Themes: Architectural, Community Development

Woodland Rd was named in 1905 but prior to that was called Missionary Lane, and was still referenced that in 1920 Andover Valuation Schedules. With the establishment of the Andover Theological Seminary nearby, some of these homes were occupied and owned by teachers and the name Missionary Lane was used. Old deeds list it as the “back road leading from Jonathan Holt 3rd,” and or “from Joseph L. Holt’s house to the Meetinghouse in North Parish” and later “from Charles Wardwell’s house to the Meetinghouse in the North Parish” in 1830.

This Federal style house on this lot was razed in 2011-2012 and replaced by the current cape style home. The property and home were once owned by Joseph Lovejoy Jr. b. May 5, 1744, son of Joseph & Mehitable (Foster) Lovejoy. Joseph married on Dec. 14, 1769 to Mary Gordon b. July 17, 1745 dau. of Hugh & Mary (Frie) Gordon. Joseph & Mary had six children; Molly b. Feb. 19, 1771, John b. Mar. 24, 1773, Joseph b. Oct. 15, 1775– d Nov. 22, 1799, Hannah b. Oct. 17, 1778-d. Dec. 25, 1797, Amos b. Sept. 24, 1780-d. Apr. 15, 1806 and Abner b. Feb. 14, 1783-d. Sept. 24, 1805. Molly & John’s deaths are not listed in AVR, Their dau. Hannah died of nervous fever at age 19. The rest of the family all died of consumption. Son Amos did marry on May 10, 1804 to Elizabeth Wardwell, b. Apr. 4, 1787, dau. of Ezekiel & Damaris Wardwell. They had two children, Amos b. Aug. 20, 1804 and Elizabeth b. July 19, 1806. Sadly Amos died on Apr. 15, 1806 three months before his daughter was born. His widow and daughter survived. Daughter Elizabeth Lovejoy would later sell the property on Oct. 24, 1828. The deed states “formerly part of the estate of my grandfather Joseph Lovejoy, deceased. The farm included 17 acres of woodland and pasturage.
Rev. Ebenezer Porter, Dr. of Divinity at the Andover Theological Seminary, and his wife Lucy paid $600 for the Lovejoy farm.

Rev. Porter held for two years then selling for $600 to Moses Wood, wife Betty on Sept. 6, 1830. They owned for three years then sold to their son Moses Wood Jr., a carpenter of Boston, wife Mary P. Moses Jr. held for three years then selling to Samuel Gray for $1500 on May 1, 1836. Gray then transferred the property to Sarah Parnell on May 2nd for $1650. Sarah was the wife of John Parnell, a Tailor in Salem, MA. The property was then placed into a Trust for Sarah, with Michael Shepard, a Salem, merchant, the trustee of the estate. There were mortgages taken through the years from Trustees of Phillips Academy. John Parnell had a tailor's shop in the old Flagg and Gould Press building on Main St. next to Abbott's "Hill Store", and serviced the students of both the Academy and the Seminary. The Parnell family held the property for 49 years.

Salome Jane Marland, wife of William Marland purchased the farm on April 8, 1885 and held for three years. Salome then sold to Bridget Hayes and son-in-law Augustus C. Remmes on June 21, 1888. Bridget Hayes was born in Feb. 1835 in Ireland, married and had a daughter Bridget A. b. May 1867. They immigrated to the US in 1874. Augustus C. Remmes was born in Feb. 1865 in Germany and immigrated in 1871. Augustus married Bridget A. Hayes about 1886. They had five children; Joseph b. Mar. 1887, Francis b. Sept. 1889, Walter A. b. Dec. 1893, Mary J. b. Aug. 1896 and Teresa b. 1898. With the death of Bridget Hayes her daughter inherited her half share of the property and later became sole owners with the death of husband Augustus.

Bridget A. sells the property to Teresa Remmes Gleason, wife of Louis E. Gleason of Wellesley, MA on July 3, 1937 which she held for 20 years. Louis was an assistant manager of the Bissell Rubber Co. in Peabody. They would build a new home at 52 Woodland St. On Oct. 11, 1957 the property was sold to James A. & Martha M. Booth of North Reading, MA ending 69 years of family connection to the Homestead property. The Booths owned three years then sold to David A. & Janice E. Mosher on June 20, 1960.

David A. Mosher b. 1928 was an engineer. Janice E. b. 1934, a housewife, died on Aug. 16, 1998. After David Mosher died the estate was administered by Aimee A. Mosher Taft. Executrix and sold to Jeryl J. Williams of 44 Holt Rd on Nov. 25, 2009. Williams held for two years then selling to 54 Woodland Realty Trust, Stephen D. & Sally E. Peabody trustees on Mar. 17, 2011.