Themes: Agricultural, architectural, Community development
Early owner: David Abbot
Address changes: 1st assigned #505 in 1955, was #237 new house number #239 (1988)
Moses Dorman 1830 map of Andover cites D. Abbot
June 1990, Andover Preservation Award for exterior preservation

This property was once a 400-acre farm owned by Col. Dudley Bradstreet. Dudley married on Nov. 12, 1673, to Mrs. Ann Price. Their home was located in North Andover. Dudey died on Nov. 13, 1702, and his estate was administered by Benj. Stevens, authorized by the courts on May 18, 1707. The farm was sold for 150 pounds on April 11, 1709, to three people, Ensign William Lovejoy, Widow Sarah Abbott and Samuel Peters. The land had been divided up into eight equal lots (50 acres) with 54 rods (907’) on the Merrimack River, 46 rods (758.5’) in the middle of the lots and the south end 37 rods (610.5’) Wm. Lovejoy took lots #1 and #7, Sarah got half the farm with lots #2, #4, #5 & #6 and Samuel Peters lots #3 & #8.
Sarah (Farnum) Abbott was the widow of Benjamin Abbott who died on March 30, 1703. They lived in the Abbott homestead 9 Andover Street. Sarah was b. Jan. 14, 1661, dau. of Ralph & Elizabeth (Holt) Farnum and married in 1685. Sarah and Ben had seven children; Benjamin b. July 1, 1686 - d. Nov. 26, 1748, Jonathan b. Sept 1687 - d. 1770 m. Zerviah Holt, David (1) b. Jan. 18, 1688-9 - d. Nov. 1753 m. Hannah Danforth, Sarah b. 1692 - d. 1794, Samuel b. May 8, 1694 - d. Oct. 29, 1762, m. wid. Mary (Preston) Lovejoy, no issue, Jeremiah b. 1700 - d. 1748, and Jacob b. 1701 - d. 1760

Wid. Sarah Abbot deeded the farm to son David on Mar. 1, 1721/2. It has been stated that David built the house in 1711.
David Abbott b. Jan. 18, 1688/9, was the third son of Benjamin & Sarah (Farnum) Abbot. He married March 20, 1717-18 to Hannah Danforth b. 1698 of Billerica. David is listed as Husbandman, Yeoman and one deed, as Housewright. David received a 350 acre farm on Merrimack River from his mother Sarah, “for Love, goodwill & affection, my part of the farm (formerly called Bradstreet’s Farm) in two parcels, one parcel between Samuel Lovejoy & land of my son David Abbott – The other parcel lying between of my said son & land of Caleb Johnson and both parcels together contain three hundred & fifty acres to have, hold, use, occupy & possess the same. Signed the 8th year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George of Great Britton, King. Anno Dom, One Thousand Seven Hundred & Twenty-one – two”.

David purchased other parcels, a 3-acre meadow named “Johnson’s Brook” from Daniel Poor in 1717. From Josiah Johnson in 1722, ten acres of Johnson’s Brook from the Great Division to his father Thomas Johnson. Joseph Wright six aces in “Den Meadow” in 1722. David’s brother Benjamin on Jan. 16, 1723-24 several pieces of land laid out to me by the Committee of Common Land, “Brook Meadow” one between land of Thomas Chandler in Andover and one moiety on Swamp called “Woodhill Swamp” in Proprietors Books of Andover, together with one half of all after Divisions.” His brother Ben got the homestead farm at 9 Andover Street. This farm extended from Fish Brook, west to the Ferry Rd. and along the Merrimack River. The Essex Company, who built the dam in Lawrence, had to acquire all the river shore land from abutters that might be lost when the river height increased.

David & Hannah had ten children: Elizabeth bp. Jul. 1719, Hannah b. Oct. 10, 1721, Nathan b. Oct. 16, 1723, Hannah b. Dec. 1, 1723, David Jr. (#2) b. Mar. 17, 1727/8, Solomon b. Feb. 14, 1730/31, Elizabeth b. July 23, 1733, Josiah bp. Feb. 5, 1736, Jonathan b. Oct. 24, 1739, and Benjamin Jan. 16, 1742/3-d.1753. David Abbot Sr. gave 24 acres, the west part of his homestead, with, “love, goodwill and affection,’ to son David Jr. on Dec. 15, 1752. David Abbot Sr. died Nov. 14, 1753, and Hannah died Jan. 8. 1788 of old age at age 90.
David Jr. (#2) married Prudence Sheldon of Billerica on Dec. 28, 1752, in Billerica. The 1850 Valuation lists David’s property: Dwelling house $500, Barn & other buildings $200, 85 acres adjoining $1700, 18 acres Woodland & meadow $450 = 103 acres total $2850, Farm stock $196. David & Prudence had nine Children: Elizabeth b. Feb. 26, 1754, son b. Feb. 15, 1756-d. Mar. 2, 1856, Prudence b. Oct. 3, 1757, Josiah b. Dec. 29, 1759, Hannah b. Jan. 9, 1762, Samuel b. Mar. 27, 1764, David (#3) b. Mar. 4, 1766, Benjamin b. Jun 26, 1768, Olive b. July 24, 1770, and Dorcas Dec. 5, 1773.

The Abbot Homestead then went to their son David (#3) b. 1766 who married on May 26, 1789, to Priscilla Chandler b. June 31, 1768, dau. of Nathan Jr. & Phebe (Abbot) Chandler. This union brought 11 children: Priscilla b. 6/10/1790, Mary b. 6/1791, David Jr. (#4) b. 12/23/1792, Jonathan b. 6/12/1796, Nathan b. 7/5/1799, Ezra b. 4/19/1801, Phebe b. 8/5/1803, Serena b. 7/8/1805-d. 9/20/1805, Joshua b. 9/1/1806, Serena 9/8/1808, and Herman b. 1/15/1814.

Their son David Abbott (#4) born Dec. 23, 1792, then got the homestead from his father in 1822. David married Aug. 14, 1833, to Mary Grant of Peterboro, NH b. Sept. 25, 1810, dau. of Charles & Mary Grant. Children: David Albert b. 8/29/1834, Mary Eliza b. 3/21/1836, Francis Ann b. 6/3/1840, Charles Adams b. 5/2/1844-d. 9/21/1844, Charles Wallace bpt. 11/1/1846 and twins Myron Grant & Myra Ballard b. 12/30/1847 both died Sep. 1848.
David had two mortgage loans from his brother Ezra for $700 in 1842 and $300 in 1852. David, now overextended, sells the farm to Ezra for $2000 on Sept. 9, 1852. Ezra held the old homestead until his death on Feb. 24, 1890. Ezra married on April 19, 1849, to Hannah Bailey b. Mar. 13, 1813, dau. of Wm. Jr. & Rebecca (Bailey) Bailey. Ezra & Hannah had one daughter Harriet “Hattie” Rebecca b. Sept. 21, 1852. Hattie married Lewis T Hardy. Hannah died on Nov. 8, 1860, and is interred at West Parish Cemetery. Ezra remarried on Mar. 14, 1863, to Mary (Abbott) Ingalls. Erza & Mary adopted a young boy named Harry Page Collins b. July 22, 1867, in Newmarket, NH, son of John W. & Roxanna (Page) Collins. Harry changed his name to Harry Page Abbot on Oct. 16, 1876. The Census records reveal that Ezra did not live in the old homestead until after 1880. They first lived at 173 Lowell St.; a property Harry would later purchase in 1891.

The 1860 Valuation Schedule lists Ezra Abbot; Dwelling house $370, Barn $150, 49 acres home farm $1000, D. Abbot Farm, House $700, barn $250, 47 acres adj. $1050, 3¾ acre meadow $60. = $ 3580 & 99¾ acres. His farm stock $134. The 1870 Valuation lists only the David Abbot farm of 49 aces and a Carruth land 17 acres. With the death of Ezra the estate went to both Hattie and Harry. On April 21, 1890, Hattie sold her half share of the farm to Harry for $1200. Harry married Cecelia Harrington b. Feb. 13, 1883, dau. of Francis T. & Alfreda (Clark) Harrington. Harry P. Abbott sold the old Abbot homestead on Dec. 16, 1891, to John Wesley Henderson and purchased the farm at 173 Lowell St. which he held for 18 years.

John Wesley Henderson was born Nov. 1, 1862, in Victoria, Andover, New Brunswick, son of John D. & Mary Ann (Bailey) Henderson. John immigrated about 1880 and was a general farmer. He married on April 21, 1897, at West Parish Church to Edith Hardy b. Nov. 11, 1874, a school teacher, dau. of Elbridge H. & Mary A. (Saunders) Hardy. John & Mary had six children: Renwick Wesley b. 12/13, 1897, Esther Beatrice b. 3/11/1899, Harold Hardy b. 10/29/1900, Helen Marion b. 4/28/1903, Arthur John b. 6/23/1909, and Herbert Moody b. 1/28/1911. John died on January 30, 1937, at age 78 and is interred at West Parish Garden Cemetery. In his will the farm was inherited by son Harold.

Harold Hardy Henderson married in West Newbury in 1931 to Olive Rebecca Marshall b. 4/20/1905 in West Newbury, MA, dau. of Charles R. & Charlotte R. (Morrill) Marshall. Harold was a Nursery Propagator in West Newbury prior to taking over the farm. Harold grew vegetables and fruit and sold wholesale produce. Harold and Olive had five children: Claire M., b. 1933, Ernest J. b. 1936, George b. 1938, Janice Ann. b. 1944 and William H. b. 1946. Olive died on Dec. 28, 1955, age 50 and Harold died intestate on Feb. 11, 1960, age 60. The estate went to their children and the farm was sold a public auction in 1963. With the death of Harold, the farmland was divided and developed into house lots, ending over 300 years of farming.