Sabin Bradford and his wife Harriet likely bought this house while it was still under construction, as the first record of a home at 19 Barnes Street is from July 1868, and the deed to the Bradfords had been executed a few weeks beforehand. Sabin was a pattern-maker while Harriet took care of the home. They had one daughter, Mary Clark Bradford. She married James Mitchel Buffinton, a bookkeeper, in 1864 and the couple lived with Mary’s parents in the house on Barnes Street.

As a young woman, Mary worked as a school teacher. However, after she married she left her position, presumably to look after her daughter, Harriet Mabel Buffinton. Unfortunately, Mary’s husband passed away in 1872 and she was widowed by age 31. A few years later, Sabin, Mary’s father, also passed away. The three remaining women of the Bradford/Buffinton family resided in the home together. Neither Harriet Bradford or Mary Buffinton ever remarried, and Harriet Mabel Buffinton never married at all. They welcomed a variety of tenants into the home over the years.

In total, the house remained in the Bradford/Buffinton family for roughly 50 years.

To read our complete 2024 historic house marker report for 19 Barnes Street, click here.