Clara E. Sexton House
Clara E. Sexton House
| Also Known As | Billerica Historical Society Museum |
| Address | 36 Concord Rd |
| MACRIS ID | BIL.68 |
| Built | 1723 |
| Owners |
Clara E. Sexton
(1920 - 1936)
William H. Sexton (1920 - 1936) |
The Clara E. Sexton House stands close to the east side of Concord Road just south of the Common, and since the 1930s it has been the home and museum of the Billerica Historical Society. Behind its five-bay front and pedimented Georgian doorway is a timber frame with exposed First Period framing and remnants of chamfered paneling; a kitchen ell, carriage house and barn step down the slope behind, and a one-story doctor's office with a scrollwork porch was added on the north side. Its recorded history, read deed by deed, runs from 1723 to the present.
The lot was the house lot of Jacob Browne in 1658 and, according to the 1973 survey of the house, was bought in 1663 by John Stearns, who lived farther south and died in March 1669; his inventory lists his "dwelling house, barne, orchard" and some 315 acres in Billerica but no separate lot at the centre. On November 29, 1723 a later John Stearns sold "one small messuage or Parcel of Land ... in the Center of said town Containing about three Quarters of an Acre," bounded north by Benjamin Heywood, east by Ebenezer Dows and south by the heirs of Daniel Shed, "with all the buildings & fences thereon," to Jacob Danforth for 30 pounds. Danforth, a blacksmith and militia captain, lived here until his death in 1754. His will left "all my Estate in Lands and Buildings" to his sons David and Timothy equally, and on February 4, 1763 David, also a blacksmith, sold his half, the half acre on "the County Road leading to Concord ... with the Dwelling House and all the other Buildings thereon," together with twelve acres running west to Concord River, to the Rev. Henry Cumings for 220 pounds, a few weeks after Cumings was ordained.
Cumings, minister of the First Church for sixty years and a leader of the town in the Revolution, enlarged the lot with a four-pole plot from Josiah Brown in 1764 (Brown kept the fruit of an apple tree for six years) and an eighteen-perch plot from John Parker in 1780. The pedimented doorway and the remodeled paneling of the front room are probably his. When he died in 1823 his inventory valued "The mansion house and garden" at $850. His executor Joseph Locke auctioned "A dwelling house and about three quarters of an acre of land ... where said Cumings lately dwelt" to Joseph Parker for $700 in April 1824, but Parker had borrowed most of the price from John Baldwin, guardian of the minister's heirs, and in 1825 his interest was sold on execution to Dr. Zadok Howe, who released it to John and Henry Baldwin in 1826. In 1840 John Baldwin divided "the Cumings Place" into two quarter-acre house lots: the southern one, with 130 feet on the road to Bedford and "the buildings thereon," he sold to Dr. Joseph F. Hill for $1,100, and the northern one, with a second dwelling house and small barn, to John Baldwin Jr. The house that survives is Dr. Hill's southern lot.
For the rest of the century the house was known as a doctor's place. Hill died in 1849 and left his estate to his widow Caroline, who sold "the place of the late Doct Joseph F. Hill" with its house and barn to Sarah Richardson in 1850. She sold "the Doct. Hill place" to Josiah Gates of Lowell in 1851, and Gates sold it in 1853 to Dr. Hezekiah C. Bickford. Bickford sold his "Homestead" to Dr. George H. W. Herrick in 1861, Herrick to Dr. Frank E. Bundy in 1863, and Bundy to Dr. George A. Munroe in 1866. In 1877 Munroe sold it for $2,800 to Mary C. Hubbard, wife of Dr. W. A. Hubbard, who is said to have boarded insane patients here; one of these doctors added the small office on the north side. Mrs. Hubbard's mortgage passed to Anthony Jones in 1879, and in August 1884 his widow and executrix Judith Jones sold the place at auction on the premises; the buyer, Dudley Foster, deeded it straight back to her. Judith Jones's will, allowed in 1894, left it to her daughter Nellie M. Bemis, who with her husband Frederick C. Bemis mortgaged it with their other lots and in 1908 conveyed all their land to Anthony J. Bemis. Bemis, by then living in Chicago, sold the house to Harry W. Essex in January 1916.
On March 31, 1920 Essex sold the house, "with the buildings thereon ... on the easterly side of the road leading from Billerica Centre to Bedford," to William H. and Clara E. Sexton. William Sexton, like Jacob Danforth two centuries earlier, was a blacksmith. Clara E. Sexton left the house to the Billerica Historical Society by her will dated September 30, 1929 and filed in 1936 (her husband was still living that July, when he acted as her executor), and it has been the Society's headquarters and museum, the Clara Sexton Memorial, ever since. It is in the Billerica Center local historic district, and in 2020 the Society placed a preservation restriction on the house and its outbuildings in favor of the Town, enforced by the Historical Commission.
The deeds show that the house passed to Cumings from Jacob Danforth's son David under his father's will of 1754; the Cumings Place was sold at auction in 1824 and split in two in 1840; Dr. Frank E. Bundy (1863-1866) belongs in the list of doctors who owned it, and Sarah Richardson and Josiah Gates owned it between Hill and Bickford; from 1884 to 1916 it belonged to Judith Jones and her Bemis heirs; and Clara Sexton died before her husband.
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Title References
| Date | Type | Grantor | Grantee | Summary | Recorded |
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| 1669 | Inventory | Estate of John Stearns of Billerica (died Mar. 5, 1668/9) | His widow Sarah and his children, among them his eldest son John (the later Capt. John Stearns) | 1669: inventory of John Stearns, who had bought Jacob Browne's house lot in 1663 (MACRIS); family held it until 1723. | Probate #21259 |
Inventory taken later in March 1669 after John Stearnss death on Mar. 5, 1668/9: "dwelling house, barne, orchard, uplands, meadows" and the lands bought of Parker, in all about 390 pounds. No will or division survives in the file; his son John, then about fifteen, afterward settled on his fathers land at the south-west corner of the Dudley Farm. Papers read, pages 1-2.
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| February 26, 1724 | Deed | John Stearns of Billerica and Joanna Stearns | Jacob Danforth of Billerica | 1723: John Stearns sells the three-quarter-acre messuage at the centre "with all the buildings" to Jacob Danforth. | 23/519 (South) |
For 30 pounds, "one small messuage or Parcel of Land situate in Billerica aforesaid in the Center of said town Containing about three Quarters of an Acre be it more or less bounded Northwardly by the Land of Benjamin Heywood Eastward by the land of Ebenezr Dows South by the land of the Heirs of Daniel Shed West by the highway and all the Corners are stake and stones with all the buildings & fences thereon standing or being." Signed Nov. 29, 1723, acknowledged Dec. 2, 1723 before Oliver Whiting, recorded at Cambridge Feb. 26, 1724; witnesses John Needham and Samuel Fassett. No title recital. The Shed heirs on the south and Dows on the east match the Shedd homestead and the Dows (later Chandler-Parker) lot. Billerica town book 2, pages 493-495.
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| 1754 | Will | Estate of Capt. Jacob Danforth of Billerica, gentleman | His sons David Danforth (blacksmith) and Dr. Timothy Danforth (physician) | 1754: Capt. Jacob Danforth's will divides his homestead between his sons David and Timothy. | Probate #5885 |
Will dated Jan. 1, 1754: to his wife Rebecca the movables within doors while a widow, two cows, money and yearly provisions; to son David the rest of Elijah Danforth's time "to learn him the Smith Trade"; to son Timothy his horse and saddle; "I Give unto my said Sons David and Timothy Danforth all my Estate in Lands and Buildings in said Billerica to be Equally Devided Between them"; legacies to granddaughter Abigail (daughter of his late son William), grandsons Jacob and Jesse (sons of his late son Jacob), and daughters Rebecca Whiting, Mary and Hannah. Signed by mark; witnesses Nathaniel Davidson, Thomas Stearns, William Ruggles. Proved Jan. 21, 1754; the sons gave bond as executors with Davidson and Stearns. Middlesex probate case 5885.
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| October 8, 1765 | Deed | David Danforth of Billerica, blacksmith, and Joanna Danforth | Rev. Henry Cumings of Billerica, clerk | 1763: David Danforth sells the house and half acre, with his half of his father's homestead, to the new minister Henry Cumings. | 64/63 (South) |
For 220 pounds, "one certain Lot of Land situate in Billerica aforesaid near the Centre of the Town containing half an Acre," bounded westerly by "the County Road leading to Concord," southerly by Josiah Brown, easterly by John Parker and northerly by Timothy Danforth, "with the Dwelling House and all the other Buildings thereon standing"; also twelve acres near the centre, "the one half of the Homested of Captain Jacob Danforth late of said Billerica deceased viz. the south side," from the county road west to Concord River, "with the Barn thereon standing," the other half belonging to Dr. Timothy Danforth. Signed Feb. 4, 1763, acknowledged April 1, 1763 before Thomas Kidder; witnesses William French Jr. and Nathaniel Davidson. Cumings had been ordained in January 1763. Billerica town book 6, pages 123-125.
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| October 31, 1765 | Deed | Josiah Brown of Billerica, yeoman, and Mary Brown | Rev. Henry Cumings of Billerica, clerk | 1764: small plot added to the south side of the house lot. | 64/64 (South) |
For 3 pounds, "one certain small Plot of Land ... near the Centre of the Town containing about four Poles," bounded westerly by "the County Road leading to Concord," southerly by Brown's own land and easterly and northerly by land of Henry Cumings, Brown "Reserving the Fruit of an Apple Tree standing upon the Eastwardly Part of said Plot of Ground for the Term of six years." A sliver added to the south side of the house lot. Billerica town book 6, pages 136-137.
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| 1780 | Deed | John Parker of Billerica, gentleman | Rev. Henry Cumings of Billerica, clerk | 1780: small plot added to the house lot on the north. | 81/130 (South) |
For 6 pounds 13s 4d, "one certain small plot of land lying in Billerica aforesaid near the Center of the Town," bounded westerly by "the County road leading to Concord," northerly and easterly by Parker's land and southerly by "the Garden plot of the said Henry Cumings," about eight rods five feet deep from the road, two rods six feet four inches wide on the road and two rods three feet at the east end, "containing about eighteen perches." With the 1764 plot this brought the half-acre house lot of 1763 to the "three quarters of an acre" sold in 1824. Billerica town book 7, pages 295-296.
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| 1823 | Will | Estate of Rev. Henry Cumings, D.D., of Billerica, clerk | Joseph Locke, executor (licensed by the will to sell the real estate) | 1823: Rev. Henry Cumings dies; inventory values "the mansion house and garden" at $850. | Probate #5421 |
Will of "the late Doct Cumings" proved and allowed Oct. 28, 1823; letters testamentary to Joseph Locke of Billerica, with John Baldwin and George Bruce as sureties. The inventory by Samuel Whiting, George Bruce and John Baldwin lists "The mansion house and garden $850.00" and "The land west of the road estimated at 14 acres $650," with a brass clock, desk, silver can and porringer among the furnishings. A separate case (5422) made John Baldwin guardian of his son Henry Cumings, schoolmaster, in Nov. 1823. Middlesex probate case 5421.
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| 1823 | Guardianship | Henry Cumings Jr. of Billerica, schoolmaster (son of Rev. Henry Cumings) | John Baldwin of Billerica, Esq., guardian | 1823 guardianship of the minister's son; his guardian John Baldwin later held the house. | Probate #5422 |
On Sept. 15, 1823 the selectmen Marshall Preston, Jeremiah Crosby and Josiah Rogers complained that Henry Cummings of Billerica, schoolmaster, "does, by excessive drinking and idleness, so spend, waste, and lessen his estate" as to expose the town to the cost of his support; after notice (served Oct. 1823) the court appointed John Baldwin of Billerica his guardian in Nov. 1823. Baldwin, as guardian of Henry and John Cumings and Frances Wilkins, took a mortgage on the house when it was sold in 1824. Middlesex probate case 5422.
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| May 15, 1824 | Mortgage | Joseph Parker of Billerica, gentleman, and Lydia Parker | John Baldwin, Esq., and Henry Baldwin, gentleman, of Billerica | 1824 mortgage on the house to John and Henry Baldwin. | 254/234 (South) |
Mortgage for $175 on "a piece of land ... containing about three quarters of an acre more or less with the dwelling house thereon," bounded west by the road, south by Capt. John Richardson and east and north by Col. John Parker, "being the same which I this day purchased of Joseph Locke Executor of the last will of Rev. Henry Cumings deceased." Signed April 29, 1824. Billerica town book 12, pages 369-370.
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| May 15, 1824 | Mortgage | Joseph Parker of Billerica, gentleman, and Lydia Parker | John Baldwin of Billerica, Esq., guardian of Henry Cumings, John Cumings and Frances Wilkins | 1824 purchase-money mortgage to John Baldwin as guardian of the Cumings heirs. | 254/236 (South) |
Purchase-money mortgage for $525, half payable in one year and half in two, on the same three quarters of an acre "with a dwelling house thereon," "it being the same I this day purchased of Joseph Locke executor of the last will of Revd Henry Cumings deceased." Signed April 29, 1824: in effect the Cumings heirs financed most of the price. Billerica town book 12, pages 371-372.
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| May 15, 1824 | Executor's Deed | Joseph Locke of Billerica, Esq., executor of the will of Rev. Henry Cumings | Joseph Parker of Billerica, gentleman (deputy sheriff) | 1824: executor's auction sale of "the dwelling house ... where said Cumings lately dwelt" to Joseph Parker. | 254/237 (South) |
Under the power in the will, Locke sold at public vendue on the premises on April 21, 1824, to Joseph Parker, highest bidder, for $700, "A dwelling house and about three quarters of an acre of land situate in said Billerica where said Cumings lately dwelt," bounded west by the road, south by land of John Richardson and east and north by land of Col. John Parker. Deed signed April 29, 1824, witnessed by Henry Bridge and John Baldwin, acknowledged May 1 before Marshall Preston. Billerica town book 12, pages 372-373.
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| May 17, 1826 | Officer's Deed (Execution Sale) | Henry Bridge of Billerica, coroner, on an execution against Joseph Parker | Dr. Zadok Howe of Billerica, physician | 1825: Joseph Parker's equity of redemption sold on execution to Dr. Zadok Howe. | 267/416 (South) |
On an execution in favor of Dr. Zadok Howe against Joseph Parker, gentleman and deputy sheriff, the coroner sold at the house of Abraham P. Hoit, innholder, on Nov. 12, 1825, for $25, Parker's "right in equity of redemption" in "about one half an acre of land with a dwelling house and out buildings thereon standing," bounded west by the public highway, south by land occupied by Capt. John Richardson, east by Col. John Parker and north "by a passage way from said John Parker's Tan-yard to the road," on which John Baldwin Esq. held a mortgage. Acknowledged Dec. 26, 1825. Billerica town book 13, pages 419-421.
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| May 17, 1826 | Quitclaim | Dr. Zadok Howe of Billerica, physician | John Baldwin and Henry Baldwin of Billerica | 1826: Dr. Howe releases the equity to the Baldwins, mortgagees, who hold the Cumings place until 1840. | 267/415 (South) |
For $25, Howe released "all my right title and interest in & to a certain tract of land ... containing by estimation about one half an acre of land with a dwelling house & out buildings thereon standing," bounded west by the public highway, south by land now occupied by Capt. John Richardson, east by Col. John Parker and north by a passage way from Parker's tan yard to the road, "formerly owned by Doct. Henry Cummings deceased." Signed March 10, 1826 before Marshall Preston. With their mortgages this left the Baldwins owners of the Cumings place, which John Baldwin sold in 1840. Billerica town book 13, pages 418-419.
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| May 27, 1840 | Warranty Deed | John Baldwin of Billerica, Esquire | Dr. Joseph F. Hill of Billerica, physician | 1840: Baldwin sells the "Cumings Place" (house and quarter acre) to Dr. Joseph F. Hill. | 392/516 (South) |
For $1,100, "a certain parcel of land with the buildings thereon situate in said Billerica called the 'Cumings Place' containing one quarter of an acre," beginning at the southwest corner on the road leading to Bedford at land of William C. Parker, northerly 130 feet by the road, easterly "by my own land" to the wall at land of David Parker, southerly by the wall 87 feet to William C. Parker, and westerly by Parker to the road. The name records the house's half century as the home of the Rev. Henry Cumings (d. 1823); the 130-foot frontage is the frontage the house lot still has. Clarissa Baldwin released dower. Signed May 8, 1840. Billerica town book 16, pages 351-352.
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| 1840 | Mortgage | Dr. Joseph F. Hill of Billerica, physician | John Baldwin of Billerica, Esquire | 1840 purchase-money mortgage on the Cumings Place back to John Baldwin. | 393/346 (South) |
Purchase-money mortgage for $800 on "a certain parcel of land with the buildings thereon situate in said Billerica called the Cummings Place containing one quarter of an acre," with the same bounds as Baldwin's deed of May 8, 1840 (130 feet on the road leading to Bedford, William C. Parker on the south). Billerica town book 16, page 361.
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| December 17, 1840 | Deed | John Baldwin of Billerica, Esq., and Clarissa Baldwin | John Baldwin Jr. of Billerica, gentleman | 1840: the northern part of the Cumings Place, with a second house, goes to John Baldwin Jr.; it is the abutter on the north thereafter. | 397/421 (South) |
For $1,000, "a certain parcel of land with a dwelling house and small barn thereon situate in said Billerica being a part of the Cumings Place so called containing one quarter of an acre," beginning at the southwest corner at the road leading from Billerica to Bedford "at land of Doct. Joseph F. Hill," easterly by Hill's land to David Parker, then in a curved line by Parker to the road and southerly by the road to the start. Signed Dec. 8, 1840. With the May 1840 sale to Dr. Hill this divided the Cumings Place into two quarter-acre house lots; this northern one (later John R. Mills, then William B. Stearns) bounds the Sexton house on the north in every later deed. Billerica town book 17, pages 20-21.
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| December 18, 1849 | Will | Joseph F. Hill of Billerica, physician | Caroline L. Hill, his wife (residue); Sarah Richardson, Julia Barrows, Elizabeth Judkins (legacies) | 1849: Dr. Joseph F. Hill dies; his will leaves the house to his widow Caroline L. Hill. | Probate #34238 |
Will dated July 21, 1848, witnesses Augustus H. Fiske, Jacob Rhoades and Samuel S. Willson: $1,500 to Sarah Richardson, widow; $500 to Julia Barrows, wife of John Barrows of Vassalboro, Maine; $50 to Elizabeth Judkins, wife of Benjamin L. Judkins (his father's half-sister, on the farm next door); and all the rest of his estate "real personal or mixed" to "my beloved wife Caroline L. Hill her heirs and assigns," whom he made sole executrix. Proved Dec. 18, 1849 before Judge S. P. P. Fay, with Zadok Howe and Jonas Coolidge as sureties. Middlesex probate case 34238.
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| August 28, 1850 | Warranty Deed | Caroline L. Hill of Billerica (widow of Dr. Joseph F. Hill) | Sarah Richardson of Billerica, widow | 1850: Hill's widow sells "the place of the late Doct Joseph F. Hill," house and barn, to Sarah Richardson. | 588/528 (South) |
For $1,300, "a certain parcel of land with a dwelling house and barn thereon situated in said Billerica being the place of the late Doct Joseph F. Hill late of Billerica deceased containing one acre more or less," beginning at the southwest corner at the road leading from Billerica to Bedford at land of Putnam Pollard, easterly by Pollard to David Parker, northerly by Parker to John Baldwin Jr., and westerly by Baldwin to the road. No title recital: she held under her husband's will. Signed Aug. 21, 1850. Billerica town book 18, pages 433-434 (the index misprints 483).
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| May 22, 1851 | Warranty Deed | Sarah Richardson of Billerica, widow | Josiah Gates of Lowell, gentleman | 1851: Sarah Richardson sells the "Doct. Hill place" to Josiah Gates of Lowell. | 608/262 (South) |
For $1,500, "a certain tract or parcel of land with the buildings thereon situated near the centre of Billerica on the road leading to Bedford known as the Doct. Hill place," beginning at the northwest corner on the road at John Baldwin Jr., easterly by Baldwin to David Parker, southerly by Parker to Putnam Pollard, westerly by Pollard to the Bedford road. Signed May 20, 1851, witnessed by John and Francis Baldwin. Billerica town book 19, pages 85-86.
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| June 23, 1851 | Mortgage | Josiah Gates of Lowell, gentleman | Sarah Richardson of Billerica, widow | 1851 mortgage back to Sarah Richardson, assumed by Dr. Bickford in 1853. | 613/267 (South) |
Mortgage for $1,000, payable within five years, on the "tract or parcel of land with the buildings thereon situated near the centre of Billerica on the road leading to Bedford known as the Doct. Hill place," same bounds as her deed to him. Harriet N. Gates released dower. Signed May 20, 1851. Gates's buyer Dr. Bickford assumed it in 1853. Billerica town book 19, pages 109-111.
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| April 22, 1853 | Warranty Deed | Josiah Gates of Lowell, gentleman, and Harriet N. Gates | Dr. Hezekiah C. Bickford of Billerica, physician | 1853: Gates sells the "Doct. Hill place" to Dr. Hezekiah C. Bickford. | 649/251 (South) |
For $1,500, "a certain tract or parcel of land with the buildings thereon situated near the centre of Billerica on the road leading to Bedford known as the Doct. Hill place," northwest corner at John R. Mills, east by Mills to David Parker, south by Parker to Putnam Pollard, west by Pollard to the Bedford road, free of encumbrances "except a mortgage of One thousand dollars payable to Miss Sarah Richardson of said Billerica dated May 20th 1851 which mortgage the said Bickford is to assume." Signed April 15, 1853. Billerica town book 19, pages 473-474.
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| July 26, 1861 | Warranty Deed | Dr. Hezekiah C. Bickford of Billerica, physician, and Paulina A. Bickford | Dr. George H. W. Herrick of Billerica, physician | 1861: Dr. Bickford sells his homestead to Dr. George H. W. Herrick. | 28/379 |
For $1,500, "my 'Homestead' situate near the centre of said Billerica on the road leading to Bedford," northwest corner on the road at John R. Mills, east by Mills to David Parker, south by Parker to William P. P. Pollard, west by Pollard to the road, "with all the buildings thereon. Being premises conveyed to me by Josiah Gates" by deed dated April 15, 1853, Cambridge Book 649 Page 251. Signed July 9, 1861; Herrick gave back a $1,400 mortgage (Book 28 Page 380).
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| July 26, 1861 | Mortgage | Dr. George H. W. Herrick of Billerica, physician | Dr. Hezekiah C. Bickford of Billerica, physician | 1861 purchase-money mortgage back to Dr. Bickford. | 28/380 |
Purchase-money mortgage for $1,400 on the homestead on the road to Bedford "with all the buildings thereon," being the premises conveyed the same day by Bickford. Discharged Jan. 1864 (margin "Disch. 37-101").
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| January 14, 1864 | Warranty Deed | Dr. George H. W. Herrick of Billerica, physician | Dr. Frank E. Bundy of Billerica, physician | 1863: Dr. Herrick sells the homestead to Dr. Frank E. Bundy. | 37/103 |
For $1,500, "my homestead, situate near the centre of said Billerica on the road leading to Bedford," bounded by John R. Mills on the north, David Parker on the east and William P. P. Pollard on the south, "with all the buildings thereon. Being premises conveyed to me by H. C. Bickford" by deed of July 1861. Signed Dec. 30, 1863; Bundy gave back a $1,400 mortgage (Book 37 Page 104), discharged in 1866 (Book 47 Page 297).
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| January 14, 1864 | Mortgage | Dr. Frank E. Bundy of Billerica, physician | Dr. George H. W. Herrick of Billerica, physician | 1863 purchase-money mortgage back to Dr. Herrick. | 37/104 |
Purchase-money mortgage for $1,400 on the homestead "this day conveyed to me by said Herrick," same bounds. Margin: "See Book 47 Page 297 for discharge" (March 1866, when Bundy sold to Dr. Munroe).
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| March 15, 1866 | Warranty Deed | Dr. Frank E. Bundy of Billerica, physician, and Harriet S. Bundy | Dr. George A. Munroe of Billerica, physician | 1866: Dr. Bundy sells the homestead to Dr. George A. Munroe. | 47/298 |
For $2,200, "my 'Homestead' situate near the centre of said Billerica on the road leading to Bedford," bounded by William B. Stearns (formerly J. R. Mills), David Parker and the heirs of William P. P. Pollard, "with all the Buildings thereon. Being premises conveyed to me by G. H. W. Herrick by deed dated Dec. 30th 1863." Signed March 12, 1866, acknowledged before Dudley Foster. Bundy is not in the MACRIS list of the house's doctors.
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| March 14, 1877 | Warranty Deed | Dr. George A. Munroe of Billerica, physician, and Martha J. Munroe | Mary C. Hubbard, wife of Dr. W. A. Hubbard, of Boston, in her own right | 1877: Dr. Munroe sells the homestead to Mary C. Hubbard, wife of Dr. W. A. Hubbard. | 122/377 |
For $2,800, "my 'Homestead' situate near the centre of said Billerica on the road leading to Bedford," bounded north by William B. Stearns (formerly J. R. Mills), east by land formerly of David Parker, south by the heirs of William P. P. Pollard and west by the Bedford road, "with all the buildings thereon," being the premises conveyed by Frank E. Bundy in 1866. Signed March 9, 1877. Mrs. Hubbard gave back a $2,000 mortgage the same day (Book 122 Page 378).
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| March 14, 1877 | Mortgage | Mary C. Hubbard, wife of Dr. W. A. Hubbard, of Boston | George A. Munroe and Martha J. Munroe of Billerica | 1877 mortgage back to the Munroes, later assigned to Anthony Jones and foreclosed in 1884. | 122/378 |
Purchase-money mortgage for $2,000 on "my 'Homestead'" on the road leading to Bedford "with all the buildings thereon," same bounds. The Munroes assigned it to Anthony Jones on July 8, 1879 (Book 134 Page 420), and Jones's executrix foreclosed it in 1884 (Book 168 Page 347).
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| July 8, 1879 | Assignment of Mortgage | George A. Munroe and Martha J. Munroe of Billerica | Anthony Jones of Billerica | 1879: the Hubbard mortgage on the house is assigned to Anthony Jones. | 134/420 |
For $1,500, the Munroes assigned to Anthony Jones the mortgage given by Mary C. Hubbard dated March 9, 1877 (Book 122 Page 378), "together with the real estate therein described and the note." Dated and recorded July 8, 1879 (the 1884 foreclosure deed misdates it 1877). Jones's executrix foreclosed it in 1884.
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| August 5, 1884 | Mortgagee's Foreclosure Deed | Judith Jones, executrix of the will of Anthony Jones, assignee of the mortgage | Dudley Foster of Billerica | 1884: mortgage foreclosure sale at auction to Dudley Foster (a straw for Judith Jones). | 168/347 |
Under the power of sale in Mary C. Hubbard's 1877 mortgage (assigned by the Munroes to Anthony Jones in 1879, Book 134 Page 420; the deed misdates the assignment 1877), Judith Jones as executrix sold at public auction on the premises on Saturday, Aug. 2, 1884, at 4 p.m. (notice in the Lowell Weekly Journal July 11, 18 and 25; Albert D. Stanton, auctioneer) to Dudley Foster, highest bidder, for $2,000, "a certain piece or parcel of land with the buildings thereon, situated near the centre of Billerica ... on the road leading to Bedford," bounded by William B. Stearns, land formerly of David Parker and the heirs of William P. P. Pollard. Deed and affidavit, Book 168 Pages 347-349.
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| August 5, 1884 | Quitclaim | Dudley Foster of Billerica | Judith Jones of Billerica | 1884: Dudley Foster reconveys the house to Judith Jones in her own right. | 168/350 |
For $2,000, "a certain piece or parcel of land with the buildings thereon situated near the centre of Billerica ... on the road leading to Bedford," same bounds, "being the same premises conveyed to me by Judith Jones, Executrix, by deed dated August 2d A.D. 1884, and to be recorded herewith." Signed and recorded Aug. 5, 1884: the auction buyer reconveyed at once, so that Mrs. Jones held the house in her own right.
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| February 12, 1904 | Mortgage | Frederick C. Bemis and Nellie M. Bemis (in her own right), of Billerica | Lowell Five Cent Savings Bank | 1904 mortgage reciting that Nellie M. Bemis inherited the house under her mother Judith Jones's will (allowed 1894). | 363/40 |
Mortgage for $7,000 on the Mears Tavern block and Dix House at North Billerica and on "another certain parcel of land with the buildings thereon situated near the centre of said Billerica on the road leading to Bedford," bounded by W. B. Stearns, land formerly of David Parker and the heirs of William P. P. Pollard, "being the same premises conveyed to said Judith Jones by said Dudley Foster by deed dated August 5, 1884." "The title of said Nellie M. Bemis to both of the above described parcels is derived under the will of said Judith Jones which was duly proved and allowed by said Probate Court on the third day of July A.D. 1894." Discharged Book 399 Page 597.
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| 1906 | Mortgage | Frederick C. Bemis and Nellie M. Bemis (in her own right), of Billerica | Henry A. Jones of Pelham, New Hampshire | 1906 blanket mortgage including the house (third lot). | 386/409 |
Mortgage for $5,200 on 25 lots in Billerica. "The Third Lot, with the buildings thereon situated near that part of said Billerica known as Billerica Centre, on the road leading to Bedford," bounded by W. B. Stearns, land formerly of David Parker and land formerly of William P. P. Pollard, "being the same premises conveyed to said Judith Jones by said Dudley Foster by deed dated August 5, 1884," subject to the Lowell Five Cent Savings Bank mortgage of 1904. Signed Jan. 16, 1906; partial release Book 398 Page 435, discharged Book 405 Page 315.
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| 1907 | Mortgage | Frederick C. Bemis and Nellie M. Bemis (in her own right), of Billerica | Central Savings Bank of Lowell | 1907: the Bemises, Judith Jones's daughter and son-in-law, mortgage the house (fourth lot) with their other land. | 404/101 |
Blanket mortgage for $7,000 on 24 lots in Billerica and Chelmsford. "The Fourth lot is situated in that part of said Billerica known as Billerica Centre, on the easterly side of the road leading to Bedford, with the buildings thereon," bounded by William B. Stearns, the Wamesit Power Company and land formerly of William P. P. Pollard, "being the same premises conveyed to Judith Jones by Dudley Foster by deed dated August 5, 1884." Lots 1-3 had come to Nellie from her mother Judith Jones. Signed April 10, 1907; partial releases in the margin and a discharge at Book 514 Page 257.
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| March 19, 1908 | Warranty Deed | Frederick C. Bemis and Nellie M. Bemis of Billerica | Anthony J. Bemis of Billerica | 1908: the Bemises convey all their land, including the house, to Anthony J. Bemis. | 416/135 |
For $1, "all the real estate belonging to us or either of us situated in said Billerica and in Chelmsford ... supposed to contain and comprise twenty-four lots or parcels of land," being the premises described in their 1907 mortgage to the Central Savings Bank of Lowell (Book 404 Page 101), except three lots near the railroad and the cemetery, and subject to that mortgage. Signed March 19, 1908.
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| February 5, 1916 | Quitclaim | Anthony J. Bemis of Chicago, Illinois, and Esther M. Bemis | Harry W. Essex of Billerica | 1916: Anthony J. Bemis, then of Chicago, sells the house to Harry W. Essex. | 549/455 |
"A certain piece or parcel of land with the buildings thereon situated in that part of said Billerica known as Billerica Centre, on the easterly side of the road leading from Billerica Centre to Bedford," bounded north by William B. Stearns, east by the Wamesit Power Company "being land formerly of one Stanton," south by land formerly of William P. P. Pollard "now supposed to belong to one Martha Sage," and west by the road, "being a portion of the premises to me conveyed by Frederick C. Bemis et ux by deed dated March 19, 1908" (Book 416 Page 135). Signed Jan. 11, 1916, acknowledged in Chicago; $2 in stamps.
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| April 2, 1920 | Warranty | Harry W. Essex of Billerica, unmarried | William H. Sexton and Clara E. Sexton, husband and wife, of Billerica | Harry W. Essex to William H. and Clara E. Sexton; bequeathed to the Historical Society | 622/579 |
"A certain piece or parcel of land, with the buildings thereon, situated in that part of said Billerica known as Billerica Centre, on the easterly side of the road leading from Billerica Centre to Bedford," beginning at the northwest corner on the Bedford Road at land of William B. Stearns, easterly by Stearns to land of the Wamesit Power Company, "being land formerly of one Stanton," southerly by the company's land to land formerly of William P. P. Pollard, "now supposed to belong to one Martha Sage," and westerly by Sage to the road, "being the same premises to me conveyed by Anthony J. Bemis, by his deed dated January 11, 1916" (Book 549 Page 455). Dated March 31, 1920, recorded April 2, 1920. The Sextons gave the Central Savings Bank of Lowell an $1,800 mortgage the same day (Book 622 Page 580). Clara E. Sexton left the property to the Billerica Historical Society by her will dated Sept. 30, 1929, filed May 1, 1936 (Middlesex probate document 2101380), and in 2020 the Society granted the Town, acting through the Billerica Historical Commission, a preservation restriction on the house, kitchen ell, carriage house, barn and doctor's office (Book 34322 Page 55).
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| July 3, 2020 | Preservation Restriction | Billerica Historical Society | Town of Billerica, acting by and through the Billerica Historical Commission | Preservation restriction held by the Town through the Historical Commission | 34322/55 |
Preservation Restriction Agreement under G.L. c. 184, sections 31-33, on 36 Concord Road, "conveyed to the Billerica Historical Society by the will of Clara E. Sexton dated September 30, 1929, and filed May 1, 1936," and described in the 1920 deed from Harry W. Essex (Book 622 Page 579). The agreement describes "a two-story, timber frame Main Structure" that "is believed to have been constructed ca. 1723 and retains evidence of First Period exposed interior framing," five bays facing west with "a Georgian, pedimented entry featuring a two-light transom, dentil molding bands and side columns," a large central chimney set forward of the ridge, a one-story kitchen ell, a carriage house connecting to a front-gabled barn on the slope behind, and a one-story, flat-roofed doctor's office on the north side with a porch of chamfered posts and scrollwork. The house is in the Billerica Center Historic District (1990) and on the State Register. 32 pages, recorded July 3, 2020.
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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.