chandler, and d. Dec. 1838. With her first husband, she lived where Nathan Abbott, 2nd, now lives; (5) Mary, b. Feb. 27, 1751, mar. Henry Phelps, another son of Samuel Phelps, settled where her sons Henry and Chandler Phelps now reside in West Andover, and d. 1835; (6) Joshua, b. June 27, 1753, choked to death by a piece of corn; (7) Sarah, b. Jan. 27, 1756, mar. Dea. Nathan Abbott, settled in Scotland District, where Nathan B. Abbott now resides, and d. 1825; (8) Dorcas, b. Oct. 16, 1757, d. unmarried; (9) Lucy, b. Apr. 4, 1760, mar. Nathan Chandler of West Andover, removed to Concord, NH and d. June 8, 1827; (10) Hezekiah, b. July 18, 1762, mar. Mary, dau. Zebadiah and Deborah (Blanchard) Chandler of West Andover, who d. Mar. 16, 1834. He d. Oct. 4, 1847.

Hezekiah Ballard settled on the farm which is now owned by William Allen, the last house before reaching the Wilmington line, the land having been purchased from Joshua Wardwell and wife Mary, in 1771, by Dea. Hezekiah Ballard. It was owned previously by Joseph Foster, jr. Here Dea. Ballard kept a public house a few years during the Revolution. The barn on the old place which was taken down about 1812 was raised when Hezekiah Ballard was twenty-ones years old, that is, in 1783, and the present barn was built in 1839. The present house was built on the Job Foster place which Capt. Ballard bought in 1834. The old house was on the opposite side of the road toward Boston, about thirty rods.

About half of this farm was purchased of the town by Capt. Ballard's ancestors , besides about seventy acres on the Wilmington side. His father bought of the town on the eastern side of John's hill, so called because an Irishman, John Dunlap, lived in the angle made by the Boston road that leading by Rattlesnake hill. Ceasar Dole afterward lived there. Capt. Ballard owned at one time about 300 acres, but retains about 50. He sold about 75 acres to William Allen, Apr. 1, 1852. Mr. Allen having hired it five years previous to buying.

Others who have lived in any part of the old house where the tavern was kept were widow Susannah Marshall, whose sons, Jacob and James, died in Andover and whose daughter Abigail was there a while. Tabitha and Hannah Holt kept house there, 1800-1810; they were spinners and had a brother Michael Holt, who lived in North Andover. Isaac Jones, a native of Wilmington, was there about two years and left in the autumn of 1810, to go to Stoddard, NH. He soon after died and his family went west. Nathaniel Dunkley, an old Revolutionary soldiers, lived in the next house about 1808.

The children of Hezekiah and Mary Ballard were (1) Joshua, b. Jan. 3, 1785, mar. 1810, observed their golden wedding Nov. 13, 1860; Phebe, dau. Jonathan and Dorcas (Abbott) Abbott, and grandd. Jonathan and Martha (Lovejoy) Abbott; her mother was dau. Stephen and Mary (Abbott) Abbott, b. Jan. 17, 1788, where Stephen D. Abbott lives; the house stood near his residence and was taken down about 1830. Joshua lived on the homestead of his father and grandfather until May 1, 1848, when he bought of Merrill Pettengill a two acre farm, corner of the turnpike and Punchard avenue. Pettengill built the house but, upon removing to Boston or Melrose, he rented it to different persons. Mr. Ballard made some additions, and on Aug. 27, 1851, the year when several fires occurred in Andover, it was partially destroyed. In about eleven weeks it was repaired and made into its present shape. Children: (a) Phebe Abbott, b. Aug. 22, 1811, mar. Hermon Phelps Chandler, cousin to her father; (b) Joshua, b. Jan. 28, 1813, mar. May, 1840, Mehitable, dau. Jonathan and Betsy (Batchelder) Abbott of Temple, NH.; resides in Southbridge, MA., agent of the Hamilton Woolen Co. of Boston since 1846, but previously agent for the Amoskeag Co.; no children ; (c) Stephen, b. Sept. 9, 1815, mar. 1st, Dec. 24, 1830 to Sarah Ballard, dau. Abiel and Sarah (Abbott) Russell, who d. Oct. 1851; mar. 2nd, in Lowell, Abby Dodge, b. Amherst; resides in Williamsburg, NH., making belts for machinery; for eleven years after his brother left Amoskeag Mills, he was agent, removing in the autumn of 1858; (d) Edward, b. June 26, 1819, lives at home, unmarried; (e) Gayton, b. July 8, 1821, mar. Sybil Brown Abbott, sister to Joshua's wife; settled in Hookset, NH, where he remained about three years and went to Southbridge, about 1849; he, with his brother Joshua and Adolphus Merriam, own a small woolen mill, the firm being Merriam & Ballard; children, Sybil Eliza, Mary Alma, and Daniel, all died young; Sarah Eliza, b. Aug. 1852; Arthur Grayton, b. 1854; (f) William, b. May 15, 1826; (g) Mary, b. Mar. 24, 1828, unmarried. Notes : Hezekiah next to Capt Joshua, died with the throat distemper, aged 11 years; Mary died, aged about 14 years; Hannah died at the age of 45 years; Sarah and Dorcas died young; Hezekiah, mar. Susan Brown, and died Dec. 21, 1837, aged 41 years, by falling from a wagon in Reading where he resided; Nathan died young.

Joseph Ballard, who married Hannah, dau. Col. George Abbott, and sold to Manning was probably cousin to Dea. Hezekiah. Timothy Ballard, who owned the mills at Ballardvale village, was not a brother to Dea. Hezekiah ; he married Mary, dau. William and Hanah Abbott, and had no children, but they adopted her niece Mary B., dau. Capt Joseph and Sarah (Foster) Brown, who is 2d wife of Dea. Abraham Jones Gould.

Old Nehemiah Abbott married Hannah Ballard, whose sister Betty was a blind maiden lady; she owned the mills with Timothy Ballard. Nehemiah Abbott had one son who was a physician; the former sold his interest in the mills to Timothy. On the brook that runs from Foster's pond to the river, there was a small grist mill owned by William Goldsmith, and afterwards by son Jeremiah, but no grinding has been done there since about 1800. There was a winter mill on the road by Rattlesnake hill. The Ballardvale Co. own the water privileges which they bought some years ago.

Called again on Asa A. Abbott on May 6th. Gen. Washington took breakfast in this house where Lock resides near Valpey's which was occupied as a tavern by Dea. Isaac Abbott, and when the General left town he went down Phillips St on toward Billerica. Phillips lived in Moses Abbott's house when he was building the mansion house. Garden Abbott, the blacksmith, resided in Moses Abbott's house. He died in North Andover. Capt. Joseph Gleason lived there next and he went to West Reading, Wood End, where he died. Mr. Vinal, one of the carpenters on the seminary buildings also lived there.

David I. C. Hidden resides on the farm that was probably originally owned by the Chandlers. The first of that name whom Mr. Asa A. Abbott can recollect was Philemon Chandler who owned the homestead of about 30 acres beside a larger tract of meadow and wooodland near Chandler's bridge pasture where the stone academy stands. Roger Brook pasture; the brook named for an old Indian by the name of Roger. Next William, son of Philemon Chandler owned the place, and William's son Isaac next owned it; the latter died about 1835 and his daughter, Abigail, resides there now. David Hidden, who came up with William Bartlett in his chaise with his tools when they built the seminary buildings, concluded to settle here and married Mary, daughter of Isaac Chandler. He died on the place and D.I.C. Hidden is his son.

The widow of Rev. Mr. Barnard of Salem occupied a part of the house before old Mr. Hidden was married. Rev. Mr. Mills and a Mr. Avery lived here at different times. Timothy Abbott owned the homestead of about 44 acres mostly on the south side of the street, although there was some land near Deer's Jump, Foster's Pond and Falls woods in the southern part of the town, Preston's plain, Pine swamp, east of Seminary hill, all of which has been divided among his descendants.

Asa A. and Sylvester Abbott own and occupy the homestead of 155 acres and since their barn which stood on the opposite side of the street was burned on June 21, 1855, each has built a barn of uniform design. In the old barn was stored a large collection of old furniture, as well as very old papers and books, taken from the old house, all of which were burned. The present house was built on the site of the old one that stood about 80 or 90 years, having been built by Asa Abbott, of the fourth generation from George, the emigrant, when Timothy was nine years old, about 1754. The original house stood on the opposite side of the street, about six rods south west. The latter part of Timothy's life was spent with his brother William in a house which stood about 50 feet from where Dea. Albert Abbott' house stands. None but Abbott families have ever occupied the place of Asa A. and Sylvester Abbott.

Mr. Manning's house is next. There were several houses in the rear of Manning's, one of which was a Mr. Stone occupied not far from Stuart's house. It is said that Stone cut his wife's throat. One Stephen Abbott once lived near Prof. Phelps' house. Joseph Ballard's father built a barn 78 x 30 feet, and Asa Abbott built one 60 x 30 feet.

Hugh Wilson owns on the northerly side of the street which was formerly owned by David Blunt and perhaps before by his ancestor. Blunt left only one child, a daughter, Mary P., who married Peter Shedd from Tewksbury. They settled on the place and continued there until they went to Milford, NH, about 1837; five children were born to them before they left and about seven since, all of whom are living, except two who were killed recently in the army. Peter Shedd sold the place to Andrew B. Stimpson, who went to Ballardvale and died there. The latter was a riding master and at one time was connected with Ordway's Circus, Ordway & Stimpson of New York. Afterwards one of the Factory Co. owned the place and it was occupied by W. C. McDonald, now Donald, who is the ink manufacturer at Frye village. Cruikshanks and Turnbull bought the place and the latter occupied it awhile. Joseph J. Pierson and William Marland have lived there.

Warren Mason, a returned soldier, last occupied the house owned by Mr. Ellis; before him William Simpson, who now resides on the street back of the seminary. Rev. Alonzo T. Demming, a student in the seminary, occupied it awhile; he now resides in Bridgewater, VT., having left here in 1859. John Hacket built the house about 1849, and lived there; then Samuel Evans, who came from and went back to North Andover, and whose wife if a daughter of Eben Fish of North Andover. William Hacket, brother to John, built his house west of John's about 1859. The Hackets bought the land of Marland, and it was formerly a part of the Blunt place.

There was formerly a house which probably stood about fifty rods of the street before the Philemon Chandler place is reached. This Philemon was probably son of Philemon, of the third generation, who owned the Hidden place, and whose wife was the widow of Job Foster, who lived near the Allen place. He had children by a former wife. Jabez Hayward came from where Capt. Henry now resides, on the line between Andover and North Reading, and bought a part of this Philemon Chandler place, about 1805; since then his son, Capt. Harry, and the latter's son, Henry Edwards Hayward, have occupied the place.

Isaac Goldsmith, a natural genius, who resides last before reaching the Plain, live where Capt. Thomas C. Foster's father formerly owned. The house was of one story and moved from the Allen place; it was afterward owned by Ephraim Allen, and a part of it was removed to the Whiting place, where his servant resides. Kendall Parker, the hatter, occupied it after Foster, and one Dalton resided there about 1812. He came from Charlestown or Chelsea and returned there. L___ Trull, a blacksmith, with a shop in the corner beyond, was there a while. Ephraim Abbott's son Daniel was a blacksmith on the Allen place until he died; one Russell and one Johnson also lived there.

About half a mile from Goldsmith's, the Plain is reached and the turn is made from the old Boston road to the Ballardvale road, where the gate stood that was the entrance to the bridle way. The Plain was owned formerly by several of the early proprietors of the town.

William Maars resides on the Plain in a house that was removed from Stephen D. Abbott's farm by his father, Zebadiah; the latter married a Miss Butters about 1800 and had a large family, and he married, second, a Wood Moses built his house near his fathers.

The first meeting of the company to consider the purchase of land about Contookook was held at the Ballard tavern. The company was composed of men from Andover, Wilmington and Woburn. There was quite a controversy about the line between Andover and Wilmington, then Woburn, as many as one hundred years ago. The road from the fate on the Plain to Ballardvale was fenced out by the proprietors when they had a meeting under an oak in 1794. The three ash trees in front of A. A. and S. Abbott's house were set out in the spring of 1822 and the elm at the west of them in 1829; the sugar maple was raised from seed brought from Maine by Asa.

Wadley Noyes owns the Osgood tavern in West Andover near Hackett's pond and it was here that James Otis was killed by lightening. Deer Jump is in West Andover and is now called the Gulf, the name having originated from the story of a deer jumping from Andover into Dracut over the Merrimac and leaving the prints of his feet. Down Shoots is in North Andover, near Reading. Old Salem road runs by the oak tree.

Called on Mr. Moses Abbott on May 7th. He says that Asa A. and Sylvester are great musicians and play the fife; he, Mr. Moses, beat the snare drum; Rueben Jones who resides about one mile southeast of his house was one of the company. At first old Mr. Samuel Valpey who resided in Lawrence was bass drummer, then Samuel Merrill who went to Dover. Ferguson learned the snare, Samuel Gray sometimes played cornet, and Richard Carleton, a printer, played the bugle.

Capt. Flagg, the printer, was a military man and took an interest in music and Maj. Dudley was in his employ. Dea. Gould was also Captain of the Light Infantry Co. There was also an Artillery Co., composed mostly of South Andover men, and a Calvary Co., of which Maj. Samuel P. Blunt, who resides on the road from the Seminary to North Andover, was commander. The butternut tree that stands where the barn which was burned formerly stood, was brought by Martha Chandler in her handkerchief from the West Parish. Her father was Benjamin Frye, who married Elizabeth Clark, and died with smallpox soon after his return from the war in which he was engaged in privateering.

Mr. Moses Abbott says his father first resided in the house now occupied by I. Alvin Farley in which Gov. Phillips kept his store and Mr. Abbott and his sister Martha F., were born there. They removed to the Chandler place where the other children were born, all of whom died. Martha was born Mar. 16, 1800, married Timothy Ballard, who died Dec. 1844, and resides in Neehham; Mr. Abbott, b. Apr. 10, 1802, married Tryphena Montague Bowman, b. Amherst, Mass., Dec. 23, 1804, and they have always resided on the place.

The children were : Oramel Graves, b. Apr. 2, 1832, mar. Oct. 14, 1863, to Martha A. Carroll of Milford, Conn., 2nd Lt. Co. D. 50th Mass., also was in Co. B., 5th Regt., and at the first Bull Run battle; William Francis, b. Feb. 25, 1837, farmer, unmarried, is Corporal in Co. G. 37th Mass. Regt. ; Hubbard Moses, b. Jan. 29, 1839, unmarried, clerk in a gentleman's furnishing store in Northampton, Mass. Sergt. in Co. G., 37th Regt. ; George Bowman, b. May 20, 1843, mar. Ann Elizabeth, dau. John and Phebe (Russell) Chandler of Andover, and served in Co. G., 37th Regt. They have also adopted a daughter, Maria Edice, b. Sumner, Mass., Aug. 23, 1843, dau. Curtis and Miranda (Clapp) Fairchild. Richard Murphy, an Irish boy, aged fourteen years, taken from the state almshouse in Tewksbury, June 21, 1859, also lives there.

Mr. Abbott's father, William Bowman, was son of William L. Westbrook and Susanna (Hines) Bowman. Susanna Hines was born in Brookfield, Mass., and lived to the age of 100 years, 2 months and 5 days. Her mother Tirza, was dau. of Caleb and Tryphena (Montague) Hubbard. Maj. Caleb Hubbard died in 1850, aged nearly 96 years, having been in the Battle of Bunker Hill and a witness to the burning of Charlestown.

Mr. Abbott's grandfather, lived to the age of 90 years and 6 months, and his wife Elizabeth, who was daughter of Henry and Rebecca Holt, lived where Dea. Eben Jones now resides and died at the age of 95 years. Mr. Abbott has in his possession a commission from Gov. Thomas Pownall dated Mar. 5, 1760 and belonging to Ensign Jonathan Holt for the 2d Militia Co. of Andover, 4th Regiment under Capt. George Abbott's ancestor, Baracheus, son of John and Elizabeth Abbott, bought his house of Joseph Falkner on Nov. 14, 1730, about a mile east of the Seminary, and now occupied by Noah Abbott, Jr.'s widow. Among his children were Rhoda, b. Apr. 24, 1747, who fell into a kettle of suds on June 1, 1749; Timothy, a twin brother, who died by a fall at the age of 25 years and was buried in Wilton, NH.; Elizabeth, who married a Shattuck and died at Beverly, Sept. 1779, on a journey from Blue Hill to her father's aged 39 years.

Mr. Abbott's grandfather, Capt. Moses Abbott, was a surveyor, selectman and school-teacher. He was in the Indian wars and kept a journal of his trip to Maine, but the account is lost, it having been loaned to a Boston man. He was also a referee to settle difficulties. Mr. Abbott's father lived a while in Salem and went to the farm about 1809, next after Winal left. His wife's mother Frye occupied a part of it. John Chandler, who once lived here has a son John, also George, who works for Capt. Thomas Foster in the village next to Elm House and Samuel, who has worked as a ship carpenter in the navy yard at Charlestown some time.

In Hidden's house have lived, besides Chandlers and Hiddens, the widow of Rev. Barnard of Salem, John Shipman, the trader, Richard Moores, John C. Allen, who married Capt. Isaac Blunt's daughter, John H. Avery, student in 1835, widow Wyman in 1837, William Waters who is a book binder in New York, Squire Peabody, who died in the village in 1842, William H. Wardwell, while his house was built in 1846, Prof. Phelps, about 1847, and Rev. Charles L. Mills, 1862-3.

Miss Abigail Chandler says that her father Isaac mar. Abigail, dau. James Holt lived on the homestead, and he married 2d, Elizabeth Wyman. Children by 1st wife; Abigail, died young; Isaac, mar. Sally Thompson in Wilmington; Mary, b. June 5, 1786, mar. David Hidden, who was b. Sept. 21, 1784 in Newburyport; Sarah Ann, mar. John Crocker, resides in Springfield; Abigail, b. Sept. 3, 1795; Hannah, b. about 1801, d. aged 9 years. David Hidden was the son of David and Elizabeth (Stickney) Hidden, and the grandson of Joseph Hidden, who died Aug. 30, 1787, aged 73 years, and wife Mary, who died Oct. 8, 1789, aged 73 years. Elizabeth (Stickney) Hidden's mother died Nov. 30, 1787, aged 63 years and her father was drowned at Newburyport bar, April 1769.

David and Mary (Chandler) Hidden's children; Mary Elizabeth, b. Feb. 13, 1818; David Isaac, b. Aug. 15, 1823; Abigail Jane, b. 1825, d. young; William Henry, d. young. Their house was built 1811-1812, and the old house about 25 rods west was standing a few years after this was built. Mr. Woodbridge resided here before it was taken down and converted into the present house of John Parnel near Salem St., by Moses Wood. A large hickory stands just back of the site of the old house.

Called on Sylvester Abbott, brother of Asa A. The water under the oaks drys up generally in June but there is a spring in the pasture at the Sunset Rock beyond Dr. Whitney place. Mrs. Abbott says her father, Dea. Reuben Batchelder, b. in Hampton Falls, was son of Dea. David and Mary (Emory) Batchelder. Her mother was Betsy, daughter of Michael and Lucy (Burnham) Tilton. Mrs. Rhoda Abbott was born at Hampton Falls, NH., Aug. 24, 1814. Their children were : Caroline Brown, b. Sept 23, 1846; Horace Sylvester, died young; Elizabeth Batchelder, b. July 27, 1850; Mary Smith, b. June 8, 1854. Mr. Abbott's boarders now are John Harry Hewes from Cincinnati, Marlon S. Hewes from Reading and Willard Sperry. Pompey Lovejoy was a slave to his grandmother's father, Henry Abbott, whose wife was Rose. They lived near what is now called Pomp's Pond and every election day people went to his house to get his cake.

At Marland Village was a powder mill, paper mill and a grist mill, but now there is nothing but the mills. At Abbott Village there was a grist mill, carding mill and fulling mill, also, about 1820, a nail mill. At Ballardvale, the saw mill, grist mill, two runs of stone and a small house for the man who tended the mill was all there was on this side the river until Goldsmith's is reached. The mills were tended by Butterfield, the millwright, who perhaps came from Tyngsboro about 1815. William Ferguson, who was a drummer, and was in the War of 1812, was there as early as 1820. The grist and saw mill were taken away when the second mill was built, and on the opposite side of the river the second mill was built near the site of the saw and grist mill, and some years after a machine shop and foundry were built of stone, which was brought from about three or four miles east of Falls woods. The building was used as a shoe manufactory a while and is now used for the manufacture of files.

The second house after the miller's on the side of this river was Marlon's. He built on the site of Ellis' present house, and the house was burned. Daniel Poor probably built the first one. On the north side was only Timothy Ballard's and a small one where Jonathan Abbott resided before the cloth mills were built, until N. Clark's house is reached. Timothy Ballard was injured by a cart load of corn and later became insane and cut his throat in 1828. This was the first funeral after Rev. Mr. Badger was settled. On the Shawsheen river right above Ballardvale there was a saw and grist mill on the edge of Tewksbury, but both are gone now. There is a grist mill in the Holt district and eastern part of the town on a brook that rises in Pine hole at the West side of Prospect hill where there was formerly a carding mill owned by Thomas Gray.

James Parker was a very strong man, as were also Charles and Jonathan Holt, sons of Diah Holt, who resided west of Nathan Clark's. Jonathan was the champion wrestler of the North, South and West Parishes. Capt. Nathan Shattuck is the handsomest wrestler in town.

Called upon Dea. Gould's wife, who says that Timothy Ballard was born in Manning's house, July 31, 1757 and died Feb. 29, 1828. His mother died at his house in 1809. Levi Trull lived in another small house, which two were the only houses when Mrs. Gould first went there to live in 1803. Eaton occupied the Trull house and after him Jonathan Abbott lived there. Ballard had a quantity of land, also a blacksmith shop and cider mill. They also took summer boarders. Indian Ridge has been cut down, but formerly the top and sides were covered with oak trees. This place was named by Dea. Gould when the commenced building the factory. Mrs. Gould says her grandfather William Foster, died Aug. 30, 1803, aged 73 years; her aunt Mary, born July 21, 1763, mar. Timothy Ballard; her grandmother, Hannah Abbott, wife of William Foster, died Mar. 19, 1820, aged 87 years. Timothy Ballard was probably son of Timothy and Sarah, and his mother Sarah died Aug. 2, 1809, aged 77 years.

May 8th, called on William, son of William and Elizabeth Hackett, who says he bought his land, about 21 acres, of John Marland, a few years before he built his house which was in 1850, and they have resided in Andover since May 30, 1851, the day after they were married. He is this year putting up a barn that he bought of Jonathan Merrill in Abbott village and removed to this place. Their children are William Henry, b. May 9, 1852, and Edward Franklin and Albert Warren, twins, b. Oct. 3, 1855. Mr. Hackett was born in Brookfield, NH., Oct. 8, 1812 and his father was second cousin to Daniel Webster. Mr. Hackett's mother was a daughter of James Thurston, and Mrs. Hackett's father, John Smith is son of John and Susanna Newell Smith and her mother was daughter of Aaron and Elizabeth (Moulton) Marsh. Mrs. Hackett was born in Danvers, May 9, 1820.

Marland bought the land of Andrew B. Stimpson, which belonged to the place on the other side of the street. Nearly opposite Mr. Hackett's and on the northerly side of the street is where Joseph J. Pearson has resided since Apr. 1853, having hired it of Hugh Wilson, now in Salem. Mrs. Ruth Wilkins was in the house at one time but she removed to the Noah Abbott house, and is now in Scotland district. Mr. Turnbull once owned and occupied it. The place was formerly called the Peter Shed place. Mr. Pearson was born where Albert Bancroft now resides, whose wife is his sister, on Feb. 5, 1820, the son of Joseph and Sarah (Foster) Pearson. Mrs. Pearson was Dorcas Chadwick, daughter of James and Dorcas (Ricker) Chadwick and was born in South Berwick, Maine, Oct. 11, 1822. They have resided in the Carter house, now Dr. Whiting's in the house in which the widow of Putnam Curtis resides. Their children; George Henry, b. Oct. 12, 1848; Frank J. and Fred J., b. June 11, 1855.

Soon after leaving Mr. Pearson's, came to the crossing of an old bridle way, and the street descends. Called at Henry Edwards Hayward's, whose wife says that they have lived there twenty-seven years, or since marriage. Others who have resided there; William Hackett, 1842-43; William Donald, a Scotchman, 1843-4; Mrs. Alex. Beckett, while her husband was in England buying Durham cattle for Mr. Marland, and who had previously lived where Pearson lives now, and later moved to Lowell. Mr. Jabez Hayward's' grandfather lived on the place until he died, which was about two years before Jabez was married. His grandfather's second wife, Lydia (Swinerton), formerly of Danvers, died Aug., 1837. Jabez Hayward's first wife was Nabby Graves and his father is Capt. Henry Hayward and his mother is Eliza, daughter of Nathan and Hepzibah (Ames) Stimpson. Mrs. Hayward, Polly Swain (Curtis) is daughter of Israel and Phebe, born in Middleton, Oct. 10, 1811. Her father was son of Israel and her mother was daughter of John and Polly (Swain) Fuller.

Mr. Hayward was born in the house on the line on Oct. 7, 1815, and is a farmer with about 80 acres. Children : Eliza, b. Feb. 3, 1839; Henry Albert, b. Jan. 6, 1841, is in the navy on ship Potomac, enlisting June 17, 1861, stationed at Pensacola; George Edward, b. Feb. 13, 1842, who has been in Co. H., 14th Regt. since July 1862; Charles Warren, b. Sept. 17, 1843. They have a niece boarding with them this summer, Sarah, daughter of Israel and Olive (Flint) Curtis, who lives about eight miles from McComb III. Wid. Ruth Upton of Wilmington is also there. Mr. Hayward has driven a milk cart to Ballardvale for nine years, being preceded by Dea. Dascomb and Herman P. Chandler.

To Be continued....

SOURCE : Essex Institute Historical Collections, Volume XLVIII pages 276-292, pub. 1912

Stories transcribed by JAS 2005. Pages copyright 2004-2008. I cannot vouch for the authenticity of the data contained in these stories. All spelling or dating errors occur in original record and will not be corrected.