Nathaniel Davidson Barn

Nathaniel Davidson Barn
Address 415 Boston Rd
Built 1750
Owners William Hardy (1845 - 1853)


The building at 415 Boston Road stands on the west side of the road at Billerica Center, just north of the Nathaniel Davidson House (419 Boston Road). The two stood on one lot until 1944, and the deeds of that lot reach back to 1725. The building has not been surveyed by the Historical Commission, and the assessors date it to 1800; its name records the tradition that it began as Nathaniel Davidson's barn and was later made into a house. The deeds show that Davidson's barn did stand on this part of the lot, though no record says when it became a dwelling.

The lot first appears in December 1725, when Ebenezer Dows sold James Barrett of Andover "one Message or Parcel of Land ... near the Center of the Town containing about two acres ... of orchard and mowing Land," with the buildings on it. Barrett, a tanner, sold it in 1729 to Jonathan Brown of Reading, Brown in 1732 to William Marshall, and Marshall in 1735 to Edward Jewett, another tanner, who added a quarter acre at the back bought from Nathan and William Shed. In August 1740 Jewett sold the two acres to Nathaniel Davidson, then called a trader, "together with all the Buildings, fences & Trees ... as also all the Bars & Instruments for Tanning."

When Davidson sold the back half acre with the tan vats to John Parker in 1747, he added "a road twelve feet wide from the northwest Corner of sd. Davidson's Barn down to said Tanfats by the said Mr. Chandlers line." The barn therefore stood on the north side of the lot, next to the land of the Rev. John Chandler (see Rev. John Chandler House), which is where 415 Boston Road stands. In October 1758 Davidson sold the remaining acre to Ebenezer French Jr., a blacksmith, bounded "Northwardly by John Parker's Lane" (the twelve-foot road), "together with the House and Barn & other Buildings thereon standing."

The barn is named in almost every deed of the next eighty years. French sold the place in 1777 to John White, Esq.; after White's death his executor sold it in 1813 to Elnathan Duren of Boston as "a house and barn, and other buildings." Duren's mortgage passed it to the Boston merchants Henry Homes and George J. Homer, who sold to Abel Duren in 1820; his mortgage to Nehemiah Lovejoy was assigned to the Eagle Manufacturing Company, which sold the place in 1824 to David Rogers of Tewksbury "with a dwelling house barn and other buildings." David Parker bought it in 1833 and in 1837 sold the "Wheat House," four fifths of an acre "with a dwelling house & barn thereon," to William Blanchard. Its north line ran along Parker's garden lot "by a stone wall 12 rods 23 links," about 213 feet. That is the same line as the north side of the 415 lot today, 214 feet deep. Arza Page bought the place in 1838, and in 1845 he sold the half-acre house lot to William Hardy. From then on the deeds speak only of "the buildings thereon."

The lot passed in 1853 to Charles G. Fletcher and then to John F. Baldwin, whose 1864 deed repeated a condition that no tavern or public house should ever be kept on the premises. That condition still applies to the 415 lot. The lot then went to Lucia S. Little, Emanuel Downing, Baldwin again, Leonard Osborn (1867), George W. Wilson of Chelsea (1872) and his daughter Mary E. Wilson (1877), Willey Clark Swinington (1899) and Frank M. and S. Maud Lapham (1916). When the Land Court surveyed the Lapham lot in July 1916 (plan 6077-A), it had 162 feet on Boston Road and two buildings: the old house to the south and this building to the north. In 1929 the registered title passed to Elizabeth H. Stone, a widow.

In June 1944 Mrs. Stone had the land divided (plan 6077-B). On July 29, 1944 Lot A, with the old house, went to Edward A. and Lucy C. Woodside, and Lot B went to a Billerica couple. Lot B has 67.46 feet on Boston Road and runs 214 feet deep, bounded north by Thomas Thoresen and west by Martha H. Sage. The plan shows its building as an L-shaped house with a porch near the road. The lot has been privately owned since then. It changed hands in 1967, when the Land Court certificate first gave the owners' address as 415 Boston Road, and again about 1995.

The records place a barn on the north side of this lot from at least 1747 until 1838, and a second building on the north part of the lot by 1916. No deed records the barn being moved, rebuilt or converted. The present house most likely grew out of Davidson's barn, but that rests on its position on the lot rather than on any document.





Title References

Date Type Grantor Grantee Summary Recorded
January 25, 1729 Deed Ebenezer Dows of Billerica and Mary Dows his wife James Barret [Barrett] of Andover, Essex County 28/144 (South)
November 25, 1729 Deed James Barrit [Barrett] of Billerica Jonathan Brown of Reading 29/529 (South)
October 31, 1732 Deed Jonathan Brown of Billerica and Dorcas Brown his wife William Marshal [Marshall] of Billerica 33/573 (South)
October 31, 1732 Mortgage William Marshal [Marshall] of Billerica, housewright William French and John Marshal of Billerica, husbandmen 33/575 (South)
October 9, 1736 Deed William Marshal [Marshall] of Billerica, joiner, and Elizabeth his wife Edward Jewett of Billerica, tanner 37/304 (South)
October 9, 1736 Deed Nathan Shed and William Shed of Billerica, husbandmen Edward Jewett of Billerica, tanner 37/305 (South)
August 24, 1741 Deed Edward Jewett of Billerica, tanner Nathaniel Davidson of Billerica, trader 41/558 (South)
April 21, 1748 Deed Nathaniel Davidson of Billerica, trader John Parker of Billerica, tanner 47/184 (South)
October 18, 1759 Warranty Nathaniel Davidson of Billerica, yeoman Ebenezer French Jr. of Billerica, blacksmith 56/548 (South)
July 17, 1777 Deed Ebenezer French Jr. of Billerica, blacksmith, and Rebecca his wife John White, Esq., late of Charlestown, now of Woburn 78/183 (South)
1812 Will Estate of John White, Esq., merchant, late of Billerica John Brown of Boston, broker, executor Probate #24496
November 27, 1813 Executor's Deed John Brown of Boston, broker, executor of the will of John White, Esq. Elnathan Duren of Boston, merchant 205/406 (South)
September 7, 1816 Mortgage Elnathan Duren of Boston, merchant Henry Homes and George J. Homer of Boston, merchants 213/513 (South)
February 2, 1821 Deed Henry Homes and George J. Homer of Boston, merchants Abel Duren of Boston, merchant 235/453 (South)
February 2, 1821 Mortgage Abel Duren of Boston, merchant Nehemiah Lovejoy of Boston, housewright 235/454 (South)
July 21, 1821 Assignment of Mortgage Nehemiah Lovejoy of Boston, housewright The Eagle Manufacturing Company 240/6 (South)
January 7, 1824 Deed The Eagle Manufacturing Company, by Thomas S. Mann, agent David Rogers of Tewksbury, yeoman 251/355 (South)
December 5, 1833 Warranty Deed David Rogers of Tewksbury, yeoman, and Polly Rogers his wife David Parker of Billerica, gentleman 328/66 (South)
1837 Warranty Deed David Parker of Billerica, gentleman, and Achsah Parker his wife William Blanchard of Billerica, cordwainer 368/284 (South)
1838 Warranty Deed William Blanchard of Billerica, cordwainer, and Lydia his wife Arza Page of Billerica, joiner 377/304 (South)
October 31, 1845 Warranty Deed Arza Page of Billerica, carpenter, and Elizabeth T. Page his wife William Hardy of Billerica, innholder 467/525 (South)
September 28, 1853 Warranty Deed William Hardy of Billerica, yeoman, and Rebecca A. Hardy his wife Charles G. Fletcher of Billerica, yeoman 658/397 (South)
1853 Warranty Deed Charles G. Fletcher of Billerica, yeoman John F. Baldwin of Billerica, yeoman 663/530 (South)
January 9, 1865 Warranty Deed John F. Baldwin of Billerica and Eveline Baldwin his wife Lucia S. Little, wife of Rev. Elbridge G. Little of Middleborough, in her own right 38/417
January 9, 1865 Warranty Deed Jonas Parker of Carlisle and Anne Parker his wife Lucia S. Little, wife of Rev. Elbridge G. Little of Middleborough, in her own right 38/418
August 22, 1865 Warranty Deed Rev. Elbridge G. Little of Middleborough, clergyman, and Lucia S. Little his wife Emanuel Downing of Boston 44/145
1865 Warranty Deed Emanuel Downing of Boston John F. Baldwin of Billerica 44/147
1867 Warranty Deed John F. Baldwin of Billerica and Eveline R. Baldwin his wife Leonard Osborn of Lunenburg, Worcester County 55/562
April 8, 1872 Warranty Leonard Osborn of Sterling, Worcester County George W. Wilson of Chelsea 85/425
January 28, 1876 Warranty Deed Samuel Sage of Billerica and Martha H. Sage his wife George W. Wilson of Billerica 115/287
May 27, 1876 Easement Samuel Sage of Billerica, surveyor George W. Wilson of Billerica, manufacturer 118/362
1877 Deed George W. Wilson of Billerica, widower Mary Elizabeth Wilson of Billerica, his daughter 122/272
November 8, 1899 Warranty Deed Mary Elizabeth Wilson of Billerica, unmarried Willey Clark Swinington of Billerica 313/41
August 21, 1901 Release William T. Isaac of Quincy, trustee in bankruptcy of Willey C. Swinington Willey C. Swinington of Billerica 334/296
October 30, 1916 Original Certificate Land Court decree, Case 6077 (petition of Frank M. Lapham et al.) Frank M. Lapham and S. Maud Lapham of Billerica Ctf 852
July 1, 1916 Warranty Deed Willey Clark Swinington of Ashland and Lina C. Swinington his wife Frank M. Lapham and S. Maud Lapham, his wife, of Billerica 556/558
July 24, 1929 Certificate of Title Frank M. and S. Maud Lapham (transfer of Certificate 852) Elizabeth H. Stone of Billerica, widow Ctf 3836
July 29, 1944 Certificate of Title Elizabeth H. Stone (partial transfer of Certificate 3836) Edward A. Woodside and Lucy C. Woodside of Billerica Ctf 6498
July 29, 1944 Certificate of Title Elizabeth H. Stone (subdivision of Certificate 3836) Private owners of Billerica (a married couple) Ctf 6499

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.