Hillside View Farmhouse 1910

This week’s piece of history is based upon this 1910 post card of Hillside View Farm which was owned and operated by William H. Youlden. He purchased his farm in June 1908 from Lizzie E. Emerson and moved there with his wife Mary (Robinson)(Mason) Youlden and son, Henry Webster age 6, and daughter, Eleanor age 5. His 40 acre farm was located on Webster Street, bounded on the west by the Merrimack River, on the north by land of George Hill or his descendants, and on the south by Elizia Thomas or his descendants. There were rights of right of way through his property for Webster Street (often called Litchfield Road) and for the electric street railway (trolley) which provided travel from the Taylor Falls bridge to Goffs Falls and on to Manchester. This railway had been in operation since January 1907. The house with attached ell and barn was on the west side of and facing Webster street on a slight knoll overlooking a view of the pasture and river.

Mary (Robinson) Mason and William H. Youlden were married at Somerville, MA in March 1901. He was native to Massachusetts. She was a native to Hudson being a daughter of Noah Otis and Everline (Howe) Robinson. Before moving to Hillside View Farm they lived in Mass. I am not sure of the exact origin of the name Hillside View Farm. The farm is located on land that was a part of the 900 acres that Nathanial Hills purchased from Jonathan Tyng before 1733. His descendants, including George Hill lived on Nathaniel’s parcel for many years. This fact, plus the view from the house across the pasture toward the river likely accounts for the name.

William H. Youlden was a breeder and seller of hogs. He also raised and sold hens. While researching for this article I found numerous classified ads in the Nashua Telegraph aimed at selling hogs and hens to the locals. One added selling point was the ability to take the trolley from Nashua across the Taylor Falls bridge and continue north to Hillside View Farm. By early September 1913 William had sold his stock of hogs and hens and gone to the Boston area to engage in the trucking and moving business. His family remained in Hudson for a while. About one year later his farm on Webster street was sold to Ashton Brown and within a few months he and his family moved to Winthrop, MA. William passed in December 1923 at the age of 61. He was laid to rest with his parents in Evergreen Cemetery in East Barnstable, MA.

Soon after moving to Hudson in 1908 Mary along with her son Henry Webster and daughter Eleanor became active in the Sunday School and affairs of the Methodist Church here in Hudson. Mary was active with the ladies guild of that church and on at least one occasion entertained the ladies in her home at Hillside View Farm. She spent her later years living with family in Somerville, MA. She passed in March 1942 at 70 years of age and was laid to rest with her parents in Westview Cemetery here in Hudson.

                                The Farmhouse 2019

After being sold by William H. Youlden in 1914 the property was sold a number of times; remaining as a 40 acre parcel until the early 1950’s. It appears there was some interest in the owners to cut and sell cordwood from the property. This was a common practice in the earlier years as property taxes were more reasonable. One could harvest the wood for sale, pay the taxes, and still make a modest profit. As early as 1950 the farm pasture on the west side of the street (towards the river) and the east side (containing the farmhouse and barn) were sold separately. This process of subdividing by various owners continued. At the present time the farmhouse has become a 2 family house at what is now 219 Webster Street. As a point of comparison we share the photo from the town accession records. The attached shed and barn are no longer present but the basic house can be identified. The 1910 photo of the farmhouse is from the Historical Society collection complements of Jerry Winslow.