Edward F. Searles: His early life & marriage

Editor’s note: This is Part 1 of a three-part series on Methuen millionaire Edward F. Searles. The city recently purchased 19 acres of his historic Searles Estate (including 12 buildings and structures and $1 million in artwork) for $3.25 million and its potential is currently being explored. A Searles Estate Future Use Advisory Committee was recently established by Mayor DJ Beauregard.

Edward Francis Searles was, quite frankly, the most prominent figure in Methuen’s history. He left us an amazing legacy of spectacular buildings, picturesque stone walls and beautiful spaces that continue to make Methuen a very unique historic community. But who was this man who gave us so much of our rich history?

Edward was born in Methuen on July 4, 1841. He was the third of four children born to Jesse and Sarah (Littlefield) Searles. His older siblings were Andrew (born in 1837) and Caroline (born in 1839). The family lived on an 8½-acre farm on what is currently part of the Notre Dame Cristo Rey High School property (formerly Presentation of Mary (PMA) property) at 209 Lawrence St. Jesse purchased it in 1840. They were not a wealthy family and the property was heavily mortgaged. They called their home Appleside because of all the apple trees on the property. In addition to working the farm, Jesse worked as an overseer in the Methuen Company cotton mill on Osgood Street.

In February 1844, Jesse and Sarah welcomed a new son, George. Sadly, the family suffered devastating losses a few months later. In June, 4-year-old Caroline died from croup. A month later, 4-month-old George died of a disease of the head. Two days later, Jesse died from consumption (tuberculosis) at age 39. They were all buried at the Lawrence Street Cemetery across from their home.

Sarah, age 35, was left to raise 7-year-old Andrew and 3-year-old Edward while trying to pay the mortgage on their home. She managed to keep the property with the help of family and friends. She supplemented her income by making handmade items for sale at her brother-in-law Artemas Stearns’ dry goods store in the village. The boys went to work at the cotton mill when they reached the age of 12.
Mill work was very dangerous, especially for youngsters. Edward was only there for a short time before going to work in his uncle Artemas’ store. Meanwhile, he studied music and became proficient on the piano and organ. He later taught music on both instruments. He also worked as a carpenter to supplement his income.

About the time of the Civil War, Edward developed a romantic relationship that ended in bitter disappointment. A pretty young Irish girl by the name of Kate Linehan was living at his mother’s home as a boarder and housekeeper. Meanwhile, Andrew had gone off to fight in the war. Edward and Kate fell in love and became engaged to be married. However, when Andrew came back from the war, Kate turned her affections to him. She broke off the engagement with Edward and ran off to marry Andrew. Edward was heartbroken and bitter. He severed his relationship with his brother and the two seemingly had nothing to do with each other ever again.

Some time later, Edward went to Boston to study art and architecture. While there, he was employed by Paul and Company, a furniture dealer and upholstering firm on Tremont Street. He soon became one of their top interior decorators working on some of the finest homes in the city.

About 1875, Edward went to New York to work for the prestigious Herter Brothers, an interior decorating firm catering to some of New York’s wealthiest clientele. He was very successful with the company and was in demand by many prominent families such as the Vanderbilts.

Edward was making a very good salary with Herter Brothers by this time. In 1875, he and Andrew paid off the mortgage on their mother’s home. Edward then bought out his brother’s share of the property. In 1880, he purchased the abutting 1½-acre property of George Howell.

He then remodeled the home on that site as his residence. Edward had a fondness for pine trees and he planted many on his property. He called his home Pine Lodge. He later moved his mother’s Appleside home and attached it to the rear of his house. He also built a guest house that he called Spring Brook Cottage along a nearby brook.

Although Edward was financially stable by this point, he is more well known for the immense fortune he inherited through his marriage to Mary Francis (Sherwood) Hopkins of San Francisco, the elderly widow of Central Pacific Railroad magnate Mark Hopkins. She was said to have been the richest widow in America.

Edward first met Mrs. Hopkins in 1883 on an assignment for Herter Brothers at her spectacular Nob Hill mansion in San Francisco. The two developed a close relationship and it was said that Mrs. Hopkins proposed marriage later that year. Edward was purportedly hesitant at the beginning, but they eventually married in New York City in 1887. He was 46, Mary was 68. Their 22-year age difference and Mary’s wealth raised many questions about Edward’s intentions.

The couple shared a passion for building and decorating massive and elegant mansions. They spent much of their energy building the spectacular Kellogg Terrace mansion in Mary’s girlhood hometown in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. They also built another magnificent mansion they called their Dream House on the beach on Block Island, Rhode Island. They toured Europe collecting many fine furnishings as well as rare and valuable artifacts for their homes. They also had homes in New York City and in Nice, France. Meanwhile, Edward continued expanding and enhancing his Pine Lodge property in Methuen.

The couple teamed up with the highly regarded English Gothic architect Henry Vaughan on their projects. Vaughan designed many of the beautiful structures Searles built in Methuen and in other locations in later years. He is especially noted as a designer of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

Edward and Mary were only married for less than three years before she died at Pine Lodge in 1891 at age 72. She had been in ill health in the months before her passing. Her death certificate states her cause of death as Dropsy followed by “La Grippe.” The small funeral at Pine Lodge was a subdued ceremony attended by a few relatives and invited mourners. She was laid to rest in a stone mausoleum Edward had built at the Lawrence Street Cemetery across from their estate.

In her will, she left her fortune to Edward. His inheritance included her real estate holdings in San Francisco, New York and Great Barrington, railroad and bank stocks and miscellaneous holdings. Some sources estimated her estate at $60 million (an inflation value of about $2 billion in 2024).

Much public criticism was made of this rather unusual union and Edward’s large windfall. Many believed he was a fortune hunter who took advantage of the elderly widow to gain her immense wealth. She had no children except for her adopted son, Timothy Hopkins. He received only a small inheritance. Timothy and others hotly contested the will. Details of the proceedings made the national news. Edward ended up settling with Timothy for $3.5 million, but he still retained most of Mary’s estate.

Edward later donated the Nob Hill mansion to the University of California. The immense and opulent structure was destroyed in the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.

NEXT in Part II: Edward Searles’ later life

Ken Doherty is a lifelong resident of Methuen. He served on the Methuen Fire Department from 1980 to 2010. He is the Fire Department historian and a former member of the Methuen Historical Commission. He wrote “Á History of Methuen and its Fire Department” in 1996. He is retired and still living in Methuen with his wife, Paula.