110 Cross St. – Bailey – Golden House
The William Bailey Sr. farm was located on River Road near the Ferry Rd. William born 1747 m. Rebekah Hildreth 1741-1805 and had six children: Rebecca b. 1774, Hannah b. 1776, Sarah b. 1779, William Jr. b. 1780, Timothy H. b. 1786 and Ann M. b. 1802. Wife Rebekah died on Apr. 18, 1805 age 63. William married Hannah Danforth 1757-1817 on Mar. 26, 1806. Hannah died on Sept. 15, 1817 age 61. William married a third time to Anna Frye on Mar. 26, 1818. William Sr. sold his homestead farm for $1800 to son William Jr. on April 11, 1808 which contained 80 acres. The deed included a life tenancy for his father, half of all the apples harvested each year and also a ¼ right to a Fishing place on the Merrimack River shared with Samuel Bailey, William Jr. and Samuel Cochran. William Sr. died at age 88 on Mar. 12, 1836.

Son William Bailey Jr. b. Dec. 28, 1780, married on May 31, 1803 to Rebecca Gilson b. 1773 of Pepperill, MA. They had six Children: Rebecca b. 1804, William b. 1806-d. 1807, William 3rd b. Sept. 20, 1808, Joseph b. Nov. 29, 1810, Hannah b. 1813 and Samuel Gilson b. June 8, 1815.
After 24 years, William Bailey Jr. sold the 80 acre homestead farm on April 6, 1832 to his sons William 3rd and Joseph Bailey for $1400. The deed included the life tenancy for their Grandfather William Sr. William Jr. would also sell three additional parcels for $1000 to his son Joseph on March 26, 1835 on the road to Harris Ferry and James Cochran’s house (Cross St.) the E. Hedrick parcel. The deed states with buildings. The 1830 Map of Andover does not list a house at this location on Cross St. From deed references in 1832 we believe than this house may have been built or moved to this location by William Bailey Jr.

Samuel G. Bailey, the youngest brother to William 3rd and Joseph, purchased land on Cross St. and River Rd. from Joseph Bailey on July 2, 1839 for $1000 with buildings. The property consisted of three parcels and mentions the road to “Harris Ferry”, the Old town road replaced by the new road (River Rd.) and the road to Cochran’s (Cross St.) The family lived on Cross Street near River Road now #110.

Samuel Gilson Bailey born June 8, 1815, is listed as a cordwainer, (shoe maker), when he married on Nov. 29, 1842 to Clarissa B. Needham b. 1806 Billerica, MA. Samuel & Clarissa had six children: Clarissa Rebecca b. Oct. 8, 1843, Lucretia Ann b. Mar. 28, 1845, Mary Louisa b. Dec. 5, 1846 - d. Nov. 15, 1856, Samuel Henry b. Sept. 11, 1849, Elbridge Gerry b. May 8, 1852 - d. Sept. 3 1852 and Julia Faulkner Bailey b. Oct. 17, 1850, The children would have attended the Abbott District School on Chandler Road at that time.
The 1850 Valuation lists Sam G.: Dwelling house $350, Barn & shed $150, 35 acres home farm $900 = $1400 – Farm Stock $140. The 1850 Census records list Samuel age 24, wife Charisa 28, the four oldest children, and his parents William Jr. 56 and Rebecca 76. The Valuation in 1850 also lists Wm. Jr. dwelling house $250, barn 150, 23 acres adj. $450 and farm stock $76. Joseph Bailey Dwel house $600, barn $100 38 acre adj. $874. Farm stock $166.
Sadly Sam’s wife Clarissa died on Aug. 23, 1852 of consumption age 31, and their infant son Elbridge on Sept. 3. of Cholera. Both are interred at West Parish Garden Cemetery. Samuel remarried on Nov. 27, 1854 in Tewksbury to Abigail Hardy b. 1806 in Tewksbury daughter of Stephen & Sarah Hardy.

Of Samuel’s children, three married in 1874; Clarissa married Gayton O. Ames on Jan. 21, 1874 who died two years later on Sept.19 1876. Clara later remarried to George E. Fitzgerald of Tewksbury on Dec. 30, 1884. Lucretia A. never married and lived with her father and brother Samuel Henry. Sister Julia F. married Frank Augustus Fitzgerald, on Oct. 21, 1874, son of Augustus & Mary Fitzgerald of Tewksbury. Son Samuel Henry Bailey married Nov. 26, 1874 to Adriance “Ada” Carpenter b. 1856 in Maine. Sam H & Ada had two children; Alma Richardson b. April 26, 1876 and Clara Louise b. Sept. 27, 1878. The 1884 map lists Samuel H. living next to his father on the corner of River Rd so at some point a second house was constructed on the property. The 1880 Census lists them next to Samuel’s father. Ada is recorded as having consumption and she died a month later on July 24, 1880.
Samuel Henry Bailey married again on Dec. 20, 1882 to Elizabeth Batchelder Abbott b. July 27, 1850, daughter of Sylvester & Rhoda A. (Batchelder) Abbott who lived at 15-17 Porter Rd. in Andover. Elizabeth graduated from Abbot Academy and was a teacher. They had two children; Ralph A. b. Aug. 27, 1884 and Helen E. b. Aug. 7, 1888. Samuel H. Bailey took over the Abbott farm in 1890 and his son Ralph also joined in managing the farm and moved to Porter Rd. His father Samuel G. and his sister Lucretia also moved into the Asa Abbott’s side of the double house on Porter Rd. Elizabeth B. Bailey bought ownership of the property on Aug. 23, 1900 from her father Sylvester’s estate.

The Cross Street property was sold by Samuel G. Bailey to Bridget Golden, wife of Jerimiah Golden on May 23, 1894. The Golden family would own the farm for 67 years. Bridget (Gorey) Golden was born in April 1858 in Ireland daughter of Edward & Kate Gorey. Bridget was a domestic living in Lawrence when she married on Jan. 11, 1888 in Lawrence, MA to Jerimiah “Jerry” M. Golden born about 1858 in Williamstown, Ireland, son of Michael & Julia Golden. Jerry was a laborer. Jerry was listed in census records as a farmer. Jerry emigrated in 1887 and was Naturalized on Oct. 22, 1892 in Lawrence, MA. Jerry & Bridget had three sons; Michael Joseph b. June 16, 1888, John Francis “Frank” b. Jan. 1895, William H. b. Nov. 1899. In 1920 Census list: Jerry 61, Bridget 61, sons Frank 25, and William age 21.The 1920 Andover Valuation has Jerry Golden; Cross St. House & shed $600, Barn $150, 17 acres $500 = $1250. Jerry died on July 18, 1931 at age 70.

Bridget remained in her home with her son John “Frank” Golden. Frank worked the market farm with his father and was later employed in Lawrence as a teamster for an Ice Co. in the 1930s. He returned to farming and had his own ice company. Bridget died in 1947. Frank inherited the property from his mother and remained in the house until his death in 1961. Franks youngest brother William H. became a gardener for Maurice J. Curren’s estate on North Main St.. He later owned and operated “Golden Gardens” farm stand at 217 North Main St. on the property now occupied by Shawsheen Plaza. William lived on Carmel Rd., married and had a large family. The oldest son Michael J. married and first worked in the mills but became a US Postal carried in Cambridge and Boston Ma.

The property was sold by Mary Golden, Administrator and niece of John Francis Golden’s estate. Joan Schlott & Louise D. Collins purchased the 17 acre farm for $11,000 on Aug. 10, 1961 and sub-divided the farm into house lots. The homestead property on Cross Street was sold to Martin T. Jr. & Ellen J. Caughey Jr. on Dec. 11, 1961. Three house lots on River Rd. were sold to Palmisanio Construction Co. Inc.

Martin T. Caughley was also a developer and house builder. Several lots on Cross St. were created and homes built including one for the Caughley family. The Bailey - Golden house was in a state of disrepair and was razed in 1962 and burned. A new home was built on the former site at #110 Cross St. Martin’s son Thomas, stated that the fireplace surrounds and wide pine floor boards were salvaged and used in other homes built. Martin fortunately photo documented the house before it was razed. The photos were provided by Thomas M.
Caughey.

Cross St. was one of the last unpaved dirt roads in town, only finally paved when pubic sewer and water lines were installed in the late 1960s.