From the introduction: Halloran House, outside the hamlet of Coopers Crossing (est. 1698), in northern MA, was built in 1849 by Bartholomew Halloran (1825‐1886), for he and his wife, Olivia (1831‐1867). Bartholomew was commissioned as a captain in the cavalry of the Union Army in 1862. He retired his commission and returned home in 1864, when Olivia fell ill. After Olivia's death from consumption in 1867, Bartholomew became morose and spent much of his time in the family crypt in the nearby Coopers Crossing cemetery. He could not be roused ‐ by any means ‐ from his state.