Structure · Built 1910

James W. Sutcliff House

James W. Sutcliff House
James W. Sutcliff House
Circa 1973, Massachusetts Historical Commission
Address 32 Colson St
MACRIS ID BIL.260
Built 1910


The house at 32 Colson Street stands on land that was part of the old Sprake, Farmer and Colson homestead farm in North Billerica, the same farm whose 1803 house, the Oliver Farmer II House, stands next door to the north. Nicholas Sprake bought the farm "with a Dwelling house and Barn" in 1724; Oliver Farmer Jr. acquired it from the Sprake estate in 1787 and 1790 and left it by his will in 1839 to his son-in-law Israel A. Colson, who deeded "my Homestead Farm" to his son George F. Colson in 1884.

On October 15, 1896 George F. Colson sold James W. Sutcliff "a certain piece or parcel of land situated on the west side of Colson street," 50 feet on the street and 244 feet deep, "containing twelve thousand two hundred square feet," measured from "a drill hole in the wall on said Colson street." No buildings were mentioned. On February 1, 1901, the same day he sold the next lot to the south to Frances E. Kohlrausch, Colson added a ten-foot strip on the south side, "containing two thousand four hundred and forty square feet," making the Sutcliff lot 60 by 244 feet, or 14,640 square feet.

The house was built on the lot between 1896 and 1910, while Sutcliff owned it. When he conveyed it on November 12, 1910 through John J. Devine of Lowell to his wife Maud L. Sutcliff, the deeds described "a certain parcel of land with buildings thereon." This puts the house earlier than the 1920 date on the 1980 survey form, and agrees with the assessor's date of about 1910. The survey form credits the design to an architect named Goddard and describes a two-story side-hall house with "interesting features at peaks."

Maud L. Sutcliff, by then of Swampscott, sold the house on April 28, 1914 to Rufus D. Kingsley and his wife Mary E. Kingsley, who had married the previous August (she was Mary Elizabeth Bottomley of North Billerica). The Kingsleys kept it for 23 years, later living in Pasadena, California, and on April 15, 1937 sold "the land with the buildings thereon ... containing 14,640 square feet" to William G. and Lillian W. Schmidt, who took a $2,500 mortgage from the Appleton National Bank of Lowell.

In July 1941 George R. Colson, the last of the Colsons to own the old farmhouse next door, sold the Schmidts "a ten-foot strip off the southerly portion of Lots 3 and 4 of Section No. 18" on the plan of Colson Heights, the subdivision laid out on the Colson farm after 1914. That strip and the 1896-1901 lot make up the present parcel, described by the assessor as Colson Heights section 18 "homestead land + part of lots 3 + 4," about a third of an acre. William G. Schmidt died on December 22, 1952; his widow Lillian was still living in the house in 1957 and sold it in 1960. It has had private owners since.



James W. Sutcliff House
Colson Heights, 1914 (Plan 31/88)


References

  1. MACRIS BIL.260
  2. Billerica assessor, parcel 15-18-0, 32 Colson St


Title References

Date Type Grantor Grantee Summary Recorded
July 14, 1726 Deed William Grimes of Billerica William Chandler of Billerica 26/96 (South)
July 14, 1726 Deed Samuel Fassett of Billerica William Chandler of Billerica 26/97 (South)
June 15, 1726 Deed William Chandler of Billerica, with Susannah his wife releasing dower Nicholas Sprake of Billerica 25/453 (South)
1768 Will Estate of Nicholas Sprake of Billerica, clothier His sons Nicholas, Samuel and John Sprake and daughters Probate #21112
October 2, 1784 Quitclaim John Sprake and Samuel Sprake of Billerica, husbandmen Their brother Nicholas Sprake Jr. of Billerica, husbandman 85/549 (South)
October 2, 1784 Quitclaim Samuel Sprake of Billerica, husbandman His brother Nicholas Sprake Jr. of Billerica 85/551 (South)
1784 Administration and Dower Estate of Nicholas Sprake (Jr.) of Billerica, yeoman, deceased intestate His widow Margaret Sprake, administratrix (dower), and his heirs Probate #21114
October 4, 1794 Administrator's Deed Margaret Sprake of Billerica, administratrix of Nicholas Sprake Oliver Farmer Jr. of Billerica, yeoman 117/293 (South)
February 27, 1813 Quitclaim Samuel Sprake of Litchfield, N.H., and Anna his wife, Rebekkah Sprake and Susanna Sprake of Billerica Oliver Farmer Jr. of Billerica, yeoman 203/372 (South)
1839 Will Estate of Oliver Farmer (1760-1839) of Billerica, yeoman His son-in-law Israel A. Colson, residuary devisee and executor Probate #7205
November 8, 1884 Warranty Deed Israel A. Colson of Billerica, unmarried George F. Colson of Billerica 170/272
October 31, 1896 Quitclaim George F. Colson of North Billerica, with his wife Clara E. Colson releasing dower James W. Sutcliff of North Billerica 280/455
February 18, 1901 Quitclaim George F. Colson of Billerica, with his wife Clara E. Colson releasing dower James W. Sutcliffe of Billerica 327/514
November 12, 1910 Quitclaim James W. Sutcliff of Billerica, with his wife Maud L. Sutcliff releasing dower John J. Devine of Lowell 459/240
November 12, 1910 Quitclaim John J. Devine of Lowell, unmarried Maud L. Sutcliff of Lowell, wife of James W. Sutcliff 459/241
April 28, 1914 Warranty Deed Maud L. Sutcliff of Swampscott, with her husband James W. Sutcliff releasing curtesy and homestead Rufus D. Kingsley and Mary E. Kingsley, husband and wife, of Billerica, as joint tenants 520/56
October 3, 1922 Trustee's Deed Charles H. McIntire of Lowell, trustee under the Colson deed of trust of 1914 (approved by Edgar F. Twombly) Clara E. Colson and George R. Colson of Billerica 669/574
April 24, 1937 Warranty Deed Rufus D. Kingsley and Mary E. Kingsley, husband and wife, of Pasadena, California William G. Schmidt and Lillian W. Schmidt, husband and wife, of Billerica, tenants by the entirety 898/26
July 21, 1941 Quitclaim George R. Colson of Jamaica, N.Y., with his wife Elizabeth E. Colson releasing dower William G. Schmidt and Lillian W. Schmidt, husband and wife, of Billerica, tenants by the entirety 963/561
July 23, 1957 Inheritance Tax Certificate Estate of William G. Schmidt (died Dec. 22, 1952) Lillian W. Schmidt, surviving joint owner 1376/554
July 23, 1957 Quitclaim Lillian W. Schmidt of Billerica, widow Lillian W. Schmidt and a relative of Augusta, Maine, as joint tenants 1376/555

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.