The Hammond home and physician’s office on Main Street in Nashua, NH, near the corner of Pearl, circa 1903.
Usually the photograph of a human face spurs me to write a story, but in this case it was one of an ivy covered building. The Ebay description hinted that it might be located in Nashua, New Hampshire, for that is where the postcard was mailed from in 1903. It turns out that this was well worth my attention. The residence pictured here was the home and physician’s office of two of Nashua, New Hampshire’s well known physicians–Evan B. Hammond, and his son Charles B. Hammond. If one zooms in closely to the small building to the right, the sign reads “Dr. C.B. Hammond.”
Charles B. Hammond not only was one of the founders of Nashua’s first hospital, but also wrote the Medical History of Nashua, section in the 1897 book: “History of Nashua, New Hampshire, by Judge Edward E. Parker. On that account, citizens of Nashua have much to be grateful to him.
Main Street in Nashua, near Pearl Street today. The tan building with the red awning is the former location of the Hammond estate. The Nashua Bank building can be seen behind the trees on the right.
Driving down that section of Main Street in Nashua, near Pearl, today it is difficult to picture how residential this part of town was a century ago. Lofty shade trees and regal mansions sat where businesses and concrete do now. The site of this Hammond house is today the Professional Building that contains Pompanoosuc Mills. The old Hammond home was leveled in 1936 to make way for the art deco building that once housed a Sears store. [my thanks to John R. Bolduc for bringing this newspaper article to my attention].
In 1880 when Dr. Evan B. Hammond lived there with his family, it was numbered 110 Main Street. By 1900 when Charles B. Evans owned the home, many buildings had been added on the street, and the same building was numbered 180 Main Street with the small office at 182.
Section of 1885 Sanborn Insurance Map of Nashua NH showing the corner of Main and Pearl Streets. The pink-shaded rectangles just above the Universalist Church are the physician’s office and the Hammond residence.
By 1910 Dr. Charles B. Hammond had moved his home around the corner to 59 East Pearl, maintaining his office in the small building while his uncle, George F. Hammond resided in his father’s original home.
The house just to the left in this photograph belonged to William H. Beasom who was mayor of Nashua in 1891-1892. That building was torn down to become The Chase Building. The building that you can see just to the right of the Hammond house in this photograph, was the former Third Congregational Church (1847), Universalist Church (1881), then sold to the Nashua Trust Company (1953), and currently (in the same original building) Nashua Bank.
1902 Sanborn Insurance Map of Nashua NH, showing the area of Main Street and Pearl.
Dr. Evan B. Hammond was a practicing physician in Nashua, NH at least by 1840 (per his son’s history) and by 1843 as evidenced by the Nashua City Directory of that year. His office was on Main Street but he was living on Pearl. By 1845 he had built the mansion that would be his home, and that you see pictured here.
1843 Nashua Directory: Hammond, Evan B. physician, office Main, h. Pear. av.
1845-1850 Nashua Directory: Hammond, Dr. E.B., h. Main st.
1853 Nashua Directory: Hammond, Evan B., cor Main and East Pearl Sts.
1864-1870 Hammond, Evan B. physician, house 110 Main
*****PARTIAL GENEALOGY OF THE NASHUA NH HAMMOND FAMILY*****
Dr. Evan Bartlett Hammond, M.D. Likeness from History of the city of Nashua, N. H. by Edward Everett Parker, 1897
Mostly From: History and genealogies of the Hammond families in America : with an account of the early history of the family in Normandy and Great Britain. 1000-1902 (1902) by Frederick Stam Hammond
Thomas Hammond, son of William, baptized 17 Sep 1618 in Lavenham England, d. 10 Dec 1655 at Watertown MA. He m c1654 Hannah Cross. She was b. Ipswich AM April 1636 (bap Hampton 9 Oct 1638); died 24 March 1656-7, dau of John & Hannah Cross. They left Ipswich England for New England in April 1634. Planter.
Lieut. Thomas Hammond, son of Thomas & Hannah (Cross) Hammond, b. 11 July 1656 in Watertown MA; d. 26 Feb 1724-25 in Ipswich MA, buried Rowley MA; m2) 6 Dec 1679 Sarah Pickard. She was b. 31 Jan 1656 and d. 16 Jan 1717-23, dau of John & Jane Pickard of Rowley MA.
Dr. Charles B. Hammond of Nashua NH. Likeness from History of the city of Nashua, N. H. by Edward Everett Parker, 1897
David Hammond, son of Thomas & Sarah (Pickard) Hammond, b. 23 Nov 1690 Watertown MA; d. 22 Sep 1765 in Rowley MA. He m1) 11 July 1719 Mary Platts. She was b. 29 June 1684 in Rowley MA, dau of Samuel & Philippa (Felt) Plats.
David Hammond, son of David & Mary (Platts) Hammond, b. 17 Aug 1720 Rowley MA, d. 3 Jan 1797 Rowley MA; m1) 17 Sep 1743 to Susanna Harris who d. 31 Dec 1780. He served as a private in Capt. Robert Dodge’s company 1776. DAR Patriot’s List.
Thomas Hammond, son of David & Susanna (Harris) Hammond, b. 11 June 1747 Rowley MA, and died 8 June 1827 in Dunbarton NH, aged 79. He married 1773 to Esther Dole, daughter of Nathan & Phebe (?) Dole. She b. 15 May 1756 in Dunbarton NH, a descendant of Richard Dole. He served at the Lexington Alarm from Massachusetts and served in New Hampshire from Merrimack. DAR Patriot’s List
Nathan Hammond, son of Thomas & Esther (Dole) Hammond, was b. 16 Sep 1781 in Dunbarton NH. He married Mary Noyes. She was b. 29 July 1785 in Pepperell MA.
Evan Bartlett Hammond, M.D., son of Nathan & Mary (Noyes) Hammond, b. 16 October 1815 Bridgewater NH; died 7 June 1887 at Nashua NH. Physician. Graduated from Dartmouth College. Besides son Charles B. shown below, he had a daughter Mary L. Hammond who was a long-time school teacher in the Nashua NH area.
Charles B. Hammond, son of Evan B. & Sarah Ann (Adams) Hammond, born 20 March 1853 in Nashua, NH. He married Mary I. Tracy. Physician. He began his Nashua NH practice about 1880. He was one of the proponents and founders of Nashua New Hampshire’s first hospital. Author of the Medical History of Nashua, section in the 1897 book: “History of Nashua, New Hampshire, by Judge Edward E. Parker.
*****ADDITIONAL READING*****
