Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 7.

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[p. 56] upon the said Edward Oakes' land; southerly upon the way to Blanchard's. Mr. Edward Oakes, at the time of this purchase, resided in Malden adjoining the Medford line upon land purchased of Mr. Jonathan Blanchard. In 1753, when Edward Oakes died (he then resided in Medford), the inventory of his estate mentioned a mansion house and an old house and barn. When the estate was divided, the westerly half of the mansion house was set off to his widow, and the easterly half to his son, Samuel. Edward Oakes, another son, received twelve and one-half acres of land with the old house thereon; this land was bounded easterly upon the widow's thirds. The mansion house of Mr. Edward Oakes is no doubt the old house now standing on Riverside avenue on land of the New England Brick Company, and was probably built by Mr. Oakes subsequent to the year 1728. The old house set off to Edward Oakes, junior, was situated between the brick house of Captain Peter Tufts and the mansion house of Mr. Edward Oakes, very near to said mansion house, and it was the one dwelling house that stood upon the land when purchased by Mr. Peter Tufts, senior. All traces of this house have long since disappeared, and even the land on which it stood has been manufactured into bricks. The so-called Cradock House was, without doubt, built by Mr. Peter Tufts, senior, between the years 1677 and 1680, and should be called the Peter Tufts House. This house passed through the ownership of many persons down to the present day; it is now in the possession of Gen. S. C. Lawrence.