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120 Goldsmith Street

Our Friday Find: We were asked about the house at 120 Goldsmith Street. Traditionally, it is known as the Goldsmith or Houghton or Kimloch (Kimball) Farm. Obviously, the name of the street is from the man who really established the farm. Lets find out a little bit about him.

John Goldsmith’s father died when John Jr was just 4 years old. He was instantly killed when he was helping to construct a flume for a mill in Harvard and a timber slipped and fell on him. He left his wife and four young children who, after his death, were separated for a time. John Jr went to live with his grandfather Richard Goldsmith on Oak Hill.

When young John turned 19, he went to work for the widow Sally Davis on her farm in Harvard. She liked him so well that when she married Capt Francis Kidder Jr of Littleton, he went with her to their new home at Littleton Common. The Kidders kept a tavern there and later he worked for Simeon Proctor who kept a tavern near Lake Nagog.

John wasn’t a man of all work and no play. Sebia Kimball caught his eye and they married in 1818 (John was 25). He started farming on his own preferring to work for himself. He and his bother-in-law, Simeon Conant, worked a farm together in Stow. However, both he and Sebia wanted to live in Littleton. He heard that the farm owned by Thomas Hartwell was for sale and he bought it paying $1400 for 30 acres of land and a very dilapidated set of buildings. He was to pay interest plus $100 on the principal yearly. Hartwell had let the buildings run down, the land was run out and the barn still had an earthen floor. In 1820 John, his young wife, and baby daughter Sophia moved to Littleton. His family wasn’t too keen on his new home, they felt he had paid an extravagant amount for a dump and wouldn’t (or couldn’t) lend him any money. So determined were they to own their own farm that John and Sebia worked and saved the money. She knit gloves and mittens, made butter, cheese and dried apples and economized so that she thought “her store bill did not exceed $5.00 for the whole year.”

Over the years, they had seven children; 5 of whom lived past infancy. To accommodate their family, the house was added onto many times over the years. John continued to buy land and eventually doubled his farm. When the mills in Lowell attracted workers, John took his produce to Lowell weekly and did so for years.

He wasn’t just a farmer though – he served on the Board of Selectman, took part in debates at the Lyceum, and was very active in the church. He joined the temperance society and was a staunch temperate. He refused to entertain any guest or acquaintance at the tavern and refused a social glass himself although he was often slighted for doing so. As a Selectman he always voted against allowing a liquor license.

He was instrumental in improving the road to Lowell which tremendously helped the farmers of Westford and Littleton while the town of Chelmsford fought it. When the railroad came to town, he attended a meeting for a Fitchburg RR agent selling stock. No one dared to trust their hard earned money to such a risky venture but Goldsmith turned to Reuben Hoar and said “I will take one share if you will. $100 will not break either one of us and I will risk so much if you will.” With that, the Fitchburg RR received its first two shareholders in Littleton. He was remembered as being “an influential man who stood well in town.” He was a quiet and stern and no one dared disobey him, but was well respected and certainly led a fine life.

At his death he left $1500 for the town to be expended annually for education in the Common Schools of Littleton. The fund still exists and had a balance of close to $20,000 at the end of 2020.

120 Goldsmith Street
120 Goldsmith Street

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