The Hill house is listed on the 1852 map of Andover and Durant is next door at #47. Durant, a stone cutter, has thee houses assessed in 1850 in Frye Village, all on his property. The 1850 Valuation Schedule for West Parish lists Willard Durin in error, (Durant on deeds): House, barn & shed $450, 22½ acres home farm $562, Land & Dwelling house F.V. $450, Land & Dwelling house F.V. $400.

Joshua F. Hill purchased this property from Willard Durant on Apr. 5, 1851 for $600. It was ¼ acre with buildings on the southern portion of the two parcels that Durant owned. Joshua was born in Andover on April 6, 1816 son of Richard & Deborah (Chandler) Hill. Joshua was a shoe maker, married on Sept. 19, 1836 to Abigail Merrill b. 1817 dau. of John & Jane (Cochran) Merrill. They had three daughters: Abby Ann b. Apr. 28, 1838 – d. Sept. 25, 1839, Abby Ann b. July 3, 1841 and Mary Frances b. Sept. 5, 1847. The Hill family owned the property for 37 years. The 1860 Valuation lists Joshua F. Hill: 1 acre and buildings $575 and Farm Stock $25. Joshua died on consumption on Sept. 15, 1869. The 1870 valuation lists Hill estate; House $525, barn $100, 1 acre $125 = $750. Abigail and her daughter Abby A. continued to live in the home. Abby Ann worked in Smith & Dove flax mill in Frye Village. Mary F. Hill married Dec. 22, 1870 to Moses Warren Tuck b. July 11, 1836, also a shoe maker and a veteran of the Civil War.
The 1880 census lists Robert Lindsey and his family living with Abigail and Abby. Mary & Warren live next door. Lindsey would later own #47 Lowell St.

Abigail died on Dec. 12, 1886 at age 69y 9m and is interred at West Parish Cemetery. Abby and Mary inherited the property and sold to Feather Holmes on June 16, 1888 for $1100. Abby then lived with her sister in the Tuck homestead at 189 Lowell St.

Feather Holmes, we believe is actually Thomas F. Holmes b. March 21, 1836 in Yorkshire, England who immigrated to Boston on July 17, 1872 with his family, wife Hannah, daughters Elizabeth b 1860, Hannah “Annie” b. May 1863 and son Harry b. Nov. 1870. The 1880 census locates them in Worcester, MA but they came to Lawrence shortly after as Thomas “Feather” became a naturalized citizen on Oct.27, 1881 in the Lawrence Court. Feather was an overseer in the drawing dept. at the Washington Mill, living in Methuen. Harry is listed as a second hand, in directories, working in South Lawrence. Harry married in Boston on Aug. 6, 1889 to Jane A. “Jennie” Muldowney b. July 1869 in Andover, dau. of James & Eliza Muldowney. Both were living in Cambridge, MA when they wed. Feather’s health declined and he was admitted to Danvers Hospital (Lunatic Assylum) where he died on May 3, 1895 of Chronic Bright Apoplexy. The house went to Hannah and the two surviving children; Annie who married in 1884 to Elisha R. Barton and Harry Holmes. Harry bought out his sister’s share and with his mother sold the property to Mary H. McCarthy, of Lawrence, on May 8, 1897. Mary owned seven years then sold to Thomas Peters on Sept. 16, 1904.

Thomas F. Peters was born Mar. 7, 1876 Chester, Cheshire, England, son of John & Mary (Thornton) Peters. Thomas immigrated in 1886 and married on Feb. 22, 188 to Mary Ann Chapman b. 1868 Lawrence, MA dau of Richard & Eliza (McCollum) Chapman. Mary Ann died on March 27, 1890. Thomas remarried on June 7, 1894 at Free Church to Isabella Stafford b. Dec. 1868 in Ireland, Dau. of John & Matilda (Cowen) Stafford. In 1899 they resided at 328 North Main St. in Frye Village with two of Isabella brothers George age 24 and David Stafford 19 Bleechers at Smith & Dove. Thomas is a house painter.

Thomas & Isabella had two daughters; Mary S. b. April 6, 1895 - d. Nov. 13, 1917 age 23 and Isabella S.. b. Oct. 1898. Peters purchased the property in 1904. The Directory lists them at all #37 Lowell St., Thomas is now a Poultry farmer. George and David work at Washington Mills, in Lawrence. The 1910 census lists Tom as a fireman in Wood’s Mill in Lawrence. George Stafford age 33 and Ethel Stafford age 19 reside here.

The street numbering is confusing as the 1906 Essex Co. Atlas lists two Peters houses on Lowell St. both as #41. Playdon is #35 and the home to the rear is not numbered which is now #37 Lowell St. It appears that Peters lived in the home at the rear of the property and the house at #41 was rented. The bungalow also #41 is now #43. The 1904 Andover Directory lists three families at 37 Lowell, Thomas D. & Jennie Leslie, he with Smith & Dove (perhaps in #41) and Thomas & Isabella, “Poultry”, with George, David and Emily K. Stafford. The 1920 Valuation lists Thomas Peters: Off Lowell St. – House off Lowell St. $1400, 10 acres $300, House 41 Lowell St. $1200, Barn and sheds, $200, land 36060 ft. 41 Lowell $400 = $3500.

Benjamin & Annie Babb are renting #41 Lowell St. in 1916. Ben was born on May 4, 1887 in Compton, Quebec, Canada, son of George & Sophrina (Bean) Babb. Ben’s family moved to Lawrence in 1897. Ben became the shipping clerk at the Ayer Mill. He married Annie Hollinghurst b. 1888 in Scotland, on July 15, 1908. They had two girls, Florence b. 1909 and Dorothy b. 1923. Babb would later work as an overseer in the Shawsheen Mill of the American Woolen Co. The Babb family were tenants here for over 20 years. They moved to Princeton St. in Shawsheen Heights by 1940.

The Peters family held the property for 65 years. We believe Peters built the house at #37 to the rear of the property and lived there, renting this home as income property. After the death of Isabella Peters on Apr. 24, 1954, Thomas added his daughter Isabella Waddington to the deed May 18, 1954. The 1961 resident directory lists Thomas at #37 Lowell.
Franklin J. & Grace L. Allen reside in #41. Franklin b. 1914 is an Inspector. Grace b. 1921 and Insurance clerk.

Earl J. & Isabella P. Waddington hold the deed on July 30, 1962.