Themes - Architectural and Community development
Original owner Stephen Osgood.

The awkwardly composed design reflects its centuries of architectural growth. The original building consisted of four rooms built around a central chimney; Isaac Osgood is thought to have added the eastern part of the house (making its L shape) and the northeast corner wing. The pretentiousness of this status-conscious owner is reflected in the buildings dignified window cornices, fine pedimented doorway, uncommon in Andover, and large windows and hipped roof. The home is one of a few remaining First Period homes in Andover.

116 Osgood St. is traditionally dated from 1699, the year of Stephen Osgood's marriage to Hannah Blanchard, uniting two very prominent West Andover families. Samuel Blanchard gave 50 acres of land to his daughter, Hannah, upon her marriage to Stephen Osgood. It is the sister house to 7 Heartstone Place (formerly 62 Osgood St. and the same year Thomas Blanchard got 50 acres and built his house to live in). The Osgood House is famous for the location where James Otis died. In the 1700’s when you became senile, they sent you into the country, which was Andover in those days. James Otis is credited with his political activism prior to the Revolution. Some say it was his voice that started us on the path to Revolution. Otis was killed by a bolt of lightning on the back step in 1783.

The house was built on part of the extensive landholdings of Hannah's father, Samuel Blanchard, whose property stretched between Lovejoy Road and Tewksbury from Blanchard's Pond (now Haggett's Pond) to Dascomb Rd. Hannah's brother Thomas lived just east of his sister at what is now 7 Hearthstone Rd, former #62 Osgood St. This area is referred to as Blanchard's Plain in many old deeds.

Stephen Osgood, b. Aug. 16, 1670 Andover, MA , son of Stephen & Mary Osgood, married May 24, 1699 to Hannah Blanchard b. Sept. 26, 1681 in Charlestown, MA ,daughter of Samuel & Hannah (Doggett)Blanchard. Stephen & Hannah had nine children: Hannah b. Mar. 4, 1702 d. Mar. 11, 1729, Sarah b. Jul 8, 1704 d. Mar. 31, 1732, Mary b. Apr. 5,1706 d. Dec. 4, 1745, Lt. Stephen b. Aug. 18, 1709 d. Mar. 24, 1772, Lydia b. Mar 9, 1712 d. Sept. 14, 1816, Capt. Isaac b. Feb. 21, 1713 d. Oct. 8, 1792, David b. Feb. 25, 1718 d. Feb. 8, 1742, Rachel b. Jan. 7, 1720 d. 1745 and Joshua b. July 17, 1724 d. Apr. 26, 1808. Stephen Osgood died Jan. 10, 1749. Hannah died March 16, 1774.

The homestead was inherited by the Osgoods' second son, Isaac. a Captain in the "French and Indian War" who is said to have always worn a wig to emphasize his position in this simple farming community. Captain Isaac Osgood b. Feb. 1713, married on April 18, 1745, in Reading, MA to Elizabeth “Betsy” Flint b. Feb. 8, 1722, in Reading, MA daughter of William & Abigail (Nichols) Flint. Isaac & Betsy had seven children: Elizabeth b. Apr. 14, 1746, d. Sept. 30, 1750, David b. Oct. 14, 1747, d. Dec. 12, 1822, Isaac b. Nov. 24, 1749, d. Feb. 24, 1775, Lucy b. 1750 d.______, Jacob b. Nov. 16, 1752, d. Nov. 29, 1838, Kendall b. July 11, 1756, d. Aug. 19, 1801, and Eliza b. 1758 d. Nov. 8, 1821. Betsy Osgood died on June 11, 1773, and Isaac on October 8, 1792.

Isaac's fourth son, Jacob, inherited the property and was a wealthy and highly respected farmer. He served in Nicholas Holt's company during the Revolutionary War, was a friend and host to James Otis Jr., the patriot lawyer and orator. Otis spent nearly two years at the Osgood farm recuperating from a head injury and was killed here by lightening in 1783. This homestead has since been connected to Otis and his tragic end.

From Wikipedia, - James Otis, Jr. (February 5, 1725 – May 23, 1783) was a lawyer in colonial Massachusetts Bay Colony, a member of the Massachusetts provincial assembly, and an early advocate of the Patriot views against British policy that led to the American Revolution. His catchphrase "Taxation without representation is tyranny” became the basic Patriot position. "Otis became one of the most vocal opponents of the Stamp Act and wrote numerous outwardly critical tracts against the Act."
Unique in his era, Otis favored extending the basic natural law freedoms of life, liberty and property to African Americans. He asserted that blacks had inalienable rights. The idea of racial equality also permeates Otis's Rights of the British Colonies (1764), in which he stated: “The colonists are by the law of nature free born, as indeed all men are, white or black.”

Otis suffered from increasingly erratic behavior as the 1760s progressed. Otis received a gash on the head by British tax collector John Robinson's cudgel at the British Coffee House in 1769. Some mistakenly attribute Otis's mental illness to this event alone, but John Adams, Thomas Hutchinson, and many others mention Otis's mental illness well before 1769; in reality, though it was not the cause, the blow to the head Otis received made the mental illness he suffered far worse, and shortly after, he could no longer continue his work. By the end of the decade, Otis's public life largely came to an end. Otis was able to do occasional legal practice during times of clarity.
Otis died suddenly on May 23, 1783 at the age of 58 when, as he stood in the doorway of his friend's house, he was struck by lightning. He is reported to have said to his sister, Mercy Otis Warren, "My dear sister, I hope, when God Almighty in his righteous providence shall take me out of time into eternity that it will be by a flash of lightning".

Isaac & Betsy's oldest son David Osgood b. 1747 - d. 1822, became a Minister and lived in Medford, MA. David married Hannah Breed b. 1847 - d. 1818. They had four children: Mary b. 1787-d.1859, Lucy b. 1789 d. 1789, Lucy b. 1791 d.1873 and David b. 1793 d. 1863.

Brother Jacob Osgood b. Nov. 16, 1752 - d. Nov. 29, 1838 inherits the Osgood Homestead and farm after his father died. Jacob married on June 27, 1811 in Reading, MA to the widow Lucy (Tufts) Putnam b. Dec. 11, 1767, in Medford, MA, daughter of Peter & Anne (Adams) Tufts. Lucy first married Dr. Daniel Putnam Jr. of Reading. Daniel died on Nov. 3, 1773 age 26. Jacob and Lucy had no children. Jacob died on Nov. 29, 1838 at age 86. Lucy died on June 10, 1849. Jacob & Lucy Osgood’s estate went to the three children of Jacob’s brother Rev. Daniel Osgood. Mary Osgood and Lucy Osgood lived in Medford and Dr. David Osgood in Boston. David quit claimed the property to his two sisters. Isaac P. Osgood was the executor.

The 1850 Andover Valuation lists the West Parish farm: Isaac Osgood of Boston – Dwelling House $1000., Barn & other buildings $500., 185 acre Farm $7000.

On October 9, 1851, Mary & Lucy Osgood sold the farm ending 152 years of Osgood ownership. The property was purchased by Augustus E. Spaulding of Chelmsford who then sold the 84-acre homestead lot and a 16-acre pasture lot to Job Abbot and Herman P. Chandler the same day. Abbot & Chandler held the place for one year then sold for $2500 to Daniel Fox Jr., Yeoman and wife Abigail E. on June 16, 1852.

Fox held for one year then selling to Wadleigh Noyes and wife Phebe A. of Bedford, NH. The homestead lot is the first parcel mentioned in the deed. Noyes owned for 15 years. Another historically significant owner as Wadley Noyes kept an inn and tavern here from 1853-1863. Wadleigh was born in Methuen on Apr. 8, 1796, married Phoebe Abbot Ballard b. June 1801 in Peterborough, NH daughter of William & Mary (Chandler) Ballard. Children; Nathan B. b. 1827 - d 1829, Aaron b. Jan. 27, 1829 - d. May 11, 1900, Mary Ann b. 1832 d. Sept. 11, 1835, Mary A. & Martha E. b. 1839. Moses b. 1836 - d. Dec. 25, 1839, William Gilbert b. Nov. 12, 1837 - d. Oct. 17, 1864, Josiah Milton b. Jan. 6,1833 - d. Sept. 7, 1886 Henry Alfred b. 1847 - d Aug. 28, 1887. Noyes then sold to Charles S. Clark and wife Esther Ann of Lawrence for $4000 on June 15, 1868. Wadleigh Noyes moved to Tewksbury where he died May 24, 1871. Phoebe Noyes died in Melrose on Mar. 5, 1881. Both are interred at West Parish Cemetery, Andover, MA

The Clarkes owned for 13 years. Charles Clark died on Oct. 6, 1881 age 61 and his wife Esther later sells the now 85 acre farm on June 19, 1884 to Joseph & Delia Bourdelais. Joseph paid $3475.
The Bourdelais family owned the farm and dairy for 66 years. Joseph Bourdelais was born in Canada in Aug. 1851. Delia also from Canada b. July 1854. Joseph & Delia had ten children, eight survived to adulthood: J. Harry b. Apr. 1878, Alma b. July 1880, Martha “Mattie” b. Apr. 1882, Sarah b. Nov. 1884, Mary G. b. May 1887, Wilfred b. Feb. 1889, Louis J. b. July 1890 and Ida b. Nov. 1893.

Joseph’s farm was both general and dairy. His son Louis would later take over operation of the farm after Joseph died in the early 1930s. The farm was sold in Nov. 1950 to John M. & Elizabeth W. Forbes.
With the construction of Route 93 in the late 1950s many of the working farms were subdivided and sold off to developers for housing. When Forbes later sold to Russell G. & Sarah M. Baker in 1975 only 10.94 acres remained of the former Osgood Farm.