Izannah Walker's Property on South St., Somerset, Mass

        ©  Kathy Duncan, 2022

Most records point to the possibility that Izannah Walker was living in Providence County, Rhode Island from some time prior to 1860 until her death in 1888. Specifically, she was on the 1860 census of Smithfield, Providence County, Rhode Island; the 1865 state census for Central Falls, Providence County, Rhode Island; the 1867 City Directory for Central Falls, Rhode Island; and the 1870 census for  Providence, Rhode Island.

However, in 1864, she was a resident of Somerset, Bristol County, Massachusetts. At this point, I can't say when she returned to Somerset or why or how long she lived there. It's possible her decision was influenced by the Civil War.

On 9 July Izannah Walker and her sister Jane H. Walker purchased a lot with buildings on it, for which they paid $3,000, from Joseph N. Smith. The deed notes that Izannah and Jane were "both of Somerset, in the County of Bristol in the commonwealth of Massachusetts, single persons." That lot was "situated in the southerly part of the village of Sommerset on the northerly side of the highway that runs from the village aforesaid to the dwelling of Phillip Bowers, bounded on the south by the said highway, on the west by the land of Horatio N. Eddy, on the north by a way, and on the east by the lands of the heirs of Howard Peterson." Smith had purchased the property in 1857 from the Mount Hope Iron Company.

The $3,000 that Izannah and Jane paid for this property would be a little over $55,000 in 2022. Since they seem to have had cash in hand rather than taking out a note, I have to wonder how they managed to save so much money for this investment. I also wonder if their Aunt Jane Hintz helped them with the purchase. This is one of many questions that can't be answered.

Using the description of the landowners on the property's boundaries, I searched the 1858 map of Somerset for it and found the house of J. N. Smith located next to H. N. Eddy, just north of the Mount Hope Iron Company:

The location on this map lines up with what is now South Street.

Smith advertised the house in the Fall River Evening News on 13 April 1864. The advertisement provided a detailed description of the property:

The property contained a two-story, two-family house with running water and a small pear tree orchard. There was also a 14' x 23' building that had been used as a Boot and Shoe Store. 

This property offered Izannah and Jane a variety of opportunities. They could lease the whole property out and have three incomes from it: two from the tenements and one from the store. Or they could move into one tenement with Aunt Jane Hintz, rent out the second tenement, rent out Aunt Jane's tenement that they had occupied on Main St, and use the outbuilding as a store for their own products or use it as a workshop. The property offered multiple possibilities for income and a place to create and sell dolls. 

For whatever reason, though, Izannah returned to Central Falls, Rhode Island, where she is found as a "doll maker" on the 1865 state census. However, she retained her half ownership of the house with her sister Jane for the rest of her life. This is one of the real estate properties that provided her with an income. Another was her own house in Central Falls which was also set up as a two-family tenement. 

It does seem that Jane H. Walker and her Aunt Jane Hintz lived in the South Street house briefly. There is no way of knowing if Izannah ever lived there with them. On the 1865 census, their near neighbors were Phillip Bowers and Job Leonard. Leonard was the owner of the Mount Hope Iron Company and had built a house on South Street west of the original house owner, J.N. Smith. For once, Jane Walker and Aunt Jane Hintz were not living with tenants in the building. It seems that they were probably using the property to fully realize the goal of manufacturing their dolls. By 1870, though, they had returned to Jane Hintz's Main Street house, where once again they had tenants. 

The 1877 Bird's Eye view of Somerset reveals the South Street house and suggests why they moved back to Main Street.

On this map, you can see the house and the "store." In the lower-left corner of the map is the Mount Hope Iron Company, with about fifteen stacks blowing black smoke from the ironworks in the direction of the Walker house on South Street. That smoke would have affected the air quality and resulted in almost nonstop cleaning. In sharp contrast, Jane Hintz's Main Street house would have offered better air quality, nearby shops, and an unobstructed view of the Taunton River. Plus, Aunt Jane was getting older and may have just simply been homesick for her childhood home. 

When Izannah Walker died in 1888, she willed her remaining property in Somerset to her sister Jane H. Walker, which included her portion of the house on South Street.

You can see the property on the 1895 map of Somerset, listed in Jane Walker's name. At that point, she was the sole owner:

The house, on this map, is the third one east of the intersection of South Street and High Street. It corresponds to the house now located at 74 South Street. The little store was on the southeast corner of the property, right on the road. You can also see the former residence of Job Leonard three houses west of Izannah and Jane's property.

When Jane H. Walker died in October 1899, she left all of her real estate to her remaining full sister, Ann Richmond (Walker) Smith. However, Ann only survived Jane by about eight months. For the next several years, the house was managed by the heirs of Jane Walker.

In July 1901, the outbuilding, which had housed a succession of stores at 74 South Street, was sold to Mr. Braley of Fall River. His plan was to move it to a property on South Street that he had purchased a few months before from Mary A.Cryan. He was going to use the old "landmark" as a hen house. That suggests that the structure was worth purchasing and moving but would end its days as a lowly chicken coop. 

When Braley purchased his property on South Street from Mary Cryan, it was being leased by Thomas Keefe. 

So far, I have not been able to determine where this property was and nothing on the Google Street View of South Street looks like it could be this old "landmark."

Finally, Jane Walker's heirs sold the house on South Street in 1906 to Lynch and Eagan: