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5 Mechanic St. the Henry E Gay House
Henry E Gay was born in Natick in 1830. His parents were Joseph
Gay and Jane Rugg, married in 1819 in Sherborn. According to the census, in 1850 he worked as a bootmaker,
was single, and living in a boarding house in Hopkinton. In 1857 he married Cordelia A. Walker (1831-1862) of Hampden, Maine.
They had one child, Emma Delia, who died after 3 months. In March 1858 he purchased his Mechanic Street lot; he paid
$1000 for 48 rods with a dwelling house. In June 1858 they had one
child, Emma, who died 3 months later. In
1860 Henry worked as a laborer, and Cordelia and her sister Ruth Walker made bonnets. He was 29 years old. On July 1,
1863 he married Sarah E Adams of West Medway (1832-1896). They had 3 children Emma Delia (5/1866- 11/1866), Edith
L (1872-1880), and
Hattie Amelia (1869- ). In 1869, his Mechanic Street house lot became larger
through a purchase of an adjacent southwest lot from Willard Daniels for $50. By 1880, Henry worked as a bootmaker, and the
remaining family - Henry, Sarah, and
Hattie were still in the Mechanic Street home; he was 49 years old, Sarah 48, and
Hattie 8 years old. There were 5 boarders in the house as well, including a housekeeper. During the 1880s
Henry was buying mortgages; they were probably well off.
Henry died in 1897. The family is buried in Evergreen Cemetery.
A tall tower shaped stone lists the vital records of everyone except Hattie, their surviving child.
1827
Malachi Bullard to Simeon Fuller 9.5 acres with the Tavern Stand
on Main Street
1833
Simeon Fuller to Benjamin Ward 172 rods at 182 Main
1834
Benjamin Ward to Willard Daniels eastern part of 182 Main Street
lot (63 rods)
1835
Alexander Grant to Willard Daniels 27 rods just west of Wards
63 rods lot
1851 Norfo0lk County Deed: 202:71
Williard
Daniels to Harmon Williams 48 rods, with no buildings
Northeast of Daniels house lot
3/27/1858 Norfo0lk County Deed: 265:207
Harmon
Williams to HE Gay 48 rods with dwelling house
Boundaries running 8 rods from NW corner of lot to Mechanic Street, SW 5
rods along Mechanic Street to Daniels lot, 6 rods SW along Daniels property line, then 8 rods NW to first mentioned.
5/5/1869 Norfo0lk County Deed: 379:34
Williard
Daniels to HE Gay small tract of land without building, adjacent to Gay House lot southwest, and northeast of Daniels house
lot $50
Simeon Ellis House circa 1855 at 9 Mechanic Street
Simeon Ellis was born in Medway in 1789. He married Marcy Ann Grover
of Mansfield in 1815 and they had four children: Chester 1816, David G. 1824-1892, Martha Burr 1818, and Mary Ann 1822.
He bought this house from Elijah Richardson, 2nd of Medway on 10-20-1855. The lot was at the corner of Oak and Mechanic
and measured 9 rods and 6 feet by 7 rods.
The 1850 census list Simeon as a farmer, with his mother Anna and son David living
with him and Marcy. He died May 4, 1872 at 82 years of age; His wife Marcy Ann died a year later.
Chester
Ellis married Clarissa Richardson in 1841 and they had 2 children: Alvira R 1844 and Clara Anna 1848. The 1860 census
shows the Chester Ellis family on Mechanic Street. His father and sister in-law Artemas and Mariah Richardson are living
with them bringing the household total to six people. Chester is 45 years old and is a boot maker like most of his neighbors.
In 1862 Simeon Ellis sold his house and land on Mechanic Street to his son Chester
for $1.00 that day and $18. annually for the rest of Simeons life. His house lot was “1/2 acre with dwelling
house,
at the corner of Mechanic and Oak…. Same estate now occupied by the grantee”. And in 1869 Charlotte Slocumb
sold Chester the lot she owned between Ellis and Henry Gay for
$180.: “1/2 acre, no building, and adjacent southwest
to Ellis House on Mechanic Street”. This sale expanded the Ellis property to one acre. In 1890, according to the Medway Town Directory, Chester Ellis was still living on the corner of Mechanic
and Oak. Chester Ellis died April 28, 1894 at 78 years of age.
When Joel Partridge of 2B Oak Street died, his children
and heirs who were grown and had homes of the own, sold parcels of the 2B homestead.
5/5/1853 Norfolk County Deed: 220:258
$111.
Clark Partridge, Stephen Partridge, Sarah A Partridge Bullard, and Lydia S Partridge Thayer to AMB Fuller of Medway a lot
of 65 rods at the junction of two town roads, 9 rods east to west by 7 rods north to south, with the right to lay pipe to
a house lot on the south side of the premises No dwelling house listed.
9/19/1854 Norfolk County Deed: 230:46
AMB
Fuller to Elijah Partridge, housewright $130. a lot of 65 rods with the right to lay pipe across the SW corner of said land
to convey water to a house lot the south side of said premises No dwelling house listed.
10/20/1855 Norfolk County Deed: 419:123
Elijah
Partridge 2nd, yeoman of Medway to Simeon Ellis of Medway, yeoman “65 rods with a dwelling house… at the corner
of two town roads…. On the westerly side of a town road leading from I. Perry to AP Thayer… also the right to
lay a pipe across the southerly corner to convey water west of said premises to premises of grantee.
1/27/1862 Norfolk County Deed: 419:123
Simon
Ellis to Chester Ellis “1/2 acre with dwelling house, corner of Oak and Mechanic Streets….same estate now occupied
by grantee”
7/9/1869 Norfolk County Deed: 419:123
Charlotte
Slocumb to Chester Ellis 1/2 acre, no building, adjacent southwest to Ellis House on Mechanic Street”
Above is a recent photo of 2B Oak Street.
The Thayer Homeplace: Deed History
09-04-1821 Norfolk County Deed: 65:257
James Richardson
to Timothy Mann
4 acres +/-… being the house and buildings and part of farm that belonged to Major Timothy Whiting
$700. The Partridge Homestead was made up of 3 lots: from Timothy
Mann, from Jacob Ide, and from Cephas Thayer.
10-01-1836 Norfolk County Deed: 114:154
Timothy
Mann to Joel Partridge, farmer 4 acres +/- lot with buildings thereon …beginning at the southwest corner of the premises
where Rev Ides lane meets a town road (where Mechanic and Oak intersect)…hence east by wall to Chicken Brook, hence
upstream to a large stone $1000.
04-18-1839 Norfolk County Deed: 140:34
Jacob
Ide to Joel Partridge 9 acres+/- of pasture… with a lane by which said lot is connected with the road running in front
of the house of said Joel Partridge…this land bounded on the east by the road and house of Joel Partridge $600.
10-15-1842 Norfolk County Deed: 140:33
Cephas
Thayer to Joel Partridge 21 rods …beginning at the apple tree at road (Oak St) at the southeast corner of land of Joel
Partridge and running north beside Partridge land 12 rods, hence east running along wall to stake and stones at southwest
corner of land of Cephas Thayer, hence running south to road, hence west on road to first mentioned apple tree. When Joel Partridge died August 8, 1852, he left his wife Joanna Sanford the
13 acres of his Homestead (2A and 2B Oak), 10 acres of pasture and woodland, a new house on ¼ acre of land (2 Oak) –at
that time occupied by JE Coolidge, and all his household furniture, provisions, livestock, farming tools, and personal property.
The rest of his estate that included 70 acres of land and properties throughout Medway, he divided equally among his 5 children:
Clark, Stephen, Joel Gilbert, Sarah Ann Bullard, and Lydia Sanford – his daughter with second wife Joanna. (Probate
14096)
In January 1853, Joanna sold the Homestead and 10 acres to the 5 children,
keeping for herself the house at 2 Oak. The following month, the Partridge heirs sold the Homestead
to Addison P Thayer whose family owned the land just east of the Partridge Homestead. Cephas Thayer, Addisons father
had built a box factory there at Chicken Brook, and had damned the brook for water power, forming Choate Pond.
01-17-1853 Norfolk County Deed: 216:51
Joanna
S Partridge to Clark Partridge (Partridge heirs) 13 acre Partridge Homestead 10 acres pasture and woodland $1550.
02-15-1853 Norfolk County Deed: 216:226
Partridge
heirs to Addison P Thayer 13 acre Homestead $2029.
On April 12, 1853 Lydia Sanford Partridge married AP Thayer and they
made the Partridge Homestead their home for the next 35 years. He was 39, and she was 23 year old. They
raised 3 children there. Addison P Thayer died in 1889 at 75 years of age, without a will. His wife Lydia
sold the Homeplace in 1892.
12-24-1892 Norfolk County Deed: 686:205
Lydia
S Thayer to Burnette Fairbairn $1.00 3 parcels: Thayer Homeplace of 13 acres, 1 acre “well lot” between Oak and
Main, 2 acres on Mechanic Street across from the Homeplace.
In 1958, Burnettes daughter Maud, married to Harold Mac Donald, and her brother William were living at 2B Oak Street.
Maud sold the Thayer Homeplace in 1968. The land had been owned by the Fairbairn family for 76 years.
06-04-1968
Norfolk County Deed: 4516:129
Maud L MacDonald to John P and Patricia C Booth The Thayer Homeplace divided
into 2 parcels: one situated on the northerly side of Mechanic Street of 3.2959 acres, and the other (9.93 acres) on the north
side of Oak Street, northwest of the dwelling place lot.
08-23-1968 Norfolk County Deed: 4536:607
John
P and Patricia C Booth to William H and Elizabeth C Carson 2 parcels of Thayer Homeplace.
06-30-1972 Norfolk County Deed: 4848:609
William
H and Elizabeth C Carson to the Town of Medway
9.93 acres on the north side of Oak Street, just northwest of the dwelling
house Plan Book 224 Plan # 1968.
09-14-1972 Norfolk County Deed: 4882:37
William
H and Elizabeth C Carson to George R and Margaret E Zwilling 3.2959 acres with dwelling house
02-15-1990 Norfolk County
Deed: 8567:393
George R and Margaret E Zwilling to Michael and Mary C Narducci 3.2959 acres with dwelling house.
Above is a photo circa 1910 of the same house. Pictured are Mrs. William Fairbairn, Dorothy Fairbairn
and Mr. & Mrs. William Fairbairn Jr. This photo was donated by Francis Donovan.
Above is another view of 2B Oak Street taken circa 1930 and also donated
by Francis Donovan.
2 Oak St.
This dwelling house on ¼ acre of land is located at the junction of Oak
and Mechanic Streets in West Medway. It was built by Joel Partridge at the southeast corner of his large
homestead property, that extended up Oak Street to Rt 126. When he died in 1853, his wife Joanna sold the rest of the
property she inherited to his children, and kept this house for herself. When she died a month later her only child
Lydia inherited her house; Lydia kept the house until 1888. In the late 1880’s Lydia began selling the family’s
West Medway properties. Her husband died in 1889.
02/29/1888 Norfolk County Deed: 617:14
Lydia S Thayer to Wm E Stewartson
02/09/1913 Norfolk County Deed: 1240:41
Wm E Stewartson to his wife Alidia
02/09/1913 Norfolk County Deed: 1240:41
Alidia
B Stewartson, widow, to Warren P Reith
04/12/1924 Norfolk County Deed: 1599:113
Mortgage:
Warren P Reith to the Medway Cooperative Bank for $2500.
05/06/1924 $27.59 monthly payment Foreclosure
12/11/1925 Sold for $2850.
Medway Cooperative
Bank to H. Wendell Blethen
12/22/1925 Norfolk County Deed: 1678:205
H.
Wendell Blethen to his wife Mable Clark Blethen
12/18/1926 Norfolk County Deed: 1726:588
Mortgage:
Mable C. Blethen to Frederick C Clark for $2450.
11/22/1940 Norfolk County Deed: 2309:392
Mortgage paid off.
“Mabel C Blethen” is a name found
on all “Thayer Homeplace” plans at the Registry of Deeds, Norfolk County.
6 Oak St.
04/18/1868 Norfolk County Deed: 494:98
Robert Montgomery House 1868. AP Thayer to Robert Montgomery ½ acre with cellar and underpinning, east of R E Stewartsons house lot, and west of
“Thayer Homeplace” $160.
Mortgage
11-22-1877 Norfolk County Deed: 495:99
Robert Montgomery to William Page
11-22-1877 Foreclosure.
Public Auction
10/13/1885 Norfolk County Deed: 572:445
To Malcolm
Livingstone $469.
03/02/1901 Norfolk County Deed: 1385:188
Addie Livingstone (wife) to William Morton Montgomery
06/23/1944 Norfolk County Deed: 2447:509
Florence
E. Montgomery (executor) to George J Butler
06/23/1944 Norfolk County Deed: 2493:71
George J Butler to Duncan Brown. Mortgage with Medway Cooperative Bank $42.20.
8 Oak St.
02/19/1853 Norfolk County Deed: 215:263
Robert E Stewartson House 1853
AP Thayer to RE Stewartson, bootmaker 3 acres and 22 rods
$227.
In 1853, Joel Partridge heirs sold RE Stewartson land just west of
this lot extending to the road to Holliston.
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