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Abstract Paintings & Tribal Masks Exhibition At New Hampshire Antique Co-Op
Now on view through May 31, 2020
Congregational Church Stays Connected
During the suspension of in-person activities in light of the Covid-19 situation, the Congregational Church of Amherst, UCC has a variety of ways for members and others to connect with church programs. This is especially important during April as Holy Week and Easter are on the horizon.
The most up-to-date information about church activities can be found on the church’s website (ccamherst.org) or by calling the church office at 673-3231. Sunday services are broadcast on FacebookLive and recorded for later on-line viewing. Services are followed by a Virtual Fellowship Hour. Links for these and other events can be found on the website.
The church’s Facebook page is another source of information, including updates and video messages from the pastors. Pastors Maureen Frescott and Kate Kennedy are available to provide pastoral care during this time, and the church welcomes community members to connect with this loving, serving, open and affirming community of faith.
Emergency Post ~ March 20, 2020
Historic Amherst
Historic Amherst
The Oldest Houses in Amherst
Part 2: Outside the Village
BY KATRINA HOLMAN
​
About a dozen houses built before 1760 survive in Amherst outside of the Village. If one also counts ells that are older than their main house, then there may be at least three more. For virtually all of these, the actual date of construction is now unknown. Any date attributed to an old house is generally meant to be the earliest possible construction date – but ought to be based on actual documentary evidence, such as deeds proving ownership of that particular lot and evidence of residency of its first owner-occupant. Even with evidence of residency and land ownership, the house could be later if the family initially lived in a log cabin or stayed with neighbors or in-town relatives before constructing their frame house.
In 1741, there were only 14 families in Souhegan West; by May 1747, there were 35 settled families, “about 58 men aged 16 and upwards.” Keep in mind that this included present-day Milford and Mont Vernon, so not all were in today’s Amherst. The house of Samuel Lamson, famed first settler of Souhegan West, a short distance south of the Village at 244 Boston Post Road was covered in Part 1 in last month’s issue. Amherst gained its land south of Souhegan River in 1770 when Monson was dismembered; for purposes of counting oldest houses remaining in Amherst, two under consideration were built in Monson.
Built circa 1745
Interestingly, my research turned up only 3 houses dating from 1740s among those still standing:
1 Smith Lane: Cape built by/for Benjamin Wilkins (wife Lydia), whose purchase deed was not recorded but who was a resident of S. W. in Jan. 1748 when he wrote petition to Masonian Proprietors; and is shown owning this land in 1755 (abutter deed, Hillsboro’ County 12:321). Ben sold 120-acre farm with “house” in 1763.
5 Old Manchester Road: House built by/for Andrew Seetown aka Seaton, whose second wife Margaret Wood (married 1741 when he was a resident of Boxford and she of Topsfield, Mass.) inherited right to land from her Narranganset soldier father. Andrew signed 1747 petition as S. W. resident. Two-story with center chimney could be later (say c. 1750) if Andrew & Peggy first stayed with John & Ismenia across the road.
10 Old Manchester Road: Cape built by/for John Seetown/ Seaton (Jr., 1724-1793), cordwainer (shoemaker), who was Andrew’s nephew but also son-in-law, because as a resident of Andover, Mass., John had married his first cousin Ismenia in Oct. 1744. The newlyweds must have moved to S. W. immediately, even though there is no recorded deed for John’s land ownership then (but much land in this Walnut Hill area was owned by one Seaton or another, not all residents), because their ten children were born in S. W. starting in 1744. John signed 1747 petition as S. W. resident.
Built in 1750s
20 Walnut Hill Road: Cape built circa 1755 by/for Samuel Seetowne aka Seaton, who was a resident of Andover in 1750 when he bought 3d Division Lot 75 from his brother James of Andover.
20 Walnut Hill Road: Cape built circa 1755 by/for Samuel Seetowne aka Seaton, who was a resident of Andover in 1750 when he bought 3d Division Lot 75 from his brother James of Andover (Hillsboro’ Co. deed 2:434). Sam likely initially lived with his brother John & cousin Ismenia, or Uncle Andrew, while he cleared his land because he didn’t marry until Dec. 1756, in Andover, Ruth Smith, which would have been motivation for building a house.
44 Stearns Road: Cape built circa 1751 by/for Isaac Farwell, yeoman, who in April 1751 bought 100a in Monson on the south bank of Souhegan River
2 Thornton Ferry Road2: Cape built circa 1750, before April 1752 when Ebenezer Weston (Sr., b. 1702; wife Mehitable) of Reading, cooper, bought 103a “with the buildings” (Provincial N. H. deed 78:442). Ebenezer Sr. & Jr. were both resident taxpayers of Amherst in 1760. It was the second generation here, Ebenezer Weston Jr. (1731-1805), physician, who split off 6 ThFRd2 farm with another house in 1791 to his son, Ebenezer 3d, and in 1801 son Daniel (1774-1818), yeoman, got smaller 2 ThFRd2 farm that his father was still living on.
16 Thornton Ferry Rd2: House built after June 1752 when William Odell (Sr., d. 1812 aged 85; wife Phebe) of Reading, husbandman, bought 47.75a on Souhegan River (Hillsboro’ Co. deed 5:84). Two-story with center chimney. He was resident taxpayer of Amherst in 1760.
44 Stearns Road: Cape built circa 1751 by/for Isaac Farwell, yeoman, who in April 1751 bought 100a in Monson on the south bank of Souhegan River for 100 Pounds (Provincial N.H. deed 51:224). Farwell resided on this farm by May 1755 (Prov. deed 51:223). In 1766, Farwell sold “farm I now live on” with buildings for 300 Pounds.
302 Route 101: Cape built circa 1755 by/for Andrew Bixbe (b. 1723, Boxford, Mass.), husbandman. He was one of the earliest settlers, having arrived in S. W. as early as 1745, but he bought this land in January 1753 (Provincial N.H. deed 53:386); and by 1766 had made his homestead here (Prov. deed 86:32, mortgage). In 1770, Hezekiah Lovejoy (Jr., 1729-1793), another early settler, having arrived by 1751, bought this land with buildings from Bixbe (Prov. deed 101:115) and kept a tavern on this site.
232 Boston Post Road: Built c. 1751 by/for Robert Read as tavern. See Part 1.
324 Boston Post Road: House built circa 1758 by Timothy Smith (Sr., 1729-1798; m. 1751), housewright, who was a resident of Reading, Mass., in March 1754 when first bought land in S. W. (Provincial N.H. deed 94:33) and when children were born there in 1754 and 1756. Birth of daughter Rebecca in S. W. in Aug. 1759 is first evidence that family had settled here. Tim’s will (drawn May 1788) mentioned his “new house” so maybe the two-story was built a bit later. (This is the “Robert Frost Slept Here House”– in the summer of 1885 when Robbie was 11.)
Older Ell
328 Boston Post Road: William Melendy of Reading, cooper, bought this land (2d Div. Lot 6) in June 1754 (Hillsboro’ Co. deed 2:449); he was a resident by 1759 (Masonian Proprietors’ quitclaim deed). It’s likely that the oldest part of the house, ell, dates c. 1755, and that the large two-story main part was built a bit later.
382 Boston Post Road: Oldest part of house built circa 1755 by/for Nathan Kendall (Jr., 1726-1791; wife Rebecca), whose father, Nathan Kendall “of Litchfield”, taylor, bought the land (145a on north side of Souhegan River) in 1750 (Provincial N.H. deed 68:327). The son was a resident by July 1756 when Pa granted him 75a (Hillsboro’ Co. deed 2:382) and kept a tavern here (licensed by new county court in 1771). However, the main part of big two-story house dates from circa 1800, built by/for Timothy Kendall (1770-1827; wife Esther) as a tavern-inn (first license Jan. 1802).
14 Green Road: House built c. 1755 and c. 1814. Oldest part of house built by/for John Washer (Sr., 1716-1783) & wife Hannah nee Wilkins (d. 1808), who arrived in S. W. after birth and/or baptism of sixth child in Middleton, Mass., in Aug. 1750. John’s purchase deed was not recorded, but he was resident taxpayer of Amherst in 1760. Main two-story part built 1813/4 by Loea Pratt (1785-1875), carpenter and housewright, who was a resident of Reading, Mass., in April 1813 when he bought former Washer farm on Christian Hill with seven deeds from the heirs; Loea married girl-next-door Lucy Hartshorn in Dec. 1814. Aka Bertha Rogers House.
Puzzle
107 Ponemah Road: Built either c. 1757 or c. 1795. Archelaus Towne (1734-1779) commenced tavern-keeping on this site, when it belonged to town of Monson, soon after his first marriage in 1757, and the last 12 years (1758 to 1770) of Monson town meetings were held in his tavern. His house was still a tavern after this area was annexed to Amherst (tavern license by new county court in 1771). He sold in 1777 (deed 4:216). In 1785, David Danforth (Jr., 1752-1827) of Chelmsford, Mass., blacksmith, bought the farm (deed 15:116). Danforth
became innholder/ tavernkeeper (tavern licenses recorded 1793-1799). Historian Secomb (p. 556) says: “About 1795 [David Danforth] erected the buildings near the railway station which were occupied as a tavern-stand for several years.” If that is so, it would mean that the earlier tavern was in a different house – and interestingly, when Levi Adams, another taverner, bought the property in 1802, there were two dwelling houses on it, the main house and a “small dwelling house” besides Danforth’s blacksmith shop. A puzzle.
As you see, gentle reader, it can be tricky! Yet various documentary evidence – even vital records of older Massachusetts towns – can be utilized to narrow down the likeliest construction date for old houses in Amherst, N.H. These dates are still estimates, but they are plausible, hopefully defensible estimates. (I eliminated a few from this list as not qualifying but have not researched the deeds of every single house in Amherst, so if you think I missed one of this vintage, let me know.) A final note of caution: Both Emma Boylston Locke’s book and Howard Locke’s house notes are unreliable sources for dating old houses.
Katrina Holman welcomes comments to HistoricAmherstNH@juno.com