68 Essex St. Abbott House – Keith House
The Smith & Dove Mfg. Co. acquired this house in December 1843 when they purchased the Abel & Paschal Abbott Mills from James Johnson of Johnson, Sewell & Co. for $12,000. A portion of the deeds includes “one dwelling house with barn with about one acre of land now occupied by Abiel Russell laying on the easterly side of the river and about three acres of land on both sides of the river with one undivided half of a Saw mill, Grist mill, & Wooling factory and dwelling house with all the buildings standing on the premises, excepting the blacksmith’s shop belonging to J. Merrill, also the buildings that belonged to Abel & Paschal Abbott.” Smith & Dove also acquired Abijah Chase’s half share of the property through Eben Sutton for $20,000.

The 1850 Valuation lists Abiel Russell; Dwelling house $800, 5½ acres Herrick pasture $110,
1 acre house lot near Howarth’s $300 = $1030. The 1860 Valuation only lists the Herrick pasture land. No deed or quit claim deed to the house has been located in the Registry of Deeds. It appears that the house was owned by the Mill Companies as stated in the deeds and Russel paid taxes on the house.

Abiel Russell was born Feb.24, 1789 in Andover, son of Uriah & Lydia (Abbott) Russell. Abiel served during the War of 1812 and received a pension. Abiel married on June 13, 1813 to Sarah Abbott b. Dec. 20, 1792 daughter of Nathan Jr. & Sarah (Ballard) Abbott. Sarah was also the sister of Abel & Paschal Abbott. Abiel Russell worked as a Manufacturer and was the Overseer of the weaving room at the factory of his Brother’s-in-law business.

Abiel & Sarah had six children; Abiel b. 1815 – d. Nov. 1, 1815, Sarah Ballard b. Dec. 24, 1816, Lydia Abbot b. June 2, 1818 – d. Feb. 14, 1876, Moses Abbot b. Aug. 4, 1824 – d. Oct. 31, 1834, Abiel “Edwin” b. Feb. 27, 1827 – d. Aug. 22, 1861 and Job Abbot b. Mar. 18, 1830 – d. Nov. 12, 1830. Wife Sarah died at age 54 on Sept. 20, 1846 of an ulcerated esophagus. Abiel remarried on May 6, 1848 to Elizabeth Mooar b. Sept. 7, 1807 in Greenfield, NH. The 1860 census lists Abiel as a Carpenter. His daughter Lydia was a school teacher and lived with her father. In 1870 she is recorded as an invalid at home. Russell later lived on Main Street where he died on Jan. 14, 1881 at age 91. Widow Eliza died on July 20, 1892.

The house was rented by Smith & Dove to operatives working in their mill. The McIntosh family is listed in the 1880 Census and were long term occupants of the house. Mary (Campbell) McIntosh was born in Dundee, Scotland in June 1828 dau. of John & Charlotte (Elder) Campbell. Mary came to Andover in 1847 and married on Jan. 20, 1848 to George McIntosh. (AVR list her as Mary Kimball) George & Mary had nine children; Martha E. b. Aug. 5, 1848 – d. Nov. 21, 1849, Mary Ann b. Jan. 8, 1850, Janette Elder b. July 31, 1852, Frances “Fanny” b. Oct. 13, 1855 NY, William James b. May 23, 1858 NY, Isabelle b. May 20, 1860 NY, George b. Aug. 31, 1862 NY, John b. 1864 and Charlotte b. Feb. 1867 in NY.

About 1855 they moved to Saratoga Co. NY where six of their children were born. George died in 1867 and was interred at Mechanicsville, NY. The 1870 Census finds the family in Dudley, MA; Mary McIntosh age 42, with seven children; Mary A. 19, Janette 17, Fannie 15 and Isabelle 10 are all working in a linen mill. George age 8, John 5 and Charlotte 3 at school or home. They returned to Andover and Mary, now 45, remarries on Aug. 31, 1872 to James McIntosh age 50, also a Flax Dresser b. in Scotland, son of James & Ann McIntosh. It is the second marriage for both and the 1880 Census reveals a blended family. Mary’s four children, Isabell 20, George 18, John 16, & Charlotte 13 and James five children; Mary Ann 22, David 20, Ellen 18, Jamamia 15 and Agnes 13. James was first married to Mary Smith b. 1830 in Scotland. Mary died on July 7, 1870 age 40 years.

The Andover directory of 1885 located Mrs. Mary McIntosh at 49 Essex St. with David employed at S&DCo., George a tinsmith and John a weaver. 1893 Mary is on Essex St. in Abbott Village and 1897 at 68 Essex St. with her daughter Isabelle who is employed at Smith & Dove. In the 1899 – 1904 Directories two families live at 68 Essex St. Mrs. Mary McIntosh and Isobel and Robert Cuthill, shoemaker, Ann and Jessie Cuthill. Robert Cuthill b. Jan 1829 in Scotland, was a shoemaker and widower immigrated in 1896, Daughters Anne M. b. Jan 1865 and Jessie G. b. Apr. 1878 a preparer of Flax were both born in Scotland.

Mary (Campbell) McIntosh died on May 16, 1908 at age 79 years 11 months of old age and is interred in the Christ Episcopal Church Cemetery.

68 Essex St.in the 1920 census lists Alice M. Broughm age 43, Widow (of Arthur), born in Nova Scotia and immigrated in 1903. Daughters Winnifred A. 18, b. July 2, 1901 a Spooler and Hazel G. 17 b. Nov. 29, 1902 a spinner and a niece Muriel K. age 16 also a spinner. Boarders Nelson D. Lower 25, b. NH, a Winder in the S&D Co., son Nelson age 5, and Bonnilyn age 4m.

Alice Mary Corkum was born on Mar. 26, 1876 in Lunenburg Co. Nova Scotia, dau. of Elkanah & Amanda (Joudrey) Corkum. Alice married on May 11, 1896 to James Arthur Alex. Broughm b. April 19, 1862 in Liverpool, NS son of Jacob & Louisa R. Broughm. Arthur, was a widower and Hosteler. Alice & Arthur had three daughters born in Nova Scotia; Evelyn Effie May b. Mar. 1, 1900, Winifred Alice b. July 2, 1901 and Hazel Gertrude b. Nov. 29, 1902. Arthur died on Oct. 26, 1915 in Liverpool, Nova Scotia.

The 1918 directory lists Evelyn and Winifred Broughm at 34 Shawsheen Rd. as mill workers. In 1921 Winifred Alice Broughm married John Baxter Keith b. Dec. 3, 1896 in Arbroath, Scotland, John immigrated at age 9 with his family, served during WWI as a Private Heavy Artillery School Det. 10th Co. Battalion AEF – CAC – John worked as a Dresser tender at the Marland Mills. Winifred & John had three children; Ruth Baxter b. June 7, 1922, Joseph J. b. Sept. 1, 1925 and Shirley Winifred b. Oct. 19, 1933. Her mother Alice remarried on April 14, 1923 in Bridgewater, N.S. to Titus William Corkum b. Dec. 23, 1865 in New Cumberland, NS, son of George Enos & Elizabeth (Hubley) Corkum. They would move to Cambridge, MA where Alice ran a boarding house.

When the Ludlow Co purchased Smith & Dove Manufacturing Co. in 1927 all the residential properties were placed in the Smith & Dove Tenements Co. Inc. on Feb. 21, 1927. Winifred A. (Broughm) Keith then purchased the house on May 13, 1927. John Keith worked at Marland Mills for 35 years. Daughter Ruth graduated from Punchard High School in 1940. The Keiths remained owners of the property for 44 years. Winifred later moved to Cambridge to help run her mother’s business. John died in Cambridge, MA on Sept. 29, 1964. Winifred sold the Andover property to Donald & Barbara Richmond on Dec. 30, 1971. Winifred died in Brockton, MA on Oct. 25, 1982. The last tenants enumerated here in the 1971 directory were George Milne b. 1912 Rubber Worker, wife Carmelina A. b. 1925 and Patane Giuseppe b. 1886 retired and a vacant apartment.

Richmond razed the house in the 1972 and the lot has remained vacant. The holdings were transferred to ARCO Properties LLC - Richmond on June 26, 2007. All the ARCO Properties were recently sold off in 2021.