1 Sweeney Court (formerly 139 North Main) 38-39 – 0.131 acre
Plan #1819 – Oct. 1947 – David & Eliz. Forbes

All three properties on Sweeney Court were once owned by the Sweeney family. The former lot was three-quarters of an acre and held one house owned by the Boston & Maine Railroad. (B&MRR). At rear of the property was the old Andover-Wilmington Railroad line built in 1837-38 and extended to North Andover and Haverhill by 1840. The line with all its properties was purchased by the B&M Railroad in 1848. The tracks were then relocated to the current line in 1848 to serve the new City of Lawrence. The former rail bed was made into Hartigan Court. and an extension of High St. The parcels along this section of North Main St were later sold to abutters.

1 Sweeney Court, formerly 139 North Main St., is the oldest home and was most likely built by the Andover–Wilmington Railroad Corp. for employee housing. The property was sold to Rogers Blood on April 29, 1854, for $1000 with buildings. The 1860 Valuation lists a Dwelling house and ¼ acre house lot at $900.

Rogers Blood, born May 23, 1794, in Groton, MA, son of Royal & Rachael (Gilson) Blood. Rogers a laborer, married Nov. 3, 1815, in Andover to Martha Cochran, b. 1797 dau. of James & Salome (Knowlton) Cochran. Rogers and Martha had 13 children: Jonathan b. 1816, Albert b. 1818, Lewis C. b. 1820, Charles b. 1822, Barfield T. b. 1825, James C. b. 1827, Martha M. b. 1829, Hiram b. 1832, Roxanna b. 1834, Nathan b. 1836-d. 1838, George W. b. 1839, Julia b. 1841– d. 1841 and John L. b. 1849. Rogers home in 1850 was at 60-62 Essex St. which he purchased on Nov. 2, 1846, for $800. The 1850 Census lists Rogers Blood 56, as a mason, wife Martha 51, children; James 23 mason, Martha M. Magee, 21, Roxanna 15, George W. 12 and John L. age 1. Rogers owned for seven years. His wife Martha died on Oct. 7, 1853. Rogers purchased the North Main St. property from the Boston & Maine Railroad Corp. on Apr. 29, 1854

Rogers remarried his sister-in-law Sophia Cochran on October 14, 1854. Sophia was born 1796. Rogers died on Dec. 23, 1862, intestate and his estate took seven years to be settled. Rogers is interred in the family lot at South Parish Cemetery.

The property was sold at auction to Roger Sweeney on Oct. 19, 1869, for $1200. The 1860 Census lists the Sweeny family nearby this property. The 1870 Andover Valuation schedule has Rogers Sweeney ¾ acre $150, House and shed $800 = $950.

Roger Sweeney was born in June 1823 in Ireland, son of John & Mary (Ryan) Sweeney. Roger immigrated in 1853 as did his wife Catherine McCarthy b. 1830 Ire. Roger and Catherine had six children; Timothy b. Aug. 1, 1854 – d. 1879, Catherine P. b. Feb 7, 1858, Ellen “Nellie” Marie b. Oct. 1, 1859, John J. b. Apr. 8, 1862, Margaret b. Dec. 10, 1864, and Roger Henry b. Sept. 6, 1868. Roger was first listed as a day laborer, later worked in Marland’s woolen mill in 1870, as did Timothy 15 & Catherine 13. Roger then went to Smith & Dove Manufacturing Co. in the flax bleaching department. It was Roger who developed the Sweeney Court we know today.
December 2, 1881, AA - The tenement house on Main Street, in Marland Village, and near the bridge, has been purchased by Roger Sweeney and removed to the rear of his residence, near the railroad bridge on the same street. Geo. Wilson of Methuen was very successful on removing the building. A third house was built later on the property.

Of the Sweeny children Catherine P. remained single and cared for her parents. Ellen or “Nellie”, as she was known by, married in 1889 to James Irving Black and had five children. Margaret married William A. Johnson in 1896. Timothy worked in Marland Mill and died in 1879 at age 25. John J. married in 1896 to Susan H. Ryan and had six children. R. Henry remained single, was an Insurance Inspector at the Worsted Mills, lived in Lawrence and was later joined by his sister Catherine.

Mrs. Catherine Sweeney died suddenly on Feb. 21, 1900, of apoplexy and was interred at St. Augustine’s Cemetery. Roger Sweeney died tragically on May 10, 1909, at age 86. Roger went for a walk with his dog and accidently fell into an old fire water reservoir near his home and drowned. Roger’s will gave the property to his daughter Catherine.

Catherine placed the property deed with her brother John in 1926, but John died in May1928. Catherine then owned jointly with her brother Henry. Henry died in 1937 and Catherine died in 1940. As all her siblings had predeceased her the property went to her brother-in-law James I. Black of Boston. Black held the properties until Nov. 29, 1947, when he sold to David & Elizabeth Forbes.

Forbes would sub-divide the property into three separate parcels and then sold off #1 Sweeny Ct. to Elizabeth M. Collins on Dec. 31, 1947. #2 Sweeney Ct. was sold to Hector M & Alice Keith and Donald & Mary A. Hill on Jan. 17, 1948. Forbes kept #3 Sweeney Ct. until Aug. 25, 1987 until Elizabeth Forbes sold to Marjorie E. Turner.