D-5-2
Josiah Whitney bought lot #2 in range 10 in Packersfield’s northeast quarter in 1779. Clearing had been done there earlier by Elihu Higbe. He built first at D-5-7 and afterwards here. Nancy and Josiah Whitney came to Packersfield with their first two children; they added seven more. In 1822 Josiah sold his 160-acre farm to his son, Josiah Jr, in return for $2000 and an agreement for a lifetime of support. Nancy died in 1824 and her husband in 1827. Both are buried in the village cemetery. Josiah kept on at the farm until 1838 when he sold it to Jonas Goodhue of Hancock.
Jonas and Lucinda had two children. In 1846 a double tragedy hit the family with the death of seven-year-old, Sarah in July and her mother in November. Jonas married Phoebe Wilson of Stoddard. The couple had five children of their own. The Goodhues increased the farm to almost 300 acres before moving to Hancock in about 1870. The farm was broken up and the house was sold to Josephine Stanford in 1879. The place seems to have been used as a seasonal residence since then. In 1898 Mrs. Belle Greene of Boston bought it as a summer home and kept it until her death in 1945. The house burned in the 1970’s and was rebuilt on the original foundation very much like the original house. The home is currently owned by Damon Spilios.
Resident’s Story
In the late 1970’s the old Josiah Whitney home, owned by Peter Flint, caught fire. Peter’s Aunt Kate was home at the time. Aunt Kate was a small, wiry and strong-willed woman. The Harrisville Fire Department’s truck was the first to arrive and found the place was seriously involved. A big burley fireman named Bryan Trudelle entered the burning building and found Aunt Kate. “We gotta get you out of here, this thing’s going to go.” Said Bryan. “I’m not going without my dog.” said Aunt Kate. Bryan said she had to get out now and that he’d come back for the dog. Aunt Kate’s reply was a punch in the big man’s nose. “That got my attention”, he said later and he called repeatedly and pleadingly for the dog. The dog was like its owner, small and feisty. With the dog under one arm and Aunt Kate under the other, Bryan got out just in time. The building was a total loss and Bryan’s nose healed. The large barn survived and Peter Flint built a true copy of the home on the old foundation.