Themes: Architecture, Development of town

This home was built in 1930 by Mrs. Douglas Batchelder's great-grandfather James Augustine Lynch. The house has since passed down through her family. The site and property has a long history of Andover families who lived near the present home. The original homestead has passed into history, its demise not yet known, but we provide a brief account of those who came before and the Lynch family that have called this home for the past 88 years.(2018). James A. Lynch, a house carpenter, and wife Addie purchased the property from Marguis M. and Alice H. Converse on Apr. 1, 1930. The cellar was hand dug by James and his sons. Family members remember a barn near the road west of the house.

Deeds trace back to Daniel Holt, yeoman of Andover, (wife Hannah), who sold his homestead parcel to Samuel Cummings, of Topsfield (wife Eunice) on April 8, 1777 recorded on Dec. 13, 1777. Samuel paid 360 pounds for two parcels of land. First lot the homestead on 24 acres on the north side of the road and the second parcel south side of the road with barn abutting the “long pieces” meadow.

Samuel Cummings would sell the Holt homestead to Jacob Jones, wife Mary, on May 8, 1778 for 256 pounds which also included half partnership of the Long pieces” meadow with Thomas Holt. In April 1784 Cummings then sold an additional 35 acres to Jacob Jones for 255 pounds 2 shillings. Jacob held the property for 11 years then sold the Homestead and barn lots back to Samuel Cummings on March 23, 1789. Samuel also sold a bond with Ebenezer Jones, wife Elizabeth Abbot, on another parcel with a dwelling house on 31 acres 36 poles which he would also purchase back.

Samuel Cummings was born in Topsfield, MA on Feb. 28, 1731-32. Sam married Eunice Bradstreet born Apr. 15, 1733 dau. of Samuel & Sarah Bradstreet. He moved to Andover in 1777. Sam & Eunice had four children; Sarah b. Mar. 27, 1759, David b. May 14, 1762, Mehitable b. Aug. 31, 1767 and Samuel Jr. b. Sept. 10, 1774. Samuel died on March 29, 1796 in Topsfield. In his will his son David, who was living on the Andover farm got the Topsfield homestead and son Samuel inherited the Andover farm.
Samuel Cummings Jr. born b. Sept. 10, 1774 in Topsfield, married on Nov. 27, 1800 to Lucy Abbot. Children; Samuel b. Oct. 29, 1801, Lucy b. Nov. 19, 1802, Charles b. Jan. 15, 1804, Assena b. Mar. 19, 1805, Mehitable b. Mar. 4, 1806 and Mary Elizabeth b. Mar. 8, 1812.

Portland Gazette, ME. July 30, 1816 – Deaths – “In Andover, Mr. Samuel Cummings, aged 40. He set out with a load of wood early in the morning for Salem and was found a short distance from his house on the road dead, the wheel having passed over his body.”

Widow Lucy and sons Samuel & Charles Cummings inherited the farm. The Andover Valuation of 1850 lists. Samuel & Charles Cummings; ½ house $275, 2/3 barn and cider mill $260, 12 acre house lot $540, 3 ½a Front lot $180, 9a Little meadow $290, 4a Little pasture $84, 11a Hill pasture $242, 5a Great meadow $150, 37a Boston pasture $750, 18a Lower woodlot $1080, 3 ½ a Back lot $140, 4 ½a Falls meadow $56, 2 ¾a Carlton Swamp $31 = 110 ¼ acres $4078. Farm stock $379.

Wid. Lucy Cummings lists; ½ house $250, 1/3 barn $130, 3a Picket lot, 10a Middle lot $450, 14a Sheep pasture $196, 9a Great pasture $195, 7a Island & peat meadow $140, 8a Lower woodlot $640 = 51 acres $2141.

Samuel, b. 1801, did not marry and died June 4, 1856. Lucy Cummings died on May 17, 1860.
Charles, b. 1804, married March 23, 1838, to Mary R. Eames b. May 25, 1813 in Maine. They had three children, Mary Emily b. 1838, Martha b. 1839 – d. Mar. 8, 1850 10y 11m and a child listed b. Oct. 3, 1843. The 1850 Census lists Charles and Mary with dau. Mary E. age 12. Charles sister Mehitable age 50 is also with them.

Daughter Mary Emily married on Dec. 1, 1861 in Lawrence, MA to Nathan A. Foster b. 1839 in Newry, Maine, son of Nathan & Martha “Polly” Foster. Nathan was a Merchant in Chelsea, MA. They had one daughter Martha Emily Foster b. Sept. 15, 1862. Both Nathan and Mary E. would die of consumption in 1864, Nathan on June 24 and Mary on Sept. 24. Grand-daughter Martha would be raised by her grandparents Charles and Mary R. Cummings. Sadly Charles died on April 12, 1873 in a Worcester Hospital. Charles left his estate to his widow, grand-daughter and the Town of Andover to help fund the public library.

Martha Emily Foster married April 30, 1885 in Waltham, MA to George W. Stover b. July 28, 1863 in NYC son of George & Naomi R. Foster. George occupation was Poultry sales. They had a son George C. b. Dec 6, 1886. Mary R. Cummings died on Jan. 28, 1888 and is interred at South Parish Cemetery with the Cummings family.

Martha E. & George W. Stover took a mortgage on the 80 acre farm on Feb. 3, 1886. They held ownership until July 18, 1898 then selling to William Odlin and moved to Boston. Odlin later sold to Thomas F. D’Arcy on Apr. 9, 1900.

Thomas Francis D’Arcy was born in Massachusetts in July 1878, son of Michael F. & Sarah E. (Cottan) D’Arcy. His father emigrated from Ireland and established a sash and blinds business in Boston.
Thomas purchased this property in 1900. His father built a Mansion on Wildwood Rd. in 1901, (Called DArcy Rd. then), with an estate of 300 acres. It burned down on Dec. 8, 1906 and was later replaced. Thomas may have lived at the Gray Rd. home. Thomas died on Dec. 16, 1909 in Cambridge, MA from a fall off a beam. Michael had financial setbacks and creditors took the properties in Andover in Nov. 1918. His wife Lottie E. purchased five parcels of the estate at auction for $5000 on Aug. 30, 1919.

Marguis M. Converse then purchased this property on Aug. 30, 1919 and deeded all his holdings to his wife Alice H. Converse on Feb. 10, 1920. Marquis was born on Oct. 1861 in Lime, Grafton, NH, son of Peter M. & Sarah S. (Clement) Converse. He was the Superintendent of a Dry Goods Store when he married on Oct. 23, 1884 to Alice Houghton Sargent, b. July 1862 in Lebanon, NH. He would later establish in Malden, MA, the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in February 1908. He purchased the new D’Arcy home on Wildwood Rd. in 1911 which became their primary residence. Converse purchased several farms, had five houses and 357 acres. Marquis & Alice had five children; Frieda b. May 1888, Harold M. b. Mar. 21, 1890, John Kendrick b. Jan. 1898, Ralph H. b. 1904 and Dorothy b. 1906. Alice and Marquise Converse sold this homestead property to James A. & Addie R. Lynch on Apr. 1, 1930. The farm contained four parcels of land

James Augustine Lynch was born June 1, 1887 in Andover, son of John David & Jane (Duffield) Lynch. James married on Nov. 23, 1910 to Addie Rose Gillieo b. May 6, 1885 in Weymouth, Dig., Canada, dau. of John Oliver & Mary Ann (Robicheau) Gillieo. James Lynch was a house carpenter and contractor. James & Addie had ten children: Joseph Augustine b. Sept 4, 1911, Maurice Francie b. May 8, 1913, James Raymond b. Oct. 12, 1914, John Malachi b. Oct. 21, 1916, Francis Duffield b. Mar. 16, 1921, Leo Peter b. Feb. 23, 1923, Richard Paul b. July 25, 1924, Rita Bernadine b. Oct. 4, 1925, Mary Adeline b. Jan. 28, 1928 and Jane Ann b. Nov. 15, 1930.
In the years that followed James built several homes on his property along Gray Rd. of which at least five were owned and occupied by their children. Addie died on Aug. 11, 1964 and James the following year on Nov. 3, 1965. When the estate was probated their daughter Mary Adeline (Lynch) Kolodgy would purchase the family homestead. Mary married Frank J. Kolodgy and had three children; Timothy, Charles J., and Jane R. Kolodgy. Mary worked for many years in the food services of the Andover Public Schools. Mary died on Dec. 25, 1998. Her husband Frank b. 1933 was an Andover Fireman.

Frank Kolodgy sold the home to Douglas J. & Jamie (Lynch) Batchelder on Nov. 23, 2011 who now are owners of record. The property remained in the family as Jamie Lynch is the great granddaughter of James & Addie Lynch.

June 28, 1901 pg 2 Handsome Spot. D’Arcey House being built – 300 acre estate on South Main, near Gardner Ave. gives a description. (Destroyed by fire in 1906, rebuilds sells in 1911)

Dec. 14, 1906 AT
Fire Destroys Residence – House of Michael F. D’Arcy burned to ground – article on fire – house was built 5 years before.

Jan 27, 1911 pg. 4 D’Arcy Estate sold to M. M. Converse of Medford
At age 47, Marquis Mills Converse, who was previously a manager at a footwear manufacturing firm, opened the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in February 1908 in Malden, Massachusetts. The company was a rubber shoe manufacturer, providing winterized rubber soled footwear for men, women, and children. By 1910, Converse was producing shoes daily, but it was not until 1915 that the company began manufacturing athletic shoes.
The company's catalyst came in 1917 when the Converse All-Star basketball shoe was introduced. Then in 1923, a basketball player named Charles H. "Chuck" Taylor walked into Converse complaining of sore feet. Converse gave him a job: he worked as a salesman and ambassador, promoting the shoes around the U.S., and in 1932 Taylor’s signature was added to the All-Star patch on the classic, high-topped sneakers. He continued this work until shortly before his death in 1969.[4] Converse also customized shoes for the New York Renaissance (the "Rens"), the first all-African American professional basketball team. In 1962, center Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scored 100 points in an NBA game while wearing a pair of Chucks, taking a 169–147 victory over the New York Knicks in Hershey, Pennsylvania on March 2.[5]