Backer & Co
Backer & Co
| Address | 492 Boston Rd |
| Built | 1900 |
| Demolished | 1969 |
| Other Lot Structures |
Nathaniel Cheever House 1 (1788 -
1969)
Nathaniel Cheever House 2 (1855 - 1969) Nathaniel Cheever Barn (1855 - 1969) J. Rogers House (1855 - 1959) H. Colby House (1870 - 1969) Frank A. Fitzgerald House (1906 - 1969) Shops at Billerica (Built 1975) |
On Jan. 10, 1899, Nathaniel P. Jones sold Grace Lillian Backer, wife of Clarence A. Backer of Melrose, "two parcels of land with the buildings" adjoining each other on the road to Boston, "about one-half (1/2) mile southeasterly of the Meeting House". The first was about three acres "with the buildings thereon"; the second was about four and a half acres "with a barn thereon", bounded north by "one Rogers" and south on the Tufts Road. Jones had bought the land from William H. Anderson and from Frank L. and Mary E. Crosby in 1898. The 1906 atlas labels it "Backer & Co." Backer, who later lived in Damascus, Virginia, built up the land around his home: the Colby sixteen acres to the north in 1908, the old Cheever place in 1917, and registered land farther north. His executors sold those four parcels to Isabel Porter in 1926. The home place itself was not among them, and how it later reached the Farmers, who sold it for the mall in 1974, has not been traced.
Deed References
| Date | Type | Grantor | Grantee | Summary | Recorded |
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| March 26, 1901 | Quitclaim | Nathaniel P. Jones of Billerica (Anna A. Jones releasing dower and homestead) | Grace Lillian Backer, wife of Clarence A. Backer, of Melrose | 1899: Jones to Grace L. Backer, three acres with buildings and 4 1/2 acres with a barn | 328/576 |
"Two parcels of land with the buildings situated in Billerica ... adjoining each other on the road leading to Boston": first, "a certain tract of land with the buildings thereon situated ... about one-half (1/2) mile southeasterly of the Meeting House on the road leading to Boston, containing about three (3) acres", bounded west by the highway, south by "land formerly of George P. Elliott", east by "land formerly of Henry Crosby" and north by "land formerly of Sylvester S. Hill"; second, "the tract of land adjoining the above with a barn thereon containing about four and one-half (4 1/2) acres", bounded north by "land now or formerly of one Rogers", east by Sarah Rogers and the heirs of Barnard Tufts "to the Tufts Road", south on that road and west by William G. Alley and Blanchard. Title from William H. Anderson and from Frank L. and Mary E. Crosby, both April 25, 1898 (Book 296, Pages 167 and 168). Dated Jan. 10, 1899; recorded March 26, 1901. The Backer home place of the 1906 atlas (Backer & Co.), south of the Rogers and Colby land; it is not among the four parcels sold by Backer's executors in 1926.
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| October 21, 1908 | Warranty Deed | Arthur J. Larratt of Billerica (Katharine Larratt releasing dower and homestead) | Clarence A. Backer of Melrose | 1908: Clarence A. Backer buys the 16-acre Colby place | 425/445 |
For one dollar and other consideration, "a certain lot of land with the buildings thereon containing sixteen acres, more or less, situated in that part of said Billerica known as Billerica Centre", with the bounds of the Jones deed (Jacob P. Brown, the Town standpipe lot, "land formerly of one Rogers, supposed to be now of one Davis", "land formerly of Sewall Worthley, supposed to be now of one Backer", Barnard Tufts, Blaney Abbott). "Being the same premises conveyed to me by Albert H. Jones by deed dated September 25th, 1908" (Book 424, Page 238), subject to a $3,600 mortgage to Jones of the same date which Backer assumes. Dated Oct. 17, 1908 at Lowell.
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| January 24, 1917 | Quitclaim | Bertram S. Ward of Billerica (Susie L. Ward releasing dower) | Clarence A. Backer of Billerica | 1917: Clarence A. Backer buys the Cheever place | 567/16 |
"For consideration paid", "A certain lot of land with the buildings thereon situated in said Billerica on the easterly side of the County Road, now called Main Street", with the same bounds as Fuller's deed (the 1853 Cheever to Josiah Richardson land, the heirs of Jonathan Bowers, David Abbott), "Containing thirteen acres, more or less. Being the same premises to me conveyed by Walter H. Fuller by deed dated January 15, 1917," subject to Fuller's three Merrimack River Savings Bank mortgages. Dated Jan. 23, 1917. Ward was a straw: the Fuller deed was recorded the day after this one.
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| June 4, 1926 | Executor's Deed | Thomas W. Fernald and Reginald B. Fonda, executors of the will of Clarence A. Backer, late of Damascus, Virginia, formerly of Billerica | Isabel Porter, wife of Fred A. Porter, of Lincoln | 1926: Backer's executors to Isabel Porter | 736/589 |
By the power of sale in Backer's will, for $16,000, four parcels "with the buildings thereon": (1) registered land on Boston Road (249.59 feet) north of Clara E. Sexton's land (Certificate 864, plan of July 1915), less Lot 3 on Plan 6093-B sold to Jennie M. Kinsman in 1924; (2) Lot B on Land Court Plan 3956-A, less Lots 1 and 3 on Plan 6093-B, subject to Backer's 1913 mortgage to Clara E. Sexton; (3) "A certain parcel of land with the buildings thereon on the easterly side of the County Road now called Main Street", beginning at the southwest corner of "land conveyed by Nathaniel Cheever to Josiah Richardson by deed dated July 28th, 1853" (Middlesex South Book 663, Page 64), south on the street to "the heirs of Jonathan Bowers", east to David Abbott, north and west by Abbott back to the Richardson land, south 4 rods and west 40 rods by it, "thirteen (13) acres more or less", conveyed to Backer by Bertram S. Ward, Jan. 23, 1917 (Book 567, Page 16), subject to a $2,500 Merrimack River Savings Bank mortgage; (4) "A certain lot of land with the buildings thereon containing sixteen (16) acres", from Jacob P. Brown's land on the east side of Boston Road south to the Town's standpipe lot, around it, to a wall "at land formerly of one Rogers, supposed to be now of one Davis", south to "land formerly of Sewall Worthley, now of one Backer", to "land formerly of Barnard Tufts", east to "land formerly of Blaney Abbott" and north to Brown. Dated April 10, 1926.
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Recorded is Book/Page at the Middlesex North Registry of Deeds unless noted.