Themes: Architectural; Community development
Original owner: Holt family for nearly 200 years

This property was once owned by Joseph Holt Jr. b. Jan. 20, 1790, son of Joseph & Abigail Holt. Joseph married on Oct. 18, 1821 to Elizabeth Braddock b. about 1791 in Maine. Joseph & Elizabeth had six children: Joseph Franklin b. Sept. 1, 1822 - d. Feb. 4, 1868, Samuel Blanchard b. Aug. 3, 1824 - d. May 27, 1898, Elizabeth Carroll b. May 5, 1826 - d. Mar. 1, 1891, Abigail b. Feb. 2, 1828 - d. Feb. 2, 1829, Newton Wyman b. Feb. 13, 1830 - d. Nov. 16, 1899 and Charles Carroll b. Aug. 5, 1831 - d. Nov. 5, 1896.

Joseph Holt Jr. was a farmer or Yeoman. The 1850 Andover Valuation schedule lists Holts farm as Dwelling house $450.,Barn & other buildings $300., 27 acre home farm $810., 16 acre Blunt pasture $256., 7 acre Falls meadow $126., 28 acre Frye Field Woodlot $850. Total 78 acres $2782. His Farm Stock was $191. Joseph worked his farm until his death on July 4, 1866 at the age of 76 years 5 months. Cause of death "fell from a tree" Joseph is interred at South Parish Cemetery. His wife Elizabeth remained in the homestead cared for by her daughter Elizabeth C. who had been once been a school teacher. Elizabeth B. died on Dec. 3, 1875. Their son Joseph Franklin was a blacksmith, served in the Civil War, and died at 45, "killed by machinery" on Feb. 4, 1868.

Samuel Blanchard Holt, a House-wright, built a home next door at 81 Holt Road, married and had six children. The younger brothers Newton W. and Charles C. both married. Charles Newton W. Holt married Sarah Adam Haskel b. Oct. 23, 1838 in Georgetown, MA. They moved to Iowa as three of their four children were born there. Arthur C. b. 1872 - d. 1890, Lillian Haskel b. 1874 - d. 1964 in Calif.,Grace Anne b. Sept. 14, 1875, Iowa - d. 1955 in Calif. and Bessie Atwood b. 1878 Andover - d. 1915. Newton may have returned to Andover just prior to his mother's death. He died in Vermont on Nov. 16, 1899. Wife Sarah died March 20, 1900 in Andover.

Charles C. b. 1831 - d. 1896, married Hannah Emeline Moulton, b. 1835 - d. 1896. They lived in Lawrence, had one son Frank William b. 1873.

The Holt heirs; Grace A. Kelman, Lillian H. Holt and Bessie A. Holt, daughters of Newton Holt, sold the homestead to Lee C. Hascell and wife Florence C. on Mar. 14, 1913. Hascell owned the property for seven years then selling to Mary Louise Dennison, wife of Joseph A. on June 30, 1920. The Holt homestead was originally sited closer to the road and faced south. It may have been the Dennisons who moved the home to the current location and enlarged the home. Dennieson owned for five years then sold to Elizabeth M. Read, wife of Henry A. S. Read on July 9, 1925. Read owned for eight years the selling to Doris T, Humphreys on July 10, 1933.
John G. S. Humphreys held the property on Dec. 27, 1945.