When I was researching my ninth-great-grandfather Samuel
Blanchard, I discovered that he owned over 200 acres of land in the Andover,
Massachusetts area. Following his death in 1704, that land was divided amongst
his several sons. One of those sons, Thomas Blanchard, my eighth-great-uncle,
built a house on his parcel in 1699, a house that still stands today. Fascinated, I set out to learn about the building, known as the Blanchard-Upton
House.
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| Blanchard Upton House in the 1960s |
Samuel Blanchard held a huge tract of land called Blanchard’s
Plain just south and west of a large body of water once known as Blanchard’s
Pond, both areas visible on this 1690s map of Andover, with Samuel’s house
notated.
The “pond”, now called Haggett’s Pond, now serves as a reservoir for
Andover.
Thomas built his home south of the pond. The current address
of the property is 7 Hearthstone, and is noted on the present-day map below.
The approximate boundaries of some of Samuel Blanchard’s property is outlined
in yellow.
Thomas Blanchard was a cordwainer by trade, which is a
leather shoemaker. He may have also built a grist mill along the stream on his
property, so he wasn’t dependent on farming income.
According to the historic site description of the Blanchard
house (see Source 2),
“The house likely began as two rooms, one downstairs to left
of entrance and chimney and one above. The west side and oldest section
contains "Indian Walls", a brick barrier between the inner and outer
sheathing used as defense in early Colonial days.”
The house is one of only two buildings in Andover that has a
room “completely sheathed in pine on all four sides.”
Thomas married Rose Holmes on March 22, 1698. The couple had
nine chidren. Rose died in 1714 at age 40. A year later, Thomas remarried. His
new wife, a widow named Hannah White Cowens, had three more children. Hannah
died in 1724. Thomas married one more time in 1725, choosing another widow with
two children, Mrs. Judith Buckman Hill.
With all these children, the original two-room dwelling
needed expansion.
“As [the] family grew, the house was extended eastward,
upstairs and down. The salt-box section was likely added at the time of the
east wing, but others believe it to be the third part built. The old kitchen
room now serves as a dining room, has a 12' mantle which marks the site of the
original fireplace. The massive 10' wide fireplace remains, one of the largest
in Massachusetts. The east fireplace is slightly smaller at 8’. An old stairway
[was] built against the wall of the chimney without props in a spiral construction.” (From Source 2)
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| Children playing in the fireplace in the 1940s |
The house passed down to Thomas’ son Josiah in 1741. Josiah
paid 120 pounds for the house and 37 acres. He raised nine children there,
turning the farm over to his son Josiah Jr. in 1765. Josiah Jr. was a
cordwainer like his grandfather, and probably built the cobbler’s shop on the
property that stood for two centuries.
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| Workshop behind the Blanchard Upton House 1937 |
Josiah Jr. married Lydia Jenkins and
they raised six children in the home. Josiah Jr. died in 1790, and the farm was
sold to relatives of Lydia Jenkins, Abiel Upton and his wife Molly. Several
generations of Uptons—also cobblers-- lived there, followed by the Bakers and
the Grants.
The house was eventually sold to Richard and Joann Michalik
in 1989. The Michaliks spent 28 years restoring the house and barn, and added a
two-story addition to the home. The house was added to the National Register of
Historic Places in 1990. The Register notes that “it is a First Period 2.5
story saltbox, which is distinctive for having an integral lean-to section
rather than one that was added after other parts of the house.”
It is amazing to see the house where my ancestors lived over
300 years ago. I am so glad the building survived and was restored by people
who value its history.
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| The house today with the two-story addition |
Sources:
Excellent article. I believe I may tie into this line, but I will need to look more closely and make sure the connections are clean going back. I'll try to leave and update when I get to that. In the meantime I've shared this article to my Facebook Family group. Thank you!
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