Structure · Built 1848 · Demolished 2010
John Sowdon House
The house at 52 Cook Street in South Billerica appears on the 1853 county map as "J. Soudin". The deeds show that the owner was John Sowdon (also written Sowden), a farmer who lived in Malden and later North Chelsea. Sowdon bought "a certain tract of land situated in the southerly part of said Billerica and containing thirteen acres more or less" from a family of McKay heirs: John McKay, William P. McKay, Catherine Green and Mary and Rebecca McManagle of Boston, and Haslet Mackay of Billerica, who farmed nearby on the road to the Shawsheen River. He paid $550. The lot began "at the road and land of George Bennett", ran along Bennett's land to a marked maple and along "land formerly of Ruel Goodwin", and came with about two acres of meadow on the east side of the Shawsheen by land of Joseph Gleason. William P. McKay acknowledged the deed in May 1850, but Sowdon's mortgage back to him is dated May 6, 1848. That mortgage already required Sowdon to "keep the buildings standing on the land aforesaid insured against fire", so the house was standing by 1848. How the McKay heirs acquired the land does not appear in the Middlesex records.
In March 1856 Sowdon, by then of North Chelsea, sold the thirteen acres and the meadow to Charles Caldwell of Burlington for $400. Caldwell kept a strip for himself. In October 1869 he sold twelve acres "with the buildings thereon standing", with the meadow, to Barney Quinn of Boston for $750, and took back a $350 mortgage that Quinn paid off in 1882. Quinn kept the place for more than fifty years. The 1922 taxes were still assessed to him "as owner or occupant". When they went unpaid, the town sold the "fourteen (14) acres more or less" at auction in 1924 to John Lynch of Woburn. In 1926 Lynch's executor deeded the land to Veronica J. Kane of Woburn, and in 1932 the town sold it again for unpaid taxes, this time to Walter Foster of Billerica.
In 1937 Foster quitclaimed the fourteen acres to Joseph Quinn of Cambridge. In 1950 Quinn sold a 200-foot square on Cook Street, 40,000 square feet, to Daniel F. and Elinor G. Finn. The plan made for Elinor Finn shows that lot as open land, bounded by Foster on the southwest and by Quinn's remaining land on the other sides. In 1984 Quinn's widow sold the rest of the fourteen acres to the Finns. In 1988 they laid it out as D. J. Finn Estates, and Lot A of that plan, 54,755 square feet, is the present 52 Cook Street. The family held it until 2006. After two private sales, Kasher Corporation bought the lot in 2010, removed the old house that year, and built the present Colonial in 2011. It sold the property, "the land and the buildings thereon", to private owners in 2012.
References
Deed References
| Date | Type | Grantor | Grantee | Summary | Recorded |
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| June 30, 1836 | Warranty Deed | Thomas Goodwin of Billerica, yeoman | Haslet Mackay of Billerica, yeoman | Mackay family farm on the road to the Shawsheen (context) | 353/521 (South) |
Billerica town book 15, pages 264-265. April 27, 1833, for $3,000, "my homestead farm situate in said Billerica, containing one hundred acres more or less, with the buildings thereon standing": from the southwest corner at land of Capt. Oliver Crosby, easterly by Josiah Rogers "to the road leading from my house to Shawsheen River", across the road to Harvey Crosby, by Harvey's and Oliver Crosby's land to a brook, by the brook to the river, northerly by the river to William P. P. and Andrew R. Pollard, by "the rail fence between said farm and the Pollard farm in the meadow" to "the east end of my new wall", along the wall, southerly to "the road leading to Shawsheen River", about ten rods by the road, across it and back by Pollard and Oliver Crosby to the start. No title recital. Witnesses Marshall Preston and Charles Goodwin.
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| November 18, 1850 | Mortgage | John Sowdon of Malden, farmer, and his wife Catharine | William P. McKay of Boston, watchmaker | 1848 mortgage: "the buildings standing on the land" | 598/286 (South) |
Dated May 6 1848 but delivered May 20 1850 "when deeds were delivered": mortgage of the same 13 acres and 2 acres of Shawsheen meadow, to secure $300 in yearly instalments of $100 at six per cent, Sowdon to "keep the buildings standing on the land aforesaid insured against fire in a sum not less than one hundred dollars". On Nov 12 1850 McKay assigned the mortgage and "the two last remaining unpaid notes" to Philip Sowden of Roxbury for $218.23; discharged "Cambridge March 17, 1856". Billerica town book 18, pages 555-558.
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| November 18, 1850 | Warranty Deed | John McKay, William P. McKay, Charles A. and Catherine Green, Mary and Rebecca McManagle, all of Boston, and Haslet Mackay of Billerica | John Sowdon | McKay heirs to John Sowdon, 13 A | 598/285 (South) |
For $550, "a certain tract of land situated in the southerly part of said Billerica and containing thirteen acres more or less", beginning at the northeast corner "at the road and land of George Bennett", northwest by Bennett about 48 rods to a marked maple, southwest about 50 rods to a marked white oak "by land formerly of Ruel Goodwin", southeast by Goodwin about 48 rods, by the road to the corner; also about two acres of meadow on the east side of the Shawsheen River by land of Joseph Gleason and land late of James Bennett deceased. Undated; acknowledged by William P. McKay May 31 1850. No buildings or title recital in the deed, but Sowdon's mortgage back of 1848 already speaks of the buildings. Billerica town book 18, pages 553-555.
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| March 18, 1856 | Warranty Deed | John Sowdon of North Chelsea, and his wife Catharine | Charles Caldwell of Burlington | Sowdon to Charles Caldwell | 4/88 |
For $400, "a certain parcel of land situated in the southerly part of Billerica ... containing thirteen acres more or less", bounded by George Bennett and land formerly of Ruel Goodwin and the road, with the two acres of meadow on the east side of the Shawsheen by Joseph Gleason and land late of James Bennett. "Being the same premises which were conveyed to me, John McKay and others by their deed, without date, acknowledged by Wm. P. McKay May 31st 1850, recorded with Middlesex Deeds Book 598, Folio 285." Caldwell's 1869 deed cites this one as "Book 4, Page 68".
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| October 4, 1869 | Warranty Deed | Charles Caldwell of Burlington, and his wife Hannah | Barney Quinn of Boston | Caldwell to Barney Quinn, "with the buildings" | 70/73 |
For $750, "a certain piece or parcel of land with the buildings thereon standing, situate in the southerly part of Billerica ... containing twelve acres", from the northeast corner at the road by land of George Bennett, by Bennett 48 rods to a marked maple, 50 rods to a marked white oak by land formerly of Reuel Goodwin, 28 rods by Goodwin to other land of the grantor, then by the grantor's other land "as the fence now stands" about 20 rods to the road; also the two acres of meadow on the east side of the Shawsheen. "Being part of the same premises conveyed to me by Warranty Deed of John Sowdon dated March 18th 1856." Signed October 1 1869.
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| October 4, 1869 | Mortgage | Barney Quinn of Boston | Charles Caldwell of Burlington | Quinn mortgage back to Caldwell | 70/75 |
Purchase-money mortgage for $350 on the same twelve acres "with the buildings thereon standing" and the two acres of meadow, signed the same day as the deed. Discharged in the margin: Charles Caldwell, Lowell, July 29 1882, "received full payment and satisfaction".
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| October 28, 1924 | Tax Deed | John J. Ritchie, Collector of Taxes of Billerica | John Lynche (John C. Lynch) of Woburn | tax sale of Barney Quinn's 14 A | 713/491 |
Tax sale for the 1922 taxes of $11.10 assessed to Barney Quinn "as owner or occupant", advertised in the Lowell Courier-Citizen and sold at auction at the Town Hall September 29 1924, struck off to John Lynche for $18: "fourteen (14) acres more or less being premises conveyed by Charles Caldwell to said Quinn ... Volume 70, Page 73." Deed dated October 25 1924.
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| December 8, 1926 | Executor's Deed | John J. Lynch of Woburn, executor of the will of John C. Lynch | Veronica J. Kane of Woburn | Lynch estate to Veronica J. Kane | 744/511 |
For one dollar and other consideration, land in Billerica "containing fourteen (14) acres more or less and being the premises conveyed by Charles Caldwell to Barney Quinn by deed recorded ... Volume 70, Page 73, and being the same premises described in deed from John J. Ritchie, Collector of Taxes ... to said John C. Lynch under the name of John Lynche by deed dated October 25, 1924". Signed December 6 1926.
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| September 23, 1932 | Tax Deed | Patrick J. Mahoney, Collector of Taxes of Billerica | Walter Foster of Billerica | tax sale to Walter Foster | 816/520 |
Tax sale for the 1930 taxes of $19.60 assessed to Veronica J. Kane, advertised in the Billerica News and sold at the Town Hall September 9 1932, struck off to Walter Foster for $27.80: "Fourteen (14) acres of land more or less being land formerly of John J. Lynch for further description see Recorded deed ... Book 744 Page 511".
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| July 27, 1937 | Quitclaim | Walter Foster of Billerica, with his wife Annie | Joseph Quinn of Cambridge | Foster to Joseph Quinn | 901/307 |
All his right in a parcel in Billerica "supposed to contain fourteen (14) acres more or less and being land formerly of John J. Lynch", Book 744 Page 511, "and also being the same premises conveyed to me by Patrick J. Mahoney, Collector of Taxes", Book 816 Page 520, subject to the 1937 taxes. Signed June 30 1937. Joseph Quinn held the land until his death; in 1961 he put it in his and his wife's names (N.1511/303).
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| May 17, 1950 | Deed | Joseph B. Quinn | Daniel F. Finn and Elinor G. Finn, husband and wife | Quinn to Finn, 40,000 sf house lot | 1140/320 |
A 40,000 square foot lot on Cook Street: northeasterly and northwesterly by other land of Quinn, 200 feet each, southeasterly by Cook Street 200 feet, southwesterly by land of Foster 200 feet, as shown on "Plan of Land in Billerica, Surveyed for Elinor G. Finn" (J. B. Monahan, Feb. 1950, Plan Book 77 Plan 73A), which shows the square as open land. "For title, see deed from Walter Foster to Joseph Quinn, dated June 30, 1937 ... Book 901 Page 307." Signed February 17 1950.
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| February 2, 2012 | Deed | Kasher Corporation | Private owners | last sale; old house removed 2010 | 25682/66 |
For $475,000, "a certain parcel of land and the buildings thereon", Lot A (54,755 square feet) on the northerly side of Cook Street, Plan Book 170 Plan 52 (D. J. Finn Estates, 1988). Between 1950 and 2012: in 1984 the widow of Joseph Quinn sold the rest of the 14 acres, except the 1950 lot, to the Finns (N.2799/151); the Finns re-deeded Lot A to themselves in 1989 (N.5021/266) and to a family trust (EGF Realty Trust) in 2005; private sales followed in 2006 and 2010. Kasher Corporation bought in 2010, removed the old house that year and built the present Colonial in 2011, then sold it "in the ordinary course of the Grantor business".
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Recorded is Book/Page at the Middlesex North Registry of Deeds unless noted.