Benjamin Danforth House
In 1717, Jonathan Danforth purchased 34 acres west of "the road to Mrs. Winthrop's farm" from John Dunkin. This may have been part of the land granted to Dunkin's father in 1670 in return for a "fatt ox" to present to the Deputy of the General Court.
Benjamin Danforth purchased these 34 acres from his father Jonathan in 1748 for 300 pounds in order to build his homestead. Jonathan reserved one-quarter of the land, already fenced, for his and his wife's use to cut timber and firewood.
Benjamin married in 1750 and went on to have 12 children, so it's reasonable he had built this house on which he already had an orchard and farm. In Jonathan's deed to Benjamin, he gives all rights to the "premises" and "appurtenances".
In 1805, Benjamin was 81 years and had three dependent women living with him, with five sons moved away or dead. At this time, he entered into an indenture agreement with Ami French. In the agreement, upon Benjamin's death, Ami would receive a warranty deed to the farm on the condition that Ami take care of his wife and daughters and prepare proper burials when they died.
Ami died in 1836, leaving the farm to his son, Charles French. Charles was a prominent Billerica citizen and he built two nearby homes for his daughters when they married.