66 Cross Street - Circa 1780 – Obadiah Johnson Jr. House -

The Cape style home at 66 Cross Street is said to have been the home of Colonel Lovejoy and built in 1780. A chimney fire on Feb. 5, 1996 caused by a wood stove completely gutted the old homestead. It was razed and a new home built on the site in 1997.

The deeds trace back to Solomon Abbot, a husbandman, of Andover who sold two parcels of land for 100 pounds to Obadiah Johnson on Nov. 7, 1754 (recorded. 2/9/1784) The first parcel contained 28 acres on the west side of the brook leading from Blanchard’s Pond. (Fish Brook & Haggetts’ Pond) The second lot of 20 acres bordered the Merrimack River below Deer Jump. Obadiah Johnson Jr. was born Nov. 20, 1725, son of Obadiah & Hannah (Osgood) Johnson. Deeds list him as a blacksmith married on Dec. 29, 1748 to Lydea Balard. On Feb. 10, 1766 Obadiah Jr. purchased 20 acres of common land for 10 shillings 8 pence per acre, from the Andover Committee, “lying near Johnson’s dwelling house” The deed boundaries are trees, stacked stones and next to Capt. Holbook’s land. (Obidiah had sold Holbrook the parcel called High Plain west of Fish Brook in 1865.) The deed was approved in 1766 but recorded on Feb. 9, 1784. This is the first mention of a dwelling house on the land of Johnson. It is probable that he built the home Obadiah & Lydea had seven children: Obadiah b. Nov. 4, 1749, Josiah b. Dec. 18, 1751, Lydea b. Aug. 30, 1754, Mary bpt. Oct. 3, 1756, Deborah bpt. Jan. 13, 1760, Hannah bpt. Sept. 19, 1872, and James bpt. Aug. 25, 1765 – d. May 2, 1789
Wife Lydea died and was interred on July 6, 1779 in the South Parish Cemetery.

John Derby of Salem, a merchant, holds the mortgage deed on two parcels of Obadiah’s land on Feb. 20, 1784. The first parcel of 26 acres contained the house. The second parcel was the 20 acre proprietor’s common land. Derby later sells on June 6, 1791 for 100 pounds to Ebenezer Beckford also a merchant in Salem, MA. 28 aces with buildings and the 20 acre meadow lot. Ebenezer then sells to Jonathan Beckford of Andover, Gentleman the parcels for $666.67 on Mar. 14, 1800.

James Cochran purchased the property from Jonathan Beckford (Bickford) on Apr. 29, 1801 for $850 with buildings and 40 acres. Bickford held a $492.75 mortgage deed on the farm. The 1830 map of Andover lists J. Cochrain at this location James Cochran, a Yeoman, was born in 1751 in Reading, MA and Solomay, his wife b. 1853. James was a Captain, serving in the Revolutionary War. James would sell his 90 acre farm for $1300 on March 1, 1821 to his son Lewis Cochran “with a dwelling house and barn standing thereon and the same I now occupy.” Lewis, a brickmaker, later lost the farm in a law suit from Joel Whitcomb of Cambridge, brickmaker. The courts then sold the farm for “right of equity” at auction on Nov. 7, 1825 which was purchased by Josiah Brown Esq. of Tewksbury. James still occupied the house and owed mortgage loan of $583.70 to Andrew Peter, who had died. It appears that James & Solomay may have rented the farm from Brown after the sale. Capt. James Cochran died on April 1, 1837, age 85 and Solomay died on July 12, 1841 age 88. Both are interred in West Parish Cemetery.

The property now owned by Josiah Brown of Lowell, sold two parcels on Dec. 17, 1836 for $250 to John Tuck 2nd and his wife Hannah A. (Bailey) Tuck. The farm consisted of 35 acers with dwelling house, barn and other buildings on the west side of the road leading from William Bailey’s house to the High Plain. John was a Cordwainer, born May 25, 1814, son of John & Elizabeth A. (Ames) Tuck. John married on March 31, 1835 to Hannah A. Bailey born March 13, 1813 dau. of William Jr. & Rebecca (Gillson) Bailey. They had one son Moses Warren Tuck b. July 11, 1836. John sold the 81 acre farm on Aug. 14, 1837 to Stephen Lovejoy for $250 and other considerations.

Stephen Lovejoy was born April 30, 1807 son of Orlando and Abijah (Gray) Lovejoy. Stephen was also listed as a Cordwainer in the deeds. Stephen married on April 13, 1837 to Lydia Lacy Simpson born June 13, 1812 in Andover, dau. of William and Elizabeth Simpson. They had four children; Warren b. May 10, 1838, Elizabeth v. Oct. 13, 1845 and twins George & Julia born Aug. 24, 1848. Julia died 10 months later on July 2, 1849 and is interred in West Parish Cemetery. The Lovejoys would own for 46 years.
Stephen Lovejoy sold the farm to Daniel S. Wood of Tewksbury & James C. Poor of Andover on Apr. 18, 1883 for $1762. The farm was two parcels of 34 acres 15 poles and 46 acres. Stephen Lovejoy died on Aug. 27, 1886, interred at West Parish Cemetery. The Essex Co. map of 1884 lists S.C. Poor at this location.Wood and Poor owned just one year then selling for $2200 to Alfred A. and Fanny L. Miner on Apr. 18, 1884.

Alfred Miner is listed as a farmer in the Andover 1885 Directory. Cross St. had yet to be named and is assigned as 7th street near Lowell or River Rd. Miner held four years then sold to Albert Carter of Lowell. Carter then sold to Robert G. Bartlett of Lowell, a Real Estate agent. R. Bartlett’s name is on the 1906 map of Andover but he did not reside here. It appears the farm was investment property and rented during his ownership. Bartlett sold the 34 acre parcel with house to Reuben & Ellen Webb on Nov. 2, 1910

Reuben Webb was born in England in April 1863 son of Colvile Webb. He married on Aug. 10, 1884 at St. James, Enfield, England to Ellen “Nellie” Brown b. Nov. 1863 dua. of John Brown. They immigrated to the US in with two children, William J. b. June 1886 and Alice K. b. May 1889 1891 and settled in Andover. Reuben is listed in the 1893 directory in the Bailey District. He purchased three parcels of land on the west side River Rd. on both sides of Ferry Rd. in May 1895 from Henry Edwards. It is possible that the Webbs were renting Bartlett’s farm. Reuben & Ellen had two more children born in Andover; Joseph b. May 25, 1890/92 and David Ralph b. Sept. 1893. Reuben took a mortgage through Robert Bartlett for $1800 in 1910. His son David Ralph was working the market farm with his father in 1918.

Reuben died on Sept. 30, 1927 at age 66. Ellen is listed in 1928 and 1930. With the Great depression the Webb family defaulted on the mortgage and Robert Bartlett took possession of the property on Nov. 2, 1935. He then sold to Fannie W. Burnham of Lowell on Nov. 19, 1935. The property remained vacant from 1935-1943 at which time Burnham sold to Monica T Hannon, of Lawrence on July 9, 1943 who then transferred the deed to Augustine V. & Valerie Romel Hannon.

Augustine Hannon is listed as an electrician in the town directories. The family held the property for ten years then selling to Rosaire E. & Rita G. Dubrule on May 12, 1953. The Dubrule family is listed at 402 North Main Street in Shawsheen Village prior to moving to Cross St. Rosarie is a druggist. It is worth noting that Cross St. was still a dirt road at this time and the only other resident was the Golden family at the lower end of the road closer to River Rd.
Rosaire Emile Dubrule was b. March 5, 1917 in Lawrence, son of Rosarie & Arcelia Dubrule. He married in 1947 to Rita G. b. Feb. 23, 1926. Rosaire served during WWII, was a 1st Lt. U.S. Army. The Dubrule family owned a Pharmacy in Lawrence at 381 Haverhill St. Dubrule owned the Cross St home for10½ years and sub-divided the 34 acre parcel by creating four 1.3 acre house lots north of the old homestead in 1964.

They then sold the homestead with 25 acres to Richard J. Bonier on Jan. 15, 1964. A fire completely gutted the house in Feb. 1996. Most of the Bonier antiques and artwork were also lost. The homestead was determined unsalvageable and was raze. A new small Cape was built in 1997. The Bonier family sold off 20 acres of the property to AVIS on May 20, 2018 and the new house now sited on 4.8 acres.