Amos Blanchard House

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, United States

The Amos Blanchard House is located at 97 Main Street in Andover, Massachusetts.

The house was originally built for Amos Blanchard (1773-1847). His wife, Elizabeth (Jenkins) Blanchard (abt.1777-1849), and sons, Amos Blanchard, Jr. and Edward Blanchard, who all lived there with their housekeeper Ann Wood (abt.1808-1853), and took in boarders from Phillips Academy and the Andover Theological Seminary.

After Mrs. Blanchard's death, Amos Jr. sold the house to Edward Taylor, who had been a boarder in the home. His parents, Joshua Taylor and Hannah came to live in the house with Edward's niece, Adelaide, and they continued to have boarders, including Adelaide's future husband, Dr. Selah Merrill.

Dr. Merrill was the American Consul in Jerusalem, Syria and while the couple was living abroad, they rented and eventually sold the house to Henry S. Robinson and his wife Julia Underhill Robinson. Caroline Underhill lived in the house with her widowed sister, and inherited the house upon Julia's death. Caroline donated the house to the Andover Historical Society on the condition that she retain the right to live in the house for the rest of her life. She served as resident curator and caretaker in the house until her death in 1956.

The Andover Historical Society used the house a their headquarters and offered many programs, maintained extensive historical collections, and educated the public about the history of Andover and its residents. In May 2018, Andover Historical Society became the Andover Center for History & Culture.

Census Records

1850 Census^[1]

Name	Sex	Age	Est. Birth Year	Birth Location	Race
Ann Wood	Female	37	1813	Massachusetts	White
Edward Taylor	Male	33	1817	Massachusetts	White
J S Howe	Male	20	1830	Massachusetts	White
Milton Howe	Male	18	1832	Massachusetts	White
Frank M Ames	Male	17	1833	Massachusetts	White
George Copeland	Male	17	1833	Massachusetts	White
Julien Copeland	Male	15	1835	Massachusetts	White
Catharine Leach	Female	24	1826	Ireland	White

1860 Census^[2]

Name	Sex	Age	Est. Birth Year	Birth Location	Race
Jonathan Taylor	Male	72	1788	Massachusetts	White
Harmony Taylor	Female	63	1797	Massachusetts	White
Edward Taylor	Male	43	1817	Massachusetts	White
Adelaid B Taylor	Female	15	1845	New York	White
Margaret Aremstrong	Female	29	1831	Ireland	White

1870 Census^[3]

Name	Sex	Age	Est. Birth Year	Birth Location	Race
Johnathan Taylor	Male	81	1789	Massachusetts	White
Harmony B Taylor	Female	73	1797	Massachusetts	White
Edward Taylor	Male	53	1817	Massachusetts	White
Adalaide B Taylor	Female	25	1845	New York	White
Abbee F Clement	Female	29	1841	Massachusetts	White

1880 Census^[4]

Name	Sex	Age	Birth Year (Estimated)	Birthplace	Marital Status	Occupation	Race	Relationship to Head of Household	Relationship Code	Father's Birthplace	Mother's Birthplace
Edward Taylor	Male	63	1817	Massachusetts, United States	Single	Pres. Phillips Academy	White	Self	Head	Massachusetts, United States	Massachusetts, United States
Harmony B. Taylor	Female	83	1797	Massachusetts, United States	Married	At Home	White	Mother	Mother	Massachusetts, United States	Massachusetts, United States
Selah Merrill	Male	43	1837	Connecticut, United States	Married	Clergyman	White	Other		Connecticut, United States	Connecticut, United States
Adelaide Merrill	Female	35	1845	New York, United States	Married	At Home	White	Other		Massachusetts, United States	Connecticut, United States
Abby Clement	Female	39	1841	Massachusetts, United States	Single	House Keeper	White	Other		Massachusetts, United States	Connecticut, United States

1900 Census^[5]

Name	Sex	Age	Birth Year (Estimated)	Birthplace	Marital Status	Father's Birthplace	Mother's Birthplace
Henry S Robinson	Male	70	Jan 1830	New Hampshire	Married	New Hampshire	New Hampshire
Julia U Robinson	Female	52	Nov 1848	New Hampshire	Married	New Hampshire	New Hampshire
Margaret T Williamson	Female	39	Nov 1861	Massachusetts	Single	Ireland	Ireland

1910 Census^[6]

Name	Sex	Age	Birth Year (Estimated)	Birthplace	Marital Status	Race	Relationship to Head of Household	Father's Birthplace	Mother's Birthplace
Henry S Robinson	Male	79	1831	New Hampshire	Married	White	Head	New Hampshire	New Hampshire
Julia Robinson	Female	62	1848	New Hampshire	Married	White	Wife	New Hampshire	New Hampshire
Bridget Quinn	Female	35	1875	Ireland	Single	White	Servant	Ireland	Ireland

1920 Census^[7]

Name	Sex	Age	Immigration Date	Birth Year (Estimated)	Birthplace	Marital Status	Race	Relationship to Head of Household	Father's Birthplace	Mother's Birthplace
Julia W Robertson	Female	70		1850	New Hampshire	Widowed	White	Head	New Hampshire	New Hampshire

1930 Census^[8]

Name	Sex	Age	Birth Year (Estimated)	Birthplace	Marital Status	Race	Relationship to Head of Household	Father's Birthplace	Mother's Birthplace
Carolyn M Underhill	Female	62	1868	New Hampshire	Single	White	Head	New Hampshire	New Hampshire

1940 Census^[9]

Name	Sex	Age	Residence Date	Residence Place	Birth Date	Birthplace	Marital Status	Race	Ethnicity	Relationship to Head
Caroline M Underhill	Female	73	1935	Andover, Essex, Massachusetts	1867	New Hampshire	Single	White	American	Head
Charles E Palmer	Male	70	1935	Andover, Essex, Massachusetts	1870	Canada	Married	White	American	Hired hand
Emma A Palmer	Female	67	1935	Andover, Essex, Massachusetts	1873	New Hampshire	Married	White	American	Hired hand

1950 Census^[10]

Name	Sex	Age	Event Date	Event Place	Event Place (Original)	Enumeration District	Birth Year (Estimated)	Birthplace	Marital Status	Race	Relationship to Head of Household
Caroline M Underhill	Female	83 years	12-Apr-50	Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, United States	Andover, Essex, Massachusetts	25-May	1867	New Hampshire	Single	White	Head

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD9G-9P2 : 22 December 2020), Ann Wood, Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1860," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9BS3-Z8J?cc=1473181&wc=7Q6K-2P1%3A1589422209%2C1589428712%2C1589423005 : 24 March 2017), Massachusetts > Essex > Andover > image 87 of 120; from "1860 U.S. Federal Census - Population," database, Fold3.com (http://www.fold3.com : n.d.); citing NARA microfilm publication M653 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6WM9-CMB?cc=1438024&wc=KP7X-DP8%3A518657101%2C518914601%2C518654903 : 12 June 2019), Massachusetts > Essex > Andover > image 14 of 148; citing NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YBX-9V6P?cc=1417683&wc=XHNC-4WL%3A1589405656%2C1589405685%2C1589399578%2C1589395181 : 24 December 2015), Massachusetts > Essex > Andover > ED 153 > image 43 of 69; citing NARA microfilm publication T9, (National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C., n.d.)
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DTB3-9GX?cc=1325221&wc=9B7G-44X%3A1030549901%2C1031589101%2C1031653301 : 5 August 2014), Massachusetts > Essex > ED 253 Andover town (part east of river & west of Main St.)) > image 16 of 39; citing NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRVW-FWW?cc=1727033&wc=QZZ7-TLG%3A133638101%2C134455301%2C134314802%2C1589092178 : 24 June 2017), Massachusetts > Essex > Andover > ED 265 > image 56 of 70; citing NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
7. ↑ "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GR6P-WNS?cc=1488411&wc=QZJP-15V%3A1036470801%2C1036978101%2C1036990601%2C1589332324 : 11 September 2019), Massachusetts > Essex > Andover > ED 11 > image 5 of 42; citing NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
8. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XQLD-Z79 : accessed 19 December 2022), Carolyn M Underhill, Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 11, sheet 6A, line 56, family 145, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 894; FHL microfilm 2,340,629.
9. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9M1-7X98?cc=2000219&wc=QZXY-RZW%3A790102901%2C792779101%2C791086601%2C951489901 : accessed 19 December 2022), Massachusetts > Essex > Andover Town > 5-20 Andover Town, Frye Village-Andover bounded by (N) Elm; (E) Whittier, Park, Bartlet; (S) Morton; (W) School, Central; also Andover Home for Aged People, Convent of Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (St. Augustine's Church) > image 20 of 30; citing Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012.
10. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6FSY-R42P : accessed 19 December 2022))

• Andover Center for History & Culture, "Our History"
• Andover Historical Preservation, website and database, (https://preservation.mhl.org/97-main-street : 11 December 2022), "97 Main Street"
• Morency, Cindy. 2012. “Andover Stories: Living in the Amos Blanchard House.” The Andover (MA) Townsman, April 5, 2012. https://www.andovertownsman.com/news/local_news/andover-stories-living-in-the-amos-blanchard-house/article_bc93dce5-d31c-55ef-b76f-92d10fc07e5e.html, accessed 11 December 2022.
• Ralston, Gail. "Andover Stories: Amos Blanchard story, part I - building a trophy house," Andover (MA) Townsman, May 17, 2012. https://www.andovertownsman.com/news/local_news/andover-stories-continues-amos-blanchard-story-part-i---building-a-trophy-house/article_0bb745af-a0b5-5b59-ac57-7fd1f2b234b9.html, accessed 11 December 2022.
• Ralston, Gail. "Andover Stories: Amos Blanchard, mover and shaker, Part II of his story," Andover (MA) Townsman, May 24, 2012. https://www.andovertownsman.com/news/local_news/andover-stories-amos-blanchard-mover-and-shaker-part-ii-of-his-story/article_84785c72-3d25-5b8a-9589-192e8664d95d.html, accessed 11 December 2022.