One of my many 6th paternal grandparents were Abraham and Hannah Jaquith. Abraham was born in December 1701, in Woburn, Massachusetts and died in January 1790 in Billerica, Massachusetts having lived 88 years. Abraham married Hannah Farley on January 1736 and together they had five children.
The Jaquith’s (originally Jacques) were French Huguenots who first fled France sometime before 1628, stayed in Cornwall, England, and are believed to have returned temporarily to France before departing for British America in 1643.
The house that Abraham and Hannah Jaquith lived in, also known as the Farley Garrison house, in Billerica, Massachusetts was originally built in about 1724 and is one of the oldest surviving colonial era houses America. The home remained in the Farley/Jaquith family’s possession for 12 generations!
In 2000, the house was dismantled piece by piece, stored, and moved to Gilmanton, N.H. where it was masterfully rebuilt. While it is often noted (+ often repeated) that the home was built in 1665, architectural analysis determined it was constructed about 1724. However, it is likely that the home contains elements of the original Farley home that served as a “garrison house” during King Philip’s War of 1676. (Note: in 2013, the house and other buildings on the 12 acre property were listed for sale at $ 14.95 million.)
Below are several stories and videos about the relocation of the home to New Hampshire, where it is still standing after over 297 years! Remarkable!
Man Restores Pilgrim Home from 1665 to its Original Glory (Video – Houzz)
Relocating History – New Hampshire Magazine – January 2012
Tour the Farley Garrison House – HGTV – August 2015
Comments, corrections and suggestions appreciated.
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