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PDF Text
Text
1 Essex Street
Built by
James Fanning
Carpenter
c. 1894
Research Provided by
Alyssa G. A. Conary
June 2019
Historic Salem, Inc.
9 North Street, Salem, MA 01970
978.745.0799 | HistoricSalem.org
© 2019
�Chain of Title, 1 Essex Street, Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts
Date Recorded Grantor(s)
William F. Chapple of
October 11, 1893 Salem
Grantee(s)
Conveyance of
"one dollar and
other valuable
consideration paid"
all that parcel of real estate situated in
said Salem and bounded south westerly
by Webb Street, southeasterly by land of
Nichols, now or late, north easterly by
the location of the Essex Rail Road, north
westerly by the line of Essex street as
extended across said Webb street to
said Railroad location by the fence as it
now stands one hundred twenty three
feet.
Essex County Registry of Deeds Deed
Source
Document Book or Vol. Page
Notes
1390
206 No mention of any buildings.
Katie J. Fanning, widow, of
October 27, 1923 Salem
the land in said SALEM, together with the
buildings thereon, bounded
northwesterly by the continuation of
Richard H. G. Hichens and
Essex Street from Webb Street to the
Catherine Hichens, husband
location of the Boston and Maine
and wife, of Salem
"consideration paid" Railroad 41 feet...
Essex County Registry of Deeds Deed
2574
"Being a portion of the premises
conveyed to James Fanning by
William F. Chapple by deed
recorded with Essex, South
District, Deeds, Book 1390 Page
494 206, and by him devised to me."
Richard H. G. Hichens,
February 19, 1942 widower, of Salem
the land in said SALEM, together with the
buildings thereon, bounded
northwesterly by the continuation of
Essex Street from Webb Street to the
location of the Boston and Maine
Richard H. Hichens of Salem "consideration paid" Railroad 41 feet...
Essex County Registry of Deeds Deed
3286
300
Richard H. Hichens of
May 28, 1942 Salem
the land in said SALEM, together with the
buildings thereon, bounded and
described as follows: Northwesterly by
the continuation of Essex Street from
Webb Street to the location of the
Boston and Main- Railroad Forty-one (41)
Joseph J. Cichocki of Salem "consideration paid" feet...
Essex County Registry of Deeds Deed
3295
80
Joseph J. Cichocki of
July 30, 1945 Salem
the land in said Salem, together with the
buildings thereon, bounded and
described as follows: Northwesterly by
the continuation of Essex Street from
Webb Street to the location of the
Joseph & Alice Cichocki,
Boston and Maine Railroad Forty-one (41)
husband and wife, of Salem "consideration paid" feet...
Essex County Registry of Deeds Deed
3411
414
Harriet J. Robbins of
Wilmington, MA, Amelia
Borders of Gretna, LA,
Helen N. O'Donnell of
Salem, MA, and Pamela
June 7, 1983 Murphy of Haverhill, MA
Patricia A. Woolf and
Thomas J. O'Donnell, CoExecutors of the Estate of
July 23, 2004 Alfred Cichocki
James Fanning of Salem
Consideration
Alfred Cichocki
Alan R. Barth and Allison C.
Duff, husband and wife, of
Salem
The land in said Salem, together with the
buildings thereon, bounded and
described as follows: by the continuation
of Essex Street from Webb Street to the
location of the Boston and Maine
"consideration paid" Railroad forty-one (41) feet...
Essex County Registry of Deeds Deed
7128
The land in said Salem, together with the
buildings thereon, bounded and
described as follows: by the continuation
of Essex Street from Webb Street to the
location of the Boston and Maine
$300,000.00 Railroad forty-one (41) feet...
Essex County Registry of Deeds Deed
23163
"For title reference see Estate of
Alice Cichocki, Essex Probate
64 #357062"
408
��������������1874
�1897
�1911
�1895-96 Salem Directory
216
FABENS.
FARRELL.
[Salem.]
Fabens Benjamin F. h. 195 Lafayette
Farley Alice M. ]Hiss, b. 26 West ave.
Bessie H. widow of Charles E. h. 34
Annie Miss, servant at 114 Derby
Summe1·
Charles O. farmer, b. 26 West ave.
Caroline A. Miss, b. 33 Summer
Ernest, watchman, 3! Front, b. 26
Frank P. b. 195 Lafayette
West ave.
!Boardman
George H. painter, h. 40 Harbo1·
Henry, cooper, 225 Derby, b. 40
Margaret D. widow of Augustus J. h.
Herbert N. salesman, h. 40 Boardman
18 Chestnut
James A. driver, h. 13 Winthrop
Sarah, widow of J osepb, b. 5 Bott's ct.
James H. janitor, Bertram school
Fagan James E. machinist, b. Fort ave.
house, b. 26 West ave.
n. Willows
Joseph L. cooper, h. 1 Hazel
John J. died Oct. 19, 1894
Mary C. widow of Alfred M. h. 364
Moses M. E. fisherman, b. 6 Allen
Essex
Thomas, laborer, h. rear 22 Becket
Mary E. i\Iiss, b. 26 We.st ave.
Fahey Joseph, laborer, b. 72 Mason
Farmer Amelia, widow of James D.
Fairfield Charles E. clerk, 52 Central, h.
115 Webb
died Nov. 9, 1893
9 Forrester
Annie W. Miss, clerk, 188 Essex, b.
Charlotte W. Miss, bookkeeper (26
Elizabeth E. Miss, teacher, Oliver
Bedford, Bo•ton). b. 13 Pleasant
school, b. 109 North
AIRFIELD EDWARD W. stationer,
Elizabeth P. Miss, music teacher, 15
Webb, b. do.
20 Boston. h. do. See front cover.
AIRFIELD JAMES, dealer in lumber,
Joseph P. (Farmer & Egell), h. 15
lime, cement and coal, 52 to 60
Webb
[North
Central, and 283 Derby, h. 13
Lucy E. widow of Georite S. b. 109
Pleasant. See opp. page 97,
William S. tinsmith, h. 59 Highland
Jane S. widow of Samuel G. h. 4
AR'MER & EGELL (Joseph P. Farmer
Becket
and Edward M. Eitell), masons
and builders, 15 Webb and 10
Mary A. widow of James, b. 13 Pleas
Essex. See page 1132.
ant
Farnham Edwin A . clerk, 32 Front, h.
Falconer Allan, rem. to Portland, Me.
Jane J. Miss, nurse, h. 14 Margin
at Swampscott
Edwin P. pastor, First Baptist church,
Fall Howard M. fireman, b. 35 Washington
h. 15 Heckford
Fallis Sidney W. milkman at Cabot fa1·m
Thomas, currier, h. 26 Bow
Mary E. Miss, h. 8 Lynde
Fallon Bernard, tanner, b. 2 1-2 Grove
Orrin L. painter, B. & M. car shop, h.
21 Prescott
Bridget, widow of Malachi, h. 4 1-2
Phelps
[ave.
see Farnum
Edward F·. shoeworker. b. 71 Ocean Farnswol·th Albertus, confectioner, b. 3
Logan
[h. 3 Logan
Joanna C. widow of Thomas R. in
telligence office, 40 Norraan, h. po.
Frank P. foreman currier (Peabody),
Frederick J. morocco dresser, b. 24
. JohnH. ,iboe\vorker. b. 71 Ocean ave.
Ord
ALLON J. HOW ARD, supt. Danvers
Lucy A. widow of Francis R. nurse,
Bleachery (Peabody), h. 348
ll. 28 Beckford
Essex
Sarah E. Miss, nur�e, h. 28 Beckford
Malachi J. b. 83 Bow
Farnum Abby, widow of George W. A. h.
Patrick J. currier, h. 87 Mason
4 Friend
Patrick M. died March 18, 1894
A. Frank, currier, b. 4 Friend
P. Joseph, 56 Mason,died Dec. 21,1892
Eliza Miss, shoeworker, b. rear 78
Thomas, currier, h. 5 Flint
Washington
Thomas 13. laborer, h. 56 Mason
Elizabeth, widow of Nathan, seam
Thomas P. carpenter, h. 156 Federal
stress, h. 145 North
William H. shoelaster, b. 4 1-2 Phelps
see Farnham
Fanning Albert F. carpenter, b. 76 Webb
Fanar Benjamin P. shoelaster, h. 1 Essex
Amelia J. widow of Samuel, h. 22
Farrell Ann. widow of Hugh, h. 9½ Creek
Nichols
Hugh F . E. reporter, Salem Daily
Edward J. carpenter, h. 15 Becket
Gazette, b. 9 1-2 Creek
�'rancis, wood worker, h. 84.9 Bridge
James, currier, h. 19 Phelps
'1eorge T. rem. to Peabody
James J. shoewr,rker, b. 24 Phelps
Herbert J. st.ockfitter, b. 22 Nichols
John', currier.�- 24 Phelps
ANNING JAMES, carpenter, rear 11
Maria S. wi,fow of John, b. 7 Salem
St. Peter, h. 76 Webb. See page
Mary J. G. Miss, at 45 Federal
1126.
[Bridge
Michael.;;, delivery clerk, h. 7 Salem
Margaret, widow of William, b. 349
Patrick, 61 Harbor, rem. to Boston
Samuel, died Dec. 17, 1892
Sylvester, laborer, h. 32 Charter
Samuel, shoelaster, b. 22 Nichols
Sylve/jter J . removed to Lynn
Theresa Miss, b. 349 Bridge
Thooias, currier, h. 7 High
Thomas H. carpenter, h. 40 English
Tho·.nas F. hack driver, 4 Charter, h.
William F. clerk (Boston), b. 76 Webb
22 Perkins
Farley Abbie Miss, b. 364 Essex
F
F
F
F
F
COURT ATT EN DA N
·rs
A;l
get
the BEST DINNERS
at
Porter's R.estaurant, 7 Central Street.
�1895-96 Salem Directory
�1895-96 Salem Directory
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Essex Street
Historic Salem, Inc. House History
A resource made available by Historic Salem, Inc. detailing the history of Salem's houses.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
1 Essex Street, Salem, MA 01970
Subject
The topic of the resource
House history
Description
An account of the resource
Built by
James Fanning
Carpenter
c. 1894
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Historic Salem, Inc.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Historic Salem, Inc. house histories
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Historic Salem, Inc., Salem Historical Society
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
c. 1894, 2019
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Research by Alyssa G. A. Conary
Language
A language of the resource
English
1
1894
2019
circa
Essex
Fanning
History
House
James
Massachusetts
Salem
Street
-
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44b829d4f1ce67dfb9a970d28de2ec80
PDF Text
Text
37 Balcomb Street
Built by
James Fanning
Carpenter
c. 1890
Researched and Written by
Alyssa G. A. Conary
June 2021
Historic Salem, Inc.
9 North Street, Salem, MA 01970
978.745.0799 | HistoricSalem.org
© 2021
�37 Balcomb Street in North Salem. Image: Zillow.com.
37 Balcomb Street is located on the western end of North Salem, only about seven
hundred feet from the Peabody line. The house, built about 1890, is a two-story, Late Victorian
Eclectic dwelling with three gables and a window bay that projects from the first story on its
street-facing elevation. The main entrance is located on the house’s south-east elevation, facing
away from the street. The property was, at various times, owned by people with connections to
Peabody and its leather industry.1
1
The Salem Handbook: A Renovation Guide for Homeowners (Salem: Historic Salem, Inc., 1977), 24.
�Top: Atlas of Salem, 1874. Illustration: Essex County Registry of Deeds. Bottom: Eben S. Poor. Image:
Peabody Institute Library.
In 1874, the land belonged to a Peabody leather dealer named Eben S. Poor. Eben was
born in Danvers on March 15, 1823, the son of Henry Poor and Mary Osborn Poor. In January of
1845, he married Ellen Maria Fornis of Salem. The marriage was brief, as Ellen Maria died of
typhoid fever in August of the same year, only a few months short of her nineteenth birthday.
�The following year, Eben married Mary Elizabeth Harris, born May 3, 1823 in Danvers. The
couple had six children: twins Frank and Ellen Maria, born November 10, 1847, Mary, born
March 8, 1852, Arthur, born April 22, 1855, Frederick, born February 11, 1857, and Charlotte,
born March 10, 1863. Tragically, Arthur died of croup in November of 1855 at just
seven-months-old.2
Death Notice of Ellen Maria Fornis Poor. Image: Danvers Courier, August 9, 1845, archive.org.
In 1855, Eben and Mary Poor were living in the part of Danvers that had, the same year,
broken away and incorporated as the town of South Danvers. Eben was working in the leather
industry, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. The family
2
Atlas of Salem, 1874, Essex County Registry of Deeds; Vital Records of Danvers (VRD) Vol. 1 (Salem: Essex
Institute, 1909), 270, 271; VRD Vol. 2 (Salem: Essex Institute, 1910), 220, 428; South Danvers/Peabody Births,
1855-1879, archive.org; Massachusetts Birth Records, 1840-1915 (database online), Provo, UT: Ancestry.com
Operations, Inc., 2013; Massachusetts Death Records, 1841-1915 (database online), Provo, UT: Ancestry.com
Operations, Inc., 2013.
�business, Henry Poor & Son, was based in Boston with tanneries in South Danvers, Salem,
Maine, and New York. Eben was also a real estate investor with his name on a considerable
number of transactions throughout the 1840s and 50s. In April of 1859, he purchased thirteen
acres of land in North Salem referred to as “Barr’s pasture” from Francis and Ellen Cox and
Sarah Holman. Eben made other real estate purchases in Salem, but it was this undeveloped
piece of land that most likely included the lot that would one day be known as 37 Balcomb
Street.3
Eben S. Poor was prominent in both business and public service. In the 1850s and 60s, he
served as a Director of the Danvers Railroad and Salem Bank. In 1856, Poor was serving in the
Massachusetts House of Representatives when he was elected to the Massachusetts State Senate.
Following his two-year term as a state senator, he was elected again to the Massachusetts State
House of Representatives. In the 1860s, he served as a Justice of the Peace for South Danvers
and a trustee of the Peabody Institute. Perhaps most notably, he served on Governor John Albion
Andrew’s Council for two years during the Civil War, during which time “his experience in
financial matters” was “of great value in the discussion of National and State measures.”
Interestingly, Eben was also a member of the Massachusetts Grand Lodge of Masons.4
3
Massachusetts State Census, 1855; Britannica, T, Editors of Encyclopaedia, "Peabody," Encyclopedia Britannica,
October 22, 2013, https://www.britannica.com/place/Peabody-Massachusetts; “Our Business Pioneers,” The Boston
Globe, April 21, 1916; Essex County Registry of Deeds (ECRD); ECRD Book 584, Page 286; see also James Barr
Curwen, “Reminiscences of Capt. James Barr of Salem, Mass,” Historical Collections of the Essex Institute Vol. 27,
No. 7 (July 1890): 124.
4
Massachusetts Register, 1855; Salem Directory, 1859; Salem Directory, 1861; Salem Directory 1864;
Massachusetts Register, 1867; Salem Directory, 1869; Massachusetts Register, 1856; Salem Directory, 1857;
Massachusetts Register, 1859; Massachusetts Register, 1862; “Obituary: Hon. Eben S. Poor,” Boston Post,
December 8, 1874; Massachusetts Grand Lodge of Masons Membership Cards, 1733-1990 (database online),
AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2010.
�Massachusetts Republican Campaign Ticket, 1860s. Image: Library of Congress.
In 1867, the Poor family endured another loss when, in a cruel twist of fate, Eben and
Mary’s daughter Ellen Maria, named in honor of Eben’s first wife, died of typhoid fever. She was
nineteen-years-old, almost exactly the age that the first Ellen Maria was when she died of the
same disease.5
5
Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910 (online database), AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic
Genealogical Society, 2004.
�Gravestone of Ellen Maria “Nellie” Poor, Harmony Grove, Salem. Image: FindAGrave.com.
Eben S. Poor died of kidney disease on December 7, 1874 at his estate on Tremont Street
in South Danvers, which was renamed Peabody in 1868. He was 51-years-old. Eben would be
remembered “for his sagacious foresight, mercantile integrity, honorable dealings and public
generosity,” and as someone whose “influence was beneficially exerted for the good of his
country.” Not long after, on July 23, 1879, Eben’s wife Mary Harris Poor died of “apoplexy” at
age fifty-six.6
6
“Obituary: Hon. Eben S. Poor,” Boston Post, December 8, 1874; “The Late Hon. Eben S. Poor,” The Boston Globe,
December 10, 1874; Massachusetts Death Records, 1841-1915 (database online), Provo, UT: Ancestry.com
Operations, Inc., 2013.
�Top: Signature of Eben S. Poor on his will, September 30, 1874. Image: AmericanAncestors.org. Bottom:
Gravestone of Eben S. Poor, Harmony Grove, Salem. Image: FindAGrave.com.
Following the deaths of Eben and Mary Poor, the family estate was divided between their
four remaining children, as Eben’s will had stipulated. On February 23, 1882, the executors of
the will, Eben’s brother John O. Poor of Boston and Stephen A. Stimpson of Everett, conveyed
“in equal shares three undivided fourth parts” of “the homestead estate...on Tremont
street...together with about forty two acres of land under and adjoining the same, situated partly
�in Peabody and partly in Salem,” which included the future 37 Balcomb Street lot, to Eben and
Mary’s sons Frank O. Poor and Frederick S. Poor and their daughter Mary Abby Poor Cushing.
The fourth share had been placed in trust for their youngest daughter, Charlotte. On the same
day, Frank sold his quarter share of the estate to his brother Frederick and Susan S. Northend,
wife of William D. Northend, of Salem for three hundred dollars. The following year, Eben S.
Poor’s executors conveyed Charlotte’s quarter share of the estate to Frederick for “one dollar and
an agreement with us.” Now in possession of so much open land in Peabody and Salem,
Frederick, Mary, and the Northends developed it for resale. A “Plan of House Lots of the E. S.
Poor Estate in Salem and Peabody” was drawn up in the summer of 1883 by civil engineer
Henry Harding (see below).7
7
Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881 (online database), AmericanAncestors.org, New England
Historic Genealogical Society, 2014; ECRD Book 1076, Page 253; ECRD Book 969, Page 194; ECRD Book 1076,
Page 255; ECRD Book 1112, Page 201; ECRD Plans Book 2, Page 12.
�“Plan of House Lots of the E. S. Poor Estate in Salem and Peabody,” August 1883. Illustration: Essex
County Registry of Deeds.
On July 23, 1883, Frederick, Mary, and the Northends sold lots 19, 32, and 33, the future
location of 37 Balcomb Street, to a Salem butcher named Augustus P. McDuffie for $252.50.
Augustus lived nearby at 11 Symonds Street. He held onto lots 32 and 33 until 1888, when he
sold them to James Fanning, a Salem carpenter, for $400.00. Fanning would be the one to build
the house at 37 Balcomb Street.8
8
ECRD Book 1115, Page 168; Salem Directory, 1882-83; Salem Directory, 1884; ECRD Book 1223, Page 264.
�James Fanning was born in Canada in 1838 to Irish immigrants Michael Fanning and
Ann Flynn Fanning. By 1860, the Fanning family was living in Salem and James was working
carpentry. He married Ann Sutton on April 12, 1861. In 1870, James and Ann were living at 15
Becket Street with their children James, eight-years-old, Sarah, six-years-old, Thomas,
four-years-old, and Albert, a year old. Sadly, Ann died on June 17, 1874 of heart disease at the
age of thirty-five.9
On July 30, 1874, James married his second wife, Katie J. Lucey. James and Katie had
three children: George, born about 1879, Arthur, born about 1886, and Annie, born about 1888.
The Fannings lived at 15 Becket Street through the 1870s and 1880s, and James continued
working as a carpenter, with a business address at Rear 9 Church Street in 1882.10
9
Massachusetts Vital Records, 1916-1920 (online database), AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic
Genealogical Society, 2018; United States Census, 1860; Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910 (online database),
AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004; United States Census 1870; Salem
Directory, 1869; Salem Directory, 1872.
10
Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910 (online database), AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic
Genealogical Society, 2004; United States Census, 1910; United States Census, 1920; Salem Directory, 1872; Salem
Directory, 1874; Salem Directory, 1876; Salem Directory, 1878; Salem Directory, 1881; Salem Directory, 1882-83;
Salem Directory, 1884; Salem Directory, 1886; Salem Directory, 1890-91.
�Top: Salem Directory, 1893-94. Bottom: Atlas of Salem, 1897. Image: Essex County Registry of Deeds.
�James Fanning built a house on lot 33 of the Poor Estate sometime between 1888, the
year he purchased the land from Augustus McDuffie, and 1893, when the address 37 Balcomb
Street appeared in the Salem Directory. The house was built to be an income property, and the
Fannings never actually lived there. James did, however, have several tenants throughout his
ownership, although none of them stayed long. In 1893, a thirty-four-year-old shoecutter named
Edwin D. Cushing lived at 37 Balcomb Street with his thirty-five-year-old wife Emily and their
nine-year-old daughter Lena. In 1895, Twenty-three-year-old carpenter Ezekiel S. Call lived
there with his twenty-four-year-old wife Lilian and their two-year-old son Frank.
Twenty-eight-year-old William A. McKinnon, a freight conductor for the Boston & Maine
Railroad, lived there with his twenty-six-year-old wife Carrie and their newborn son Archie in
1897. Finally, in 1899, forty-six-year-old carpenter Charles Jeffs lived at 37 Balcomb Street with
his forty-one-year-old wife Cynthia and their five-year-old daughter Ruth. Throughout most of
the 1890s, the Fannings lived on Webb Street. James’s carpentry business was located at Rear 11
St. Peter Street until 1897, when it moved to Webb Street as well.11
11
ECRD Book 1223, Page 264; Salem Directory, 1893-94; United States Census, 1900; Salem Directory, 1895-96;
Salem Directory, 1897-98; Salem Directory, 1899-1900.
�James Fanning carpentry business advertisements. Top Image: Salem Directory, 1895-96. Bottom Image:
Salem Directory, 1897-98.
On April 16, 1903, James Fanning sold 37 Balcomb Street to Inda M. Porter, born Inda
May Hemeon in Nova Scotia, Canada in 1879. Inda immigrated to the United States sometime
before November 26, 1902, when she married fellow Nova Scotian Benjamin R. Porter in Salem.
Inda purchased 37 Balcomb Street as a home for the newlyweds, and they lived in the house
throughout their entire ownership. The couple had three children: Stella, born in 1908, Esther,
born in 1910, and Elizabeth, born about 1912. In 1910, Benjamin was working as a shipping
clerk for a candy manufacturer and Inda was home with the children. Later in the decade,
Benjamin worked for a Peabody leather manufacturer.12
12
ECRD Book 1701, Page 390; Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910 (online database), AmericanAncestors.org,
New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004; Porter gravestone image, FindAGrave.com; Salem Directory,
1904; Salem Directory, 1906; Salem Directory, 1910; Salem Directory, 1911, Salem Directory, 1914; Salem
Directory, 1915; Salem Directory, 1917; United States Census, 1920; Massachusetts Birth Records, 1840-1915
(database online), Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013; U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards,
1917-1918 (database online), Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2005.
�Top: United States Census, 1910. Image: Ancestry.com. Bottom: Atlas of Salem, 1911. Image: Essex
County Registry of Deeds.
�Benjamin Porter’s World War I draft registration card. Image: Ancestry.com/National Archives.
In 1914, during Inda and Benjamin’s occupation of 37 Balcomb Street, World War I
broke out in Europe. Benjamin registered for the draft on September 12, 1918 at the age of forty.
Germany surrendered two months later, so he most likely never served.13
13
U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 (database online), Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations,
Inc., 2005; Draft Registration Cards - WWI, Archives.gov/research/genealogy/wwi; World War I Timeline,
Archives.gov/topics/wwi.
�Inda and Benjamin Porter sold 37 Balcomb Street to Margaret M. Shepard on April 28,
1920. Margaret was born Margaret Mary Arnold in Peabody on July 28, 1891. On November 19,
1919, she married a leather worker twenty-three years her senior named John Albert Shepard.
John had previously been married to Isabelle Averill, with whom he had a twenty-two-year-old
son named Warren. Isabelle died of heart disease in 1917, while the family was living at 13
Balcomb Street. The house that Margaret purchased in 1920 as a home for the newlyweds was
just down the street. John was the third owner of the property at 37 Balcomb Street to be
associated with the Peabody leather industry.14
On November 25, 1929, the Shepards sold 37 Balcomb Street to thirty-three-year-old
Arthur V. Murphy, born December 21, 1895. In 1930, Arthur was living there with his wife
Elizabeth and their two sons, five-year-old Arthur Jr. and three-year-old James. He owned and
worked in a hardware store at 133 Washington Street in Salem. Arthur was a navy veteran of
World War I, enlisted between December of 1917 and October of 1919. He lived at 37 Balcomb
Street until his death on September 18, 1967 at the age of seventy-two. On January 5, 1968,
Arthur and Elizabeth’s son Arthur Jr., the administrator of his father’s estate, sold the house to
Woodbury and Betty Tompkins of Salem. Arthur V. Murphy Sr. is buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery
on the Salem-Peabody line, very close to his home of over thirty years.15
14
ECRD Book 2449, Page 13; Massachusetts Birth Records, 1840-1915 (database online), Provo, UT: Ancestry.com
Operations, Inc., 2013; Massachusetts Vital Records, 1916-1920 (database online), Americanancestors.org, New
England Historic Genealogical Society, 2018; Massachusetts Marriage Records, 1840-1915 (database online),
Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013; United States Census, 1910.
15
ECRD Book 2830, Page 411; U.S. Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1970 (database online),
Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012; United States Census, 1930; Salem Directory, 1931; ECRD Book
5503, Page 396.
�Top: Salem Directory, 1931. Bottom: Headstone application for Arthur V. Murphy. Image: Ancestry.com.
�CHAIN OF TITLE, 37 BALCOMB STREET, SALEM, ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS
Date Recorded
Grantor(s)
March 1, 1882
John O. Poor of Boston and
Stephen A. Stimpson of
Everett, executors of the will
of Eben S. Poor, late of
Peabody
Frank O. Poor of Boston,
Frederick S. Poor of Salem, "in consideration of
the premises and of
and Mary Abby Cushing of
one dollar"
Salem, children of said Eben
S. Poor
Frank O. Poor of Boston
Frederick S. Poor of Salem
and Susan S. Northend, wife
of William D. Northend, of
Salem
March 1, 1882
John O. Poor and Stephen
A. Stimpson, executors of
the will of Eben S. Poor, on
July 24, 1883
behalf of Charlotte S. Poor,
minor daughter of Eben S.
Poor
Frederick S. Poor, Mary A.
Cushing, and William D. &
September 13, 1883
Susan S. Northend, all of
Salem
May 15, 1888
Augustus P. McDuffie of
Salem
Grantee(s)
Frederick S. Poor of Salem
Augustus P. McDuffie of
Salem
James Fanning of Salem
Consideration
$300.00
Conveyance of
"in equal shares three undivided fourth parts of the following described
parcels of land situated partly in said Peabody and partly in said Salem, to
wit: First. The homestead estate late of said Eben S. Poor...on Tremont
street in said Peabody...together with about forty two acres of land under
and adjoining the same, situated partly in Peabody and partly in Salem..."
"one undivided fourth part of the following described parcels of land
situated partly in Peabody...and partly in said Salem...to wit: First. The
homestead estate late of...Eben S. Poor...on Tremont street in said
Peabody...together with about forty two acres of land under and adjoining
the same, situated partly in Peabody and partly in Salem..."
Source
Book / Page
Notes
Essex County
1076 / 253
Registry of Deeds
4th share held in trust for
Eben S. Poor's daughter
Charlotte. See ECRD B969
P194.
Essex County
1076 / 255
Registry of Deeds
Frank conveyed his quarter
share in his father's estate
to Frederick and the
Northends.
"one undivided fourth part of the following parcels of land in Ward six in said
"one dollar and an Salem. Lots...as described on Plan of House Lots of the E.S. Poor estate
Essex County
1112 / 201
agreement with us" dated July 5, 1883 and recorded in Essex Registry of Deeds South District at Registry of Deeds
end of Book 1111..."
$252.50
"certain lots of land in said Salem, being lots numbered 19, 32 and 33 on
'Plan of House Lots of the E. S. Poor estate in Salem and Peabody' dated
July 5th 1883, and recorded at the end of Book 1111 in the Registry of Deeds
for said County of Essex, South District..."
$400.00
"two lots of land on Balcomb street so called being lots numbered thirty two
(32) and thirty three (33) on plan of House lots of the E. S. Poor estate, and
bounded and described as follows viz. easterly by Balcomb street eighty
Essex County
1223 / 264
feet, Southerly by land of Northend one hundred feet, Westerly by land of
Registry of Deeds
Fred S. Poor and others eighty feet, and Northerly by land of Fred S. Poor
and others one hundred feet, said land being in said Salem..."
Eben S. Poor's executors
convey Charlotte's quarter
share to Frederick.
Essex County
1115 / 168
Registry of Deeds
"a certain parcel of land situate on Balcomb street in said Salem and being
lot numbered thirty-three (33) on a plan of house lots of the E. S. Poor Estate
"one dollar and
Inda M. Porter, wife of
and recorded in Essex So. District Registry of Deeds at end of Book 1111 said Essex County
other valuable
April 17, 1903
James Fanning of Salem
1701 / 390
Benjamin R. Porter, of Salem
Registry of Deeds
lot being bounded and described as follows viz: Easterly by said Balcomb
consideration paid"
street forty feet, southerly by land of Jeffs one hundred feet, westerly by
land of Standly forty feet and northerly by land of Dodge one hundred feet."
Benjamin R. & Inda M. Porter Margaret M. Shepard, wife of
Essex County
April 29, 1920
"consideration paid" "the land in said SALEM, together with the buildings thereon...bounded..."
2449 / 13
of Salem
John A. Shepard, of Salem
Registry of Deeds
John A. & Margaret M.
Essex County
November 25, 1929
Arthur V. Murphy of Salem
"consideration paid" "the land in said SALEM together with the buildings thereon...bounded..."
2830 / 411
Shepard of Salem
Registry of Deeds
Arthur V. Murphy Jr.,
Woodbury I. & Betty A.
"Certain real estate situated in said Salem in the County of Essex...bounded Essex County
administrator of the estate
January 5, 1968
$15,000.00
5503 / 396
Tompkins of Salem
as follows..."
Registry of Deeds
of Arthur V. Murphy
$1.00 "and other
Betty A. & Woodbury I.
"the land in said Salem, situated on Balcomb Street, bounded and described Essex County
valuable
November 14, 1996
Joi Ann Tompkins of Salem
13843 / 347
Tompkins of Salem
as follows..."
Registry of Deeds
consideration"
Marisa Lindholm of Salem
"The land in Salem, together with the buildings and improvements thereon, Essex County
August 17, 2017
Joi Ann Tompkins of Salem and Einer Lindholm of
$270,000.00
36108 / 560
situated on Balcomb Street, bounded and described as follows..."
Registry of Deeds
Corona, CA
House built on Lot 33 by
James Fanning sometime
between 1888 and 1893,
when 37 Balcomb Street
and tenant Edwin Cushing
are listed in the Salem
Directory.
�����������������������
Historic Salem, Inc. House History
A resource made available by Historic Salem, Inc. detailing the history of Salem's houses.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
37 Balcomb Street, Salem, MA, 01970
Subject
The topic of the resource
House History
Description
An account of the resource
Built by
James Fanning
Carpenter
c. 1890
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Historic Salem, Inc.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Historic Salem, Inc. house histories
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Historic Salem, Inc.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
Built circa 1890
House history completed 2021
Contributor
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Alyssa G. A. Conary
Language
A language of the resource
English
1890
2021
37 Balcomb Street
Carpenter
Fanning
Massachusetts
Salem