1 West York Lane: A House History

A House History

A Brief History

1 West York Lane

WEST YORK LANE

West

York Lane is located in an area of Nantucket historically known as Newtown, to the east of the harbor and downtown Nantucket. In the 18 th and 19 th centuries, Newtown, also called New Guinea, was a bustling mixed-race neighborhood, home to Nantucketers of African, Cape Verdean, Azorean, Irish, and Pacific Islander descent, as well as native Wampanoag people.

Detail of 1858 Map

REVEREND JOHN W. ROBINSON

In 1836, the Reverend John W. Robinson (c.1788–1840) purchased 36 rods of vacant land in Newtown, about 0.225 acres, from Matthew Barney (1759–1839). Barney was a merchant who, beginning in the 1790s, began purchasing tracts of house lot land and selling off individual pieces to prospective homebuilders. The plot of house lot land in Newtown had been acquired in an exchange with the island’s Proprietors in 1836; Barney had previously sold two house lots from the acquisition to James Ross, Jr. and William Shorter, both Black mariners. John W. Robinson was a Black pastor, the reverend at the Zion Methodist Episcopal Church from 1832 to 1836, shown as being just across the street from 1 West York Lane on the 1858 map of Nantucket. The church building, originally a carpenter’s shop on Orange Street, had been moved to Newtown to be used as a church in 1832. Robinson was born on St. Thomas, and prior to coming to Nantucket in the 1830s had lived in Philadelphia, where he married Cecelia W. Scott (1789–1862). In December 1836, the reverend brought suit against Joseph Starbuck, perhaps the most successful whaling baron on Nantucket in the 1830s, who built the famous “Three Bricks” on Main Street as homes for his three sons. Robinson claimed that his son, John W. Robinson Jr., was illegally enticed to sign on to a whaling voyage aboard the Three Brothers in 1833, when he was a minor, without Robinson Sr.’s permission. John Jr. was flogged on board the ship and eventually deserted the vessel in Talcahuano, Chile, while the Three Brothers was en route back to Nantucket, fully laden with whale oil. John Sr. sued Joseph Starbuck for $500, and the issue was finally resolved in July 1839. John Sr. also had a daughter, Julia Robinson, who was born in Philadelphia but came to live on Nantucket along with her parents and brother.

THE LEWIS FAMILY

In February 1840, Reverend John W. Robinson sold a portion of the land he owned on West York Lane, 10 rods, to Joseph Lewis (1812–1863), his soon-to-be son-in-law. Joseph was a mariner, originally from Sãu Nicolau in Cape Verde. Cape Verde is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 400 nautical miles west of the westernmost point of continental Africa. The islands were a common stopover point for Nantucket whalers, and this Nantucket/Cape Verde connection is likely how Joseph came to trade one island residence for another. The deed

Watercolor of the ship Henry of sale to Joseph describes him as being “late of ship Henry,” which had landed at Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard on January 11, 1840 carrying 2,100 barrels of sperm oil, after a voyage of 38 months. While on this voyage, Joseph and three other sailors briefly deserted the ship while at port in Atacames, Ecuador, but returned aboard ten days later.1

Joseph Lewis married Julia W. Robinson (1821–1892) on June 21, 1840. Presumably the house at 1 West York Lane was constructed in early 1840 and completed either just before or after their marriage. By July 1841, when Joseph transferred ownership of his land and dwellinghouse to Julia, there was a house standing on the property. The 1850 Census recorded Joseph and Julia living together with their four children, John W. (1842–1863), Alexander (1845–1919), Celia (1849–1855), and Joseph Jr. (1850–1925). By the 1860 Census, the Lewises had another child, Emma (1853–1917), and had taken in Julia’s mother, Cecelia. Joseph was still employed as a mariner, and his eldest son John, by then 18, had followed him into the profession. Sadly, John, while sailing aboard the ship Havre, out of New York, fell overboard at Buenos Aires and drowned in 1863. In the 1865 Massachusetts State census, Julia, by then a widow, was a domestic worker, and her sons Alexander and Joseph Jr. were both farmers. Julia worked in the household of the Barney family, at 96 Main Street, the mansion built by William Hadwen in 1846 that is today owned by the Nantucket Historical Association and open to the public seasonally. Joseph Jr. eventually went whaling as well, but by the time he reached adulthood in the late-1860s, Nantucket’s whaling economy was on the decline. He sailed

1The log of the Henry is in the collections of the Nantucket Historical Association and is available to read online.

on board the Black Eagle on a voyage to the Hudson Bay’s Arctic whaling grounds in 1866 and 1867 and a voyage to the Pacific on the Falcon from 1867 to 1871. He was also the cook aboard the cargo clipper Saint Nicholas from 1883 to 1886. In his later years, Joseph Jr. was the caretaker of the Old Mill, just up the street from his family home.

Julia Lewis died on May 3, 1892, and 1 West York Lane was inherited by her children, Joseph Jr. and Emma. In 1888, the younger Joseph had had a home constructed for himself on the site of his grandfather’s former church, which had been demolished in 1882, today’s 32 York Street. Emma continued to reside in the family residence. In 1907, Emma, who was employed as a cook, sold the home to Henry C. Chase (1878–1932).

20th CENTURY OWNERS

Henry Clay Chase (1878–1932) was born on Nantucket to Alexander and Nancy Chase. As a young man he was employed as a plumber. In 1904, Henry married Alice Woodbury Barrett (1884–1959), another Nantucketer. By the time Henry and Alice moved into 1 West York Lane in 1907, they had two sons, Erwin (1904–1961) and Alexander (1906–1936). A third, Maxwell (d.1997), was born in 1914. By 1910, Henry gave up plumbing to enter the teaming business, carting goods across Nantucket via horse-drawn wagon. In 1918, Henry was active in advocating for the introduction of automobiles on Nantucket, and eventually his business switched from teaming to trucking. Erwin and Maxwell joined their father in his trucking business, while Alexander attended the Boston Conservatory of Music and studied organ-playing. Following Henry’s death in 1932, ownership of 1 West York Lane passed to his widow, Alice Chase, and in 1935, she transferred half of her ownership stake to her son Alexander. Alice moved to a house on York Street that she had purchased in 1934, and Alexander lived at 1 West York Lane. Alexander died in 1936, and in 1943 Alice sold 1 West York Lane to Mabel Brown (1909–1980), who had previously rented the home with her family in the 1930s.

Mabel (née Stetson) married Charles Brown (1893–1975) in 1929. Charles was born Carlo Grangrade in Monopoli, Italy and immigrated to the United States as a child in 1907.

Portrait of Joseph Lewis Jr.,1883

At some point he adopted the name Charles Brown, but prior to 1942 he reverted to using Carlos Grangrade, and in 1948 ownership of 1 West York Lane transferred to Mabel and Carlos, jointly. Carlos worked for the Nantucket highway department, and Mabel kept house. Mabel and Carlos had three sons, Carlos Jr., Jimmy, and John. Carlos was a veteran of the US Army who saw action in France during World War I, and all three Grangrade brothers joined the military. Carlos Jr. and Jimmy served in the Marine Corps, while John opted to enlist in the Army. Mabel and Carlos lived at 1 West York Lane for more than three decades. In 1979, at nearly 80 years old, Mabel sold the home to Willard, Clinton, and Kimberly Ann Brown.

Seasonal Residence

The Browns were from Far Hills, New Jersey and owned 1 West York Lane as a shared summer home. It has remained a seasonal residence since their purchase in 1979. The Browns owned the home until 1994, and in 2002, current owner Kathleen Conway, an attorney, acquired 1 West York Lane.

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Sanborn Fire Insurance Map detail, 1923

1 West York Lane, 2022

1 WEST YORK LANE: PROPERTY OWNERS

Pre-1836 Proprietors of Nantucket

1836 Matthew Barney

1836 John W. Robinson

1840 Joseph R. Lewis

1841 Julia W. Lewis

1892 Emma Lewis and Joseph R. Lewis, Jr.

1907 Henry C. Chase

1932 Alice Chase

1935 Alice Chase and Alexander Chase

1943 Mabel Brown

1948 Mabel and Carlos Grangrade

1979 Willard Brown Jr., Clinton R. Brown, and Kimberly Ann Brown

1994 Brian P. and Susan C. Lenane

1997 Anthony C. Lisa, II and Susan Vissers Lisa

2002 Periwinkle Nominee Trust/Kathleen A. Conway

Prepared by Rita Carr

nantucket preservation trust

December, 2022

Historic images courtesy of the Nantucket Historical Association

nantucket preservation trust

Protects, Promotes, and Preserves Nantucket’s Unique Architectural Heritage

This brief history is an important contribution to the island’s architectural record. Documentation is one of the ways the Nantucket Preservation Trust celebrates the more than 2,400 historic homes, farms, and workplaces that contributed to the island’s designation as a National Historic Landmark in 1966. By providing owners of historic houses, island residents, schoolchildren, and visitors a broad spectrum of programs and projects, we encourage the preservation of irreplaceable structures, architectural features, and cultural landscapes. Lectures, walking tours, house markers, special events, and publications—including the house histories and neighborhood histories—define our unique work on Nantucket. We hope you enjoy the history of this house, its past owners, and its place in Nantucket’s remarkable architectural heritage.

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Post Office Box 158 • Nantucket, MA 02554 www.nantucketpreservation.org

Copyright © 2022 Nantucket Preservation Trust

nantucket preservation trust

Post Office Box 158 • Nantucket, Massachusetts

www.nantucketpreservation.org