Wednesday, February 12, 2014

The Norman Seaver House in Westminster, Massachusetts - Post 294 for (Not So) Wordless Wednesday

I'm posting family photographs from my collection on Wednesdays, but they aren't Wordless Wednesday posts like others do - I am incapable of having a wordless post.

Here are photographs of an ancestral home taken on one of our vacation/genealogy trips to Massachusetts:




The view above is from the road, and the view below is from the side of the house:


This house is at 139 Overlook Drive in the Beech Hills section of Westminster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.  

My 5th great-grandfather, Norman Seaver (1734-1787), a Revolutionary War soldier, built this house in the 1770s.  My 4th great-grandfather, Benjamin Seaver (1757-1816) and my 3rd great-grandfather, Benjamn Seaver (1791-1825) lived in this house as young men.  When Norman seaver died in 1787, Benjamin 1757 was the oldest son and received a portion of the home lot, which probably included this house.  Benjamin 1791 was not the oldest son, and his brother Jon and sister Susannah lived in the house until their deaths in 1868 and 1879 respectively.  The house was sold after their deaths.  

Every time I visit Massachusetts, I visit this house, at least I drive by!  It pulls me to it for some reason.  I'd love to see the inside of it.  We came close once.  There is a driveway into the property on the south side of the house, and I pulled into it one day.  A big dog came bounding out to greet us, barking all the way.  I didn't advance...and we came to a truce, until I stepped toward the house, then he barked some more.  The side door opened and a young lady called out.  I approached her and stayed some distance away.  I explained who I was, that my 5th great-grandfather Norman Seaver had built the house.  She knew the story, but said her family was not home.  I took the hint and thanked her and we moved on to the cemetery.  

Here is the Google Map showing the location of this house relative to the town of Westminster:



The house location is actually a bit south of what is shown on the map above.  Here is a Google Satellite view with the house circled:



And a closeup Google Satellite view:



The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/02/the-norman-seaver-house-in-westminster.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

1 comment:

Barb said...

Randy, Is it me or does there appear to be some orbs going on in that first picture? You just have to get a look inside. You are much more patient than me. Maybe a snail mail letter months before your next planned visit? I have not found any homes that old in my family.