GenMassachusetts-L Archives

From: "Jerry Lovejoy" <>
Subject: No. 65: John Lovejoy's Farms - Transcribed From C.H. Abbott's The Townsman- Andover Historical series
Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 02:53:25 -0400

The following article was transcribed faithfully from a Xerox copy of the
original on 7/16/1999 by Jerry Hersey Lovejoy from:The Townsman Andover
Historical Series by Charlotte Helen Abbott. Interesting Andover
MA Genealogical data to be viewed with some caution. (p.s. I don't know what
A.T. associated with the articles' date means, perhaps Andover Townsman?
JHL)

No. 65
John Lovejoy's Farms

(A.T. 9/10/1897)

In 1683, the patriarch Lovejoy gave a generous portion to his grandson John
on condition that he pay the dowry of his sister or of his two youngest
aunts, the widow Naomi to pay rent during her widowhood for the estate on
his demand. In 1695 Nathaniel married Dorothy Holt and carried out the will
of his father by paying the dowry aforesaid receiving land in exchange, and
he swaps about with Ebenezer on the old home acres, until he is settled here
at the boundary between the parishes, and begins to call in the paternal
inheritance in sections. The great division of old John Frye held by
grandchildren had come into the market, and 80 acres in the West Parish
purchased by Ebenezer, Christopher and William Foster, the new pioneer over
there from Boxford, kin to Abraham and Andrew already in our business
center, gave Nathaniel his opportunity. Joseph moved along towards the Salem
turnpike and held lands for his daughter Sara, wife of Joseph Clark. They
raise and baptize a large family of children here before they go north to
Souhegan selling as late as 1748, the estate of Joseph, laborer, now
gentleman, valued at 452 (illegible, pounds?) to Isaac Blunt. Her brother
Ben and Joseph, in their surveys of new purchases along the old Boston road
that swayed from Carter's Hill, across (?) unchard Avenue to Elm Street
before they signed their last papers, always kept close at Nathaniel's
heels. He had four sons and two daughters to place . Timothy got some of
Sarah Clark's land and somewhere about was room suitable for his Tan house.
He disappears from our records in the new generation and his brother Ezekiel
with his wife Elizabeth Wilson are entirely overshadowed by the rising Holt'
s beams. His girls marry Haverhill and Lunenburg men and some wander to
Lancaster with the Abbott emigrants. Daniel also married and Mary Holt
proved an able helpmeet. I think these Holts all belonged on the Holt Row
down on the Reading line, for several missing families besides Dan Lovejoy's
seem to baptize infants and recognize baptismal covenants, etc. in our South
church, but never appear on the town books. In this way Nathaniel with his
Elizabeth Swan was the head of the North Parish line so well represented by
Nathaniel, Captain, schoolteacher, outliving two brides, Elizabeth Foster
and one other, marrying in old age Benjamina Woodbridge. Esquire he is when
in wartime he buries his three eldest. Of those born later I could only
connect Elizabeth Foster Lovejoy who married Jacob Farnum in 1798, who was
drowned so soon after the home was begun, the line ending in Jacob Farnum of
West Newbury, a bachelor. The other descendant was Brig. Gen. Nathaniel
Lovejoy, a Harvard man, trader of North Parish.

Of the children of Joseph only Lydia seems to have crossed the Shawshin to
become the wife of her cousin CaIeb Johnson, a most interesting person
belonging to the family of Lieut. William Johnson and Sara Lovejoy. There
is a possibility of this family being connected with another line of
Johnsons from Woburn, sympathizers, if not members of the martyr Baptist
associates of Bellingham and Bradstreet persecutions. In 1714, as mentioned
last week, John Lovejoy sold all his rights in the home lands to William
Foster of the West Shawshin syndicate and in 1728, the fine estate so
carefully builded by Lieut. William Johnson near Dea. Wm. Lovejoy's on the
highway that leads to William Foster's, the Merrimac lands and Lovejoy
purchase all go through Caleb and Sara's hands to the same William Foster,
Pillar of Rocks near Billerica line included. Was this homestead the old
house now being painted "old fashioned" that traveled down the road to Holt'
s Bridge into the hollow of the Shawshin for "Master Billy's school"? Did
Gideon, son of said William, build a new house on the old site left behind
or did he keep the old Johnson place? At any rate, when our Dea. Ballard
Lovejoy came back from Brentwood after awandering from the old home he
settles down at Gideon's house and about fifty years ago built his present
residence. At Joseph T. Lovejoy's near by is an old Woods house, the family
of Andrew Duncklee Woods perhaps of Lovejoy kin. This is the only old house
standing on the old Lovejoy division, and the Carruth estate marks the site
possibly of the house longest held in the line of Ebenezer Lovejoy, who
gradually took up all the estates to spare, watching the cousins flit off to
Norway and Andover, Maine, and later across the Connecticut.

The line of Joseph remained for years about Pine swamp and Carter's Hill
while the Abbotts, Fosters, and Wardwells and collateral were crowing in on
the older farm lands. Hugh Gordon came to town and Joseph and Mary Gordon,
with Hanna her sister, wife of Thomas Wardwell, sell out in time to a
hustling Lemuel Holt in the line of Henry, who had married Mehitabel in
1769. Brother Asa who seems to locate near the Worthley estate was only
nineteen and seems to hold on to his share in spite of Lemuel's well laid
plans. Sara Frye his wife probably brought a big dowry to help the big
taxes they had begun to pay. In fact, he buys land up around the Snow farm
from Lemuel. The famous Cuba woodlot goes to Lemuel from the Fryes, James
and Sara, and is still in the market held by Blunts. Asa raised eleven
children and went through the Revolution moving to Norway, Maine about 1800,
selling his pastures to our Simon Wardwell and Ruth Church, the heirs of
whom held in the present Capt. Reed place, the last of Asa Lovejoy's acres.
Poor Joseph and Mary Gordon had better have gone to the dry pure air of the
pine hills "down East". Consumption won many of the Lovejoy's at their
prime. John, son of Joseph, followed Jacob Holt's Rhoda to Albany, Maine,
where the family went over two hundred miles one winter on a sled. His
sister Hanna and brother Abner died at maturity and in the South Church is
recorded the baptism of the infant Amos, son of Amos and Elizabeth
(Wardwell) "at his own house, sick with consumption and likely never to go
out again." The next year, young Elizabeth is presented after her father's
death and probably the children were brought up by Samuel Lummus, the
step-father. I could not trace the children of this line to any one now
resident.

Christopher and Sara Russe sent Miriam to Robert Gray, Elizabeth and Mary to
Methuen with Barkers, and Margaret after some friction on the part of her
father at the time of the Banns, finally married Capt. Charles Furbush.
For the story of his death in camp, at Champlain see p. 225 Bailey History.
Margaret's son, a Capt. At Bunker Hill later had a tragic death, killed by
his insane servant while asleep early on the winter morning in February
1795. I should like to see the record of the court on this case which might
give some light on the peculiar temper of an otherwise estimable man, who
like other good men in power, seems to have delighted in playing with the
capricious an unmanageable creature none other cared to own out himself. He
promised to make the poor man his heir and excited his cupidity. A military
prowess and training often accompanies this love of "badgering" or playing
with edged tools and perhaps old Christopher Lovejoy was wise. Margaret's
grandson served at Bunker Hill and the family line of Furbush is well
represented by the women who are sent to "bruise serpent's heads."
Blessings for our Grandmothers! The three sons of this line, Hezekia, wife
Hanna unknown, except from the Osgood almanac. - "Hez Lovejoy's mother died
April 19, 1745." Christopher, wife Mary Preston, and Jonathan, wife
Elizabeth Phelps send children to Souhegan, Hebron, Andover, Maine, and
Hollis, H.H. Jonathan, who married Mary Austin 1741, I am confident will
prove to be ancestor of Prof. Austin Phelps, whose father Eliakim is in some
way in the West Parish line, guessing from the family names only.

Isaac Lovejoy, son of Christopher, married Mary Pevey widow of Eliakim
Wardwell, and the farms held by F.F. Wardwell and John Holt on the old
Boston Road lie over the possessions of their ancestors. Isaac's Lucy
raised that large family of Caleb Abbott's just under the south slope of
Prospect Hill, and just here I am glad to present to you the only Andover
boys of his line the sons of Nathan Abbott, the grandsons Lucy. If I had
studied the school reports as carefully as I have the older records they
would not have been left hidden behind their elder sisters' skirts.
(Garfield must live up to his name.) Isaac and Ruth Davis left us the family
of Jewett Jones and Susan, Isaac Carlton and Martha, Amos Gray and Lucy.
Orlando (or Allander as Rev. Mr. Phillips had spelled it years ago) giving
me more trouble than all the Lovejoys of the race. He had William, who
married Phebe Stiles running in the records with William of Ebenezer's line.
I have it right perhaps, in placing here the late Stephen Lovejoy an Lydia
Simpson with a son Albert, and Sylvester who with Clarissa Fox was father of
our voter Sylvester, and Sylvanus who lived to 80 with Sylvanus A. and
Edward, besides Mary H. wife of the late Timothy Parker Holt. Every tree
and stone wall around his little shoemaker's shop tell stories of the older
days. Pine Swamp has filled up, and where my brother used to shoot eagles,
rabbits, and woodcocks, the inevitable rural hencoop bars the way.
Christopher left us Abiel Osgood and sister Anne. It was in his line that
Stephen, who married Pamela Bragg came, sending back Harriet from Andover,
Maine, to marry John Bodwell. I met these cousins of our Hon. Moses Stevens
and Henry Bodwell lately and a neighbor who guided me there said "Nice
people, very nice indeed!" Ebenezer takes a paper by himself.

C.H.A.

Jerry Lovejoy
>
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>

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• No. 65: John Lovejoy's Farms - Transcribed From C.H. Abbott's The Townsman- Andover Historical series by "Jerry Lovejoy" <>