The 1832 map of Andover marks a house at this site, but no name was listed with the location. We know that Jushua Dane purchased a 1 1/2 acre lot from Moses Dane for $250 in Nov. 1832. Joshua lived here until his death in 1852 and the property was purchased by his brother Joseph Dane the month before he died for $450. It consisted of a house, barn and shop. Joseph died the following year, and his sister Elizabeth Dane inherited the house with life tenancy. Elizabeth died in 1875 and the property was sold to Mary E. Blood, wife of George W. Blood. The house remained with the Blood family until 1911. Blood Road was named for George & Mary in 1904. Prior to that Blood Rd was referred to as "the Road from Chandler Dane's to the farm of Abiel Abbott. Blood Road was one of the last roads in Andover to be paved which happened in the late 1960s. The first house to be built on the road was #13, built by Richard & Esther Baker in the 1950s.

Joshua Dane House:
Moses Dane b.1772 Newburyport, was the son of John & Mary (Moody) Dane and married on June 18, 1783 to his cousin Priscilla Dane, b.7/27/1774, daughter of Philemon & Priscilla (Phelps) Dane who lived on the old Dane farm at 97 Argilla Rd. Moses & Priscilla had 15 children. Mary “Polly” Moody b. 10/31/1793 d. 5/3/1810, Moses b. 9/12/1797 d. 6/21/1812, Priscilla b. 9/23/1798 d. 12/21/1839, Hannah b. 7/6/1799, Elizabeth b. 10/18/1801 d.3/8/1875, Moody b. 9/16/1803 d. 10/11/1803, James b. 8/6/1804 d. 8/28/1805, James b. 5/7/1806-d.5/18/1806, Joshua b. 7/9/1807-d. 7/1/1852, Lydia b. 1/26/1810-d. 5/22/1845, John b. 6/27/1812-d. 6/28/1812, Moses b. 7/10/1815-d. 4/12/1848, Mary Moody b. 10/12/1813, Joseph N. b.7/25/1816-5/23/1853 and Henry b. 11/16/1825

The Dane genealogy by Charlotte Helen Abbott states that Moses Dane “leased the Kneeland farm held by old Samuel Abbott for 25 years”. (formerly at 62 Argilla Rd.) Moses hoped to get the farm but it was willed the Andover Seminary. Moses then ended up at Abiel Abbott’s farm. (Dascomb Rd.) An older house once stood on the site of Joshua Dane and his sister, Elizabeth’s home in 1857. Abbot states that Moses lived from 1796 to 1832 (except for 5 years) on the Sanders’ place. “The family of Amos Gilchrist lived for a while with the Clark Holt on the Tom Clark homestead (85 Argilla) and next on the Ballard Lovejoy place. Also on the site given as the Blood home, on the 1882 map”, of Andover. Moses Dane’s daughter Hannah married Amos Gilchrist on March 2, 1822.

Joshua Dane purchased the 1½ lot on the corner of Argilla & Blood Roads for $250 on Nov. 8, 1832. Joshua built a house on the lot, which included a barn and shop. The Andover Valuation in 1850 West Parish: assessed the property at $400 and his Farm Stock at $34. Joshua Dane sold the home to his brother Joseph N. Dane on June 1, 1852 died a month later at age 45 on July 1, 1852. Joseph was a mason, had consumption, and made his will on May 22, 1853. Joseph gave his sister Elizabeth the house with 1¾ acres to her for the remainder of her natural life and also $1000. To his sister Mary $100, to sister Hannah, wife of Amos Gilchrist $100, and the remainder of his estate to his brother Henry which was $978.95. Joseph died on May 23, 1853 at age 37. The property remained with Elizabeth Dane until her death on March 8, 1875 at age 73. Henry Dane and his wife Alice lived with Eliza. Henry was a shoemaker, as was Alice in the 1860 Census. Also in the home was Mary E. Holt age 11 years in the State census of 1855. Mary remained with Eliza. Henry was born Nov. 16, 1825 and married Sept. 28, 1854 to Alice Walker b. 1836 in Scotland. They had three children; Francis “Frank” b. 9/17/1855, Joseph Henry b. 11/4/1865 d. 10/19/1868 and Louis Augustus. b. Jan.15, 1870.

Henry Dane settled Eliza Dane’s estate and the property was sold to Mary E. Blood, wife of George W. Blood on Apr. 7, 1875. George Warren Blood was born Dec. 10, 1839 in Andover, son of Rogers & Martha “Patty” (Cochran) Blood. George had 11 siblings. Both George and his brother Joseph registered for service in the Civil War in Hubbardston, MA. George married on Jan. 15, 1863, to Mary Elizabeth Rea b. Nov. 6, 1840, in the North Parish of Andover, dau. of Jasper & Lucy Rea. George became a machinist and first worked in Lawrence. George and Mary had seven children: Louis A. b. 3/ 13/1863, Harry Albert b. 10/28/1864, Estella b. 11/3/1865-d/ 9/2/1889, Bessie b. 12/30/1869. Roger b. 12/30/1871, and George b. May 17, 1874 and Jasper Rea b. 2/28/1875.

The 1880 Census list all the Blood family on Argilla Road. George is 40, machinist and son Lewis age 17, is listed as a clerk in a grocery store. The 1900 Census, done on June 8th, only George age 61 was enumerated at their home. Mary may have been away visiting one of their children. In 1904 the Town named all the remaining streets in Andover, and 34 St. became Argilla Rd. and the road from “Chandler Dane’s to the late farm of Abiel Abbott” became Blood Road, after George and May Blood who had resided on the corner lot for 29 years.

George W. Blood died on August 11, 1910 and is interred at South Parish Church Cemetery. The property was sold on March 7, 1911 to David Kirkaldy & James Fettis. John S. Magee held a mortgage deed to the property and was seeking his unpaid interest equity in the property in 1878. He was awarded his claim via the courts and held a share of the property with Mary E. Blood. Mary died on October 25, 1916 at the home of her niece Mrs. Clarence Curtis, at 69 Park St. Mary was a member of the Unitarian Church, No. Andover and the North Andover Grange. Mary is interred in the Blood family lot in Sooth Parish Cemetery.

The house has been owned and occupied by several families through the years. I believe that the Hansen family 1954-1956 renovated the house and removed the gable roof for the flat one that replaced it. I remember it being removed, when I was about six years of age. (Jim Batchelder)

Andover Townsman - August 19, 1910 –
McDougall’s Musings
GEORGE W. BLOOD
"We twa hac paiddled in the burn
Frae mornin' sun till dine,
But now I'm left to wade my lane
And muse on auld lang syne."

Twenty-five years of pleasant intercourse with Mr. Blood, now when he has gone to God, as old Isaac Walton said of his angling friends, is my tribute to this keen and expert angler and lover of nature.
The first time I met George I was driving past his place in route to Haggett's pond. I was a stranger and did not even know the road to the lake. Mr. Blood was sitting outside among his flowers and apple trees reading, a well-bred black collie dog at his feet and a tame crow perched on the back of his chair.
I thought this was a likely person to ask about the road to the pond, and what to do so as to get fish when I got there. When Mr. Blood saw my fishing-rod and creel he rose up and met me with the angler's handclasp and told me the way to go and what to do.
Since that time I have spent many afternoons fishing with George W. Blood. The first time he saw me put a worm on my hook he said, "You will do; you can bait a hook. Scarcely one person in a hundred can put on a worm as it should be." Mr. Blood was a reader of all kinds of books, and being a skillful mechanic, he was specially interested in steam engines and ships and knew the details of the turbine engines on the fast liners better than most men.
All kinds of beasts, birds and fishes, trees, plants and flowers, were interesting to our friend. He had an eye to see the beauties of this wonderful world, and enjoyed the sunshine, the rain or the thunder-storm. Snobbishness he detested, yet his individuality was marked. Nobody ever called him "Georgie." He was always called "George" or "Mr. Blood."
In the well at his place a trout was kept to eat up insects and keep the water clear. Often have I caught flies and grasshoppers and thrown them down into the well, and with Mr. Blood enjoying watching how nimbly and cunningly the trout took them. Some miserable vandal put a worm on a hook and caught this fish. When Mr. Blood told me about his trout being stolen he had tears in his eyes, and said that for all of Andover he would not eat that trout.
Our friend had passed the three score and ten limit, yet the last time I saw him he did not look or walk like an old man. He called to see me two months ago and brought a bunch of asparagus and told me to get spry and go to Haggett's with him.
The kid glove kind of Christian would think that the reputation of his gloves would be soiled if he visited a poor man and gave him of the kindly fruits of the earth.
An old lady, a great woman for prayer meetings, asked me what I would do if I got to Heaven, as there would be no fishing there. I asked her if she ever heard about the river clear as crystal. So if I go to fish in that clear stream I will find many old angler friends to welcome me.
Many nice apples my boys got from Mr. Blood, and many pretty flowers I have brought home from his little garden. We will all miss George W. Blood. As he sleeps in the old South churchyard with his kith and kin, I quote from Gray's Elegy and say
No further seek his merits to disclose,
Or draw his frailties from their dread abode,
(There they alike in trembling hope repose),
The bosom of his Father and his God.

IAN McDOUGALL - 14 August 1910 (Pen name)