The property along Torr St. and Central St. was once owned by Lyman A. Belknap who transferred several parcels to his wife Carrie in 1890. Carrie L. Belknap sold 3¾ acres to John Weeks on September 2, 1895. John received a loan for $3700 from Lyman Belknap on Sept. 23, 1895. John was a house carpenter and built his home at #84 Central St. the first of the homes built in this location. The 1897 Andover directory lists John Weeks off Phillips St. near Central Street.

John Weeks sold off a triangular parcel at 86 Central St. to Mary L. Hethrington, wife of Ernest on Sept. 22, 1919. Ernest Thompson Hethrington was born in Melbourne, Quebec Canada on Nov. 1, 1879 son of Samuel & Catherine L. (Gorrie) Hethrington. Ernest immigrated in 1904 and settled in Brandon, Vermont where he worked as a clerk in a grocery store. Ernest married on June 13, 1905 to Abigail M. Bailey b. 1886 in VT. Sadly Abigail died in 1908. Ernest married again on Jan. 26, 1910 to Mary Darling b. 1885 in Cambridge, MA dau. of Charles F. & Lucia (Doe) Darling. They had one daughter Maida Louise b. May 26, 1914. Ernest went from clerk to owner of the grocery store in Brandon, VT.
In December 1918 Ernest purchased two of Andover’s oldest grocery stores T. A. Holt & Co. in the basement of the Baptist Church and Manning’s store at 10 Essex Street.
Andover Townsman - Jan. 3, 1919 – Andover’s Oldest Firms Sold – T. A. Holt & Co. and A.S. Manning sold to E. T. Hetherington [sic] – Holt’s the oldest began in 1838 as Higgins & Abbot in the Baptist Church basement 80 years. Manning began 1845 as S. G. McNeil, Dodge & Beard – 1845, H. P. Beard & Co. (Wm. Beard, J. S. Smith & A.S. Manning,) 1871 Smith & Manning & Co. (Smith, Manning and Isaac Carruth), Smith & Manning, 1918 A.S. Manning.

Ernest had 17 years’ experience in retail grocery business prior to Andover. Hethrington ran both stores, later consolidated the Manning store into the Holt business. On October 30th 1924 the new K& D Block or “Merchant’s Building opened with the Hethrington Store as the first tenant. To the left of the main entrance was their grocery store and to the right the dry goods department. Their basement store, the first in Andover, had a full line of house furnishings, glassware, tin ware, crockery, blankets, linens, art goods etc. The business was successful and Ernest sold his grocery business in July 1927 to the Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. leased the right and remained at this location until 1943. Hethrington moved to Danville, VT in 1929 and sold his home to John M. & Mary Downs Young on July 22, 1929.

John Munroe Young was born Oct. 26, 1882 in Scotland, son of William & Christina (Munroe) Young. John immigrated in 1904, and first worked for Smith & Dove Manufacturing Co. John married Nov. 28, 1906 to Mary Downs, b. Aug. 23, 1883 in Dundee, Scotland dau. of Edward & Sarah (Lochrie) Downs. Mary was a Flax Spinner at Smith & Dove. They had four children; Edward b. 12/14/1908-d. 2/16/1909, Mary C. b. 1908, John M. Jr. b. 1912 and Charles A. b. 1914. John later worked for the Tyer Rubber Co. and M. T. Stevens Co at Marland Mill. John & Mary sold their home to Ernest E. & Anna M. Kilman on Nov. 21, 1945.

Ernest Axel Edward Kilman was born Dec. 31, 1901 in Goteburg, Sweden, son of Axel & Anna L. (Standburg) Kilman. The family immigrated to Boston on June 24, 1910 on the S.S. Leeland from Liverpool, England and settled in Waltham. Ernest became a machinist and during WWII was in Newport, RI working for the U.S. Government at the Naval Torpedo Station. Ernest married Oct. 2, 1937 in Andover to Anna Marie Martinson b. June 30, 1913 dau. of Alfred & Helene T. (Monsen) Martinson.
They had two children; Helen Ann b. 1939 and Ernest Jr. b. 1947. Ernest died June 29, 1992 and Anna on Aug. 17, 1993. They are interred at Spring Grove Cemetery. The property was inherited by their children and sold to Ruth F. & Sean E. Rogers on Jan. 28, 1994.