Charles Henry Hill House
Charles Henry Hill House
| Address | 332 Concord Rd |
| MACRIS ID | BIL.179 |
| Built | 1870 |
| Demolished | 2005 |
| Tenants | |
| Pine Hill Farm (1946 - 1957) | |
The Charles Henry Hill House was a Second Empire house with a Mansard roof that stood at 332 Concord Road in South Billerica, on the east side of the old road to Bedford just south of the mill pond of Hill's Mills. It was built about 1870 and destroyed by fire on December 4, 2005.
Charles Henry Hill, a machinist, bought the grist mill and machine shop at Hill's Mills from his kinsman Jonathan Hill in 1853. In 1864 he bought from Francis O. Whitford, for $1,350, "a certain tract of land ... containing fifty acres," the southern half of the William Whitford farm, running from "the road leading from Billerica to Bedford at land of said Hill near his Machine Shop" east along the mill pond and the brook to Nutting's Pond and south to the land of Jonathan Hill. In 1868 Jonathan and Laura W. Hill sold him two more lots on the south, one of them with an older house (today's 340 Concord Road). Charles built his house on the Whitford land about 1870, the year Jonathan Hill died; the 1974 MACRIS survey counted it as one of five Mansard houses built in Billerica within about five years.
On October 8, 1904 Charles H. Hill deeded the twenty acres "with the buildings thereon," bounded by the road, the heirs of Jonathan Hill, the Boston and Lowell Railroad and "the Brook, and the Mill Pond and land belonging to the Old Machine Shop," to his daughter Margaret E. Hill. He had died by 1913, when Margaret and his widow Aphia C. Hill sold the older house and its 2.17 acres at the south end to William P. Hadley. Margaret Hill lived on in the Mansard house, alone in her last years there, until May 13, 1936, when she sold the remaining twenty acres "with the buildings thereon" to Barbara Galvin; MACRIS records that she died in Salem in 1944.
Barbara Galvin and her husband Frank Galvin made the place their home and a small farm. In 1964 they deeded it to a member of their family, reserving a life estate for themselves, and in 1969 the land was surveyed into a three-acre house lot and a ten-acre back lot (Plan Book 109, Plan 161). The family kept the house until 2005. That December the house burned. In 2007 the house lot was divided into two lots (Plan Book 224, Plan 29), today 332 and 330 Concord Road, and a new house was built at 332 about 2008.
References
- MACRIS BIL.179
- Billerica assessor, parcel 86-106-1 (332 Concord Rd): Lot 1, Plan 224-29; sales history; FY07 fire note
Title References
| Date | Type | Grantor | Grantee | Summary | Recorded |
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| September 1, 1826 | Deed | John Simonds and Anna Simonds | William Whitford of Bedford, laborer | Simonds to William Whitford, the farm east of the road | 269/301 (South) |
For $2,300, 90 acres "with all the buildings thereon," beginning at the northwesterly corner on the County Road from Billerica to Bedford at the heirs of Joseph Hill, easterly on those heirs, southerly on Seth Crosby and the heirs of Jonathan Stickney to Job Hill, westerly on Hill to the road and northerly by the road. Simonds reserves the wood for three years from Dec. 1 and a right of way for owners of land to the east. Signed Aug. 16, 1825; acknowledged April 5, 1826. Whitford later added 8 acres of meadow from J. F. Hill (1830, Book 304 Page 147, resold to Sewall Stearns in 1831), the School House Pasture from E. B. Hill (1833, Book 319 Page 430), and land from A. H. Snow (1841) and S. Adams (1842). Billerica town book 13, pages 441-443.
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| December 22, 1863 | Administration | Estate of William Whitford of Billerica, intestate | Mary Whitford, widow and administratrix, and his children | William Whitford estate | Probate #44509 |
William Whitford died Dec. 5, 1863, intestate. His widow Mary Whitford petitioned on Dec. 16, 1863 and was appointed administratrix at Cambridge on Dec. 22, 1863 by Judge William A. Richardson (estate sworn at not over $20,000). The heirs were the children George H. Whitford of Boston, John S. Whitford of Elizabeth Port, New Jersey, Edward L. Whitford of Orford, New Hampshire, and Mary Eliza, Francis O., Addison B. and Emma M. Whitford of Billerica, the last three minors. Their guardianship is case 44508, which holds the 1864 license under which the minors' share of the homestead farm was sold at auction to Francis O. Whitford. Middlesex probate case 44509.
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| May 27, 1864 | Guardian's Deed | Mary Whitford, guardian of Addison B. and Emma M. Whitford | Francis O. Whitford | Whitford minors' shares to Francis O. Whitford | 38/38 |
Sold at public auction May 16, 1864 for $678 under Probate license of Jan. 26, 1864: the minors' interest in "the homestead farm of William Whitford," deceased, in three parts: 88 acres with buildings on the county road from Billerica to Bedford at Susan Fitch, bounded by the Crosby heirs, the Stickney heirs, Jona. Hill and C. H. Hill to the road, "near the machine shop of C. H. Hill," to a stone marked B near the dam; 3 acres at John Dane; and the "school house pasture," about 6 acres. Reserves the rights of Jonathan Hill under John Nichols's deed of Sept. 10, 1835 (Middlesex South Book 343 Page 139). The adult heirs, Mary, Mary E., George W., John H. and others, conveyed their shares to Francis O. Whitford for $2,883.50 by the next deed, Book 38 Page 40.
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| May 27, 1864 | Quitclaim (heirs) | Mary Whitford (widow) and Mary E. Whitford of Billerica, George H. Whitford of Boston, John S. Whitford of Tamaqua, Pa., and Edward L. Whitford of Orford, N.H., heirs of William Whitford, with the wives of George and John | Francis O. Whitford of Billerica, yeoman | Whitford heirs to Francis O. Whitford | 38/40 |
For $2,883.50, quitclaim of all their right in "the homestead farm of William Whitford, deceased": "One Tract with the buildings thereon standing containing eighty acres more or less," beginning at the northwest corner on the county road from Billerica to Bedford at land of Susan Fitch, easterly by Fitch 20 rods, southerly 4 rods, easterly about 150 rods, southerly about 20 rods, easterly to the heirs of Seth Crosby, southerly by the Crosby heirs and the heirs of Jonathan Stickney to Jonathan Hill, westerly by Hill and C. H. Hill to the road, northerly by the road about ten rods "to corner of a wall near the machine shop of Chas. H. Hill," easterly to a stone marked B near the dam, across the dam and back by Hill's land to the road and the first bound; "Reserving all the rights and privileges" of Jonathan Hill under John Nichols's deed of Sept. 10, 1835. Also 3 acres across the road by John Dane and Susan Fitch, and the "school house pasture" of about six acres, bounded north by a road leading to Jonathan Hill's, south by land formerly of Artemas Hill now of Josiah P. Heywood, and east by the road to Bedford. "The said Francis O. Whitford being the owner of the remaining share in his own right as heir at law to William Whitford, deceased." Dated April 23, 1864, acknowledged May 16, 1864 before Dudley Foster; Book 38 Pages 40-42.
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| December 13, 1864 | Warranty Deed | Francis O. Whitford of Billerica | Charles H. Hill of Billerica | Whitford to Charles H. Hill, 50 acres south of the mill pond | 38/384 |
For $1,350, "a certain tract of land situate in Billerica, containing fifty acres, more or less": beginning at the northwest corner "on the road leading from Billerica to Bedford at land of said Hill near his Machine Shop", east by Hill's land to a stone marked B near the dam, east by the pond to the mouth of the brook and by the brook past the upper dam to Nutting's Pond, south by the pond to land of Dr. Josiah Bowers, south by Bowers about 75 rods to land of Jonathan Hill, west by the land of Jonathan Hill and C. H. Hill to the road. Signed in May 1864, acknowledged Dec. 5, 1864 before Dudley Foster; recorded Dec. 13, 1864 (pages 384-385, faint scan). This is the southern half of the William Whitford homestead farm, south of the mill pond and Mill Brook, which Francis O. Whitford had bought out from his family earlier in 1864; it became the site of the Charles Henry Hill House.
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| May 4, 1868 | Quitclaim | Jonathan Hill of Billerica; Laura W. Hill his wife (dower and homestead) | Charles H. Hill of Billerica | Jonathan Hill to Charles H. Hill, lots south of his land | 61/571 |
For $100, two lots "on the Easterly side of the main road leading from said Billerica to Bedford": the first beginning at the southwest corner "at the corner of the wall, at my land", east by Jonathan Hill's land on a wall, north on a wall 6 8/10 rods to land of C. H. Hill, west by Hill's land to the road, and south by the road 16 1/2 rods; the second a small lot in the rear, Charles to build "a good and sufficient wall, in place of the fence on the whole southerly line of said small lot, at his own cost." The premises are free of incumbrances "except of a conveyance made by me to [illegible] Hill of even date herewith, of part of the house and garden on the premises for the joint life of said [illegible] and wife and no longer", so a house stood on the lot. Signed April 27, 1868, acknowledged April 28 before Daniel S. Richardson; recorded May 4, 1868. The front lot, 16 1/2 rods (about 272 feet) on the road, is the 2.17-acre lot with 264 feet of frontage sold to W. P. Hadley in 1913, today 340 Concord Road.
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| October 10, 1904 | Warranty Deed | Charles H. Hill of Billerica | His daughter Margaret E. Hill of Billerica | Charles H. Hill to his daughter Margaret | 370/300 |
For one dollar and other valuable considerations, "a certain parcel or tract of land situated in that part of said Billerica called South Billerica on the easterly side of the Road leading from Billerica to Bedford, with the buildings thereon": from the northwest corner on the road south along the road to land of the heirs of Jonathan Hill, east along their land to the Boston and Lowell Rail Road, northeast along the railroad to the Brook, west along the Brook "and the Mill Pond and land belonging to the Old Machine Shop" to the road; twenty acres. Signed Oct. 8, 1904, acknowledged and recorded Oct. 10, 1904. Charles Henry Hill's house of about 1870 and the older house on the 1868 lot both stood on this land.
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| August 30, 1913 | Warranty Deed | Margaret E. Hill of Billerica, unmarried; Aphia C. Hill, widow of Charles H. Hill (dower and homestead) | William P. Hadley of Hudson, N.H. | Margaret E. Hill sells the south 2.17 acres to Hadley | 509/258 |
For one dollar, "a certain piece or parcel of land with the buildings thereon situated in said Billerica on the easterly side of the Bedford Road": beginning at the southwest corner on the road at land of the heirs of Jonathan Hill, easterly along their land 151.35, 117.89, 131 and 129 feet to Margaret E. Hill, northerly 48.7 and 59.8 feet, westerly 152.28 and 352 feet to the road, southerly 264.07 feet on the road; 2.17 acres, "being a part of the premises described in a deed to said Margaret E. Hill from Charles H. Hill, dated October 8, 1904 ... Book 370, Page 300", shown on a plan by F. W. Huntington and Co. surveyed July 1913 and "bounded on all sides by stone walls"; a new hen house about sixty feet long is excepted. Signed Aug. 28, 1913; recorded Aug. 30, 1913 with Plan Book 30 Plan 52. This is the Hadley Homestead, 340 Concord Road.
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| May 16, 1936 | Quitclaim Deed | Margaret E. Hill of Billerica, unmarried | Barbara Galvin of Arlington | Margaret E. Hill to Barbara Galvin | 882/80 |
Stamps $2.50 (about $2,500): "the land in that part of Billerica called South Billerica on the easterly side of the road leading from said Billerica to Bedford, with the buildings thereon", beginning at the northwest corner at the road, south by the road to land of W. P. Hadley, east and south around Hadley's walls to the heirs of Jonathan Hill, east by the wall to the Boston and Maine Railroad, north by the railroad to the brook, west along the brook "and the mill pond and land now or formerly of Charles H. Hill, known as the machine shop lot" to the road; twenty acres, "being the same premises conveyed to me by Charles H. Hill by deed dated Oct. 8, 1904 ... Book 370, Page 300, excepting parcel conveyed to said W. P. Hadley." Signed May 13, 1936; recorded May 16, 1936. Barbara Galvin and her husband Frank Galvin used the Charles Henry Hill House as their home and a small farm.
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| October 27, 1964 | Quitclaim Deed | Frank Galvin and Barbara Galvin of Billerica | A member of the family (private) | Galvins to family; later sales, 2005 fire | 1670/572 |
Signed Aug. 31, 1964, for less than $100, two parcels: the 20 acres "with the buildings thereon" on the east side of the Bedford road (W. P. Hadley, heirs of Jonathan Hill, the Boston and Maine Railroad, the brook and mill pond, Charles H. Hill's machine shop lot), from Margaret E. Hill in 1936 (Book 882 Page 80), and 30 acres north of Chestnut Avenue; "Reserving, however, a life estate in the aforesaid premises to the grantors and their survivor." The family had the land surveyed into Lot A (3 acres with the house) and Lot B (10 acres) in 1969 (Plan Book 109 Plan 161) and kept the house until 2005, when family trustees sold it to a private owner. The Mansard house burned on Dec. 4, 2005; the 3-acre lot was divided in 2007 into Lot 1 (332 Concord Road) and Lot 2 (330 Concord Road) on Plan Book 224 Plan 29, and a new house was built at 332 about 2008. The assessor lists later private sales in 2005, 2007 and 2012.
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Recorded is Book/Page at the Middlesex North Registry of Deeds unless noted; Probate # is a Middlesex probate case, Ctf a Land Court certificate of title.