Hi Elaine, I love that painting too! I did a little digging last year and found this in the Andover Advertiser. I think the house was located at the corner of what is now South Main St. and Alderbrook Road.
AA Jan. 22, 1886 – p. 3 col 1 – Monday morning the residents in this part of town, were very much surprised to learn that and exceptionally large fire had taken place Sunday evening about 11 o’clock in Scotland District. Inquiry developed the fact that the house owned by the heirs of the late Jerimiah Goldsmith and occupied by Mr. Fred O. Parker had burned to the ground. The fire originated in the barn, and had made considerable headway before the occupants of the house were aware of it. Mrs. Parker fortunately awakened, and noticed the red glow on her curtain went immediately to the window to find the barn an embodiment of flame and smoke. She called her husband and spread the alarm through the house in season to give all ample time to make good their escape, which they did uninjured. The loss includes a house, barn, adjoining shed, two horses, seven cows, carriages, farm wagons, and all necessary tools which are included in a farm stock. The insurance on the personal property we have been unable to find out, the amount of loss in also in darkness. The loss of the house, barn and sheds is about $3800. Insurance $2000. Mrs. Parker speaks of the kindness received from her neighbors, and is at present in the house of Mrs. Stephen D. Abbot, with her family. This is unquestionably another case of incendiarism. As to whom the perpetrators are we have no idea, but we certainly hope that if the Police do not take the matter in hands the insurance agents will. A young man employed on the farm is sure tramps being in the barn on last Sunday evening. Now if this is the work of tramps (which we doubt) we know of no way in which this thing can be found, but if it’s the cowardly work of a citizen of this town, no pains should be spared to ferret it.
Thanks so much for sharing this, Jim! I'll edit the post to reflect when the house burned. As I noted in my reply to the previous comment, I'm always suspicious of anecdotal genealogies and remembrances, even Bessie's! They're a good place to start, but certainly not definitive.
I wholeheartedly agree. Much to my surprise, what I had always thought to be a good family story in my own family, turned out to be true! (Hot arid Kansas had a sudden black cloud appear, rained to put out a fire and save the lives of my family when slave hunters attacked the underground railroad stop which was their cabin. But it appears in the inquest court records for the freed slave that was killed in the attack.) So now I pay more attention to family stories as you did in the pursuit of factual history rather than anecdotal storytelling for one never knows where it will lead or how much of it might be true. And BRAVO to Jim's sleuthing!
So true! I like this approach to oral and personal histories from the National Park Service, "...oral or written histories and reminiscences and local historical legends have value. It’s important to 'document them with other historical evidence and evaluate their usefulness and credibility on a case-by-case basis.'" Legends – whether local historical or grand sweeping tales – highlight human values. In the case of local history, legends help people define part of their community and their values.
Thank you for sharing this, Kay, the 1754 census is such an important resource. I read this today on the Mass.gov website, "Historians estimate that between 1755 and 1764, the Massachusetts slave population was approximately 2.2 percent of the total population; the slave population was generally concentrated in the industrial and coastal towns." Applying that to Bessie Goldsmith's note about 25 enslaved people coming to Andover in 1765 or 1772 which had a population of 2,400, at 2.2 percent of the population, the people enslaved by the Goldsmiths would be half the enslaved population at the time. I'm suspicious, as always, of anecdotal genealogies and remembrances, including Bessie Goldsmith's. Read Jim Batchelder's post above. The newspaper reported that the house burned in 1886, about five years before Brooks Holt bought the property.
Thank you Elaine. So many interesting tidbits here in Andover. Learned a lot from the Ballardvale Tour on Sunday. So much more to know about this amazing town!
Hi Elaine, I love that painting too! I did a little digging last year and found this in the Andover Advertiser. I think the house was located at the corner of what is now South Main St. and Alderbrook Road.
AA Jan. 22, 1886 – p. 3 col 1 – Monday morning the residents in this part of town, were very much surprised to learn that and exceptionally large fire had taken place Sunday evening about 11 o’clock in Scotland District. Inquiry developed the fact that the house owned by the heirs of the late Jerimiah Goldsmith and occupied by Mr. Fred O. Parker had burned to the ground. The fire originated in the barn, and had made considerable headway before the occupants of the house were aware of it. Mrs. Parker fortunately awakened, and noticed the red glow on her curtain went immediately to the window to find the barn an embodiment of flame and smoke. She called her husband and spread the alarm through the house in season to give all ample time to make good their escape, which they did uninjured. The loss includes a house, barn, adjoining shed, two horses, seven cows, carriages, farm wagons, and all necessary tools which are included in a farm stock. The insurance on the personal property we have been unable to find out, the amount of loss in also in darkness. The loss of the house, barn and sheds is about $3800. Insurance $2000. Mrs. Parker speaks of the kindness received from her neighbors, and is at present in the house of Mrs. Stephen D. Abbot, with her family. This is unquestionably another case of incendiarism. As to whom the perpetrators are we have no idea, but we certainly hope that if the Police do not take the matter in hands the insurance agents will. A young man employed on the farm is sure tramps being in the barn on last Sunday evening. Now if this is the work of tramps (which we doubt) we know of no way in which this thing can be found, but if it’s the cowardly work of a citizen of this town, no pains should be spared to ferret it.
Thanks so much for sharing this, Jim! I'll edit the post to reflect when the house burned. As I noted in my reply to the previous comment, I'm always suspicious of anecdotal genealogies and remembrances, even Bessie's! They're a good place to start, but certainly not definitive.
I wholeheartedly agree. Much to my surprise, what I had always thought to be a good family story in my own family, turned out to be true! (Hot arid Kansas had a sudden black cloud appear, rained to put out a fire and save the lives of my family when slave hunters attacked the underground railroad stop which was their cabin. But it appears in the inquest court records for the freed slave that was killed in the attack.) So now I pay more attention to family stories as you did in the pursuit of factual history rather than anecdotal storytelling for one never knows where it will lead or how much of it might be true. And BRAVO to Jim's sleuthing!
So true! I like this approach to oral and personal histories from the National Park Service, "...oral or written histories and reminiscences and local historical legends have value. It’s important to 'document them with other historical evidence and evaluate their usefulness and credibility on a case-by-case basis.'" Legends – whether local historical or grand sweeping tales – highlight human values. In the case of local history, legends help people define part of their community and their values.
1754 Massachusetts Slave Census
Andover
Males: 28
Females: 14
Total: 42
County: Essex
Thank you for sharing this, Kay, the 1754 census is such an important resource. I read this today on the Mass.gov website, "Historians estimate that between 1755 and 1764, the Massachusetts slave population was approximately 2.2 percent of the total population; the slave population was generally concentrated in the industrial and coastal towns." Applying that to Bessie Goldsmith's note about 25 enslaved people coming to Andover in 1765 or 1772 which had a population of 2,400, at 2.2 percent of the population, the people enslaved by the Goldsmiths would be half the enslaved population at the time. I'm suspicious, as always, of anecdotal genealogies and remembrances, including Bessie Goldsmith's. Read Jim Batchelder's post above. The newspaper reported that the house burned in 1886, about five years before Brooks Holt bought the property.
The link to the Mass.gov website, https://www.mass.gov/guides/massachusetts-constitution-and-the-abolition-of-slavery
Thank you Elaine. So many interesting tidbits here in Andover. Learned a lot from the Ballardvale Tour on Sunday. So much more to know about this amazing town!
Thanks, Jean! I'm glad you enjoyed the Ballardvale tour. We'll be posting more tours on our website soon, https://andoverhistoryandculture.org/walking-tours.