Themes: Architectural, Community development

This property contains two parcels of land named Lot #1 on plan of land of John Marland and Jonathan Howe Jr. dated 1847 as recorded by Registry of Deeds, Salem, MA. Marland & Howe of the Marland Mill in Ballard Vale owned a large parcel of land and sub-divided into building lots. They sold at auction on Wednesday, July 28, 1847 several house and store lots in the center of Ballardvale. The auctioneers were Loring, Abbot and Porter of Boston.

Parcel lot #1 was purchased at the auction for $162.22 by Daniel Caldwell & Charles W. Barker of Boston, the deed recorded on Aug. 4, 1847. Caldwell & Barker were housewrights, formerly carpenters under the name of Caldwell & Barker. The house was built by these men shortly after. The Andover Valuation Schedule of 1850 lists in the Non-Resident Proprietors of Property in West Parish - Daniel Caldwell of Boston; Dwelling House $1000, Carpenter's shop $400. total assessment $1400.

When Caldwell sold the property on June 9, 1851, his address is Boston and his business partner Charles W. Barker is in Sacramento, California.
Melinda C. Taylor, a widow from Boston purchased the home for $1200. on June 9, 1851. Seven years later, on July 30, 1858, Melinda sells the property for $700 to Andrew Taylor, a Spinner.

Andrew Taylor held the property for five years then selling to James W. Dearborn, a mason, on Sept. 1, 1863. Dearborn also acquired a second parcel from John Taylor Sr. on that day. Dearborn was here just three years before selling to Mary Holroyd of Lawrence, MA, wife of John Holyrod. The deed states to Mary, with out interference from her husband. It also notes the lot is one half the lot Dearborn had purchased before.

Mary Holroyd would become a long term owner of the house for forty years. Mary Wellington was born in June 1819 in England and married John Holroyd b. July 6, 1818 in England, son of Joseph & Mary Holroyd. John was a Spinner by trade. They had three children; Sarah Ann b. Dec. 9, 1844 in Pennsylvania, Henry W. b. 1846 and Mary J. b. 1851 in Andover. The couple lived in Lawrence prior to moving to Balladvale. John Holroyd died on June 7, 1877. His probate inventory states he was a Storekeeper.

Son Henry, a mechanic, married on Nov. 27, 1867 in Lawrence, MA to Elizabeth Greenwood, daughter of William & Elizabeth Greenwood. Sadly Henry died six months later on May 19, 1868 in Andover at age 22y 5m of Consumption.
Daughter Sarah Ann married Charles E. Seavy on Aug. 28, 1859 at age 16. She died on Jan. 26, 1870 age 26y 1m 17d.
Daughter Mary J. b. 1851 in Andover married in Lawrence on Sept. 5, 1865 to John Howarth, age 26, a tinsmith. B. in New Jersey, son of William & Elizabeth Howarth. It appears that they had a daughter Mary H. b. 1968. Howarth may have died as Mary later marries again to John Buxendale. Mary J. died of hearth disease on Feb. 7, 1897 at age 46y 10m.

Mary W. Holroyd took a mortgage loan for $600 from the Andover Savings Bank on August 24, 1876. Mary died on Oct. 25, 1905 in her home in Ballardvale. She was 86 years 11 days old, one of the oldest residents in the village. She is interred with family at Bellevue Cemetery in Lawrence. In February 1906 the bank took ownership of the property from the estate and sold the deed to Elizabeth A. Platt.

Elizabeth A. "Lizzie" Morgan was born Oct. 1874 in Lawrence, MA daughter of John P. & Maria B. (Hardigan) Margan. Lizzie married on April 30, 1895 to Henry Warren Platt born Oct. 6, 1868 in Ballardvale, son of Thomas W. & Mary (Holland) Platt. Henry worked as a Spinner in the Ballardvale Mill later became an Overseer. Henry & Lizzie had five children of which four survived: John H. b. Oct. 1895, Viola E. b. Feb. 1900, Joseph W. b. 1902 and Raymond M. b. 1905. The Platt family was connected with the property for 61 years. The property was sold to their daughter Viola E. (Platt) Moss, wife of Clarence Moss on May 17, 1946. The couple had lived with them prior to ownership. Henry retired by 1935 but later took a job as mail bag carrier for the railroad.

Viola Moss later sold the property to Eve C. Glendenning, wife of Geoffrey Glendenning on Oct. 26, 1967. The home continues under Glendenning ownership in 2016.

Maps and Directories:
1. Holroyd (1872)
2. Platt, Thomas W., Carpenter, Mrs. Platt (1904)
3. Elizabeth A. Platt (1910), house and 1/8 acre land
4. Elizabeth A. Platt (1912), house and 1/8 acre land
5. Moss, Viola E. (17 Jun 1946)
6. Platt, Elizabeth, (1952), 77 years; Viola Platt Moss, 50 years;
Clarence Moss, 52 years (37 Center Street)
7. Glenndenning, Geoffrey & Eva C. (26 Oct 1967)