The property along the east side of Main St. from Punchard Ave. to Wheeler Ave. was owned by the Andover South Parish Ministerial Fund prior to 1810. Seven lots were divided up along the east side of the new Essex Turnpike and sold off at auction on April 18, 1810. Isaac Abbott (wife Charlotte) purchased lots #2 & #3 at auction for $625. Issac would later sell the property to Amos Blanchard on April 3, 1822. Blanchard held the land for 11 years then selling the lots to David S. Pearson on Dec. 28, 1833 for $900. David entered into a contract agreement on May 1, 1834 with Jacob Chickering, carpenter to build his home for $2700 at 148 Main St. David Pearson took a mortgage on his new home with John Smith, president of the Smith, Dove & Co. on April 8, 1835 but defaulted on the loan. Smith took possession on Jan. 2, 1837. John Smith owned for three years then selling to Bela B. Edwards on April 7, 1940 for $4750.
Bella added this parcel to his property Oct. 17, 1848 of about ½ acre adjoining his home lot.

Mary Dwight, sister-in-law of Egbert Smyth, professor at Andover Theological Seminary, lived here after Smyth's death. She was "one of Andover's colorful characters". She occupied the house in 1913 and for some years around that time. House probably built by Hannah Newman Fay.

James Anguilo research (8-28-1993):
Lot for house created in 1860 from portion of lot of the late Bela B. Edwards estate - house at 148 Main was being run as "The Nunnery" by wife, Jerusha W. (Billings) Edwards and daughter, Sara. (See tax books, Newman files of Andover Historical Society)

July 3, 1868 AA – Mrs. Hannah N. Fay is about to erect a dwelling house next south of the residence of Mrs. B. B. Edwards, on Main St.
Aug. 14, 1868 AA – William Chickering is building a neat two story dwelling house for Hannah N. Fay on Main St.

It appears Hannah H. (Newman) Fay, widow of Rev. Samuel Austin Fay, moved into new house shortly after its completion (1868) and lived there until shortly before her death in 1889, when she moved to a convalescent home "on the Hill". (see her obituary, AHS files)

Hannah Fay was never deeded the property by the Edwards, as it appears to have stayed within that family until April 25,1888, at which time "all the property held on Main Street" was sold to the Trustees of Phillips Academy. (see Deed, Book 95, p. 154, Lawrence Registry)

Hannah and her sister, Margaret, did, however, own two pieces of land given to them by their father, Mark Newman, the 3rd Phillips principal, when he died in 1859. One of these lots, at NW corner of Central & School Streets, was deeded to the Christ Episcopal Church around 1885. (Grantor Index, Lawrence Registry)

Mary Dwight, sister-in-law of Egbert Smyth, professor of church history at Andover Theological Seminary, lived in house, probably around 1910, known as original "back-seat driver". (Townsman's Andover, p. 90)

PA Instructor Frederick Boyce and his family lived in house from 1917-1947. (Andover telephone directories.) ATS owned the house as late as 1927, but they were trying to sell property to PA since 01-18-1918 and couldn't because of misplaced deed from the 1908 transaction (!). N. Andover realtor John Hamilton Morse transacted the sale in 1927. (deeds, Lawrence)

Building marker 1994