The Fairbanks House

Way back in the Bond family line there is Jonathan Fairbanks and his wife, Grace. Jonathan was born in about 1594-8 in Sowerby, Halifax, York, England. The family included seven children, John, George, Mary, Johnathan, Jonas, George (?), and Susan. They came to America in 1633 and landed in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1636, they settled in Dedham, Massachusetts where they built a home. This home, The Fairbanks House, is still standing today, the oldest surviving timber frame house in North America.



Abbott Lowell Cummings, former Charles F. Montgomery Professor of American Decorative Arts at Yale University, says the following about the Fairbanks House:


"The Jonathan Fairbanks House in Dedham, Massachusetts, is one of the most important historic houses now standing in the northeastern part of the United States. Its value to the area and to the nation as a whole lies not so much in its claim to being the oldest house in New England but in its architectural significance... It may be said quite simply that no other house of the mid-17th century in New England has survived in such unbelievable unspoiled condition. It is extraordinary that so early a structure should preserve such a high percentage of original features. It is a veritable storehouse of information concerning the small handful of houses which survive from this early period."




All in all, eight generations of the Fairbanks family lived in the house. Over the years, the original portion of the house was extended and added on to as the family's needs changed.




Jonathan Fairbanks died in Dedham, December 5, 1668. He and many members of the extended family are buried in the Old Village Cemetery in Dedham, Massachusetts. Most of them have no gravestones, as they have disintegrated over time.

Interestingly enough, the city of Fairbanks, Alaska was named in honor of Charles Warren Fairbanks, an 8th generation descendant, who served as Vice-President in Theodore Roosevelt's first term in office.

The house is now a historical museum, open to the public. Tours are from May to October. Tours are available Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 .pm. and Sunday 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The last tour of the day begins at 4:00 p.m.

One of these days I am going to go on a family history tour of America and get to see all these great places our family has been.






much more information on the Fairbanks House can bee seen at the following links:

http://www.fairbankshouse.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairbanks_House

(photos taken from Google images)

Direct line ancestry: Jonathan Fairbanks --> Mary Fairbanks --> Johathan Metcalf --> John Metcalf --> Bethiah Metcalf --> John Avery --> Lindamina Avery --> Avery John Bond --> Frank Bond --> Rolf Wallace Bond --> Richard Grifftihs Bond --> Kathryn Bond --> Lora Marshall Nehring