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ANNALS 
 
 O F 
 
 OXFORD, NEW YORK 
 
 WITH 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS AND BIOGRAPHICAL 
 SKETCHES OF SOME OF ITS PROM- 
 INENT MEN AND EARLY PIONEERS 
 
 COMPILED, EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY 
 
 HENRY J. GALPIN 
 
 OXFORD, N. Y. 
 
 Cinifs Book anU Sob ^Srinliiig ?liouBt. 
 1906 
 
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 Copyright 1906 
 
 by 
 
 HENRY J. GALPIN 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
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 Preface. 
 
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 'Tis pleasant to see one's name in print; 
 
 A book's a book, although there's nothing in it. — Byron. 
 
 A man starts upon a sudden, takes Pen, Ink and Paper, and without 
 ever having had a thought of it before, resolves within himself he will write 
 a Book ; he has no Talent at Writing, but he wants fifty guineas. 
 
 — De La Bruyere. 
 
 In collecting data for this volume it has been my leading aim 
 as well as earnest desire to make it as accurate and useful as 
 possible. For this purpose I have availed myself of the assist- 
 ance of many of the descendants of the early pioneers of the 
 town, to whom I hereby tender sincere thanks for the ready and 
 cffiicient assistance conferred, and acknowledge my obligations. 
 
 Read straight along. A very vicious habit in reading is to flip the fly- 
 ing pages till something succulent appears; and nab it, then wait until 
 something else the eye engages. Like Mrs. Todgers when she boiled the 
 chickens, as Bailey said, who'd seen her bend above 'em, "She's got a fork 
 and dodgin' round and picking the tender pieces out and a-eating of 'em." 
 
 — W. A. Croffut. 
 
 The accurate character of the contents of the book has, of 
 course, been my chief object. But, after all, although I hope 
 and believe that the book is free from serious error, I am quite 
 aware that faults both of manner and matter will be discovered. 
 
 It's a strange thing — sometimes when I'm quite alone, sitting in my 
 room with my eyes closed, or walking o'er the hills, the people I've seen 
 and known, if it's only been for a few days, are brought before me and I 
 see them look and move almost plainer than I ever did when they were 
 really with me so as I could touch them. And then my heart is drawn out 
 towards them, and I feel their lot as if it was my own. — George Eliot. 
 
 I've had my say out, and I shall be th' easier for 't all my life. There's 
 no pleasure i' living if you're to be corked up forever, and only dribble your 
 mind out by the sly, like a leaky barrel. — George Eliot. 
 
 " Here's my hand, 
 And mine, with my heart in't. And now farewell." 
 
 HENRY J. GALPIN. 
 
Far from the gay cities and the ways of men. — Pope. 
 
 State---County---Town. 
 
 The Province of New York was divided into twelve 
 counties November 1, 1683, and Albany county was the 
 first civil division to which Chenango county belonged. 
 Montgomery county, then called Tryon, was formed from 
 Albany March 12, 1772; Herkimer, Otsego and Tioga 
 counties were formed from Montgomery February 16, 1791 ; 
 and March 15, 1798, Chenango county was erected from 
 Herkimer and Tioga counties. 
 
 Chenango county is named from the river which flows 
 centrally through it. In "Morgan's League of the Iro- 
 quois," Chenango is called " 0-che-wang." Another au- 
 thority says the Indian name is " 0-nan-no-gi-is-ka," 
 meaning "beautiful river." But the true orthography 
 for Chenango is "Tsenango," signifying "pleasant 
 stream." 
 
 The territory embraced in Chenango county includes 
 eleven of the " Chenango Twenty Towns," or " Governor's 
 Purchase," the " Gore," lying between these and the 
 ' ' Military Tract, ' ' a part of the ' ' Chenango Triangle 
 Tract," and several smaller tracts or sections. 
 
 The " Chenango Twenty Towns" were ceded to the 
 State by the Oneida Indians in a treaty made by Governor 
 George Clinton at Fort Schuyler, (Utica), September 22, 
 1788. At the organization of the county it included all 
 of the twenty towns, but on the organization of Madison 
 county, two tiers of townships upon the north were in- 
 cluded in that county. These townships were originally 
 
6 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 numbered from one to twenty and were laid out six miles 
 square. Those numbered from seven to seventeen are now 
 in Chenango. 
 
 Owing to the sinuosities of the Unadilla river, several 
 gores were left along its banks. Each township was di- 
 vided into four equal parts, as nearly square as possible, 
 and afterwards into lots of 250 acres each. On the map 
 of every township one lot was designated " Gospel " and 
 one "School," which were reserved for religious and edu- 
 cational purposes. 
 
 That part of the town of Oxford lying west of the river 
 was called the "Gore." Melancthon Smith and Marinus 
 Willett, the original purchasers, paid four shillings and 
 one penny per acre for it, and divided it into sixty-nine 
 lots, each lot containing one hundred acres. Guilford, 
 that part of Oxford lying east of the river, and a small 
 portion of Coventry, were included in " Fayette Town- 
 ship." 
 
 The township of Fayette, from the western portion of 
 which Oxford was formed, derived its name from that of 
 the noble Marquis de LaFayette, a name held in grateful 
 and loving remembrance by every true American. This 
 township extended from the Unadilla river to the Che- 
 nango, and from the south line of the "Twenty-Town- 
 ships " to the present boundary of Coventry, having been 
 one of the first tracts laid out and surveyed after the war 
 of the Revolution. It was sold at public auction in New 
 York in lots a mile square. 
 
 January 19, 1793, the township of Fayette and the 
 "Gore" before mentioned, were incorporated into the town 
 of Oxford, and formed from Union, Broome county, and 
 Jericho, (Bainbridge). At this time the town was in the 
 county of Tioga. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 7 
 
 In 1813 the town of Eastern (Guilford), was set off as a 
 town from Oxford, and a part of Coventry was taken off 
 in 1843. In 1822 a small tract from the town of Greene 
 was annexed to Oxford. 
 
 As it has been previously stated the town was formed 
 in January 1793, but the citizens failed to hold a town 
 meeting in April and the following record is the first ap- 
 pearing on the town book : 
 
 Whereas the town of Oxford for the want of seasonable information of 
 their being incorporated into a Town separate from the Town of Jericho 
 they did neglect to hold a legal annual Townmeeting on the first Tuesday 
 in April one thousand seven hundred and ninety three as the Law of this 
 State for holding Town meetings directs, in consequence of which agreeable 
 to an act of this State passed the seventh day of March in the year 1788 
 Assembled at the house of Benjamin Hovey in said Oxford on the 17th June 
 1793 William Guthree, Hezekiah Stowel and Joab Enos all Justices of the 
 peace in and for the County of Tioga and then and there on the same day 
 by Warrants under their hands and Seals agreeable to the aforesaid Act 
 did constitute and appoint the following persons to officiate in the offices 
 affiix'd to their several names for the year ensuing. Viz — 
 
 Benjamin Hovey — Supervisor. 
 
 James Phelps J 
 
 Ebenezer Enos >■ Assessors. 
 
 John Fitch ) 
 
 Zachariah Lummis — Collector. 
 
 Peter Burgot ) r, 
 
 Joshua Mersereau \ Poormasters. 
 
 James Phelps ) 
 
 Asa Holmes j- Commiss's Highways. 
 
 Nathanel Locke 
 Abel Gibson } 
 James Mitchel f 
 
 Constables. 
 
 And gave Warrants under their hands and Seals (after being duly -worn) 
 which are lodg'd in the Town Clerks office all of which is according to the 
 Directions of the aforesaid act. 
 
 Elihu Murray, Clerk. 
 
 Att the Same place and on the Same day and by the Same Justices the 
 Rodes were divided into Destricts as follows (Viz) 
 
 ist Destrict from the South line of Joshua Mersereaus Land up the Una- 
 dilla River to John Blandens North line. 
 
 Second Destrict from thence to the North line of the Town, 
 
 3d District from the aforesaid rode to Daniel Sills North line and from 
 thence by Daniel Savages to the State road. 
 
 4th Destrict from Mersereaus Mills to Joseph Adams. 
 5th Destrict from Adams to William Gordons. 
 
8 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 6th Destrict from Adams to the Chenango River on the State rode and 
 from there thenice to Joab Enoses. 
 
 7th Destrict from Enoses to Daniel Sills. 
 
 8th Destrict on the West Side of the Chenango River Beginning at the 
 north bounds of the Town and Running thence Down Said River to John 
 Holmes and out the State rode as far as the Town extends. 
 
 gth Destrict from John Holmes to the South bounds of the town. 
 
 The Pathmasters who at the Same time and place were appointed by the 
 Same Justices and Warrants Lodged in the Town office areas follows (Viz) 
 
 ist Destrict Isaac Fuller 6 Destrict James McCalpin 
 
 2 Do Able Gibson 7 Do Thomas Lyon 
 
 3 Do Daniel Gregory 8 Do Solomon Dodge 
 
 4 Do Joseph Adams 9 Do Fetters Barttles 
 
 5 Do William Gordon 
 
 A True Coppy 
 
 Elihu Murray Clerk 
 
 Gen. Robert Morris of the Revolutionary army, like 
 many of the government officers, was obliged to take his 
 pay in land, A section belonging to the government in 
 Otsego county was set off to him, comprising the present 
 town of Morris, which derives its name from him ; but as 
 this failed to satisfy his claim, another mile square 
 owned by the government in Chenango county, was as- 
 signed to him. This and adjoining sections are in East 
 Oxford and Guilford, but at that time were all in Oxford, 
 The Morris section was divided into three lots in the south 
 half and four in the north half. The first settlers, begin- 
 ning from the east, were Joshua Harrington, Hezekiah 
 and Henry Wheeler, and John Harrington. North half 
 from the east, were Nehemiah Wheeler, Nicholas Smith, 
 Henry Wheeler and Joshua Harrington. The two last did 
 not settle on the lots, but merely "occupied" them for 
 many years. 
 
 The section east of the Morris was purchased by Roger 
 Williams, and besides himself the east half was settled by 
 Ira Wade, Ebenezer Root, and Theodore Wade. The north 
 half by Gross, Arnold Wade, and George Dex- 
 ter, The section south of the Williams lot was called the 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 9 
 
 Gospel Hill lot and settled by Asa, Hezekiah and John 
 Sherwood, Aaron and Joel Root, Timothy Guy, James 
 Nickerson, and Richard VanDusen, and a little later by 
 Hawley Brant, T. L. Day and Joel Coe. 
 
 The section lying south of the Williams, was purchased 
 by a man named Estes, and by him was willed to the town 
 of Guilford. 
 
 The section south of the Morris, was settled by Anson 
 Booth and Lambert Ingersoll, south half by Robert Brooks- 
 bank, James Padgett, and James Walker a little farther 
 west. 
 
 The section west, one mile square, was owned by men 
 in Albany named Quackenboss. One lot of 100 acres was 
 sold at an early date to Enoch Smith, who lived and died 
 there. The rest of this section remained wild a long time. 
 
 The mile square next north of the Morris section, w^as 
 bought by Gerrit H. YanWagenen for six pence an acre. 
 
 DR. CHARLES JOSLYN came here in 1 805 from But- 
 ternuts, Otsego county, and after practicing a few 
 years removed to Greene. Drs. — Harrison and Isaac F. 
 Thomas were also physicians who located here early in 
 the town's history, but nothing more in regard to them 
 is known. 
 
 The expenses of the town for the year 1799 were : 
 
 For defraying County charges - $193.81 
 
 " W^olves - - - 30.00 
 
 " Collector's & Treasurer's fees . - 18.00 
 
 " Schooling - . - 89.43 
 
 Total 331.24 
 
lo ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 This fond attachment to the well-known place 
 Where first we started in life's long race, 
 Maintains its hold with such unfailing sway, 
 We feel it e'en in age, and at our latest day. 
 
 — COWPER. 
 
 The Village of Oxford. 
 
 The valley of the Chenango is one of the finest in the 
 State and apparently formed by the action of large cur- 
 rents of water which have plowed deep furrows in the 
 gently rolling region, which probably once formed the 
 general face of the country. 
 
 The village of Oxford, incorporated April 6, 1806, is lo- 
 cated in one of the most charmingly developed farming dis- 
 tricts in Chenango county, and lies in a narrow valley close- 
 ly hemmed in by green rounded hills whose contour clearly 
 betrays the glacial action of past ages. Fields under care- 
 ful cultivation and meadows on which graze large herds of 
 cattle, with here and there a wood lot, make a picture 
 soft in coloring and one rarely seen. The Chenango river 
 winds like a silver thread through the meadows and di- 
 vides the village in two parts, adding additional beauty to 
 the scene. The residential part of the village is a park in 
 itself. A greater part of the dwellers in this "Peaceful Val- 
 ley " own their own residences, practically all of which are 
 surrounded by plots of land of various sizes. The lawns are 
 well cared for and many of them contain fine old trees, 
 which together with the avenues of trees on the streets 
 form almost a continuous canopy over one of the oldest 
 settlements in the county. Three parks, like emeralds, 
 add lustre to the surrounding buildings, many of which 
 are colonial in design and arranged in charming simplicity, 
 formal but not stiff. 
 
NAVY ISLAND IN 1872 
 
 "ON THE OLD CHENANGO' 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD ii 
 
 The advantage of pure and wholesome water for domes- 
 tic purposes is of immense consequence, both for the con- 
 venience and health of a community. In this particular 
 the village possesses decided advantages and perhaps is 
 unrivalled in the State. On the eastern and western 
 range of hills within a short distance of the village issue a 
 great number of springs, which before the system of water 
 works was inaugurated, were readily conveyed by logs or 
 pipes to the dwellings. Several of these springs are large 
 and they afforded the year around an abundance of soft 
 water, free from any impurity. 
 
 Ah ! you might wander far and wide, 
 Nor find a spot in the country's side 
 So fair to see as our valley's pride ! 
 
 — Phoebe Gary. 
 
 Elijah Blackman. 
 
 The year 1788 had donned the autumnal tints when, 
 after many weary days from following a beckoning For- 
 tune, Elijah Blackman was led over hill and dale into an 
 uncultivated valley of giant trees. He was the first of hi» 
 race to make a settlement in Oxford, then a new and un- 
 known section of country, whose soil was now to be re- 
 deemed by hard and persistent labor, though not without 
 many privations. 
 
 He had brought with him a stout heart and a good gun, 
 and had journeyed long enough to enable him to learn 
 much in regard to woodcraft, which knowledge coupled 
 with a fine natural intelligence was to be of great service 
 to him in the future. At length, after an extensive in- 
 
12 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 vestigation, he lixed upon one particular spot as the place 
 suitable for his future home. Nestling at the foot of the 
 eastern hill was an island, later known as Packer or Cork 
 island, whose borders wtre washed by the clear rippling 
 waters of the Chenango. 
 
 Elijah Blackman, well pleased with the situation, pro- 
 ceeded to mark the land for his own, and ascending a tree 
 took a hatchet from his belt with which he struck lusty- 
 blows that were heard to the green and golden hills on the 
 further side, and the falling chips dropped to the ground 
 as a symbol of the beginning of civilization, and the de- 
 parture of the Indian, whose lands were now passing rapid- 
 ly into the hands of the pale face. After marking several 
 trees in the vicinity in a way tiiat he could not fail to 
 recognize them, he took his bearings and departed, the 
 season being autumn and unfavorable for immediate set- 
 tlement. 
 
 Early in the spring of 1789, Elijah Blackman and fami- 
 ly, accompanied by James Phelps, whose mind had been 
 inflamed by the description of the hind spied out, were en 
 route from Connecticut to the then far away "Chenango 
 country " to make a home. 
 
 On account of sickness a portion of the family were de- 
 tained at Unadilla, but Elijah and Jabez, Blackman's 
 sons, accompanied by Polly Knapp, an adopted daughter, 
 and then only a child of eleven years, were sent on. The 
 journey from Unadilla was of two days' length, tedious 
 and made on an ox sled. To the three as they approached 
 the Chenango valley from the east, the silvery stream of 
 the river flowing through the uncounted acres of the for- 
 est was a striking feature of the scene; and the ancient 
 vestiges of the old fortiflcation indicated a time when strife 
 asserted itself in the peaceful domain they were entering. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 15 
 
 Undaunted they set forth courageously to work in the for- 
 est of giant growth and having made a sufficient clearing 
 the brothers erected a rude cabin of logs, covered it with 
 pealed elm bark, and floored it with the halves of split 
 logs. Greased paper answered the purposes of a window, 
 and a suspended blanket answered for a door, until one 
 could be made of hewed planks fastened together with 
 wooden pins, and hung upon hinges of the same material. 
 A chimney made of rough stones was added, laid up in 
 mud from a nearby bed of clay. 
 
 For two weeks Polly Knapp was thefirstand only white 
 female in town. She enlivened the rude cabin by her 
 presence and aid. One day as Elijah and Jabez were at 
 some distance from their clearing she saw thirty Indians 
 come down the river in canoes. Concealing herself within 
 the forest on the eastern shore, she followed and saw them 
 stop to view the old fort and then quietly sail away. 
 
 The little island on which the Blackman family had 
 squatted had previously been bought by Benjamin Hovey, 
 who, when he came on later to take possession, gave them 
 in consideration of the improvements made, a piece of land, 
 a mile and a half up the river. On this Blackman resided 
 till his death, which occurred about the year 1825. 
 
 James Phelps remained a few years and then returned 
 to Connecticut. 
 
 Elijah Blackman, Jr., removed from the town in 1813. 
 Jabez Blackman married Hannah Trisket, whose father 
 was also an early settler. He lived on forty-two acres of 
 the homestead farm given him by his father, until his 
 death, which occurred January 17, 1849, at the age of 77 
 years. The original farm is now occupied by Mrs. Wil- 
 liam F. Nevins, who inherited it from her grandfather, 
 Lawson Blackman, who was a grandson of Elijah Black- 
 man, Sr. 
 
14 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Soon a small stream of new-comers began to filter, family 
 by family, over the hills and up the Chenango, and in a 
 few years the settlement of the town had become an ac- 
 complished fact. Toil, taxes, trouble, in short civilization. 
 
 Often at night wolves were howling around these prim- 
 itive homes set great distances apart in the valley. The 
 aborigines, who according to a learned writer, are "the 
 posterity of our great-grandfather Japhet," found them- 
 selves obliged to tolerate a branch of their family giving 
 good presumptive proof of being relatives in their willing- 
 ness, even stern determination, to share the family inher- 
 itance. The pioneers were soon very widely known and 
 respected as brave men and mighty hunters, whom it 
 would be a positive pleasure to scalp. 
 
 Art thou a man? a patriot? look around; 
 
 Oh, thou shall find, howe'er thy footsteps roam, 
 
 That land thy country, and that spot thy home. 
 
 — J. Montgomery. 
 
 Pioneer Life. 
 
 The life of the pioneer was beset with hardship and 
 dangers. Many a young man emigrated from the eastern 
 states to this town with only an axe, gun, a few shillings 
 in money, but best of all, a stout heart. Some would 
 come on with an ox cart accompanied by wife and children, 
 the spare room in the cart piled with a few household 
 goods. The first work after the erection of the house, was 
 to clear the land, raise corn, potatoes and a little rye. 
 Wheat bread was a luxury and seldom seen in the pio- 
 neer's cabin. But in the meantime while the first crops 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 15 
 
 were growing fish and wild game were the main sustenance. 
 In the winter if the pioneer owned cattle they were fed on 
 browse, that of basswood being the most luxuriant. Some- 
 times the store of provisions would run short, as was the 
 case of a hardy settler one spring, who was forced to go 
 down the river in a canoe for supplies, and when found 
 had to work to pay for them, thus delaying his return to 
 his family, who had been forced to dig up the potatoes 
 they had planted to sustain life. 
 
 Deer were abundant and furnished the settler with meat, 
 their skins were made into household garments, and 
 the tallow furnished candles. When that gave out the 
 "fat pine " was brought into requisition. Pitch pine and 
 tapers in a dish of grease served for light until candles 
 were invented. 
 
 The first matches appeared in 1832, before which fire 
 was obtained by borrowing, or by flint and steel, and punk 
 gathered from decayed trees. The best from the beech, 
 although a poorer quality could be got from other trees, 
 and every family kept a supply on hand. 
 
 The river and smaller streams abounded in fish, and 
 with the abundant supply of game there was small chance 
 of starvation while the husbandman was at home. 
 
 The lack of a mill was a great deprivation and varied 
 were the devices for overcoming it. The more common 
 way was to pound the corn for bread with a pestle and 
 mortar, the latter being a cavity burned or scraped out of 
 a hard wood stump, and the former a large stone or heavy 
 iron suspended by a rope from a bent sappling. The 
 process was slow and tedious, it being a day's work to con- 
 vert a bushel of corn into meal. Sometimes the grain 
 would be boiled and eaten with milk, or hulled, until they 
 could go to mill, the distance of which was a great incon- 
 
i6 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 venience and a tedious journey. They had no wagons, 
 nor had they any roads suitable for them. If distant from 
 the river, they would place the grain upon a horse and 
 take it to the bank of the stream, float it on a light boat 
 twenty-five miles to Chenango Forks, where then was th© 
 only mill in a circuit of miles. Often the husbandman 
 had to wait for others before he could get his flour, then 
 returning home the journey would occupy three or four 
 days. The children at home were often put upon so short 
 an allowance as to cry for food. The trip at times was 
 perilous, and around the log fire furnished detail of ad- 
 venture, or narrow escape from flood or beast of prey. 
 
 Others went to Wattles Ferry at the outlet of Otsego 
 lake, forty miles away, for their grinding, and their meal 
 was often lengthened out by such makeshifts as hulled 
 corn, stewed peas, beans and succotash. 
 
 Peter Burghardt, of whom mention is made elsewhere, 
 was the first to erect a mill in this town, which was dur- 
 ing the summer of 1792, on Hovey's creek, one and a half 
 mile west from the village. 
 
 When a new settler arrived in town he was hailed with 
 interest, especially if he had a yoke of oxen and a fam- 
 ily of boys and girls. The neighbors were invited to help 
 him erect a cabin, and at a stated time met in a logging 
 bee, felled the trees and hauled the logs to the spot selected. 
 In the " Chenango country '' where the growth of timber 
 was large a logging bee became a necessity. The heavy 
 labor of cutting the timber was reduced to the minimum. 
 The trees were cut half through, on one side, and when a 
 long line of them had been prepared the great trees at the 
 end were sent crashing down upon the first line and that 
 upon the next, until the entire sweep lay in a mass on the 
 ground. The additonal work of preparing for the bee was 
 simply making the trunks of proper size for the cabin and 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 17 
 
 for the teams to handle them. Then came the day and 
 the work. Twenty-five or thirty men, with as many yokes 
 of oxen were often present on such an occasion. Shouting 
 and hauling, tumbling and rolling of logs, and striking 
 feats of skill and strength were marked features of the 
 bee. Massive piles of timber were raised, great windrows, 
 sometimes several hundred feet in length. Each man be- 
 lieved in himself and in his oxen, and the boasting, chinked 
 in during the resting spells, had no littleness in its make- 
 up. When the work was done the men regaled themselves 
 with coffee, doughnuts, bread, cake, and not infrequently 
 the drink was flavored with something stronger than coffee. 
 Sallies of wit marked the occasion, and appetites kept pace 
 with the wit. 
 
 In building the cabin two of the largest logs are placed 
 in position with ends fitted to receive two more, and the 
 foundation is laid. Another tier of logs is placed upon 
 these similarly locked at the ends, a saddle upon one and 
 a notch or skapp to put it in the other. This brings the 
 logs near enough to each other so that a little chinking and 
 a little " mudding up " once a year made all tight and 
 warm. As the walls grew higher the work of rolling up 
 the green logs grew more difficult. A boy was kept busy 
 carrying drink to the men, water in one hand and whisky 
 in the other, in little kegs ; the former holding two gallons 
 and the latter one. By sundown the body of the house, 
 with timbers placed in position for the sleepers and beams, 
 was completed. Next day a roof and gables of boards and 
 slabs if they could be obtained were added ; if not, elm 
 bark dried in the sun made a convenient roof for shedding 
 rain. The bottom course was placed on bars laid trans- 
 versely with the rafters and other pieces of barks on these, 
 the rough side up. The whole was kept in position by poles 
 laid across. A floor for the cabin was made of rough 
 
i8 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 boards and a chimney made of rough stone laid up in mud. 
 For door and windows a space was made by removing a 
 section of the logs. Thus a house was built into which 
 neither nail nor spike had been driven. The nails used 
 in the first fran)e buildings were made at the nearest 
 blacksmith shop. 
 
 As the little settlement increased in population so the 
 log cabins increased in comfort. Though the walls and 
 floors were bare, the windows small, and the house drafty 
 and cold, with furniture uncomfortable and scanty; 'twas 
 the great fireplace in the kitchen that glowed and made 
 comfortable all its surroundings. The huge chimneys were 
 built with ample open hearths and high up within ledges 
 were made on either side to rest the ends of a long pole of 
 green wood, called a lug-pole or back bar, from which 
 hung a collection of pot hooks of various sizes and 
 lengths to hold over the flames pots and kettles. The 
 stone oven in the chimney, was as a rule heated once a 
 week for the family baking. Extra baking was in the bake- 
 kettle or in a spider before the fire. If company was to 
 be entertained it was the inevitable "shortcake" baked 
 before the fire thit was the pride of the housewife. 
 
 As civilization advanced the iron crane put the lug-pole 
 out of commission, and the brick oven came into use, which 
 was built in the chimney on one side of the fire place, and 
 below an ash pit with swinging iron doors with a damper. 
 When the oven was to be used a great fire of dry wood was 
 kindled within it, and kej^t burning fiercely for several 
 hours. Then the coals and ashes were removed, the chim- 
 ney draft and damper were closed and pans of brown bread, 
 pots of pork and beans, and numerous pies all went into 
 the heated oven together. Stoves were then unknown, ex- 
 cept the foot stove that was carried to church, a box of per- 
 forated metal in a wooden frame, within which was a small 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 19 
 
 iron box for hot coals to warm the feet during a winter's 
 drive or to render endurable the long service in the arctic 
 atmosphere of the unheated house of worship. The warm- 
 ing-pan was its companion as well as a necessary adjunct 
 to housekeeping. It was a shallow pan of brass or iron 
 about a foot in diameter and three or four inches deep, 
 with a pierced cover, and had a long wooden handle. When 
 used, it was filled with coals, and when thoroughly heated, 
 was thrust between the sheets of the bed, and moved up 
 and down to give warmth to every corner. 
 
 The housewife made linsey-woolsey blankets of linen 
 and woolen mixed, also kersey cloth or blankets, ribbed 
 and woven from wool of long staple. Several articles in 
 use at that period, are now scarcely known, such as keel- 
 ers, shallow tubs, for washing dishes ; trammels, pendant 
 hooks in a fireplace for holding kettles ; porringers, small 
 and shallow earthern dishes, having straight sides, and 
 sometimes ears, from which children were fed ; spits, point- 
 ed rods on which meat was fixed to be turned and roasted 
 before a fire ; rundlets, small barrels, holding a quart, or 
 smaller; tankards, peculiar shaped drinking cups, some- 
 times, with a cover; trenchers, wooden plates for use at 
 table. Squaws wandered from settlement to settlement 
 bearing birch brooms on their backs, peddling them from 
 cabin to cabin for ninepence apiece. 
 
 Previous to the laying, by Congress, of an embargo on 
 all trade between the United States and the mother coun- 
 try and her Canadian colonies, in 1808, the full cloth, cassi- 
 mere and broadcloth used by the settlers of this section of 
 the State were English goods brought across from Canada, 
 the wool from the settlers' flocks being given in exchange 
 for cloth and going to England to be worked up. The em- 
 bargo put a stop to this barter, and then for a time the 
 settlers were obliged to depend upon the " sheepsgray " 
 
20 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 product of the family loom, the wool of black and white 
 sheep being mixed and carded by hand and worked into 
 warp and woof on the spinning wheel. In cases where this 
 crude fabric could not be obtained, the pioneers had to 
 revert to the clammy buckskin breeches of Revolutionary 
 days. 
 
 Besides the usual housework it then became indispensi- 
 ble for every woman to know how to spin and weave. 
 Then nearly every family possessed one or more wheels, 
 and occasionally one a loom. They spun wool, tow and 
 flax, and wove it for clothing, for all wore clothing of tow 
 and linen in summer, and flannel in the winter. Cotton 
 goods were then high, and calico was a luxury denied to 
 many of the pioneers. In nothing did the industry and 
 independence of our forefathers appear to better advan- 
 tage than in the substantial and comfortable fabrics with 
 which they clothed their families and furnished their 
 homes. It was the pride of every man who could manu- 
 facture his own cloth, to appear well dressed in the garb 
 that American freemen should always wear, the plain 
 homespun dress of sincerity and honest industry. 
 
 The manufacture of linen cloth from flax was a long and 
 tedious duty, though conscientiously done by the early 
 dwellers of our valley. Nearly every one raised flax, which 
 when ripened was pulled and spread in rows by boys to 
 dry. Then men threshed or rippled out all the seed to use 
 for meal ; afterwards the flax stalks were allowed to lie 
 for some time in water until the shives were thoroughly 
 rotten, when they were cleaned, dried and made into bun- 
 dles. Then came the hard work of breaking the flax on the 
 great flaxbreak, to remove the hard ' ' hexe " or " bun, ' ' and 
 to swingle it with a swingle knife. It was then hatchelled 
 or combed by the mother, and in this manner the rough 
 tow was gotten out, when it was made ready for the dis- 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 21 
 
 taflf, round which it was finally wrapped. The thread was 
 then spun on the "little wheel." The skeins of thread 
 went through several processes of washing and bleaching 
 before being ready for weaving. After weaving the cloth 
 was ' ' bucked " in a strong lye and washed out many times. 
 Then it was " belted " with a maple beetle on a smooth, 
 flat stone ; then washed and spread out to bleach in the sun. 
 
 The making of wool into cloth was not so laborious as 
 that of flax. After the cleaning of fleeces from burrs, felt- 
 ings, tar-marks, and the dirt of months' accumulation, it 
 was sorted out for dyeing. Layers of the various colors 
 of wool after being dyed were rolled together and repeat- 
 edly carded on course wool-cards, then slightly greased 
 by a disagreeable and tiresome method, then run into rolls. 
 The wool was spun on the great wheel which stood in the 
 kitchen with the reel and swift, and often by the glowing 
 firelight the housewife spun the rolls of wool upon the 
 spindle, turning the wheel with one hand, and with ex- 
 tended arm and light fingers holding the roll in the other, 
 stepping backwards and forwards till it was spun into yarn. 
 
 Candle-dipping came late in the fall. Tallow which had 
 been saved from the domestic animals killed furnished the 
 material. A fierce fire was built in the fireplace, a large 
 kettle half filled with water and melted tallow was hung 
 over it. Candle-rods were brought forth and placed about 
 eighteen inches apart, reaching from chair to chair, under- 
 neath were placed boards to catch the waste or drippings. 
 Across these rods were laid shorter sticks, resembling the 
 rungs of a ladder, to which the wicks were attached at in- 
 tervals of a few inches. The wicks of cotton, or some- 
 times tow, were dipped time and time again into the melted 
 tallow and left to harden between each dipping. When 
 they were of the desired size, they were cut off, spread in 
 a sunny place to bleach, and then put away until needed 
 
22 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 for the long winter evenings. Later, molds came into use ; 
 although they made a more uniform candle, it took longer 
 to manufacture and but few could be made in a day. 
 
 Soap making was an important piece of spring work. 
 The refuse grease from the family cooking was saved 
 through the winter, as were the woodashes from the kitchen 
 fireplace. The almanac was carefully consulted to find 
 when the moon would be in the right quarter to make the 
 soap "come right." The leach barrel was filled with ashes 
 through which water was passed, carrying away the solu- 
 ble portions. The "first run" of lye not being strong 
 enough was poured again upon the ashes, and if then strong 
 enough to hold up an egg, it was also strong enough to use 
 and the soap making progressed by boiling the grease and 
 lye together in a large iron kettle over a huge bonfire in 
 the backyard. 
 
 In early days saleratus was unknown, but what answered 
 its purpose was prepared in every home. A few corn cobs 
 were burned in the fireplace, the ashes gathered up, water 
 applied and drained off. This process was in use many 
 years. As clearings progressed the ashes from the fallow 
 were gathered, leached and the lye boiled down into a 
 mass called black salts. This was taken to Albany and 
 other points and worked over into a strong black substance 
 called pearlash, which served a very good purpose until 
 about 1830, when by a second process saleratus was evolved. 
 
 The first plows were made of wood with a single bolt 
 coming up through the landside and beam, with an iron 
 key about the beam. Cast iron plows appeared about 
 1828-30. 
 
 *HE FIRST CHILD born in the town was Ellis Loomis 
 in May, 1792, who was adopted by Philip Bartle. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 23 
 
 One of the few, the immortal names, 
 That was not bom to die. — Halleck. 
 
 Balcom Family. 
 
 The Baloom family was one of the first to appear in Ox- 
 ford, as will be described later, and was also one of the 
 early families in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Henry 
 Balcom being on record in Charlestown, Mass., in 1665. 
 The family has also a very early record in Sussex County, 
 England, in and around the ancient town of Balcombe. 
 Here, three generations by the name of Henry, immediately 
 preceding Henry of Charlestown, are recorded; and 
 the name is found of frequent record back through the 
 ]6th, 15th, and 14th centuries, the earliest record being 
 of a John de Balcombe on an Assize Roll in 1309. The 
 English family spell the name Balcombe, and it is thought 
 that, inasmuch as the two last letters are silent, and be- 
 cause of the propensity of the Puritans to lop off all things 
 superfluous, the name was changed to Balcom on arrival 
 in the new world. 
 
 Alexander Balcom, the head of another branch of the 
 family, is found on record at Providence, R. 1., in 1665, 
 which further indicates, that there was an understanding 
 in regard to the change in spelling. 
 
 The name Balcombe is of the old Saxon speech and is 
 derived from bal, a hill, and combe, a hollow or dell, the 
 whole having a meaning similar to highlands in Scotch. 
 The location of the village of Balcombe bears out this in- 
 terpretation, as it is situated among the picturesque hills 
 north of the celebrated South Downs of Sussex County. 
 
24 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 It is some thirty miles south of London, and many with 
 Puritan ideas emigrated from there in the middle of the 
 17th century 
 
 Henry Balcom of Charlestown, Mass., married Eliza- 
 beth Haynes at Sudbury, Mass., in 1666. His name ap- 
 pears frequently in records of public affairs at that place. 
 He died in 1683, and his wife removed her family to her 
 former home in Sudbury, in 1694, where she died in 1715. 
 
 Children of Henry arid Elizabeth : 
 
 Hannah, born March 16, 1668, died in infancy. 
 
 John, born October 15, 1669, died August 28, 1743, un- 
 married. He was prominent in the affairs of Sudbury, as 
 the records of that place attest. Tombstones of slate, with 
 ancient designs of death's heads, still mark the resting 
 place of John and his brother Joseph, in the old cemetery at 
 Sudbury. 
 
 Elizabeth, born Aug. 16, 1672, married Gershom Rice. 
 
 Joseph, born Dec. 17, 1674, died Sept. 17, 1745; mar- 
 ried Tabitha Mosman in 1708. He with his brother John 
 accumulated a homestead about one mile square, a portion 
 of which has remained in the family name for over 200 years, 
 the present occupant being Mr. Asa Balcom. Joseph Bal- 
 com died in 1745, his wife in 1770. 
 
 Children of Joseph and Tabitha : 
 
 Joseph, born Jan'y 13, 1713, died in 1744. 
 
 John, born March 13, 1715, died in 1789. 
 
 Elizabeth, born May 17, 1717, married James Mosman. 
 
 Mary, born Oct. 10, 1719, married Ephriam Maynard. 
 
 SiBELAH, born July 25, 1721, married Samuel Willis. 
 
 Micah, born March 4, 1724, died in 1754. 
 
 Joseph Balcom, son of Joseph and Tabitha, married 
 Deborah Boise in 1733. He had a portion of his father's 
 homestead and on it erected a frame house. He " builded 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 25 
 
 better than he knew," for the house is still standing, a 
 well preserved farm dwelling, good for many years to come, 
 although nearing the close of its second century of use- 
 fulness. The exact date of Joseph Balcom's death is not 
 known, as he died away from home in the year 1744. Tra- 
 dition says he was in an expedition against the French and 
 Indians and was taken prisoner. 
 
 Children of Joseph and Deborah: 
 
 Samuel, born June 16, 1734, removed to Nova Scotia in 
 1768. 
 
 Jonas, born Aug. 7, 1735, died Sept. 3, 1810. 
 
 Silas, born March 1737, removed to Nova Scotia in 1768. 
 
 Henry, born Aug. 16, 1740, died Oct. 28, 1812, in Ox- 
 ford. 
 
 Isaac, born in 1742, removed to Nova Scotia in 1768. 
 
 Tabitha, born in 1744, married Ebenezer Rice. 
 
 Henry Balcom, son of Joseph and Deborah, married 
 Keziah Stowe April 29, 1761, and lived in Southboro, Mass., 
 until about the time of the Boston tea party when he remov- 
 ed to New Fane, Vt. He fought at the battle of Bennington 
 on an alarm call, and is shown by Vermont records, as 
 serving short terms, at three different times subsequent- 
 ly, the longest being 123 days in a company of Rangers. 
 He began service for his native State as a member of a Train- 
 ing Band, as shown on a list dated Southboro, Mass., April 
 29, 1757, being but sixteen years of age. Owing to the 
 early death of his father, he as well as his brothers, were ap- 
 prenticed at an early age, and by entering the service of 
 the State he was able to free himself from such bonds. In 
 the same year he appears on a muster roll for three months 
 service at Pontoosuck, now Pittsfield, Mass., and in 1758 
 he is credited with eight months service in an expedition 
 to Canada, and in 1759 with seven months' service in the 
 Crown Point expedition, in which he is scheduled as a cor- 
 
2^ ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 poral. When lie removed to New Fane, lie was a pioneer 
 to that wilderness. There must be something in the theory 
 of heredity in such matters, for even to the eighth genera- 
 tion the Balcoms have been ready to clear the way for 
 others. Thence he came to Oxford in 1793, with his wife 
 and daughters, Sally and Leafa, two years later than his 
 sons, Francis and Samuel. Mrs. Balcom died Sept. 26, 
 1826, aged 89. They made their home during their latter 
 years with their son, Samuel. 
 
 Children of Henry and Keziali : 
 
 Rhoda, born April 6, 1762, married Joshua Davis. 
 
 Frances, born May 18, 1764, married Darius Wheeler. 
 
 Joseph, born June 19, 1766, died in 1766. 
 
 Francis, born July 17, 1767, died Aug. 8, 1850, in 
 Preston. 
 
 Leafa, born March 30, 1770, died Sept. 4, 1853, in Ox- 
 ford, unmarried. 
 
 Samuel, born Dec. 31, 1772, died August 27, 1847. 
 
 Olive, born May 9, 1775, married J. Holland. 
 
 Sally, born May 21, 1780, married Samuel Farnham. 
 
 Francis Balcom, son of Henry and Keziah, came to Ox- 
 ford in 1791. In 1797 he married Priscilla, daughter of 
 Didymus Kinney, who with his family came from Dutchess 
 county in 1794. Mr. Balcom left home when about 21 
 years of age and purchased land near Unadilla, N. Y., and 
 while there became acquainted with General Benj. Hovey. 
 After the Oxford Academy was opened in 1794, Francis 
 Balcom attended for a while, although he was 27 years of 
 age. He had the first choice of a farm at Oxford, the deed 
 of which had to be recorded at Owego as Oxford was then 
 in Tioga county. His son, Henry, subsequently owned 
 the farm which later passed into the possession of Austin 
 Hyde, W. A. Harrington and A. D. Harrington. Mr. 
 Balcom was the last of the first settlers of this village, and 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 27 
 
 helped put up the first framed house in Oxford. Mrs. 
 Balcom died Sept. 25, 1866, aged 90, at the home of her 
 son, William. 
 
 Children of Francis and Priscilla : 
 
 Henry, born Jan. 18, 1798, died Jan. 26, 1878 in Oxford. 
 
 Joseph, born Oct. 18, 1799, died in Troy. 
 
 Samuel, born May 4, 1801, died in Pennsylvania. 
 
 Leafa, born Dec. 14, 1802, married Benj. Corry ; died in 
 Water town, N. Y. 
 
 Hiram, born Dec. 2, 1804, died in Oxford. 
 
 Fanny, born March 11, 1807, married Zebedee Larned; 
 died in Geneva, N. Y. 
 
 Keziah, born March 2, 1809, married Hubbard Randall ; 
 died in Marion, Iowa. 
 
 Charles A., born July 31, 1811, died in Bainbridge. 
 
 Polly, born Nov. 17, 1813, married Daniel Throop ; died 
 in Nineveh, N. Y. 
 
 Stephen, born April 2, 1816, died May 25, 1863, in 
 Edgewood, 111 
 
 William, born July 26, 1818, died Oct. 17, 1902, in 
 Oxford. 
 
 Henry Balcom, better known as Harry, son of Francis 
 and Priscilla, spent the eighty years of his lifetime in Ox- 
 ford. He was a man of considerable enterprise, and in 
 early life dealt largely in sheep and had many hundreds 
 among the farmers about the country let out for a pound 
 of wool per year. He once contracted with Joseph Allen 
 for fifty two-horse lumber wagons, at $50 each, which was 
 a large contract in those days, and many tnought he would 
 fail. It took two years to fill the contract, but it proved 
 a success and in his trades added largely to the sheep busi- 
 ness. He built the block of stores on the south side of 
 La Fayette park. There was considerable delay in raising 
 the frame after repeated times set for doing it, and he was 
 
^8 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 often sarcastically asked by the disappointed ones, "Har- 
 ry, when are you going to raise?" Finally the event took 
 place, and but few missed it, on account of the Jollifica- 
 tion that followed a raising. Whisky was only twenty 
 cents a gallon and many remained around the frame until 
 a late hour, Mr. Balcom was the builder of many dwell- 
 ings and was identified with nearly every enterprise spring- 
 ing up in town. It was stated at the time of his death 
 that he had constructed more houses and stores in Oxford 
 than any two persons who had resided here. In 1838, with 
 Demas Hubbard, Jr., and Justus Parce, he represented the 
 county in the State Assembly. He was a staunch friend 
 of Oxford Academy, and was for many years one of its 
 trustees. In him the deserving poor found a counsellor 
 and received aid. He was a friend to every one and his 
 honesty was never doubted. At an early day he succeeded 
 in accumulating a good fortune, but lost all by endorsing 
 paper for others. With a will and determination possessed 
 by but few, he by hard labor and years of perseverance 
 paid every cent of the indebtedness and started life anew. 
 He again succeeded in gaining a comfortable fortune which 
 was a source of consolation to him in his declining years. 
 Mr. Balcom married January 22, 1822, Mary Hunnewell, 
 only child of Lyman and Dorcas Lynn Hunnewell, both of 
 whom came to Oxford in its early days. She died in 1868. 
 His second wife, whom he married late in life was Mrs. 
 Sarah Kathan of Oxford, who died Sept. 4, 1897, aged 77. 
 
 Children of Henry and Mary : 
 
 Lucy Ann, born Nov. 1, 1822, died April 5, 1901, in 
 Oxford. 
 
 Mary A., born Feb'y 1, 1826, married Cyrus Sheldon; 
 died in California. 
 
 Sarah Lynn, born April 4, 1828, married (1) L. B 
 Foote, (2) Samuel Balcom. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 29 
 
 Jane Eliza, born Aug. 18, 1832, married Henry C. Put- 
 nam, of Eau Claire, Wis. 
 
 Henry Francis, born March 30, 1835, married June 4,. 
 1860, Caroline Reeve of Portsmouth, Ohio. 
 
 John Frederick, born April 26, 1838, died in 1838. 
 
 Ellew Maria, born Dec. 1, 1841, died in 1842. 
 
 Samuel Farnham, born March 16, 1843, died suddenly 
 April 19, 1906, in Eureka, Cal. 
 
 Joseph Balcom, son of Francis and Priscilla, married 
 Lucretia Warren, of Smyrna, N. Y., in 1823, and settled 
 in ^Greenfield, N. Y. Children: Hiram, Jane E., Maria 
 L., Francis H«nry. 
 
 Stephen Balcom, son of Francis and Priscilla, left home 
 at an early age. The Pioneer spirit that took possession 
 of his father and his grandfather, moved him to push out 
 to the extreme West. He was living in Chicago in 1837 
 when he met S. W. Balcom, of Sudbury, Mass., who was 
 making a visit to the West. Railroads were unknown at 
 that time except at the seaboard, and the following item 
 from his account of the trip west is of interest: " Cost of 
 journey by stage from Sudbury, Mass., to Albany, N. Y., 
 $11.00; from Albany to Buffalo, N. Y., by "line boat "^ 
 (canal), $6.00: Buffalo to Detroit, Mich., by steamer,^ 
 $5.00; Detroit to Niles, Mich., by stage, $9.00; Niles to 
 St. Joseph, Mich., by stage, $2.50." On the night of ar- 
 rival at St. Joseph a terrific storm destroyed or damaged 
 half the shipping on the lake, and for two weeks no further 
 progress could be made. Finding a band of Indians with 
 a large boat some twenty feet long, and six feet wide 
 in the middle, who were going up the lake for winter quar- 
 ters, he with four other men hired the Indians to take them 
 to Michigan City, Indiana. The five men boarded the canoe 
 with their baggage. A young Indian to steer the boat and 
 an Indian boy formed the crew; two Indian squaws, one 
 
30 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 with a pappoose on her back, towed the boat. A breeze 
 sprung up later, when sails about 10 feet by 6 feet were 
 rigged and the boat put out a mile from the shore. In the 
 afternoon a storm came up making the shore too rough for 
 a landing, but about dark reached a large creek where they 
 were able to beach the canoe. Here they were joined by the 
 band of Indians who ''burst into the greatest shout, and 
 capered and danced and rejoiced greatly." They decided 
 not to navigate Lake Michigan further in a birch bark 
 canoe, but selected the beach of the lake and tramped to 
 Michigan City. They found the stage overcrowded and 
 booked so far in advance that they hired a team to take 
 them to Chicago, where he arrived the second day, having 
 spent twenty-four days on the journey at an expense of 
 $64.00. Stephen Balcom remained in Northern Illinois 
 several years after the meeting with S. W. Balcom, as men- 
 tioned. In 1842, his brother, William, met him in St. Louis 
 and they took pjassage down the Mississippi river and en- 
 gaged in the timber business between Vicksburg and Xew 
 Orleans. "William Balcom returned in a year or so to Ox- 
 ford but Stephen Balcom continued in the timber business, 
 located on the Yazoo river. He xjaid frequent visits to his 
 old home in Oxford, and in 1854 married Margaret Healey 
 of Nineveh, N. Y. Subsequent to this time the anti-slav- 
 ery agitation of the North and East made associations un- 
 pleasant in the South for persons from other sections of 
 the country. In 1858 he removed his family to Edgewood, 
 111., where he engaged in the mercantile business until 
 his death in 1863. His wife resided in Illinois until 1882, 
 when she took up her residence in Denver, Col., with her 
 son, William, where she died in 1903, 
 
 Children of Stephen and Margaret: 
 Stephen Francis, born Jan'y 24, 1856. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 31 
 
 Thomas Maurice, born April 1, 1858, died June 19,1863. 
 
 William Arthur, born July 6, 1860. 
 
 Margaret Hallam, born June 20, 1862. 
 
 William Balcom, son of Francis and Priscilla, married 
 Selinda Lewis, of Norwich, in 1846, w^ho died January 9, 
 1881. With the exception of a few years spent in the 
 timber business with his brother, Stephen, in Mississippi, 
 he devoted his business energies to mercantile pursuits in 
 Oxford. His lifetime marked a most varied epoch in the 
 growth not only of his locality but of our country at large. 
 At its beginning the native Indian still crossed the beau- 
 tiful Chenango, to dispose of his w^ares. The first school 
 house was erected during his childhood, previous to which 
 (1822) the young ideas were marshalled in a settler's dwell- 
 ing. Mills and factories accompanied the canal, a wooden 
 bridge spanned the river, and in due course of time was 
 replaced by an iron structure. Steam supplanted w^ater 
 power, and mills as well as water traffic were dominated by 
 it to such an extent that the canal, so glorious in its early 
 years, had to be discarded. Public buildings, parks, a 
 memorial fountain and other indications of art influence 
 came in due time. Electricity made its appearance and the 
 span is completed — from a pine torch to the brilliant elec- 
 tric lamp. His second wife was Miss Mary Ray, born in 
 England, whom he married in 1882, in Oxford. 
 
 Children of William and Selinda : 
 
 Emma Louise, born March 14, 1847, married Geo. D. 
 Hoyt ; died March 18, 1873. 
 
 ^ Caroline, born March 20, 1849, married Samuel Put- 
 nam, who died June, 18, 1892, at La Grande, Oregon. 
 
 Ellen Cornelia, born April 15, 1857, married Frank 
 Wilcox. 
 
 William Gurdon, born March 10, 1861. 
 
 Ward YanDerLyn, born Oct. 27, 1863. 
 Frederick Newkirk, twin to above, died in 1864. 
 
32 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Henry Francis Balcom, son of Henry and Mary, mar- 
 ried Caroline Reeve in 1860. His youth was spent in Ox- 
 ford, but in early manhood removed to Cleveland, Ohio, 
 where for a long term of years, he was connected with 
 wholesale and manufacturing concerns. Of late years he 
 has been associated with an only son, Henry Tracy Bal- 
 com, at Buffalo, N. Y., in handling musical instruments. 
 In 1901 a reunion of the family was held at Buffalo, dur- 
 ing the Pan-American Exposition, and evening sessions 
 were held in their recital hall. 
 
 Henry Tracy Balcom, just mentioned, has a son of the 
 same name who is an only child and is the sixth inline of 
 descent in this country to bear the name of Henry — be- 
 longing at the same time to the ninth generation in America. 
 
 Samuel Farnham Balcom, son of Henry and Mary, mar- 
 ried Margaret Gammon in 1874. They had no childrtn. 
 He spent his youth in Oxford, enlisted in the Civil war 
 and served in the army with credit. He spent several 
 years as proprietor of a grain elevator at Lamar, Missouri, 
 and engaged later in sheep raising in the Blue mountains 
 in Eastern Oregon; where, in the winter of 1884, an inci- 
 dent occurred that is one of many which shows the dangers 
 and hardships the pioneers had to contend with : He had 
 occasion to visit a railroad town some twenty-live miles 
 away, and owing to an accident his horse was unable to 
 make the return trip. Starting home on snow slioes, he 
 headed for a hunter's cabin some twelve miles away. Hav- 
 ing the misfortune about noon to break one of the snow 
 shoes and being encumbered with a heavy bundle of mail 
 and some necessary articles, he found his strength giving 
 out as night overtook him. Stopping at a large tree to rest 
 he fell asleep and was awakened by the howling of wolves. 
 Having no firearms except a heavy revolver, he decided not 
 to attack the wolves until absolutely necessary. Having 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD ^^ 
 
 gome two miles further to go he kept in open timber as 
 much as possible, where the moonlight made things almost 
 as bright as day. He stumbled on, the howling wolves 
 getting bolder all the time. When within half a mile of 
 the hunter's cabin the pack of hounds, some half dozen in 
 number, hearing the wolves, came to the rescue. Ordinari- 
 ly the dogs, with little better dispositon than a wolf, 
 would have been almost as great a terror, but in this in- 
 stance they were very welcome, and Mr. Balcomsoon found 
 himself enjoying cold venison and warm blankets. A few 
 years subsequently, he moved to Eureka, Cal., making 
 that his permanent residence, thus spanning the continent 
 and one half the globe by completing the western journey 
 begun by his forefather Henry in leaving England and 
 continued by his ancestors, Henry and Francis. 
 
 Stephen Francis Balcom, son of Stephen and Margaret, 
 is the first of his line of descent, of seven generations in 
 America, to bear more than one given name. He has prac- 
 ticed civil engineering, being located at Indianapolis, Ind., 
 of late years ; and has incidentally given attention to 
 genealogical research with the result that three divisions 
 of the Balcom family in America have been traced. They 
 number some six hundred families, and are scattered over 
 the United States, Canada and Mexico. 
 
 Stephen Francis Balcom was married to Eliza Hall in 
 1880. 
 
 Children of Stephen Francis and Eliza : 
 
 Lucy, born July 9, 1881. 
 
 Ethelwyn, born Feb'y 27, 1883. 
 
 Mary, born Dec. 11, 1884, died Dec. 17, 1891. 
 
 Henry Clarke, born Feb'y 2, 1887. 
 
 William Arthur Balcom, son of Stephen and Margaret, 
 has engaged in civil engineering work — mining surveying 
 and engineering, irrigation ditch construction, and in rail- 
 
34 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 road construction and maintenance, during the last twen- 
 ty-five years in Colorado. He was married in 1888 to 
 Edna Wildman who died in 1893. They had no children. 
 The following account of a trip taken by him in the snow 
 across the mountains in Colorado, is a fit companion to the 
 one related of his cousin, Samuel Farnham Balcom, in Ore- 
 gon. The trip was taken to ascertain for the Union Pacific 
 Railway Co., the probable cost of opening a road for stage 
 and freight teams over Alpine Pass, Cottonwood Pass and 
 across Taylor's Range. The two passes were crossed on 
 snow-shoes at an altitude of over 12,000 feet, without un- 
 usual incident, but the crossing of Taylor's Range, which 
 was a much longer journey and with no ranches or camps 
 on the line, was a much more difficult task. The first night 
 i.fter crossing Cottonwood Pass was spent at a deserted 
 log cabin. He and the guide tore up some of the floor and 
 made a fire which soon brought down the snow from the 
 dilapidated roof in a shower, making their quarters too 
 uncomfortable for much sleep. The second night was 
 spent at another log cabin, but in this instance they took 
 the precaution to make the fire outside the open door. 
 They then found that the heat was so scant that they could 
 stay away from the fire hardly long enough to get a short 
 nap. After a breakfast on hardtack, and melted snow for 
 water, they resumed the journey at 4 o'clock a. m., as 
 usual. On approaching the summit of the range that day 
 about noontime, they found a barrier in their way in the 
 form of a comb of snow which overhung the crest of the 
 ridge. There being no way to surmount it they walked 
 along under the overhanging mass for a mile looking for 
 a break; it being the last of April when the snow gives 
 way at such places, forming a snow slide. They heard 
 several such slides go thundering down the mountains, and 
 were liable to be caught in one at any moment. They final- 
 ly found a break, an opening some twenty-five feet wide, 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 33 
 
 and so steep that it w^as almost impossible to climb. By 
 perseverance and cutting foot holds in the snow or crust, 
 they reached the top. Coasting on the down grade, where 
 in places they left a tniil the width of their person, made 
 up for lost time, and evening found them at their destina- 
 tion, half starved, worn out and with faces scorched, swoll- 
 en and blistered by the hot sun's rays retiected from the 
 snow. 
 
 William G. Balcom, son of William and Selinda. grew 
 to manhood in Oxford. While in school he printed a min- 
 atnre school paper and continued its publication for quit* 
 a period, encouraged by his cousin. Miss Lucy A. Balcom, 
 a well known writer in Thb Oxford Times and other peri- 
 odicals of that day. The experience obtained in the mer- 
 cantile business with his father, led him to continue in the 
 same and he engaged later in that line at Bau Claire. Wis. 
 He married Ida A. Dorwin at Eau Claire, in IS^S. 
 
 Children of William Gurdon and Ida : 
 
 Calliz. born February 24. 18^9. 
 
 William Dobwix, born April 3. 1S95. 
 
 Ward T. Balcom, son of William and Selinda, spent his 
 eariy days in Oxford, where he attended school and ac- 
 quired a liking for railroad work. He engaged in the same 
 at various places in the Eastern states, as telegraph opera- 
 tor, agent, etc. In 1889 he married Stella A. Arnold of 
 Fitchburg. Mass. 
 
 Children of Ward VanDerLyn and Stella : 
 
 Frei> Ar>'old, born March 15, 1890. 
 
 Ward Irvixo. born Aug. 11, 1891. died Sep't 3, 1S91. 
 
 Hele>' A'anDekLyx. born Xov. -24. 1892. 
 
 Col. Samuel Balcom. son of Henry and Keziah. came to 
 Oxford about the year 1791. He was assoi^iated with his 
 brother Francis, in the construction of two bridges over 
 the Susquehanna river, and in other jobs of carpenter 
 
36 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 work. Early one summer's evening, Samuel was walking 
 by the river bank and heard a soft, sweet voice singing : 
 
 " The day is past and gone 
 
 The evening shades appear; 
 Oh, may we all remember well 
 
 The night of death draws near." 
 
 He listened amazed, entranced, and for a moment 
 thought the voice was not that of earth, and looked toward 
 the sky, but in a turn in the river bank where ran wild 
 pink and white flowers, that made the sunset air sweet 
 from their breathing blossoms, he saw Polly Knapp. She 
 was vainly trying to catch at a spray of blossoms that hung 
 temptingly beyond her reach. He startled her by an offer 
 of help. 
 
 "Can I do that for you?" 
 
 She turned round, her face bright with surprise. 
 
 "Thank you, sir. I do want that branch very much." 
 
 In a moment Samuel held the spray out to her, neatly 
 trimmed by his hunting knife. She took it blushingly, 
 and thanked him. 
 
 " Good evening," said he, passing on. 
 
 " Good bye," was the reply, as she looped the spray in 
 her hair with skillful fingers. 
 
 Golden were the months that year. Samuel became 
 very regular in his evening walks, and somehow they man- 
 aged to meet at one particular spot where tall trees shaded 
 the river bank and from which the distant hills could be 
 seen in perfect beauty. Thus began the acquaintance of 
 Samuel Balcom and Polly Knapp, the adopted daughter 
 of Elijah Blackman, which terminated in their marriage in 
 1799. For upwards of thirty years they were consistent 
 members of the Oxford Baptist church, and of which he 
 was one of its founders. Mr. Balcom spent a greater part 
 of his life as a farmer, lumberman and millwright. He also 
 held several offices, and in 1840 represented Chenango 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 37 
 
 county in the Electoral college as a Harrison elector. Mrs. 
 Balcom died October 7, 1852, aged 72 years. 
 
 Miss Lucy A. Balcom, of Oxford, was authority for the 
 following interesting incident in the life of Mrs. Samuel 
 Balcom : "One summer day Polly Knapp, Sally Balcom, 
 Elizabeth Bartle and Betsey Loomis took possession of a 
 canoe and went sailing on the beautiful Chenango, and it 
 is related that they were not all together again until some 
 forty years later when by chance as elderly matrons they 
 met at the home of Miss Lucy Baloom's father and re- 
 counted their experiences on that early excursion." 
 
 In the course of years Samuel Balcom built* stone house 
 on his farm, some two miles from Oxford, now the Will- 
 cox stone house farm, a portion of it being devoted to the 
 uae of kis mother and sister Leafa. 
 
 Children of Samuel and Polly : 
 
 Lyman, born Nov. 29, 1800, died May 19, 1887. 
 
 Eliza, born Nov. 19, 1802, married Wm. Pearsall, of 
 Apalachin, N. Y. 
 
 Luke, born Nov. 29, 1804, killed in 1842, by a falling tree 
 in Erwin, N. Y. 
 
 Fayette, born July 12, 1807, married Calvin Cole. 
 
 Bekjamin F., born Jan'y 10, 1810, died Dec. 20, 1879. 
 
 Harriet, born Feb'y 15, 1813, married Wm. Rhodes. 
 
 Uri T., born May 17, 1816, died Nov. 1, 1893. 
 
 Ransom R., born April 16, 1818, died Jan'y 6, 1879. 
 
 George F., born Feb'y 6, 1823, died Dec. 21, 1879. 
 
 Lyman Balcom, son of Samuel and Polly, married in 
 1820 Clarissa Hollenbeck of Greene, who died in 1881. At 
 an early age he was put in charge of timber lands belong- 
 ing to his father at Painted Post, Steuben county. Later 
 on, in selecting a homestead he chose low lands between 
 the two streams whose confluence forms the Chemung river. 
 
^8 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 and was one of the first of those in that section to adopt 
 a plan of drainage that gave him soil with an inexhaus- 
 tible store of fertility. He was Associate Judge of the 
 County Court from 1840 to 1846, and also represented the 
 second district of Steuben county in the Legislature in 
 1867. Later in life he devoted much time to agriculture 
 and stock raising. 
 
 Children of Lyman and Clarissa : 
 
 Mary E., born June 4 1821, married L. Hamilton. 
 
 Samuel, born Dec. 13, 1822, died Sep't 23, 1890. 
 
 Margaret, born Feb'y 21, 1825, married J. Sailor. 
 
 Charles, born Jan, 31, 1827. 
 
 Susan F., born March 3, 1829, married R. O. Smith. 
 
 Jane C, born April 3, 1837, married W. S. Hodgman. 
 
 Benjamin F. Balcom, son of Samuel and Polly, married 
 Eliza Ann Root in 1829. He was associated with his father 
 in timber lands and the lumber business in Steuben county 
 during the early years of his life. He made the town of 
 Campbell, in that county, his home until 1857, when he 
 removed to Corning. He became interested in church work 
 and for years served as elder in the Baptist church, hold- 
 ing pastorates in Campbell, Corning, Bath and other towns. 
 In 1879 Mr. Balcom and his wife celebrated their golden 
 wedding. The occasion was given additional notice by 
 the newspapers because of a Journey through the snow 
 made by their son Luke at a time when railroad trains 
 were snow bound. Luke Balcom left home in Oconto, 
 Wis., on the morning of January 2, 1879, and because of 
 delays by snow did not leave Milwaukee until afternoon 
 on the following day. Leaving there they had two, and 
 at times four locomotives on the run to Chicago. He ar- 
 rived at Niagara Falls on the night of January 4, and 
 found that his train was the seventh to arrive since any 
 had gone forward. Finding on the following day that no 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 39 
 
 attempt would be made to run trains, and realizing that if 
 he was to be present at the golden wedding on the evening 
 of January 8 he must start out and walk. He decided to 
 undertake it, which he did that afternoon, reaching Lock- 
 port, nineteen miles, by night. He made twenty-five miles 
 the next day, with no dinner, remaining over night at Al- 
 bion. The next day, the 7th, he found the Erie canal tow- 
 path fairly good walking and reached Brockport at noon, 
 and 5 :30 p. m. found him in Rochester and at the home 
 of his wife's mother, looking like a genuine tramp as she 
 expressed it, having made thirty miles that day. He made 
 ready for the final tramp on the 8th, but found that the 
 first train after the blockade would start for Corning that 
 morning, and boarding it reached home at noon on the 
 eventful day. Before the close of the year Mr. Balcom 
 again made the trip from Wisconsin, but under very dif- 
 ferent circumstances, having been called by the death of 
 his father which occurred December 20, 1879. 
 
 Children of Benjamin F. and Eliza : 
 
 Benjamin, born May 14, 1830. 
 
 John, born April 17, 1832, died in 1832. 
 
 Cakoline, born May 4, 1835, died in 1839. 
 
 James, born September 5, 1838. 
 
 Luke, born May 8, 1842. 
 
 Makk, born November 4, 1847. 
 
 Uri Balcom, son of Samuel and Polly, spent his youth 
 in Oxford, and at an early age began rafting timber down 
 the Susquehanna river. In 1841 he married Jane Elizabeth 
 Besley, at Campbelltown, N.Y., and in 1891 they celebrat- 
 ed their golden wedding while spending the summer at 
 Pittsfield, Mass. He began the lumber business at Ocon- 
 to, Wis., in 1856. During the Civil war he raised a com- 
 pany of soldiers and his services were so meritorious that 
 he held the rank of colonel at its close. He continued the 
 
40 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 lumber business in Oconto up to within a few years of his 
 death, although he made his headquarters in Chicago sub- 
 sequently to 1868. He died November 1, 1893. They had 
 no children, but adopted a niece who became the wife of 
 W. C. D. Grannis of Chicago. 
 
 Ransom Balcom, son of Samuel and Polly, spent the first 
 thirty-five years of his life in Oxford. He attended pub- 
 lic school and the Academy, studied law with Judge Mc- 
 Koon and always took great pleasure in referring to his 
 legal studies under "Count" VanDerLyn. He was ad- 
 mitted to the Bar in the Common Pleas and Superior Court 
 about 1841. He was elected to represent Chenango coun- 
 ty in the Assembly in 1846. In 1853 he removed to Bing- 
 hamton where he was elected a Justice of the Supreme 
 Court in 1855. He was twice re-elected, serving in that 
 office about twenty-one years. Failing health prevented his 
 completing the last term, and his death occurred January 
 6, 1879. His native village, towards which he always turn- 
 ed with tender recollections, received back with pride the 
 mortal remains which he by his expressed wish consigned 
 to its guardianship. 
 
 In 1884 Judge Balcom married Susan Farnham, of Ox- 
 ford, who, after the death of her husband, held a position 
 in the Treasury Department at Washington, D. C, until 
 her death on January 4, 1900. She was the daughter of 
 George Farnham ; her mother dying in her infancy she was 
 brought up by her grandmother, Mrs. Samuel Farnham. 
 
 Children of Ransom and Susan : 
 LiLLA E., born September 2, 1847. 
 Fred N., born October 26, 1851. 
 
 George Balcom, son of Samuel and Polly, grew to man- 
 hood in Oxford, married Florinda Keech of Preston, in 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 41 
 
 1842, at which place he made his home for a number of 
 years. At thirty years of age he was converted and enter- 
 ed the Baptist ministry. He was gifted with a fine voice 
 which he used to great advantage in the way of speaking 
 and singing at evangelistic meetings. The greater portion 
 of his life was spent in special work of this nature and in 
 organizing churches throughout New York, Pennsylvania, 
 Ohio and many of the western states. In 1870 he pur- 
 chased a farm at Kawker City, Kan., where a portion of 
 his family continued to reside after his death in 1879. 
 
 Children of George and Florinda : 
 
 Ward, born May 29, 1846. 
 Clark, born December 15, 1847. 
 Flora, born September 27, 1849. 
 Ellie, born May 27, 1861, died in 1861. 
 Cora, born March 6, 1863. 
 George E., born July 3, 1866. 
 
 Family record of Samuel Balcom (son of Lyman and 
 and Clarissa) and Mrs. Sarah Lynn Foote; who were mar- 
 ried August 15, 1866: 
 
 Lillian Lynn, born September 5, 1868. 
 Lyman Hunnewell, born December 4, 1869. 
 
 Mrs. Foote was a daughter of Henry Balcom, and married 
 L. B. Foote in 1848. They had a daughter, Mary Banks, 
 who has taken the name of Mary B. F. Balcom. 
 
 Family record of Benjamin (son of Benjamin F. and 
 Eliza) and Melvina E. Dunkle, who were married Novem- 
 ber 16, 1859 : 
 
 Samuel, born September 15, 1865. 
 Eliza, born September 25, 1869. 
 Uri, born January 16, 1877. 
 
42 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Family record of John (son of Benjamin F. and Eliza) 
 and Rhoda A. Carpenter, who were married in 1854 : 
 Rose, born April 26, 1856 
 Jennie, born September 9, 1858. 
 Frank, born January 10, 1861. 
 Harry and Hattii, twins, born October 7, 1862. 
 Jessie, born January 23, 1867. 
 Fred and John, twins, born September 22, 1870. 
 Benjamin, born November 17, 1872. 
 
 Luke, son of Benjamin F. and Eliza, married Mary A. 
 Cheswell in 1867. They have one son, Edward Taylor. 
 
 Family record of Mark M. (son of Benjamin F. and 
 Eliza) and Anna M. Campbell, who were married October 
 21, 1868: 
 
 Dean C, born August 7, 1869. 
 
 Clarence G., born June 7, 1872. 
 
 Pete C, born September 12, 1874. 
 
 Family record of George E. (son of George F. and Flor- 
 inda) and Nettie O. Roke, who were married February 18, 
 1885: 
 
 Mabel F., born November 30, 1887. 
 
 Nina M., born September 25, 1890. 
 
 The death of Miss Lucy A. Balcom in 1901, left but one 
 of the name in Oxford, viz: Mr. Wm. Balcom, who sur- 
 vived her but a year, and thus the strong hand of Time 
 scatters all families, particularly in America, to the four 
 winds. In closing this account of the family it is proper 
 to give special mention to Miss Lucy A. Balcom. As noted 
 in The Oxford Times of April 10, 1901, the old files of 
 this paper with hardly a week's exception show contribu- 
 tions from her ready pen. She wrote the ode for the 
 Jubilee celebration of Oxford Academy in 1854. Many of 
 her townsmen, at home and abroad, were of ten made aware 
 of her memory on the receipt of a pleasant reminder in 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD ^^ 
 
 verse of the day of their birth, a day they themselves might 
 have forgotten. She was one of the first to organize the 
 Aid Society that prepared clothing and articles of food 
 and comfort which were sent to the soldiers in the field 
 and hospital from time to time during the War of the Re- 
 bellion. The following copy of a letter recites one of the 
 many instances referred to : 
 
 The Ladies' Mount Vernon Association of the Union. 
 
 New York City P. O., Station D., 
 
 April 15th, 1859. 
 To Mrs. H. L. Miller, Miss Lucy A. Balcom, Mrs. W. B. Race, Jr., Miss 
 Helen Lobdell, Mrs. Rome, Miss Susan E. Tracy, Committee of Mt. V. L. 
 Association. 
 
 Ladies: — Permit me in behalf of the Association, to thank you for the 
 liberal contribution, which the town of Oxford has made, through you to 
 the Mount Vernon Fund — embracing, among its contributors, the pupils of 
 the Academy, and the children of the District Schools. 
 
 In this aid, which your citizens have given to preserve this spot sacred to 
 Washington's memory, we feel they have helped to secure what he would 
 value the most, as a tribute to his memory — almost the only thing we can 
 imagine him willing to accept as a personal monument. May it tend to 
 keep him personally before us! with his noble, unselfish, christian devotion 
 to his country — his honest, upright, faithful discharge of duty. 
 
 Accept my thanks for the prompt assistance you have g^ven me and be- 
 lieve me. Yours respectfully, 
 
 Mary Morris Hamilton, 
 
 These kindly acts and goodly offices to individuals and 
 organizations were continued for years, until age enfeebled 
 the body and impaired the brilliant mind. 
 
 Nearly all of the Balcom name whose early lives were 
 spent in Oxford, have passed over to the great majority, 
 but their descendants are glad and proud to have their line 
 of descent appear and know how intimately they are thus 
 associated with the history of Oxford, for it was verily the 
 nesting place of a branch of the family that, because of ita 
 numbers at least, bids fair to take some considerable part 
 in the active life of the age, and although they are no long- 
 er represented at Oxford, they cherish the thought that 
 they are descendants of sturdy men who looked upon 
 themselves as " citizens of a no mean city." 
 
44 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 He is in my opinion, the noblest who has raised himself 
 by his own merit to a higher station. — Cicbro. 
 
 Loomis Family. 
 
 JOSEPH LOOMIS, born in Braintree, England, about 
 1590, died in Windsor, Ct., November 25, 1658. He was 
 among the passengers on the " Susan and Ellen " from 
 London to New England, September 19, 1635, and in 1639 
 took up land situated upon "The Island," so called, in 
 Windsor, Ct., which has continued in the ownership and 
 possession of his descendants from that day to this. He 
 built his house fearless of what might befall, and it is be- 
 lieved to be the oldest homestead now standing in the 
 United States. The place also has an added interest by 
 reason of the fact that there is an available fund of $1,- 
 600,000 set aside to be used in converting it into an edu- 
 cational institute where girls and boys between the ages of 
 twelve and twenty will be taught in all departments of 
 learning. The fund represents the combined estates of 
 the last five lineal descendants of Joseph Loomis, emi- 
 grant ancestor of the name in America. The coat of arms 
 of the family bears the motto in Latin, "Do Not Yield 
 to Evils." 
 
 BENAIAH LOOMIS, a native of Egremont, Mass., was 
 born July 15, 1752 ; married (1) Rachel Patterson ; mar- 
 ried (2) Mrs. Prudence Corbin. He came to Oxford about 
 the year 1790 and settled on the west side of the river, 
 near the south line of the town, where he died March 8, 
 1838. His wife, Rachel, died about 1815. Her father, an 
 Irishman, was a tinsmith and first brought tin into Amer- 
 ica. Hie descent from Joseph Loomis, the first of the 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 4^ 
 
 name in America, is : Joseph, born in 1590 ; Deacon John, 
 born in 1622; Sergeant Daniel, born in 1657; Josiah, born 
 in 1684 ; Josiah 2d, born in 1737 ; Benaiah, born in 1752. 
 Benaiah Loomis was a soldier of the Revolution, and died 
 soon after receiving his pension papers. 
 
 Children of Benaiah and Rachel (Patterson) Loomis : 
 
 Elizabeth, born July 15, 1772, died in 1863 ; married 
 Philip Bartle. 
 
 Catherine, born March 99, 1774, died in 1856; mar- 
 ried Peter Rorapaugh. 
 
 Edward, born February 2, 1777 ; married Mary Smith. 
 He was the first settler in East Smithville. In 1800 he cut 
 the first road in Smithville, from Oxford to the Flats, for 
 which he received fifty acres of land, on which he built a 
 log house and moved to with his wife. Mr. Loomis resided 
 on this farm till within three years of his death, when he 
 returned to Oxford and resided with his son Daniel on 
 Clinton street. June 21, 1869, he was found dead in bed^ 
 having reached the age of 92 years. His wife died in 1850. 
 Children : 
 
 VINCENT.born Oct. 4, 1799, died November 27, 1864 in Smithville, 
 N. Y. Married (i) Mary Williams; married (2) Cynthia Moore; mar- 
 ried (3) Mrs. Lucy (Willcox) Hamilton. Child by first wife: Daniel, 
 married Laura Hodges. Children by second wife: Betsey, married 
 
 William Adams, Polly, married Norris; Henry, born in 1832;. 
 
 Married (i) Caroline Landers; married (2) Mrs. Sarah (Bliven) Lewis. 
 [Children of Henry and Caroline (Landers) Loomis: Allie, married 
 Frederick Dibble ; Burdett H., unmarried; Millard C, married 
 Grace Brown. All residents of Oxford]. Child by third wife: Jane, 
 married Melvin Hotchkiss. ELEANOR, born May 2, 1801, was the- 
 first white child born in Smithville, married Daniel Williams, 
 DANIEL, died March 9, 1896, in Homer, N. Y., aged 86. Married 
 
 (i) Cline; married (2) Mrs. Diantha . Children by first 
 
 wife: Vinson, married Betsey Stewart; Warren, married (i) Huldah 
 Bartle; married (2) Phebe Lewis. [Child by first wife, Perry A.] 
 Lucy M., Clark Edward, Betsie M., married Samuel Cline. [Child, 
 Mary, married D. D. Newton of Homer]. Ransom, Floyd, married 
 Fanny Nelson. LAVINA, married Charles Stratton. HANNAH,. 
 
46 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 married Gates Willcox. LOIS, married Jonathan Bennett. RACH- 
 EL, married Charles Williams. ABIGAIL, married Joel Webb. 
 ELLEN, married Thurston Willcox. BENAIAH, married Christ- 
 mas day, 1839, Sarah A., daughter of Squire and Nancy (Whitten- 
 hall) Hamilton, who died June 28, 1905, in Smithville, aged 85. 
 They celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in 1904 by a fam- 
 ily gathering. Children: Alexander, unmarried; Edward B, mar- 
 ried (i) Josephine Lewis; married (2) Louise Walworth; Sarah, mar- 
 ried Arvine S. Lewis; Emeline, married (i) Adelbert Flagg; mar- 
 ried (2) John Hanford of Greene; Ward, died in infancy; Mary Ver- 
 nett, married Clark L. Webb. BETSEY, married George Starkey. 
 
 Tabitiia, born June, 1779, died in 1861 ; married Peter 
 Bar tie. 
 
 Ruth, born March 20, 1781, died in 1835 ; married Jedu- 
 than Greene. 
 
 Daniel, born February 14, 1783, died November 18, 
 1854 ; married Sarah Ten Broeck. Children : 
 
 MARIA B., born September 3. 1801, died October 4, i85o;married 
 George Sharp. ALVIRA, born June 3, 1804, died March 21, 1864; 
 married Dan Robinson. LOVICA, born August 28, 1806, married 
 Jeremiah Tillotson. EDWARD, born September 28, 1808, died 
 September 14, 1834; married Philanda Burke. JOHN, bom March 
 2, 1813, died March 6, 1832. WHEATON, born April 11, 1817. died 
 January 22, 1890; married (i) Catherine McGowan; married (2) Mrs. 
 Cynthia McGuire. Children by first wife: Jeremiah T., married Maria 
 Wheeler; Elvira, married Daniel P. Leach. DAN T., born Sep- 
 tember 5, 1816, died in 1896; married Ruth Ann Williamson. Chil- 
 dren: Charles W., Julia, married Oscar Briggs; Henry B., married 
 
 Breed. CHARLOTTE, born April 15, 1822; married William 
 
 Williamson. POLLY ANN, bom May 21, 1824; married Nathan 
 Smith. SARAH ANN, twin to Polly Ann, died in infancy. 
 
 Jane, born March 21, 1785, died in girlhood. 
 
 Amy, born February 25, 1788, died in 1823; married 
 John Stevens. 
 
 Nancy, born May 22, 1790, died in 1846; married 
 Chauncey Hill. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 47 
 
 My name and memory, I leave it to men's charitable speeches, 
 * * * and to the next ag^es. — Bacon. 
 
 General Benjamin Hovey. 
 
 General Benjamin Hovey, a soldier of the Revolution, 
 came to Oxford in November, 1791, and moved his family 
 into a log house built by him the previous year near the 
 present residence of William M. Miller on Fort Hill, which 
 was also used by him as a land office. It was he who gave 
 our town a name. 
 
 Benjamin Hovey was a native of Oxford, Mass., born 
 March 12, 1758, and son of Daniel and Ruth (Tyler) Hovey, 
 of Sutton and Oxford, Mass. Losing his father at an early 
 age, and being the youngest but one of eleven children, 
 with the family left in narrow circumstances, his chance 
 of education was small, which was the regret of his life. 
 At the age of 18, while he was deputy sheriff of Worcester 
 county, which office he held for nearly fourteen years, he 
 married Lydia Haven, daughter of Deacon John Haven of 
 Sutton. He did almost entirely the sheriff's business of 
 that large county in those arduous times which succeeded 
 the Revolution and preceded the Shays insurrection. Pos- 
 sessed of a good constitution, an athletic form, and a 
 strong mind sharpened by ambition, and enterprising, he 
 rode night and day in the discharge of his duties for many 
 years, and retired from the office with credit and honor. 
 In the Shays insurrection, he was an active partisan on the 
 government side and assisted as lieutenant in quelling the 
 rebellion. Soon after this difference was adjusted, his 
 liberality in entertaining the large acquaintance he had 
 
48 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 made in the county drew very hard apon his resources and 
 he was compelled to seek a home in the then unsettled por- 
 tion of this State, where he could support according to his 
 desire a young and increasing family. He first settled on 
 the Susquehanna, four miles west of Wattles' ferry, near 
 the present village of Unadilla, where he continued to re- 
 side till November, 1791, when he removed to Oxford, or 
 upon lot No. 92 in Faj'ette. 
 
 From this time on he was successful in business, prov- 
 ing to be the right man for the new community, and 
 was often referred to as the "father of the settlement." 
 He was intimately acquainted with George Clinton, the 
 first Governor of the Stateof New York, Melancton Smith, 
 General Lamb, Jonathan Lawrence, General Thomas of 
 Westchester, Colonel Willett, and many other prominent 
 men of that day. In the year 1798 he was a Member of the 
 Legislature, and procured the formation of Chenango 
 county, of which he was one of the Judges. Aaron Burr 
 was a member of the same session and they became in- 
 timately acquainted. General Hovey was also a member 
 of the board of trustees of Oxford Academy for a term of 
 ten years, and during that period was absent but from one 
 recorded meeting. During an absence from home shortly 
 after his removal here, his family preserved life for some 
 days by eating the grain from the ear in an unripe state. 
 Being hospitable and generous beyond what his means 
 would justify, he was unable to amass wealth. He was an 
 expert promoter, but the expense often proved too heavy 
 to ensure success. About the year 1804 he went to Ohio, 
 and in connection with General Wilkinson and Aaron Burr, 
 then vice-president of the United States; and several oth- 
 ers, projected the plan of canaling the Ohio at the falls op- 
 posite Louisville. Some of the prominent men in the 
 country formed a company, and General Hovey was ap- 
 pointed their agent and given extensive control of the 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 49 
 
 work. This project indicated valuable advantages but was 
 defeated of its success by Burr's expedition down the Miss- 
 issippi, which created a rupture between Burr and Wilk- 
 inson. General Hovey remained some time in that vicinity 
 and attempted to raise a new company, but his principal 
 patrons had disagreed, disheartening those who remained, 
 and General Hovey, having spent nearly $1,500 in the af- 
 fair, became discouraged and retired to the banks of Lake 
 Erie, where he died in 1811. He had many warm friends 
 throughout the State, and his enemies were those made 
 during his political career. 
 
 While a colonel of militia, and during a political cam- 
 paign, he was tried for disobedience of orders by a Federal 
 Court Martial and crushed in spirit ; but the trickety of 
 this prejudiced Court Martial was made known to Gov- 
 ernor Clinton, who was much displeased at the affair and 
 at the next Council appointed him a brigadier general. 
 
 The children of Benjamin and Lydia (Haven) Hovey 
 were seven, as follows : 
 
 Alpheista, married James Glover, at Oxford, N. Y., in 
 1795. They probably removed to Auburn, N. Y., and she 
 was the ancestress of the Glovers, Rathbones, Johnsons 
 and Tiffts, of Auburn. Also of the descendants of William 
 Glover of Ottawa, 111., of the Hauptmans and Gages of 
 East Saginaw, Mich., and of Ex-Governor Gage of Cali- 
 fornia. 
 
 Ruth, the wife of Hon. Uri Tracy, and ancestress of the 
 Tracy s. 
 
 Nancy, married Zalmon Smith of Oxford. They lived 
 in Oxford and kept tavern on the site of the old Brigham 
 tavern where Dr. C. H. Eccleston's house now stands. They 
 afterwards removed to Greene, on the hill east of the vil- 
 lage. 
 
50 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Mary, married Nathaniel Locke, the father of Charles 
 F. T. Locke, an old time merchant of Oxford. She was the 
 ancestress of the Smiths, of Portsmouth, Ohio. 
 
 Alfred, of Montezuma, Cayuga county, ancestor of the 
 Hoveys, Colvins and others, of Syracuse. He died at Syra- 
 cuse, March 24, 1854, aged 76. He was one of the original 
 Erie canal contractors and assisted in building the canal 
 through the Cayuga marshes, in erecting the acqueduct 
 at Roctiester, and in blasting through the mountain ridge 
 at Lockport. 
 
 Otis, a portrait painter, of New York, who probably died 
 unmarried. 
 
 Samuel, died young. 
 
 WHIGS CELEBRATE.— The Whigs of this village 
 and vicinity met at their old headquarters at Brig- 
 ham's hotel on Clinton street, November 16, 1848, to 
 mingle their congratulations over the election of "^ " Old 
 Zack," and to partake of an oyster supper. The occasion 
 was joyous, the attendance large, and the enthusiasm was 
 brimful and running over. At intervals a deep-mouthed 
 cannon bellowed out the hoarse notes of victory, while 
 shouts and cheers rang out upon the air. Several spirited 
 speeches were made, and the supper ended with the march 
 of a large procession through the streets headed by a band. 
 
 * Zachary Taylor, twelfth President of the United States. 
 
 JOSEPH COOK came to Oxford from Stockbridge, Mass., 
 in 1807, and was for a time proprietor of a hotel on 
 the west side of the river. He removed to Greene. He 
 had a family of twelve children. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 51 
 
 I love everything that's old. Old friends, old times, 
 old manners, old books, old wine. — Goldsmith. 
 
 Indian Antiquities. 
 
 Oxford boasts of Indian antiquities and of 
 these the most interesting was the earth- 
 work fort in the village, the remains of 
 which, were quite noticeable in the early- 
 settlement of the town, and were found on a mound which 
 has since been called Fort Hill. The fort was one of the 
 most eastern of the many fortifications in this and the 
 western states, which at one time attracted considerable 
 attention. Noth with standing the scientific remarks of Dr. 
 Mitchell, DeWitt Clinton, and others, as to their origin, 
 there is still an uncertainty with nothing but conjecture to 
 guide one. The Oneida Indians had a tradition running 
 seven generations back, but they could not tell who built 
 the fort. From this and other circumstances, it is sup- 
 posed to have been made before the discovery of this 
 country by the Europeans. The fort was on a piece of land 
 containing two and a half acres and was about thirty feet 
 in height. This rise of land lies along the river bank about 
 fifty rods, and at the southeasterly end the fort was situat- 
 ed, which enclosed about three-fourths of an acre of land 
 which was heavily timbered with beech and maple trees in 
 1788. Outlines of breastworks from seven to ten feet in 
 thickness were plainly to be seen at an early date. The 
 fort was semi-circular in form like the old diagram above. 
 Its base was toward the river, its curved sides encircled by 
 
52 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 a well defined ditch about four feet in depth, save at the 
 ends, where gaps ten feet wide, were left for entrances. 
 
 The antiquity of this fortification is more particularly 
 evident from the fact that on the stump of a large pine 
 tree, whose roots extended under and conforming to the 
 ditch, one hundred and ninety-five circles could be counted 
 proving an origin later than the fort, which was estimated 
 from three hundred to four hundred years. It must have 
 been a formidable place against the bow and arrow, and 
 war club. The situation was pleasant and eligible in every 
 point of view, commanding a beautiful prospect up and 
 down the river, and there was no high land in easy dis- 
 tance to annoy the garrison. Human bones, ancient earth- 
 ern cooking utensils and other relics were found when ex- 
 cavations were made. In October, 1897, while workmen 
 were engaged in trenching the village for the system of 
 water works they uncovered parts of two skeletons. The 
 bones were found at a depth of five feet and were in the 
 highway near the crosswalk west of the Congregational 
 church. 
 
 The Oneida Indians had a tradition connecting this fort 
 with a giant chief called Thick Neck, a deadly foe to the 
 Oneidas, who is said to have occupied it. The tradition 
 is that the Antones, supposed to have belonged to the Tus- 
 carora Nation, were the seventh generation from the in- 
 habitants of the fort, among whom was the chief Thick 
 Neck. When the Oneidas came into this vicinity he de- 
 stroyed them, notwithstanding their many attempts to 
 decoy him out of his stronghold. At last they succeeded 
 in getting between him and the fort, when Thick Neck 
 quickly turned, ran down the river to *Warn's pond and 
 secreted himself in the marsh ; but was soon discovered 
 
 * Now called Lake Warn since the advent of summer cottages. 
 
 I 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 53 
 
 and being unable to combat with the enemy, was killed. 
 That no veitige should remain of the terrible chief, who 
 in life was feared and hated, the Oneidas buried the 
 body on the bank, the earth was leveled and leaves placed 
 over the grave, and to this day no sign of his burial place 
 has been found. The remnant of Thick Neck's tribe were 
 adopted by the Oneidas. 
 
 Nearly three miles above the Tillage on the weet bank 
 of the river is a mound of earth, which in earlier days was 
 one hundred feet in circumference at the base, and ten feet 
 high, and evidently the work of man. At the beginning 
 of the settlement deep excavations were made and large 
 quantities of a substance, supposed to be human bones, 
 and several curious and fancy shaped stones were found, 
 evidently formed by an artistic hand. This discovery led 
 to a careful examination in the vicinity, which failed to 
 find any signs of a fortilication. It is supposed the place 
 was the scene of a terrible battle and the mound a recep- 
 tacle for the slain. As a corroborating circumstance, 
 the mound is situated nearly midway between the old fort 
 in this village and the one below Norwich. Its origin and 
 the erent it was intended to commemorate will never be 
 known, but it evidently belongs to the same class of an- 
 tiquities with Thick Neck's stronghold on Fort Hill. The 
 builders and those whose memory it was evidently de- 
 signed to perpetuate, like many proud memorials of hu- 
 man ambition, have been obliterated by the hand of time. 
 
 On Padgett's brook, four miles below the village, there 
 were in 1850 a succession of twenty-live disunited em- 
 bankments having the appearance of a fortified place. 
 They varied from one to two feet in elevation above the 
 level of the surrounding lands, and supported a growth of 
 aged trees. 
 
S4 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Great of heart, magnanimous, courtly, 
 courageous. — Longfellow. 
 
 Tracy Family. 
 
 Uri Tracy, eldest son of Daniel and Mary (Johnson) 
 Tracy, was born at Norwich, Conn., February 8, 1764. He 
 graduated at Yale College in 1789 and became a Presby- 
 terian clergyman, and a missionary to the Indians; came 
 to Oxford in 1791 where, on August 28, 1793, he mar- 
 ried, Ruth, daughter of General Benjamin Hovey. 
 
 Mr, Tracy was the first principal of Oxford Academy, in 
 the establishment of which he was a prime mover ; and at 
 his death was president of the Board of Trustees of that 
 institution. He was first sheriff of the county, his term 
 of oflice extending from 1798 to 1801. 
 
 Under the apportionment of March 31, 1802, the county 
 had four representatives in the Assembly, and in 1803 Mr. 
 Tracy, together with James Green, Joel Thompson and 
 Stephen Hoxie were the members from Chenango. He was 
 member of Congress from 1805-7, and again 1809-13 ; county 
 clerk from 1801 to 1815 ; also the town's first postmaster, 
 and the office was kept, together with the county clerk's 
 office, in the basement of his residence on what is now 
 Albany street on the lot now occupied by the residence of 
 William Dunn. 
 
 He was appointed first judge of Chenango county July 
 8, 1819, and continued in that office until he was sixty 
 years of age which was the constitutional age limit for 
 holding the same. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 55 
 
 Mrs. Tracy was born in Oxford, Worcester county, Mass., 
 December 8, 1775. She was for thirty years a commun- 
 icant of St. Paul's church, and with her husband was con- 
 firmed by Bishop Hobart in 1816. 
 
 Mr. Tracy died at his home in Oxford, July 21, 1838, 
 aged 75 years. The following is an extract from his obit- 
 uary notice published in the Oxford Republican, July 25, 
 18H8 : 
 
 All that is estimable in the husband, father, and friend, was possessed by 
 him in an eminent degree. Ther« are few men whose equanimity was so 
 constantly maintained, or whose whole course of conduct seemed to be reg- 
 ulated by such fixedness of principle. He did not aim to excel in any par- 
 ticular line of life, but rather strove to be useful in all, and to that end he 
 directed the best energies of a highly cultivated and well balanced mind. 
 
 He was a patron of literature and science, and was identified with the im- 
 provements of the age, and every charitable and public project which prom- 
 ised usefulness, shared equally in his counsel, and in his munificence. 
 
 He lived above reproach, and a large circle of friends and acquaintances 
 will long cherish the recollection of his many virtues. 
 
 For a short period he was engaged in the Revolutionary struggle, and his 
 love of liberty, and the institutions of his country, manifested through life, 
 show how deeply his mind was imbued with the spirit that animated the 
 patriots of that eventful period. 
 
 As a private citizen no man was more universally esteemed, and very few 
 have filled so many important public offices and trusts with equal fidelity; 
 and it may be truly said of him, that he lived and died a philanthropist 
 and a Christian. 
 
 Mrs. Tracy died at Oxford, January 31, 1846. Their 
 children, in whose veins the blood of * Lieutenant Thomas 
 
 *Lieutenant Tracy rendered conspicuous civil and military service in the 
 early days of the Colony of Connecticut, and was one of the founders of 
 the town of Norwich. He was a direct descendant of the Emperor Charle- 
 magne, the early Dukes and Kings of France and Jerusalem, William the 
 Conquerer and the Dukes of Normandy, the Counts of Flanders, the West 
 Saxon and Saxon Kings of England, and many other royal and noble 
 houses. His paternal ancestor, the Sire de Tracy, was a Norman noble- 
 man, and an oiBcer in the army which invaded England under William of 
 Normandy, A D. 1066. 
 
 Lieutenant Tracy, of Norwich, Conn., is the ancestor of the Tracy fam- 
 ily of America, and of all who have descended from them. The descent of 
 the Hon. Uri Tracy of Oxford from Lieut. Thomas Tracy is as follows: 
 Lieut. Thomas, Capt. John, John 2d, John 3d, Daniel, Hon. Uri. 
 
56 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Tracy of Connecticut was mingled with tliat of the Wins- 
 lows of Massachusetts, were : 
 
 Samuel Miles Tracy (eldest son of Hon. Uri) was born 
 in Oxford June 26, 1795 ; graduated at Hamilton college 
 in 1816, studied law three years with Henry VanDerLyn, 
 Esq., was admitted in 1818, and in November of that year, 
 he left Oxford for the " far west," traveling on horseback, 
 and reaching Portsmouth, Ohio, he decided to locate there. 
 He grew with the fl^rowth of the place until he stood at the 
 head of the bar. He held the office of Prosecuting At- 
 torney for Scioto county for twenty-nine consecutive years. 
 Judge Evans, in his history of Scioto county, says: "He 
 was perhaps the best lawyer who ever practised in Ports- 
 mouth." He aided in building the first Episcopal church 
 in Portsmouth. He was twice married; had one son and 
 three daughters by his first wife. He died in Portsmouth, 
 December 25, 1856, aged 61. 
 
 Otis J. Tracy, was born in Oxford September 17, 1797, 
 and always resided in the county. Unassuming in his 
 manners, and retiring in his habits, he instinctively shrunk 
 from the strife and turmoil of political life. He was, how- 
 ever, for several successive years Supervisor of Oxford, 
 and discharged the duties of the office with ability and 
 fidelity. While his talents and integrity commanded the 
 respect and esteem of all, the kindly sympathies of his 
 manly heart endeared him to a large circle of friends. 
 Col. Tracy died at Oxford, August 21, 1850, aged 53. He 
 was thrice married. His first wife, Jane D. Hyde, died 
 November 13, 1820, at the age of 19, leaving a son, Joseph 
 C, born May 2, 1820, and who died at Northumberland, 
 Pa. His second wife, Eliza Cushman, died August 19, 
 1828, leaving two daughters, JaneE., who married Luman 
 B. Fish, and Marj^- D., who married Dr. William W. 
 Packer. Mr. Tracy then married for his third wife Mar- 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 57 
 
 garet Storms. Their children, besides three who died in 
 infancy, were : 
 
 ROSWELL S., born 1830, enlisted in 1862 in Co. K, loth N. Y. 
 Cav., served three years, and died at Big Flats, N. Y., April 2, 1874. 
 Married Elizabeth Brooks of Oxford, died May 5, 1899. JOHN S., 
 bom in 1831: died in Michigan. SARAH SOPHIA, born in 1836; 
 married Charles Everson, and died in Michigan. WILLIAM 
 E., bom in 1838; died in Oxford April 4, igoi ; married Helen 
 DevoU. Children : John, married Lucretia VanTassell ; Jennie, mar- 
 ried John Beckwith; William, unmarried. CHARLES, bom in 1840; 
 enlisted in 12th Mass. Regt. and was killed at Antietam, September 
 17, 1862; unmarried. HENRY H., born 1843; enlisted in 44th N. Y. 
 Regt, was wounded near Richmond, and died January 12, 1897 in 
 Oxford from the result of a runaway accident. Married Mary Delia 
 Brooks. Children: Charles, Frederick F., married Arlette Curtis; 
 Maude, married Joseph Collingwood ; Ross. 
 
 Uri Tracy, Jr., was born in Oxford January 24, 1800, 
 and on January 15, 1826, married Persis Packer, daughter 
 of William Packer, Esq., of Preston, N. Y. He spent 
 the whole of his life in the village, and on the estate where 
 he was born. Was engaged some years in merchandizing. 
 He was elected Justice of the Peace six con.secutive terms 
 of four years each. He was often the nominee of both 
 political parties, and at such times elected without opposi- 
 tion. His decisions were rarely reversed in the higher 
 courts, and he acquired the name, " the upright magis- 
 trate. ' ' H*« had served nearly the last term, making twenty- 
 four years in office, when he died April 6, 1856, aged 66. 
 His widow suB^ived him but one year and died May 3, 
 1857, aged 54. The children were : 
 
 SUSAN HOSMER, born in Oxford May 4, 1827. Married John H. 
 Morris of Syracuse September 19, 1849, and died in Lock Haven, Pa., 
 August 8, 1861, aged 34. He died in Syracuse August, 1862. They 
 left one daughter, Clara Mae, bom at Oxford, November 26, 1850, 
 who married William M. Pursell, of Portsmouth, Ohio, and they had 
 eight children, bora in Portsmouth, CHARLES PACKER, born in 
 Oxford December 5, 1829, removed to Portsmouth, Ohio, in 1851, 
 where he became prominent in business and founded the business 
 house of C. P. Tracy & Co., now in its fifty-second year. He mar- 
 
38 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 ried Isabella, daughter of Captain William McClain, and died 
 in Portsmouth, January i6, 1874, aged 45. HENRY READ, born in 
 Oxford, December 9, 1833; removed to Portsmouth, Ohio, in Sep- 
 tember, 1857, and entered the business house of C. P. Tracy & Co. 
 with which he is still connected after forty-eight years. In May, 1864, 
 enlisted in Co. E, 140th Ohio Volunteer Infantry in which he served 
 as Second Lieutenant. Was Director and Vice-President of the 
 Portsmouth National Bank from 1S75. Removed to Boston, Mass., 
 in 1886, where he has since resided, unmarried. JOHN BAILEY, 
 born in Oxford, April 12, 1838; removed to Ohio in 1853. Enlisted 
 in May, 1864, in Co. F, 140th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, serving there- 
 in as Sergeant. Served several terms as Treasurer of the City of 
 Portsmouth and County of Scioto. Married Eliza Brady, and is now 
 living near Portsmouth, having six children (living) and numerous 
 grandchildren. 
 
 Mary Tracy, only daughter of Hon. Uri, was born in 
 Oxford, August 17, 1802; married Peter Dickinson who 
 was extensively engaged in the lumber business in Penn- 
 sylvania, with yards in Baltimore. Their home in Oxford 
 was on the corner, the present residence of Dr. J. W. 
 Thorp. They removed to Baltimore, and some years later 
 to Lock Haven, Pa., where she died February 26, 1868. 
 Mr. Dickinson died in Wellsboro, Pa. Their children 
 were : Charles Oscar, born in Oxford, May 4, 1827 ; was 
 married, and died in Wellsboro, Pa. Peter Tracy, who 
 was born in Oxford, was twice married, had two sons by 
 his first wife and was living in San Francisco, Gal., in 1890. 
 
 Charles Oscar Tracy, youngest son of Hon. Uri, was 
 born in Oxford, August 20, 1804. He was educated in 
 Oxford Academy, and studied law with Henry Van Der 
 Lyn, Esq. Removed to Portsmouth, Ohio, in 1826, where 
 he located as a lawyer. He married December 20, 1827, 
 Maria Kinney, daughter of Aaron Kinney, Esq., of Ports- 
 mouth. They had nine children, all born in Portsmouth, 
 where he died October 19, 1855, aged 51. Mr. Tracy left 
 to his native place the example of his virtuous life, and 
 the memory of his honored and unblemished name. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 39 
 
 Htal Tracy, second son of Daniel and Mary (Johnson) 
 Tracy, was born July 5, 1776, in Norwich, Ct. He mar- 
 ried Susanna Gifford of that place and they removed to 
 Oxford about 1803, locating with his brother Daniel on 
 the Lobdell farm, where his children were born. After the 
 death of his brother, he bought what is now known as the 
 John M. Green farm, where he died January 17, 1842, and 
 his wife May 22, 1857. His nephew Daniel remained on 
 the Lobdell farm. Mr. Tracy was a younger brother of 
 the Hon. Uri Tracy, then settled in Oxford, which no 
 doubt was the reason of his coming to the same town. Mrs. 
 Tracy was sister of Joseph Gifford of Norwich, Ct., who 
 also removed to Oxford. Children : 
 
 Melissa, born in Connecticut; married Ebenezer Hav- 
 ens, lived at Dix, Schuyler county, and had four children. 
 
 Eliza, born in Connecticut ; married John Green of Ox- 
 ford. Children : Susan Eliza ; married Abner R. Holcomb. 
 John M., married Marie E. Townsend. Mary M., died 
 young. Mai V., died young. Lucy Ann, married Wil- 
 son G. Mowry, lived and died in Steuben county. 
 
 Susan, born in Connecticut ; married Ira R. Main ; lived 
 and died in Schuyler county. 
 
 Sophia, born in Oxford ; died August 14, 1869; mar- 
 ried Dyar McCall of Oxford. Child: Olive E., married 
 Benjamin F. Edwards. 
 
 Daniel Teacy 2d, youngest son of Daniel and Mary 
 (Johnson) Tracy, and brother of Hon. Uri Tracy, with his 
 wife and son, Daniel 3d, came from Norwich, Conn., about 
 the year 1803, with his brother Hial and family. They 
 settled a mile and a half south of the village on what was 
 then known as the Gordon farm, now the Lobdell farm. 
 The house was a large one and the two brothera with their 
 families occupied it together, and it was here that most of 
 their children were born. After the death of Daniel and 
 
.^o ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Ms wife on the farm, it was occupied by Daniel 3d, who in 
 April, 1833 sold it to Henry Balcom and moved to Towns- 
 end, N. Y., where he died March 16, 1858, aged 74 years. 
 He married in Oxford, Mary Havens, who died September 
 ^2, 1854, in Townsend. Children all born in Oxford : 
 
 Lucy, born in 1803, died July, 1865, in Havana, N. Y. ; 
 married in Oxford Cyrus B. Main. Children : Louisa, 
 married in Townsend, George Corwin ; died in Havana, 
 1872. Philura, married William Cashing; died in Dix, 
 N. Y., 1862. Alonzo, married M. Eliza Collins; died in 
 Dix. Tracy C, married Ellen Haumer, both reside in 
 Ithaca. 
 
 Isaac J., born October 15, 1805; died April 11, 1891; 
 married November 16, 1828, Lydia Beverly. Children: 
 James M. ; married (1) Ann Chapman ; married (2) in Penn- 
 sylvania. Eunice A., born August 9, 1831 ; died August 
 11, 1843. Sarah J., married George H. Chapman. Elmon 
 L., married Roxana L. Ransom. Had three children, one 
 living. 
 
 Eunice, born 1807 ; died July 6, 1840 ; married Caspar 
 Evans. Had two children. 
 
 Ira, born August 9, 1809 ; died May 25, 1881 ; married 
 Cornelia Chase. Had seven children. 
 
 Albert, born September, 1812; died January 24, 1884; 
 unmarried. 
 
 Ebenezer, born April, 1815; died January 20, 1894; 
 married Catherine M. Chapman. 
 
 Daniel 4th, born January 24, 1817 ; died October 12, 
 1877; married (1) Sarah A. Lewis; married (2) Louisa 
 Watkins in Havana, N. Y. Four children by first wife, 
 two by the second. 
 
 Sylvanus H., born February 3, 1820; died May 11, 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 6i 
 
 1887; married (1) Maria Hamilton in Townsend ; married 
 (2) Maria A. Chapman. One daughter by first wife. 
 
 John G., born January 3, 1822; married April 1, 1855^ 
 Mrs. Sarah A. Evans, both residing at Townsend. 
 
 Mary Tracy, sister of Uri, Hial and Daniel, was born 
 September 22, 1722, in Norwich, Ct. She came to Oxford 
 and married Daniel Baldwin of East McDonough, N. Y, 
 Her death occurred January 7, 1829, at the age of 56. 
 Children : Mary, died July 23, 1860, aged 56 ; married 
 Pardon Smith, of Oxford. Jemima, died May 14, 1886^ 
 aged 79 ; married Horace Corbin of McDonough. Electra,. 
 died young. 
 
 JONATHAN BALDWIN owned a piece of flat land 
 above the river bridge. One summer after he had cut 
 a fine quality of grass and cocked it up the river rose- 
 rapidly from a heavy storm and carried the cocks dowa 
 the river. On discovering his loss he hastened to the^ 
 bridge and as a particularly large cock was about to pass- 
 under, threw his pitchfork into it exclaiming : "If God Al- 
 mighty wants that hay, he wants a fork to pitch it with."" 
 
 THE FIRST PHYSICIAN to settle in Oxford was Dr. 
 Timothy Eliot, who was born at Killingworth, Ct.^ 
 in 1773. But little is on record of him except that be 
 died November 2, 1796. 
 
 THE FORT HILL MILL was built in 1793 or '4, by 
 Theodore Burr and Jonathan Baldwin, the former of 
 whom owned it. It is still " grinding away." 
 
62 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 And him who, with the steady sledge, 
 Smites the shrill anvil all day long.— Bryant. 
 
 McNeil Family. 
 
 John McNeil, born December 4, 1767, and Mary (Wise) 
 McNeil, born December 8, 1770, with their two sons, Ira 
 and Luman, came to Oxford from Hillsdale, Columbia 
 county, in February, 1791. They first settled in the vicin- 
 ity of Lake Warn, a few years thereafter removed to the 
 place next below the Lobdell farm, where he died July 26, 
 1832, aged 64. His wife died March 15, 1843, aged 73. 
 
 At the time of their arrival there were but one frame 
 and some two or three log houses where the village now 
 stands ; consequently they became familiar with the priva- 
 tions and hardships inseparably connected with a new and 
 unsettled country, when but a lodging place had been made 
 in our village, and all around it was dense forests, in which 
 roamed wild beasts, from which at night their roar and 
 angry cries could be heard. 
 
 Mr. McNeil took up a hundred acres of land, but was 
 chiefly occupied with his trade, that of blacksmith. Mrs. 
 McNeil was one of the few who constituted the Baptist 
 church in this village. Children : 
 
 Ira, born October 30, 1789 ; married Clarinda Houck of 
 Lee, Mass. Worked several years with his father at black- 
 smithing, which he afterwards pursued in the village till 
 his death, October 30, 1841, aged 52. His wife died March 
 27, 1841, aged 53. Children: 
 
 JOHN, died February 9, 1893; married Helen L., daughter of 
 General Chas. M. Reed of Erie, Pa. They lived the latter part of 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 63 
 
 their lives in Elmira, N. Y., where they died. Children: Charles, 
 Rufus, Clara, Agnes, Nelly, Frankie, John and Mary. CHARLES, 
 married Mary Jane Denison of Oxfoid. Moved to Cleveland, Ohio, 
 in 1853, where he died January 27, 1900, aged 84. Mrs. McNeil still 
 resides in that city. Children; Frank, born in 1841 ; married (i) Lois 
 LeVake ; married (2) Johannah Fitzgerald. (Three children by first 
 marriage, Nelly, William and Mary). William Denison, born in 1844, 
 went into the Civil war, contracted army fever and died at home 
 August 25, 1864. Abby Jane, married Julius M. Carrington of Mich- 
 igan and lives in Cleveland, Ohio. (Three children, Anna Denison, 
 Mary Belle, and Charles McNeil). HENRY, married and died in 
 California. PETER S. S., married Abby Billings of Elmira, where 
 they both lived and died. His death occurring February 21, i88r, 
 aged 55. FREDERICK B., died November 3, 1893, aged 67; mar- 
 ried (i) Eliza A. Bradley, who died in 1870, leaving one child Kate; 
 married (2) Mrs. Susan White, who died January 9, 1906. Kate, 
 daughter of Frederick B, and Eliza (Bradley) McNeil; married Sidney 
 Dennis, died in Iowa in 1888, leaving two sons and one daughter. 
 LEVERET, married, lived and died in Elmira. KATE, married 
 (i) Benjamin Nichols of Lee, Mass. ; married (2) Andrew Craig of 
 Jasper, N. Y. Children: Edward, Andrew and Albert, twins, and 
 Charles. 
 
 LuMAN, born January 31, 1792; married in 1810, Fitche 
 Church of Oxford, with whom he lived for a period of 
 more than sixty-five years. In 1813 he moved to Cov- 
 entryville and there worked at his trade as a blacksmith 
 until 1815, when he returned to Oxford and took up his 
 residence in this village. He remained for nearly thirty 
 years, when he retired to the farm where his long life was 
 peacefully and quietly closed December 23, 1879, at the 
 age of 88. From 1849 to 1853, Mr. McNeil was postmaster, 
 and from time to time held many town offices. He was the 
 last survivor of the earliest settlers and residents of the 
 town and village. Mrs. McNeil died May 20, 1876, aged 
 87. Children : George, born May 18, 1816 ; died February 
 10, 1883. Fitche, (adopted) died December 15, 1845, 
 aged 19. 
 
 Sophia, born February 7, 1794; died January 1, 1866; 
 married Erastus Smith. 
 
64 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Lewis, born August 27, 1796 ; died in Delaware county ; 
 married Clara Warn. Children: Andrew, James, Dwight, 
 John, Thomas, Ann Eliza, married Leveret Rathbone of 
 Greene; Elizabeth, Susan, married George N. Palmer of 
 Chenango Forks, N. Y., died January 2, 1905, inElmira; 
 Jnlia, married Andrew J. Rockwell ; died February 3, 1905, 
 in Elmira. 
 
 Charlotte, born December 6, 1798; died December 29, 
 1891, in Soath Oxford ; married David Willoughby. 
 
 John G., born March 17, 1800; died January 31, 1866. 
 Unmarried. 
 
 Andrew M., born September 17, 1805; died January 
 23, 1868, in Oxford. Married Eliza Maria Smith, died 
 July 31, 1887, aged 71. Children : 
 
 GEORGE L., born February 13, 1837; married Lucia Miller of 
 South Oxford, born September 17, 183S. Children: Merrrit A., born 
 February 23, 1866; died March 18, 1893, E. WARD, born April 5, 1869. 
 CLARK, born April 27, 1839; married Marion Webb of Oxford. Child- 
 ren : Nellie, married Norris Carnegie ; Mary, married Eli Willcox. 
 MARY SOPHIA, born June 28, 1841; died January 7, 1852. MIL- 
 LARD D., (See article following). FITCHE, born December 25, 
 1847; died July 8, 1848. 
 
 Charles A., born NoTember 17, 1807; died May 30, 
 1884, in Lanesboro, Pa. ; married Philura Main, who died 
 November 26, 1879, in Oxford, aged 73. Children : Ray, 
 died November 22, 1847, aged 17; Theodore F., married 
 Mary Annette Westover ; Harriet, married Frank A. Lyon 
 of Lanesboro, Pa. ; Achsa, married Edward F. Phelps of 
 Binghamton. 
 
 Millard D. McNeil was born September 12, 1844, on 
 the farm now owned by Mrs. Alice E. McCall one mile below 
 the village. He spent his early years in labor upon the 
 farm and in attending the common schools, iinishing his 
 education at Oxford Academy. His first work away from 
 home was teaching district school ; but one term satisfied 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 65 
 
 him that that profession was not to his liking and he se- 
 cured a clerkship at a small salary in the store of William 
 Balcom, then a leading grocery man of Oxford. After a 
 few years he entered the dry goods business, associated 
 with his brother George and Cyrus A. Bacon. After a 
 short time the partnership was dissolved and Mr. McNeil 
 accepted a clerkship in the mercantile firm of Clarke Broth- 
 ers, where he developed a shrewd business insight which 
 eventually led to his entrance into the firm as junior part- 
 ner. Here he became identified with the leading commer- 
 cial and business interests of the town. Retiring from the 
 firm in 1885, he embarked in the grocery trade with W. 
 A. Carl, whose interest he subsequently purchased and 
 conducted the business until he disposed of it to Whitney 
 & Pughe. Mr. McNeil was appointed postmaster by Presi- 
 dent McKinley in 1899, and reappointed by President 
 Roosevelt in 1903. He married January 8, 1868, Mary A. 
 Flagg, of Smith ville, N. Y. Children: Clarence H., mar- 
 ried January 18,1899, Elise Hampton of Poughkeepie ; en- 
 tered West Point Military Academy in 1892 ; graduated 
 in June, 1896, with rank of Second Lieutenant. Now 
 holds the rank of Captain and is stationed at Fort Totten, 
 New York harbor. Frederick A., teller First National 
 Bank, Oxford. 
 
 13 RADFORD CHURCH, born December 7, 1795, in 
 AJ Oxford; died December 26, 1884, at Rock Falls, 
 Iowa. At an early age he married Miss Anna W. Barnes 
 of Oxford, who died in October, 1884, at Como, HI., aged 
 87 yearg. 
 
 rx ACRE WARNE was the original settler of the land 
 A-' on which is located the pleasure resort now known 
 as Lake Warn. 
 
66 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Thou bringest * * * * 
 
 Letters unto trembling hands, — Tennyson. 
 
 Mail Service in Early Days. 
 
 In tlie early days of the town before the official appoint- 
 ment of any regular post-rider, letters were carried by 
 chance travelers. The tavern and family rooms in private 
 houses were used as gathering places for the mail. Letters 
 were thrown carelessly on an open table or tavern bar, for 
 all comers to pull over till the owners claimed them. 
 
 Uri Tracy was Oxford's first postmaster, and John Tracy 
 succeeded him soon after his arrival in 1805, holding the 
 office till 1838, when Peleg Glover was appointed. Fol- 
 lowing is the succession of postmasters : James W. Clarke, 
 1841 ; Cyrus A. Bacon, 1843 ; Luman McNeil, 1849 ; Cyrus 
 A. Bacon, 1853; James W. Glover, 1861; Benjamin M. 
 Pearne, 1878; Frederick P. Newkirk, 1886; Bradford G. 
 Greene, 1890; Herbert Emerson, 1896; Millard D. McNeil, 
 the present incumbent, 1899. 
 
 In 1802 the only post-town in Chenango county bore the 
 name of " Oxford Academy." 
 
 In 1817, the postmaster at Oxford received a salary of 
 $127.93 ; at Norwich $103.20, andBainbridge a yearly sum 
 of $6.00. 
 
 In 1826 it took a calfskin to pay the postage on a letter. 
 It is told of a woman of that day, who received notice from 
 the postmaster that she had a letter upon which twenty-five 
 cents were due, and not having that amount of money, she 
 without help killed and skinned a calf, selling the hide to 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 67 
 
 a tanner, for which she received twenty-five cents and was 
 thus enabled to get her letter. 
 
 The first mail carrier was Charles Thorp, of whom noth- 
 ing is now known. 
 
 When the postoffice was established at McDonough, 
 about 1825, the mail was carried on horseback in saddle- 
 bags to that place from Oxford every Saturday. 
 
 FOURTH OF JULY BATTLES.— During the early 
 '20s and even many years later, the boys of the east 
 and west sides of the village used to gather every Fourth 
 of July and fire any old missle at each other. Those on 
 the east side were stationed at the base of Fort Hill, and 
 those on the west side on Navy Island. The engagement 
 was usually watched by many spectators, who loudly ap- 
 plauded when an especially effective "shot" was made. 
 After the sport became monotonous a flag of truce was 
 raised and hostilities ceased. As both parties were satis- 
 fied a retreat was ordered, those on the east side retiring 
 to a point near the Fort Hill block and then to the com- 
 mon, now Washington park, in front of Perkins Hotel. 
 The west side boys retired to the common, now La Fay- 
 ette park, where the usual fun and frolic of Independence 
 Day was indulged in by each party to their heart's con- 
 tent. In those days Independence Day was not forgot- 
 ten, and the erection of a Liberty pole on the common on 
 the west side of the town was an episode of yearly occur- 
 rence. It was guarded all night lest the east side boys 
 might capture it. 
 
68 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 "I despise them all. If," said Mr. Stiggins, 
 'if there is any of them less odious than 
 another, it is the liquor called rum — warm, 
 my dear young friend, with three lumps of 
 sugar to the tumbler." — Dickens. 
 
 Bartle Family. 
 
 John W. Bartle came from Germany previous to tlie 
 Revolution and settled in Columbia county, and in or 
 about the year 1791 removing to Oxford with his six sons 
 and one daughter, and failing by some wrong doing of 
 others to secure land which had been promised him, set- 
 tled on the west side of Chenango river at the mouth of 
 Bowman's creek, four miles below the village, on the 
 place owned and occupied for many years by his great- 
 grandson, Erwin D. Bartle. There Mr. Bartle kept the 
 first inn in the town, and there he, his son David, his 
 grandson West, and his great-grandson Erwin D. Bartle, 
 lived and died. His children were : 
 
 John, a harness maker by trade, who lived and plied 
 his vocation in various parts of the town in which he also 
 died. He married (1) Miss Duffey, by whom he had ten 
 children ; married (2) Lydia Tuttle, who bore him ten more. 
 Nineteen children attended his funeral. 
 
 Peter, born September 24, 1769 ; died in Ohio, March 
 32, 1831. He located on what was afterwards known as 
 the Jacob Buckley farm, and was a surveyor, running all 
 the township's lines in this vicinity. He married twice ; 
 his first wife was Tabitha Loomis, daughter of Benaiah 
 Loomis. This marriage, which took place in May, 1795, 
 was the first one contracted in the town. Four children 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 69 
 
 were born to them : Annis, Uri, Caroline, and Lot. Soon 
 after the close of the war of 1812, Mr. Bartle went west, 
 where he contracted his second marriage and had seven 
 children. 
 
 Hendrick, took up his residence where Cyrus Crandall 
 now lives ; married Tabitha White, by whom he had eight 
 children. Both he and his wife continued to reside on the 
 homestead where they settled until their deaths, 
 
 Philip, born in 1772, settled where Lewis Ketchum 
 now lives ; married Betsey Loomis, born in 1770, a daugh- 
 ter of Benaiah Loomis, and with whom he lived in unbroken 
 harmony nearly seventy years. They had no children. 
 *' Mr. Bartle built the first school house and his wife was 
 the first teacher," says the State Gazetteer ; but it appears 
 that the Academy was the first school house and Uri Tracy 
 the first teacher. "Uncle Philip" and "Aunt Betty," 
 as they were familiarly known, were universally kind to 
 all, and their home on Panther Hill was known far and wide 
 as a haven of rest for the poor and needy, and of unbounded 
 hospitality. Mr. Bartle later in life bought the farm where 
 Harvey J. Stratton now lives, where he died October 1, 
 1861, in his 90th year. Mrs. Bartle died July 28, 1864, 
 aged 94 years. 
 
 Andrew, married and settled in South Oxford; he 
 afterward moved with his family to Junius, N. Y., where 
 he and his wife died. 
 
 David, succeeded to the ownership of the homestead, 
 where he and his wife, Rhoda West, died. Eight children 
 were born to them. 
 
 Elizabeth, married Henry Gordon. 
 
70 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Joy to the Toiler!— him that tills 
 The fields with Plenty crowned ; 
 
 Him with the woodsman's axe that thrills 
 The wilderness profound. — Hathaway. 
 
 Solomon Dodge. 
 
 Solomon Dodge was born in 1767 in Vermont and came 
 to Oxford in 1791 from Sidney in company with Daniel 
 Tucker. There were but two houses in the village at that 
 time. He was in the employment of General Hovey and 
 worked under him in cutting the road from the Unadilla 
 river to the Chenango at Oxford. His second coming to 
 Oxford was in the fall of 1795 in company with Mrs. Jona- 
 than Baldwin, who came through from Egremont, Mass. 
 At this time he settled on what is known as the Morse 
 farm, owned by Alpha and Edward Morse. Mr. Dodge 
 made a small clearing, using the logs to build his first 
 house, which had neither chimney or windows, excepting 
 a hole in the roof and a blanket for a door. After he had 
 cut the trees far enough away so that they would not 
 fall on the building, he put up a second log house, which 
 was considered quite luxurious, for it had doors, windows 
 and chimney. He married Dorcas Burlingame not far 
 from 1796, who was born March 12, 1766, in Vermont. She 
 had one sister, Azubah, and one brother, Ritchison, who 
 was the first surveyor of the town. Mr. Dodge sold out 
 in 1802, to Daniel Denison, and returned to Willet where 
 he purchased a large farm, but meeting with many re- 
 verses, returned to Oxford after five or six years and set- 
 tled west of the village in what is known as " Dodge Hol- 
 low," where he died of numb palsy in April, 1830. The 
 only descendants of Mr. Dodge now living in Oxford, are 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 71 
 
 Herbert Emerson, B. M. Emerson, and John E. Jones. Mr. 
 Dodge was a lover of a good horse and in his day owned 
 many fine ones. While living in "Dodge Hollow'- he 
 built a race track on his farm, which on many occasions 
 called together the sportsmen of that day to witness the 
 strife between the owners of fast steppers. After the death 
 of her husband, Mrs. Dodge lived with her daughter, Mrs. 
 Gideon Lawton in McDonough, where she died in 1845. 
 Children, all born in Oxford : 
 
 Makshall, married Abigail Lawton, and was a clothier. 
 He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and when dying ex- 
 pressed a wish to be buried in Oxford, his birthplace. He 
 was buried in the cemetery a mile aud a half west of Ox- 
 ford on the old State road. His grave like many other sol- 
 diers of that war, is uncared for. The greater part of his 
 life was spent in McDonough. 
 
 Harry, married Mary Blackman, daughter of Elijah 
 Blackman of Oxford; lived in McDonough for several 
 years and then moved away, and all trace of him and his 
 family has been lost. 
 
 Polly, twin to Harry, married Gideon Lawton, and 
 lived for several years in Oxford, and 'then moved to Mc- 
 Donough where they both died. Children : Thomas, Eliza, 
 Harry, Lucinda, and Russell, born in Oxford ; Almira, 
 William, and Charles, who died in boyhood, born in Mc- 
 Donough. All went to Pennsylvania, excepting Eliza, who 
 married Moses Emerson of McDonough, and Lucinda, who 
 lived with her grandfather Dodge until she was fifteen. 
 She married A. J. Moore of McDonough. 
 
 Russell, married Sally Hamilton, conducted a tan- 
 nery for several years in McDonough, and went to Steuben 
 county and died in Addison. 
 
 Martin, married Betsey Barnes and lived and died in 
 McDonough. 
 
72 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Almira, married Charles Burlingame, a cousin, and 
 moved to Willet, where they both lived and died. 
 
 Ira, married Almira Betts and lived in Oxford a few 
 years, then went to Pennsylvania where his wife died. He 
 went to Iowa and died there. 
 
 Alfred, married Almira Bemas, whose father, Almon 
 Bemas, kept a hotel below Oxford. They moved to Steu- 
 ben county and died there. 
 
 Israel, wentto Steuben county, and there married Sally 
 White. He died at Westfield, Pa. 
 
 CAPTAIN SOLOMON FENTON, born in Connecticut 
 June 23, 1749, was a soldier during the war of the 
 Revolution. He was wounded at the battle of Saratoga, 
 where he had captured a British officer in person. He died 
 in Oxford, December 25, 1831, aged 82 years. His wife was 
 Sybil Snow, born September 19, 1749, and died September 
 29, 1824. They came to Oxford about the year 1816 to 
 reside with their daughter, the wife of Ira B. McFarland. 
 
 JOHN TEN BROECK lived at an early day on the farm 
 at South Oxford on which is now the Ten-Broeck- 
 Warn cemetery. His children were : Jeremiah, John, 
 Derrick, Mrs. Dan Loomis, Mrs. Amos Gray, and Maria 
 and Ann, first and second wives of Jabez Robinson of 
 South Oxford. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 73 
 
 The mill-wheel has fallen to pieces, Ben Bolt, 
 
 The rafters have tumbled in. 
 And a quiet which crawls round the walls as you gaze 
 
 Has followed the olden din. — English. 
 
 Peter Burghardt. 
 
 Peter Burghardt (Burgot) came to Oxford with his wife 
 and eight children from Great Barrington, Mass., in 1792, 
 and settled on the farm now owned by F. P. Newkirk. He 
 removed at an early part of the nineteenth century to Alle- 
 gany county and died in Kentucky while engaged in build- 
 ing bridges. He erected the first grist mill in this town 
 on Hovey's creek, one and one half miles west of the vil- 
 lage. His wife died at Warren, Penn. Two daughters 
 died in Oxford, Mary, who married John Dodge, and left 
 many descendants, and Sally, wife of Abijah Lobdell, Jr., 
 who has only two descendants now living : Miss Helen M. 
 Lobdell and Miss Augusta C. Godfrey of this village. 
 Lucretia married (1) Selah Burlingame and moved to Illi- 
 nois ; married (2) Parsons. 
 
 The first death in this town was an infant daughter, 
 Happy Leona, of Mr. Burghardt. 
 
 There were four sons, Moses, Gerritt, Peter and Abra- 
 ham, and they all went to the western part of New York 
 state, where their decendants are still living. 
 
 Mr. Burghardt was one of the first trustees of Oxford 
 
74 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Academy, also one of the first vestrymen of St. Paul's 
 church. His son-in-law, Abijah Lobdell, Jr., was also one 
 of the first vestrymen, and it was at his house the first 
 Episcopal services were held. The prayer book then used 
 is now in the vestry of St. Paul's church. 
 
 Mr. Burghardt was very strong in his belief in the Epis- 
 copal faith and having contributed to build a Presbyterian 
 church in Great Barrington, he with other Dutch settlers, 
 many of them wealthy, and nearly all Episcopalians, asked 
 to have preaching in their own language on week days at 
 their own expense. The Rev. Mr. Hopkins refused with 
 the reply : " What, Dutch preaching in the meeting house? 
 No, that shall never be." The Dutch resented the rebuff 
 and stayed at home from church, which angered the minis- 
 ter into threatening the tithing men from the pulpit, and 
 they entered a complaint with the magistrate. Peter 
 Burghardt and his brother were among the offenders. The 
 magistrate was obliged to fine them or commit them to the 
 stocks, though this was against his will ; and they were 
 advised to go to the stocks as a quicker and surer means 
 of victory, which they did, with Judge Woodbridge pres- 
 ent as their friend and legal protector from further insults. 
 
 The name Burghardt was originally Borghghardt, then 
 Burghardt, and Burgot. The descent of Misses Lobdell 
 and Godfrey is : 
 
 I. Heindrick Borghghardt married Maria von Hoesen. 
 Lived in Albany, N. Y. II. Conraed Borghghardt, mar- 
 ried Gesie von Wir at Kinderhook, N. Y. III. Peter Burg- 
 hardt, married Mary Church at Great Barrington, Mass. IV. 
 Sally Burghardt married Abijah Lobdell, Jr., at Oxford, 
 N. Y. y. Helen M. Lobdell. Y. Sarah Lobdell married 
 George W. Godfrey. YI. Augusta C. Godfrey. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 7^ 
 
 As the laws are above magistrates, so are the magistrates 
 above the people ; and it may truly be said that the mag- 
 istrate is a speaking law. — Cicero. 
 
 Town Meetings. 
 
 The first legal town meeting was held on the first Tues- 
 day in April, 1794, at the house of General Benjamin 
 Hovey, and from that time till the division of the town, 
 meetings were held alternately in the eastern part one 
 year and the next in Oxford village, so called, many years 
 before it was incorporated as a village. The oflBcers voted 
 for received their nominations on the day of election ; a 
 caucus for electioneering purposes was then unknown. At 
 this meeting Ephraim Fitch was elected supervisor and 
 Elihu Murray town clerk. Peter Burghardt and John 
 Blandon were elected fence viewers. It was "Voted the 
 town to give three pounds bounty on each wolf kill'd in 
 the Town in addition to what the County gives." 
 
 At the town meeting in 1795 it was "Voted the Town 
 chuse their officers (Supervisor and Town clerk) by the 
 Clerk's taking each man's name and who he votes for in 
 writing." 
 
 In 1800, Anson Cary was elected supervisor, and Capt. 
 Samuel Farnham, clerk. The following records are copied 
 from the town book : 
 
 Voted, that James Phelps, Uri Tracy and John Holmes, be a committee 
 for settling the lot commonly call'd the ministerial lot, and that said com- 
 mittee be allow'd for their services one dollar per day, 
 
 OATHS OF Commissioners of EXCISE. 
 
 We, Ephraim Fitch, James Phelps and Anson Cary, commissioners of 
 excise for the Town of Oxford in the County of Chenango, do Solemnly 
 
76 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Swear in the presence of Almighty God that we will not on any account or 
 pretense whatsoever, grant any Licenses to any person within the said town 
 of Oxford, for the purpose of keeping an Inn or tavern, but only in such 
 case as appears to us absolutely necessary for the benefit of travelers; and 
 that we will in all things while acting as commissioners of excise do our 
 duty according to the best of our Judgement and abilities, without fear, 
 favor or partiality according to LAW. 
 
 Signed, Ephraim Fitch, 
 
 James Phelps, 
 Anson Gary. 
 
 Resolved at a board of commissioners of excise for the Town of Oxford, 
 held on the 6th day of May, 1800, that Gapt. Samuel Smith, Samuel John- 
 son, Benjamin Wilson, John Dibble, Solomon Kellogg, Jonathan Bush, and 
 St. George Tolbud Perry, are suitable persons to be licensed to keep Inns or 
 Taverns in theTown of Oxford, and that it was necessary to have tavemi at 
 the above places. 
 
 Signed, Ephraim Fitch. 
 
 James Phelps, 
 Anson Gary. 
 The above is a true copy of the original. 
 
 S. Farnham, Glk. 
 
 At the town meeting in 1801, it was — 
 
 Voted, to accept a report of the committee appointed at the last Town 
 meeting to settle the public lot with the following alterations. Viz,, that the 
 Settlers now on the lot should have their Leases and pay five pr. cent. pr. 
 annum; having the same rent free five years from the istday of January 
 Last ; and that those hereafter going on should have their lots at the same rate 
 and that their interest should begin Jan'y ist, 1802, and that Uri Tracy, 
 James Phelps, and John Holmes be a committee for that purpose to give 
 leases. 
 
 At the town meeting in 1802, it was — 
 
 Voted, that Hogs do not run at large, and that the annual Town meeting 
 be held at the house of Elihu Murray next year. 
 
 Voted, that the widow Dibble be releas'd from paying the excise for tav- 
 ern license for the last year. 
 
 Proceedings of election, 1807 : 
 
 At the annual Election began and held in the Town of Oxford, in the 
 County of Ghenango, on Tuesday the twenty-eight day of April, 1807, and 
 continued by adjournment from day to day for three days successively, in- 
 cluding the 28th day of April. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 77 
 
 We certify the following persons had the number of Votes for the offices 
 set opposite their respective names as hereafter particularized : 
 
 (Viz.) 
 
 Morgan Lewis for Governor 169 
 
 Thomas Storm for Lieutenant 169 
 
 Daniel D. Thompson, Governor 140 
 
 John Brc>ome, Lieutenant 140 
 
 Caleb Hyde, Senator 170 
 
 Cabel Sampson, Senator 138 
 
 William Floyd, Senator 123 
 
 Alexander Rice, Senator 119 
 
 Moss Kent, Senator 25 
 
 Daniel Tompkins, Governor r 
 
 Solomon Pier, Reuben Bristol, Gurdon Hewitt, William McCalpin, Ben- 
 jamin Yale, Inspectors of Election. 
 
 JOHN ADAMS, a worthy citizen of Oxford for many- 
 years, and who served with honor in the war of 1812, 
 died August 29, 1862. He was a shoemaker by trade and 
 also made shoe lasts in a little old shop that stood on the 
 site of Rafferty's saloon on Fort Hill. His children were 
 John T., who enlisted in Co. K, 10th N. Y. Cavalry, and 
 was killed in an engagement near Stony Creek, Va., Octo- 
 ber 27, 1864 ; Drayton, who died in the West ; Dwight, who 
 enlisted in the 17th Regiment, N. Y. Volunteers serving 
 through the war of the Rebellion ; and a daughter, Mary. 
 
 FROM November 7 to 15, 1845, inclusive, 9,966 firkins 
 of butter were cleared at the office of the canal col- 
 lector in Oxford. At this date it would be impossible to 
 secure a third of that number of firkins in the entire 
 county. The shipment of milk has revolutionized the once 
 great butter industry of Chenango county. 
 
78 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 And see the rivers how they run 
 
 Through woods and meads, in shade and sun, 
 
 Sometimes swift, sometimes slow, — 
 
 A various journey to the deep. 
 
 Like human life to endless sleep! — Dyer. 
 
 Lyon Family. 
 
 David, Samuel and Thomas Lyon, brothers, came from 
 Great Bend, Pa., in canoes in 1792 and settled upon Lyon 
 brook, then called Can-na-wa-gon, which has since become 
 familiar by reason of the high bridge built over it by tlie 
 Ontario & Western Railway. The brothers purchased 
 three miles square of land at one shilling per acre, and 
 after meeting with various vicissitudes finally cleared the 
 land, developed several fine farms, and erected grist and 
 saw mills. During the winter of 1792-3 snow fell several 
 feet deep and the men could not hunt, though game was 
 plenty, and their provisions gave out. Samuel, on snow 
 shoes, sought the cabin of the Bennetts and found a barrel 
 of peas, which the latter had left on departing for their 
 winter quarters at Great Bend. The peas sustained life 
 until game could be procured. Many of the early settlers 
 almost perished from want of food at times during the first 
 few years. 
 
 Elizabeth Lyon, a sister, married Cornelius Jacobs in 
 1784, who was one of the body guard of General George 
 Washington, and of whom mention is made in another 
 article. 
 
 Thomas Lyon became a major, and led a regiment of 
 State troops from this county in 1812. When they were 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 79 
 
 recruiting in this village and sending soldiers to defend 
 the frontier, the old red house on Greene street, known as 
 the Thurber homestead, razed to the ground in August, 
 1904, served for a short time as a barrack for the enlisted 
 men. Young lads gratified their curiosity by going on the 
 sly to look upon the raw recruits, and to see them arranged 
 on the floor for sleeping. Those same young lads were 
 present at the military funeral of Major Lyon held not 
 long after, who was killed at Toronto. 
 
 Toward the close of April, 1813, General Dearborn, 
 under whom Major Lyon served, crossed Lake Erie with 
 seventeen hundred men with the intention of attacking 
 York, now Toronto, and the chief depot of the British 
 posts in the west. A landing was made before York on 
 the 27th of the month under hot fire, but the Americans 
 pushed on and the enemy were driven from their works. 
 The Americans were still pressing towards the main works 
 when a magazine of the fort containing a hundred barrels 
 of powder, exploded, a plot of the British. Two hundred 
 Americans were killed or wounded, among the mortally 
 hurt being Major Lyon, who was carried on board the 
 commodore's vessel and there died the death of a hero. 
 
 David Lyon was for many years in partnership with 
 James A. Glover in the old stone blacksmith shop which 
 stood east of the Congregational church on the site of the 
 residence of Melvin Walker. 
 
 George R. Lyon, son of Samuel, learned the blacksmith 
 trade of Mr. Glover, and in 1822 moved to Greene, where 
 he began the iron business, which has since developed in- 
 to the Lyon Iron Works, an important industry of that 
 village. 
 
8o ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 A wild and broken landscape, spiked with firs, 
 
 Roughening the bleak horizon's northern edge. — Whittiir. 
 
 Bennett Family. 
 
 Moses Bennett and sons came from Great Bend, Pa., in 
 April, 1792, ascending tlie Susquehanna and Chenango 
 rivers by canoe, there being no road or other means of 
 conveyance. They saw but one house between Bingham- 
 ton and Oxford, and that at Chenango Forks. They erect- 
 ed cabins and raised a crop that year on two miles square 
 of land which they bought at one shilling per acre. After 
 passing the winter in Great Bend they returned with their 
 families the following spring. As there had been no mill 
 erected they were obliged to break up their grain in a 
 mortar, until Mr. Bennett had contrived a small hand 
 mill, which supplied not only their wants, but was fre- 
 quently resorted to by the pioneers near and far. There 
 were no settlers between the Bennetts' and what was called 
 the Castle, occupied by the Oneida Indians, two miles 
 south of Norwich. The Indians were numerous through- 
 out the valley at this time and had a favorite resort near 
 the Halfway House. Mr. Bennett used to relate that one 
 summer's day the chief returning to the Castle after a 
 short absence found the camp in an uproar, caused by one 
 of the tribe bringing in a keg of rum, which he had bar- 
 tered for with a trader in Binghamton, Unable to control 
 the drunken lot he hastened for assistance, soon returning 
 with Mr. Bennett and his nine sons,andafew Indians who 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 8i 
 
 had been following a hunt. A fight ensued in which fifty 
 were killed or wounded, those who were sober enough fled 
 to the forest. The rum was poured out on the ground and 
 peace was soon established again in the camp, 
 
 James Bennett, the eldest son of Moses, enjoyed telling 
 of those days when pathways through the forest could only 
 be traced by means of marked trees. He visited Norwich 
 when it was without a house, to find the trees swaying 
 with pigeon nests, the remnant of a feathered encampment 
 of the previous year, upon the present site of that village. 
 On the 25th of November, 1858, he fell from a ladder and 
 received injuries which proved fatal. Mr. Bennett was 85 
 years of age, and had resided nearly sixty years upon the 
 same farm. Catherine, his wife, died April 2, 1847, aged 73. 
 
 James C. Bennett, son of James, born November 4, 1807» 
 resided upon the old homestead till his decease, which oc- 
 curred suddenly April 6, 1878, at the age of 70. He was 
 twice married, his first wife, Catherine, died February 3, 
 1836, aged 21 ; Sarah A. Sherwood, his second wife, born in 
 1819 in Guilford, died September 15, 1901, in Norwich. 
 Children : 
 
 Ann Augusta, married J. J. Van Allen. 
 
 Dealette, married Daniel E. Comstock; died suddenly 
 June 7, 1905, in Norwich. Mr. Comstock died April 20, 
 1901, in Norwich. 
 
 Alice, married Charles L. Turner. 
 
 J. Howard Bennett, lived on the place for many years, 
 then moved to Bainbridge, where he still resides. 
 
82 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Trumbull has painted him, — a face 
 Filled with a fine, old-fashioned grace, 
 Fresh-colored, frank, with ne'er a trace 
 
 Of troubled shaded. — Dobson. 
 
 Samuel Miles Hopkins. 
 
 Samuel Miles Hopkins was a son of Samuel Hopkins, a 
 soldier in the war of the Revolution, who marched to the 
 defense of New York in 1776. . He was descended from 
 Stephen Hopkins of the Mayflower, whose great grandson 
 wrote " Stephen Hopkins, "with a weak hand but a stout 
 heart, beneath the Declaration of Independence, while the 
 signer's brother was Ezekiel Hopkins, the first Admiral 
 of the American Navy, and the equal in rank with Wash- 
 ington himself. 
 
 Samuel Miles Hopkins was born May 9, 1772, at Salem, 
 in Waterbury, Ct. ; died October 8, 1837, at Geneva, N. 
 Y. ; married October 5, 1800, Sarah Elizabeth Rogers of 
 New York city, born February 1, 1778; died December 
 17, 1866. 
 
 In 1784 Samuel Miles Hopkins went to live in the family 
 of his uncle, Dr. Lemuel Hopkins of Hartford, where he 
 laid the foundation of a classical knowledge. On com- 
 mencement day, 1787, he entered the Sophomore class of 
 Yale college. For a year his classical books had been 
 neglected, and he compassed in six weeks, without an in- 
 structor, the usual reading of a year in the classics of the 
 schools. He passed three years at New Haven. He was 
 not in good favor with the faculty, and took no pains to 
 conciliate their good will. They gave him one of the three 
 English orations for commencement, which were then re- 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 83 
 
 puted the highest appointments. He refused to attend, 
 and they refused him his degree until thirty years later, 
 when they conferred on him the degree of Doctors of Laws. 
 
 In 1791 having resolved on the profession of law, he en- 
 tered the office of Judge Reeve in Litchfield, Ct,, whose 
 law school contained more than twenty pupils. In March, 
 179H, when he had only studied about eighteen months, he 
 was proffered an examination for admission by the gentle- 
 man of the bar. This was in violation of a general rule. Im- 
 mediately after his admission to the bar he had the small- 
 pox. Early in April accompanied by his father, Mr. Hop- 
 kins went on a ride across the Housatonic valley of Con- 
 necticut and Dutchess county to Poughkeepsie, where he 
 put himself under the tuition of Chancellor Kent and Jacob 
 Radcliffe. His object was to acquire a knowledge of the 
 practice of the New York courts, which then was thought 
 no small art and mystery. It was the sole business of a 
 three years' clerkship, and he acquired it in eighteen days, 
 by studying sixteen hours out of the twenty-four and re- 
 citing two in the evening. He kept the life in him by now 
 and then running a mile or two up a hill. Embarking on 
 a sloop he with four New England young men went to New 
 York city, where he had letters of introduction to Judge 
 Hobart, James Watson and Colonel Aaron Burr. Thelatter 
 made the motion, and when the Court sought to exclude 
 them by an expost facto rule, Burr succeeded in exempting 
 them from its operations. Hopkins passed a most splendid 
 examination and his license was dated on May 9, 1793, the 
 day he was 21 years old. In a sketch of the life of Mr. 
 Hopkins written by himself in 1832, he states : 
 
 I was received with infinite kindness by the gentlemen to whom I had 
 letters. I told them I could no longer be a burden to my father, and that I 
 desired them to recommend me to a new country, where I could most certain- 
 ly earn $52 in the first year, since I could live for $i per week. They recom- 
 mended Tioga, and gave me letters, and I hastened home. My father was 
 
84 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 at Hartford, as a member of the Legislature. My mother searched the till 
 of his chest and found, I think, $ro, or perhaps $10.25. With that and with 
 a valise which contained half a dozen shirts, a set of Blackstone, a skin of 
 parchment bought at New York, and some black seals, and on the horse 
 Phoenix, which my father had raised for me, and which Phoenix was the first 
 in official order of all my line of Phoenixes, I bade adieu to my mother and 
 dear brothers and sisters and took the road to an unexplored and unknown 
 wilderness. What a moment for my mother — what a moment forme ! One 
 hundred and ten miles west from Calskill, through a country almost all 
 very new, brought me to the village of Oxford, and to the house of Ben- 
 jamin Hovey, the founder of it, and who about eighteen months before had 
 cut the first tree to clear the ground where this village stood. Here, too, I 
 found Uri Tracy (of the class in college two years older than myself), and 
 whom after nearly forty years I still count among the most valued of my 
 friends. 
 
 I settled at Oxford as a lawyer. My first law-draft I made by writing on 
 the head of a barrel, under a roof, made of poles only, and in the rain, 
 which I partially kept from spattering my paper by a broad brimmed hat. 
 In such a village as this, the first framed building was an academy of two 
 stories, and Mr. Tracy was the teacher. No Yankee without the means of 
 education ! Judge Hobart, my friend and patron, was to hold the circuit in 
 June at Owego; and his kind notice of me was an excellent introduction to 
 the county. The first case I ever tried was in defending a man indicted for 
 forgery, which was death, and on which the attorney general of the State 
 in person supported the prosecution. Judge Hobart sustained the objec- 
 tion I took, and the prisoner was acquitted. And in this country I rode 80 
 miles to Newton (Elmira) to attend a Court of Common Pleas in my own 
 county, and was too happy to win a jury cause and get a fee of $8, perhaps 
 the most gratifying I ever received. Sometimes I rode all day in the rain, 
 forded the swift flowing Chenango in water up to my horse's back, found 
 my whole library and stationary wet by the operation and lost my way in 
 returning up the river, the path — not road — being too blind to follow. In 
 attempting to follow the Nanticoke in a freshet I was obliged to go in a 
 canoe and forcing Phoenix into the river, to lead him swimming while the 
 ferryman directed the canoe. But how wonderful is instinct ! The horse 
 had never swam before, yet when he felt the force of the torrent, he breast- 
 ed the stream, and dreading to be swept downwards he carried the whole 
 of us up stream so far above the landing place, that the horse became en- 
 tangled in floating tree tops and that I came near losing him. At another 
 time I rode west to Cincinnatus, where at 18 miles was a house, north 18 
 miles farther off was another house, but in utter darkness at night I lost 
 my way and passed the night in one of the most incessant, steady, pouring 
 rains I ever knew. I visited Onondaga when but two white families were 
 in the "hollow," and attempted a rude estimate of the weight of the water 
 of the salt spring, when not as many as a dozen of the kettles were in ope- 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 85 
 
 ration or ever had been. My name is first on the roll of attorneys in Cayuga. 
 I became convinced that I could grow up in the country and become as 
 rich as I wished. Col. Burr had, almost by force, made me receive a library 
 of choice law books, which he selected, saying that "I might settle it in my 
 will," if I pleased. But Mr. Watson suggested the idea of a removal to 
 New York for the sake of the society of able men, of mental improvement, 
 and of professional advancement. He afterwards invited me to his house, 
 imported for me about $1500 of law books, the foundation of my present law 
 library. He loaned me whatever money I had occasion for, and left me to 
 pay it (as I did) years after, from the avails of my professional business. 
 
 I went to New York in the fall or winter of 1794 and took up my lodg- 
 ings in the princely and hospitable house of Mr. Watson, quitting with a 
 good deal of regret my Oxford friends, my village half acre and charming 
 new office, and taking Phoenix back to my father. The winter I employed 
 in very intense study for counsel's examination. But in the course of that 
 time Mr. Watson began to propose to me the project, which occupied my 
 time afterwards for two years in Virginia and two in Europe engaged in 
 selling Virginia lands, which ended in a complete failure. 
 
 Mr. Hopkins married in 1800 and rented a house in New- 
 York city at $1000 a year. At that time he had an office 
 full of clerks, and lived in a style sufficiently though not 
 exceedingly elegant, and his connections in the best rank 
 of society brought him public influence and popularity. 
 Later a rapidly increasing family made his expenses enor- 
 mous and a check in business cramped his finances. He 
 saw he must reduce his living and leave the city, which he 
 did though it was with difficulty that he met all his en- 
 gagements. In 1810 he purchased jointly with his brother- 
 in-law, B. W. Rogers, a share in two tracks of land which 
 had been reserved by the Indians, or their agenti, at Mt. 
 Morris, and the Leicester tract on the Genesee river in 
 western New York. He bought merino sheep and went to 
 farming. In 1811 he removed to Geneseo and in 1813-14 
 was a member of the Xlllth Congress. In August, 1814, 
 he laid out the village of Moscow on a plain which far and 
 wide was covwed with a young growth of oak and hickory. 
 Here he spent ten years, but the adventure failed and in- 
 volved him in debt, and he had no other resource but to 
 
86 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 sell everything at an immense sacrifice and trace his course 
 to Albany to resume the practice of law in the spring of 
 1822. Here he made every previous arrangement, having 
 been a member of the Senate during the winter. He never 
 made money by his profession, for he always took the cases 
 of the poor and helpless. His home was an asylum for 
 dependent relatives — young people who were brought there 
 to be educated, or older ones who were given positions in 
 the household, and alse of distressed strangers, and for- 
 eigners, such as exiled Greeks and Poles. 
 
 The great chief Red Jacket, the eloquent orator, was a 
 frequent visitor at his " Western home." On a winter 
 evening at Albany a silent figure would glide in, and after 
 a few moments would as silently steal away ; this was 
 Aaron Burr, despised by every one, but tolerated and 
 kindly treated by Mr. Hopkins, because of benefits received 
 from him when he was a struggling young lawyer. Daniel 
 Webster, and the Chancellors and Chief Justices ; LaFay- 
 ette, on his second visit to America, and the great Sir 
 John Franklin, were friends and callers at the Hopkins 
 home. 
 
 In 1832 Mr. Hopkins and family removed to Geneva 
 where after five years he sank peacefully at rest "in the 
 sure and certain hope of a glorious resurrection." 
 
 Mr. Hopkins was a fine figure of a man, six feet kigh, 
 and perfectly formed for strength and activity. He had 
 soft brown hair with light blue eyes. He ante-dated the 
 era of beards, and always shaved his face carefully. When 
 in Paris he was called "le Phoebus Americain." 
 
 The children of Samuel Miles and Sarah Elizabeth (Rog- 
 ers) Hopkins were : 
 
 Mary Elizabeth, born April 13, 1802; died February 
 28, 1857 ; married William Gordon Ver Planck. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 87 
 
 William Rogers, born January 2, 1805 ; died Novem- 
 ber 12, 1876. 
 
 Julia Anne, born February 22, 1807 ; died March 5, 
 1849; married William E. Sill. 
 
 Hester Rogers, born November 5, 1808 ; died October 
 8, 1845 ; married Charles A. Rose. 
 
 Samuel Miles, D. D., born August 8, 1813, for many 
 years Professor in the Auburn Theological Seminary. 
 
 W00L8EY Rogers, born July 14, 1815, now resides at 
 Stamford, Ct. 
 
 Sarah Elizabeth, born August 20, 1818; married John 
 M. Bradford. 
 
 BALLOON ASCENSION.— Saturday, June 28, 1862, 
 Prof. H. Squires made the first balloon ascension in 
 this village. A large number of people witnessed the then 
 novel exhibition, while the Norwich and Oxford Bands 
 contributed much to the pleasure of the day. At 4. p. m., 
 Prof. Squires took leave of his terrestial audience in front 
 of the Exchange block, rising rapidly and gradually mov- 
 ing up the river for a mile or more, when the balloon took 
 a south-easterly course, having been visible more than an 
 hour, and sank out of sight in Guilford, about six miles 
 distant. Previous to the ascension a company of fantas- 
 tics made an amusing appearance on the streets. 
 
 The whole number of inhabitants of the town of Oxford 
 in September, 1830, according to the census taken by An- 
 son Mead, was 2,041. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 The hungry Judges soon the sentence sign, 
 
 And wretches hang that Jurymen may dine. — Pope. 
 
 Anson Cary. 
 
 Anson Gary came from Windham, Ct., to Union, Broome 
 county, where he resided for a short time, and then de- 
 parted for Oxford in 1792. He came up the Susquehanna 
 and Chenango rivers in a canoe paddled by an Indian 
 named Seth, and took up the lands now owned by the 
 Charles A. Bennett estate and John Cary. Mr, Cary 
 was a Revolutionary pensioner, having entered the army 
 at the age of 16 and served in three campaigns of the war. 
 He was a very large and obese man, and was the first 
 blacksmith to locate in Oxford. He worked at his trade 
 and carried on his farm a great many years, and was also 
 famous as a pettifogger before Justice's courts. He held 
 the office of justice of peace, was appointed sheriff of the 
 county March 1, 1805, and for a considerable time one of 
 the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas. He died May 
 3, 1842, aged 80. He married March 4, 1784, Miss Han- 
 nah Carew, who died July 9, 1842, aged 78. Children : 
 
 Horatio, born March 27, 1775 ; died February 10, 1865, 
 in Lockport, N. Y. Married Betsey Rhodes. 
 
 Minerva, born October 15, 1778; died May 23, 1859, in 
 Wisconsin. Married Amos A. Franklin. 
 
 Harriet, born July 29, 1789; died on the old home- 
 stead, August 9, 1863. Married Adolphus B. Bennett 2d. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 89 
 
 George A., born May 8, 1793; died suddenly April 21, 
 3 869 ; married (1) Sarah Wattles of Oxford, died June 18, 
 1821 ; married (2) Adaline Crandall, died suddenly October 
 26, 1882. Child by first wife : Sarah, married William H. 
 Mason of Norwich. 
 
 Palmer C, born March 31, 1798; died May 13, 1875 ; 
 married Rowena Osgood. Children : Anson, died Jan- 
 uary 28, 1877, aged 50; married Hannah Franklin. Lucy, 
 died unmarried. Rowena, married Theodore Waters of 
 North Norwich. Jane, married Charles Clark. Frances, 
 married January 8, 1856, Francis L. Cagwin of Joliet, Wis. 
 
 Zalmon S., born August 31, 1800 ; died August 23, 1854 ; 
 married Pamelia Randall of Connecticut. Mr. Cary when 
 but three years old set fire to his father's unfinished resi- 
 dence, which was destroyed. He lived and died on a 
 portion of the old homestead, now occupied by his son 
 John R. Children : Harriet, married Elijah A. Bradley 
 of Macon, Ga. Sarah Elizabeth, married February 22, 
 1857, Rev. Stephen L. Roripaugh. Helen, married James 
 Wiswell. Mary, died unmarried. John R., married Mrs. 
 Josephine (Converse) Williams and has one son, Robert. 
 
 Hannah, born June 17, 1802 ; died October 8, 1855, the 
 day set for her marriage. 
 
 Albert G., born July 20, 1807; died suddenly July 26, 
 1881 ; married Melissa Mathewson. Studied medicine with 
 Drs. Perez Packer and William G. Sands. Practiced in 
 several localities, but a deformity of his lower limbs pre- 
 vented him from getting around with ease. Child : George, 
 died in early manhood. 
 
 On the 12th of October, 1836, snow fell to the depth of 
 over two feet in this vicinity. 
 
90 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 None but himself can be his parallel. — Theobald. 
 
 Jonathan Baldwin. 
 
 Prominent among the first settlers was Jonathan Bald- 
 win, born in Egremont, Mass., February 11, 1765, wha 
 came on foot, accompanied by Theodore Burr, with his 
 axe upon his shoulder by the Catskill turnpike in the 
 spring of 1793. These young men were architects, mill- 
 wrights and bridge builders in search of a location and em- 
 ployment. Mr. Baldwin took up several acres on the site 
 of the village, extending from State street as far as the resi- 
 dence of Mrs. Richard Youngs on Clinton street and in the 
 rear enclosing the old cemetery, a gift from him to the vil- 
 lage. He paid for the land from such wages as five dol- 
 lars per month. 
 
 Having made a small clearing and put in some wheat, 
 they returned to Massachusetts in the fall, by way of 
 Utica. Their route was a narrow path through the bound- 
 less forest indicated only by marked trees. At intervals 
 there were attached to trees small covered boxes for mail. 
 Travelers examined these for letters to go their way and 
 delivered them. 
 
 On the 3d of March, 1794, Mr. Baldwin married Miss 
 Parthenia Stanford of Duxbury, Mass., and soon after re- 
 turned to Oxford and built the house now owned and oc- 
 cupied by Francis G. Clarke, leaving his wife until the 
 road could be made so that a horse could make the pas- 
 sage. "While thus engaged he boarded with Peter Burg- 
 hardt. The next fall his wife came in company with Sol- 
 omon Dodge. In July, 1796, Mr. Baldwin moved his wife 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 91 
 
 and infant daughter, Miriamne, into the house he had 
 erected. It was minus windows and doors, there his son 
 Harvey was born the next day. 
 
 Mrs. Baldwin brought from Massachusetts a mitten full 
 of apple, currant and rose seeds, which she planted, aided 
 by a nephew, David Baldwin, who cleared away the under 
 brush. She said she never should eat the fruit from trees 
 of her own planting ; but lived to see those same apple 
 trees bear thirty bushels each of wholesome fruit. 
 
 Mr. Baldwin laid the foundation of the large building, 
 now the St. James hotel, and prepared window frames, 
 sash and doors for building a large hotel ; but when the 
 interests of Oxford were sacrificed, and the county seat 
 located at Norwich, he left the work unfinished. Al- 
 though at times profane, which gave him the name of 
 "Deacon," he was an honest man. 
 
 He donated half the land for LaFayette square, now 
 LaFayette park, and as one of the first trustees of Oxford 
 Academy, gave freely of time and money to advance the 
 interests of that institution. He was the builder of many 
 of the first houses, together with the first school house on 
 the west side of the river, and the second river bridge. 
 
 No early name is more prominent than Jonathan Bald- 
 win's; the benefactor of the poor, a sterling character, re- 
 taining his intellectual faculties unimpaired until his death 
 at the age of 82, which occurred July 2, 1845. The com- 
 munity at large mourned his loss. Mrs. Baldwin died 
 April 21, 1848, aged 77. Their children were: 
 
 Miriamne, born January 15, 1793 ; married October 26, 
 1817, Peleg B. Folger, a shoemaker, from Hudson, who 
 came here soon after the war of 1812, and died Feb- 
 ruary 5, 1857, aged 65. Mrs. Folger died January 25, 1881, 
 aged 84. Children: Parthenia A., died April 4, 1890, at 
 
92 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Binghamton ; unmarried. William, married Melissa Gray 
 of Scranton. Eben, married Lucy Hall. John, married 
 Elizabeth Hall. Hannah, married Dr. S. F. McFarland. 
 Mary, married William Benedict. 
 
 James Harvey, born July 2, 17i^6 ; married Elizabeth 
 Shaffer of Lewisburg, Pa,, and died in Pennsylvania, 
 August 11, 1832, while engaged in bridge building. Child- 
 ren : Jonathan, Harvey, Maria, Jane and Cordelia. 
 
 Sophia, born June 29, 1800 ; married Frederick Greene. 
 
 Nancy, born January 13, 1801, died in infancy. 
 
 Happylone, born July 26, 1802, died unmarried Jan- 
 uary 12, 1833. 
 
 Louisa, born March 24, 1804, died unmarried Novem- 
 ber 10, 1883, aged 79. 
 
 Thomas, born July 4,1805, diedSeptember25, 1875 ; mar- 
 ried Rebecca Buckly, who died suddenly January 11, 1875. 
 He lived and died on the farm now owned by his daugh- 
 ters, Mary L,, wife of Charles A. Bennett, and F. Ada- 
 laide Baldwin. 
 
 Charles, born July 23, 1807, died unmarried December 
 8, 1849. 
 
 Betsey M., born March 25, 1809, died unmarried No- 
 vember 2, 1899, aged 90. 
 
 Samuel, born in March, 1811, married Jane Hagaman 
 of Greene ; died at Corning, in 1852. Children : Ann, 
 James, died in army ; Jane, Kate. 
 
 John, born November 6, 1813, died unmarried May, 
 1895. 
 
 Eleazer Smith, a patriot of the Revolution and also en- 
 gaged in the French war, was among the early settlers of 
 Oxford. He died in Greene December 8, 1822, aged 75. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 93 
 
 One who journeying 
 Along a way he knows not, having crossed 
 A place of drear extent. — Bryant. 
 
 Joseph Dickinson. 
 
 Joseph Dickinson born in 1774 in Connecticut; died 
 April 19, 1862, in Oxford; married November 3, 1797, 
 Mary Rowland of Connecticut; born about 1776; died 
 January 15, 1863, in Oxford, 
 
 Mr. Dickinson, at the age of 19, John Gott and another 
 man, whose name cannot be recalled, eame from Connecti- 
 cut in 1793. The three had a horse and one would ride a 
 distance and hitch, then another would take his turn and 
 so on to their journey's end. They crossed the Hudson 
 at Albany and passed through the Mohawk valley to Utica, 
 where there were but two log houses and a log barn. Con- 
 tinuing their journey to Richfield Springs by Indian trail 
 they cleared the leaves from a large sulphur spring and 
 drank the strong water. The deer had a hard beaten path 
 where they had come to drink from the same spring. From 
 Richfield Springs through New Berlin to Thomas Root's 
 in Oxford they were guided only by marked trees, as there 
 were no roads, only paths and "blazed" trees. The 
 houses, or log cabins, were long distances apart and often 
 they found it very difficult to find anything to eat. The 
 only articles you could get one cent of money for were 
 potash and salts. The nearest grist mills were at Sidney 
 and Chenango Forks, and Mr. Dickinson often would tie a 
 bag of corn or wheat on the back of a horse, and going 
 ahead in the path lead the animal to mill, often being 
 absent three days. On one occasion he returned late at 
 night and found his children had gone to bed crying with 
 hunger. Mrs. Dickinson hastily prepared a meal from the 
 
94 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 grist and all were soon enjoying a feast that was remem- 
 bered to the end of their days. Sometimes butter was 
 made in a wooden box rocked back and forth by hand, and 
 when fine starch was required it was prepared from grated 
 potatoes. There were no doctors within a long distance 
 and Mr. Dickinson helped set a number of broken bones 
 for his neighbors, using splints by cutting a small bass- 
 wood tree, which was very soft. Mr. Dickinson, one of 
 the Tracys and Frederick Hopkins were all churchmen 
 before they came to Oxford, and would meet once in two 
 or three weeks and read the service of the Episcopal 
 church. After a time others joined with them and in the 
 course of a few years regular services were held in the Til- 
 lage. Children : 
 
 Joseph, Jr., born October 4, 1798; died September 1, 
 1846 ; married September 17, 1739, Roxy Dodge. Child : 
 Roxy. 
 
 Mary, born June 25, 1800; died Februarys, 1884; mar- 
 ried January 25, 1820, Alison Hopkins. 
 
 Lydia Ann, born September 1, 1802; died July 18, 
 1870; married January 6, 1830, Andrew Mead. 
 
 Harriet, born January 20, 1806; married December 21, 
 1823, Zelotes Blinn. Had eleven children. 
 
 Elisha, born May 14, 1808 ; died April 26, 1809. 
 
 Hannah, born March 4, 1810; died March 23, 1884. Un- 
 married. 
 
 Elisha, 2d, born April 6, 1812 ; died November 3, 1889 ; 
 married November 26, 1835, Phila Mowry. Children : 
 Lydia E., married Thomas Wheeler. Almira, died in in- 
 fancy. , daughter, died in infancy. 
 
 David, born June 27, 1815 ; died September 1881 ; mar- 
 ried June 26, 1840, Mary M. Kinney. Children: Harriet, 
 born in infancy; Charles and Julia. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 95 
 
 He was not of an age, but for all time. — Bkn Jon son 
 
 John Buckley. 
 
 John Bulkley, now spelled Bucklej^, was born in Con- 
 necticut and came to Oxford in 1795, settling in the western 
 part of the town upon a farm which he purchased and lived 
 upon till his death. In the winter months he worked at 
 his trade, a wheelwright, and during the summer months 
 engaged in farming. He married Hannah Decker of Ger- 
 man descent, by whom he had seven children : Cynthia, 
 married Angus Bartle ; Jacob, Hannah, married Uri Bar- 
 tie ; Peter, married Ruth Ann Bartle ; Polly, married 
 David H. Bixby ; Rebecca, married Thomas Baldwin ; Sally 
 Ann, married Eliakira Bixby. 
 
 Jacob Buckley, born in 1804, married Clarinda, daugh- 
 ter of Stephen Hastings of Smithville, and died October 
 15, 1884, on the old homestead. He learned the trade of 
 millright and owned and operated sawmills in Oxford and 
 Smithville. Mrs. Buckley died January 8, 1895, aged 88 
 years. Children : Sarah Jane, died in infancy ; Marion, 
 married Charles Stratton ; died November 9, 1901; Wil- 
 liam P. ; Almeda, married John P. Davis; A. Anvernett, 
 married Henry D.Willcox, died January 14, 1904; Mary 
 A., married James Warn. 
 
 William P. Buckley, born October 2, 1838, died Aug- 
 ust 22, 1905. He was educated at Oxford Academy. He 
 taught school for several terms and then took up the work 
 
96 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 of a carpenter and joiner, which he learned thoroughly, 
 becoming one of the best of mechanics. In later years his 
 reputation as a contractor and builder extended through- 
 out the surrounding country, as is shown by the many fine 
 residences and public buildings he had put up in Oxford 
 and adjoining towns. For seven years he was captain in 
 the State militia. Mr. Buckley married in 1865, Ruth A., 
 daughter of Uri and Hannah (Buckley) Bartle, who died 
 August 29, 1892. One son, J. Burr, was born to them. 
 Mr. Buckley's second wife was Mrs. Helen (Lewis) Brown, 
 widow of Smith Brown of Preston, whom he married De- 
 cember 26, 1894. 
 
 DEATH OF PRESIDENT TAYLOR.— President Zach- 
 ary Taylor died at Washington, July 9, 1850. On 
 the receipt of the news in Oxford the several church bells 
 were tolled for an hour. On the day of the funeral a can- 
 non was fired half -hourly during the day, and the bells 
 again tolled for an hour and places of business closed. 
 
 IN 1822 the business of the county increased and sub- 
 stantial signs of prosperity and wealth appeared on 
 every hand. The farming interest became important and 
 the Gazette in July announced that "ten thousand dollars 
 had been expended by three merchants of this village for 
 black salts within two months preceeding." 
 
 AN EARTHQUAKE.— Shortly after 11 o'clock a. m., 
 October 20, 1870, two distinct shocks of an earth- 
 quake were felt in this village. The shock lasted nearly a 
 minute, and people hurriedly vacated their buildings, fear- 
 ing they were about to fall. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 97 
 
 From yon blue heaven above us bent, 
 The grand old gardener and his wife 
 Smile at the claims of long descent. 
 
 — Tennyson. 
 
 Eber Williams 
 
 Eber Williams was born November 6, 1776, and mar- 
 ried Martha Bennett November 7, 1799, at Foster, R. I., 
 which town they left October 16, 1808, moving to Warren^ 
 now Columbia, N. Y. After remaining there three years 
 they came to Oxford and settled in the dense woods on 
 the farm now owned by Mason Whipple, and better known 
 as the Stephen Weeks farm. In 1814 Mr. Williams sold 
 to Philo Pier, and removed to a farm in Columbus, this 
 county; remaining there three years he returned to Ox- 
 ford and went on the farm he originally owned, occu- 
 pying it till his death. 
 
 Mr. Williams was fifth in descent from Roger Williams, 
 who settled Rhode Island in 1636. The line of succession 
 being: Roger, Daniel, Joseph, Benoni, John, and Eber. 
 His father was born December 27, 1742, and died in 
 August, 1843. His mother was a sister of Stephen Hop- 
 kins, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independ- 
 ence, and his wife was a descendant from tJie Royal house 
 of Tudor, England. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Williams died on the same day, October 
 3, 1867, aged 91 and 87 respectively, and were buried in 
 the same grave. 
 
 Their children were: 
 
98 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Daniel B., bom September 3, 1800; lived for raanj 
 years at Cincinnatus, where he died, May 28, 1889. 
 
 Polly, born April 7, 1803, married Vinson Loomis, and 
 died in Smithville, 
 
 Sally, born June 6, 1809, married Isaac Wright, and 
 died in Wisconsin. 
 
 John A., born May 28, 1813, lived at Beloit, Wis. 
 Martha C, born July 10, 1815, mamed Wilson J. 
 Case; moved to Spring Valley, Wis. 
 
 Julia A., born October 25, 1817, married Stephen 
 Weeks, and died on the homestead farm July 4, 1876. 
 
 In the fall of 1828 a number of Mr. Williams' neigh- 
 bors had a quantity of butter on hand, but found no 
 buyers in Oxford. They urged Mr. Williams to take it 
 at ten cents a pound, or they would pay him four dollars 
 per hundred for selling it for them. Mr. William con- 
 sented, and sent his son Daniel to Rhode Island with 
 the butter. He started November 28, with a yoke of oxen 
 and a pair of horses for a team, with a long-reached, high- 
 boxed wagon, and thirty hundred pounds of butter, ex- 
 clusive of thirty heavy firkins for packages and some other 
 loading, making in all about thirty-five hundred pounds. 
 Daniel walked beside the team and was fourteen days on 
 the road, making about 200 miles, lie had a common- 
 sized log chain to fasten a wheel in going down the steep 
 hills. When descending the eastern declivity of the 
 Catskills, he chained one wheel as usual, but, it occur- 
 ring to him that it might not hold, fast<?ned another wheel 
 with a strong rope, and had gone but a short distance 
 when the chain broke, but, luckily, the rope held and he 
 descended in safety. With the assistance of relatives in 
 Rhode Ishind Daniel sold the butter and the oxen. Dur- 
 ing the month of Januaiy he started for home, the weather 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 99 
 
 remaining warm till he crossed the Connecticut river, 
 when it became intensely' cold, and, on reaching the Hud- 
 son river, found he could not cross on account of the 
 floating ice. Learning that the river was open at Troy, he 
 drove to that city, reaching the landing just after the 
 last boat for the day had crossed. He then went to 
 Lansingburg, crossed on the bridge, passed through Sche- 
 nectady, striking the Albany turnpike at Post's Tavern, 
 and stopped a few days with relatives in Herkimer. From 
 there he came home, having made a trip in mid-winter of 
 about 600 miles, a hazardous undertaking for those days. 
 
 WHAT THEY ADVERTISED.— In April, 1819, Sam- 
 uel Farnham advertised " An assortment of choice 
 Liquors and Groceries, suitable for the sick as well as those 
 in health." John Tracy, P. M., advertised a list of let- 
 ters in post office. Ep. Miller, president of the board of 
 village trustees, called a meeting of that board, to " Meet 
 on the 1st Tuesday of May at 10 A. M." L. Sherwood & 
 Co., had " Just received from New York a great variety 
 of goods suitable for the season." Ransom Rathbone had 
 " For sale, a large quantity of Men's and Boys' Knapt, 
 Merino and Wool hats, which he will sell as low as can be 
 purchased at any hat factory in the county." The notice 
 by one of the citizens offering " A smart, active, healthy 
 negro ' ' for sale, evinced that the sable cloud of slavery 
 yet hung over the State. 
 
 The population of Oxford in 1855 was town, 1,900; vil- 
 lage, 1,218— total 3,118. 
 
loo ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Yankee Doodle, twist the cat — 
 
 Buttermilk and bi'andy ; 
 Guess I'll bet my Sunday hat 
 
 They'll find I'm a boy quite handy." 
 
 Josiah Hackett. 
 
 Thus sang Josiah Hackett as he entered the village on 
 the 10th of July, 1798, a beautiful summer afternoon 
 with a touch of rain in the wind. He was a man of forty 
 years, dressed in short breeches, long stockings with the 
 accompaning shoebuckles, and carried a musket over his 
 shoulder, which he termed " The Bloodsucker." Approach- 
 ing a humble abode, whose friendly door stood open and 
 from which the housewife looked forth, he addressed her 
 as follows: 
 
 " Madame, I'm a soldier, a shoemaker, and a traveler, 
 seeking a place of shelter until I can make arrangements 
 to locate in this section of God's country. I've been to 
 the inn, but, fags and catnip! their rooms are taken for 
 the night, and the landlord said he couldn't lodge another 
 person nohow. Can you lodge me till morning? " 
 
 " Yes," was the smiling reply ; " I think we can make 
 room for you, though my husband, Mr. Hovey, is not at 
 home just at present. He is at the Academy, where Jus- 
 tice Kent, Esq., is holding court. But you look tired, 
 come in and wait. He will be here soon." 
 
 " Thank ye, ma'am, I am that tired that if I was carried 
 to the highest court of Juncture I couldn't make a move 
 to resist." 
 
 He was ushered into the kitchen, whose floor of rough 
 boards was cleanly swept and the huge stone fireplace 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD loi 
 
 was apparently ready for the preparation of the evening 
 meal. On the mantle over the fireplace stood a candle- 
 stick, a sausage stuffer, a spice mill, and a candle mold. 
 By the side of the fireplace hung a smoke-blackened al- 
 manac, and by the hearth stood the high-backed settle, 
 a sheltered seat for the long winter evenings. Within a 
 short time Gen. Hovey appeared and soon the two were 
 busily engaged in conversation. In answer to a question 
 in regard to himself, Josiah replied: 
 
 " I am from Lyme, Conn., where I was born in 1758. 
 When the alarm that preceded the battle of Bunker Hill 
 spread through the country, I took my musket, which I 
 call ' The Bloodsucker,' and started for the scene of con- 
 flict, where we were busier than seven bumblebees in a 
 punkin blow. Since then my musket goes where I go. 
 Bhe's a quick-witted jade, but she's trusty and true." 
 
 " What is your business here? " asked Gen. Hovey. 
 
 "I am a shoemaker, and want to locate in this new 
 country, and was told you were a land agent. I made in- 
 quiries at the inn for lodgings, but could not get in. ' Bab- 
 bit ye, an' be darn'd,' says I, and moved along." 
 
 " No, they have now more than they can accommodate," 
 replied Gen. Hovey. " Hon. James Kent, Esq., one of 
 the Justices of the Supreme Court of judicature of the 
 State, held Circuit Court here to-day, the first in the his- 
 tory of our youthful county." 
 
 " Oh, by the lurry and living jingo ! had I known that 
 court was in session I might have come earlier, as I would 
 liked to have heard the proceedings," said Josiah, as he 
 took a pipe and tobacco from his pocket. 
 
 " They were not interesting, as there was no business 
 to transact at this sitting. It was a mere matter of form, 
 you know. But Justice Kent is a keen man, and I pre- 
 dict that he will at least be Chancellor some day." 
 
I02 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 "Oh, well, then I haven't lost a nation sight of jigger- 
 marees, if there was no business before the court." 
 
 " No," replied the General, " but as to your business 
 here. You are a shoemaker, you say, and we need a man 
 here of that trade as much as any other. The community 
 is growing, and you'll get a good living." 
 
 " Fags and catnip ! I'm not only a shoemaker, but a 
 patriot also, as ' The Bloodsucker,' my trusty musket 
 which has never missed fire, can testify. I come to this 
 country to earn a living for myself, wife, and little one, 
 and I'll be soused in a butter tub if I don't do it. I also 
 came for game, and they who know me best say I'm a 
 good marksman. Uts, bobs, and butakins, but that won't 
 do for me to say." 
 
 " And you are a patriot? " 
 
 " Yes. I saw a wonderation sight of fighting, but more 
 about that some other time. Last fall my health was so 
 poor that I thought I'd have to lie down in the graveyard 
 and draw the green coverlet over my poor old body for 
 the long sleep. I couldn't set in meeting, or scarcely lie 
 in bed. A doctor told me I was afflicted with a complaint 
 of the lungs, and that I had better move on west when 
 summer came, or my flesh would waste and I would grow 
 weaker and bowed down. ^ All right,' says I, ^ I insign 
 to see what your advice is good for if it costs me my fire- 
 ball colt!'" 
 
 " You appear quite rugged now." 
 
 " Yes, I have been on the way several weeks and got 
 rid of a flamation wheezing and difficulty in breathing. 
 Ods, bodkins, but I like this new country, and will locate 
 here, or a few miles out. 'Drather be out of the hamlet, 
 where I feel all over goose pimples, and where I'll have a 
 better chance at game that abounds in this section. When 
 ' The Bloodsucker ' gets a fair chance at any of it, it will 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 103 
 
 find its gizzard ripp'd out as quick as a pig can crack a 
 walnut." 
 
 " Well, we can locate you any where you choose. I^t 
 me see, what did I understand your name is " 
 
 " Josiah Hackett, Si for short. A soldier, a shoemaker, 
 and now a traveler. I love my country, and rabbit ye, 
 the day of its birth, the glorious Fourth, whose anniversary 
 was but last week, is the day of days for me. It is my 
 solemn wish, and may the great and living Father grant 
 it, that the hour that ends my life may come upon the 
 Fourth of July." 
 
 " That is an odd wish. But you are yet in the prime of 
 life and undoubtedly have many years yet before you." 
 
 " That is very true, but I shall always have that desire, 
 for to me it is a sacred day." 
 
 It was now the supper hour, and Mrs. Hovey called them 
 in from the rear of the dwelling where they had been 
 sitting. On the following morning arrangements were 
 made by which Josiah located near the " Desserts," in the 
 south part of the town, and it was he that gave the 
 name to that section. 
 
 On July 4th, 1845, forty-seven years later, Luman Fish 
 entered C. F. T. Locke's store and said : 
 
 " Well, Locke, ' Uncle Si's ' got his wish at last." 
 
 " Do you mean old Si Hackett? " inquired Mr. Locke, 
 as he proceeded to tie up a pound of tea he had been 
 weighing. 
 
 " Yes ; you know he has always wished to die on the 
 Fourth of July, and to-day the end came. We'll never see 
 * Uncle Si,' with ' The Bloodsucker ' over his shoulder, 
 again." 
 
 " Well, well," said Mr. Locke, as he stepped in front of 
 
104 
 
 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 the counter. We'll miss him and his musket. He was 
 always firing a salute on Independence day." 
 
 " Yes," was the reply, " and a better marksman I never 
 saw. He came here when the town was new and when 
 there was plenty of game. He used to say his musket was 
 a quick-witted jade, but trusty and true." 
 
 " That's so," replied Locke. He was a great hunter, and 
 they say he fought bravely in the Eevolution." 
 
 " Yes, and he was that patriotic that to this day he 
 could hardly bare to talk to an Englishman. And an- 
 other thing, we'll miss his singing * Yankee Doodle ' on 
 all occasions." 
 
 " Well, if St. Peter hears him singing as he approaches, 
 he'll be so astonished that Si will dodge in the gates of 
 heaven without the countersign." 
 
 -le^- 
 
 -:^m<^f^ 
 
 
 m 
 
 m{mMi mm f^^l m^ m 
 
 OLD WOOD CUT— Showing Academy, Ladies' and Gentlemen's Board- 
 Halls. The present school building occupies the site of the old academy, 
 which was taken down and re-erected in the Lackawanna railroad yard 
 for a store house ; the ladies hall (formerly the fourth academy building 
 standing next to the Baptist parsonage) was again removed to Greene-st, 
 and is now a residence. The gentlemen's hall (now Morton flats) alone oc- 
 cupies the site of what once was the scene of a flourishing boarding school. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 105 
 
 That best portion of a good man's life, 
 His little, nameless, unremembered acts 
 Of kindness and of love. 
 
 — WOBDSWOBTH. 
 
 William Gile. 
 
 Deacon William Gile, who kept a clothing store on the 
 east side of the river, owned and occupied the house op- 
 posite the Congregational church, so long occupied in 
 later years by Cyrus M. Brown, the hatter. Mr. Gile was 
 attentive to his business, never leaving it for any purpose 
 outside of it, except for such things as he thought the 
 welfare of the Presbyterian church demanded. Of his 
 earnings he was a liberal giver, both to the church of his 
 choice and to such benevolent and charitable purposes 
 as he thought deserving. For several years it was his 
 practice to set apart the net proceeds of one day's sales 
 in each week for better purposes, and the larger the 
 amount of the sales the better he was pleased. About 
 the year 1829 the Presbytery, to which the church in 
 Oxford belonged, sent him as a delegate to the general 
 synod which met in Philadelphia. For several years he 
 was superintendent of the Sunday school, taught a Bible 
 class, and was the leader in all church work. 
 
 Mr. Gile was not a politician, as the term is generally 
 applied, but always voted for those he thought the best 
 men, regardless of party ; a strictly temperance man, and 
 bitterly opposed to slavery. On the disruption of the old 
 colonization society and the organization of the abolition- 
 
io6 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 ist party he became one of the first abolitionists in Ox- 
 ford, and from that time on always voted that ticket when 
 there was one in the field. 
 
 Deacon Gile was born in Providence, E. I., and moved 
 to Oxford about the year 1808. A few years later he 
 married Ann, daughter of Capt. Abram Stephens, at that 
 time owner of the property in Preston, known far and 
 near as the " Green Meadow farm." Mr. Gile resided in 
 this village until the year 1818, when he disposed of his 
 property and with his family emigrated to Ohio, moving 
 in a wagon to Olean Point on the Allegheny river. Here 
 he built a flat bottomed boat, or ark, and floated down 
 the stream to Gallipolis, Ohio, remaining there seven 
 years. Epidemics and fevers were so common in that 
 country that the entire family were sick all of one season, 
 and, becoming discouraged, he determined to leave. In 
 the meantime the title to his property in Oxford had 
 reverted to him, and he with his family returned, moved 
 into the old home on Fort Hill, remaining until about 
 1839, when he again sold out and went to Steuben county. 
 From there he moved to Wisconsin, where his wife died. 
 He then resided with his children, spending a portion of 
 his time with Joshua in Iowa, Gordon in Wisconsin, and 
 Caroline, his youngest daughter, in Hannibal, Mo., where 
 he died of cholera in 1876. He died as he had lived, a 
 firm believer in the principles and faith of the Presby- 
 terian church, in mind and body as vigorous as at the 
 age of 40; and respected by all who knew him. His chil- 
 dren, beside those already mentioned, were Margaret, wife 
 of Charles N. Shumway, who died October 20, 1846, aged 
 31 ; John, Ruloff, and William S., who in 1888 was Com- 
 missioner of Fisheries for Kansas, with residence at 
 Venango. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD . 107 
 
 O youngsters! the elderly man has his enviable memor- 
 ies, and not the least of them is the memory of a long 
 journey 'n mid-spring or autumn on the outside of a stage 
 coach.— George Eliot. 
 
 Early Traveling and Mail Routes. 
 
 Traveling by land was for a few years limited and haz- 
 ardous, so that travel by boat was the more popular, 
 although canoes were perilous. Transportation was al- 
 most wholly done by water, and in the winter merchandise 
 was drawn on rude sledges. As horses multiplied women 
 rode with as much ease as men. Young girls rode on 
 side saddles, while older women rode behind men on pil- 
 lions, padded cushions which had a sort of platform 
 stirrup. 
 
 The first roads were called " trodden paths," narrow 
 worn lines, scarce two feet wide, trodden over pine needles 
 and fallen leaves among the tree trunks by the feet of the 
 red men as they walked stealthily in Indian file through 
 the great forest. Later these paths were deepened and 
 worn bare by the coarse and heavy footwear of the pio- 
 neers, others were formed by the slow tread of domestic 
 cattle as they wound around the hillside to pasture or 
 drinking place. Then a scarcely broader bridle-path for 
 horses, with blazed trees as guide posts, widened slowly 
 to traveled roads and uneven cartways. 
 
 Gen. Benjamin Hovey entered into an agreement with 
 the agents of the State in 1789 to open a road from the 
 Unadilla river, to Cayuga lake, near Ithaca. It is known 
 as the old State road and is the same which is now 
 traveled from the Unadilla River to this village, and 
 
io8 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 thence west to McDonough, Cincinnatus, and Ithaca, 
 with very little alteration in the course. The materials 
 for carrying on the surveys of the Gore of the " Twenty 
 Towns " and for cutting the State road were brought up 
 the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers in canoes from 
 Athens, Penn., a distance of about eighty miles, against a 
 rapid current nearly the whole distance. 
 
 Francis Balcom, while living in Unadilla, became ac- 
 quainted with Gen. Hovey, and through him, took in 
 hand the work of cutting the timber, bridging streams, 
 grading and otherwise constructing the road from Rock- 
 dale on the Unadilla river to Oxford on the Chenango 
 river. Those who assisted him were his brother Samuel, 
 Andrew Sprowl, Thomas and James McCalpin, all skilled 
 woodmen. They selected a spot on the east hill to erect 
 a cabin, wherein they might find shelter. One day was 
 devoted to cutting and hauling logs, which, when ready 
 fitted, were drawn to the spot by binding chains around 
 their waists. Before night- fall the cabin was ready for 
 occupancy, and Joab Enos took charge of it and boarded 
 the road-makers. In 1804 Francis and Samuel Balcom 
 took a contract to build a bridge across the Susquehanna 
 river at Wattles ferry and one at the Catskill turnpike. 
 
 The corduroy road was the first improvement made to 
 render public highways passable by vehicles. Miry ground 
 and chuck holes were filled up with sapplings and logs, 
 and wliole roads were made of transverse logs touching 
 one another, cut in lengths about twelve feet long. 
 
 The two-wheeled cart, clumsily built and wasteful of 
 power, was next used by our forefathers for transporta- 
 tion i)urposes, though the transfer of merchandise still 
 was chiefly in the winter by " sledding." In those days 
 the winters were severe with deep snow. The pioneer at 
 that season of the year liad little else to do, and the rough 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 109 
 
 and clumsy-built roads were made smooth by the passage 
 of the sleds. 
 
 After a few years regular freight wagons or sleighs, 
 besides the mail coach, were run and a vast amount of 
 travel and traffic passed over the old State road, or Cats- 
 kill turnpike in the days before canals and railroads. For 
 many years distances were reckoned from tavern to tav- 
 ern, and stone mile posts were met with at every mile 
 of the road. 
 
 All the products of the farm, butter, grain, lumber, 
 wool, etc., had to be drawn over this road to reach a 
 market, and returning teams brought the merchants their 
 merchandise. As even little towns furnished freight, the 
 aggregate was large, and, as they neared the Catskills, the 
 number of teams on the highway seemed enormous. 
 Droves of hundreds of heads of cattle and sheep were of 
 daily occurrence; stages, with two and three extras; 
 teams, heavily loaded, passed both ways ; taverns as often 
 as every two miles the whole length of the road, and all 
 crowded nearly every night. Private carriages without 
 number, loaded with people and their baggage, all helped 
 to swell the vast calvalcade that daily passed over this 
 popular turnpike. 
 
 The haulers of freight were sturdy and healthy men, of 
 regular habits, though not always strictly temperate. 
 Their life was much too vigorous for them to be drunkards. 
 
 During the winter sleighs and pungs took the place 
 of wagons. They were heavily loaded with frozen hogs, 
 poultry and venison; firkins of butter, bags of beans, 
 peas, sheep-pelts, deerhides, skins of mink and fox, oc- 
 casionally a bear skin; nuts that had been gathered by 
 the children, yarn that the housewife had spun, and stock- 
 ings and mittens that the white-haired mother had knitted; 
 homespun cloths and linen. Besides this were hay and 
 
no ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 oats for the horses, and food to last the teamster until 
 the end of the trip, which consisted of doughnuts and 
 cheese, cold roast pork, sausage, and " rye and injun " 
 Meals at the taverns cost but little, a " cold bite " could 
 be had for a shilling, and a warm meal two shillings, but 
 the teamsters often preferred to take their own food with 
 them, which they ate at the taverns, and, if they washed 
 their own dishes, the landlord got six cents for furnish- 
 ing hot tea, and was expected to throw in a glass of 
 whiskey when the bill was settled. It was immaterial to 
 tavern keepers whether or not they served meals. More 
 profit was made on the liquors sold and sleeping accommo- 
 dation given, though the latter was crude enough. Great 
 fires were built in barroom and parlor, the teamsters 
 spreading blankets and robes upon the floor, rolled up in 
 them and slept with feet toward the fire, thus forming 
 a half-circle. Ten cents was paid for the privilege of 
 thus lodging, but the sale of rum and cider made a fat 
 wallet for the tavern keeper. 
 
 In winter the teamsters were attired in heavy homespun 
 clothing, calfskin boots with trousers tucked inside, and 
 fur-lined overshoes over the boots. Over all these were 
 bright red knit leggings, which came up nearly to their 
 thighs. They wore a fur or buffalo skin coat, a red com- 
 forter and fur cap with ear protectors. Many also had red 
 silk sashes around their bodies, tied on the left side with a 
 double bow with tassels. Their hands were encased in 
 double-pegged mittens, leather or fur gloves. The costume 
 made the men picturesque figures at the taverns. 
 
 The first mail route through Oxford was from Coopers- 
 town to Binghamton, then called Chenango Point, and 
 was without doubt established soon after the settlement 
 of Oxford was begun. The little community at first was 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD iii 
 
 supplied with a semi-monthly mail, then a weekly mail 
 was carried over this route on horseback as late as 1819, 
 when a stage line was formed from Utica to Binghamton 
 by Joseph Willoughby of Oxford, who commenced a 
 " stage wagon with two horses," making weekly trips, 
 which were soon changed to semi-weekly. In 1821 George 
 Munsell of Binghamton purchased Mr. Willoughby's 
 route, running semi-weekly and himself driving. In 1825 
 he put on a post coach and four horses and continued one 
 of the principal proprietors of the Utica line for many 
 years. 
 
 In 1822 a stage route and mail line was formed from 
 Catskill to Ithaca, which soon became a very general thor- 
 oughfare of ti*avel. The stage left Catskill every Sunday 
 morning and arrived in Oxford on the following Tuesday 
 morning. Leaving Oxford on Wednesday afternoon it 
 arrived in Catskill on Friday afternoon. In later years 
 the route was improved and the stage left Catskill for 
 Ithaca every morning on arrival of boats from New York, 
 via Delhi, Unadilla, Oxford, etc., the route being 165 
 miles long. Leaving Ithaca every moraing at 3 o'clock, 
 the stage arrived in Catskill the second day. Thirty 
 pounds of baggage was allowed and 140 pounds was equal 
 to a passenger. The fare was four cents per mile. 
 
 Burr Bradley, who drove the stage on the Catskill line 
 in 1822, was a striking character and an important indi- 
 vidual; popular with travelers and acquainted with 
 everyone who resided on his lengthy route. He was a 
 good natured fellow and his arrival in town was hailed 
 with joy by all the juveniles, which he announced by fre- 
 quent blasts upon a long tin horn, that echoed through 
 the valley from the head of Albany Street. This was 
 also a signal for the loungers to bestir themselves and 
 
112 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 gather on the tavern porch as the stage drew up with 
 vehement " Whoas ! " He was never without a story, 
 which he would tell in such a humorous way that many 
 considered it a treat to ride with him, and he was a 
 general favorite of the boys and girls, with whom he 
 cracked his jokes. His team was covered with ivory rings, 
 and he was always talking to it when not conversing 
 with the passengers. He never was without a runaway, 
 kicker, and biter in his team; sat up straight, kept his 
 reins taut and whip erect in his left hand. He talked to 
 his horses as he would to a person. " Git up, Bill, have 
 to touch ye up if ye git shirky." " If you don't do better, 
 Tom, I'll swap ye off fur one of Ben Butler's old sheep, 
 and git the best of the bargain then." He carried from 
 town to town, and from house to house, general news, 
 sometimes gossip, and often word in regard to the health 
 of friends. His progress along the highway was eagerly 
 watched by the farmer in the field, who paused in his 
 work until the stage was lost to sight; while at every 
 house faces at the small windows greeted him and his 
 passengers. He would stop his team at a lonely spot, 
 where a little home was located, perhaps miles from 
 town, and to the pale and anxious woman who came to 
 the door joy and thankfulness would radiate her features 
 at his message : " Sam's fever has left him, and he's hun- 
 grier than a b'ar. The doctor says he's comin' out all 
 right." And, with a " God bless you, Burr, for the good 
 news," he would drive on. At another place he would 
 leave the message : " Mary and the baby will be up next 
 trip. Wants ye to tell all the folks so she wont miss 
 seeing any of 'em." Burr had a kindly disposition and 
 was a good friend to everyone but himself, which eventu- 
 ally led to his death by a fall from his stage, resulting in 
 a broken neck. He was sincerely mourned by old and 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 113 
 
 young, and his many acts of kindness were remembered 
 for years. 
 
 About 1822 Ethan Clarke came to Oxford and pur- 
 chased the Stage House, now the Hotchkiss House, and 
 later became connected with the stage line that stopped 
 at his house. 
 
 In 1823 mail coaches and stages ran twice a week from 
 Oxford to Albany, Utica, Catskill, and to Newburgh by way 
 of Binghamton 
 
 In 1825 Jacob P. Hill carried on horseback the first mail 
 from Oxford to McDonough. 
 
 In 1829 the Oxford and Cooperstown line left Oxford 
 daily, Saturday excepted, at 4 a. m., and arrived at Coop- 
 erstown in the evening. This route was a part of the 
 Ithaca and Albany line of post coaches, which made the 
 trip in three days. The line was intersected at Oxford 
 by the Binghamton, Catskill and Utica line. All baggage 
 was carried at the risk of the owner. A writer in the 
 Chenango Republican, published in Oxford under date 
 of January 20, 1830, said : " It is not generally known 
 in this section of the county which is the shortest and 
 most convenient route to New York. One who is inti- 
 mately acquainted, recommends leaving this village either 
 on Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday morning — will pass 
 through Chenango Point, and reach Montrose the evening 
 of each day, passing through Milford and Morristown, in 
 "New Jersey, and reach New York the third day from 
 leaving Oxford." 
 
 In 1836 stages ran from Utica to Oxford and Bing- 
 hamton every day except Sunday; leaving Utica at 5 
 A. M., they reached Oxford the first day, thence to Bing- 
 hamton next day at noon. 
 
 In 1847 A. H. Watkins, then a resident of Oxford, es- 
 tablished a coach communication betwelen Oxford and 
 
114 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Norwich. The coach left Oxford daily at 8 a. m. and 
 2 p. M., aud on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 7 
 p. M. Eeturning, it left Norwich at 10 A. M., and 5 p. m. 
 every day, and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5 
 A. M. also. The fare was twenty-five cents one way, or 
 thirty-eight cents round trip. 
 
 In May, 1847, the fare was reduced on the Bingham- 
 fon, Utica and Albany route, and a four-horse post coach 
 left Binghamton at 7 a. m., arriving at Utica at 12 p. M. 
 the next day. Returning, it left Utica at 3 p. m., reaching 
 Binghamton the next day at 11 A. m. An accommodation 
 left Oxford every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 
 5 A. M., j-eaching Utica at 5 p. ini. 
 
 The old four-horse post coach, or Concord coach, was 
 a clumsy vehicle, hung on thoroughbraces, which lurched 
 over the rough road like a ship in a seaway. They con- 
 tained three seats with leather cushions. Behind the mid- 
 dle seat was a broad leather strap to support the backs 
 of passengers. Two seats on the outside would accom- 
 modate four persons besides the driver. In Avinter the 
 coach was placed on runners. Curtains were closely but- 
 toned at the sides and big buffalo robes and a liberal 
 supply of straw contributed a slight degree of comfort. 
 When the coach stopped at a tavern the passengers would 
 aliglit to warm themselves, hanging their shawls and 
 broad-flapped coats on a wooden peg and draw up before 
 the log fire, the men in the barroom were surrouud(Ml by 
 a group of townsmen eager for the latest news, and from 
 the ladies iti the public sitting-room the landlady often 
 got much information from the fashionable world. 
 
 In January, 1848, Mr. Watkins fitted up a stage on 
 I'unners and appropriately named it the " Snow Bird." 
 It was placed on the " accommodation line " between 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 115 
 
 Oxford and Norwich. A stove Avas securely fastened 
 inside, which insured a comfortable ride. 
 
 Accidents were of occasional occurrence, of which we 
 will mention one. On October 10, 1834, as the stage 
 was near Unadilla on its way to Oxford, the horses be- 
 came frightened at the bloody cloths about a butcher's 
 wagon, ran away, and threw themselves with the coach, 
 which was well filled with passengers, down a steep bank. 
 The coach was crushed to pieces and two residents of Ox- 
 ford were among the injured: the Eev. Mr. Bush receiv- 
 ing a fracture of the collar bone, and Cyrus A. Bacon 
 severe bruises about the head. One horse was instantly 
 killed. 
 
 In 1848 A. H. Watkins & Co.'s Catskill route to New 
 York was popular on account of the day arrangement. 
 Covered carriages were run to Gilbertsville, and four- 
 horse coaches from there to Catskill. The line left Oxford 
 at 7 A. M. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, remained 
 over night at Stamford, making a passage to New York 
 in two days with no traveling at night. Returning the 
 stage left Catskill daily for the Chenango Valley; on 
 Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday for Oxford, and on the 
 alternate days for Greene and Ithaca. 
 
 Four-horse coaches in January, 1849, left Oxford daily, 
 Sunday excepted, on arrival of accommodation line from 
 Utica, and arrived in Deposit in time for the Erie train 
 to New York. The fare was |5.15. The Monday morning 
 stage left Oxford at midnight and run in time for trains 
 to New York the same day. 
 
 In April, 1851, a stage commenced running tri-weekly 
 between Oxford and Cooperstown, leaving the former place 
 at 6 A. M. and arriving at the latter at 5 p. m., and return- 
 ing on alternate days at the same hour. 
 
 In August, 1851, G. M. Bartle and I. Slater started a 
 
ii6 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 daily stage from Oxford to Deposit, leaving Oxford at 
 6 :30 A. M., passing through Coventryville, South Bain- 
 bridge, Vallonia Springs, Sanford Centre, and arrived 
 at Deposit at 1 p. m., in time for the Express east. Re- 
 turning it left Deposit at 7 a. m., after arrival of morning 
 train from New York, reaching Oxford at 3 p. m. 
 
 In July, 1858, arrangements were made with the Syra- 
 cuse and Binghamton and the Erie railroads, whereby 
 passengers were receipted directly through to New York 
 at the rate of |6.00. The stage left Oxford at 6 :15 a. m., 
 making connections at Chenango Forks and giving pas- 
 sengers two hours in Binghamton, landing them in New 
 York City the same evening. 
 
 In May, 1861, two lines of stages passed daily through 
 Oxford and the fare Avas reduced to |5.85 to New York. 
 
 In June, 1866, Peter Packard started a stage line from 
 Oxford to Unadilla to connect with the Albany and Sus- 
 quehanna, now the Delaware and Hudson railroad. 
 Leaving Oxford at 8 a. m., passengers reached Albany 
 in time for evening boats on the Hudson river to New 
 York. Later the stage line was changed to Sidney, and 
 then to Bainbridge, as the railroad was extended to those 
 places. 
 
 The year 1870 saw the last of the four-horse mail coach 
 in the Chenango Valley, as the New York, Ontario and 
 Western railway ran its first passenger and mail train 
 into this town on the 21st day of February of that year, 
 and the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western railroad 
 was opened on the 19th of December of the same year. 
 
 ONE of the pastimes in early days was that of gather- 
 ing at the river during Spring freshets and watch 
 the lumber rafts float down stream to tidewater. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 117 
 
 As Tammie gloared, amazed and curious, 
 The mirth and fun grew fast and furious.— Burns, 
 
 River Bridge Bee. 
 
 The first bridge across the majestic Chenango at Ox- 
 ford was built by Theodore Buit, an architect and famous 
 bridge builder, from Egremont, Mass., in the year 1800. 
 The second bridge was constructed under the direction of 
 Jonathan Baldwin in 1823-4. At the commencement of 
 this work it was necessary to procure the assistance of 
 numbers of men and teams from the neighboring towns 
 in drawing stone for the abutments and piers. This plan 
 of united effort for a single object was to be termed a Bee. 
 It was a new kind of one, though not the first. 
 
 In order to intensify the pro bono publico spirit which 
 would prompt a general acceptance of the invitation to 
 men with teams, on the laborious occasion, the committee 
 resolved to celebrate the day, and at the same time pro- 
 vide substantial beef rations, by roasting an immense ox 
 on a frame or spit, after the manner of a grand barbecue. 
 
 On September 7, 1822, a meeting of the inhabitants of 
 the village and town was held at Clark's Hotel, where 
 the subject of a new bridge was discussed. In January, 
 1823, the following call was issued : 
 
 NOTICE 
 
 The undersigned Commissioners of OXFORD BRIDGE, request the 
 inhabitants of Oxford, Smithville & Preston, to assist in drawing 
 STONE from Mr. Abel Smith's to said bridge in this village, on Sat- 
 
ii8 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 urday next. As the people of the above towns are interested in re- 
 pairing said bridge, it is expected a punctual attendance will be given. 
 
 S. Balcom, ^ 
 J. Stratton, > Corn's. 
 S. Parker, ) 
 Oxford, Jan. 28. 
 
 In February, 1823, another meeting was held and the 
 following handbill was issued: 
 
 OXFORD 
 
 BRIDGE BEE. 
 
 [Cut of Ox as Roasting. '\ 
 
 At a meeting of the inhabitants of Oxford, at Clark's 
 Hotel, on the 19th of February, 1823, to take into con- 
 sideration the Bridge about to be constructed over the 
 Chenango, 
 
 HEZEKIAH MORSE, Chairman. 
 
 C. A. Thorp, Secretary. 
 
 Resolved, That the inhabitants of Oxford, and the adjacent towns, 
 be invited to attend in person, and with teams, on Friday the 28th 
 February inst for the drawing of Stone necessary to the New Bridge. 
 
 Resolved, That Ransom Kathbone, Ira Willcox, Abijah Lobdell, 
 Henry Mygatt. ICpaphras Miller, and Erastus I'erkins, be a committee 
 in behalf of the village, to co-operate with the Commissioners in carry- 
 ing the above project into effect. 
 
 Resolved, That Ethan Clark, Geoi'ge A. Cary, Uri Tracy, Jun., 
 David St. John, Marcus Sherwood, Charles A. Hunt, Luther Newcomb. 
 Ira M'Niel, Austin Rouse, Ebenezer Sherwood, Thomas Newkirk, Ros- 
 well M'Call, George Farnham, Oliver T. Bundy, .John W. Allen, Richard 
 Van Wagenen, Frederick Stratton, Erastus Smith, George C. Billings, 
 and Rufus Hopkins, be a committee of vigilance, whose duty it shall 
 be to notify the people of the above meeting, and to give to the pro- 
 ceedings of the day force and activity. 
 
 Resolved, That Amos A. Franklin, Otis J. Tracy, Samuel Cole, 
 Solomon Dodge, Edward Loomis, Jeremiah Ten Brook, Asa Beverly, 
 Shubal Coy, Samuel Lewis, Luther Osgood, Jesse Keech. Daniel Shum- 
 way, Joseph Noyes, and Solomon Bmidy. be appointed captains of 
 the Bee, to direct the loading and unloading of teams, the whole to 
 be under the superintendence of the counnissioners. 
 
 The importance to the people of Oxford, and the neighboring towns, 
 of having a firm and substantial Bridge across the Chenango, it is 
 hoped, will procure a general attendance. The stone are quarried and 
 in piles, and the sleighing is excellent. Those who have teams are 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 119 
 
 solicited to coine with tbem, and those who have no teams, are re- 
 quested to attend to assist in the loading and unloading. 
 
 Five Hundred Dollars were required to be subscribed for the Bridge : 
 more than that sum has been already subscribed. The object of this 
 Bee is to increase the funds for building a permanent Bridge. The 
 labour thus furnished by the liberality of individuals has no connection 
 with the subscription. 
 
 A FAT OX will be roasted on the VILLAGE GREEN near the Bridge, 
 and at five o'clock, each man who has participated in the labors of 
 the day. will be at liberty to line his hread-hasket with as much roast 
 beef and trimmings, as he can conveniently carry. This repast, fur- 
 nished through the patriotism of our citizens, will be offered to those 
 only who assist in getting stone for the Bridge. Drones, poachers, and 
 interlopers, whose only object is sport, will not be fed. To guard 
 against imposition, tickets of admission to the supper table, will be 
 distributed by the captains of the Bee. Capt. John Fisher, aided 
 by several young men, will conduct the BARBECUE. The best of hay 
 will be provided for the horses. 
 
 G^entlemen %\'ho reside in the adjacent villages, will confer a favor 
 by procuring and sending labourers and teams. All who afford us 
 assistance in any shape, are cordially invited to cut in for a lunch of 
 the Ox. 
 
 Samuel Balcom, ) 
 
 Simeon Parker. ^ Commissioners. 
 
 John Stratton, ) 
 
 Oxford. February 22, 1823. 
 
 The great day finally dawned and with it came men 
 and teams from far and near to assist, and those from 
 opposite sides of the river vied with each other in getting 
 first at the work. The day proved to be \erj stormy 
 and intensely cold, but all worked diligently, and big 
 bonfires were kindled to lessen the severity of the weather. 
 
 The ox had been roasted entire on a spit passing through 
 its body, which was suspended between two wheels, and 
 made to revolve over the fire for two days and a night 
 in cooking it. Tickets, marked with the word " Barbecue," 
 had been distributed among those who had assisted, who 
 instantly thronged about the tables when roast ox was 
 announced. Potatoes and bread in huge quantities were 
 provided with the beef, and he was lucky wiio could fill 
 both hands with the trio of edibles, as the foremost ones 
 at the table were rudely pressed forward by hungry bat- 
 talions in their rear. 
 
120 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 The air was full of chill, and many of the crowd were 
 full of enthusiasm, as Ira Wilcox, the Fort Hill merchant, 
 had been a very liberal provider of cider and whisky. 
 After a terrible battle with the beef, in which scarcely 
 a trace was left, their spirits rose to such a pitch that 
 dishes and potatoes alike were sent sailing through the 
 air. Amid frantic yells for more beef, when there was 
 no beef, the jovial horde snatched the spit with the remains 
 of the roast, composing the frame of the creature only, 
 supported still by the two wheels, and gave an exhibition 
 through the principal street on the west side of the vil- 
 lage. They then rushed merrily singing across the bridge 
 towards Fort Hill. It is impossible to impart the impres- 
 sions which the sight, and especially the sounds of the 
 procession, inspired in the minds of an unoffending pub- 
 lic, except, that, in the case of the Fort Hill merchant, 
 we are able to get a gleaning of his " impressions," as 
 he afterwards sat on the occasion. Mr. Wilcox was stand- 
 ing in his store door, when, as in a waking vision, he 
 beheld the unusual spectacle bearing down upon him over 
 tlie bridge. He stood, arra^^ed in all the stern dignity 
 which he could wear so well, and withal, in a black suit 
 of smoothest cloth. With glasses adjusted, and eyes tIt- 
 eted on the advancing apparition, he shouted : 
 
 "Don't you come over here with that; we won't 
 have it!" 
 
 " Yes, we will, too! " was the reply in a chorus of babel 
 voices. 
 
 Then, before the merchant prince could realize his posi- 
 tion, he was seized and placed astride the moving carcavss. 
 The panorama passed on amid the cries of " Hail to the 
 King!" with its added accumulation of backbone, whick 
 Mr. Wilcox was known to possess, through the street! 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 121 
 
 of the east side of the river. Then the good natured 
 merchant was unhorsed, with his broadcloth bearing the 
 glistening marks of a tallow dip. Thus passed this me- 
 orable day into history. 
 
 THE MANNER in which the celebration of the suc- 
 cessful laying of the first Atlantic cable was carried 
 out, in the evening of August 6, 1858, was worthy of Ox- 
 ford in her best days. Although but a short time could 
 be given for preparation, residences and stores were bril- 
 liantly illuminated, the old Academy boarding hall with 
 its hundreds of candles in the windows made a sight that 
 is remembered to this day. The Oxford Band from the bal- 
 cony of the Lewis block discoursed excellent music, a six- 
 pounder in front of the Stage House kept up a regular 
 cannonading, and a balloon ascension closed the festivities. 
 The balloon was, no doubt, the handiwork of *"Hank" 
 Knapp, who used to make huge paper balloons of many 
 colors and send them up on all public occasions. The 
 streets were thronged with people, all expressing joy at the 
 wonderful feat in laying a telegraph wire under the Atlan- 
 tic ocean and being able to send messages o'er the sea. 
 
 * Henry S. Knapp was one of the twenty or thirty young men who learned 
 telegraphy in Oxford and later filled responsible positions as managers and 
 operators in the west. Mr. Knapp died several years ago. 
 
 MANY STORIES are told of Joseph Walker, odd of 
 speech and emphatic in expression. One will illus- 
 trate : Mr. Walker was ill, his last sickness in fact, and 
 his old friend and neighbor, Cyrus A. Bacon, dropped in 
 to see him. "Good morning, Mr. Walker," he said, 
 "how do you feel today?" "Poorly, poorly, how do you 
 get along. Bacon!" "I don't feel very well myself, Mr. 
 Walker," replied Mr. Bacon. The sick man rolled his 
 eyes and murmured, "Ah, Bacon, they wain^t us." 
 
122 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 And this our life, exempt from public haunt, 
 Find tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, 
 Sermons in stones, and good in everything. 
 
 — Shakespeabe. 
 
 In Rafting Days. 
 
 Ira B. McFarland, of whom mention is made elsewhere 
 in the Annals, often related his experience in the vast 
 pineries which, in the early history of the country, filled 
 the valleys of the Chenango and the Susquehanna, and 
 covered the intervening hills and broad tablelands. The 
 forests, as they stood in their primitive glory, contained 
 tall and straight trees, many of them gigantic in size, 
 lifting their regal heads heavenward, and sweeping in 
 one vast wilderness for miles upon every side, constituting 
 a source of untold wealth. Some of the trees would be 
 four and five feet in diameter, and seventy feet to the 
 first limbs. Many of the pines y>^ould make four thousand 
 feet of lumber, and the manner in which they were pre- 
 pared for transportation, in the form of lumber, to distant 
 markets is interesting. 
 
 A " gang " of men would enter the woods with axes and 
 saws. The choppers going before would select their trees, 
 passing by the ordinary and taking only the noblest speci- 
 mens. The tree fairly down, it was examined, and it 
 required but a trifling imperfection to condemn it, and 
 then it was abandoned and left to decay. The first step 
 in the process of cutting the felled tree into logs was to 
 " butt " it, that is, from four to eight feet of the trunk 
 next the stump would be sawed off and rejected. This 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 123 
 
 was done because this portion of the tree was generally 
 " shaky," or filled with seams, which would render it of 
 little value when converted into lumber. This condition 
 of the lower portion of the trunks of pine and hemlock 
 trees is probably caused by the swaying to and fro of the 
 tree, year after year of its life, whenever the winds blow, 
 which bends the solid wood just at this point, and neces- 
 sarily strains the fibres and rends them apart by the 
 powerful action and weight of the great body above. 
 
 Sawmills were erected upon a creek or river bank, to 
 which the logs would be di*awn during the winter season, 
 and there converted into lumber ready for rafting down 
 the river when the spring freshets came. A raft would 
 generally contain about forty thousand feet of lumber, 
 making it in length not far from one hundred and forty 
 feet, and in width from twelve to sixteen feet, with a solid 
 depth of three feet. Sometimes a cabin would be made 
 of a few of the boards and placed in the center of the 
 raft, which afforded protection for the raftsmen against 
 the cold driving rains and boisterous winds of the early 
 spring season. A straw bunk and one or two kettles were 
 usually all the outfit the cabin contained. Coarse bread, 
 pork and beans, and potatoes were the daily rations. To 
 guide the raft, two oars were provided, one at the forward 
 end, the other at the rear end, and consisted of a large 
 pole thirty or forty feet in length, resting by the center 
 over a head block, with a wooden pin through it, which 
 permitted it to turn in any direction. Upon the end in 
 the water was fastened a long, wide plank, that formed 
 the rudder, which was easily operated by means of the 
 long lever portion extending back of the head block. The 
 oars, with an occasional use of poles, would guide the 
 raft most effectually, and a pilot and one hand was all 
 that was needed to run down as far as Columbia, on the 
 
124 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Susquehanna. Here over a stretch of forty miles, through 
 swift rapids and among numerous rocks, the aid of five 
 men were required to manage the raft. At Columbia 
 another gang of men took the raft on down to the head 
 of tide water on Chesapeake Bay. Here fifty or more 
 rafts would be put together and run to Baltimore, where 
 the lumber found a ready market. 
 
 A MAP OF THE VILLAGE of Oxford, drawn in 1824 
 by the late Henry R. Mygatt then a boy in his teens, 
 is in possession of Charles W, Brown. The map shows 
 only the now main streets as they then existed, with the 
 buildings located thereon. A wooden river bridge, three 
 times the length of the present iron structure, extend- 
 ed nearly to what is now Canal street, there was no "Navy 
 Island" (now the main business street) nor was the Che- 
 nango canal built. LaFayette Park is on the map as 
 Baldwin's square, and Washington Park as Academy 
 square from the fact that the first academy was located 
 there in 1794 ; Clinton street was Baltimore street, and 
 State Cayuga street. Cork Island is shown above the 
 bridge. The island was somewhere in the vicinity of the 
 present Basket factory, but time and floods have changed 
 the channels and its location is lost. 
 
 ONE GENERAL TRAINING DAY Wayne Berry, a 
 noted character, came to town on horseback and 
 rode up in front of the Stage House when the grith broke 
 and he fell off into the mud, still seated in the saddle. 
 The crowd broke into a laugh, when Wayne, seated in 
 the mud, exclaimed: "Gentleman, it's a d — d good 
 horseman that sticks to his saddle." 
 
.€*«^ 
 
 MHfma^ mmrmm. .vc^- 
 
■eaK 
 
 \ ^ 
 
 
 
126 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 1895 to give place to the present handsome and commo- 
 dious edifice, was the fifth structure in succession since 
 the charter was granted. 
 
 The first building completed and occupied was erected 
 in the autumn of 1792, and was the first framed building 
 raised in town. It was used for a private and classical 
 school for more than eighteen months, and was taught 
 by Uri Tracy, a graduate of Yale, who also was the first 
 principal of the Academy. 
 
 The site of the first house was on the northwesterly side 
 of Washington Park, near tlie residence of the late Dr. 
 George Douglas. It soon proved too limited for the increas- 
 ing needs of the schools, and in December, 1797, was sold 
 with part of the site for eighty pounds. A part of the lot 
 was released to Benj. Hovey in exchange for twenty rods of 
 land in the southerly part of the common, near the present 
 residence of Joseph E. Packard, and the second building 
 was erected and completed on this site in the autumn of 
 1799. 
 
 This second Academy was destroyed by fire and never 
 occupied, and a third building was erected upon the same 
 site in the first year of the past century. This third struc- 
 ture was removed from the lot on the common in 1806 
 to the southerly side of Merchant's Row, at its intersection 
 with Greene Street, opposite lands now a part of the 
 estate of the late Ward VanDerLyn. Here it continued 
 in use for the school until about the year 1832, when it 
 was sold to the trustees of the Methodist Episcopal church 
 who used it as a place of public worship until the erection 
 of their present church on Fort Hill. 
 
 At a meeting of trustees in October, 1791, it was 
 
 Voted. That this Board consider themselves indebted to Uri Tracy 
 in the sum of £50 for his services as principal during six months past 
 
 Voted. That a petition be presented to the legislature requesting 
 them to grant unto the Academy of Oxford the benefit of the land in 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 127 
 
 the county of Tioga set apart for the purpose of promoting literature. 
 
 Voted. That Mr. Solomon Martin be requested to procure a seal for 
 this board, to be known as the seal of Oxford Academy ; and that 
 the expense of procuring the same be paid by the Treasurer. 
 
 Voted. That a committee of three be appointed for the purpose of 
 procuring a teacher. 
 
 Benjamin Ilovey, Uri Tracy and Solomon Martin were chosen ac- 
 cordingly. 
 
 Voted. That a member of this board attend the Regency of the 
 University the ensuing winter relative to the future support of this 
 encorporation, and that Benj. Hovey be requested to attend for that 
 purpose. 
 
 Voted. That a committee of three be appointed for the purpose of 
 keeping the academy in repair and to make some alteration in the 
 water now brought to the house for the use of the school. 
 
 Voted. That the proprietors of the private library have liberty 
 to erect a book case or other necessary equipments for their accom- 
 modation, free of expense, in this house. 
 
 Voted. That if any scholar break glass, or injure this house, he, or 
 his guardian shall repair the same at his ov^^n expense. 
 
 Voted. That the secretary be directed to transmit a copy of this 
 and the former proceedings of this board to the Treasurer and Teacher 
 of the school within fifteen days from date, and that he charge the 
 expense thereof to this board. (Signed.) 
 
 Benjamin ITovey, Uri Tracy, Solomon Wattles, John McWhorter, 
 Witter Johnson, James Phelps, Joab Enos, David Bates, Benj. Ray, 
 Avery Powers, Solomon Martin. 
 
 It was in the third Academy, under David Prentice as 
 principal, afterwards professor of the Greek and Latin 
 in Geneva (now Hobart) College, that among other names 
 the roll bears those of Horatio Seymour, sometime Gov- 
 ernor of the State; John W. Allen, who in 1840 was 
 Postmaster General under the first Harrison ; Ward Hunt, 
 who afterwards sat upon the bench of the Supreme Court 
 of the nation; Joseph G. Masten, who was a Judge of 
 the Superior Court of Buffalo; Charlemagne Tower, 
 whose name was familiar in the world of business and 
 finance; Ferris Forman, who was afterwards graduated 
 at West Point, and was in the war with Mexico, and 
 reached honorable rank in the army; Henry W. Rogers, 
 a leading lawyer and popular citizen of Buffalo, and 
 prominent in political life; and Henry R. Mygatt, who, 
 during nearly forty years of able and honorable practice 
 
128 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 of the law in Oxford, was the liberal citizen, the steadfast 
 patron and friend of the Academy, adding to her strength 
 and usefulness by his willing service, wise counsel and 
 constant benefactions. Of those who were with them at 
 school, Hon. Frederick Juliand of Greene, Mrs. Elizabeth 
 (Hopkins) Newkirk and Mr. Alanson Hull of this town, 
 were the last survivors. Horatio Seymour as a schoolboy 
 was known as '* Pompey '' Seymour, a nickname he brought 
 with him from the circumstance of his birth place being in 
 Pompey, Onondaga County. He was tall of his age, figure 
 in just proportion, brilliant black eyes, straight as an 
 arrow, and graceful in every move. In athletic exercises 
 he was ahead of his companions, and in liis studies was 
 always perfect. Every Wednesday afternoon was decla- 
 mation, and he was the orator par excellence that others 
 tried to imitate. His favorite piece was the speech of 
 Robert Emmet, in his own defense before the English 
 court that condemned him. He had other declamations, 
 but the students always were delighted when he spoke 
 and acted this piece. 
 
 The fourth school building, dedicated January 2, 1832, 
 was erected on the easterly side of Fort Hill, opposite 
 the Baptist church, and was far in advance of any be- 
 fore in its architecture and fitness for school purposes. It 
 was surmounted with a dome to which a new bell was 
 added, which is still in use to summon students to duty. 
 What a long array of students in succession have heeded 
 it calling them to their tasks! How many have heard its 
 glad welcome to entertainment and festival and anni- 
 versary! How sweetly, may be sadly, its sweet tones have 
 vibrated in the young, brave hearts of some on battle 
 fields, while they thought of the severed ties of dear kin- 
 ship and tender association never perchance to be renewed 
 on this side the veil ! 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 129 
 
 In this building a separate apartment for girls was 
 first instituted under a preceptress, the gentler sex having 
 until then been wholly under the training of the principal 
 and his male assistants. The school now entered upon a 
 career of great prosperity and wider usefulness, under 
 the mastership of Merritt G. McKoon, and Miss Emily 
 C. Benedict, the first female instructress ever employed 
 for the school. The employment of a female teacher was 
 a subject of grave consideration, for, at a meeting March 
 12, 1830, it was resolved " That Messrs. VanDerLyn, 
 Tracy, and Clapp be a committee to examine and report 
 on the expediency of establishing a female branch to the 
 Academy." As the committee were all lawyers, their re- 
 port in favor of the employment seemed to put at rest 
 as least every legal objection that could be urged against it. 
 
 John Abbott succeeded Mr. McKoon, and in no equal 
 term of life has its patronage been so wide spread as during 
 their principalship, covering a period of over twenty years. 
 It reached quite beyond mere local limits and gathered 
 students not only from other and distant sections of this 
 State, but from those adjoining east, west and south. The 
 catalogue of 1840 had three hundred and ten names, and 
 within fifteen years 3000 different students had been in 
 attendance at the school. 
 
 The fifth and last school building erected by the Trus- 
 tees of Oxford Academy, stood upon the site of the present 
 Union Free School. It was longer in service, and more 
 students have gone out from it, than from any that pre- 
 ceded it. Its dedication August 1 and 2, 1854, called 
 together an assemblage of vast proportion, the second of 
 which is in book form and familiar to many. Of the 
 men who shared the labors and duties of that occasion, 
 nearly all have gone beyond the great divide. Joseph G. 
 
130 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Tborp, the last survivor of the trustees is at rest in the 
 Riverview Cemetery. Of those who took part in the liter- 
 ary exercises, Miss Lucy A. Balcom and Rev. Daniel Wash- 
 burn, each of whom contributed an ode, are with the 
 great majority beyond. Of the local committee which 
 had in hand the general care and direction of the cele- 
 bration none are living. 
 
 The writer, who was then in his fifth year, distinctly 
 Temembers but one event at the Jubilee. The assembly, 
 seated on rough benches, filled the yard facing the build- 
 ing, and the Oxford Band was present to assist in the 
 musical part of the programme. We were too young to 
 be left at home alone, nor could we be fostered upon the 
 neighbors, for they, too, were at the Jubilee. So, hand in 
 hand with our maternal parent, we joined the jubilant 
 throng. All was well till half of the programme was 
 finished, then came a selection from the Band. It was 
 our first experience with a Band, and we rather liked it 
 until the bass drummer loudly struck his instrument, then 
 the serenity of the occasion was amusingly diverted by 
 the sudden dive we made under the benches. Caraway 
 sprigs and peppermint sticks could not dispell our fears 
 nor prevail upon us to come forth until the selection was 
 finished. Then, with tearful eye, we were taken from 
 the scene to the Times office, and left to be called for at 
 the close of the afternoon exercises. 
 
 The fourth Academy, which had stood on the east side 
 of Fort Hill, was moved during the summer of 1854, and 
 placed near the river and the new school building, and 
 used as a boarding house for teachers and students. Here 
 Merrit G. McKoon, first principal in the fourth building, 
 died very suddenly November 28, 1854. After years of 
 service elsewhere he had come back in the full vigor and 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 131 
 
 ripe experience of manhood, with high, fond hope of the 
 future, to take again the principalship of the school in 
 the new Academy. His burial from the same building 
 where he had with such zeal and devotion entered upon 
 a new career of useful and honorable service, was well 
 and fitly ordered by the trustees. At his death the roll 
 contained the names of one hundred and ninety-nine stu- 
 dents committed to his care. 
 
 Of those who followed Mr. McKoon as principal, the 
 longest term of service, extending beyond ten years, was 
 that of David G. Barber, beloved by all of his students. 
 It was during the early part of this period, that more 
 than sixty, who had been or were then students of Oxford 
 Academy, went forward to the defense of the Republic 
 against armed rebellion. Some of these closed their school 
 books and came not back again. Edward S. Bragg, a stu- 
 dent of 1844, who was breveted a general for meritorious 
 services and afterwards made minister for the" United 
 States to Mexico, was early in the list. A beautiful bronze 
 tablet, figured in low relief of the schoolboy and the young 
 soldier, attracts the eye as one enters the Academy hall, 
 and bears the inscription: 
 
 CENTENNIAL TABLET 
 1794-1894 
 
 Erected in Commemoration of tlie Patriotic Action of the Students 
 of Oxford Academy wtio, in 18G1-1865, voluntarily periled their lives 
 in defense of the Union and the Flag. A tribute of Perpetual Remem- 
 brance and undying honor by the Trustees, Teachers, Students and 
 Friends of Oxford Academy in Centennial Celebration assembled, in 
 June 28-29, 1894. 
 
 The Centennial of Oxford Academy, June 28 and 29, 
 1894, brought together men and women from far and near, 
 erstwhile teachers and students, to hear kindly words of 
 welcome, and speak, heart to heart, glad centennial greet- 
 
132 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 ings. It was an event that is faithfully recorded in a 
 book compiled by the late Major O. H. Curtis, which will 
 have added interest and value with the passing years. 
 
 Following is the succession of principals: Uri Tracy, 
 1793, '04; Elisha Mosley, 1795; John Kinney, 1807; Rev, 
 Wm. Hyde, 1808; David Prentice,' 1821; Wm. D. Beattie, 
 1825; Rev. Edward Andrews, 1826; Wm. D. Beattie, 
 1828; Merritt G. McKoon, 1832; John Abbott, 1843; 
 Myron M. Goodenough, 1852; Chas. E. Vanderburgh, 
 1852; Abel Wood, 1853, William Wight, 1854; Merritt 
 G. McKoon, 1854, until his death; Frederick Humphrey, 
 1854; J. C. VanBenschoten, 1856; H. Barnes, Jr., 1858; 
 David G. Barber, 1859-70; Henry E. Storrs, 1870; Her- 
 bert J. Cook, 1870 ; Rev. Charles Woodward, 1872 ; Charles 
 W. Brown, 1872; Warren C. Hubbard, 1872-73; Rev. 
 Frank B. Lewis, 1873; James A. Brown, 1879; Frank 
 D. Budlong, 1883; Frederick L. Gamage, 1885; Herbert 
 P. Gallinger, 1893; William C. Joslin, 1895; R. H. Coe, 
 1896 ; Robert K. Toaz, 1899 ; E. M. Sanders, 1906. 
 
 Oxford Academy, having rounded out its century 
 of prosperity, gracefully retired as a private academy 
 and became merged in the free school system under the 
 name of Oxford Academy and Union School. The new 
 building, of brick with Oxford blue stone trimmings, was 
 erected at a cost of |20,000. The building was formally 
 opened September 7, 1897, with appropriate ceremonies. 
 Addresses were made by Hon. Charles W. Brown, princi- 
 pal, Reginald H. Coe, and Hon. Charles R. Skinner, Su- 
 perintendent of Public Instruction of the State. 
 
 David Prentice, LL. P., thoug;h far advanced in years, was in 185.5 
 teaching in Geneva, N. Y. On Christinas day of that year he received 
 the gift of $500 from five ^f his former Oxford pupils. The donors 
 were ex-Governor Seymour and .Tudge Hunt of Utica ; Judge Martin 
 and Henry W. Rogers, Esq., of Buffalo, and Henry R. Mygatt of Oxford. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 133 
 
 In this grand wheel, the world, we're spokes made all. — Brome . 
 
 Hull Family. 
 
 The first record of the Hall family is of Benjamin Hull 
 and his wife Amy of Connecticut. He was impressed in 
 the British army during the Revolutionary war, and never 
 heard from His wife died at the age of one hundred 
 years, five months and twenty-five days. 
 
 Their son, John Hull, married Martha Pardee. Their 
 children were : Eli, Eliasaph, Elijah, John, Ebenezer and 
 Rosa. 
 
 John Hull, son of John and Martha (Pardee) Hull, was 
 born April 21, 1771; died September 4, 1864, in Oxford; 
 married July 2, 1797, Hannah Wood, born May 14, 1778 ; 
 died January 16, 1845, in Oxford. In 1798, when he was 
 27 years old, Mr. Hull, accompanied by his wife, left North 
 Haven, Ct., and settled upon the land now known as the 
 William Hogan farm, about two miles south of Oxford 
 village. He found a wilderness never before inhabited, 
 and lived to see the opening and settling of all the vast 
 territory of Central New York, for over sixty-years of a 
 busy life was before him when he came to his new home. 
 He lived to see cultivated farms, thriving villages and 
 teeming cities take the place of the unbroken wilderness 
 he first knew : Children : Sally, born July 10, 1798 ; died 
 in Pitcher, N. Y. ; married Levi Post ; Eli, born Novem- 
 ber 21, 1799 ; died in Clinton, N. Y. ; Riley, born Aug- 
 
134 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 ust 11, 1801 ; died in Chautauqua, N. Y. ; Samuel, born 
 April 12, 1803 ; died in Stockbridge, N. Y. ; Clark, born 
 December 3, 1804 ; died in Owego, N. Y. ; Zerah, born 
 Januarys, 1807; died October 30, 1841, in Ann Arbor, 
 Mich. ; twice married. Children by first wife: Sabra C, 
 born September 9, 1831, in Otselic; married October 1847, 
 Dr. Tracy S. Cone ; died February 3, 1902, in South Ox- 
 ford; Sarah C, married Greene of Grand Rapids, 
 
 Mich. Child by second wife: Zerah. Harry, born July 
 6, 1809; died January 30, 1902, in Afton ; married (1) 
 Amelia Pendleton ; died March 18, 1864, in Oxford ; married 
 (2) Abbie Cook. Children by first wife : Harriet, married 
 (1) Peter G. Brink ; married (2) P. E. Golden of Varna, 
 Thompkins county, N. Y. ; Henry P., married (1) Mary 
 C. Roush; married (2) Dora M. Leslie; resides at Ken- 
 drick, Idaho; Sarah J., died April 18, 1874, aged 25, at 
 Knob Noster, Mo. ; unmarried. Harriet, twin to Harry ; 
 married Adams of Owego, N. Y. ; John, born Sep- 
 tember 20, 1811 ; lived and died in Guilford, N. Y. ; mar- 
 ried Eliza Bolles. Children: William H. H., residence in 
 New York city ; John died in Norwich, N. Y. ; Mary, mar- 
 ried Eugene Bunnell of New York city. Eliasaph, born 
 July 21, 1813; died August 14, 1872, in Oxford; married 
 June 25, 1848, Ellen Goodrich of Avon, Conn., died De- 
 cember 11, 1906, at Germantown, Pa. Child: Ella M., 
 married Nathan A. Bundy, resides in Philadelphia. 
 
 Ebenezer Hull, son of John and Martha (Pardee) Hull 
 and his wife Bedee Jacobs, were married January 2, 1803, 
 at North Haven, Conn. They came to Oxford in 1804 and 
 settled on the East Hill on the farm now occupied and 
 owned by their son, James H. Hull. Coming to this town 
 at an early day they were among the pioneers of Chenango 
 county. On July 24, 1849, Mr. Hull, while engaged in 
 the field accidentally fell from a load of hay, receiving in- 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 135 
 
 juries from which he died almost instantly. His age was 
 73. For thirty-five years he was a communicant of St. 
 Paul's church. Mrs. Hull died February 24, 1844, aged 
 64. Children: Levi, 1st, born April 23, 1804, in Con- 
 necticut ; died in infancy ; Alanson, born May 21, 1806, in 
 Oxford ; died February 3, 1905, in Oxford ; married (1) 
 May 26, 1828, Wealthy Warner of Jackson, Washington 
 county, N.Y., who died December 28, 1863; married (2) 
 September 15, 1868, Betsey (Hale) Tully of Norwich, who 
 died March 1, 1875. Alanson Hull was Justice of the 
 Peace for several years, and lived seventy-live years upon 
 the farm he purchased in 1830. He was at one time post- 
 master, with the office at his home, which was called Ox- 
 fordville. At his death he was the oldest communicant of 
 St. Paul's church and the oldest person in town. Children 
 by first wife: Edwin A., (1) married Martha Merrill; 
 married (2) MaryAnn Hatch ; resides at Hinsdale, Catta- 
 raugus county, N. Y. ; Joseph J., married Sarah M. 
 Mead ; Sarah E., married (1) Israel Jacobs; married (2) A. 
 J. Ackley; resides on the homestead ; Martha W., mar- 
 ried John W. Manning of Coventry. Ebenezer, born June 
 4, 1809, in Oxford; died July 24, ]887, in Oxford; un- 
 married; Levi, 2d, born April 13, 1811, in Oxford; died 
 young; Elijah, born February 14, 1814, died unmarried; 
 James Henry, born November — , 1825 ; married Jane E. 
 Kinney, who died December 8, 1898, aged 72. 
 
 Elijah Hull, son of John and Martha (Pardee) Hull, 
 married Nancy Blakeslee. Their children were : William, 
 Willis, Philemon, and Mary, who died young. 
 
 Willis Hull, son of Elijah and Nancy (Blakeslee) Hull, 
 died February 10, 1895, in North Haven, Ct., aged 76; 
 married Emily Bradley, who died January 14, 1899, in 
 Oxford, aged 83. For many years they resided in Oxford 
 on the farm now owned and occupied by James Burke, on 
 
1^6 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 the road to the O. & W. station. Children: Lavina B., 
 married James O. Dodge of Oxford; Margaeet A., mar- 
 ried J. Boardman Smith, of New Haven, Ct, ; died Septem- 
 ber 20, 1862. Child: Arthur H. Smith, resides in New 
 York city. 
 
 IN 1832 the McDonough Mineral Springs were exten- 
 sively advertised and well patronized. Gideon Miner 
 had charge of the hotel at one time and later he conduct- 
 ed for Oxford Academy the gentlemen's boarding hall, 
 now Morton flats. There were a happy lot of boys in the 
 hall at that time, and they kept the genial boarding house 
 manager busy guessing what was going to happen next. 
 
 G. D. Phillips ran a line of stages from Oxford to the 
 Springs every Friday afternoon, and carried many jolly 
 loads of health and pleasure seekers during the season. 
 
 ALAMANZER WATSON one of the early harness mak- 
 ers had a sign on his shop on Fort Hill which read : 
 ^'Cash Paid for Dekin Skins." One day C. F. T. Locke 
 hailed Mr. AVatsonwith "Say, Alamanzer, what are yon 
 paying for dekin skins?" "Twenty-live cents," was the 
 answer. "Good," said Locke, "I'll go and skin every 
 deacon in my church and send you the hides." The dea- 
 cons of Mr. Locke's church would have been something of 
 a curiosity, even unskinned. 
 
 It mnst have been an open winter in 1851, for on De- 
 cember 15th it is recorded that a boat loaded with mer- 
 chandise arrived on the canal from the north. 
 
i 
 
PARK HOTEL— Decorated for the County Fiienieii's Touniaiiient in i8q8. Hotel re- 
 modeled from the old Perkins Tavern, now a double residence. 
 
 THH HOTCHKISS HOUSE 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 137 
 
 For he by geometric scale, 
 
 Could take the size of pots of ale. — Butler. 
 
 Old Tavern Days. 
 
 The earlier taverns were not the comfortable institu- 
 tions of today for there were but few travelers. The 
 rooms were low studded, with great beams overhead, the 
 floors hard oak boards white, smooth and well "sanded." 
 The important feature of the inn was the barroom, with 
 the quart pots, pint pots, gill pots, glass bottles, tank- 
 ards and its cavernous fireplace, on which huge logs crack- 
 led in winter time as the smoke ascended the mammoth 
 chimney. Around the room were big, comfortable chairs, 
 red settees, and a huge bunk wherein the hostler slept at 
 night and on which the village loafer generally roosted 
 daring the day, and by the fireplace hung the "flip iron" 
 a necessary adjunct in the days when flip was a popular 
 tipple. Near the bar was a standing desk, with a lid, on 
 which stood an ink horn, quill pens and sandbox. In the 
 desk was kept the account book which recorded the 
 debt of delinquent tipplers and accounts of the tavern. 
 The following gives an idea of the cost to a guest at the 
 "Oxford Village Stage House" "for a day's keep," being 
 a copy of a bill rendered in 1881 : 
 
 r. Jackson 
 
 Bill 
 
 Breakfast 
 
 $ 0.31 
 
 Dinner 
 
 0.25 
 
 Supper 
 
 - 0.25 
 
 Brandy "Wine & Segars 
 
 0.19 
 
 Lodging 
 
 0.13 
 
 Horse keeping and Oats 
 
 - 0.50 
 
 Handbills were tacked to the walls, advertising stolem 
 
138 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 horses, runaway apprentices and stage lines ; the gorgeous 
 ehow bill was then unknown. Here is a copy of one of 
 the old Stage House bills : 
 
 Oxford yiUage 
 
 Stage j^^^ Ibouee. 
 
 
 ETHAN CLARK, % 
 
 BEGS leave most respectively to inform his friends and ^ 
 
 the public, that he has taken the TAVERN STAND ^ 
 
 on the west side of the Chenango river in the village of -^t 
 
 Oxford, and has made upon the house a general and com- ^ 
 
 plete repair. He is now ready to furnish travellers and ^ 
 
 gentlemen who wish to spend a few days in the village, ^ 
 
 or boarders, with every accommodation that the situa- ^ 
 
 tion of the country will afford. His bar shall be supplied ^ 
 
 with the best of liquors, his table furnished with the >^. 
 
 choicest viands, and his charges as reasonable as at any ^ 
 
 other public house in the county. He assures all those ^ 
 
 who may be pleased to call upon him, that his indefati- J 
 
 gable personal exertions, together with the most assidu- % 
 
 ous attention of his family, shall not be wanting to rend- ^ 
 
 er his house pleasant and comfortable. ^ 
 
 £^" His Stables and sheds have also been repaired so <| 
 
 as to furni.sh extensive accommodations to horses. h, 
 
 ^ %*A Stage arrives at his house twice a week 
 
 g from Newburgh and Geneva, via Chenango Point — 
 
 ^ once a week from Catskill — and twice a week from 
 
 ^ Albany and Utica. ^ 
 
 1^ Oxford, 6th November, 1821. b 
 
 % % 
 
 The landlord enjoyed the right to sell liquors and in 
 those early days all classes indulged in the practice of 
 drinking; in moderation to be sure, but as often as occa- 
 sion demanded. The landlord was an important person- 
 age, his name was conspicuous over the door, or on the 
 sign, and he usually looked after the comfort of his guests 
 without putting himself to any great trouble. He had a 
 penchant for public office and himself sang bass in the choir 
 on Sunday. His rotund figure was conspicuous on election 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 139 
 
 days, well dressed though always appearing in his shirt 
 sleeves. He was the village oracle and able to discuss pol- 
 itics, theology and science, to at least his own satisfaction. 
 
 The landlady was usually the one who toiled early and 
 late. The polished and well sanded floor, immaculate 
 window panes, clean blue china, and savory dishes, at- 
 tested her care. She and her daughter ofliciated in the 
 dining room, and were famous for their wonderful dump- 
 lings with potato crusts. Chickens were plenty, likewise 
 fresh vegetables from the tavern garden. Then there was 
 the appetizing baked beans, warm brown bread, succotash, 
 rye cakes, and pandowdy. Ale, usually home brewed, 
 cider and black tea were poured from pewter flagons. The 
 water, clear and cold, was drawn from a well by a " sweep." 
 At supper, among the prime favorites, were hot ginger 
 bread. Johnny-cake, delicious waffles and mush and 
 milk. People in those primitive times were not particular 
 and were willing to sleep under any arrangement, so long 
 as they got shelter. It was usual to have two or three beds 
 in a room, and it was a common occurrence for the land- 
 lord to enter, candle in hand, the room of a guest, and es- 
 cort a stranger to his side to calmly share the bed till 
 morning, sometimes three sharing one bed, and a man was 
 regarded as very unreasonable who objected to a stranger 
 for a bedfellow. If the night was cold, a warming pan 
 would be passed over the sheets and the guest was left to 
 the consolation of a feather bed and patch work quilts, 
 and considered himself fortunate if he was not compelled 
 to share his quarters with one or more guests. If the tav- 
 ern was crowded then one had to sleep before the open fire, 
 rolled up in a bear skin robe, while the great logs in the 
 black fireplace became white ashes. 
 
 Many of the old taverns had an assembly hall on the 
 upper floor, and here fair maidens and ruddy-faced youths 
 
I40 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 enjoyed the contra dances to the music of a violin. Balls 
 commenced at four o'clock and often lasted until next 
 morning. 
 
 The original portion of what is now the Hotchkiss House 
 was built previous to 1796 and for many years known as 
 Wells' Tavern. The house was of typical New England 
 architecture, two stories in front, sloping toward the rear 
 until a man could touch the eaves, and was painted red. 
 Behind the tavern was a large shed with roof and open 
 sides for the protection from rain of snow or loaded wagons. 
 
 One November afternoon there gathered at the tavern 
 several of the townspeople for the pot of extra-brew and 
 the long clay pipes, called church-wardens. Among those 
 present were : Anson Gary, in broadcloth and expansive 
 shirt front; Eleazer Smith, tall and lank; John Fitch, 
 wearing a tile hat and stiff black stock ; Josiah Hackett, in 
 continental suit; John Holmes and Jared Hinckley in 
 homespun ; all patriots of the Revolution. It was at these 
 gatherings that fell many of the epigrams which were re- 
 called years after. On this particular day the subject of 
 conversation finally drifted to the Continental army and 
 its officers, John Fitch spoke up and said : 
 
 *' Wells, pint of ale, please, and a churchwarden." 
 Then shifting his chair, continued: " Speaking of Bene- 
 dict Arnold, although rendered infamous by his attempt 
 to betray his country — " 
 
 '' Rabbit ye, an' be darn'd!" broke in Josiah Hackett, 
 " hold your gab there, old Arnold was a traitor and brought 
 up all standing." 
 
 "Yes, yes," replied Fitch, but I want to say somethings 
 about him that I know. I was at the second battle at 
 Freeman's Farm, where the British were totally defeated 
 by Arnold, who had charged with mad fury upon their 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 141 
 
 line. During the battle a wounded Hessian soldier, lying 
 on the ground, fired at Arnold and slew his horse, while 
 the ball passed through the general's left leg that had al- 
 ready been wounded, and fractured the bone above the 
 knee. As Arnold fell, one of our men attempted to bay- 
 onet the wounded soldier who had shot him, when the gen- 
 eral cried out, "For God's sake, don't hurt him; he's a 
 fine fellow!" The Hessian was spared, and I have always 
 said that was the time Benedict Arnold should have died." 
 
 ''Oh, the old sneezer ! " again put in Hackett. "I've 
 heard when he was dressed up the bottom of his waist was 
 pinched up to the size of a quart cup ; that he wore eleven 
 capes to his coat, and over the place where his brains 
 should have been a jockey cap of catskin, and carried a 
 mock gold watch with two seals, each as big as a premium 
 turnip." 
 
 " He wasn't quite such a fop as that," said John Holmes, 
 knocking the ashes from his pipe, "but I have heard that 
 before his death in England he was shunned and depised 
 by even the English." 
 
 After a general tilling and lighting of pipes and around 
 of ale, Jared Hinckley got into a reminiscent mood and 
 related one of his experiences : 
 
 " If ever I struck hell upon earth it was at the battle of 
 Oriskany, fought in a dark ravine filled with a mass of 
 fifteen hundred human beings, made up with St. Legerand 
 his Indians and loyalists, and General Herkimer with 
 800 hundred pioneers; all screaming and cursing, slip- 
 ping in the mire, pushing and struggling, seizing each oth- 
 er's throats, stabbing and shooting, and dashing out brains. 
 It was a sight that will never leave my eyes. General 
 Herkimer had unconsciously marched into an ambuscade, 
 but his men soon recovered and fought with the courage 
 
142 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 and skill of veterans. The slaughter, however, was dread- 
 ful. At the beginning of the battle a musket ball passed 
 through and killed the horse of General Herkimer and 
 shattered his own leg just below the knee. With perfect 
 composure and cool courage, he ordered the saddle to be 
 taken from his slaughtered horse and placed against the 
 trunk of an immense tree, where he was carried and prop- 
 ped up. After lighting his Dutch pipe he continued in a 
 loud voice shouting orders to his men who were falling like 
 autumn leaves. But the old hero had fought his last bat- 
 tle, for his shattered leg was not skillfully treated and he 
 died ten days later, propped up in bed, smoking his pipe 
 and reading his Bible at the thirty-eighth Psalm." 
 
 "It was after this battle that the first American flag 
 with stars and stripes was raised,-' remarked Anson Gary. 
 
 " Yes, indeed," replied Hinckley, " though a crude af- 
 fair it was." 
 
 "How so?" asked Eleazer Smith, who, though a good 
 listener, seldom spoke. 
 
 " Well, I'll tell you. Not a great while before this 
 battle Congress had adopted the stars and stripes as the 
 National symbol of American liberty. Golonel Willett re- 
 turned to Fort Stanwix and raised five captured British 
 standards, while over them he raised a hastily made flag 
 to represent the American banner. It was made out of an 
 officer's white shirt, an old blue overcoat, and some 
 strips of red cloth from the petticoat of a soldier's wife. 
 And that was the first American flag with stars and stripes 
 hoisted." 
 
 "Well," exclaimed Josiah Hackett, "the English rig- 
 ermadoons scampered along through mud and mire to get 
 out o' sight of it; but it still wavesover our land, and will 
 till time is no more." 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 143 
 
 "Well said, Josiah" spoke up John Holmes. "We'll 
 take a final sip and go home, the hour is getting late." 
 
 The old soldiers, who had enjoyed fighting their battles 
 over, retired, Josiah bringing up the rear, and as he closed 
 the door marched off singing: 
 
 " Yankee doodle, ramrods, guns, 
 
 Pikes and pistols handy — 
 We're the true descendant sons 
 
 Of Yankee doodle dandy," 
 
 STEPHEN O. RUNYAN was practicing law in Ox- 
 ford previous to 1799, and continued till his death, 
 which occurred April 23, 1820, at the age of 48. He came 
 from New York and his office stood on Washington Park, 
 at the head of which he resided. It was destroyed by fire 
 in July, 1823. He was distinguished for his charity and 
 benevolence, and his whole life was characterized by a 
 devotion to acts of public munificence. He was popular 
 with the people, and his mind was richly stored with 
 anecdotes, which he was fond of relating. His wife died 
 June 5, 1860, at Cortland, N. Y. 
 
 A DISTILLERY was located for many years opposite 
 the residence of Alpha Morse. One dollar in those 
 days would fill a three-gallon keg straight from the worm. 
 Immense quantities of corn were converted into whisky 
 and numerous porkers were fatted on the malt, being kept 
 thereby in a blissful state of booziness from the day they 
 reached the distillery yard until they were dumped into 
 the scalding kettle. Many a boy was sent to the distillery 
 for whisky to be used in refreshing the minister on his 
 yearly calls. 
 
144 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 A merchant of great traffic through the world. — Shakespeare. 
 
 Captain Samuel Farnham. 
 
 Captain Samuel Farnham, born in New London, Conn., 
 December 16, 1775, came to Oxford in 1799 and opened a 
 drug and general merchandise store in a story and a half 
 frame building which stood on the site of William M, 
 Miller's store. He is the first merchant of whom we have 
 any record, though it is probable that General Benjamin 
 Hovey opened a store soon after coming here. Captain 
 Farnham continued the business until his death, which oc- 
 curred April 20, 1822, at the age of 47. He was associat- 
 ed for two years, from 1807, with Epaphras Miller. 
 
 Captain Farnham received his military title from his 
 connection with the first artillery company in town, or- 
 ganized and commanded by him, receiving his commission 
 from Governor Morgan Lewis, who was elected to the gov- 
 ernship in 1804. 
 
 In 1800 Captain Farnham was united in marriage to 
 Sally, daughter of Henry Balcom, and sister of Francis 
 and Samuel Balcom. Soon after their marriage they went 
 to housekeeping on Clinton street, in a house long after- 
 wards the home of Horace S. Read, which stood on the 
 site of the residence of E. A. Pearsall, where they died. 
 
 Mrs. Farnham reared to manhood a family of six sons, 
 and died February 16, 1859, in the 79th year of her age. 
 Two sons, within the same year preceded her to the grave. 
 Four children, Epaphras M., Julia A., Charles E., and 
 Sarah D., died in infancy. 
 

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ANNALS OF OXFORD 145 
 
 George Farnham succeeded his father in the mercantile 
 business, and after trading a few years sold his interest to 
 his brother John. In 1841 he removed to New York and 
 became interested in the Chenango Lake Boat Line which 
 transported merchandise to and from New York. He died 
 suddenly in that city on the 3d of February, 1859, in the 
 69th year of his age. Married Susan, eldest child of Thomas 
 Gibson. Child : Susan Elizabeth Gibson, born in 1826, 
 married Ransom Balcom. 
 
 Dr. John P. Farnham after purchasing the mercantile 
 business of his brother George, carried it on some jfive 
 years when he disposed of it to Dr. Cleveland in 1829, and 
 established a hardware store on the lot now occupied by 
 the residence of Francis G. Clarke. In 1833 he moved to 
 Carbondale, Penn., and for many years practiced his pro- 
 fession, but afterwards embarked in the mercantile and 
 lumber business. He died at Carbondale in February, 
 1871, and had long been a prominent citizen of that place. 
 
 Alexander Farnham died at Honesdale, Penn,, Aprill9, 
 1868, aged 50. 
 
 Frederick W. Farnham made his residence at White 
 Mills, Penn. 
 
 Samuel H. Farnham was a life long resident of Oxford 
 and for many years conducted a jeweler's business, which 
 he carried on for a few years, and having purchased a por- 
 tion of the Fort Hill block, he entered into the grocery and 
 fancy goods line, at the same time carrying on his trade 
 of silversmith. In February, 1855, Mr. Farnham was ap- 
 pointed Canal collector in this town, and in September, 
 1861, with other members of the Oxford Band left for the 
 seat of war to form part of the Regimental Band of the 
 Anderson Zouaves, but remained but a few months on ac- 
 count of ill health. He was the possessor of an extensive 
 
146 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 and interesting cabinet of curiosities, many of which were 
 ancient and valuable, and was also fond of pets, usually 
 having a variety on exhibition at his store. He died July 
 21, 1887, in the 75th year of his age. 
 
 His fame was great in all the land. —Longfellow. 
 
 Joseph Walker. 
 
 Joseph Walker was born in the year 1796 at Pittsfield, 
 Mass., and in 1817 married Mary Hamilton of Bingham - 
 ton, coming to Oxford the same year. He engaged in the 
 tannery business with William Mygatt, later entering the 
 boot and shoe business on Navy Island, which he con- 
 ducted for years. He also owned and worked a farm about 
 half a mile above the village, which he sold to his brother- 
 in-law, Milo Porter. Mr. Walker devoted much time 
 to the study of astronomy and sent to London, England, 
 for two mammoth globes to persue his studies, and later 
 presented them to Oxford Academy. He was a member of 
 the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 
 and was one of the founders of Oxford Lodge, No. 176, 
 Free & Accepted Masons. He was one of the few who saw 
 Oxford grow from a small hamlet into a beautiful village. 
 Mr. Walker died April 1, 1870. His wife, who was born 
 in 1799, died in 1874 at Clayton, Mich. Their only child, 
 Mary, married May 15, 1855, Jacob Rheinwald of Oxford, 
 who with Mr. Walker at one time conducted a brewery in 
 the rear of Mr. Walker's residence, which stood on the 
 site of the Dr. Douglas' residence on Washington Park. 
 In 1876, they moved to Bouckville, Madison county, where 
 they have since resided. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 147 
 
 Who'erhas travell'd life's dull round, 
 Where'er his stages may have been, 
 
 May sigh to think he still has found 
 The warmest welcome at an inn — Shenstone. 
 
 Erastus Perkins. 
 
 Erastus Perkins, born January 18, 1778, was the eldest 
 child of Captain Erastus and Anna (Glover) Perkins of 
 Norwich, Conn., where he spent his early life. In 1799 he 
 came to Oxford, then a two weeks' journey, in company 
 with his wife, Abigail Stephens, whose father, Alvin Steph- 
 ens, subsequently lived on the farm now owned and occu- 
 pied by Nathan Pendleton. Mr. Perkins remained in Ox- 
 ford one season and then went to Deposit, N. Y., where he 
 built the first frame house in that town. His business there 
 was lumbering and rafting, but the population was too 
 rough to suit him and he returned to Oxford in 1801, where 
 his life was chiefly spent in mercantile pursuits. Soon 
 after his return he built the Park Hotel on the east side of 
 the river, which he kept till 1822. It was afterwards kept 
 by his brother. Captain James Perkins to 1837, and then 
 by his son, Alvin S., as late as 1850. The hotel during the 
 following years underwent several changes until about 
 1900, when it was newly remodled and enlarged. On the 
 night of October 28, 1903, it was so badly damaged by 
 fire that it ceased to be a hotel. 
 
 The earliest town meeting noted in the ' 'Book of the Town 
 Clerk " for 1814, was held at the house of Erastus Perkins. 
 In 1815, '16 and '18, he was one of the seven pound keep- 
 ers and fence viewers, "their yards to be the pounds." 
 In 1821, '22 and '23 he was one of three commissioners of 
 common schools. In 1822 he built a house and it was 
 
148 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 "voted that the next Town Meeting be held at the new- 
 Dwelling House of Erastus Perkins." In 1831 he was 
 again commissioner of schools. In 1814 he subscribed $10 
 to Rev. William Lacey's salary as rector. In 1815 he sub- 
 scribed $50 to the first building of St. Paul's church in the 
 center of Fort Hill Square, and August 16, of that year, he 
 with John Tracy were appointed building committee of 
 said building. February 28, 1850, he was elected senior 
 warden in place of Austin Hyde, deceased. He had charg* 
 of the VanWagenen burial ground almost to the time of 
 his death. A man of fine character, interested in church 
 and school, liberal in proportion to his means, and in poli- 
 tics a Whig. Mr. Perkins died May 30, 1852. His first 
 wife, Abigail Stephens, died January 31, 1816, aged 34. 
 His second wife was the Widow Ursula Allen of Connec- 
 ticut, who died January 2, 1821, aged 42. She had two 
 children by her first husband, the Hon. John W. Allen, 
 and the wife of Judge Andrews of Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. 
 Perkins third wife was Agnes VanWagenen, daughter of 
 Gerrit H. and Sarah (Brinckerhoff) VanWagenen of Ox- 
 ford, who died February 13, 1868, aged 80. Children by 
 first wife: Erastus S., died March 12, 1882, in Houston, 
 Tex., aged 70; married Eunice Butler, who died June 7, 
 1861, in Houston ; Alvin S., died October 7, 1872, in Hous- 
 ton, aged 64 ; married Frances, daughter of Jabez Robin- 
 son of South Oxford, and moved to Houston in 1857, where 
 she died of yellow fever October 19, 1859; Leonard S., 
 married Harriet Bennett, and died in Houston October 22, 
 1859; GuRDON, died April 15, 1873 in Oxford, aged 61; 
 
 married Frances A. Squires; Ann Maria, married Col- 
 onel Joseph Juliand of Greene; died June 1, 1860, in 
 Greene, aged 56; Jane E., married Dr. Austin Rouse of 
 Oxford. 
 
 Children by third wife: Sarah A., born August 31, 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 149 
 
 1824, in Oxford; married May 19, 1852, James W. Glover 
 of Oxford; Fkances B., born October 19, 1827, in Oxford; 
 married November 30, 1849, Andrew J. Hull of Oxford; 
 Gerrit Henry, born June 24, 1826, at Oxford; married 
 June 26, 1856, Frances Willcox of Honeedale, Pa. 
 
 Gerrit Henry Perkins, died March 26, 1900, in New 
 York city. On May 8, 1854, soon after his father's death, 
 Mr. Perkins became a vestryman of St. Paul's church, Ox- 
 ford, and at a subsequent meeting was elected clerk, which 
 position he held till June, 1890. He received his educa- 
 tion at Oxford Academy, after which he read law in the 
 office of Henry R. Mygatt and was admitted to the bar, 
 practicing but a few years. About 1852 he went into 
 partnership with Henry L. Miller in a general mercantile 
 business in the store now occupied by William M. Miller. 
 After a period of nearly two years they removed to the 
 Fort Hill building, then vacated by the firm of Chapman 
 & Thorp. A number of years later they removed to the 
 store first occupied by them on LaFayette square. The 
 firm was changed to Miller, Perkins & Co. upon admis- 
 sion of William M. Miller, and so continued till 1890. 
 Upon the organization of the Chenango Mutual Life In- 
 surance company in 1881, he was elected president and 
 took out the first policy of the company, holding the office 
 till the time he left Oxford. Mr. Perkins was a member 
 of Oxford Lodge, No. 175, F. & A. M., and for many 
 years trustee of the same. Also one of the board of direc- 
 tors of the First National Bank of Oxford ; trustee of Ox- 
 ford Academy for a long term of years, and trustee of vil- 
 lage and president of the board. He moved from Oxford 
 in 1890 and entered into the brokerage and insurance busi- 
 ness in New York city, where he remained till the time of 
 his death. Children, all born in Oxford : 
 
 Robert Walton, born September 29, 1861 ; died March 
 
150 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 25, 1891, in Denver, Col. ; married July 25, 1888, Lucy 
 Justice in Oxford. Child : Mildred. Sarah Van Wag- 
 enen; married September 9, 1890, in Oxford, Frank For- 
 ester Bruce of Cleveland, Ohio. Children : Alice and . 
 
 Alice M., married June 23, 1896, in New York city, 
 Dr. Luzerne Coville of Ithaca, Child : Perkins. Agnes 
 F., unmarried. 
 
 HORACE S. READ, son of Silas Read of Smithville 
 Flats, was born in 1817. Mr. Read succeeded his 
 
 father in the mercantile business, which he carried on 
 for a few years, in the meantime he was postmaster four 
 years. In 1851 was elected County Clerk, at the expira- 
 tion of the term came to Oxford in 1854 and entered into 
 the drug business with James H. Fox, which partnership 
 was dissolved in 1863, Mr. Read retiring in 1868. He was 
 a man of pleasing address and social disposition. Mr. 
 Read married Flora Grant of Smithville Flats, now de- 
 ceased. He died January 23, 1886, aged 69. 
 
 Their children were: Virgil C, married in Michigan; 
 F. Louise, married Edward Bradley. 
 
 pETER B. GARNSEY, now spelled Guernsey, was born 
 *■ in New Lebanon, N. Y. He studied law in the office 
 of Chancellor Walworth and was admitted as an attorney 
 in 1798, and as a counsellor in 1800. His wife was Mary 
 Speirs, whom he married at New Lebanon, on Christmas 
 Day, 1797, by whom he had four children. Soon after his 
 marriage he came to Oxford where he engaged in the 
 practice of his profession until about 1800, when he re- 
 moved to Norwich. He, with Nathaniel King, represented 
 Chenango County in the State Assembly in 1800. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 151 
 
 Better the rudest work that tells a story or records 
 a fact, than the richest without meaning. — Ruskin. 
 
 Theodore Burr. 
 
 Theodore Burr who came in 1793, built the first bridge 
 in this place in 1800, the mill now owned by Fletcher & 
 Corbin, the dam which still stands, and the building now 
 occupied by the Memorial Library at an early date. He 
 patented and built the first arch bridge across the Susque- 
 hanna, and at that time was the most distinguished archi- 
 tect of bridges in the country. At that early day hardly a 
 bridge crossed the Susquehanna from Bingham ton to Bal- 
 timore that he did not build, and even now at Harrisburg 
 one stands with his name cut in one of the stones dated 
 1813. In April, 1818, he advertised in the Oxford Gazette, 
 that he had "devoted eighteen years of his life to the 
 theory and practice of bridge building exclusively, during 
 which time he had built forty-five bridges of various mag- 
 nitude, with arches from 60 to 367 feet span." 
 
 Mr. Burr lived in Oxford several years and then re- 
 moved with his family to Northumberland, Pa., where he 
 and his wife died. Their children were : Henry, George, 
 Charles, Marilla, Phila, who married Silas Marsh, a 
 merchant in Oxford from 1816 to 1826 ; Asenath, married 
 Simon G. Throop ; Amanda, married January 18, 1816, 
 Charles Catlin of Wilkesbarre Pa. All except Asenath, 
 removed with their parents to Pennsylvania. 
 
1^2 
 
 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Gloom is upon thy lonely hearth, 
 
 Oh, silent house! once filled with mirth; 
 
 Sorrow is in the breezy sound 
 
 Of thy tall poplars whispermg round. — Hemans. 
 
 John Rathbone. 
 
 John Rathbone, brother of Gen. Ransom Rathbone, 
 came from Oswego soon after the war of 1812, opened a 
 store which he conducted some ten years, and then re- 
 moved to a farm in Cortland county, not being successful 
 in business here. He built on the site of the residence 
 now occupied by S. H. Mead, a large and elegant mansion 
 for those days which later became known as the "McKoon 
 house," a portion of which still stands in the lane in rear 
 of Mr. Mead's house. The house fronted the east instead 
 of the street, and was of such prominence that it was 
 made the subject of a wood cut, the original of which is 
 given below : 
 
 1 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 153 
 
 The modern method of illustrating, fifty or sixty years 
 later, gives, on another page, a finer view of the old "man- 
 sion." It was after Mr. Rathbone's time occupied by Peter 
 Sken. Smith, who laid out a great deal of money on it, 
 and later by Judge McKoon, who had a little stone law 
 office on the lot in which later a select school was conduc- 
 ted. After Judge McKoon disposed of the house it shel- 
 tered tenants by the score. Could the old "mansion" tell 
 the tales and changes that have occurred since its erection 
 the Annals of the town would indeed be deeply interes- 
 ting. In 1872, Counsellor Horace Packer purchased the 
 property, made two houses of the one and removed them 
 to the rear of the lot. 
 
 I 
 
 N A HISTORY of the town of Sangerfield, the follow- 
 ing of local interest appears: 
 
 "On the 30th day of March, 1801, an act was passed by the state 
 legislature to open and improve a certain road from the dwelling house 
 of Benj. Wilson, in the town of Oxford, Chenango county, in the 
 nearest and most direct route that " circumstances would admit of," 
 through the towns of Norwich, Sherburne, Hamilton, Sangerfield and 
 Paris, to intersect the Genesee turnpike, near the house of Jedediak 
 Sanger, in Whitestown. Three thousand shares were subscribed for 
 at $20 each,^ making a capital of $G0,000. Amos Muzzy of the Huddle, 
 was one of 'the two directors in the town, and David Norton at the 
 Centre the other — both tavern keepers. It was at first expected that 
 the road when it reached Sangerfield, would run through the Centre 
 on the east side of the swamp, because it was really the nearest, most 
 direct and level route through it; but Mr. Montgomery, an active and 
 energetic settler of much wealth and influence, lived and had a tavern 
 on the road starting from the east part of the Huddle and running 
 westerly two or three miles out of the way which was already made. 
 This passed by the village stores, was handy to the taverns of Messrs. 
 Muzzy and himself, and although leaving David Norton out in the cold, 
 would be on the whole very fine for the stronger parties concerned 
 in the new turnpike. Of course these circumstances and the superior 
 Influence and power behind, clearly admitting of no other route, the 
 road was opened and gates erected on the longer, hillier and poorer 
 one. It had been used only a year or two as a turnpike, when the 
 entire line was thrown up and surrendered to the town as a failure. 
 Nobody would travel on it and David Norton was pleased. It la still 
 often referred to in conveyances describing land on its line, aa the 
 " Oxford and Chenango turnpike, formerly so called." 
 
1^4 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 How still the morning of the hallow'd day! 
 
 Mute is the voice of rural labour, hush'd. — Grahame. 
 
 Free Will Baptist Church. 
 
 The Free Will Baptist church of Oxford, in the south 
 east part of the town, was organized April 15, 1848, by 
 Elder Cyrus Steere of McDonough. The first baptisms 
 were on April 16, 1848, when the following persons mere 
 baptized into membership : Henry Mead, Henry Hackett, 
 Julia Hackett, Squire Rathbon, Sally Rathbon, Ethan R. 
 Clarke, Darwin A. Collier, Giles Manwarring and Samuel 
 Sannick ; these together with Deacon JosephOgden, Joshua 
 B. Stone and wife, Asa W. Rhodes, who was the first church 
 clerk, Samuel M. Kinney, Derrick Race and Harriet Race, 
 Samuel Manwarring, James Lowe and Nancy Morehouse 
 were the first members. 
 
 On May 20th, of the same year the First Free Will Bap- 
 tist church of Gruilford, offered themselves as a body to 
 unite with the Oxford church and were received into mem- 
 bership. The first settled pastor was the Rev. Noah D. 
 Wilkins, who commenced his pastorate in 1849. The 
 church services were held in the school house of District 
 No. 4, (the Miller district), until 1855, when they were 
 held in the school house of District No. 18, (the Carhart 
 District). 
 
 On the fifth Sunday in June, 1855, the first church edi- 
 fice was dedicated; the Rev. Daniel McKoon preaching 
 the dedication sermon. 
 
 The first pastor after the church was erected was the 
 Rev. Ethan R. Clarke. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 155 
 
 Many of the old New England customs were enforced in 
 this church during its early history, such as a committee 
 to visit those who were absent from church more than a 
 limited number of Sundays in snccesiion, also to see that 
 each member did not de?iate from the rules of the church. 
 
 Much of the inside wood work of the building was bass- 
 wood, and from that fact the edifice was known as the 
 "Bass wood church." The church was totally destroyed 
 by tire February 5, 1874. A singing school was held in the 
 evening, which closed at nine o'clock, and it was supposed 
 the fire which was discovered at midnight, originated from 
 the stove. The organ, clock, chandelier and other fix- 
 tures were removed. There was an insurance of $1,000 on 
 the property. Within a week steps were taken to rebuild 
 and the present building was erected during the following 
 summer and dedicated on December 12, 1874, the sermon 
 being preached by the Rev. Dr. G. H. Ball of Buffalo, af- 
 terwards founder and president of Keuka College. 
 
 In December, 1879, Sarah Gibson, widow of Robert Gib- 
 son, deeded to the trustees of the church the house, now 
 used as a parsonage, and lot containing twelve and one- 
 half acres of land, valued at $1,000. 
 
 In 1889, the church received a legacy of three hundred 
 dollars from Mrs. Mary A. Moore. This church still keeps 
 up its organization. 
 
 On October 19, 1904, the church was again threatened 
 by fire. Dry bush and leaves had caught fire and spread- 
 ing reached the church, but the timely discovery and help 
 at hand subdued the flames after damages to the amount 
 of $25, had been done to the edifice. 
 
156 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 A perfect Woman, nobly planned 
 To warn, to comfort, and command. 
 
 — WOEDSWOBTH, 
 
 "Aunt Patty" Dailey. 
 
 " Aunt Patty " Dailey was born in the town of Brook- 
 line, Vt., on the 17th of March, 1784, " St. Patrick's day 
 at six o'clock in the morning," as she used to say. In 
 January, 1809, she married John Church, who came from 
 Great Barrington, Mass., and settled on the Andrew Mc- 
 Neil farm, now owned and occupied by Mrs. Alice McCall. 
 His first wife, whom he married in Massachusetts, was a 
 Hollenbeck, by whom he had seven children; his second 
 wife, mentioned above, was Patty Thayer, by whom he 
 had two children, Erastus and William. Mr. Church died 
 October 23, 1825, aged 63. He had been a prosperous 
 farmer, and after his death " Aunt Patty " deeded the 
 farm to her son William, which was unfortunate, as he 
 was not successful, and finally lost the place. On Christ- 
 mas Day, 1827, "Aunt Patty" married John Dailey. 
 
 In 1795, when Mrs. Dailey was eleven years of age, 
 her father came with his family from Vermont and set- 
 tled upon the present site of the village of Bainbridge; 
 which, as she described it, was a " huckleberry plain with 
 but one house upon it." Deer were plenty, and bears were 
 numerous. " Wolves," she said, " would howl enough to 
 make the hair rise on a body's head." She taught school 
 there in 1802, and was the first teacher in Sidney. When 
 she came to Oxford the old building waa still standing 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 157 
 
 which was erected upon the site of the old fort, where 
 the Baptist church now stands. At that time there was 
 no church here and hardly enough dwellings to call it a 
 village. Said " Aunt Patty " " Oxford was a very thickly 
 wooded country. As you came in sight of the village 
 from the east, the first house on the right side of the road 
 and next above the house of Patrick Hogan, for many 
 years the tavern stand of William Bush, was a log house 
 occupied by Walter Simmons. On the farm of James 
 Burke, Priest Camp, a Presbyterian minister, once lived. 
 Where stood the David Bixby house (now removed) was 
 a frame house owned and occupied by Levi Sherwood. 
 Next to that, but on the opposite side of the road and 
 much further down, was the house of Uri Tracy, a framed 
 dwelling. The nearest house to that, on the same side 
 of the street, was a dwelling built by St. George Tolbud 
 Perry; but the building burned down and the Van 
 Wagenen house stands on the site of the one burned (now 
 occupied by Mrs. L. Bolles). Across the road, where 
 Charles W. Brown now resides, was the house so familiar 
 to all as the home of Dr. Perez Packer, but built by, and 
 then occupied by, Nathaniel Locke. Next, on the west 
 side of the road, was the old one-story dwelling, which 
 was torn down to make room for Wm. H. Van Wagenen's 
 house (the late residence of Dr. Geo. Douglas). This 
 same old building, the first frame house in the village, 
 was erected in the year 1794 and used as an academy. 
 Between this building and the Henry R. Mygatt house 
 once stood two dwellings: one was occupied by Harry 
 Ludlow, and the other stood on the very spot where the 
 late Mrs. Sarah Van Wagenen lived (now residence of 
 Mrs. Susan E. Curtis). A house once occupied by Stephen 
 O. Runyan, was moved by Stephen Greene, to whom it 
 was sold, to Greene Street. Upon the ground from which 
 
158 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 the building was taken, John Tracy erected the house 
 known so well, now owned and occupied by John R. 
 Van Wagenen." 
 
 During her life "Aunt Patty" witnessed wonderful 
 changes wrought from the wilderness. From a score of 
 poor tenements, with their inhabitants struggling against 
 poverty, she had seen Oxford rise to a beautiful, thriving, 
 wealthy village. The latter years of her life she passed 
 in widowhood and lived with friends and relatives, where 
 she was always welcome; residing winters with nieces in 
 Pennsylvania, returning summers to her old home in 
 Oxford. Wherever she went she was ever ready to lend 
 a helping hand in spinning, knitting, or sewing. She 
 never had a headache, to her freedom from which she 
 attributed the rare preservation of her sight, hearing, and 
 memory. She had a remarkable memory, and could tell 
 the locality and general appearance of every house that 
 was in Oxford when she came here in 1809. " Aunt Patty " 
 was a frequent and ever welcome visitor at the bedside 
 of the sick, and is kept in sweet remembrance by those 
 who have been to the " dark brink " and returned, and 
 has also a bright record with those who have " gone be- 
 fore." She died at Hooper's Valley, N. Y., Nov. 19, 1882, 
 in the 99th year of her age. 
 
 ENOS WRIGHT, a native of Connecticut, was among 
 the first settlers of Oxford. He was energetic, per- 
 severing, and industrious, enduring hardships incident to 
 the pioneer of this country, he aided in no small degree 
 in converting the rude forest into fertile fields of luxury 
 and abundance. He led an honest and examplary life 
 and his faith was strong in the Christian religion. He 
 died April 14, 1847, aged 79. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 159 
 
 A heart to resolve, a head to contrive, and a hand to execute. 
 
 GiBBOW. 
 
 Abijah Lobdell, Jr. 
 
 Abijah Lobdell, Jr., was born in Johnstown, N. Y., of 
 an old Revolutionary family. After clerking in Albany 
 he came to Oxford in 1808 and opened a general store. 
 In 1810 he married Sally Burghardt, who died January 28, 
 1861, aged 69. The first Episcopal service in town was 
 held in their house. INIr. Lobdell was one of the first 
 vestrymen of St. Paul's church, and also a trustee of 
 Oxford Academy. His brother John was his partner here, 
 and in 1812 went on to Buffalo with goods, which were 
 destroyed when that city was burned, barely escaping 
 with his life. He and a companion were six weeks com- 
 ing back through the almost unbroken forests, following 
 a trail and marked trees. Later John Lobdell went to 
 New York, read law, and finally located in Louisiana, 
 while his brother removed with his family to Utica and 
 conducted a flourishing drug business in the " Checkered 
 Store " on Genesee Street, still an old landmark and now 
 used for a tobacco warehouse. In 1835, his health failing 
 him, the family returned to Oxford and purchased a farm 
 a mile below the village, which is still owned by his young- 
 est daughter and only grandchild. Children: 
 
 Mary Ann, died unmarried. 
 
 Jane Eliza, married John F. Hopkins. 
 
 Sarah Maria, married George W. Godfrey. Child: 
 Augusta C. 
 
 James Henry, died unmarried. 
 
 Helen M., only survivor of the family, still resides in 
 Oxford. 
 
i6o ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 What ! mothers from their children riven ! 
 
 What ! God's own image bouglit and sold ! 
 Americans to market driven, 
 
 And bartered as the brute for gold! 
 
 — Whittieb. 
 
 "Aunt Phillis" Williams. 
 
 " Aunt Phillis " Williams, who was born a slave on 
 July 4, 1772, at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and died at Union, 
 N. Y., February 16, 1883, in her 111th year, led an event- 
 ful life which dated back to the days of the Revolution. 
 She was owned by Gerrit Storms of Poughkeepsie until 
 she reached the age of 41, and had a husband and five 
 children. The husband bought his own and eldest son's 
 freedom, but both were lost at sea while endeavoring to 
 earn money to buy " Aunt Phillis' " and the rest of the 
 children's time. About this time she, with her infant 
 daughter, Dinah, with other slaves, was taken from Pough- 
 keepsie by her master, brought to Oxford, sold at auction, 
 and bid in by Judge Uri Tracy. The infant Dinah went 
 with the slave, served in bondage, and, when strong and 
 robust, worked in the fields like a man, remaining with 
 Judge Tracy until the State abolished slavery in 1827. 
 She married a man named Cruzer at Union, and died 
 Kovember 4, 1901, aged 96. Phillis, in later years, lived 
 with different families in town until she became blind, 
 and then removed to Union to end her days with her 
 daughter. She often related that General Washington 
 stopped over night at the residence of her master, Gerritt 
 Storms, in Poughkeepsie, and that the tories robbed her mas- 
 ter's house of money and valuables, after which they took 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD r6i 
 
 Storms out and hung him to a tree, leaving him to die. 
 His mistress cut him down with a jackknife and saved 
 his life. She also remembered of a man on horseback 
 giving warning of the advance of the British soldiers, and 
 of her going with her mistress to the bank of a creek and 
 burying their silverware, with what little money they had- 
 
 THE FOLLOWING shows that the subject of educa- 
 tion was not wholly neglected in the early days of 
 the town : 
 
 To the Commissioners to Superintend the schools in the Town of 
 Oxford in the County of Tioga. 
 
 This certifies that in division of the moneys appro ijriated for the 
 support of schools to the several Towns in the County payable to your 
 Order as followeth (Viz.) the sum of thirty-five poimds one Shilling 
 and Six pence as soon as the same may be receiv'd from the State 
 Treasurer and the further sum of twenty Six pounds eight shillings 
 and one penny by the first day of April next. 
 
 Dated at Union, 4th June, 1796. 
 
 Reuben Kirby, John Welch, Ephraim Fitch, Elijah Burk, Lodawick 
 Ldght, Supervisors for Tioga County. 
 
 A LADY, who resided on Clinton Street for many years, 
 '^*' employed a faithful colored maid addicted to use 
 of words and expressions, the definition of which she did 
 not understand. The first day of employment, after ar- 
 ranging the dinner table, she called the mistress to inspect 
 it, saying : " Mrs. G., please look over the table, I don't 
 know whether it is non compos mentis or not." A few 
 days later, wanting a small piece of linen cloth, she in- 
 quired : " Mrs. G., please can I peruse your rag bag? " 
 
i62 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 He has been bred i' the wars. — Shakespeark. 
 
 Reuben Doty 
 
 The first of the name of Doty in America was Edward 
 Doty, also recorded as " Doten." Edward was a pas- 
 senger on " The Mayflower," and married, in 1634, Faith 
 Clarke at Plymouth, Mass., where he died in 1655. " He 
 left a comfortable estate and nine children, six sons and 
 three daughters." 
 
 Warren Doty, a descendant of Edward, born April 23, 
 1768 ; died February 13, 1838. Sarah, his wife, born May 
 13, 1772; died July 30, 1862. Place of birth and death 
 vif either not known. 
 
 Ileuben Doty, the eldest of the five children of Warren 
 and Sarah Doty, was born November 5, 1792, and died 
 April 26, 1878, in Oxford. He married Almira Wil- 
 loughby, of Oxford, born January 8, 1798 ; died March 13, 
 1874, in Oxford. Mr. Doty was a cooper by trade, and, 
 during the War of 1812, served his country, for which he 
 was pensioned. Children : 
 
 Charles W., born June 11, 1819; died May 12, 1868; 
 married Eunice Cooper. 
 
 William K., born September 28, 1822; died September 
 4, 1871; married Alzada Bowers. 
 
 Nancy M., born November 1, 1823 ; died August 6, 1901 ; 
 married (1) John Hubbard; married (2) Henry S. 
 Fraser. 
 
 WiLLARD H., born October 20, 1825; died May 19, 1893, 
 in Cooperstown, where he married. 
 
 Sarah Ann, born February 15, 1828; died in child- 
 hood. 
 
 Francis H., born June 2, 1831; died in childhood. 
 
 Louisa M., born January 5, 1833 ; died in childhood. 
 
 I 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 163 
 
 No story is the same to use after the lapse of 
 time ; or rather, we who read it are no longer 
 the same interpreters. — Georgb Eliot. 
 
 Man in Homespun. 
 
 One day during the '20's a stranger drove to the tav- 
 ern on the west side in this village. He had a load of 
 hides, was dressed in coarse homespun and not very pre- 
 possessing in appearance. As the landlord met him at 
 the door he inquired : 
 
 " Have you accommodation for my team and dinner 
 for me? " 
 
 " Well, it is past our dinner hour," replied the landlord, 
 " and we have nothing warm. But put out your team and 
 I'll step into the kitchen and see what we can do." 
 
 The stranger drove to the barn and mine host went 
 in search of the cook, to whom he said: 
 
 "A stranger, poorly dressed, has just drove in and 
 wants dinner. Don't stop to warm anything up, but 
 just clear off a place on the table and let him eat here." 
 
 " It won't take no time to start the fire again," was the 
 reply. " And, whether he is poor or rich, any man who 
 has driven far to-day needs a warm meal. I'll get it in 
 a very short time, and he can eat in the dining-room." 
 
 " No," said the landlord, " he probably hasn't much 
 money and a cold meal will serve him as well as any. 
 Don't bother about the dining-room, let him eat here." 
 
 The cook, though demurring, hastily arranged the meal 
 as directed, and served to the stranger upon his return 
 from the barn. It was wholesome and heartily partaken 
 
i64 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 of without any word of comment. Upon completing his 
 dinner the man in homespun went to the barroom door 
 and called the landlord outside. Taking a large roll of 
 bills of high denomination from his pocket, he said: 
 
 " I'll now pay my score. I always make it a practice 
 when traveling to show my money as little as possible, 
 especially in a barroom among strangers. Though you 
 know me not, you probably have heard of me, I am Mr. 
 Pratt of Sherburne, and, having business in Oxford, 
 thought it was useless to send my man with the hides 
 when I had to come the same way. I keep these clothes 
 to wear when I leave home with a large sum of money, for 
 I am not so apt to be noticed by unprincipled persons, 
 your meal, though cold, has satisfied me." 
 
 The landlord, through embarrassment, exclaimed : 
 " Why, Mr. Pratt, if you had only mentioned your name 
 before " 
 
 Mr. Pratt interrupted by saying : " Now, no apology 
 is necessary. Clothes don't always determine the man. 
 I have better ones, but preferred to wear homespun for 
 the reason I have already stated. I shall remain here 
 over night, and take out your pay from this bill." 
 
 The landlord replied : " Mr. Pratt, I am very glad to 
 be your host, and hereafter I shall not enter hastily in 
 judgment upon future strangers who enter my door. The 
 best the house affords shall be yours during your sojourn 
 with me, and upon any future visits you may choose to 
 make our town. The lesson I have learned this day will 
 never be forgotten." 
 
 Mr. Pratt was hospitally cared for during the remainder 
 of his stay, and returned home the following morning with 
 a better opinion of the landlord than he had on his arrival. 
 
 I 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 165 
 
 And though the warrior's sun has set, 
 It's light shall linger round us yet, — 
 Bright, radiant, blest. 
 
 — Longfellow. 
 
 Hezekiah Brockett. 
 
 Hezekiah Brockett was born in 1757 in Connecticut. 
 In 1776 he was enrolled in the Continental army, and was 
 one of the few that followed the bold and adventurous 
 " iMad Anthony " Wayne in 1779 up the heights of Stony 
 Point on the Hudson. He was one of the honest, earnest, 
 God-fearing, hard-working forefathers, with the axe in one 
 hand and the rifle in the other, who made the long, lonely 
 journeys toward the setting sun, with the comforts and 
 many of the necessities of civilization left far behind. 
 The old veteran died April 11, 1851, in Oxford, at the 
 age of 94, and was buried with military honors. The 
 stars and stripes, which in life he loved so well, shrouded 
 his coffin; the booming cannon echoed from hill to hill 
 as his bier passed along; military with glittering mus- 
 kets and muffled drums formed a guard of honor to the 
 cemetery. Volleys of musketry were fired over his grave, 
 and the old veteran was left to sleep peacefully, waiting 
 the last great roll call. 
 
 VILLAGE ILLUMINATED.— On the 1st of March, 
 1815, the village was illuminated in the evening on 
 the return of peace with England. William M. Price de- 
 livered an oration on the occasion in the Academy. 
 
i66 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Wben we bragiied roond the corn-heap with hearts all in tone. 
 Our chair a broad pumpkin — our lantern the moon. 
 
 — Whittieb. 
 
 Huskingr and Paring' Bees. 
 
 One of the few pleasures of onr forefathers was the 
 husking bee, which occmreii in the fall of the year, an 
 erent l«X)keii forwar»i to and long remembered when past. 
 The corn having been gatherei into the barn and sheds 
 in great piles, neighbors and friends, sometimes to the 
 number of a htmdreii, gathered by invitation in the even- 
 ing, husking frequently three or four hundred bushels of 
 com. When red ears of corn were discovered the finder, 
 whether male or female, was entitled to a kiss, which 
 often created much merriment. Tin lanterns hung here 
 and there furnished the light for the occasion. The chief 
 cotirse of the supper served was pumpkin pie, big fat 
 ones in all their golden glory. 
 
 The principal method of preserving apples was by dry- 
 ing. They were first pare^i, and quartered, then strung, 
 and placed upon racks in the kitchen to remain until 
 dry. This work made another evening of fun and frolic 
 in the shape of a paring bee. WTien the company had 
 assembled all sorts of devices were iLsed in preparing the 
 fruits and large quantities of apples would be placed 
 apon the drying racks at one of these gatherings. Seeds 
 ')f the apple were placed upon the hot bricks of the old 
 fireplace, properly named, and eagerly watched until they 
 snapped for either an ill or good omen. An unbroken 
 paring was waved three times around the head then 
 dropped to the floor, and the letter it formed was the 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 167 
 
 first in the name of the future wife or husband. At the 
 close of the work a substantial supper, one of the old 
 time kind would follow, and often games and dancing 
 ended the event. At the close of one of these bees on 
 the East hill, as the bovs and girls were returning through 
 a piece of woods to their homes, a mischievious neighbor 
 secreted himself with his dog near their path. As they 
 approached he caused the dog to howl and the girls, as 
 well as the boys, hastily took to the trees. After a few 
 moments some of the bolder ones descended, where they 
 found one of the boys, more timid than the rest, sitting on 
 the gi'ound with his feet and arms around the trunk of a 
 tree, supposing himself in the branches safe from danger. 
 His comical appearance brought on such a hearty laugh 
 that all thoughts of fear were driven from their minds. 
 
 TriE ENGINE WAS HOUSED.— One summer's day 
 in 1S23, during the building of the river bridge by 
 Jonathan Baldwin and Thomas Brown. Daniel Shum- 
 way. foreman of the fire company, had the hand 
 engine taken to the river for trial and placed it 
 near where the Fort Hill mill now stands. Mr. Shum- 
 way, who held the pipe, threw water on Mr. Brown, 
 who was on one of the bridge abutments, where he 
 could not readily escape. This act aroused the ire 
 of Mr. Baldwin, well known for his quaint expressions 
 and terrible wrath when provoked, who shouldered a 
 broadax and confronting the foreman, exclaimed : ** By 
 
 . Daniel Shumway, you let a drop of water fall on 
 
 the hem of my garment and every man in town will have 
 an engine I " Mr. Shumway threw no more water that 
 dav and the engine was immediatelv housed. 
 
i68 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 See the Gospel Church secure, 
 
 And founded on a Rock ! 
 All her promises are sure; 
 
 Her bulwarks who can shock? 
 
 —Charles Wesley. 
 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Methodism in Oxford sprung up as it did everywhere in 
 those early days, probably through the efforts of the circuit 
 rider. As near as can be learned its beginning in Oxford 
 dates about the year 1815, and that two years later an 
 organization was effected in what is now known as the 
 VanWagenen barn, and the building still remains on the 
 premises of Mrs. Lemuel Bolles on Albany street. In this 
 building, and at the homes of the members of the society, 
 they gathered for worship until the society was incorpor- 
 porated, September 24, 1831. The church records contain 
 the following reference to the organization at that time. 
 
 " The male persons of full age belonging to the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church in the village of Oxford met at the 
 Academy in said village, where they steadily attended for 
 divine worshij), . . . for the purpose of electing nine dis- 
 creet persons as trustees, to take charge of the estate and 
 property of the said church and to transact all affairs rela- 
 tive to the temporalities thereof." 
 
 The preacher in charge. Rev. James Atwell, presided at 
 the meeting, and was assisted by William E. Chapman, 
 Bliss Willoughby, Nathaniel Willcox, Caleb Sebury, Ever- 
 ett Judson, Gardner B. Lewis, Elias Widger, William E. 
 Chapuuin, George H. King, and Daniel Dudley were elected 
 trustees. 
 
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH 
 
 VIEW OF CHURCH IN 1870 AT THE TOP 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 169 
 
 Shortly after they purchased the old Academy building 
 on the corner of Merchant's (street) Row and Greene 
 street, long since destroyed by fire. They worshipped there 
 until 1841, when the present edifice was erected under the 
 pastorate of Rev. William H. Pearne, brother of Mr. B. M. 
 Pearne of this village. Its cost was approximately |3500, 
 The corner stone was laid with appropriate ceremonies on 
 June 24th of that year, and the church was formally dedi- 
 cated to the service of Almighty God January 27, 1842. 
 
 The church building still stands, though many times re- 
 modeled. The edifice was repaired and improved under the 
 pastorate of Rev. Hiram Gee, in 1856; also during the pas- 
 torate of Rev. S. F. Brown, in 1872, when over fllOO was 
 expended ; in 1880, under the pastorate of Rev. L. W. Peck, 
 D. D., when the basement and front was remodeled. The 
 front elevated entrance was removed and an inside vesti- 
 bule built, with steps at either side leading to the audi- 
 torium. The cost at this time was about fllOO. In 1886-7 
 the church was entirely remodeled. The exterior was mod- 
 erniz(-d by the removal of tlie steeple and the erection of a 
 spire and tower. The front entrance was made convenient 
 and artistic. A side entrance was also made on the east 
 side, through the east tower. The old galleries were re- 
 moved from the interior, and the church otherwise re-ar- 
 ranged as it is to-day. The whole effect was to make it 
 more convenient and to greatly improve the architectural 
 beauty. 
 
 The beautiful cathedral glass windows are all memorials 
 of those who have been identified with Oxford Methodism. 
 They were made from designs specially made for this 
 church. Entering the auditorium at the left the first win- 
 dow bears the name of Phebe A. Roome and Margaret 
 Roome, the gift of Mr. Henry C. Roome of New York, in 
 memorv of his mother and sister. The next vrindow wa« 
 
170 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 provided by Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Mosier, and in addition ta 
 their own names it bears the names of two deceased sons. 
 Since that time Mrs. Mosier has gone to her Heavenly 
 home. The next bears the inscription, " In loving memory 
 of Bliss Willoughby and his descendants," and was pro- 
 vided by Mr. W. D. Willoughby of Oxford. The last on 
 the east side was given by Mr. George P. York of Westfleld, 
 N. Y., in memory of his grandparents, *' Isaac J. Strat- 
 ton and Rachel, his wife." Passing across the room and 
 returning toward the door, the first window is the gift of 
 Mr. Charles B. Dudley of Altoona, Pa., in honor of his 
 parents, Daniel and Maranda Dudley. The next bears the 
 names of John and Mary E. Lord, and was the gift of Mrs. 
 Irene Lord of Oxford. The next is a husband's tribute to 
 the memory of his departed wife, and was the gift of Mr. 
 George Rector of Blue Earth City, Minn., and bears the 
 name of Sarah Rector. The last is in memory of the 
 sainted colored sister, knoAvn as Aunt Sally Sannick, It 
 was provided for by the income of a bequest she made to 
 the trustees of the society. 
 
 What life was in the early days of the society is best 
 described by Sister Eliza P. Eaton, the oldest member in 
 both actual years of membership as well as age. Mrs. 
 Eaton is now about eighty-eight years of age, but her mem- 
 ory retains a strong grasp upon the events relating to the 
 church in the period Avhen she joined, about 1838. She 
 said the Methodist revival meetings w^ere usually dubbed 
 " the crazy meetings." Owing to the strong antipathy her 
 friends had to these meetings, she and her friends would 
 steal into them. In this way she became converted and 
 finally joined the church. In those days there were times 
 of trouble with tlie ministers. One instance was tliat of 
 Rev. John Bailey, who while preacher in charge of this 
 church was confirmed in the Episcopal Church in Greene. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 171 
 
 Sectarian lines were very closely drawn in those days, and 
 the discovery that the pastor was sureptitiously preparing 
 for the Protestant Episcopal ministry caused a sensation. 
 He was speedily discharged from his duties on the advice 
 of Rev. Leonard Bowdish, pastor of the church at Norwich. 
 Another pastor had certain eccentricities, which at times 
 gave the female members of the congregation much concern. 
 One of the ablest men who had presided over the church 
 was Rev. William Wyatt, pastor in 1847. Rev. Mr. Wyatt, 
 in his memoirs, discourses interestingly about his experi- 
 ences in Oxford. The most important incident was the 
 conversion of Judge McKoon. The incident is best related 
 in Mr. Wyatt's own words : 
 
 " Judge McKoon, one of the best and most prominent 
 lawyers in the place, had formerly attended the Episcopal 
 Church, of which his wife was a member. He now came 
 to our church. One evening after preaching we gave an 
 invitation to any who wanted religion to come to the altar 
 for prayers. Five or six little boys came out and occupied 
 the seat; no one else came. The Judge was in the congre- 
 gation and deeply penitent. He had made up his mind to 
 go forward that night and seek the Lord, but when he saw 
 those little children take the place his resolution well nigh 
 failed him. It was a matter of surprise and talk among all 
 the people that he should leave the Episcopalians and join 
 himself to the Methodists; it drew the attention of the 
 whole community. He said to himself : ' An ex-judge of 
 the county, where I have presided for a long time, a prom- 
 inent lawyer at the bar, a man full fifty years old, and go 
 forward and seek God with those little children.' This 
 caused a great struggle. He had tried many causes, given 
 judgment in intricate and difficult cases, but a case so dif- 
 ficult, yet so important in its findings and issues had never 
 been brought before him. He stood on trial before the bar 
 
172 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 of his own conscience. It was to him not a matter of dol- 
 lars and cents to be estimated by the usual standard of loss 
 and gain, but a matter of life and death. . . . Judge Mc- 
 Koon went forward that night, found the Lord, and became 
 a power in the church." 
 
 Mr. Wjatt, in his book, referred to Oxford as a village 
 with one hundred and seventy dwellings, but they were 
 eastern people brought up in the land of steady habits and 
 all taught to go to church, which most of them did. The 
 churches were all filled every Lord's day with a very in- 
 telligent and well disposed people. He also preached at a 
 place called ^' Bouth Woods" (now South Oxford, or the 
 Basswood Meeting House), and at " Norwich Hill " (now 
 called North Guilford). Several young men were sent out 
 from this church to preach the gospel, among whom were 
 Otis Knight and Orville Mead, the latter being a grandson 
 of Everett Judson, one of the first trustees of the church. 
 
 The following list includes all the pastors of the church 
 
 since 1 827 : Henry Peck, 1828 ; Mansfield, 1829 ; John 
 
 Snyder, 1830 ; James Atwell, 1831 ; William Bowdish and 
 Stowell, 1832; Henry Halstead, who was the first sta- 
 tioned pastor, 1833-4; John Bailey, 1835; Lyman Sperry, 
 1836-7; George Harmon, an eccentric yet powerful man, 
 1838-9; Jared O. Bansom, a great revivalist in his day, 
 1839-40; William H. Pearne, D. D., 1841-2; Lyman Sperry, 
 1843-4; AA^lliam Bixby, 1844-5; L. L. Knox, 1846; William 
 AVyatt, 1847-8; Bostwick Hawley, D. D., 1849; Zechariah 
 Paddock, D. D., 1850 ; Solon Stocking, 1851-2 ; A. S. Graves, 
 1852-3; J. T. Wright, 1854; Hiram Gee, 1855-6; L. H. Stan- 
 ley, 1857; A. T. Mattison, 1858-60; William R. Cobb, 
 1860-1; Dwight Williams, 1862-3; William C. Bowen, 
 1864-5; William G. Queal, 1866-7; T. P. Halstead, son of 
 Henry Halstead, a former pastor, 1868-70; S. F. Brown, 
 1871-2; F. L. Hiller, 1873; H. V. Talbot, 1874-6; J. K. Peck, 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 17^ 
 
 A. B., 1876-8; S. C. Fulton, Ph. B., 1878-9; L. W. Peck, 
 D. D., 1880-2 ; J. W. Mevis, 1883-5 ; A. W. Cooper, 1886-91 ; 
 William G. Simpson, William C. Frisbie, A. H. Littell, 
 Henry Kilpatrick, I. N. Shipman, and Frederick A. Len- 
 drum have been pastors since 1891, in the order named. 
 
 The church benefited from time to time from several 
 bequests, from those who had prized it as a church home, 
 and desired to perpetuate its power and influence. 
 
 Perhaps it would not be amiss to insert here a reference 
 to the pure life and holy character of the colored sister, 
 Aunt Sally Sannick. Although a former slave, she was 
 one of the most devout and self-sacrificing members. She 
 was one of the earliest members and died in 1882. 
 
 JOHN HARRIS, formerly a sea captain, was an early 
 resident of Norwich, and it was he who surveyed the 
 road from Oxford to Sherburne. 
 
 Kind reader ! take your choice to cry or laugh. 
 
 — Bybon. 
 
 Memorial Verses. 
 
 An old custom in which to perpetuate the memory of a 
 deceased friend or relative was for some one who thought 
 they had a poetical turn of mind to describe the manner of 
 death in verse. These memorials were sometimes twenty 
 or more stanzas in length, were printed on slips of paper 
 and distributed among relatives. The following lines were 
 
174 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 written by Daniel Holdridge on the accidental death of 
 Abner Starkey, which occurred in Oxford March 2, 1847 : 
 
 Look, friends and neighbors, one and all, 
 How sudden death may on us fall ; 
 We are not safe, nor yet secure. 
 Nor shall be while our lives endure. 
 
 A dreadful scene of late took place, 
 And now I will relate the case : 
 Himself and wife to Oxford went, 
 'Twas there he met the accident. 
 
 His horse was standing in the shed, 
 He went to get him as 'tis said ; 
 The horse took fright and out he came ; 
 He tried to hold him, but in vain. 
 
 Upon the horse's neck he hung; 
 Against the sign-post he was flung ; 
 'Twas there he met the fatal blow 
 Which caused him pain and death also. 
 
 They took him up and then with care, 
 To a physician did him bear ; — 
 Upon examination found 
 That he'd received a mortal wound. 
 
 Then for his friends they quickly sent. 
 Without delay with speed they went. 
 But oh ! alas ! they could not save 
 Their friend from an untimely grave. 
 
 His parents and companion too 
 Were striving something for to do 
 For this dear man, and give some aid 
 That would relieve his aching head. 
 
 The funeral sermon then was preached 
 By a good man — 'twas Elder Leach ; 
 The rites performed, and all things done. 
 They then consigned him to the tomb. 
 
 His name to you I'll now make known, 
 'Twas Abner Starkey, John's own sou : 
 In Smithville town he did reside ; 
 In Oxfoi-d town, 'twas there he died. 
 
 JONAH MOORE, a settler of McDonoiigh, was drowned 
 iu the Chenango river at Oxford about the year 1815, 
 under circumstances which induced the belief that he 
 met a violent death at the hands of parties unknown. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD I75 
 
 Men, some to business, some to pleasure take ; 
 
 . some to quiet, some to public ^t^^^^^^p^p^ 
 
 Selah H. Fish. 
 
 Selah H. Fish was born May 8, 1812, in Springfield, 
 Otsego county, N. Y, and came to Oxford in 1847. He was 
 first married June 6, 1833, to Maria Brown, born October 
 14, 1811; died July 19, 1834. Mr. Fish's second marriage 
 was March 12, 1837, when Amy Brown of Fly Creek, 
 Otsego county, N. Y., became his wife. She was born June 
 27 1817, and died December 10, 1893, in Neenah, Wis. Mr. 
 Fish was a shoemaker and worked at that trade for many 
 years in Oxford, and was also deputy sheriff, which oflBce 
 he effectually filled for several terms. He took much in- 
 terest in the Oxford Band, of which he was a member, and 
 was often referred to as the father of that organization. 
 On September 20, 1861, Mr. Fish, with seven members, en- 
 listed in the Regimental Band of the Anderson Zouaves, 
 then encamped near Washington, but returned home early 
 in the following spring, having been discharged on account 
 of ill health. Mr. and Mrs. Fish left Oxford m 1885 to 
 reside with their children at Neenah, Wis., where he met 
 an accidental death April 7, 1887, on the Wisconsin Cen- 
 tral railroad. Child by first wife: 
 
 Edgar A., born July 12, 1834. In the U. S. Navy during 
 Civil war. Died November 27, 1871, in South Oxford. 
 Children by second wife: 
 
 Maria L., married Luke M. Robinson of South Oxford. 
 Henry C, died February 14, 1845, in Cooperstown, N. Y. 
 John J., married Chloe M. Bradley of Mogadore, Ohio. 
 Now County Clerk of Winnebago county, Wis. 
 
176 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 A brave man struggliug in the storms of fate. 
 
 • — Pope. 
 
 Edward A. Roome. 
 
 Edward A. Roome was born October 26, 1802, in New 
 York City, and for a number of years was a commission 
 merchant. He was an ardent Henry Clay Whig and, while 
 acting as marshal of a political procession, was knocked 
 from his horse and sustained a fracture of the skull, from 
 the effects of which he never fully recovered. During the 
 spring of 1846 he and his partner undertook a journey to 
 what was then considered the far west, in order to pro- 
 cure each of them a farm. After visiting the extreme west- 
 ern part of the state they returned east through the Che- 
 nango valley. Being captivated by its beauties, they con- 
 cluded to purchase farms adjoining each other in this 
 town. Subsequently Mr. Roome bought the farm of An- 
 drew McNeil, now owned by Mrs. Alice McCall, while his 
 partner engaged to purchase the Brush farm adjoining, 
 now owned by O. M. Westover. Returning to New York, 
 he removed his family to Oxford in the fall of that year. 
 As the Erie railroad was not at that time completed the 
 family and goods were transported via Erie and Chenango 
 canals, in a boat commanded by Captain George Balcom^ 
 afterwards the famous Baj^tist evangelist. Henry C. 
 Roome, the eldest son, in speaking of the trip, says : " How 
 well I remember my first impression of Oxford as I entered 
 the village, tramping along the towpath by the side of the 
 horses towing the boat. How dark and gloomy the ' hole 
 in the wall ' appeared ; how tall and massive the steps lead- 
 ing up to the office of The Oxford Times in the building 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 177 
 
 which stood on the site of the First National Bank edifice ; 
 and with what awe and w^onder I gazed upon, to me at 
 that time, the ponderous elbow-jointed printing press, and 
 with what feeling of supremacy, born of my superior years, 
 I looked upon the youngster engaged in play with a neAvs- 
 paper on the counter." Mr. Roome and family took board 
 with Colonel Otis J. Tracy and the following spring re- 
 moved to the Brush farm, having paid forfeit to Mr. Mc- 
 Neil for not completing the purchase of his farm. After 
 an experience of three years in farming he became tired of 
 it and sold to William E. Chapman, moving into the vil- 
 lage so that he could educate his children at the Academy. 
 Mr. Roome occupied with his family the old Ingersoll 
 house, which stood on the corner above Riverview ceme- 
 tery, and which was demolished in 1903. After a year or 
 two he purchased a house on Mechanic street. The effects 
 of his injury becoming more and more severe, he was trans- 
 ferred to the Rloomingdale Asylum, New York, Avhere lie 
 died April 18, 1855. Mr. Roome married, in 1833, Phebe 
 Hyer of New York City, born in 1811, and died March 28, 
 1874, in Oxford. Children : 
 
 Sarah, born May 1, 1836, in New York City; died May 
 5, 1874, in Pdue Earth City, Minn. ; married April 20, 1856, 
 George C. Rector. 
 
 Henry C, born in New York City, married March 1, 
 1864, Mary J., daughter of Dr. Austin and Jane (Perkins) 
 Rouse. Residence, Jersey Cit}^, N. J. Mr. Roome enlisted 
 during the Civil war in the 89th N. Y. S. V., was promoted 
 to be captain, and finally became major. While endeavor- 
 ing to save his regimental colors in a charge made against 
 the enemy's works on September 27, 1864, he was taken 
 prisoner and placed in Libby prison. Afterwards he was 
 transferred to Salisbury, N. C, from whence he was re- 
 leased in February, 1865. 
 
1/8 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Angelina, born March 7, 1840 ; died March 25, 1902, in 
 Hastings, Neb. ; married July 22, 1875, George C. Rector. 
 
 Benjamin F., resides in New York City. 
 
 Margaret H., born in 1847, in Oxford; died October 11, 
 1869, in Oxford. 
 
 AT THE TOWN MEETING held in 1796 Ephraim 
 Fitch was chosen supervisor, and it was 
 
 Voted. That Nathau Carpenter and James Phelps be ix»und keepers 
 and that their yards be pounds the year ensuing. 
 
 Voted. To give four pounds for each wolf's pate killed in this 
 Town. 
 
 Voted. That hogs be free commoners yok'd and ring'd. 
 
 In the same year we find the record of " Marks of 
 Creatures " : 
 
 Isaac Snell's mark is a square crop off the right ear and a slit in 
 the end of the same 
 
 David Shapley's mark is a half penny the underside of the right 
 ear. 
 
 Samuel Ilimt's mark a half penny under side the right ear and 
 under side the left ear a half crop. 
 
 Joel Sprague's mark a square crop off the left ear and half penny 
 underside the same. 
 
 Anson Gary's mark is a swallow's tail on the right ear. 
 
 Shubel Coy's mark is a smooth crop off the right Ear and a half 
 penny under it. 
 
 Jonathan Baldwin's mark for creatures is a hole in the right ear. 
 
 Green Hall's mark is the end of the right ear cut off square apply'd 
 for this 7th June, 1790. Sign'd Elihu Murray, Clerk. 
 
 DAVID AND HANNAH SHAPLEY came to this town 
 in 1800 and began the construction, in the then 
 unbroken wilderness, of the home where they lived and 
 died. Their son, John, born May 5, 1810, married Naomi 
 Wheeler, and died July 18, 1882. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 179 
 
 Consider, man ; weigh well thy frame, 
 The king, the beggar, is the same ; 
 Dust formed us all. Each breathes his day 
 Then sinks in his native clay. 
 
 —Gay. 
 
 George Douglas, M. D. 
 
 The Douglas family dates its origin as far back as the 
 eleventh century. The first Douglas that settled in Amer- 
 ica was one William Douglas, who landed in Boston, 
 Mass., but later moved to New London, Conn., where he 
 built the first frame house, which stood until 1865. Wil- 
 liam Douglas, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, 
 was a captain of a military company during the Revolu- 
 tionary war. 
 
 Dr. George Douglas, long a practicing physician in 
 Oxford, died at his home on Washington park October 9, 
 1906. The doctor had been in feeble health for several 
 months. He stood high in his chosen profession, and was 
 a member of the Congregational Church. 
 
 Dr. Douglas was the son of Hon. Amos and Miriam 
 (Wright) Douglas, and born at Franklin, N. Y., May 7, 
 1823. He married February 17, 1858, Ada E. Frink of 
 Fabius, N. Y., who died March 8, 1864. His second mar- 
 riage occurred June 14, 1866, when he married Jane A., 
 daughter of William Mygatt of Oxford, who died November 
 24, 1894. 
 
 Dr. Douglas was educated at the Delaware Literary In- 
 stitute at Franklin, graduating in 1840. He read medicine 
 with Dr. Francis Hine in his native town and later with 
 
i8o ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Dr. Clark at Smithville P^lats, and in 1842 entered Geneva 
 Medical College, and in 1844 the medical department of 
 the University of the City of New York, graduating April 
 14, 1845. He began the practice of his profession at Smith- 
 ville Flats, and in 1846 came to Oxford and entered into 
 copartnership with Dr. S. E. Clarke in the drug business, 
 which was dissolved in June of the following year. In 
 August, 1860, he, with William H. VanWagenen, pur- 
 chased the stock of drugs and medicine of Dr. Clarke, his 
 former partner, retiring from the firm after a few years. 
 Dr. Douglas still continued the practice of medicine in 
 Oxford until his removal to Brooklyn in 1877, where he 
 remained two years, and then returned to this village, and 
 in 1887 purchased of William H. VanWagenen the resi- 
 dence on Washington Park. 
 
 Dr. Douglas, in July, 1864, was appointed Surgeon of 
 the Board of Enrollment of this Congressional district. 
 During the year 1887, accompanied by his daughter, he 
 spent several months in Europe. He was a member of the 
 New York State Medical Association, and the Chenango 
 County Medical Association. In 1871 he was elected an 
 honorary member of the California State Medical Society, 
 and was a member of the Centennial International Medical 
 Congress held in 1876 at Philadelphia. He was ex-presi- 
 dent of the Rocky Mountain Medical Association, a mem- 
 ber of the World's Medical Congress held in 1887 at 
 Washington, in 1890 was a delegate from the American 
 Medical Association to the World's Medical Congress, 
 which assembled in Berlin, Germany, and was also a mem- 
 ber of the first Pan-American Medical Congress held in 
 1893 at Washington. 
 
 Dr. Douglas was survived by one daughter, Mrs. Ellen 
 ]\rcDonald, who had been his companion and attendant at 
 liome and abroad for many years. 
 
JUDSON B. GALPIN 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD i8i 
 
 Allured to brighter worlds, and led the way. — Goldsmith. 
 
 Judson B. Galpin. 
 
 Judson Benjamin Galpin was a descendant of Benjamin 
 and Rebecca Galpin, who settled at Woodbury, Conn., in 
 1680. The family has been traced back to the Huguenot 
 war in the early part of the sixteenth century, when the 
 De Galpins were driven from Paris, some went to Switzer- 
 land, others to Germany and England. Those who fled to 
 the latter country dropped the " De," and the Galpins in 
 America came from that line. Philip and Caleb Galpin, 
 sons of John Galpin of Bristol, Somerset county, England, 
 came to New Haven, Conn., in 1650, and were the first of 
 that name in America. The Galpin coat of arms consists 
 of a Bear " passant," on a field argent mounted upon a 
 banner of ermine, which in turn is surmounted by three 
 fleurs-de-lys. 
 
 Mr. Galpin was the eldest son of Benjamin and Polly 
 (Judson) Galpin. He was born May 15, 1816, at Washing- 
 ton, Conn., died February 20, 1893, at Oxford; married 
 May 16, 1841, Catherine Jane, second daughter of Alfred 
 and Sarah (Hamlin) Hawley Brownson, born December 
 2, 1818, at Warren, Conn. On the 16th of May, 1891, Mr. 
 and Mrs. Galpin, with their children, quietly celebrated the 
 golden anniversary of their wedding at the family resi- 
 dence on Clinton street, Oxford. 
 
 Mr. Galpin at the age of seventeen years entered the 
 printing office of the New Haven (Conn.) PaUadium, under 
 
i82 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 the now almost forgotten apprentice system, as an " inden- 
 tured apprentice/' He was an apt scholar, and in January, 
 1838, when the five years of his apprenticeship were ended, 
 he, with James F. Babcock, became publishers of the PalJa- 
 dkini. The partnership was dissolved in October, 1839, but 
 he remained in the office until May 14, 1841. The follow- 
 ing month at the earnest solicitation of Elisha N. Hawley, 
 Mrs. Galpin's half-brother, he with his young wife removed 
 to the neighboring town of Greene. A journey in those 
 days that was thought to be far west and a considerable 
 undertaking. In that village Mr. Galpin and Mr. Hawley 
 conducted a general merchandise business for nearly four 
 years, when, in 1845, a yearning for his chosen profession 
 induced him to come to Oxford and engage upon The 
 Times. Later he became associate publisher with Waldo 
 M. Potter, who in after years became a leading State officer 
 in North Dakota. On March 4, 1848, Mr. Galpin became 
 sole proprietor and liad full charge of the paper for 
 forty-five years, until impaired health compelled him 
 to lay down the stick and rule and submit the man- 
 agement of the office to his eldest son, Theodore B. Gal- 
 pin. During the long years as publisher The Times 
 never failed to be issued on the regular publication day, 
 was seldom behind the usual hour, and he was absent but 
 twice on that day during his service of nearly half a cen- 
 tury. His journal stood prominent among the leading in- 
 terior newspapers of his day. His published opinions, we 
 are told, " alwaj^s commanded the respect, if not the ad- 
 hesion of his readers." Mr. Galpin was faithful to his 
 trusts, true to his friends, and conducted The Times for 
 the best interests of the town and its welfare, and the files 
 of the paper are a fitting memorial to his integrity. 
 
 For nearly forty years Mr. Galpin conducted a book and 
 stationer}^ business in connection with the printing estab- 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 183 
 
 lishment, and at his death was the oldest business man in 
 town. 
 
 He was a regular attendant at the Methodist Episcopal 
 church, of which he was a member and trustee, and was 
 clerk of the board for many years. 
 
 Public spirited, he gave generously to all that would 
 benefit the village or town, and no subscription paper 
 passed unsigned by him that would help a townsman in 
 distress. Public office he never sought nor ever held. Of 
 a quiet, retiring disposition, he was ever found at his place 
 of business, yet enjoyed the companionship of friends and 
 neighbors who entered his home or office. His children, 
 all born in Oxford, are : 
 
 Theodore Brownson Galpin, born " Ere pinks were 
 carnations and roses all double," from a boy up has always 
 been identified with The Oxford Times. Like most print- 
 ers, who have achieved success, he has passed through the 
 various elements of carrier, devil, compositor, pressman, 
 foreman, and country newspaper editor. The only in- 
 tervals that occur to break a continued connection with 
 The Times were his attendance at Oxford Academy and 
 two terms at Cazenovia Seminary. Even in the days when 
 he was attending the Academy he was wont to divide his 
 time out of school with work at the office, and many a 
 night during the Civil war he put in long hours as roller- 
 boy on the Washington hand press, which still has a retired 
 nook in the office and at an age quite, if not past, the cen- 
 tury mark. At the close of his school days at Cazenovia, 
 Mr. Galpin began his active connection with the paper, 
 which has never ceased to this day. Through the medium 
 of The Times, he stands for his home town first, last, and 
 all the time, v/hich sentiment has generally been appre- 
 ciated by his townsmen. He conducts his business in a 
 
i84 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 practical and progressive manner, his polic}' being to give 
 the reader spicy local news, and advertisers the best possi- 
 ble service. He realizes that advertising is done for the 
 purpose of securing results. Accordingly his efforts have 
 always been directed to making The Times service bring 
 results, and in this he has been notably successful. 
 When Mr. Galpin retires at night and hangs his hat on the 
 wall his family are all in. 
 
 Henry Judson, married Mrs. Eva B. Williams of Ful- 
 ton, N. Y., youngest daughter of Horace Nelson and 
 Matilda (VanValkenburg) Sabin. 
 
 Florrie Gee, married John N. Walker, son of John and 
 Mary (Sawtelle) Walker of McDonough, N. Y. Now re- 
 sides at Warsaw, N. Y. Children: John Galpin, con- 
 nected with the Electric Signal and Switch Company at 
 Pittsburg, Pa. ; Robert Sawtelle, stenographer for War- 
 saw Blue Stone Company, Warsaw, N. Y. ; Alfred Brown- 
 son, died September 16, 1889, in infancy; Catherine, died 
 September 28, 1891, in infancy ; Agnes Louise. 
 
 Jennie Harriet, married Henry Starkweather, son of 
 John IT. and Anna Starkweather of New Haven, Conn. 
 Now resides at Pittsburg, Pa. 
 
 LABORER'S WAGES in 1826 were from forty to sixty 
 cents a day. Fresh beef was four cents a pound and 
 fresh pork three and a half cents. " Locofoco " matche* 
 twenty-five cents per box, for what are now sold for a 
 cent. Cord wood, one dollar per cord; flour, four to ten 
 dollars per barrel; tobacco, forty cents per pound, and 
 whisky thirty-five cents per gallon. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 185 
 
 He lives who dies to wiu a lasting name. 
 
 — Drum MONO. 
 
 Nelson C. Chapman. 
 
 Nelson C. Chapman came in 1846 to Oxford from Nor- 
 wich, and with his brother-in-law, Joseph G. Thorp, suc- 
 ceeded Ira Willcox in the general mercantile business con- 
 ducted at the brick store on Fort Hill. For a period of ten 
 years they were prominent and successful business men of 
 Oxford. Having disposed of their goods to Miller & Per- 
 kins, they engaged in banking for a short time in Clinton, 
 Iowa, but finally became extensively engaged in the lum- 
 bering business at Eau Claire, Wis., where, by indomitable 
 energy and sagacity, they secured a fortune. Mr. Chap- 
 man's large business interest directed him a few years 
 later to St. Louis, where he became prominent in business 
 circles and very influential in public affairs. He died in 
 that city September 12, 1873. Elizabeth A., his wife, died 
 May 6, 187G, aged 58. Children : 
 
 Gilbert, deceased. 
 
 Florence A., born July 3, 1817, in Oxford ; died Decem- 
 ber 2, 1900, in Paris, France; married October 21, 1869, at 
 St. Louis, Henrj" Alcock, Esq., of Leamington, Warwick- 
 shire, England, who died in 1893. Children : Mary, Gil- 
 bert, died shortly after his father; Nelson, died in June, 
 1900 ; Harry, lieutenant of the English Navy, and Vivian. 
 
 Charles. 
 
 Nelson C, residence St. Louis, Mo. 
 
i86 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 That chastity of honor which felt a staiu like a wound. 
 
 — BUBKE. 
 
 Capt. Joseph Hawley Dwight. 
 
 Captain Joseph Hawley Dwight was born at Great Bar- 
 rington, Mass., September 13, 1785. Soon after arriving 
 at the age of 21 he went to Bridgewater, N. Y., and in 1812 
 entered the United States army as ensign. During the war 
 he Avas engaged for the most time in active service on the 
 frontier, and toward the close as quartermaster to the 13th 
 Reg't of Infantry, in which position he served faithfully. 
 At the close of the war he resigned his office and resided at 
 Unadilla Forks, N. Y., Schenectady, and Utica until 1840, 
 when he came to Oxford. Here he entered into copartner- 
 ship with the Clarkes, under the firm name of E. Clarke, 
 Son & Co., which was dissolved May 1, 1843, by his with- 
 drawal. Captain Dwight was known and esteemed for his 
 strict integrity, and beloved by all for his benevolence of 
 heart and hand. His death at the age of CO followed a car- 
 riage accident which occurred August 6, 1845. Catherine 
 Clarke, his Avife, sister of Ethan Clarke, born April 17, 
 1793, in Stonington, R. I., died June 11, 1840, in Oxford. 
 They had but one child, Henry William, who died in 
 infancy. 
 
 "TNAVID DAVIS was one of the early settlers of the 
 -*— ^ town, but very little is now known of him, except 
 that he had two daughters, Cornelia, married Joseph 
 Lobdell, and Lucinda, married Francello Stuart. 
 
 I 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 187 
 
 Of manners gentle, of affections mild ; 
 In wit a man, simplicity a child. 
 
 • — Pope. 
 
 Rev. Jared C. Ransom. 
 
 Rev. Jared Comstock Ransom was born at Warren, 
 Herkimer county, May 24, 180H, and early in life became a 
 member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1834 he 
 was given an exhorter's license, and in 1836 a local preach- 
 er's license ; the same year he joined Oneida Conference, and 
 in 1869 became a member of Wyoming Conference. His 
 pastoral record was Sharon, Brookfield, Otego, Chenango 
 Circuit, Butternuts, and Oxford. In 1839, on account of 
 feeble health, he was superanuated and came to Oxford^ 
 purchasing the house and land on State street, which he 
 occupied till his death. He devoted much time to agricul- 
 tural pursuits, and officiating for absent pastors. He was 
 firm in his duties and convictions, highly respected and 
 esteemed in this and adjoining communities. His services 
 were frequently required at wedding and funeral cere- 
 monies, and an incomplete record from November 3, 1839, 
 to June 2, 1879, shovvs that he officiated at 327 weddings; 
 and from January 15, 1837, to June 12, 1877, he preached 
 583 funeral sermons. In November, 1879, Elder Ransom 
 was stricken with paralysis on his right side, and died July 
 5, 1882, aged 79. His first wife was Ann Amanda Cook, 
 who died December 25, 1828, leaving three sons. On 
 August 2, 1840, he married Mary Preston of Oxford, wha 
 died December 28, 1858. 
 
 Charles C. Ransom, eldest son of Rev. J. C. Ransom, 
 was employed several years in the office of The Oxford 
 
i88 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Times. He was cordial and pleasant in manner, and pos- 
 sessing good-natured mirth attached many friends, espe- 
 cially among those of his own age. On leaving The Times 
 ofiSce he secured a position on the Erie railroad. On Feb- 
 ruary 21, 1856, an accident occurred at Cascade bridge 
 by which he lost his life. He had signaled a train across 
 the bridge and with a lamp on each arm attempted to get 
 upon a car ; his foot slipped and was caught under a wheel, 
 which passed over him, severing an arm and leg from 
 the body. He was taken to Susquehanna, where he sur- 
 vived for four hours, suffering little pain and in the full 
 possession of his senses until he calmly expired. 
 
 Norman K. Ransom, brother of above, a prominent citi- 
 zen of Eichfield Springs, died at that place March 13, 1872. 
 
 THE COMMON SCHOOLS of the town celebrated 
 Washington's birthday at the Congregational church 
 in 1844. Music was furnished by the Tyrolean Band, and 
 the exercises consisted of examinations of the scholars 
 in arithmetic and grammar, followed by addresses from 
 Revs. Perry, Burtis, and Sperry. Eighteen of the twenty^ 
 one districts were represented by teachers, who were ac- 
 companied by 460 scholars. Nearly 100 more children 
 and 300 adults were present. 
 
 JOHN HOLMES died in Oxford, May 12, 1849, in the 
 90th year of his age. He entered the Revolutionary 
 army at the age of 16, and served until the conclusion of 
 the war. He came to this town when there was but one 
 dwelling where the village now stands, and resided here 
 until his death. Esther, his widow, died March 21, 1863, 
 asred S(). 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 189 
 
 Ay, sir ; to be honest, as this world goes, is to be one 
 man picked out of two thousand. 
 
 — Shakespeare. 
 
 Addison Dudley Adams. 
 
 Addison Dudley Adams, son of Piatt and Clarissa (Dud- 
 ley) Adams, was born in Durham, Greene county. He 
 received his elementary education in the public schools of 
 his native town, and on finishing his school work moved to 
 Oxford and engaged in mercantile business in the Fort Hill 
 block. After remaining here a few years he removed in 
 1839 to Greene, where he conducted a general dry goods 
 business. He married Mary, daughter of John and Mary 
 (Welch) Perry of Oxford. Mr. Adams held the position of 
 supervisor of the town of Greene for several terms. His 
 death occurred in 1878. Mrs. Adams died January 27, 
 1905. Children : 
 
 Platt, married Claire Varlet of Paris, France, and re- 
 sides in New York City. 
 
 John P., married Calista Weaver of Syracuse; resides 
 at New York City. 
 
 William A., married Mary Kule of Belleville, N. J.; 
 dead. 
 
 Reuben A., died in infancy. 
 
 Augustus Willard, resides in Chicago. He held for 
 two years the athletic championship in the United States at 
 putting the sixteen pound shot. 
 
 Emily C, married Romeo M. Wilbur of Sioux City, la. ; 
 now resides in Greene. 
 
I90 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 A heap of dust alone remains of thee, 
 
 'Tis all thou art, and all the proud shall be. 
 
 — Pope. 
 
 Horace Packer. 
 
 Horace Packer, born in Norwich, January 2, 1812, came 
 to Oxford in 1839. He was educated at the district schools 
 of his native town, at Oxford Academy, and Madison Uni- 
 versity at Hamilton. He read law with Judge McKoon in 
 this village, was early admitted to the bar, and began the 
 practice of law, in which by untiring and indomitable spirit 
 he gained a prominent position among distinguished com- 
 petitors. In November, 1846, he married Mary A. Tisdal 
 of Little Falls, N. Y., who died seven months afterwards. 
 
 Through life and to his last days, Mr. Packer was a dili- 
 gent student, and much of a philsopher. In the study of 
 sacred and polite literature, history and the classics, he 
 was probably equalled by few or none in our midst. His 
 ready and accurate familiarity with the ancient philoso- 
 phers, the incidents of their early lives and the spirit of 
 their teachings was a surprise to those verifying his state- 
 ments by knowledge or research. To those who knew him 
 by a mere superficial acquaintance there can be but a 
 small idea of the originality, brilliant wit and conversa- 
 tional powers that for many years made him a central 
 figure in social life, and always a delight in family 
 gatherings. 
 
 Losing his wife so early, his long, solitary life unblessed 
 by those graces which come from the love, sacrifice, and 
 sympathy of the home circle to the husband and father, 
 there was yet displayed in his life in a remarkable degree 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 191 
 
 an almost knightly courtesy and kindness to all, high or 
 low, with whom he was associated. For young men he was 
 especially considerate and thoughtful; helping them for- 
 ward into notice and self-confidence. 
 
 Always active, though for some years in delicate health, 
 his final sickness lasted but about ten days, and his death, 
 which occurred from lung disease, was unexpectedly sud- 
 den. He died at his residence in this village November 
 10, 1881. 
 
 OLIVER C. RHODES, born June 16, 1769, inWesterly 
 R.I., came to Oxford in 1814, where he resided until 
 his death, which occurred April 23, 184G. His wife, Eunice 
 Pendleton, born December 15, 1776, in Westerly, died Octo- 
 ber 10, 1854, in Oxford. They bought the farm now owned 
 and occupied by their great grandson, Oliver John Rhodes, 
 north of the Woman's Relief Corps Home. Among their 
 children was Oliver, 2d, born December 26, 1803, in West- 
 erly, R. I., and died February 11, 1893, in Oxford, on the 
 farm on which he had resided seventy -eight years. He mar- 
 ried February 5, 1841, Marie Louisa Perry, daughter of 
 Deacon John Perry, born February 3, 1812, in Smithville, 
 N. Y., and died March 4, 1903, in Oxford. Children, none 
 of whom survive: 
 
 Ellen Marie, married Thomas Peck, who met an acci- 
 dental death on the railroad. 
 
 John P., married Rufina Pierce. Children : Carrie 
 Ellen, married William Fox ; Oliver John, married Emma 
 C. Whited of Binghamton, now living on the old home- 
 stead ; Belle Bond, died at the age of 12. 
 
 Oliver, 3d, died in infancy. 
 
193 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Whose remembrance yet lives in men's eyes. 
 
 — Shakespkabk. 
 
 Frederick A. Sands. 
 
 Frederick A. Sands, son of Judge Obadiah and Elizabeth 
 (Teed) Sands, was born in Bainbridge, February 19, 1813. 
 He was a student in Oxford Academy in 1828. As early 
 as 1835 he was a clerk in a store at Unadilla, and later 
 engaged in business under the firm name of Fellows & 
 Sands, which was soon changed to Watson & Sands. In 
 1840 he returned to Oxford and entered into business with 
 his brother-in-law, James W. Clarke. In 1856 he returned 
 to Unadilla, and a few years later, on the death of his 
 father, Mr. Sands, who was executor and trustee of the 
 estate, abandoned his mercantile pursuits and devoted him- 
 self to the affairs of the estate. 
 
 On the formation of the First National Bank of Oxford, 
 Mr. Sands became interested with James W. Clarke, and 
 an old personal friend, Henry L. Miller, and others, and 
 was one of the original directors and the first cashier of 
 that institution. Mr. Miller and he were lifelong friends, 
 and they were buried at the same hour and on the same day 
 in March, 1886. At the death of Mr. Sands it was said of 
 him, " Few men have done so much business with so little 
 litigation." His papers were " models of neatness and 
 brevity, and always as correct as care and labor could 
 make them." With this scrupulous exactness went also a 
 fine integrity. 
 
 Mr. Sands married (1) INIaria, daughter of Sherman 
 Page, wlio died two years after the marriage; married (2) 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 193 
 
 in January, 1841, Clarissa A., sister of Henry R. Mygatt 
 of Oxford, who survived him only a few months. 
 
 Children : 
 
 Frances Maria^ died September 20, 1841. 
 
 Clara Mygatt, married Senator Frank B. Arnold ; died 
 June 3, 1881. 
 
 Henry, married (1), 1872, Eveline Ingersoll; married 
 (2), 1885, Ada Wilson. 
 
 Belle, married Samuel S. North. 
 
 J. Frederick, married Clara Louise Pelletreau. 
 
 JEREMIAH TILLOTSON, born in 1776 in Rutland, 
 Vt., came to Oxford after obtaining his majority. He 
 married in this town and shortly afterwards moved to 
 Greene, where he died in 1852. He was a soldier in the 
 War of 1812, and rendered gallant service until the close 
 of the same. Children: 
 
 Jeremiah, married Lovicy Loomis of Greene, who died 
 November 7, 1877, in Oxford, aged 71. He inherited a 
 fortune while yet a young man, but through high living 
 and a generous disposition he was left penniless in his 
 old age, and died September 11, 1898, aged 94, at the 
 County House in Preston, 
 
 Sabrina, married William Race of South Oxford. 
 
 Silas, married Eunice Smith of Rutland, Mass. 
 
 PLATT BRUSH settled in Greene as early as 1802. He 
 removed to Oxford in the spring of 1810, where he 
 practiced law. He finally returned to New York from 
 whence he originallv came. 
 
194 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 p]veryone cleaves to the doctrine he has happened upon as to 
 a rock against which he has heeu thrown by tempest. 
 
 — CiCEBO. 
 
 Rev. Jabez S. Swan. 
 
 Rev. Jabez S. Swan, better known as Elder Swan, was a 
 native of Stonington, Ct., and when the British fleet bom- 
 barded that phice in 1814 served as powder monkey to the 
 cannoneers that defended the town. At the age of 22 he 
 was a licensed preacher ; but thinking himself insufificientlj 
 ■educated, determined to take a theological course at Madi- 
 son University, Hamilton, N. Y. To reach the college he 
 rode 250 miles on horseback. Having ,^100 saved from 
 hard work, and a young wife earnest and active as himself, 
 he leased a cabin for nine dollars a year and began house- 
 keeping. Every Sunday while at college he rode twenty 
 miles to preach before a congregation that paid him fifty 
 cents a sermon. On other days he earned three shillings at 
 felling trees and cutting timber. In 1827 he was grad- 
 uated. In such a school of heroic self-denial. Elder Swan 
 was fitted for the work to which, during the next fifty years, 
 he applied himself. Fifteen thousand persons were con- 
 verted under his preaching, and in one of his earliest pas- 
 torates, covering a period of three years, he baptized 1800 
 persons. He became insane at the time the lamented Gar- 
 field was assassinated, and until his death, which occurred 
 at New London, Ct., November 19, 1884, at the age of 85, 
 his mind was under a cloud. He was pastor of the Oxford 
 Baptist Cliurch from 1839 to 1842. During one of the 
 revival meetings he was holding here, Asa Beardsley, a 
 noted character, and of veiy dark ccmplexion, went for- 
 ward. Elder Swan, on seeing him among the penitents, 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 195 
 
 exclaimed : " The devil has turned over another black 
 ace ! " The following is an extract from one of his 
 sermons : 
 
 " I was preaching once over on the borders of heathen- 
 dom, between Guilford and Oxford, and in my audience 
 saw a hard shell Baptist, who had said that * if Christ 
 had gone through his cornfield on Sunday and picked ears 
 of corn, he would have had a supreme writ on him before 
 he slept.' I knew he was there and I told the story. A 
 half crazy fellow sat upon the pulpit stairs, and, as I 
 finished, he looked up and said : ' Well, Elder, he would 
 have to go to the devil to get the writ, wouldn't he? ' Yes, 
 said I, and it would have been an eternal journey." 
 
 JONATHAN BUSH lived on Merchants street at a very 
 early day and owned considerable land in the village. 
 Washington Park was once a cornfield owned by his son. 
 It can be said of him : 
 
 ** This man came to this country at an early day, 
 Where nothing dwelt, but beasts of prey, 
 And men as fierce, and wild as they." 
 
 AMOS HAVENS was an early settler in the eastern part 
 of the town. After his death the family moved to 
 Bainbridge, Among his children were : William, Champ- 
 lain, Ursula, married Job Ireland; Mary Ann, married 
 and went west ; Calista, was a deaf mute ; and Frederick, 
 was blind, having destroyed the sight of one eye by doctor- 
 ing the other, which was accidently destroyed by a knife. 
 
196 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Neither fish nor flesh, nor good red herring. — Sir H. Sheers. 
 
 Fourth of July Bill. 
 
 The following is .a copy of a bill incurred by the com- 
 mittee of nineteen who superintended the celebration of 
 Indepedence Day in 1838. It will be noticed that they 
 did not recklessly use the funds on beer and cigars : 
 
 4th July Committee, 
 
 To T. Orcutt, Dr. 
 
 June 7th To 2 Bottles wine $ 2.00 
 
 8 " " do do 2.00 
 
 Soda 25 
 
 15 " one Bottle wine 1.00 
 
 July 3 " Expenses paid bringing boughs 25 
 
 " " 2 pitchers Lemonade 1.00 
 
 4 "4 Bottles Rum at 4/— 2.00 
 
 " 6 do Brandy " 3.00 
 
 " 9 do Wine 8/— 9.00 
 
 " 6 Bowls 8 Sugar 4/— 3.00 
 
 " 6 Bowls & Sugar 4/— 3.00 
 
 " " Crackers & Cheese 50 
 
 " Segars 50 
 
 " Beer 25 
 
 " 6 drinks 37 
 
 " " 16 pitchers Lemonade 8.00 
 
 " " punches 50 
 
 " 1 Tumbler Broke 25 
 
 $33.87 
 1 Bottle Wine 1.00 
 
 22 Diners for Revolutionary Soldiers 
 
 3 " Clergy 
 
 19 " Committee 
 
 18 " Musicians 62.00 
 
 $90.87 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 197 
 
 We have strict statutes and most fitting laws. 
 
 — Shakespeare. 
 
 Court of Common Pleas. 
 
 The first Court of Common Pleas held in Chenango 
 County was convened at the schoolhouse in Hamilton in 
 June, 1798. The first business transacted was the admis- 
 sion of Thomas R. Gold, Joseph Kirkland, Nathan Wil- 
 liams, Stephen O. Runyan, Nathaniel King, Arthur 
 Breese, Peter B. Garnsey and Medad Curtis, to practice 
 
 as attorneys and counselors in this Court. The second 
 term was held in Oxford, in October, 1798; and after 
 this the Courts were held alternately at Oxford and Ham- 
 ilton until the formation of Madison county. The Court 
 met three times a year to transact county business. The 
 Judges were authorized to open the Court on Tuesday, 
 but not to hold beyond Saturday of the same week. 
 
 The first Circuit Court was held July 10, 1798, at 
 which Justice Kent, afterwards Chancellor, presided. No 
 business was transacted at this sitting of the Court, as 
 will appear from the subjoined copy of the clerk's minutes : 
 
 At a Circuit Court held at the Academy in the town of Oxford in 
 and for the County of Chenango, on the 10th July, 1798, before the 
 Honorable James Kent, Esquire, one of the Justices of the Supreme 
 Court of judicature of the State of New York. 
 
 Present. 
 
 Hon. James Kent, Esq. 
 
 The Court opened by proclamation. 
 
 The Court adjourned for one hour. 
 
 The Court met pursuant to adjournment. 
 
 Present. 
 
 Hon. James Kent, Esq. 
 
 The Court adjourned sine die. 
 
198 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 'The days come and go liks muffled and veiled figures; 
 but they say nothing, and if we do not use the gifts 
 that bring they carry them as silently away." 
 
 Extracts from a Journal. 
 
 Extracts from a Journal, written by Miss Susan Hop- 
 kins, daughter of Capt. Frederick Hopkins. It is dated 
 Oxford Female Seminary, February 22d, 1836: 
 
 This week begins the last half of this term and I commence Journal 
 Writing. My studies this term are Philosophy, Tytler's History, Emer- 
 son's Arithmetick, Grammar, and Woodbridge's Geography. We go 
 up stairs nearly every week to see Philosophical experiments, they 
 are generally very interesting. We repeat verses from the Bible every 
 other morning. My verse this morning was Mr. Bailey's text yester- 
 day forenoon. It was in John 3 chapter IG verse ... I attend 
 Binging school every Saturday, we have a very pleasant school. There 
 are upwards of sixty scholars. Mr. Buel, the teacher, is very strict. 
 Wednesday evenings we have a Sigourney society. We speak pieces 
 and have a Mirror read that is very interesting, and repeat facts, and 
 Miss R. selects an interesting story to read. Now I must put up my 
 writing to read and spell. 
 
 Tuesday 23, 183G. 
 I am again seated at Miss Hyde's table to write my Journal. It 
 it not quite as pleasant to-day as it was yesterday, as the sun does 
 not shine, but it is as warm I think. . . . This afternoon I have 
 got to cipher. I am ciphering in interest. I find the sums very difficult 
 and cannot do them without a great deal of assistance. ... I will 
 put up my Journal and attend to my lessons. 
 
 Thursday, February 25, 1836. 
 To-day the wind blows quite hard and the snow flies. Tuesday even- 
 ing we did not go up stairs as we thought we should, but I went 
 to a party at Mr. Miller's. We had a very pleasant party. Yesterday 
 Miss Cheever came to school for the last time. She is going home 
 next week. I wrote to M. G. Throop yesterday. I am going to send 
 it by Miss Cheever. Last evening we went up stairs. The experi- 
 ments were not as interesting as we expected they would be. We 
 saw the Magick Lantern. That was very pretty, but I have seen that 
 before. . . . This morning the Trustees came in school, but did 
 not happen to hear me recite, which I was very glad of. This week 
 Is the week to write compositions, which I must be a thinking about. 
 I dread to hear the name of composition, but it is for my improve- 
 ment so I must do the best I can. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 199 
 
 Friday, February 26, 1836. 
 To-day it snows very fast, the flakes of snow are so large they look 
 almost like feathers. Sarah Jane was taken with the croup day 
 before yesterday and is no better yet, she has it very hard. . . . 
 
 Monday, February 29, 1836. 
 Another cold stormy day. I did not write a Journal Saturday, as 
 there was no school. ... In the evening I went to singing school, 
 the afternoon I spent at Dr. Clark's with Miss Cheever and M. Perry. 
 Yesterday was Sunday. In the morning I attended the Methodist 
 meeting. In the afternoon there being no meeting at the Methodist, 
 I went to the Baptist. To-day the weather is very cold and it snows. 
 I came to school very early. We repeated verses, mine was in Phl- 
 lippians, 2 chapter, and 14 verse. Miss Hyde came to school, but was 
 Bick and went home. Miss U. Glover heard us recite. . . . 
 
 Tuesday, March 1st, 1836. 
 To-night there is a cotillion party at Mr. Clark's, which I calculate 
 to attend. Miss Hyde was not well enough to come to school to-daj 
 and Miss M. Maine heard us recite. 
 
 Thursday, March 3, 1836. 
 . . . Miss Cheever started for home yesterday morning. I spent 
 the evening with her before she left at a cotillion party at Mr. Clark's. 
 I received a letter from L. Wheeler day before yesterday. She expects 
 to come to Oxford to school next term. 
 
 Monday, March 7, 1836. 
 I have not written a Journal since Thursday as I have not had 
 time. . . . Yesterday was very pleasant in the forenoon. Mr. Bush 
 preached. ... I received a note Saturday from Miss A C. Rodman. 
 
 Tuesday, March 8, 1836. 
 . . . Yesterday C. Hyde came to school in the afternoon. It 
 was her birthday, fifteen years old. I think I shall go home this 
 afternoon as I have not been since New Year's day, which is longer 
 than I ever staid away before. Last evening sister received a letter 
 from Cousin Jane. She says the snow is four feet deep at Kingston, 
 Pa., and they have had severe cold weather. 
 
 Thursday, March 10, 1836. 
 According to my expectations, Tuesday afternoon I went home. In 
 the morning my brother John went up the river five miles for a 
 doctor for Mrs. Hull, who is very sick, and I went with him. I had 
 a very pleasant ride as it was a beautiful day. I did not get back 
 until after school had begun, but was in time to learn my Philosophy 
 and History lessons. In the evening we went up stairs to see some 
 experiments. Mr. McKoon showed us the electrical machine, and also 
 the umbra and penumbra caused by the shadow of the earth and moon. 
 These he illustrated by taking a pail and putting it on the floor and 
 setting three candles on one side of it, the shadow of which caused the 
 umbra and penumbra. These were very interesting. . . . We read 
 In the Bible this morning the 1st Chapter of Mark. I recited in 
 Philosophy and History this morning and did many difficult sums. 
 This afternoon I have read, but not spelt. The reason we have not 
 I do not know. I must now study my Grammar. 
 
200 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Monday, March 14, 183G. 
 Friday evening I went to tlie Presbyterian singing school. Saturday 
 was a very pleasant day. In the evening I went to singing school 
 again. Yesterday Mr. Bush was at the Episcopal meeting all day. 
 Next Saturday is to be our last school, we are to meet in the Episcopal 
 church in the afternoon and in the evening at the Baptist. . . . This 
 morning the bell tolled for Mr. McCalpin, he died last evening. . . . 
 This evening there is to be a dancing school and to-morrow evening 
 Is to be the last cotillion party. 
 
 Tuesday, March 15, 1836. 
 Last evening I very unexpectedly went to dancing school. There 
 were but few there, but we spent the evening very pleasantly. . . . 
 Sister went home this morning. ... Of late I have had nothing 
 to write in my Journal, the cause I know not. 
 
 Monday, March 21, 1836. 
 Saturday afternoon the singers met at the Episcopal church and in 
 the evening at the Baptist. . which was our last school. We are going 
 to meet to practice at Miss E. Butler's Saturday evenings. ... I 
 am going to review Conversation in Common Things. . . . 
 
 Friday, March 25th, 183G. 
 Last evening I went to the publick dancing school. There were a 
 great many there and we stayed very late and enjoyed ourselves very 
 much. . . . This noon when I went home I found mother and 
 Julia there. . . . This evening the Presbyterians have their last 
 singing school in the Presbyterian meeting house. . , . 
 
 Monday, March 28, 1836. 
 Friday evening I went to the Presbyterian singing school. I did 
 not think they sung any better than we did, although most or many 
 of our school were there. Saturday afternoon I spent at Mr. Perkins'. 
 
 Tuesday, March 29, 1836. 
 
 As soon as the usual exercises were over I did some sums in Per- 
 centage and Interest by Decimals, which I found very difficult. I 
 then learnt my IMiilosophy lesson. As soon as we had recited the 
 French teacher came in and took his class in the recitation room, so 
 I did not hear him talk. 
 
 Thursday, March 31, 1836. 
 
 Yesterday after school I went home with father, who was down, 
 and found mother and all well. Harriet Hall was there, she staid 
 all night. This morning I came down alone on the crust and had 
 a very pleasant walk. When I came to school I found it had been 
 begun sometime, but I was very industrious and worked quite hard 
 all at one sum and could not do it after all. Miss Robinson tried 
 once or twice, but did not succeed in getting it right. I thought I 
 should get through the Book to-day, but I shall not, as I cannot do nor 
 understand them at all, but I have one consolation there are but 
 three or four sums more. This morning I learnt eight and a half 
 patfes in philosoi)hy and six selections in Tytler's History. As my stock 
 of news is exhausted I will put up my Journal and work at that 
 sum that I could not do this morning. 
 
 Friday, April 1st, 1836. 
 
 . . . There was a meeting at Church to-day, it being Good Friday, 
 biit I did not go as I had to come to school. The girls have trimmed 
 
 I 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 201 
 
 the room with greens, some that make it look like summer almost. 
 I finished reading the Scottish Chiefs last evening and commenced 
 the Hungarian Brothers. 
 
 Tuesday, April 5th, 1836. 
 There has been no school since Friday, as Miss Robinson has been 
 away, therefore I have not written any Journal, and now I have 
 the more nonsense to write. Saturday the Doctor came to see Sister, 
 as she was lame. Saturday evening I went to Mr. Tracy's to singing 
 school. We had a very pleasant school. There were but few there. 
 Sunday I went to church all day. Sister was lame so she did not 
 go, and John staid home to take care of her. Our folks came down in 
 the sleigh, but went home at noon, so I did not see them. Yesterday 
 I made some bread for the first time. Sarah Jane spent the day 
 at our house yesterday. This morning I came to school quite early 
 and learnt my lessons as usual. I thought when I commenced writing 
 my Journal I should have a great deal of nonsense to write, but I 
 find I have not as much as I expected. 
 
 Wednesday, April 6th, 1836. 
 It is very unpleasant to-day, the wind blows and it snows in flurries. 
 Brother John watched at Mr. Lobdell's last night. I have no news. 
 
 Saturday, April 9th, 1836. 
 I did not write a Journal yesterday as I was not at school. Sister 
 Is sick and lame. It is very pleasant. This evening the singing school 
 is at Mr. Glover's. 
 
 Monday, April 11, 1836. 
 I wrote in my Journal Saturday it was pleasant, and so it was 
 then, but in the afternoon it commenced raining and continued doing 
 so through the night. Sunday the water commenced rising and con- 
 tinued to rise through the day. The water came up across the road 
 on both sides of the square. In the forenoon I went to the Methodist 
 meeting, they did not have any preaching, there was a prayer meeting. 
 In the atternoon I went to church, the water had then just begun to 
 run across the walk by the postoffice. Mr. Van Ingen preached. I 
 rode home in a wagon, some went home in a boat. The people think 
 there is great danger of the bridge going off, but last night the water 
 fell a great deal so it does not run over both walks to-day. Mr. 
 Lobdell and Mr. Guernsey died yesterday. 
 
 Wednesday, April 13, 1836. 
 I did not come to school yesterday afternoon as I went to Mr. 
 Guernsey's funeral. Mr. Bush preached. His text was in Job, 14th 
 chapter and first verse : " Man that is born of a woman is of few 
 days, and full of trouble." It was very pleasant yesterday, but to-day 
 it is exactly the reverse. It is very cold and snows very fast. It is 
 five or six inches deep I should think. This morning I came to school 
 quite early and said verses, the one I learnt was in Proverbs, 18th 
 chapter and 22d verse : " Whoso findeth a wife, findeth a good thing, 
 and obtaineth favor of the Lord." . . . 
 
 Thursday, April 14th, 1836. 
 . . . To-morrow is the last day of school. We have no examina- 
 tions. 
 
202 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Monday, May 15, 1836. 
 I am again seated In my old seat at school. Miss Whitney is the 
 teacher this term. There are a great many scholars from abroad at 
 Bchool this term already and more are expected this week. 
 
 Monday, May 30, 183G. 
 I have not written a Journal for some time because I have not had 
 time. My Philosophy and Geography and Arithmetic occupy all the 
 morning, and my Grammar the afternoon, as it is very difficult to 
 learn. We have to learn all the fine print as well as the coarse, which 
 I never did before, therefore it requires a great deal of attention and 
 study. We write a composition once a fortnight, half the school 
 one week and half the next. Wednesday afternoon is spent in reading 
 and hearing compositions read. Miss Whitney takes a great deal of 
 pains in our reading. There are 44 scholars in school. Miss Whitney 
 has no assistant yet, but is going to have one as soon as the trustees 
 can get one. Friday evening I went to Mr. Tracy's to singing school. 
 The next one is on Friday next at Mr. Glover's. There was one at 
 church as usual last Sunday at 5 o'clock at the Episcopal church. Next 
 Sunday the Bishop is expected. We are learning several pieces of 
 music for the occasion. . . . Last week Thursday evening Mr. 
 H. and G. Van Wagenen came from New York and took tea at our 
 house on Saturday. 
 
 Tuesday, June 7th, 183G. 
 Last Saturday Sister went up to Norwich to hear the Bishop. Sun- 
 day he was here. There were two baptised and eleven confirmed. 
 The Bishop called at our house in the evening but I did not see 
 him. Monday Sister went to Greene with the Bishop and returned 
 in the evening. The singers had selected and learnt several pieces 
 to sing, but the Bishop would let them sing none of them. Wednesday 
 was the celebration of the capture of Santa Anna. The boys fired 
 the cannon in the afternoon and evening. It happened to be a singing 
 school at Mr. Clarke's, and the Oxford band played upon the stoop, 
 and fireworks on the green, which were splendid. We did not sing 
 much that evening. There are 49 scholars in school now. Emily 
 Maples has come back and E. Cannon is coming this week. 
 
 Thursday, June 16th, 1836. 
 The 10th of June went over to Fayetteville at meeting. The Bishop 
 was there. I went over with Colonel Van Wagenen and sister and 
 M. Van Wagenen and S. Perkins. We had a very pleasant ride. Sister 
 E. and H. Cary went over on horseback and when we came back I 
 rode Sister's horse and she came in the carriage. We had a delightful 
 ride. Monday A. Miller and I went down to Mr. Stevenses. We 
 had a very pleasant visit of course. Yesterday we went up stairs 
 to hear the young gentlemen speak. There were between 30 and 
 40 spoke and 4 or 5 compositions read. I was very glad there was no 
 more as they were so long. I got very tired. The Miss Cobbs have 
 come from N. York. They are very pretty girls. I called on them last 
 evening. There are 52 scholars in school now. 
 
 Monday, June 20, 1836. 
 Yesterday the son of Mr. Rufus Baldwin was drowned, Lyman 
 Baldwin aged 18. lie was in the river bathing when he was drowned. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 203 
 
 Tuesday, July 5th, 1836. 
 The assistant teacher. Miss Page, has come from Owego. She came 
 last week and Mrs. Throop and Mary came the first of last week, they 
 are now at Mr. Miller's. Saturday there was one of the greatest hail 
 storms here ever known. It lasted one hour and a quarter. The 
 hail stones were so large as to break windows. Yesterday was a 
 very still day here for the fourth of July. The band went to Nor- 
 wich, and the older ladies, I mean not the smallest girls such as myself, 
 went to ride to Greene with the young gentlemen and a very sad acci- 
 dent happened to Angeline Wheeler. As the party was returning home 
 they got this side of Mr. Morgan's and the horses run and the car- 
 riage broke and all were upset. A. W. was hurt most, her leg was 
 broken and what else I do not know as yet. The party left her at the 
 tavern and the rest or part of them came home. Here ended the 
 4th of July, 183G. and my Journal also. 
 
 How sleep the brave who sink to rest. 
 By all their country's wishes bless'd ! 
 
 — Collins. 
 
 When the Revolutionary War broke out Thomas Van- 
 Gaasbeck and Elisha Jewell were among those who took 
 up arms in defense of their country, whose soil had been 
 invaded by a hostile force, and rendered as volunteers what 
 service they could. Both were young, ardent and brave. 
 After the close of the war they came to Oxford to reside. 
 Mr. Van-Gaasbeck died on the 28th of April, 1841, aged 
 82; and Mr. Jewell on the 15th of March, 1842, aged 85. 
 The bodies of the old veterans rest in peace in Riverview 
 cemeterv. 
 
 JUDGE HENRY STEVENS, born in 1792, at Enfield, 
 Ct., came in 1802 with his parents to Chenango County. 
 In 1807 he was a student in Oxford Academy. After fin- 
 ishing his studies at this institution he read law with 
 Stephen O. Runyan, and in 1814 he commenced the prac- 
 tice of law in Cortland, where he died in 1869. 
 
204 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Sunday is the golden clasp that binds together 
 the volume of the week. — Longfellow. 
 
 Congregational Church. 
 
 A period of about eight years had elapsed after the first 
 institution of learning was erected before there was any re- 
 ligious organization in Oxford. However the church his- 
 tory had a beginning September 19, 1799, when the first 
 religious society was incorporated and designated as the 
 "Associated Presbyterian Society in Oxford." Its earl- 
 iest foundations however, were labors of Uri Tracy, of 
 whom mention is made elsewhere, for prior to the forma- 
 tion of any church in Oxford he seems to have been recog- 
 nized as virtually the pastor of the community. The min- 
 ister who was instrumental in organizing this church was 
 the Rev. John Camp, a graduate of Yale college. He was 
 one of the trustees of Oxford Academy, and apart from his 
 ministerial labors he seems to have been a helpful, uplift- 
 ing factor both in the promotion of education and religion. 
 His home was on the farm northeast of the village, now 
 owned and occupied by James Burke. The first trustees 
 of the church were : Uri Tracy, Jonathan Bush, Edward 
 Robbins, Joshua Mersereau, John Nash, Nathan Carpen- 
 ter, Solomon Curtis, Lyman Ives, and Ephraim Fitch. 
 Solomon Curtis received the appointment of deacon. 
 
 The Congregational church at Sherburne was the only 
 earlier organization of the kind in Chenango county. 
 
 The Associated Presbyterian Society was formed in the 
 first Academy building on Washington Square. Its pas- 
 tor, the Rev. Mr. Camp, withdrew after a ministry of three 
 
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ANNALS OF OXFORD 205 
 
 years, after whicli for six years there was no regular 
 preaching. In October, 1807, The President^ a village 
 journal, announced, " The Trustees of the Associated 
 Presbyterian Society, Uri Tracy, Stephen O. Runyan, and 
 Amos A. Franklin, notwithstanding the rumors of war, 
 and the excommunication of the emperor, will receive sub- 
 scriptions to the new church, without further delay." 
 Early in 1808 the society which had been partially dis- 
 solved, again united and in June of that year installed 
 the Rev. Eli Hyde as pastor by means of a ministerial 
 council assembled for that purpose. He preached for four 
 years until the people were no longer able to give him an 
 adequate support and was then dismissed in the year 1812. 
 
 Up to this time twenty-two persons had united with the 
 church, and their names constitute the earliest roll of 
 members now extant. The list is as follows: James 
 Mitchel, Agnes Mitchel, Eber Scofield, Solomon Curtis, 
 Sarah Curtis, Moses Bennett, Mary Bennett, Lucy Smith, 
 Hannah Cary, Keziah Balcom, Massy Brooks, Sarah 
 Holmes, Hannah Noble, Moses Keyes, Margaret Keyes, 
 Abigail Stephens, David Tracy, Mary Tracy, Eleazur 
 Smith, Isaac Foote, Anna Foote, Rachel Morris. The fol- 
 lowing minutes are on the church books, November 29, 
 1810 : " The church after having looked to God for spec- 
 ial direction in the choice of a deacon proceded and made 
 choice of Amos A. Franklin to the office." At a meeting 
 after lecture January 13, 1811, "Brother Franklin pub- 
 licly consecrated to the office by prayer." For twelve 
 years or more from the time of its organization the con- 
 gregation assembled at the Academy, and then worshiped 
 at the home of Deacon Franklin, which stood probably on 
 the site now occupied by the residence of Dr. J. W. Thorp. 
 
 Although without a minister the new church held its 
 stated meetings each week, at which services were con- 
 
2o6 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 ducted by Deacons Gile and Franklin. As the congrega- 
 tion became too large for his house he prepared the up- 
 per story of his cabinet shop as a place of worship, and insti- 
 tuted a flourishing Sunday school, of which he was for 
 many years superintendent. The building has since been 
 converted into a dwelling and is now the house of 
 George A. Mallory. Ministers were secured whenever one 
 could be found and of whatever denomination to supply 
 the church on each Sunday. The Society was reorganized 
 in January, 1818. This act became necessary owing to 
 some irregularity in the matter of electing trustees which 
 had the effect of dissolving the Society, according to law. 
 Three trustees were now elected, namely: Solomon Bundy, 
 William Gile and Amos A. Franklin. There was a de- 
 cided renewal of religious interest among the members in 
 1821, through the earnest efforts of Rev. Marcus Harrison, 
 who ministered to them for several Sabbaths and insti- 
 tuted a revival. Its results were so encouraging, many 
 being converted, that a general desire was expressed for 
 the erection of a new sanctuary. This idea received the 
 approval of their fellow citizens, the work was begun the 
 following year with many misgivings and involving great 
 sacrifices. Through the generosity of Mr. Ira Willcox, a 
 most energetic business man, ground for a fine site was 
 furnished; enough money was collected to erect the frame 
 and cover it on both sides. At this point, as the funds 
 subscribed had been expended and the minister who was 
 such a help in the undertaking having gone, nothing 
 further could be done. 
 
 ^ During the fall of the same year, 1822, Rev. Joseph D. 
 Wickham came by chance to Oxford and was invited by 
 Deacon Fianklin to preach on Sunday. He preached three 
 sermons in the deacon's cabinet shop, which was well filled 
 with listeners who were much pleased and asked him to 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 207 
 
 settle here. The invitation was accepted and he entered 
 upon the pastorate in January, 1823. Hi8 presence ex- 
 cited a fresh interest in the new church, and another sub- 
 scription was circulated with success. Mr. Willcox lent 
 valuable aid in directing the workmen, and on the last 
 day of July the edifice was dedicated to divine worship, 
 Rev. Edward Andrews preaching the sermon from the 
 text: "And I saw no temple therein; for the Lord God 
 Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it." 
 
 The Oxford Gazette of August 6, 1823, contains the fol- 
 lowing account of the dedication : 
 
 The new Presbyterian Church in this village, was dedicated to the ser- 
 vice of Almighty God on Thursday last. An eloquent & appropriate dis- 
 course, from Revelation xxi, 22, was delivered on the occasion, by the Rev. 
 Edward Andrews, of Norwich. 
 
 After the dedication, the Rev. Joseph D. Wickham was ordained to the 
 work of the Ministry. The prayer introductory to the solemnities of or- 
 dination, was oflfered by Rev. Charles Avery, of Columbus; and the conse- 
 crating prayer by the Rev. Lyman S. Rexford, of Sherburne. The Rev. 
 Asa Donaldson, of Guilford, delivered the charge ; and the Rev. John B. 
 Hoyt, of Greene, gave the right hand of fellowship, and offered the con- 
 cluding prayer. 
 
 The occasion drew together a large concourse of people from this and the 
 neighboring towns, who appeared much gratified at the services of the day. 
 The choir of singers, under the direction of Mr. William J. Edson, by the 
 style of their performance, reflected much credit upon the talents and abil- 
 ities of their instructor. 
 
 We cannot refrain from noticing, at this time, the merits of Mr. M' George, 
 the Architect. This Church, the second with which he has beautified our 
 village, and the fourteenth built under his direction, we feel assured, for 
 taste in design and neatness in execution, is not surpassed by any in the 
 western part of New York. 
 
 The expense of construction had been about $4,000. 
 Many changes were made in its interior in the year 1857; 
 modern slips took the place of the old-fashioned box shap- 
 ed pews, and new carpets were provided. Again in 1873 
 $10,000 were subscribed for making thorough modern im- 
 provements, that year being the semi-centennial of the 
 
2o8 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 existence of the building. The body of the church was 
 wholly transformed ; its bare walls were decorated with 
 rich frescoes and delicate carved work, and the floors cov- 
 ered with bright new carpets, a large and imposing organ 
 was procured and six memorial windows, presented by 
 friends, recall the revered memories and noble examples 
 of those whose good works will still remain after them. 
 One in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Ira Willcox, was the gift of 
 their daughter, Mrs. A. A. Willcox, bearing as emblems 
 a crbss and calla lily entwined, and a cross with anchor 
 and chain. The next adjoining is for Mrs. Sarah Chapman, 
 and one for her son Mr. N. C. Chapman, was presented by 
 the heirs of the latter in St. Louis. The first has figures of a 
 crown and a bread fruit tree with sheaves of wheat above ; 
 the other of a chalice, cross and crown. Another bears 
 the names of Mr. and Mrs. Epaphras Miller and their son, 
 B. S. Miller, from the heirs of the former, with represen- 
 tations of sheaves of wheat and the Christian armor, hel- 
 met, sword and shield. There is also a window in memory 
 of Mrs. Julia Vanderburgh, from her husband, Judge C. 
 E. Vanderburgh of Minnesota, with designs of a harp and 
 cross wreathed in flowers, the whole surmounted by the 
 figure of a white dove with outspread wings. Another is 
 the gift of Mrs. Caroline Baldwin of Minnesota, for her 
 parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Mygatt and their daughter 
 Emily, having for emblems a chalice and sheaf of wheat 
 surmounted by a crown. The rededication occurred May 
 6, 1874, when the sermon was preached by Rev. Dr. J. P. 
 Gulliver, then of Binghamton, followed by an historical 
 sketch by Rev. H. P. Collin, the pastor, with addresses 
 by Revs. Samuel Scoville and J. C. Ward. 
 
 A parsonage was purchased in 1866 at a cost of $3,100. 
 In 1887 a Memorial chapel was erected at a cost, with the 
 lot, of upwards of $3,100, and dedicated February 1, 1888. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 20Q 
 
 It was erected by Mrs. Henry L. Miller to the memory of 
 her husband and presented to the church and society. The 
 chapel is built in the Queen Anne style, the area of the 
 building, 30x50 feet, standing on a high basement of beau- 
 tiful rock-faced blue stone. A handsome cupola corres- 
 ponding to the general style of the building adorns the 
 roof, which is finished with ornamental work, the gables 
 and sides being shingled to the line of the cornice. The 
 interior of the rooms and vestibule is wainscoted in the 
 old English style, and stained to imitate old cherry, neatly 
 finished in hard oil. It is lighted by Cathedral windows 
 upon either side, each one of a different colored design. 
 A beautiful memorial tablet in marble and brass adorns 
 the wall near the main entrance. 
 
 At the time of rededication in 1874, when fifty years had 
 passed, three persons were members of the church who 
 had been on the list for half a century : Mrs. Melinda Jud- 
 son, Mrs. Mary Walker and Mrs. Lucia Symonds. The 
 Hon. Solomon Bundy was the first child baptized in the 
 first church. 
 
 On October 4 and 5, 1899, the Society celebrated its 
 100th anniversary, the opening remarks were made by 
 Rev. Ward T. Sutherland, pastor, followed by prayer 
 by Rev. Dr. B. F. Bradford of Upper Mont Clair, N. J. 
 Addresses were made by Rev. J. W. Keeler of Greene, 
 Rev. Henry P. Collin of Coldwater, Mich. ; Hon. Wm. A. 
 Sutherland of Rochester ; Rev. Inman Willcox of Wor- 
 cester, Mass. ; Rev. Chas. N. Thorp of Oswego ; Rev. James 
 Chambers, D. D. of New York; Rev. Charles Janes and 
 Rev. Ethan Curtis of Syracuse. A history of the Sunday 
 school was given by Mrs. W. T. Sutherland; John E. 
 Miller gave the history of the church, and Mrs. R. Yale of 
 Norwich, a great granddaughter of the founder. Rev. John 
 
210 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Camp, supplied some interesting information in regard to 
 him. 
 
 At a special term of the Supreme Court of the State of 
 New York, held in Binghamton, May 3, 1904, Hon. Gerrit 
 A. Forbes, Justice, granted a decree whereby " The Asso- 
 ciated Presbyterian Society in Oxford" was changed to 
 "The First Congregational Church and Society of Ox- 
 ford." 
 
 In November, 1906, there was placed on the east and 
 west walls of the interior of the church two bronze tablets, 
 one in memory of Ebenezer Huntington Coville and his 
 wife, Thankful Cook Hotchkiss, and another in memory of 
 Joseph Addison Coville and his wife, Lydia S. More. The 
 memorials were placed there by Dr. Luzerne Coville of 
 Ithaca, and Frederick V. Coville of Washington, grand- 
 children and children respectively. The tablets are artis- 
 tic and oblong in shape. The inscriptions on the tablets 
 read as follows : 
 
 Ebenezer Huntington Coville 
 
 17S4 1838 
 
 Thankful Cook Hotchkiss 
 
 1786 1884 
 
 Natives of Burlington, Conn., and Settlers 
 of Preston, N. Y., 1809. Tithemen and 
 Covenanters of this Church at its Establish- 
 ment. She was a Member of this Church 
 and Presbytery 
 
 Joseph Addison Coville 
 
 1820 i8g5 
 
 Lydia S. More 
 
 1828 1904 
 
 He was a native of Preston, N. Y. Later 
 a Resident of Oxford and Trustee of this 
 Church. She v^'as a Native of Roxbury, N. 
 Y., and a Member of this Church and 
 Congregation. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 211 
 
 The succession of the ministers is as follows: Revs. John 
 Camp, 1799; Eli Hyde, 1808; Edward Andrews, 1818; 
 Marcus Harrison, 1822; J. D. Wickham, D. D., 1823, died 
 May 12, 1891, in his 95th year; Elijah D. Wells, 1826; 
 Charles Gilbert, 1829; James Abell, 1830; George W. 
 Bassett, 1837; Arthur Burtis, D. D., 1839; William H. 
 Richards, 1846 ; Charles Jerome, 1847 ; Henry Callahan, 
 1850; Elliott H. Payson, 1862; Charles F. Janes, 1870; 
 Henry P. Collin, 1873; Henry N. Payne, 1879; B. F. 
 Bradford, D. D., 1881; Howard Billman, 1889; W. T. 
 Sutherland, 1893; Theodore W. Harris, 1903, present 
 pastor. 
 
 REUBEN" BANCROFT was a good physician, a man of 
 genius and very eccentric in his ways. He was a 
 cousin of George Bancroft, the historian, a native of Con- 
 necticut, and educated at Litchfield, where he received his 
 diploma from the Connecticut Medical Society in February, 
 1816. He soon after came to Oxford and commenced prac- 
 ticing with no advantage of friends and fortune, but with a 
 heart bent upon success. His ruling ambition was to excel 
 in the profession of his choice ; to this the entire energies of 
 his life were devoted, and in it he succeeded to an eminent 
 degree. His residence was on the site of the house now 
 owned by Frank T. Corbin on Clinton street. He always 
 kept a fine horse, but was seldom seen occupying the sad- 
 dle, and when in the greatest hurry went on foot leading 
 the animal. He died in Oxford January 21, 1847, aged 52. 
 
 |V/I UNSON SMITH, a prominent farmer in the eastern 
 ■*•' * part of the town, w^as born March 4, 1819, and died 
 August 3, 1893. He married April 7, 1841, Lauraette 
 Dodge, born June 30, 1819 ; died July 15, 1901. Children : 
 Harriett, married Joseph Spohn; Theodore, married 
 Kittie Doty; Ada, married Charles M. Stone. 
 
212 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Lay hold of life with both hands, whenever 
 thou mayest seize it, it is interesting, — Goethe. 
 
 Charles Eccleston. 
 
 Charles Eccleston, born September 13, 1795, in Preston, 
 N. Y. ; died December 26, 1873, in Oxford ; married De- 
 cember 24, 1824, Mary Lewis, born November 18, 1804, in 
 Preston ; died January 27, 1883, at the residence of her 
 daughter, Harriet, in Bainbridge, N. Y. 
 
 Mr. Eccleston and family came to Oxford in 1850. On 
 the night of September 18, 1851, the Oxford House, which 
 he had but recently purchased and moved into, together 
 with the barns and out buildings, and the barn of Major 
 J. V. N. Locke, were entirely consumed by fire. The 
 house occupied the site of Dr. C. H. Eccleston's residence, 
 and was for many years kept by David Brigham, a prom- 
 inent hotel man of that day. The fire originated in the 
 barn, which was entirely enveloped in flames when dis- 
 covered. A large portion of the furniture was saved from 
 the hotel. It was only by the extraordinary exertions of 
 firemen and citizens, and the providential fact that the 
 night was perfectly tranquil, that the adjoining houses of 
 Messrs. T. G. Newkirk and J. V. N. Locke were saved. 
 Had either been burned a large portion of one of our most 
 beautiful streets must inevitably have been swept away. 
 The hotel property was insured for $1,000. 
 
 Children of Charles and Mary (Lewis) Eccleston, all 
 born in Preston : 
 
 Charles H., born May 28, 1826; married January 22, 
 
\ 
 
 o 
 
 H 
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 jj 
 
 _) 
 
 u 
 
 < 
 
 X 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 213 
 
 1851, Amanda N. Foote of Franklin, N. Y. Children: 
 Charles, G., married Minnie Cook of Oxford; Edson F., 
 married Clara B. Homer of Elmira; Maria, married Dr. 
 Geo. D. Johnson of Oxford; Mary McC, and Walter L. 
 
 Harriet C, born June 4, 1828; married June 2, 1847, 
 Leroy L. Eccleston, born at Preston, N. Y., September 
 22, 1824 ; died January 4, 1902, in Bainbridge. For many 
 years they were residents of Oxford. Children; Erwin D., 
 Freeman W., and William A. 
 
 David L., born December 27, 1829; died March 20, 
 1849, in Preston. 
 
 No YES B., born September 8, 1833; married September 
 8, 1858, Mary E. Willson of Chenango Forks, N. Y. He 
 was educated at Oxford Academy, and for a number of 
 years was engaged in the jewelry business, though a 
 greater portion of his life has been devoted to the drug 
 business. For a short time he represented a wholesale 
 house on the road. Mr. Eccleston is now doing a flour- 
 ishing business at the Central Drug Store, Oxford. 
 
 Dr. C. H. Eccleston lived on 
 a farm in Preston with his pa- 
 rents until 1845, when he en- 
 tered Oxford Academy and the 
 following year Norwich Acad- 
 emy. In 1847 he began the 
 study of dentistry in the office of Dr. E. H. Parmlee 
 in Norwich, having previously clerked in a jewelry store, 
 and become quite adept at engraving on wood and copper 
 plate. The wood cut above is a specimen of his early 
 handiwork, and represents the old Root block (now Cor- 
 
214 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 ner store) in wliicli was located his first dental office, and 
 a portion of the old wooden bridge that spanned the canal 
 close by. In May, 1848, Dr. Eccleston began practice in 
 Corning, N. Y., but shortly thereafter removed to Utica, 
 where he practiced a short time and then came to Oxford 
 in 1849. Here he practiced his profession and in spare 
 hours made moulds for and manufactured teeth. Later 
 he took a course of instruction under Dr. N. W. Kingsley 
 in carving and making block or sectional teeth, and in 
 1860 organized the Union Tooth company for the manu- 
 facture of artificial teeth, which was a successful venture, 
 the teeth being sold to dentists throughout the United 
 States and in many foreign lands. Of an inventive mind 
 he perfected and patented many articles in use in his busi- 
 ness. In 1901 Dr. and Mrs. Eccleston happily celebrated 
 their golden wedding, at which numerous relatives and 
 friends were present. 
 
 'T'HE FOLLOWING is copied from the town records 
 ^ and explains itself: 
 
 strays 1797. Received Personal Information of James Phelps, that 
 he has now in his possession a red brindle Ox, he supposes straid from 
 the owner, about four or five Years of age last spring, no artificial 
 mark ; his right horn appears to have been brolien, and now grown 
 out a new about four inches long a much larger Size than the other. 
 
 Sign'd Elihu Murray, Chi. 
 
 October 25th, 1797. 
 
 LAMBERT INGERSOLL, whose father, Oliver Inger- 
 sol], came from Great Barringtou, Mass., about 1802, 
 and settled in Guilford, located on the east line of Oxford, 
 and afterwards removed into the village, where he died 
 September 16, 1849, aged 67. Polly, his wife, died March 
 16, 1867, aged 76. 
 
ST. PAUL'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 215 
 
 Where, through the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault, 
 The pealing anthem swells the note of praise. — Gray. 
 
 St. Paul's Church. 
 
 The occasional erection of structures to religion and 
 science, mark eras in our village history frought with pe- 
 culiar local interest ; such events scattered along the track 
 of years give pleasing assurance of internal improvement 
 in those matters which most nearly concern our hearts 
 and homes. They furnish occasion too, for grateful recol- 
 lection of those early pioneers. who, as soon as they had 
 surrounded themselves with the necessities of life, set 
 about the work of laying deep and firm the foundation of 
 religion, virtue and intelligence. 
 
 The firit meeting of the friends of Episcopacy was held 
 at the house of Abijah Lobdell, Jr., May 23, 1814, for the 
 purpose of forming a church under the statue, to be called 
 St. Paul's church, Oxford. Captain Frederick Hopkins 
 and Captain John Backus were the first elected wardens; 
 Ebenezer Hull, William M. Price, John Spoor, John 
 Church, Peter Burghardt, General Ransom Rathbone, 
 Chauncey Morgan and Abijah Lobdell, Jr., were elected 
 vestrymen of the new parish. Rev. William B. Lacy then 
 officiated during one half the year in the Academy, as 
 would appear from a resolution of thanks Januarys, 1815, 
 to General Rathbone "for his spirited exertions in pre- 
 paring and ornamenting the Academy for Christmas day.*' 
 
 It is said that on that occasion it was profusely decorat- 
 ed with evergreens, and a tallow dip was in front of every 
 
2i6 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 seven by nine pane of glass. A choir was formed led by 
 Captain Farnham, Austin Hyde and General Rathbone, as 
 first, second and third choiristers, respectively. 
 
 " Oh, I need not a wing; — bid no genii come 
 With a wonderful web from Arabian loom, 
 To bear me again up the river of Time, 
 ♦ ******* 
 
 For a sprig of green caraway carries me there. 
 
 To the old village church and the old village choir, 
 
 Where clear of the floor my feet slowly swung 
 
 And timed the sweet pulse of the praise that they sung, 
 
 Till the glory aslant from the afternoon sun 
 
 Seemed the rafters of gold in God's temple begun !" 
 
 Efforts were early made to procure a suitable place of 
 worship. Henry VanDerLyn interested himself in the cir- 
 culation of a subscription for this purpose, and on Febru- 
 ary 23, 1815, the amount subscribed having reached $1,995, 
 a contract was executed with Smith & McGeorge to build 
 an edifice, forty by fifty feet, for $2,250. The first induce- 
 ment at that early day to build so large a church came 
 from a source that many would object to in these times. 
 A gentleman residing in New York city drew $10,000 in a 
 lottery, and shortly after moved to Oxford and gave $1,000 
 toward the building fund. The church was consecrated 
 Septembers, 1816, by Bishop Hobart, and stood for nearly 
 half a century. The first site selected was what is now 
 the park on Fort Hill square, upon lands conveyed by the 
 village trustees. The location seemed more controlled by 
 necessity and a regard to economy than by any sense of 
 beauty or taste. By this location the vestry came into 
 collision with Piatt Brush of New York city, who owned 
 a lot in the rear of the church, and who claimed that al- 
 though their intentions were otherwise very pious, they 
 had no right to shut him out from the common. The mat- 
 mer was, however, amicably adjusted. This position ex- 
 posed the building and those who worshipped there to va- 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 217 
 
 rious annoyances, and it was removed in 1842 to a lot ad- 
 jacent to the Academy. The building was taken in 1864 
 to Chenango Forks and is still used for a church edifice. 
 This apparently was the first church edifice erected in the 
 village. A bell was purchased in 1818, which was then the 
 only one in the county. The first rector. Rev. Wm. B. 
 Lacey, was a good sized man though not tall. His coat- 
 tails nearly reached the ground, and a white handkerchief 
 hung by one corner from the pocket, pinned in no doubt, 
 presenting a comical appearance. 
 
 In 1855 and *56 the building of the present church edi- 
 fice engaged the attention of the parish, and $10,000 was 
 subscribed towards that object. Its construction was com- 
 menced in 1856 and was finished in 1857, at a cost of $13,- 
 387, and consecrated October 14, 1857, by Bishop Coxe. 
 
 The chapel was begun in 1859, and completed and paid 
 for in 1860. In 1861 the iron fence around the church was 
 built at a cost of $1,505. In 1873, $4,000 was subscribed 
 for the purpose of adding a stone porch and bell tower to 
 the church. In 1870 a new organ was purchased at a cost 
 of $3,200. In 1877 the interior of the church was richly 
 decorated, newly carpeted, and a new bell hung, at a cost 
 of about $2,000. 
 
 The first communion was held December 18, 1815, at 
 which time there were seven communicants: Samuel Ross 
 and wife, Margaret Ross, Catherine Rathbone, Ebenezer 
 Hull, Lucinda Backus, Ursula Perkins, Susan Tracy. 
 
 Of the partarkers of the first communion ever held in 
 St. Paul's church, the following were those who were at 
 the seventh on Decembers, 1816 : Uri Tracy, Ruth Tracy, 
 Frederick Hopkins, Asenath Spoor, Patty (Church) Daily, 
 Flora Jackson. 
 
 The following have been the successive rectors of this 
 
2i8 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 parish: Revs. William B. Lacey, D. D., 1814-18; Leverett 
 Bush, D. D., 1818-42; Thomas Towell, 1822-44; T. R. 
 Chipman, 1842-44; Ben j. W. Stone, D. D., 1845-50; S. 
 son Coxe, 1850-53; Mannsell VanRensselaer, 1863-54; S. 
 Hanson Coxe, 1854-57; D. H. Macurdy, 1857-65; Walter 
 Ayrault, D. D., 1865-75 ; Robert M. Duff, D. D., 1875-79; 
 J. M. C. Fulton, 1879 ; Edwin M. Colloque, 1881 ; Charles 
 DuBois Broughton, 1901, the present rector. 
 
 The glass chandeliers in the church possess a historic 
 interest. These, with one other destroyed by fire in the 
 burning of the Episcopal church at Scarsdale, N. Y., in 
 April, 1882, were sent from England before the Revolu- 
 tionary war to the corporation of Trinity church in New 
 York city, and were long in use in St. George's chapel, 
 Beekman street, having been once in the meanwhile safely 
 removed from the burning building, which was afterwards 
 rebuilt. In 1868, when the demands of business finally 
 rendered its removal necessary, the daughters of Gerrit H. 
 VanWagenen, for many years a warden of the parish, 
 made application for the chandeliers, which was granted, 
 and St. Paul's church received them in the same year. 
 About 1879, the missing pieces, and those broken in trans- 
 portation, were replaced at a cost of over $200, from which 
 can be judged the considerable value of the property de- 
 stroyed. On September 32, 1882, while the largest of 
 the five chandeliers was being cleaned, the rod support- 
 ing it became loosened from the ceiling and it fell with a 
 crash, being totally wrecked. 
 
 A story is told of the first visit to Oxford of Bishop 
 Walker, after he became Bishop of Western New York, 
 He prefaced his sermon by saying, that he felt at home as 
 eoon as he entered the church, for what did he behold but 
 the same crystal chandeliers he had watched for years in 
 old St. George's, during his boyh0od, with the exciting 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 219 
 
 anticipation, and, he muit confess, wish, that some of 
 those pendants might fall on the heads of the grave and 
 reverend worshippers. He paid more attention to the 
 chandeliers than to the sermon in those days. 
 
 In the spring of 1891, $2,400 was laid out in repairs and 
 repointing the stone work and rebuilding the top of the 
 square bell tower. Beautiful memorials of friends de- 
 parted have been placed in the church. New windows in the 
 body of the edifice with redecorated sidewalle and braw 
 prayer desks, for members of the family of Mr. F. G. 
 Clarke. A brass angel-lectern to the memory of Mrs. 
 Julia Clapp Newberry, accompanied by a solid silver com- 
 munion service, gold lined. An altar-rail with brass 
 standards to the memory of William and Ursula (Glover) 
 VanWagenen. A costly and artistic brass pulpit " To the 
 memory of Wilhelmina Maria, Sarah Brinckerhoff, and 
 Catherine, daughters of Gerrit H. VanWagenen." An 
 electrolier in memory of Mrs. Catherine O. Packard, and 
 a brass Litany desk to the memory of Mrs. Sarah Eliza 
 (Mygatt) Sands. 
 
 In 189B James Clapp, who died while traveling in Egypt, 
 bequeathed $2,000 for the use of the church and $1,000 for 
 the stained glass window which was placed in the chancel 
 in April, 1895. The design represents St. Paul on Mars 
 Hill, and is wrought in fabrile glass in colors soft and 
 rich. The central figure is St. Paul, but the others are 
 imaginary characters. The portion of a building represented 
 Is a part of the Acropolis, Athens. At the base of the 
 window is a brass plate with the following inscription : 
 
 To the Glory of God 
 
 and in Memory of the 
 
 Butler-Clapp-Newbury Family 
 
 1895 
 
220 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 This was a way to thrive, and he was blest. — Shakespeare. 
 
 Bernard Farrell. 
 
 Bernard Farrell, who lived for thirty-four years in the 
 town of Oxford, died at his home in South Oxford, Feb- 
 ruary 11, 1890, at the advanced age of 97 years. 
 
 Mr. Farrell was born in County Longford, Ireland, in 
 the year 1793, and came to America in 1842, on a sailing 
 vessel, which was thirteen weeks making the passage. A 
 few months later he came to Chenango county and located 
 in the town of Smith ville, nearTyner, then called "Sod." 
 
 Of an agricultural turn of mind, which pursuit he fol- 
 lowed through life, he had no difficulty in finding plenty 
 of work, and being thrifty was enabled about the year 
 1845 to send to Ireland for his wife and four children to 
 join him in this country. They lived in Smithville and 
 Preston until 1866, and then came into this town to spend 
 the remainder of their days. Mary McCormick, wife of 
 Mr. Farrell, was born in County Leitrim, Ireland, in 1806, 
 and died at her homein South Oxford, November 13, 1886, 
 aged 80 years. To them were born eight children, two 
 died in childhood in Ireland. Their eldest son, Edmund, 
 was killed on the railroad at South Oxford, April 11, 1873, 
 aged 43 years. Richard, died in New York city, May 
 6, 1891, aged 55. For a number of years in the commis- 
 sion business. His wife, Mary Kennedy of New Bruns- 
 wick, N. J., died in New York city, April 6, 1904, aged 
 63. (Children : Edmund, William, Frank, John, died in 
 
 I 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 221 
 
 1902, Mary, Annie, Loretta.) Bridget, died in Oxford, 
 November 23, 1904, aged 68. Married Thomas H. Don- 
 nelly of Choconut, Penn. (Children : The first child died 
 in infancy; Augustus, resides in Chicago, unmarried; 
 Frank E., married Jean Lee of Wilkesbarre, Penn., where 
 he resides ; Mary Agnes, married John J. Lillis of Oxford ; 
 Isabel, married Lewis A. Foote of Scranton, where she re- 
 sides; Richard J., married Catherine P. Crowley of New 
 Haven, Conn., and is a resident of that city.) Bernard, 
 John and Peter A., all unmarried, reside on the home- 
 stead at South Oxford. The latter went to New York in 
 April, 1873, and after working a few years for his brother 
 Richard, entered into partnership with him in the com- 
 mission business, which lasted for several years. Later he 
 conducted the business alone and after a while disposed of 
 it and returned to Oxford. 
 
 FPiOM THE OXFORD GAZETTE, May 22, 1822 : A 
 footman, a few days since traveling from this village, 
 and a few miles from it, came in contact with several young- 
 cattle in the public road, and not having a very consci- 
 entious idea of meum et tuum, took them into his posses- 
 sion, drove them directly past the house of their owner and 
 sold them at a short distance farther on, put the money 
 in his pocket and escaped. 
 
 SEVERE HAIL STORM.— May 18, 1822, a severe hail 
 storm visited this village. Considerable damage was 
 done, though the duration of the storm did not exceed two 
 minutes. More than 2000 panes of glass were destroyed. 
 Some of the hail stones measured three inches in cir- 
 cumference. 
 
222 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 I know the dancin's nonsense ; but if you stick at every- 
 thing because it's nonsense, you wonna go far i' this life. 
 
 — Gkorgb Eliot. 
 
 Chenango Canal Ball. 
 
 On the 7th of March, 1833, a ball was held in Oxford to 
 celebrate the passage of the canal bill. The assembly 
 room was on the third floor of the hotel now known as the 
 Hotchkiss House, the only public hall the village then ^ 
 
 had. The hour appointed for the festivities to begin was 
 at five in the afternoon, whether this was on account of 
 the smallness of the room and that all might have a chance 
 
 "To brisk notes in cadence beating, 
 Glance their many twinkling feet," 
 
 in honor of the great undertaking, or that the beaux and 
 belles retired in good season the writer knoweth not. The 
 invitation reads as follows : 
 
 THE MANAGERS respectfully solicit the company of Mr. 
 
 .^^Jettty, »^^u/co'i9t c^^^&'acey,. 
 
 at the Assembly Room of E. Clarke, in Oxford, on Thurs- 
 day, the 7th inst, at 5 o'clock, P. M. 
 
 RANSOM RATHBONE, 1 
 HENRY MYGATT. 1 
 
 
 fLUKEBALCOM, 
 
 
 1 JOHN DONELLY. 
 
 ETHAN CLARKE, 1 
 
 
 1 J. VAN WAGENEN, 
 
 EP. MILLER. 
 
 Oxford. 
 
 -1 W. G. SANDS. 
 
 J. P. FARNHAM, 
 
 
 1 H W. RATHBONE. 
 
 T. G. NEWKIRK, 
 
 
 1 J. G. THORP, 
 
 E.SHERWOOD, 1 
 
 
 [N. H. ORMSBEE, 
 
 ROBERT MONELL, 1 
 
 Oreene. 
 
 1 FRED'K JULIAND, 
 
 JOHN CLAPP, 1 
 
 Norwich. 
 
 1 W. M. CONKEY. 
 
 LEVI BIGELOW, | 
 
 Bai/nhriiige. 
 
 1 J. B. CLARKE, 
 
 ROBERT PAGE, UnadiUa. 
 Dated Oxford, March Ist, 1833. 
 
H 
 
 ^ > 
 
 <t' 
 
 ^ O 
 
 3 — 
 
 0<5 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 223 
 
 Like leaves on trees the race of man is found. — 
 Now green in youth now withered on the ground; 
 Another race the following spring supplies; 
 They fall successive; and successive rise. — Homer. 
 
 Thomas Gibson. 
 
 Thomas Gibson was born at '' Westmoreland," St. 
 Jamee Parish, Barbados, W. I., in 1784; died December 
 4, 1868, in Oxford. Married Sarah E. Swan, born in 1788; 
 died October 31, 1840, in Oxford. 
 
 Thomas Gibson and a friend, Richard Farmer, came to 
 Oxford in 1821, and purchased adjoining farms in South 
 Oxford, the latter remained here but a few years, selling 
 his farm and returning to the West Indies, from where he 
 came. Mr. Gibson sold his farm to Benjamin Welch and 
 in 1834 moved into the village to the house on Washing- 
 ton Square now occupied by Dr. Charles E. Thompson. 
 Children : 
 
 Susan, married George Farnham, died in 1826. 
 
 Rowland Thomas, died in 1832, unmarried. 
 
 Samuel Swan, married Maria Marsh, died in 1851. 
 
 John William, died in 1857, unmarried. 
 
 Jo.^EPH, died in 1837, unmarried. 
 
 Fkancis Miller, died in 1844, unmarried. 
 
 Mary Elizabeth, married Warren Delano Smith, who 
 died in 1859. Had three children one only surviving. 
 Frances M., who resides with her mother at Chappaqna, 
 New York. 
 
224 
 
 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Pictures must not be too picturesque. — Emerson. 
 
 River Bridge and Fort Hill in 1840. 
 
 In the year 1840 two gentlemen, John W. Barber and 
 Henry Howe, authors of various historical works, gathered 
 the materials and compiled a volume pertaining to the 
 early history of the State ot New York. This book em- 
 braced the more prominent and interesting events con- 
 nected with the county histories, and illustrated with 
 some 230 engravings. 
 
 Among these we lind a view, which we reproduce, rep- 
 resenting the central part of the village of Oxford. This 
 picture was obtained from a position on the west bank of 
 the Chenango canal not far above Dr. R. E. Miller's resi- 
 dence, in the fall of 1840, and presents an excellent out- 
 line of the principal public buildings of our village at that 
 early date. At the left stands the Congregational church 
 with its old fashioned steeple, a jjattern which still holds 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 22^ 
 
 a sacred place in the hearts of old timers. Next is the 
 mammoth barn of the Fort Hill House, The Academy 
 with cupola, appearing between the large barn and the 
 Fort Hill buildings, was built in 1830-81 on a site next to 
 the Baptist parsonage. Beyond the brick block, on the 
 site of the old Fort, may be seen the Baptist church with 
 its tall spire ; the lower spire at the left belonged to the 
 old Episcopal church, which stood east of the Academy 
 building. The river bridge, then of much greater length 
 than the iron bridge, was built in 1823, the fourth in the 
 order of their erection. The Fort Hill House with the block 
 of stores extending down to the bridge, having just been 
 burned enables us to see across Fort Hill to the old Acad- 
 emy. The grounds about the site of the Indian fort, with 
 its traditions and relics of arrow heads, hatchets, bones 
 and pottery, have always been objects of the greatest in- 
 terest to our inhabitants. The Chenango canal had been 
 running but a few years, and a clever picture of the packet, 
 driver and team add much to the finish of our cut. 
 
 DANIEL SHUMWAY, a native of Oxford, Mass., came 
 to this village in 1806, w^here he resided twenty- 
 seven years. He was the first hatter in Oxford, and sold 
 " Castor, Rorum and Water proof Hats of Superior qual- 
 ity." His factory was opposite the VanDerLyn house. 
 In 1833 he went to Steuben county with many others from 
 Chenango county to engage in lumbering, and died at 
 Beecher's Island, Penn., May 10, 1848, aged 68. He was 
 universally esteemed for his integrity, kindness of heart 
 and public spirit. A son, Daniel H. Shumway, M. D., 
 died January 2, 1861, in Berlin, Wis., aged 43 years. 
 
226 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 With mug in liand to wet his whistle 
 
 — Cotton. 
 
 Levi Breed. 
 
 Levi Breed, an eccentric colored character, was well 
 known up and down the valley, and often made his home in 
 this village. His parents were slaves in Connecticut and re- 
 moved to Norwich with Deacon Elias Breed about the year 
 1808. Levi received a good common school education, and at 
 " spelling bees " it was not uncommon for him to " spell 
 down " the boys and girls. In later life he was dubbed 
 " Counsellor," having picked up a smattering of law from 
 text books loaned him. At a colored celebration in Bing- 
 hamton, July 6, 1857, he delivered an address, which was 
 published and favorably noticed by the press. The last 
 years of his life he traveled, often a foot, between Oxford 
 and Norwich, gathering rags, and carrying messages from 
 one town to the other. He died at Norwich in the fall 
 of 1873, aged 65. As early as 1835 he lived at the foot 
 of " Button " lane in this village. Among his children 
 were a daughter, Sarah Maria Reynolds, who became a 
 missionary teacher and died August 18, 1855, in Liberia, 
 Africa, while yet in young womanhood ; and a son, Robert, 
 who in his early youth attended the district school on 
 State street, and was known as Bobby Breed. A Mr. 
 Trip was the teacher, who had three modes of punishment 
 for unruly scholars : the ferule, a turkey quill with which 
 to snap the ears of his pupils, and a piece of leather sus- 
 pended from the ceiling. The latter was called " chewing 
 the cud." Pupils could have their choice of punishment, 
 and Bobby Breed was the only one who chewed the " cud," 
 standing on tip toe to reach the leather with his mouth, 
 and chewing until the master released him from his un- 
 comfortable position. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 227 
 
 His heart as far from fraud as heaven from earth. 
 
 — Shakespeabe. 
 
 Charles B. Haynes. 
 
 Charles B. Haynes was born July 18, 1793, in Prince- 
 ton, Mass., and came to Oxford in 1834, where he died 
 August 6, 1879. He married November 18, 1821, Sarah 
 Mead, who was born October 23, 1797, in Rutland, Mass., 
 and died March 28, 1867, in Oxford. 
 
 Mr. Haynes, on his arrival in Oxford with his family, 
 purchased a farm at Haynes, which, after occupying for 
 a number of years, he sold to his son Edwin, and moved 
 into the village. Here he remained but a short time, not 
 being satisfied with village life, and then bought a farm 
 on the east side of the river at South Oxford, near the 
 Greene town line. Five of his children were born in Mas- 
 sachusetts, and two in this town. 
 
 Charles Chauncey, married Harriet M. Grant of Cam- 
 bridge, Mass. ; died June 8, 1896, in Binghamton. 
 
 William, married Ursula Turner of Preston, and moved 
 to Steamboat Eock, Iowa. Died in November, 1906. 
 
 Edwin M., married Rhoby U. Keach of Preston; died 
 suddenly May 24, 1888, while on a business trip to Phila- 
 delphia, Pa. 
 
 Sarah E., married March 26, 1856, Stephen A. Sheldon 
 of Oxford ; died March 14, 1901, in Oxford. 
 
 Esther A., married Lemuel Bolles, and moved to Bing- 
 hamton, now resides in Oxford. 
 
 Almira, married Robert T. Davidson of Oxford. 
 
 Mary E., married George E. Stevens; died October 
 22, 1874, at Fort Wayne, Ind. 
 
228 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Character is a diamond ttiat scratches every other stone. 
 
 ' — Babtol. 
 
 Mead Family. 
 
 Gideon Mead came from Port Chester, Conn., in 1804, 
 bringing witli him his wife and three children: Sarah 
 Maria, six years of age, and twin boys, Andrew and Syl- 
 vanus, four years younger. They stopped with Andrew 
 Miller, who kept a tavern at South Oxford, and stayed 
 until he could clear a place large enough to build a house. 
 He then moved upon the land he had purchased, reared a 
 family of eight children, one daughter and seven sons, and 
 died October 28, 1851, aged 80 years. Mr. Mead was buried 
 on the homestead. Children: 
 
 Sarah Maria, married William Banks of Bainbridge. 
 Children : James, Samuel, Mary, John, Charles. 
 
 Andrew, married Lydia Ann Dickinson, died November 
 14, 1851, aged 49. Children : Whitman, died in infancy ; 
 Mary; Sarah, married Joseph J. Hull of Oxford. 
 
 Sylvanus, married Lucretia Bartoo, died while on a 
 visit to his son Philo at McPherson, Kan., August 12, 1882, 
 aged 80. His accuracy in repeating scripture was truly 
 wonderful. It is told that, being wakeful one night, he 
 repeated the whole book of James, the 119th Psalm, and 
 the 15th chapter of First Corinthians. Mr. Mead had 
 two sons, Philo S., married Alverda Minor, resides at 
 McPherson, Kan. ; William, married Adella Padgett, and 
 died in 1906 at Guilford. 
 
 James, married Nancy Cooley, and lived at Laurens, 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 229 
 
 Otsego county. Children: William, Mary, Morris, 
 Damon, Albert, Frances, Augusta. 
 
 Whitman, moved to Ohio and married Jane Hanson. 
 Children: Charles, George, James, Helen, Stella. 
 
 Henry, married Sarah Maria Waterman, who died 
 April 13, 1870 ; lived on a part of the old homestead. Died 
 October 10, 1872. Children : Adelaide, died Feb. 5, 1901 ; 
 Polly Ann, unmarried; Henry W., married Mary E. Cone; 
 George P., unmarried, a prominent business man of 
 Oxford. 
 
 Underhill, married (1) Eliza Ann Tyler, died January 
 18, 1853, aged 33; married (2) Catherine Waterman. 
 Children by second wife : Eliza, Smith, Sackett H., Lacka- 
 wanna station agent at Oxford, married Marion Davis; 
 James, Merritt, Lottie. 
 
 Sackett, married Anna Collins; lived and died in Cov- 
 ington, Ky. Children : William W., Omer. 
 
 ¥ ARGE FLOCKS OF PIGEONS— During the spring of 
 '*-' 1822 innumerable flocks of pigeons filled the air in 
 every direction. In the woods they occupied a space for 
 nesting nearly ten miles in length and from two to five in 
 width. Every tree and bush was literally covered with 
 them and their nests. Hunters who spent but two or three 
 hours in the woods returned with from one to two hun- 
 dred pigeons. So thick were they that twenty or thirty 
 were killed in a single shot. Five thousand were killed in 
 one day. 
 
230 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Now spurs the lated traveler apace 
 
 To gain the timely inn. — Shakbspeark. 
 
 Andrew Miller. 
 
 Andrew Miller, born February 15, 1743, in Connecticut, 
 died April 11, 1812, in South Oxford. He married Sarah 
 Lyon, daughter of Gilbert and Jane (Kniffen) Lyon, born 
 January 28, 1748, and died March 22, 1813, in South 
 Oxford. 
 
 Mr. Miller came to South Oxford about the year 1803, 
 from Rye, N. Y., and settled on the north side of the 
 brook at Coventry station, the farm on which he and his 
 wife died and were buried. He kept a tavern for a number 
 of years, at which settlers often remained until they could 
 locate and erect a cabin for their families. The stone 
 sign post in front of the tavern remained standing until 
 the summer of 1905, when a runaway team collided with 
 it and thus an old landmark was removed. 
 
 In early times, when it took three days to hold an 
 election, the second day session was held at Miller's tavern 
 in the afternoon. The polls were opened in the forenoon 
 at Parks' tavern on the west side of the river, and at noon 
 transferred to Miller's on the east side, the majority of 
 the voters following the ballot box from one district to the 
 other. Quoit pitching, wrestling, and kindred outdoor 
 amusements were heartily entered into by men who came 
 early in the day and remained until long after the polls 
 were closed. The landlord did a thriving business and 
 very few quarrels arose, owing to the purity of the liquor 
 sold. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 231 
 
 Mr. Miller, who was something of a surgeon, was often 
 called upon to perform operations for his neighbors, which 
 usually terminated successfully. His children were : 
 
 Thomas, born November 3, 1768. 
 
 Sarah, born May 25, 1771. 
 
 Mary, born June 14, 1774; died October 12, 1832; 
 married Gideon Mead. 
 
 Abigail, born September 11, 1778; married Daniel 
 Wilson. 
 
 Andrew, born January 8, 1782; died April 30, 1865; 
 married Zeruah Mowry, born October 14, 1782, died March 
 25, 1860. They lived, died, and were buried on the farm 
 his father had cleared. Children: Inman L., born June 
 14, 1808, married Permelia Symonds; John G., born Oc- 
 tober 12, 1809, married Hannah Race; Albert S., born 
 April 7, 1811, married Laura Race; Sarah, born July 81, 
 1813, married Harvey Jacobs ; Uri T., born May 23, 1815, 
 died unmarried; Andrew, born April 7, 1817, died un- 
 married ; Thomas, born November 11, 1819, married Susan 
 Maine; Mary, born March 5, 1821, married William Race; 
 Daniel W., born February 9, 1823, died unmarried ; James 
 U., born July 11, 1825, married Angeline Symonds. 
 
 Underhill, born July 14, 1788 ; died May 8, 1861 ; mar- 
 ried Mary Symonds. 
 
 JOSIAH. 
 
 Children of Inman L. and Permelia (Symonds) Miller: 
 Henry, born August 10, 1834 ; died September 26, 1905 ; 
 married Emmogene Lamb. Lived and died on same farm 
 occupied by his father and grandfather. Children : Jose- 
 phine, married Alvin Webb ; Robert, adopted son, married 
 Sarah L. Taylor, of Madison, N. Y. 
 
 LA^^NNA, born January 12, 1837 ; married Charles Wil- 
 cox. 
 
232 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Lucia, born September 17, 1839; married George L. 
 McNeil. 
 
 George, born February 28, 1843 ; died January 27, 1898 ; 
 married Amanda Miller. Child : Ella May, married 
 Joseph Rounds. 
 
 John, born May 2, 1846 ; died March 28, 1849. 
 
 AMOS A. HITCHCOCK, known as ''Gasta,"carae to this 
 v^illage in the year 1849, and with M. Augustus Perry 
 purchased of Thomas Morris the Stage House, now Hotch- 
 kiss House. The partnership was dissolved in April, 1850, 
 by Mr. Perry retiring. Mr. and Mrs. Hitchcock earned 
 golden opinions as host and hostess of the Stage House, 
 winning the respect of all by honesty and integrity of pur- 
 pose and action. He died April 7, 1866, aged 57. Lucy 
 L., his wife, born February 3, 1812, in Sherburne, N. Y., 
 died January 15, 1889, in Wilkesbarre, Pa. She was a 
 grandniece of President Monroe. They had one daughter, 
 Mary M., who became the wife of Horace S. Chamberlain 
 February 13, 1866. He died January 20, 1900, in Wilkes- 
 barre, Pa. 
 
 ROBERT BROOKSBANK was born at Market Weigh- 
 ton, Yorkshire, England, January 3, 1779. He came 
 to Troy in 1804, and in 1816 moved to Oxford, and was one 
 of the old residents of the east part of the town. He died 
 January 11, 1856, aged 77. Barbara, his wife, was born in 
 Troy, and died in Oxford, November 19, 1881, aged 100 
 years and five months. Descendants of theirs are still liv- 
 ing in town. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 233 
 
 Buried were all war-like weapons, 
 And the war-cry was forgotten ; 
 Then was peace among the nations. 
 
 — Longfellow. 
 
 Independence Day, 1865. 
 
 There was no public celebration of the national birth- 
 day in Oxford in 1865, but there was everywhere preva- 
 lent a spirit of quiet joy, which extended itself throughout 
 all classes and ages. All business ceased and the day 
 wore a holiday attire. The dark horizon of the previous 
 four years had been illuminated with joyful light, and the 
 very air seemed pervaded with a sense of peace. The day 
 was delightful and everybody seemed to take to picnics. 
 Indeed one might have supposed that the entire commu- 
 nity regarded that the declaration of rights to life, liberty, 
 and the pursuit of happiness, ennuciated by the patriots 
 of '76, was a little else than an assertion of the right 
 and duty of universal picnicking. About nine o'clock in the 
 morning two canal boats laden with the devotees of free- 
 dom in the open air, and such things as make such freedom 
 enjoyable, moved off for Lake Warn, accompanied by the 
 Oxford Band. After a fill of those things which make 
 patriotic stomachs, the company proceeded to a platform 
 under the trees, where Dr. J. W. Thorp, then of the 
 Academy faculty, clearly and forcibly read the Declara- 
 tion of Independence, and Mr. L. R. Brewer, now Bishop 
 Brewer, in an eloquent address, did justice to the day and 
 its glorious memories. 
 
 There were other picnics at the Halfway House, Lud- 
 low pond, feeder dam; one on the East hill by the chil- 
 
234 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 dren, and one on the lawn at the residence of Thomas G. 
 Newkirk, Clinton street. 
 
 The Clinton street gathering was an extemporized neigh- 
 borhood affair. A rope was strung from tree to tree in 
 front of the house on which branches were suspended^ 
 hiding the company from the gaze of the street. National 
 flags in profusion waved to the breeze, and a large banner 
 floated over the entrance way. The table, reaching from 
 end to end of the yard, was literally loaded with the finest 
 viands that the Clinton street ladies could, and did, pro- 
 vide. The company, numbering fifty neighbors and in- 
 vited guests, were seated for an hour, and heartily 
 enjoyed the repast and sparkling wit. At the close Prof. 
 D. G. Barber, in a voice of deep eloquence, read the Dec- 
 laration of Independence, and sentiments appropriate to 
 the day and to the patriotic ladies of Clinton street were 
 offered by Henry VanDerLyn, Esq., and others. The com- 
 pany with three cheers for " our country," separated and 
 long held in memory the picnic of Independence Day, 1865. 
 
 U A UNT " SALLY ANN SANNICKS, of African de- 
 ■*^ scent and born a slave, came to this town about 
 the year 1819 from Dutchess county and was in service in 
 the family of Gerardus VanDerLyn. She united with the 
 Methodist church in 1820 and could recall the time when 
 it included but two families. She was seldom absent from 
 her place of worship and testified the reality of her pro- 
 fession by a bequest in her will, from her scanty estate, of 
 $150 to the Methodist church of this village. By the in- 
 come from the bequest a memorial window has been placed 
 in the church to her memory. She died November 20, 
 1882, aged 88. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 2^5 
 
 Nature to each allots his proper sphere. 
 
 — CONGREVE. 
 
 Horatio H. Cooke. 
 
 Horatio Haskell Cooke was a son of Deacon Philip 
 Cooke, an early and respected resident of this town, whose 
 farm was situated on Painter (Panther) Hill. He was a 
 lineal descendant of Nicholas Cooke, the last Royal Gov- 
 ernor of Rhode Island, and the first Governor of the 
 State after the Revolution. He was also a direct descend- 
 ant of Anna Greene, a member of the well known Rhode 
 Island family, of which Nathaniel Greene was the most dis- 
 tinguished member. Mr. Cooke was born at Columbus, N. 
 Y., but nearly his whole life was spent in Oxford. When a 
 young man he was connected with a newspaper published 
 here, and later was engaged in the hardware business, 
 his brother-in-law, David Brown, being his partner. About 
 1854 he moved to Western New York, and was employed 
 in the construction of the Great Western R. R. between 
 Suspension Bridge and St. Catharines. After a few years 
 he returned to Oxford, and was canal collector at this 
 port for years, and also Justice of the Peace at different 
 times for several terms. He was station agent for the 
 D., L. & W. R. R. Co. from the time the road opened 
 for fourteen years, until a few years before the time of his 
 death, and resigned the position on account of ill health. 
 He died suddenly January 21st, 1887. Mr. Cooke was 
 closely connected ^^'ith the history of Oxford for half a 
 century, and was an honorable, upright, and much re- 
 spected citizen. October 6, 1841, he was married to Eliza- 
 beth W. Cornish, daughter of Whiting Cornish of Coven- 
 
2^6 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 try. There were three children : Mary, Philip H., and 
 Catharine. Mary died at the age of three years. Philip 
 H. Cooke was one of the many Oxford boys who chose 
 telegraphy as a profession, and for years has held official 
 positions, first with the Western Union, and afterwards 
 with the Postal Telegraph Co. He was married July 
 11th, 1871, to Emma J. Coffin, at Montgomery, Ala. 
 Catharine was married on September 9, 1880, to Delos 
 M. Aylesworth of this place, who died June 26, 1883. 
 She still resides in Oxford. 
 
 CALEB F. THURBEK, born October 3, 1795, in Coop- 
 erstown, <3ame to Oxford from Delhi in 1824. At the 
 latter place he was a member of the first fire company 
 organized in that village in 1821, and outlived all the 
 original members. He was a shoemaker by trade and fol- 
 lowed that occupation for a long period of years in Oxford. 
 Mr. Thurber was a remarkable man physically and retained 
 his faculties until the last. His death occurred May 28, 
 1884. He married first Mary Desmond of Delhi, who died 
 in December, 1838, in Oxford. His second wife died No- 
 vember 6, 1893. Children by first wife: Anne, married 
 Aaron B. Abbott; John, married Jane Smith; Mary T., 
 married, May 7, 1855, James Stowell; Abner, married 
 Dorcas Christman; Adelia, married William T. Mande- 
 ville. 
 
 WILLIAM McCALPIN, an early resident of Oxford, 
 was Associate Judge of the old Court of Common 
 Pleas. He was also a member of the first jury ever sum- 
 moned in C^henaugo county. The court was held in Oxford 
 in July, 1798. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 237 
 
 In the capacious urn of death, every name is shaken. 
 
 — HOBACE. 
 
 Davidson Family. 
 
 George A. and Jane (Tier) Davidson came from New 
 York City at an early day and located in Smithville. After 
 remaining there a few years Mr. Davidson purchased a 
 farm in this town on the east side of the river at South 
 Oxford, which is still known as the Davidson farm. They 
 were the parents of twelve children, eight of whom died 
 in infancy. Those who grew to maturity were : 
 
 George, who married Susan Jacobs; Ann, married Dr. 
 R. P. Crandall of Greene; Jacob, married (1) Amelia 
 Mcintosh, married (2) Nora McKinney; and Robert T. 
 
 Mrs. Davidson died September 4, 1857. Mr. Davidson 
 married a second wife in Greenwich, Conn., and some 
 years later his death occurred at Vineland, N. J. 
 
 Robert Tier Davidson, born May 4, 1834, in Oxford; 
 died April 27, 1874, in Greene; married December 28, 
 1857, Almira Haynes, daughter of Charles B. and Sarah 
 (Mead) Haynes of Oxford. 
 
 Mr. Davidson, at the age of 19 years, bought out the 
 bookstore of William E. Chapman. After conducting the 
 business for a few years he found the returns for the 
 money invested smaller than he had anticipated, and dis- 
 posed of the stock, and returned to the homstead, buying 
 the property at South Oxford some years later. Here he 
 remained seven years, and then returned to the village. 
 He was appointed canal collecter in 1857, and from time 
 to time held many important village offices, the duties 
 of which were faithfully discharged. At the completion 
 
23$ ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 of the New York, Oswego & Midland railroad, now the 
 Ontario & Western, to Oxford, he was appointed station 
 agent, which position he held a number of years, giving 
 entire satisfaction to the officers of the road and the trav- 
 eling public in general. He then received the appoint- 
 ment of freight solicitor for the same company, holding 
 the position up to the time of his death. A man of public 
 spirit, he was prominent in promoting any object that 
 would prove a benefit to the town or village. He was 
 held in high esteem throughout the town and county, his 
 ease and courtesy of manner winning for him the honor 
 and esteem of all. 
 
 Mr. Davidson's death was particularly sad and deeply 
 felt alike by relatives and friends. He, with his wife, had 
 gone to Greene to transact some business with his sister, 
 the wife of Dr. R. P. Crandall, and was taken ill soon 
 after reaching there. The disease, erysipelas of the head, 
 rapidly developed and death resulted nine days after the 
 attack. Children: 
 
 Jane M., married Dr. Benjamin P. Andrews, and resides 
 in Dansville, N. Y. 
 
 Charles H., married Annie Trevvett and resides at 
 Utica, N. Y. 
 
 WILLIAM HOLLENBECK, a German, came from the 
 Hudson river country at an early day. He was 
 called " Uncle Bill " by the neighbors, and was an indus- 
 trious farmer. His children were: Stina, Jane, John, 
 Mary Ann, Fitche, Louisa, Derrick, Malinda, Rachel, Silas, 
 and Susan. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 259 
 
 Hard thinking opens naturally into strong doing. 
 
 — F. G. Peabodt. 
 
 James A. Glover. 
 
 James Aaron Glover, born April 24, 1793, in Plainfleld, 
 Conn., came to Oxford in 1802. He was one of six chil- 
 dren of Nathan Glover, who settled in Plymouth the same 
 year. Mr. Glover was first employed by Daniel Denison, 
 but later learned the trade of tool maker and blacksmith, 
 in which he became exceptionally skillful. He conducted 
 for many years the stone blacksmith shop which stood on 
 the site of the present residence of Melvin Walker, and 
 it was there that David Maydole, who made a world wide 
 reputation with his hammers, and George R. Lyon, founder 
 of the Greene Iron Works, served their apprenticeship. 
 Mr. Glover Avas for a long term of years a trustee of Ox- 
 ford Academy, and prominently identified with the growth 
 of the village. He married June 29, 1817, Ann Bradley 
 of Oxford, a native of Connecticut, and in June, 1867, 
 they celebrated their golden wedding. Mr. Glover died 
 May 23, 1875. Mrs. Glover born July 8, 1792, died De- 
 cember 21, 1871. Children: 
 
 Ursula A., born June 16, 1818; died May 24, 1887; 
 married January 8, 1840, William Van Wagenen of 
 Oxford. 
 
 Ann Vernette, born January 31, 1820; died March 3, 
 1892; married Nov. 22, 1853, William D. Knap of New 
 Berlin. 
 
 James W. 
 
240 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Mary E., born June 5, 1824; died June, 1887; un- 
 married. 
 
 Elizabeth W., born September 11, 1827; died Novem- 
 ber 30, 1902, in Binghamton; married August 15, 1850, 
 John Ray Clarke of Oxford. 
 
 James W. Glover, born August 28, 1822, in Oxford, was 
 educated at Oxford Academy and read law with Henry 
 R. IMygatt. He was admitted to the bar in 1843, and 
 practiced for over fifty years in his native place, with 
 the exception of a few years spent in Auburn. He 
 represented Oxford as Supervisor, and held the office of 
 postmaster for several years. Mr. Glover married May 
 19, 1852, Sarah A. Perkins, who died November 14, 1892, 
 aged 68. Mr. Glover, who had been in failing health for a 
 number of years, died November 22, 1896. Children : 
 
 Erastus p., born February 22, 1854; died in infancy. 
 
 John R., married May 19, 1881, Lillian Henstock of 
 Montrose, Pa. 
 
 NATHANIEL KELLOGG, a soldier and pensioner of 
 the war of the Revolution, lived on a farm which was 
 partly in the towns of Greene and Oxford. It was said his 
 house of two rooms stood on the town line, one room in 
 each town, and that he lived in the Oxford part. His farm 
 was on the west side of the Chenango river, and in 1836 
 he sold it to Abram TenBroeck, and it eventually became a 
 part of the estate of the late Wheaton Loomis, above Bris- 
 bin. Mr. Kellogg was born at Hadley, Mass., in 1758 ; en- 
 listed July 1780 in Captain Alvord's company in Colonel 
 Murry's regiment. He died October 26, 1846, in Jasper. 
 Steuben county. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 241 
 
 The risiug ... of waters dark and deep. 
 
 — Milton. 
 
 Flood of 1865. 
 
 The accumulated snow and ice of the winter of 1864-65, 
 found vent in a most extensive and damaging flood. The 
 warm weather of Tuesday, March 14, culminating on 
 Thursday in a warm south wind, had raised the river 
 to an alarming pitch before night. A little past midnight 
 a slaughter house adjoining the Fort Hill mills, broke 
 loose with a crash and floated off. The flood reached its 
 height about daybreak Friday, and the morning light dis- 
 closed a scene of unequal ed magnificence to one who could 
 view it indifferently, and to the sufferers by flood one of 
 anxiety and painful interest. From the present residence 
 of Peter J. Jacobs across to the office of the late 
 Wm. H. Hyde, Esq., and thence in a widening current 
 through the grounds of St. Paul's church, rising within 
 a few inches of the floor, across Merchants, Mechanic, and 
 Greene streets, the water flowed onward to the main 
 channel of the river. Within that circuit first floors were 
 in numerous instances abandoned, the inmates betook 
 themselves to chambers or the homes of their more for- 
 tunate neighbors, and cattle, horses, and pigs were re- 
 moved to more safe quarters, while feathered bipeds held 
 to their roost in sullen silence. Fences, firewood, hay, and 
 the thousand and one necessary and carefully stored luxu- 
 ries of careful housewives floated about in miscellaneous 
 and strange admixture. Across the street leading direct 
 from Fort Hill to St. Paul's church, the current was very 
 
242 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 rapid, rendering boating impracticable, lifting heavy 
 flagging stones from their beds, and forcing dirt, rubbish 
 and smaller stones in scattered heaps upon the opposite 
 premises. The road was washed clear of dirt leaving its 
 bed of stone uncovered, walks undermined, and houses in 
 some instances left bare to their foundation stones. On 
 Merchants street, from the corner below the Methodist 
 church, to its termination near the Methodist parsonage, 
 a ferry was in active use in charge of Charles Fraser, who 
 vigorously and skillfully plied the oars, bringing and car- 
 rying the inhabitants of the flooded district, and boats 
 were also constantly passing from each of said corners 
 through the streets leading to them. On the west side of 
 the river the damage was not as great, cellars in the 
 business parts were early found to be unsafe, and valu- 
 able property generally removed. The river and canal 
 above and below the residence of the late R. E. Spence 
 joined currents, and also below Navy Island, and for once 
 the derisive epithet " raging " applied to the State ditch, 
 became a visible reality. On Albany street at the prem- 
 ises of the late David Bartle, the stream forced its way 
 across the road, went circling in rear of Washington Park 
 to the main channel, filling cellars, making barns unten- 
 antable, and compelling the removal of their occupants. 
 The freshet made a sorry looking wreck of the canal, filling 
 in and tearing out, throwing down docks and causing 
 numerous breaks on this level. The feeder dam at South 
 Oxford was carried away. 
 
 Early Friday evening, March 17, Jacob Rheinwald, 
 James McEneny, John S. White, Patrick Keyes and 
 Charles P»rabazon, started from the Tuttle block in a small 
 boat for a pleasure trip over the flood to the east side 
 of the river. They had reached the main channel a few 
 rods above the river bridge, when the boat became un- 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 243 
 
 manageable, resisting all efforts at control, and shot sud- 
 denly down the rushing waters under the bridge, when 
 White managed to grab the bridge and save himself ; Keyes 
 held fast under the bridge and was drawn out through an 
 opening made by the lifting of a plank. McEneny and 
 Rheinwald, by lying flat, floated under, but Brabazon was 
 precipitated into the rapids, passed over the dam in the 
 seething, raging current, quickly followed by his comrades 
 in the boat. By the vigorous efforts of those two and 
 his own dexterous and cool management, he was rescued 
 and drawn into the boat some distance down stream, al- 
 though much exhausted and soaked by the icy water. It 
 was a marvelous escape from a fearful adventure. 
 
 i 
 
 WILLIAM BEARDSLEY was born in Shaftsbury, 
 Vt., May 13, 1793. He went as a soldier from Ver- 
 mont in the war of 1812, first by draft, afterwards by en- 
 listment, and remained until the close of the war. He was 
 in the naval engagement on Lake Champlain, between 
 Commodore McDonough and Commodore Downie, and 
 after the surrender went on board the vessel on which 
 Commodore Downie was killed, saw the rigging all cut in 
 pieces, and all the ghastly and harrowing sights consequent 
 upon such combats. At the age of 23 he married Anna 
 Maria Catlin, a native of Canada. They came immediately 
 to Oxford, where they resided for many years. They were 
 the parents of twelve children. Mr. Beardsley died Jan- 
 nary 20, 1878, in Preston, aged 84. 
 
 ONE OF THE PHYSICIANS of the early days of Ox- 
 ford was Dr. Mead, of whom the youngsters used to 
 sing his professional services in the following lines : 
 
 " Dr. Mead, he goes full speed, 
 And rides on a gallop ; 
 He visits all, both great and small, 
 And fills them up with jalap." 
 
244 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Men drop so fast 'ere life's mid-stage we tread. 
 Few know so many friends alive, as dead. 
 
 — YOUNQ. 
 
 Westover Family. 
 
 Elisha Westover came about 1835 from Massachusetts 
 and settled on a fifty acre farm east of the Leonard Rich- 
 mond farm and near the Alvin Ingraham four corners, 
 but soon transferred or sold the same to his son Calvin 
 Westover. He then moved into Smithville where he re- 
 sided for a time, thence into the town of Dryden, N. Y., 
 upon a farm and lumber tract, where he died Januai-y 
 25, 1852, aged 75. 
 
 Calvin Westover, son of P^lisha, born in 180G at New 
 Milford, Conn., came to Oxford between the years 1830 
 and 1835; died September 7, 1882, in Oxford; married 
 
 (1) Hadsell; married (2) Urania Rowland, born 
 
 in 1810 ; died August 6, 1879. Children : 
 
 Emeline, married Orlando Beardsley. 
 
 Orlin J., married Mary Britton. 
 
 Phoebe, unmarried, lives in California. 
 
 Elmer, died April 11, 1851, aged 16. 
 
 Burton, married October 28, 1862, Amelia Weeks of 
 Oxford, resides in California. 
 
 Clarissa E., died April 27, 1859, aged 15 years. 
 
 DiMicE, died December 20, 1860, aged 14. 
 
 Calvin Westover, after a few years, bought the Hiram 
 Snow farm, now occupied by Francis Hill, on the four 
 corners mentioned above, where he resided until about 
 1849, when he purchased the Nicholas Rogers farm, now 
 
f 
 
 ANNALS OF OXFORD 245 
 
 occupied by Henry H. Hill, where he resided until his 
 death. He was for several years associated with his 
 brother Ranslow in the oyster business. Afterwards he 
 dealt in live stock, shipping to Binghamton by the Che- 
 nango canal. 
 
 Orlin J. Westover, son of Calvin, born March 7, 1832, 
 in Oxford; died September 11, 1865, in Andersonville 
 prison, having been taken prisoner at Guntown, Tenn., 
 June 11, 1865, while in the U. S. service during the Civil 
 War. Mr. Westover went to Minnesota in 1853, and mar- 
 ried in 1856 Mary M. Britton of Mankato, Minn., born 
 March 17, 1835, died April 24, 1863, in Mankato. He 
 enlisted August 15, 1862, under Capt. Dane in Co. E, 
 9th Minnesota Volunteers, and was stationed at Fort 
 Ridgeley, on the Minnesota river, where he was engaged 
 in fighting Indians at the outbreak of the Sioux tribe led 
 by Chief Little Crow. He witnessed much hardship and 
 suffering by the settlers, one instance in particular he 
 related. While with a company, they came upon an 
 emigrant party of two men, two women, aud two small 
 children. The men were dead, scalped, their hearts cut 
 out and hung on the wagon stakes ; one woman was dead, 
 and the other, an old lady, was shot in the back by an 
 arrow, which nearly passed tlirough her body. The chil- 
 dren were unharmed. The old lady had been left for 
 dead, but she regained consciousness and succeeded in ex- 
 tracting the shaft of the arrow, but the flint point remained 
 in her body. She had taken the children and managed 
 to crawl to the shade of a tree some distance from the 
 wagon, where she was found by the cavalrymen uncon- 
 scious, but death ended her suffering soon after. Mr. 
 West over's father-in-law, Mr. Britton, took two of his 
 children and his grandsons, Maurice and Calvin Westover, 
 to Fort Ividgeley, where they remained two months for 
 
346 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 protection from the Indians. He left his two eldest sons 
 to take the women to the fort, where they arrived safely 
 in a day or two. Soon after there was a severe Indian 
 fight in that vicinity and thirty-eight of the tribe were 
 captured, taken to Mankato, and executed in public on 
 December 26, 1862. The refugees at the fort witnessed 
 the execution, which ended the Indian outbreak. 
 
 Children of Orlin J. and Mary (Britton) Westover: 
 
 Maurice N., married Clarissa Bradley, resides in Mesa 
 Grande, Cal. 
 
 Calvin E., married Lina Bpnjamin of Preston, and 
 resides at Herkimer, N. Y. 
 
 A daughter died in infancy. 
 
 Ozias Westover, son of Elisha, born in Sheffield, Mass. ; 
 died September 27, 1860, in Barker, N. Y. ; came to Oxford 
 in 1829; married June 18, 1829, Eliza Hadsell of New 
 Marlboro, Mass., born May 11, 1810, died October 9, 1886, 
 in Barker, N. Y. Mr. Westover settled on the farm in the 
 west part of the town, known as the Beardsley farm. After 
 a few years he moved to Barker, Broome county. 
 
 Children : 
 
 Polly A., married Abel W. Beach; died April 6, 1885. 
 
 Jane P., married Myron S. Root ; died August 31, 1887. 
 
 DoRus, married Fannie Gaylord, and resides in Barker. 
 
 Ranslow Westover, son of Elisha, born April 8, 1809, 
 in Sheffield, Mass.; died December 15, 1858, in Oxford; 
 married December 31, 1835, Clarissa A. Tift of New Ber- 
 lin, born April 10, 1816, in New Berlin, N. Y., died April 
 5, 1888, in Lanesboro, Pa. 
 
 Soon after their marriage Mr. Westover purchased a 
 pair of strong horses and a heavy lumber wagon, upon 
 which he placed a canvas top. In this vehicle he and his 
 bride took their wedding trip, driving to Plainfield, 111. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 247 
 
 They carried with them cooking utensils and bedding, and 
 cooked their meals whenever opportunity offered, lodging 
 in their wagon wherever night overtook them. At Plain- 
 field he built the first frame house erected in that town. 
 After remaining there five years, during which time Mr, 
 Westover suffered more or less from fever and ague, they 
 returned to Oxford, coming from Utica on the Chenango 
 canal, in the fall of the year that waterway was opened. 
 He purchased the farm in " Dodge Hollow," now owned 
 by William Wells, and later came into the village and 
 purchased the Burghardt farm, at the lower end of Clinton 
 gtreet, now owned by F. P. Newkirk. He built the house 
 now owned by Frederick Dibble, then belonging to the 
 farm, and the two large red barns. Here he remained until 
 his death. In 1840 Mr. Westover in partnership with his 
 brother Calvin entered into the oyster trade. They were 
 the first to bring oysters into this section of the State, 
 which were brought to Oxford from Catskill by teamsters, 
 and then distributed throughout the country by their 
 regular routes, north, east, south, and west. Strange as 
 it may seem, Binghamton, Elmira, and Corning were 
 among the places which received their first oysters from 
 the Westovers. Their trade covered a large section and 
 proved very remunerative. Oysters were then put up in 
 pint and quart kegs, later in square tin cans. 
 
 The children of Ranslow were: 
 
 OSMER M., born October 2, 1838, in Plainfield, 111.; 
 married January 21, 1863, Sarah Eliza Chapman, daugh- 
 ter of William E. Chapman of Oxford, born March 6, 1842, 
 died May 6, 1902. Children: Anna B., married Jay W. 
 Hopkins; Herbert G., married Alice Benjamin; Howard 
 C, and Dr. Robert R. 
 
 Sylvania Aeline, born October 5, 1840, in Oxford; 
 
248 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 married Thomas E. Chapman; died January 13, 1885, in 
 Marathon, N Y. 
 
 Mary Annette, born June 14, 1844, in Oxford; mar- 
 ried Theodore F. McNeil. Besides in Binghamton. 
 
 Alice U., born February 8, 1849, in Oxford; died July 
 5, 1895, in Elmira; married J. W. Hamilton of Oxford. 
 
 Earle it., born February 22, 1853 ; died April 24, 1858. 
 
 William G., born October 5, 1855, in Oxford; married 
 May 20, 1880, Lottie E. Waite of Muncie, Ind. ; resides in 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 Ranslow, born August 9, 1858 ; died April 12, 1800. 
 
 Orlin Westover, son of Elisha, born November 27, 1810, 
 in Sheffield, Mass. ; died May 27, 1852, in Oxford ; mar- 
 ried April 30, 1835, Betsey Howland, born July 5, 1812, 
 in New Milford, Conn., died February 11, 1897, in Dryden, 
 N. Y. Mr. Westover came to Oxford about 1834 and 
 bought of Jeremiah York the farm now owned and occu- 
 pied by his son, Miles L. His death occurred from pneu- 
 monia after a short illness and while in the full prime of 
 manhood. He possessed those Christian attributes which 
 stamped character on the worth of true citizenship and 
 marked the career of a man passing through life with 
 the full assurance of receiving the reward of " Well done, 
 good and faithful servant." He Avas a just man, living 
 in peace and with enmity for none. 
 
 Cliildren : 
 
 Adah M., died Oct. 2, 1854, aged 18 years. 
 
 Miles K., born in 1839; married Mary P. Root of 
 Tioga, Pa. Children: Florence M., died December 6, 
 188G, in early womanhood, leaving a memory green in 
 the friendship and love of a host of sincere friends. Orlin 
 E., married Nettie M. Burdick of Norwich; Albert W., 
 married Annie B. Cook of East Norwich; Addie E., mar- 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 24Q 
 
 ried Ira D. McNitt, and resides in Kansas; Minnie B., 
 married Thomas M. Dunning of Oxford. 
 
 RoxciE M., died December 31, 1905 ; married Dr. Robert 
 E. Miller of Oxford. 
 
 Philander Chase, died January 7, 1906, in his 62d year, 
 survived by a son. 
 
 OLD LETTERS are always interesting. Here are two, 
 the first one was written by a student at Oxford 
 Academy the first year of its existence. The writer was a 
 son of Gen. Jacob Morris of an old Colonial family that 
 settled at Morris, N. Y. The second letter was written by 
 the founder of the town of Oxford : 
 
 Oxford. 14 Sept., 1794. 
 Dear Pappa: 
 
 I received yours of the 14 this morning. Richard and myself are in 
 good Health at present and will be over on Saturday with Mr. and Mrs. 
 Tracy if we are all well at that time. I got our Clothes and I find a coat of 
 Richard's missing which I am in hopes to get on the road. 
 
 I remain your affectionate son, LEWIS LEE MORRIS. 
 
 Oxford, May 28th, 1799. 
 Dfar Sir: 
 
 The Adgt. Gen'l will be at Oxford on Saturday, 8th of Jnne, at which 
 time I hope to be honoured with your Company. On Friday morning the 
 Reverend Mr. Camp will address himself to the Militia, in the afternoon you 
 and the Gen'l can go to the Butternuts, and on Monday morning be at 
 Otego. Pleas to give Majr Edwards an invitation and be so kind as to in- 
 form me by Next Post. I am with esteem your Humble servt, 
 
 BENJ HOVEY. 
 
 Gen'l Morris. 
 
350 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 In an age 
 Wben men were men, and not ashamed of heaven, 
 
 — YOUNQ. 
 
 Cyrus A. Bacon. 
 
 Cyrus A. Bacon came to Oxford early in boyhood and 
 began his mercantile career as clerk for Ira Willcox in 
 the brick store on Fort Hill. He married Mary A. Mc- 
 Calpin, daughter of Thomas McCalpin of Oxford, who 
 died December 25, 1857, aged 65 years. He took his young 
 wife to his mother's home in Preston, a few miles from 
 the village of Oxford, where she remained several weeks, 
 when he rented the Stephen O. Runyan house on the east 
 «ide of the river. James Clapp also occupied a portion of 
 the building for a law office. In 1825, in connection with 
 Uri Tracy, son of the early settler by that name, Mr. 
 Bacon commenced a mercantile business which was con- 
 tinued till the death of Mr. Tracy in 1856. His active 
 business career lasted for a period of fifty-four years, or 
 up to the time of his death, which occurred January 12, 
 1879, at the age of 89 years. Mr. Bacon was for over 
 forty years a trustee of Oxford Academy. He also held 
 the town offices of supervisor and clerk, the latter for a 
 long term of years. He was the fifth in succession of 
 postmasters, holding the office from 1841 to 1849, and from 
 1853 to 1861. 
 
 During the night of November 3, 1847, the residence of 
 Mr. Bacon, now the Baptist parsonage, was entered, and 
 a cash box taken from his sleeping room, containing nearly 
 1600 in cash and a larger amount in note. He was aroused 
 by a noise made by the burglar and discovering his loss 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 351 
 
 rushed to the door, but only in time to hear the retreating 
 footsteps of the midnight visitors, one of whom left his 
 boots behind. In the morning the cash box was found 
 half a mile from the village rifled of the money and the 
 best part of the papers. One person was arrested on 
 suspicion, examined and discharged. In May, 1851, sev- 
 eral more of Mr. Bacon's papers were discovered under a 
 barn five miles north of the village. They were in a leather 
 case, which, with its contents were much decayed, though 
 many were legible. 
 
 Mr. Bacon married October 2, 1864, for his second wife^ 
 Mrs. Catherine (Cook) Kinyon of Oxford, who died No- 
 vember 14, 1892, aged 87 years. Children by first wife: 
 
 Margaret R., died January 7, 1843, aged 22 years. 
 
 Jane M., died August 12, 1895, in Syracuse, aged 72 
 years; married Geo. W. Gray. 
 
 James H., died February 25, 1847, aged 22 years. 
 Elizabeth, H., died August 19, 1862, aged 34 years. 
 
 "13A.NDALL MAIN, for many years a well known citizen 
 •■-^ of Oxford previous to 1846, in which year he moved to 
 New York City, died suddenly in North Stonington, Ct., 
 March 12, 1852, aged 59 years. He was prominently iden- 
 tified with the Baptist Church in this village. His v>'ife 
 was Fanny York, sister of Dr. Edward York, Jeremiah 
 York, and Ruth York. She died August 17, 1878, in North 
 Stonington, Ct., aged 82 years. Among their children were 
 Dwight and Randall W. 
 
^52 ANNALS OH OXFORD 
 
 On thy calm joys with what dolight 1 dream. 
 Thou doar groon valloy of my native stream ! 
 Fancy o'er thee still waves th" enchanting wand. 
 
 — Bloomfieu). 
 
 Joseph GifFord. 
 
 Joseph Oift'ord came to Oxford on horselxick about the 
 jear ISO-, and pnrehased of Ezekiol Olds the farm, on 
 whidi he lived and died, now owned bv his grandson, 
 Jolin 11. OilVoi'd, on the east side of the river two mile« 
 below the village. Mr. Gilford was born in Connecticnt, 
 October 114, 1775; married in Febrnarv, 1804, Priscilla 
 Root, who died April 4, 1807, leaving two daughters, 
 Jernsha and Priseilla, who died in infancy. Ilis second 
 wife was the widow Betsey Tnrner, whom he married 
 October lM. 1807. Her death occurred May 22, 18()0. Mr. 
 (litford died Febrnaiy 1.">. ISUo. Chihhen: 
 
 Julian, born Angnst 25, 1808; died April 13, 1849; 
 married Ira K. Noble. 
 
 Maryan, twin to Julian, died December 9, 1898; mar- 
 ried John Hicks of Norwich. 
 
 ruisoiLLA, born March 4, 1810; died February 7, 1844; 
 married John Y. Washburn. 
 
 Joseph, born November 15, 1812; died in 1885; mar- 
 ried Eliza Adams. 
 
 Jesse H., born August 10, 1816 ; died October 31, 1886 ; 
 married Elizabeth C. Hopkins, died January 1, 1882. 
 
 HiEL T., born May 20, 1810; died October 25, 1850. 
 
 elAMES M., born February 20, 1823; married Marcia 
 C. Khodes, both now living in town. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 25^ 
 
 An old farm-house with meadows wide, 
 And sweet with clover on each side ; 
 A bright-eyed boy, who looks from out 
 The door with woodbine wreathed about. 
 
 — Anonymous. 
 
 John Webb. 
 
 John Webb, born December 2, 1756, in Egreiriont, Mass. ; 
 died March 27, 1832, in Oxford. His wife was born De- 
 cember 22, 1777, and died in middle age. 
 
 At a very early day, Mr. Webb, accompanied by his 
 wife, came to the State of New York and located on 
 Panther Hill in the town of Oxford. The journey was 
 long and tedious as they came overland by means of an 
 oxteam and encountered many hardships. The country 
 was wild and unbroken, and the hand of civilization had 
 as yet made but few changes. They often went to b<Hl 
 hungry, subsisting mainly on wild game and fish, in which 
 the forests and streams abounded. One by one these old 
 pioneers have passed away, and they live only in the 
 memory of their descendants; but the work of their hands 
 will continue as a monument to their deeds, and as a 
 reminder of the trials and struggles through which they 
 passed in developing the town. 
 
 Children : 
 
 William. 
 
 Daniel, died in 1812 in Canada, unmarried. 
 
 Lyman, found dead in road near schoolhouse; un- 
 married. 
 
 Sally, married Wall ; died in Minnesota. 
 
 John. 
 
 Lorry, married Erastus Ingraham; died in McDonough. 
 
 Joel, married Abigail Loomis. 
 
 Margaret, married Leonard Ingraham; died in Oxford. 
 
:j54 annals OF OXFORD 
 
 Joel Webb, son of John Webb, born April 11, 1804, 
 in Oxford; died January 5, 1888; married February 6, 
 1828, Abigail Loomis of Smithville, born September 9, 
 1811, died May 8, 1888. 
 
 Mr. Webb was born, lived and died on the farm settled 
 by his father on Panther Hill, and reared a family of 
 nine children. Mrs. Webb was a daughter of Edward 
 Loomis of Smithville, one of the first settlers in all that 
 region, which was then an unbroken wilderness, inhab- 
 ited by deer, bears, wolves, and other wild beasts. The 
 Webb homestead had 
 
 " — a roof with a slope down behind, 
 Like a sunbonnet blown partly off by the wind." 
 
 Mr. Webb was honest and faithful in the discharge of 
 his duties, respected by all and beloved by his kindred. 
 
 Children : 
 
 Benaiah, married Christina M. Smith; resides in 
 Greene. 
 
 Harriet, resides in Utica, and for over fifty years was 
 a successful teacher in public schools. 
 
 Charlotte, married Charles A. McFarland of Oxford; 
 died October 2, 1901. 
 
 Betsey M., married Rev. Daniel Ballon; resides in 
 Utica. 
 
 George M., married Harriet Ketchum; resides in Ox- 
 ford. 
 
 Whitman J., married Augusta Lansing. 
 
 Joel Julian, died August 31, 1844. 
 
 Marion L., married Clark L. McNeil ; resides in Oxford. 
 
 Alvin G., married Josephine Miller; resides in Oxford. 
 
 Edward L., married Ida C. Towslee; resides in Hig- 
 ganum, Conn, 
 
 Fred E., died October 4, 1851. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 25^ 
 
 Tbe manner of saying or doing a thing goes a 
 great way in tlae value of tlie ttiing itself. 
 
 — Senewa. 
 
 Epaphras Miller. 
 
 Epaphras Miller, born June 2, 1778, in Glastonbury, 
 Conn., died July 5, 1860, in Oxford; married July 14, 
 1810, at Wilkesbarre, Pa., Elizabeth, daughter of Dr. 
 Bamuel Baldwin, born March 26, 1787, in West Stock- 
 bridge, Mass., died July 14, 1853, in Oxford. 
 
 Mr. Miller was among Oxford's earliest settlers, coming 
 in 1800 and engaging in mercantile business, which he 
 followed for a period of about fifty years. He was identi- 
 fied with many plans for the growth and prosperity of 
 the youthful village, and, among the active men of that 
 day, none were more zealous to advance the standard of 
 education, to open public thoroughfares, and add to the 
 beauty of the village. 
 
 From 1807 Mr. Miller was associated with Samuel Farn- 
 ham, Sr., for two years ; in 1818 he was a partner of John 
 F. Hill for two years in this village, and then for the two 
 succeeding years the same firm conducted a store in Mc- 
 Donough. In the year 1831 he formed a partnership with 
 Thomas G. Newkirk, which terminated in 1836. In 1834 
 he received his son, Henry L. Miller, as his partner, who 
 retired in 1841 to join William Mygatt in his store on 
 Washington Park, in part the present residence of Mrs. 
 D. M. Lee. Epaphras Miller retired from business in 
 1843, and died in 1860 in the same house in which he and 
 his wife began housekeeping in 1810. He was one ever 
 ready to assist those around him struggling with pecuniary 
 
256 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 difficulties, an obliging and sympathizing neighbor, a kind 
 and ever affectionate parent, but unyielding in purpose 
 and opinions he deemed right. Children : 
 
 Robert, born September 23, 1812; died June 21, 1814. 
 
 Benjamin, born November 15, 1813 ; died November 16, 
 1813. 
 
 FIenby L., bora May 15, 1815. 
 
 Elizabeth, born Dec. 13, 1818; died January 7, 1894, 
 in Buffalo; married July 24, 1838, John Lathrop of West 
 Springfield, Mass., died May 16, 1870, in Buffalo. Chil- 
 dren: Henry M., born July — , 1839, died December 7, 
 1868, in New York from a street car accident; Mary E., 
 born October 8, 1845. 
 
 Anna M., born January 21, 1821; married June 5, 1844, 
 Benjamin Cannon of Cannonsville, N. Y. 
 
 Benjamin S., born July 14, 1827; died August ,2 1859, 
 unmarried. Graduated at Yale in 1847, and devoted sev- 
 eral years to teaching in this State and in the South. 
 Later was employed in the survey of a canal in North 
 Carolina. 
 
 The Oxford Gazette of June 28, 1814, in mentioning 
 the death of Mr. Miller's first born, says : " In this village 
 on Tuesday, the 21st, a son of Epaphras Miller, set. 1 year 
 and 9 months. — The Physician by mistake dealt out Ar- 
 senac instead of Calomel : the child took it and in 50 
 hours expired." 
 
 Henry L. Miller, son of Epaphras and Elizabeth (Bald- 
 win) Miller, born May 15, 1815, in Oxford; died March 
 10, 1886, in Oxford; married October 15, 1839, Elizabeth, 
 eldest daughter of William and Caroline (Northrup) My- 
 gatt, born November 7, 1817, in New Milford, died Febru- 
 ary 5, 1890, in Oxford. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 257 
 
 Mr. jVriller received his education at Oxford Academy 
 and there gave evidence of the intellectual and moral 
 traits of character which made his after life so successful. 
 After completing his academic course in 1834, at the age 
 of 19, he assisted in his father's store, the same now occu- 
 pied by William M. Miller on LaFayette Square. In 1835 
 he entered the dry goods house of P. Freeman & Co., Pearl 
 street. New York, to acquire a thorough acquaintance with 
 the business, returning to Oxford in 1838, and entering 
 into copartnership with his father. In 1841 he entered 
 into partnership in the leather business with William 
 Mygatt, putting into the store a large stock of general 
 merchandise, and, upon the retirement of the latter in 
 1851, continued the business alone for two years. In 
 April, 1853, Mr. Miller received Gerrit H. Perkins as a 
 partner, and later George C. Rector, now of Hastings, 
 Neb., also became a partner. In 1868, upon the retirement 
 of the latter, the name of William M. Miller Avas added, 
 making the firm name Miller, Perkins & Co. The mercantile 
 career of the senior member of the firm extended over a 
 period of more than half a century. During the latter 
 part of this time his extensive private interests, and the 
 management of large estates of others intrusted to his care 
 occupied his mind and time to the serious impairment 
 of his health. A condition of nervous dyspepsia and of 
 enfeebled memory followed, which forced him to abandon 
 all business cares, and from that time he spent the re- 
 mainder of his days in the enjoyment of his beautiful, 
 quiet home, gratefully receiving the ministrations of his 
 devoted wife, and the society of family and friends. 
 
 Few men engaged in business so engrossing and exten- 
 sive as was Mr. Miller's have given so largely of their 
 time and means for the public good. In the midst of his 
 most active mercantile life he ever manifested a deep in- 
 
238 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 teiTut in the prosperity of the village, and was a zealous 
 su])porter of the cause of education and religion. From 
 18(>2 to 1SG6 he was president of the village, and untir- 
 ingly exerted himself to promote its welfare. For many 
 years he held a trusteeship of the Oxford Academy, and 
 was one of its most earnest and faithful supporters, spar- 
 ing neither time nor money to elevate its standard of 
 usefulness and influence. He held the position of cashier 
 in the First National Bank of Oxford from 1865 for two 
 years, and was vice president of that institution for twelve 
 years, from 1867 to 1879, when he declined a re-election. 
 Amid all these cares he found time for reading, keeping 
 himself informed in all the current events of the day. 
 Fie entered the membership of the Congregational church 
 in the year 1849, and from that time until the end of 
 his life he was one of its ablest and heartiest supporters. 
 
 Mrs. Miller received her education at Oxford Academy, 
 and, on the 3d of March, 1839, she united with the Con- 
 gregational church, continuing until her death one of its 
 most devout and loyal members. Her life was one long 
 epistle of benevolence, hospitality. Christian charity, and 
 love. The beautiful chapel contiguous to the Congrega- 
 tional church, was built by her as a memorial of her hus- 
 band, and given to the society, a free-will offering. 
 
 Children : 
 
 William M. 
 
 John E. 
 
 Henry N., born May 17, 1815; died suddenly February 
 10, 1864. 
 
 Benjamin S., born June 1, 1851 ; married November 23, 
 1881, Josephine A., daughter of John B. Bowen of Bing- 
 ham! on. 
 
 William M. Miller, son of Henry L. and Elizabeth (My- 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 259 
 
 gatt) Miller, born September 28, 1840, iu Oxford; mar- 
 ried July 17, 1879, Emma E., daughter of B. M. Pearne 
 of Oxford. 
 
 For nearly forty-five years Mr. Miller has been in the 
 general merchandise trade in Oxford, reckoning the period 
 of his clerkship. His father and his grandfather carried 
 on the same business years before him ; the original store of 
 Epaphras Miller, who founded the business in 1800, stood 
 where the grandson now does business. In the spring of 
 1868 Mr. Miller became a partner with his father, Henry 
 L. Miller, and Gerrit H. Perkins, and the firm was known 
 as Miller, Perkins & Co. At one time the patrons of this 
 firm were scattered over an extent of country within the 
 radius of a day's drive. Frequently large bills of goods 
 were carted from this store over into Delaware county. 
 
 The death of the senior partner, in 1886, led to no im- 
 mediate change, the business being conducted under the 
 same firm name until the retirement of Mr. Perkins in 
 1890, since which time Mr. Miller has conducted the busi- 
 ness alone. Mr. Miller is a director in the First National 
 Bank of Oxford, the owner of the Citizens Opera House, 
 and a large property in village and farm real estate. Mr. 
 Miller has been one of the active members of the fire 
 department, first connected with the old Lady Washington 
 Company, and afterwards with the Sappho Hose Company. 
 
 Children : 
 
 Henry P., born September 27, 1880 ; graduated at Rut- 
 gers; died jNIay 17, 1904, in Minneapolis, Minn. 
 
 Elizabeth M. 
 Benjamin M. 
 
 John E. Miller, son of Henry L. and Elizabeth (Mygatt) 
 Miller, born August 26, 1842; graduated with the vale- 
 
26o ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 dictory at Oxford Academy, and with honors at Yale, 
 where he obtained the degree of A. B., and later A. M. 
 Upon leaving school he spent two years as clerk in his 
 father's store and three years in banking, being the first 
 teller of the First National Bank of Oxford, where he 
 was employed for about two years, and subsequently oc- 
 cupying the same position for more than a year in the 
 State National Bank of Minneapolis. While there he 
 declined a flattering proposal to accept the cashiership 
 and a place in the directory of a bank which was being 
 organized in Des Moines, Iowa. His desire was to pursue 
 an active out-door business, this being the special reason 
 why, after registering at Albany as student in law", he 
 decided not to follow the profession. In June, 1872, Mr. 
 Miller entered into copartnership with William C. Beards- 
 ley in quarrying and shipping blue stone at South Oxford, 
 which partnership continued only a year and a half, Mr. 
 Beardsley retiring from the firm. Mr. Miller conducted 
 the business alone up to the fall of 1880. In January, 1881, 
 New York parties took a half interest in the business, 
 and the firm conprised W. H. Hurst, James J. Treanor, 
 Frank P. Treanor, superintendent, and John E. Miller, 
 under the name of John E. Miller & Co. This firm made 
 large contracts and furnished quantities of stone in New 
 York City and vicinity. Following the expiration of this 
 contract Mr. Miller disposed of the stone interest, re- 
 serving a valuable quarry in Greene, also one in McDon- 
 ough. Since then he has been greatly interested in fine 
 horses and in the pursuits of an agricultural nature. He 
 has been a village father for a term of five years. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 261 
 
 The beginnings of all things are small 
 
 — CiCEBO. 
 
 George C. Rector. 
 
 George C. Rector came to Oxford about the year 1845 
 from Esperance, N. Y., where he was born March 26, 
 1831. After a few years engaged in clerking, he became 
 the junior member of the firm of Miller, Perkins & Rector, 
 which did a large mercantile business on Fort Hill during 
 the days when the Chenango canal was in its prosperity. 
 Later Mr. Rector engaged in the hardware business which 
 he conducted for a number of years previous to his re- 
 moval to the West. He is now a resident of Hastings, 
 Neb. He married (1) April 20, 1856, Sarah Roome, born 
 May 1, 1836, in New York City, died May 5, 1874, at Blue 
 Earth City, Minn.; married (2) July 20, 1875, Angelina 
 Roome, bom March 7, 1840, in New York City, died March 
 25, 1902, in Hasting, Neb. Children by first wife : 
 
 Henry C, born in Oxford; died June 14, 1899, in Mos- 
 cow, Russia, aged 44 years. In 1877 he went to Europe 
 in the employment of the International Bell Telephone 
 Co., and worked in Germany, Switzerland, France, and 
 Russia. 
 
 Hattie, born February 20, 1859; died March — , 1862. 
 
 Lizzie, born November 11, 1862, in Oxford. 
 
 George Herbert, born March 10, 1864, in Oxford. 
 
 Jennie, born April 10, 1866, in Oxford. 
 
 Orlando A., born November 10, 1872, in Minnesota. 
 
262 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 The flood may pour from morn till night 
 Nor wash the pretty Indian white. — Hafiz. 
 
 Indian Stories. 
 
 After their land was sold the dusky natives, mostly 
 Oneidas, still held possession of their hunting grounds 
 and sought game and fish in forest and stream. They lived 
 peacefully among the whites. The early history of the 
 Chenango Valley furnished a variety of Indian stories, 
 some of a romantic and others of a tragic character. One 
 is as follows: 
 
 One summer's evening General Hovey, with a party of 
 surveyors, among whom was Captain Derrick Race, had 
 finished their day's work of laying out village lots, and 
 were approaching their cabin, when an unknown Indian 
 warrior of powerful build appeared and inquired if a 
 strange Indian had passed that way. Colonel Race 
 replied : 
 
 " Yes, about an hour ago, and you will find him a mile 
 north, where he has camped for the night." 
 
 The warrior resumed his journey, quickly and silently 
 passing from sight in the direction designated. Reaching 
 the one whom he sought, and who, seeing escape was im- 
 possible, rose from a sitting posture, placed his hands 
 at his side and exclaimed : "Ugh ! me dead lugiin !" The 
 other without a word raised his tomahawk and buried 
 it three times in his skull, wiped it on his sleeve and re- 
 turned to the cabin of the surveyors. In the morning he 
 disappeared as silently as he came, having fulfilled his 
 mission to avenge the murder of his sister, which had 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 263 
 
 occurred in a southern State. He had been on the track 
 of his victim for several weeks to accomplish this purpose. 
 Upon another occasion five hundred Indians, dressed 
 and painted in holiday attire, passed down the river in 
 bark canoes. They were on their way to attend a grand 
 council of the several nations at Tioga Point, now Owego. 
 Their unexpected advent caused great alarm before the 
 object of their visit was made known. 
 
 A few Indians still lingered for many years about the 
 town, who were accustomed to camp along the streams, 
 hunt, fish, make baskets, and brooms. They were gener- 
 ally quiet and peaceable, but the whites would sometimes 
 abuse them. Occasionally an Indian would tell over his 
 cups of the traditional glory of his ancestors, when the 
 old fort was theirs. They were principally Oneidas, 
 among them was Antone, better known as " Old Abe," 
 who, notwithstanding his subsequent perfidy, often sided 
 with the whites in cases of disagreement. 
 
 Daniel P. Fitch, of whom mention is made elsewhere, 
 related the following to the writer in regard to Antone. 
 
 In the years 1809-10 I lived with my uncle, Daniel 
 Perry, or Price as the Dutch would have it, in South Ox- 
 ford, on the east side of the river. He had a good farm, 
 well improved for that day, good buildings, with an 
 orchard of apple trees in full bearing, far in advance of 
 the early settlers in that section. Abe Antone was in 
 the habit of going there from JMadison county, to spend 
 the hunting season, which began about the first of October 
 and held until New Year's Day. I well remember when 
 they came in 1809. The squaws and children were in a 
 two-horse wagon, while the chief and his braves walked, 
 carrying tlieir muskets and wearing belts in which were 
 their hatchets and hunting knives. My uncle and aunt 
 welcomed them cordially; the squaws and children were 
 
264 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 given the spacious kitchen to use until their cabins were 
 repaired, which stood on the banks of a creek that ran 
 through the farm in a dense growth of small hemlocks and 
 pines. The third day after their arrival the hunt began, 
 which was conducted by the chief himself. Early in the 
 morning Antone, with their best marksmen, took their 
 stand on what was called runways, while the others cir- 
 cled around in the woods, driving the game to the marks- 
 men, who shot it. At the close of the day's hunt the chief 
 would call at the farm house and tell what luck they had. 
 At one time he said : " Me shoot four deer to-day " ; at an- 
 other time, " Me shoot seven buck to-day." My uncle told 
 liim that was a good day's work. He then got apples and 
 cider, of which Antone was very fond, and in return re- 
 ceived venison and other presents. Game was very plenty, 
 deer, bear, wolves, all the various fur animals, such as 
 foxes, otter, mink, and muskrat. 
 
 At this time Antone's family consisted of ten children, 
 eight sons and two daughters. The sons were able to 
 join in the chase with their father. The girls being the 
 youngest, about seven or eight years of age, were my play- 
 mates during tlie two hunting seasons they passed in 
 South Oxford. When they were dressed in their neat 
 Indian blankets, with wampum belts around their waists, 
 bead work on their wrists, and their coal black hair 
 combed neatly over their necks and shoulders, they were 
 really pretty. And their bright, shining eyes, musical 
 laugh and winning ways added much to their charms in 
 my youthful eyes. Game becoming scarce and the country 
 settling up so rapidly, Antone went to Delaware county, 
 then a wilderness, to pursue his hunting. This was the 
 last I ever saw of him or his family, but I became aware 
 of some of the tragic events that happened to them in 
 later vears. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 26^ 
 
 In time the young Indian girls grew to womanhood, were 
 admired by the young braves of their tribe, and also by 
 the young men among the pale faces. Mary, one of the 
 girls, received the addresses of an Oneida brave, to whom 
 she was tenderly attached and expected to marry, but 
 was doomed to disappointment, for he proved false. He 
 married another dusky maiden of the forest, and Mary 
 mourned over her disappointment until she could bear it 
 no longer. She grew moody and revengeful, and one 
 night arming herself with her father's hunting knife went 
 to their wigwam and, finding them asleep, plunged the 
 knife into the breast of her rival. She fled, but was soon 
 arrested for the crime and placed in jail by the authorities 
 of Madison county. To this Antone objected, telling the 
 white men that it was none of their business, and that 
 they could settle it their own way, but the authorities paid 
 no attention to the old chief's wishes. Mary was brought 
 to trial, proved guilty and sentenced to be hung. Antone 
 made strong efforts to save his daughter and told the 
 court that he did not want his child hung like a dog, but 
 if they would shoot her so that she could die an honor- 
 able death he would be satisfied, otherwise he would have 
 revenge. She was executed at Peterboro, and I was shown 
 the field years after where the scaffold was erected upon 
 which my youthful playmate met her death. 
 
 Antone's grief and sorrow over the death of his child 
 was intense and he laid plans to carry out his threat of 
 revenge. He left his family and disappeared, but suddenly 
 appeared in a field one day where men were hoeing corn. 
 John Jacobs, an Indian, was one of the party and had been 
 the principal witness against Mary and active in her arrest. 
 Antone approached, shook hands with each one until he 
 came to Jacobs, and while apparently grasping his hand 
 in friendship, drew a long knife from his sleeve, at the same 
 
266 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 time saying, " How d'ye do, brother? " quickly drove it 
 three times into the body of his victim, who fell at the first 
 blow. Antone gave a terrific whoop and disappeared be- 
 fore the terrified witnesses recovered their presence of 
 mind. It has been said, though I cannot vouch for it, that 
 he also killed the judge and the sheriff who had sentenced 
 and executed his daughter. Great excitement followed, a 
 reward was offered for his body dead or alive, and a thor- 
 ough search made, but no clue could be found. Finally the 
 reward was increased, and General Ransom Rathbone of 
 Oxford called out the militia and a thorough search was 
 made in the forests of New York and Pennsylvania, but 
 without success, for Antone was securely sheltered in 
 South Oxford by Andrew Achorn until the excitement died 
 away. 
 
 Finally two brothers, in whom Antone placed great con- 
 fidence, followed him to Delaware county, whither he had 
 gone, and after giving him presents and spending some 
 days, finally proposed shooting at a mark, with the object 
 to take their victim while his musket was unloaded. An- 
 tone consented and fired, the men rushed upon him, but 
 were beaten off, and the old chief would have then escaped 
 if they had not shot him in the leg. He was taken to Mor- 
 risville, placed in jail, where he gave up all hope, and 
 refusing to eat pined away. Judge Williams of Utica pre- 
 sided at the trial. The prisoner pleaded not guilty and 
 objected to a trial, except by his own people; stating that 
 he had paid |270 to the different tribes for a ransom and 
 thought it hard that he should die when he had made his 
 peace with the Indians. He also produced a document 
 written by George Washington, appointing him one of his 
 aids and fast runners to carry messages and orders from 
 one post to another. He plead his services to the country 
 in gaining its independence, his friendship for the whites, 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 267 
 
 but all to no purpose. The court appointed Judge Piatt 
 and General Kirkland his counsel, who rested their defense 
 on this, that the State of New York had no jurisdiction 
 over the Indian tribes within her territory. The court, 
 however, overruled the objection and Antone was sentenced 
 to be hanged on Friday, the 12th of September, 1828. He 
 said he was willing to die, but objected to the mode of 
 execution, preferring to be shot. A great crowd gathered 
 at Morrisville to witness the old chief meet his death, a 
 walking skeleton and nearly one hundred years old. 
 
 Antone was accused of other murders, but in a confes- 
 sion he made which was printed in a pamphlet, a copy of 
 which I have read, he denied, but acknowledged killing two 
 persons, an Indian and a white man. 
 
 In later years Abraham Tushnook was another noted 
 Indian character in this vicinity. He was also called " Old 
 Abe," and handled the bow and arrow in a skillful manner. 
 At " general training " he earned quite a little money by 
 shooting pennies from a notched stick to the amusement 
 of a crowd. Abe belonged to the Stockbridge tribe, and 
 served under Captain Jacobs in the war of 1812. His 
 attachment for the favorite hunting grounds in the Che- 
 nango valley was strong. He died at the County House 
 in Preston October 18, 1870, aged 82. 
 
 From Chenango Republican, published at Oxford, Sept. 8, 1826: 
 
 2^^300 REWARD.-^ 
 
 WHEREAS, Several specimens of anthracite coa) have been discovered, 
 at various points in the town of Oxford, imbedded in those charac- 
 terittic strata of mineral substances, which invariably attend, & attest the 
 presence of coal; the citizens, of Oxford, as an additional stimulus to the ex- 
 ertions of such persons as have evinced a disposition to enter upon the 
 search, offer a reward of Three Hundred Dollars, to be paid to the discov- 
 erer or discoverers of an inexhaustible Coal-Bkd, in this section of country. 
 
368 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Ay me! What perils do environ 
 
 The man that meddles with cold iron ! 
 
 What plaguy mischiefs and mishaps 
 
 Do dog him still with after-claps! — Butler, 
 
 Cork Island Duel. 
 
 The only affair of honor that ever occurred in Chenango 
 county took place on the island a half mile above the river 
 bridge in Oxford. It was in the early days of the town that 
 two worthies, Messrs. Sherwood and Starkwether, had a 
 difference, then a quarrel, over some trifling affair, and 
 their friends seeing a chance for considerable sport kept 
 them in a heated condition until it was resolved to ex- 
 change shots in vindication of their honor, and the little 
 island was selected for that purpose. Their seconds were 
 chosen, who secretly gave the affair publicity that the 
 friends might be present and enjoy the fun. 
 
 On the day appointed the belligerents made their appear- 
 ance on the spot selected. The seconds had agreed that 
 neither should suffer harm, and loaded the pistols with 
 cork instead of lead, and each inspired his principal with 
 courage by informing him that his antagonist's pistol was 
 loaded with cork, but assuring him that his own contained 
 a ball. Sherwood, who had arrived first on the field, said, 
 as Starkwether approached : 
 
 " Starkwether, you know I'm a good shot and sure to 
 kill. If you'll acknowledge you are in the wrong, then 
 this affair is ended, and we'll go home." 
 
 " Not by a danged sight, Sherwood," was the bold reply. 
 " I'm here on my honor, and when I return you'll be the 
 one they'll take home to bury I " 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 269 
 
 " I will, eh ! " quickly answered Sherwood with flashing 
 eye. " I know there's going to be a funeral, but it won't be 
 mine, not to-day, nor next week, nor for a month to come. 
 You know I'm in the right, confound it, and I thought I'd 
 give you a chance to live a few years longer. You'd rather 
 die a natural death, hadn't you? " 
 
 " Well, I'm going to, you old skunk," said Starkwether, 
 as he stooped to pick a spear of grass. " You can't scare 
 me into showing the white feather. Get up there in line 
 while I let daylight through you." 
 
 " I'm an old skunk, am I? gol dern ye! Get your old 
 pepperbox ready; I ain't afraid! I'll show you a trick 
 that's played on folks that never before have been beyond 
 their father's farm." 
 
 " You talk as though you had got a brace of printer's 
 devils about your ears. Stop your jibberjabber, the sexton 
 is waiting for his job." 
 
 The seconds now concluded that the principals were 
 thoroughly worked up, placed them in position, back to 
 back, with directions to mark off ten paces as one was 
 counted, to turn at two and fire at three. The neighboring 
 trees concealed many interested spectators, whose sides 
 fairly ached with laughter they were compelled to subdue 
 for fear of discovery, 
 
 " Now, gentlemen," said one of the seconds, " are you 
 ready? If so, we'll proceed." 
 
 The principals bravely and in loud voice acknowledged 
 their readiness to shed each other's blood. 
 
 " Then, gentlemen, you thoroughly understand the rules^ 
 and I'll now give the signal. Ready! One! Two! 
 Three ! " 
 
 As the last word was echoing from the neighboring hills 
 the report of the pistols rang out simultaneously. And 
 
370 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 as arranged neither contestant was injured, but was hur- 
 riedly approached by his second, who told each that they 
 had winged their man, though not mortally wounding him, 
 and that a speedy retirement from the scene and a few 
 days in seclusion would be about the thing to do until the 
 affair blew over. 
 
 It was several days before Messrs. Sherwood and Stark- 
 wether became fully acquainted with the facts of the affair, 
 and by that time their wrath had cooled, and they again 
 became fast friends. The island has since been known as 
 Cork Island. 
 
 F\ ANIEL SILL, son of Rev. Elijah Sill, was born in 
 -*— ' New Fairfield, Conn., in 1771 ; married Abigail Mc- 
 Knight, January 25, 1798, and with her came to Oxford. 
 She died in 1806, leaving four children, all of whom were 
 born in Oxford. They were : 
 
 AsENATH, who married Samuel Lewis, and died in 
 March, 1850. 
 
 Addison, married Jemima Cleveland, and moved to 
 Kingsville, Ohio. 
 
 Diana, died in infancy. 
 
 Susan, married Ami Cleveland, and died May 15, 1859. 
 
 Mr. Sill's second wife was Albasinda Barnes, whom he 
 married February 2, 1808. Two children were born to 
 them, who died in infancy. Mr. Sill was a farmer, and 
 after residing here a few years moved away and died Feb- 
 ruary 17, 182G, at Ossian, N. Y. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 271 
 
 Years following years steal something every day ; 
 At last they steal us from ourselves away. 
 
 — POPK. 
 
 Stephen Weeks. 
 
 Stephen Weeks and wife came from Long Island at an 
 early day and settled in Bainbridge. Not liking the situa- 
 tion there they went five miles farther and located on 
 "Cider" creek, near Yaleville (Guilford), where he 
 cleared the land sufficiently to put up a log house to shelter 
 himself and wife. They never saw another white woman's 
 face for six months. Mr. Weeks died in 1813, leaving his 
 wife with eight children, the youngest of whom, Stephen, 
 2d, born March 26, 1813, was but six months old. By the 
 time he was old enough to do anything his brothers had 
 made way with all they could dispose of, and he started 
 out to shift for himself. He finally located in the town of 
 Smithville and hired out to Joseph Corbin, remaining five 
 years, and working for five dollars per month. Eventually 
 he bought back the land piece by piece that his brothers 
 had sold, and when that was accomplished he married, 
 September 13, 1837, Julia A. Williams, daughter of Eber 
 and Martha (Bennett) Williams, pioneers of Oxford. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Weeks remained in Guilford nearly ten years, 
 and then sold the farm and moved to Wisconsin. The 
 climate not agreeing with them, they returned East and to 
 the home of Mrs. Weeks' parents in Oxford, Mr. Weeks 
 buying their farm on the Tyner road. Here they passed 
 the remainder of their lives. Mr. Weeks died October 5, 
 
272 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 1874. Mrs. Weeks was born October 25, 1817, in Oxford, 
 and died on the same farm July 4, 1876. Children : 
 
 Amelia F., born in Guilford; married Burton Westover 
 of Oxford. E€sides at San Diego, Cal. 
 
 George^ born in Guilford; died December 26, 1846, in 
 Wisconsin. 
 
 Albert, born in Wisconsin, died unmarried June 10, 
 1864, in Oxford. 
 
 P PERCIVAL WILLCOX,born September 20, 1808, in 
 -*— ' • Durham, Greene county, N. Y. ; died January 27, 
 1869, in Montrose, Pa. Married March 31, 1834, Sarah 
 Jane Specs, born August 10 ,1808; died July 24, 1891, in 
 Montrose, Pa. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Willcox came to Oxford soon after their 
 marriage, and resided in one-half of the Ira Willcox home- 
 stead, now the Memorial Library building, for twenty-fiv(^ 
 years. Mr. Willcox, during this time, was engaged in busi- 
 ness at the Oxford foundry and also in a hardware store^ 
 which at first was located in Fort Hill block, and later 
 moved to the present location of Burchard Bros.' store. 
 Frances Elizabeth, their only child, married Henry C. 
 Tyler and resides at Montrose, Pa. Mr. Tyler died June 
 10, 1891. 
 
 ON the evening of December 25, 1862, Niagara Fire^ 
 Company gave their third annual festival, the pro- 
 ceeds of which were donated for the comfort of sick and 
 wounded soldiers of the Civil war. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 273 
 
 The mould of a man's fortune is in his own hands. 
 
 — Bacon. 
 
 John Y. Washburn. 
 
 John Y. Washburn, son of Luke and Margaret (Noys) 
 Washburn, born May 31, 1810, in Poughkeepsie, N. Y. ; 
 died September 5, 1890, in Norwich. Married (1) October 
 28, 1834, Antoinette Bristol, who died August 24, 1838; 
 married (2) in September, 1839, Priscilla Gifford, who 
 died February 7, 1844; married (3) September 8, 1844, 
 Sarah A. Spencer, born November 14, 1820, in Coventry; 
 died March 29, 1893, in Towanda, Pa., at the home of her 
 daughter, Mrs. Babcock, who was then living there. 
 
 Mr. Washburn came from Massachusetts stock, and some 
 of his ancestors took an active part in the Revolutionary 
 war. Members of that family thereafter became prominent 
 in the affairs of Massachusetts, one of them serving as 
 Governor of the State at one time. 
 
 Mr. Washburn learned the cabinet making trade and 
 came to Oxford in 1830, where for some years he conducted 
 the cabinet business. At the formation of the Oxford Hoe 
 and Edge Tool .Company he became identified with that 
 company as manager of its lumber interest, which at that 
 time was quite extensive. He remained with that company 
 during his active business life at Oxford, having about 1869 
 acquired the entire ownership of the property of the com- 
 pany. The factory was destroyed by fire in 1871 and was 
 not rebuilt. He served the town of Oxford in various of- 
 ficial capacities, and when he came to Oxford he identified 
 himself with the Methodist church of this village, and 
 served as one of the official board of that church for sixty 
 
274 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 consociitive years. In his earlier life he was au active 
 member of the fraternal organizations having lodges at 
 Oxford, and was identified with the Oxford National Bank 
 as a stockholder almost from its inception to the time of his 
 death. He was a man of sterling qnalities and character, 
 industrious, sober, and faithful in the discharge of every 
 duty and undertaking which he assumed. He died at the 
 home of his son, Wesley, in Norwich, and is buried in his 
 family plot in Riverview cemetery. All his children that 
 obtained school age were educated at Oxford Academy. 
 
 Child by first wife : 
 
 John B., born November 24, 1837. Assistant surgeon in 
 the United States Navy during the Civil war. Died Sep- 
 tember 23, 18G3, of 3^ellow fever at Pensacola, Florida. Un- 
 married. Children by second wife : 
 
 Joseph G., born July 2C, 1841. Served in the Civil war, 
 at first a sergeant, Co. A, 114th Regt. N. Y. Vols. Pro- 
 moted first sergeant May 17, 1863. ATounded in arm, thigh, 
 and shoulder at Opequan. Mortally Avounded at Cedar 
 Creek, and died October 19, 1864, twelve hours after receiv- 
 ing wound, A brave and accomplished soldier. ITnmar- 
 ried. 
 
 Wesley, born August 4, 1843; died September 7, 1895, 
 in Norwich. Served during the Civil war in Co. E, 89th 
 Eegt. N. Y. Vols. Married Melantha Baker of Norwich, 
 who died February 11, 1905, in Norwich. 
 
 Children by third wife : 
 
 Antionette, born June 22, 1845; died November 10, 
 1876; married Andrew S. Seeley. Her husband and one 
 child, Sarah, still survive. 
 
 Sarah J., born June 20, 1847; died July 6, 1853. 
 
 JMarCxARET F., born April 2, 1849 ; died August 22, 1849. 
 
 Mary Elizabeth, born November 14, 1850; married 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 275 
 
 Henry E. Babcock of Norwich. Both are now living in 
 New York city with one son, Charles E. Babcock, a civil 
 engineer. 
 
 Charles, born March 6, 1853 ; died November 5, 1864. 
 
 William B., born April 29, 1855; died February 29, 
 1856. 
 
 Frank, born June 13, 1857; died July 16, 1877. Un- 
 married. 
 
 Cyrus V., born September 27, 1860; married Lizzie 
 E. Bulkley of Oswego, N. Y. Resides and practices law in 
 New York city. One daughter, Irene. 
 
 William A., born December 5, 1862; died January 19, 
 3892, at Mansville, N. Y., where he successfully practiced 
 medicine and became a skillful physician. Married Mary 
 B. Carl of Candor, N. Y. Child: John Carl, drowned 
 while skating at Mannsville, January 27, 1906, aged 18. 
 
 The most important part of every business is 
 to linow what ought to be done. 
 
 — Columella. 
 
 Alamanzar Watson. 
 
 Alamanzar Watson, born in Palmer, Mass., July 22, 
 1809 , was one of six children, three sons and three daugh- 
 ters. By the death of the father, the mother was left alone 
 to care for the children at an early age, and they did what 
 they could toward supporting the family, from which grew 
 habits of industry and frugality. At the age of eleven, as 
 was then the custom, Mr. Watson served an apprenticeship 
 and learned the saddler's trade, after which he started west 
 to seek a fortune. Empty handed, with only a brave heart 
 and his mother's blessing, he worked his way through 
 
276 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Albany, Schoharie, and Otsego counties to Bainbridge, 
 where, learning that William Mygatt was in need of help in 
 his tannery and leather store, he came to Oxford. Thus 
 in 1830, at the age of 21, he was working on a salary of 
 eight dollars per month, and by his industry and faithful- 
 ness soon won the confidence of his employer, who en- 
 trusted to him the most important part of the business for 
 a period of more than ten years. Mr. Watson then com- 
 menced business for himself in the Fort Hill block, which 
 he continued until 1856, when he engaged in the loaning 
 of money in Illinois, which he made the field of his financial 
 interests for several years. He was trustee of Oxford 
 Academy and was one of its heartiest supported. Tlie 
 unfortunate and friendless were often remembered and 
 assisted by his aid. The Congregational church received 
 his warmest support, with which society he united by let 
 ter in 1835. On September 9, 1845, Mr. Watson was mar- 
 ried to Miss Jennette M. Hall of Sullivan, Madison county, 
 then preceptress of Oxford Academy. They immediately 
 commenced housekeeping on Washington avenue, where 
 they resided until their decease. Their own hands planted 
 the trees, graded and beautified the grounds from year to 
 year. Mr. Watson died May 8, 1886, in his 77th year. Mrs. 
 Watson's death occurred June 20, 1889, at the age of 70 
 years. 
 
 In 1848 a son was born to them and christened Charles 
 Alonzo. He was educated at Oxford Academy and Am- 
 herst College, at which institution he graduated in 1870. 
 The remaining years of his life were spent in mercantile 
 business in Lockport, N. Y., with the exception of a few 
 months in 1873, when he was abroad with his invalid 
 mother. On March 19, 1879, he was drowned by the acci- 
 dental upsetting of a boat in the Gulf of Mexico, where 
 he had been spending a few weeks for recreation. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 277 
 
 With wisdom fraught, 
 Not such as books, but such as practice taught. 
 
 — Walleb. 
 
 George D. Avery 
 
 George D. Avery was born at Groton, Conn., August 19, 
 1763, a colonial subject of George IV., and a witness of 
 some of the exciting scenes of the American Revolution, 
 among which was the burning of New London by the 
 British. He was a pupil of Nathan Daboll of arithmetic 
 fame. On the 8th of August, 1796, Mr. Avery took up his 
 residence at Belleville, Va., after a toilsome journey of 800 
 miles, having in his train thirteen teams. He there under- 
 took the arduous task of pioneer settlement, sawing his 
 own timber and erecting houses, against the disadvantages, 
 not unknown there, of building in a new country. He was 
 familiar with many of the stirring events of the early set- 
 tlement of that locality, prominent among which were the 
 romantic incidents in the life of Harman Blennerhasset; 
 his island paradise in the Ohio, and the strange adventures 
 of Aaron Burr connected therewith, of all of which he was 
 personally cognizant. Adverse fortunes at Belleville in- 
 duced Mr. Avery to remove to Georgetown, Va., about the 
 year 1812, where he engaged in surveying for nearly 
 twenty years. He surveyed and laid out Georgetown. He 
 was an observer of the important political events, being 
 frequently in the society of public men of that period. In 
 the year 1830, through the kindness of Benjamin But- 
 ler, who married his sister, he was induced to come to 
 this place, where he resided until his death, April 26, 1860. 
 Mr. Avery was twice married, but had long survived his 
 children, one of whom was a midshipman in the U. S. 
 
378 • ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Navy, with Commodores Rogers and Decatur, and died in 
 1815. Mr. Avery voted at every election for president since 
 the formation of the government, which act was performed 
 by him witli a religious sense of duty. When his life jour- 
 ney began, Napoleon and Wellington were yet to be; dur- 
 ing his career the leaders of the English parliament and 
 of the American Revolution, that race of Titans, have lived 
 and died ; the wars of Napoleon and the war of Independ- 
 ence have become historical, and a new republic, with a 
 network of railroads and a web work of electric wires, 
 have been extended from the Atlantic to the Pacific. 
 The latter years of Mr. Avery's life were passed quietly. 
 On Tuesday, November 9, 1859, at the age of 97, he de- 
 posited his last vote, and Avhile he extended his feeble hand 
 to present the ballot, there was manifest a solemn feeling, 
 as if a cotemporary of Washington had arisen from the 
 tomb, appearing again in person upon the earth. 
 
 He was not merely a child of the old block, but the old block itself. 
 
 BUBKK. 
 
 Gen. Peter Skenendoah Smith. 
 
 General Peter Skenandoah Smith, better known as Sken 
 Smith, came from Utica at an early day and remained in 
 Oxford till the spring of 1829. He was the eldest son of 
 Peter Smith, founder of Smithfleld, Madison county, who 
 in 1794 succeeded in leasing from the Oneida Indians for 
 a term of 999 years a tract of land comprising over 50,000 
 acres, and which embraced nearly all of Smithfleld and 
 Fenner, that part of Cazenovia lying north of the Gore, a 
 part of Stockbridge, and a large portion of Augusta, in 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 279 
 
 Oueida county. This tract he secured by treaty with the 
 christianized part of the tribe through negotiations with 
 their chief, Skenaudoah, a warm friend of his and after 
 whom he named his son. 
 
 Peter Sken Smith was the only brother of Hon. Gerrit 
 Smith, the pliilanthropist. He was an attractive looking 
 man, nearly six feet in height, strong, active, and com- 
 manding in appearance. He was educated at Hamilton 
 College and became a merchant before he had reached his 
 21st birthday. He established a large store in Iltica, and 
 often would buy at one bid a store with its various con- 
 tents. He soon became involved and failed for upwards 
 of |100,000, and took the benefit of the bankruptcy act. He 
 then entered a law office in Utica as student, and after- 
 wards settled in Sherburne for a few weeks, and then came 
 to Oxford and studied a short time in James Clapp's office. 
 He then went to Pharsalia and entered the law office of 
 John Clapp, where he studied until he was admitted to 
 practice. He married at Catskill, May 15, 1826, Anne V. 
 B. Prentiss, daughter of the Rev. Joseph Prentiss. He 
 then bought the John Ratlibone house, better known as the 
 McKoon house in later years, and laid out about flOOO in 
 repairs on the property. In 1829 he removed to Oswego, 
 and afterwards resided in Pennsylvania and Florida, 
 where he was an officer in the IT. S. Army, bearing the 
 title of Major-General. For several years he was a prom- 
 inent politician in Philadelphia, but his eventful life was 
 ended May 6, 1858, in an insane asylum at Springfield, 
 Mass. 
 
 A rare jest or witty repartee fell musically from his lips. 
 Many balls and banquets owed their chief attraction to 
 his exquisite tact and courtly manners. 
 
28o ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home. 
 
 — Goethe. 
 
 Stephen Turner. 
 
 Stephen Turner was born Januarj^ 14, 1772, in New 
 London, Conn., and married Patty Prentiss of the same 
 place. Shortly after his marriage he located in Butter- 
 nuts, Otsego county, and in 1813 came to Oxford and set- 
 tled in the eastern part of the town. He was industrious 
 and energetic, spending little time in idleness. It is re- 
 lated of him that when he stopped in the field to rest he 
 sat upon a sharp stone that he might not sit too long. With 
 strong hands and a brave heart he cleared the forest and 
 planted the apple, plum, and cherry where the birch, maple, 
 and lofty pine once flourished. He lived in a log cabin 
 until able to build a frame house, which until the present 
 day has been occupied by his descendants. When unable 
 to reach the distant mill, the family subsisted on samp 
 made from corn pounded in a rude mortar. Mr. Turner 
 gave his children what in those days was considered a good 
 education. The daughters were not only well versed in the 
 homely duties of the household, but were proficient in the 
 art of fine embroidery and lace making, besides teaching 
 the three Rs in the district school. Children : 
 
 Margaret, married Lucius Parker and settled in Steu- 
 ben county. 
 
 Nancy, married Simeon Parker, brother of Lucius, and 
 settled in the same county. 
 
 ^LiRTiiA, married Abel Polly and moved to Kansas. 
 
 StepjIEN Prentisb, married Lucinda Harris. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 281 
 
 Stephen Prentiss Turner, born September 23, 1806, in 
 Butternuts, Otsego county; died December 24, 1900, in 
 Oxford. Married February 25, 1834, Lucinda Harris of 
 Guilford, N. Y., born September 27, 1814; died December 
 4, 1867, in Oxford. 
 
 Prentiss Turner came to Oxford in 1813 with his parents 
 when but seven years of age. He was not favorably im- 
 pressed with his new home and the surroundings, and long- 
 ing for his former playmates he started early one morning 
 to return to his former home. When search for him proved 
 unavailing, his father recalled how homesick the lad had 
 been, decided to go to Butternuts, where, to his delight, 
 Prentiss was found among relatives. He had traveled the 
 whole distance, over twenty miles, in one day by means of 
 marked trees. It is not stated what course the father took 
 to impress upon the mind of his son that it would be better 
 for him to remain at home. It was, however, effectual, for 
 during a life of fourscore years he seldom left his home, 
 either for business or pleasure, till the infirmities of age 
 made it necessary for him to seek a home with his children. 
 Children : 
 
 Samuel, died in infancy. 
 Francis M., married T. M. Williams. 
 Joseph P., married Mary C. Stone; died January 28, 
 1884. 
 
 Simeon A., married Lucina M. Post. 
 Richard M., married Christianna Walker. 
 Nelson J., married Helen R. Ives. 
 Lucinda A., died November 12, 1848. 
 Martha M., married Hubert Post. 
 
2S2 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Learned he was In med'e'nal lore, 
 For by his side a paueh he wore, 
 Replete with strange hermetic powder. 
 
 —Butler. 
 
 Dr. Perez Packer. 
 
 Among the eight children born to William and Persis 
 Packer, who left Guilford, Vt., in 1804, and took up about 
 300 acres in Preston, was Perez, born January 31, 1790, 
 He became a physician and commenced practicing at 
 Latham's Corners, in the town of Guilford, about the open- 
 ing of the war of 1812, but soon after removed to Oxford 
 and resided in the house now occupied by Charles W. 
 Brown. He became noted in his profession, and his circuit 
 of practice was very wide. As a surgeon he had no super- 
 ior in those early days. During the year 1823 he went to 
 France for the benefit of his health, and while there at- 
 tended chemical and anatomical lectures in Paris. Among 
 those who were students in his office were the late Dr. Ben- 
 jamin H. Throop of Scranton, Dr. Austin Rouse and Dr. 
 William G. Sands of Oxford. Dr. Packer died of consump- 
 tion in Oxford July 10, 1832, aged 42, honored and re- 
 spected. His wife, who was formerly Miss Nancy Davis of 
 Oxford, died February 16, 1843, aged 47. Their children 
 were: 
 
 William W., married Mary D., daughter of Colonel Otis 
 J. Tracy, and carried on the drug business while practic- 
 ing dentistry four or five years till his death, which occur- 
 red March 21, 1851, at the age of 32. 
 
 Nancy Maria, married Roswell Hewett of Preston, and 
 died at Havana, N. Y., September 1, 1849, aged 29. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD iS} 
 
 Caroline, aged 19, in attempting to alight from a car- 
 riage to which a restive horse was attached, was so vio- 
 lently thrown against a wall in this village as to induce 
 concussion of the brain, which resulted in her death May 
 16, 1845. 
 
 Theodore S., died March 28, 1855, aged 26. 
 
 A peace above all earthly dignities, 
 A still and quiet conscience. 
 
 — Shakespeare. 
 
 Joel Smith. 
 
 Joel Smith was born in Southington, Ct., December 9^ 
 1781. His father was a Connecticut patriot, who served 
 in the Continental army, and who brouglit up his children 
 in the old-fashioned New England way, " in the fear and 
 admonition of the Lord." In 1812 Joel Smith left his home 
 in Southington and came to Oxford, making the journey 
 of about 200 miles with a pair of oxen attaclied to a gen- 
 uine Connecticut cart. The spot where he located is known 
 as " The Desserts," about six miles southeast of the village. 
 He cleared away the dense forest for a home, and in a few 
 weeks his wife and two children came with Ilomeo Warren, 
 for many years a prominent resident of Coventry, who 
 drove from Connecticut with a fine pair of black liorses. 
 Mr. Smith built a stockade for his sheep and on many a 
 night was aroused from his slumbers by the howling of 
 wolves, wliich he drove away with firebrands or by lustily 
 blowing a tinhorn. Long afterward Mr. Smith described 
 his journey to the " Chenango country " by forbidding- 
 roadways througli unbroken forests, through sparsely set- 
 
2S4 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 tied valleys and the cabins of the settlers with their genial 
 hospitality, till the embryo village of Oxford was reached. 
 The surrounding country was a primeval wilderness, with 
 here and there a settler who, with ax and brush hook, was 
 making a clearing. His children during their youth suf- 
 fered all the vicissitudes of frontier life, and attended such 
 transcient schools as were open in the neighborhood. Mr. 
 Smith after residing in Oxford many years moved to Cov- 
 entry, from there to Guilford, thence to Newark Valley, 
 N. Y., where he lived for over twenty years, and died Octo- 
 ber 27, 1878, in his 97th year. He married (1) November 
 22, 1809, Almira Bradley of Northampton, Mass. ; married 
 (2) May 13, 1812, Sophia Andrews of Southington, Ct., 
 born March 20, 1787; died October 9, 1877, in Newark 
 Valley. Child by fii-st wife : 
 
 Mary Almira, born September 26, 1810, in Southington, 
 Ct,; married (1) William Copley; married (2) Peter 
 Moore ; married (3) Lambert Bradley. Resides in Newark 
 Valley. Children by second wife : 
 
 Lois Sophia, born December 16, 1812, in Southington, 
 Ct. ; married Almander Sprague. Resides in Binghamton. 
 
 Emma Ann, born November 16, 1814, in Oxford; died 
 September 30, 1904, in Owego; married Samuel Blair. 
 
 Eliza Maria, born September 14, 1816, in Oxford ; mar- 
 ried Andrew McNeil. 
 
 LucENA Elizabeth, born June 23, 1818, in Oxford ; died 
 June, 1851, in South Oxford; married John Guernsey of 
 South Oxford. 
 
 Sarah Ann, born March 24, 1821, in Oxford. Resides in 
 Oxford. Unmarried. 
 
 JuLiAETT, born January 6, 1823, in Oxford; died Sep- 
 tember 19, 1844, in Owego. Unmarried. 
 
 Phebe Louisa, born October 17, 1825, in Oxford; died 
 October 1, 1905, in Sidney; married Watson Clark. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 285 
 
 Polly Lovina, twin to above, married Mortimer Cham- 
 berlain, Resides in Honeoye Falls, N. Y. 
 
 James William Henry, born February 3, 1829, in Ox- 
 ford; married (1) Angeline Stead; married (2) Kate 
 Bradley; married (3) . 
 
 Susan Augusta, born February 29, 1832, in Oxford; 
 married Stephen W. Ames. Resides in Newark Valley. 
 
 Habit with him was all the test of truth. 
 
 — Cbabbk. 
 
 Joseph Mason. 
 
 Joseph Mason (Meissonier) was born March 10, 1809, 
 in the southern part of France, and lived with his parents 
 on a farm, whicli was afterwards sold off into building lots 
 and became a part of the city of D'Hyeres. When Dr. 
 Perez Packer of Oxford spent the winter of 1823-24 in 
 France he boarded with a family named Meissonier. They 
 had a large family, some ten or twelve children, and the 
 doctor became very fond of one little boy, Joseph, the sub- 
 ject of this sketch. The family was poor, the mother dead, 
 and there was but little prospect of providing for so many. 
 The eldest daughter, Eugenia, filled her mother's place to 
 the best of her ability and cared for the younger children. 
 When Dr. Packer proposed to them to give Joseph to him 
 to take home to America, there was naturally great hesita- 
 tion and reluctance, as they would never see him again, 
 which they never did. The father gave his consent, and 
 Joseph was brought to Oxford, and while not legally 
 adopted was brought up as one of the family. The school 
 children could not pronounce his name and used to call 
 
286 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 him " French Joseph " and " Mason," and eventually he 
 went b^' tlie latter name. 
 
 Mr. Mason did light chores for the doctor. One day just 
 at twiliglit he was in the woodhouse with an armful of 
 kindlings and looking through the doorway saw a figure 
 clothed in white on the lawn. He dropped the wood, ran 
 into the house and, not having jet mastered English, said 
 in French, " My father is dead ! " He was greatly overcome 
 and the family talked and tried to comfort him, making 
 inquiries as to why he felt that his father was dead. He 
 replied that he had seen an angel. At the time the family 
 tliought but little of it, but several months after the news 
 came that hi-s father died just at that hour. Papers were 
 sent on for Dr. Packer to sign, and from that time Mr. 
 iNlason never heard from his people again. In 1875 Ameida 
 Podinier, a cousin, spent several months in Oxford with 
 the family of Mr. Mason. He was an artist and a musician, 
 and spoke seven languages. Mr. Mason died February 11, 
 1866. Married (1) Louisa DeMout, who died May 30, 
 1842; married (2) in 1845 Nancy Smith, born January 13, 
 1816 ; died October 1 0, 1888. ("hild by first wife : 
 
 Henry DeMont, born April 16, 1842; died October 19, 
 1864. Sergeant Co. H, 114th Kegt. N. Y. V. Killed at 
 battle of Cedar Creek. Children by second wife : 
 
 Charles W., born November 8, 1846 ; died February 28, 
 1847. 
 
 George Frederick, born May 21, 1848. 
 
 Mary Gertrude, born October 12, 1851; married Octo- 
 ber 7, 1875, Edward L. Stratton. Children: Henry Meis- 
 sonier, Frederick Lynn, born January 12, 1882; died No- 
 vember 2, 1902 ; Emmett Abel. 
 
 AViLLiAM Hubert, born January 11, 1855; married (1) 
 Jennie Lake; married (2) November 22, 1904, Nancy Hill. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 287 
 
 Here files of pins extend their shining rows, 
 
 Puffs, Powders, Patches, Bibles, Billet-doux. — Pope. 
 
 Cyrus Tuttle. 
 
 Cyrus Tuttle, born in 1793, at Middlebury, Ct., came 
 to Oxford, then in the far west, about the year 1814. He 
 had formed those thrifty and economical habits character- 
 istic of the place of his birth, and was endowed by nature 
 with an inherent love of trade, which was almost a passion 
 in his case. He was possessed with a remarkable intuition 
 regarding the relation of the lesser to the greater as applied 
 to the laws of trade, and conducted his business, that of a 
 general storekeeper, always on the principle that " Many 
 a little makes a mickle." When in want of some certain 
 article not to be found at other stores it was said, " Go to 
 Tuttle's and you'll And it," which often proved the case. 
 Thus with forecast, caution, and perseverance, adding dol- 
 lar to dollar for nearly forty years, Mr. Tuttle was enabled 
 by the severest economy and greatest self-denial to secure 
 a fine competency. But, with all the exactions of a busy 
 life he was duly sensible of his duties as a man and as a 
 Christian, having filled the office of vestryman and warden 
 of St.- Paul's church, of which he was also treasurer for 
 many years, and until his death. He began business in 
 1834, and built the stone block on North Canal street in 
 1843, where he continued till his death, July 20, 1870. The 
 stone for his block Avas quarried near the river bridge at 
 South Oxford by George Symonds and brought here on 
 canal boats. Its cost was about |450 only. In 1850 Mr. 
 Tuttle ojjened a branch store in East Greene, now Brisbin, 
 which was continued about two years. Mr. Tuttle married 
 
288 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 in Oxford Catherine Bennett, who died November 23, 1867^ 
 aged 74. Their adopted daughter, Catherine, died March 
 25, 1889, aged 52. She married, May 9, 1860, James B. 
 Brown of New York, who died December 23, 1902, in New 
 York. Children: Gertrude, Catherine, and Philip. The 
 daughters reside in New Haven, Ct. 
 
 He either feai*s his fate too much, 
 
 Or his deserts are small, 
 That dares not put it to the touch. 
 
 To gaiu or lose it all. 
 
 — MONTEOSK. 
 
 Cornelius Conover. 
 
 While the country was yet new, Cornelius Conover, of 
 Dutch descent, with his wife, whose maiden name was 
 Polly Furman, came from Glen, Montgomery county, and 
 settled at South Oxford in the section known as " The 
 Desserts." They brought all their worldly possessions in 
 a cart drawn by oxen, and on the journey were often 
 alarmed, though unmolested by wild beasts. Through his 
 efforts the farm now occupied by his daughter, Julia, was 
 made to blossom and bring forth the fruits of civilization 
 and prosperity. He erected a frame house instead of the 
 usual log cabin of the pioneer, and one standing in the large 
 fireplace could look up the stone chimney and see the 
 branches of the trees waving overhead. Mr. Conover and 
 family attended church at Coventr;yTille and went through 
 the forest guided by marked trees. Deer often came to the 
 brook near the house, but were unmolested by him, al- 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 289 
 
 though he had firearms. Mr. Conover's second wife was 
 Julia Horton of Coventry, who was born in Connecticut. 
 
 Children by first wife : 
 
 Solomon, married Roxy Barton. 
 
 Isaac, married Eliza Applegate. 
 
 Jane, married Obadiah Canniff of Cincinnatus. 
 
 Jemima, married Leonard Horton of Coventryville. 
 
 Children by second wife: 
 
 FuRMAN, died unmarried. 
 
 Peter J., married Ann L. Havens. 
 
 Julia, unmarried; lives on the homestead farm. 
 
 Mary, married Franklin Knickerbocker of Cincinnatus ; 
 died April 14, 1900, in Holly, N. Y. 
 
 For we the same are that our sires have been. 
 
 — Knox. 
 
 Judson Family. 
 
 The Judson brothers, David, John, Lewis, Everett, and 
 Philo, came to Oxford in 1812 from Stamford, Ct., and 
 conducted a woolen mill on the Georgetown road for sev- 
 eral years. John, Lewis, and Everett finally moved from 
 town; the latter died October 27, 1864, at Candor, N. Y., 
 aged 71. David purchased the property now known as the 
 David G. Barber place, and resided there until his death. 
 Philo came into the village and conducted a mill near the 
 present site of the Harrington block. He lived on Wash- 
 ington street, in the house now occupied by Miss Clarinda 
 lieAvis. Their father, John Judson, was a Revolutionary 
 soldier. 
 
29© ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 David P. Judson was born February 28, 1786, in Stam- 
 ford, Conn.; died February 15, 1862, in Oxford; married 
 (1) in 1812, Jerusha Stillson of Stamford, Conn., born 
 June 14, 1791 ; died April 9, 1832, in Oxford. Married (2) 
 April 4, 1833, Melinda Billings of Preston, N. Y., born in 
 Preston ; died October 4, 1892, in Oxford. 
 
 Children by first wife : 
 
 Lewis, born in 1815; died June 17, 1817; poisoned by 
 arsenic, which he found while at play in the mill. 
 
 Caroline, born in 1819; died November 24, 1821, from 
 scalds received by falling into a dye vat, 
 
 Charles, married Julia Jerome. Died in 1900. 
 
 Julia E., married Orville L, Mead. Died August 17, 
 1855. Child by second wife : 
 
 Cordelia T., married November 9, 1886, James W. Sher- 
 vvood, and resides in Oxford. 
 
 Philo Judson, after the death of his wife, Charity, July 
 26, 1851, went to Omaha, Neb., to reside with his son, where 
 he died January 9, 1872. 
 
 Children : Joseph, died September 6, 1828, aged 4 ; 
 Orman B., Augustus, Charles, Henry Martin, Philo 
 M., died May 21, 1850, aged 28; Jane E., died January 4, 
 1853, aged 26. 
 
 He is the happiest, be he king or peasant, 
 wlio finds peace in his home. 
 
 — Goethe. 
 
 Denison Family. 
 
 William Denison, born in 1705, lived at North Stoning- 
 ton. Conn., was twice married and the father of eleven 
 children. He died January 29, 1760. His fifth child, 
 Daniel Denison, was born July 20, 1740, and married 
 
 I 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 291 
 
 Martha Geer, an English lady from Groton, Conn., in 1771. 
 About 1800 they emigrated to Pharsalia, this county, where 
 he purchased large tracts of land and settled on lot 70 in 
 that town. They left their Connecticut home surrounded 
 with the comforts and luxuries that wealth could bestow. 
 When they reached Chenango county it was almost a wild- 
 erness, and the wolves and bears came howling around 
 their log cabin. All their grain was carried to Bingham- 
 ton to be ground. It was carried on horseback, and as 
 there was no road they went by blazed trees. Daniel Deni- 
 8on was a man of considerable prominence and remained 
 in Pharsalia until 1802, when he sold his real estate to his 
 son, William, who already owned a large tract in that 
 t^wn, and came to Oxford, purchasing of Solomon Dodge 
 what is now known as the Morse farm, and died there in 
 1817. He built the first frame house and barn in Pharsalia, 
 and a house on the Morse farm, which within a few years 
 has been rei)laced by a more modern structure. When he 
 came here there was no church and the meetings were held 
 at his house. He was a large, strong-built man of com- 
 manding appearance and a bravery no opposition could 
 intimidate. They had seven children — Hannah, born in 
 1772, married William Popple; Prudence, born in 1775, 
 married James Dennison, Jr. ; William, born in 1777, 
 married Betsy Ledyard; Martha, born 1779, married a 
 Mr. Spaulding; Mary, born 1782, died unmarried; Emma, 
 bom 1784, died unmarried; Daniel, born 1787, married 
 Betsey Hunt of Oxford. 
 
 William, who married Betsey Ledyard, remained in 
 Pharsalia only a few years, and then moved to Oxford. 
 His house stood where St. Paul's church now stands. 
 
 Daniel, Jr., who married Betsey Hunt, after a few years 
 moved to Cleveland, O., where he died July 1, 1865, aged 
 
292 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 78. Mrs. Denison died before he left Oxford. They had 
 six children : 
 
 Emma Amelia, born in 1815, married VanRensaeller 
 Richmond. She lived and died May 18, 1854, in Lyons, 
 Wayne county. Their children were : Denison, Frank E., 
 and Emma. 
 
 Betsey Ann, born in 1816. 
 
 Mary Jane, born in 1817, married Charles McNeil of 
 Oxford, September 22, 1838. They moved to Cleveland, 
 O., in 1852. 
 
 William Henry, born in 1819, married Ruth Thomas. 
 Five children were bom to them while living in Chicago, 
 where both died : Daniel and William, both killed in the 
 Civil war; Frank, Lydia, and Loren. Lydia was adopted 
 by Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Purdy of Cleveland, married 
 George H. Foote and died in that city, leaving three chil- 
 dren: Helen, Charles, and Mary. 
 
 Charlotte Rebecca, born in 1820, married Nelson 
 Purdy of Oxford, died at Green Spring, O., August 20, 
 1895. 
 
 Cornelia Luceba, born in 1825. 
 
 Whose names yet run smoothly in the even road of a blank verse. 
 
 — Shakespeare 
 
 Peter and John Dodge. 
 
 About the year 1800 Peter and John Dodge, with their 
 sister Ruth, left their Vermont home and came to Oxford 
 to reside with their uncle, Solomon Dodge. Peter married 
 ]\Iatilda Sheldon. Their children, all born in Oxford, 
 were : Otis, Lyman, Eliza, married James Carpenter, born 
 in Exeter, Otsego county. They lived for several years on 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 293 
 
 the farm above the viHage now owned by Edward B. Bar- 
 ber, and in 1831 moved to Troupsburg, N. Y., and died 
 there; Lucy, Nancy, and Cornelia. 
 
 John Dodge married in 1801 Mary Burghardt, daughter 
 of Peter Burghardt, and lived and died in Oxford. They 
 first lived on Panther hill, and in 1806 settled on the farm 
 on the east hill now occupied by Ward H. Moore, a de- 
 scendant. Mr. Dodge died September 4, 1847. Mary, his 
 wife, died September 26, 1855. Children, all born in 
 Oxford : 
 
 LucRETiA, born June 17, 1803 ; died December 31, 1859 ; 
 married Lyman Root, born October 13, 1798; died August 
 29, 1880. 
 
 Sally, born June 17, 1806 ; married in 1833 Philo Bur- 
 lingame. Moved to Cuba, N. Y., where they both died and 
 were buried in the Franklinville cemetery. 
 
 John, born July 27, 1808 ; died October 5, 1869 ; married 
 (1) June 4, 1834, Maria Allen, born March 27, 1813; died 
 October 15, 1839. Married (2) October 16, 1842, Amanda 
 C. Sheldon, born August 25, 1824. In 1906 still living. 
 Child by first wife : Ella Maria, born May — , 1835 ; died 
 in infancy. Child by second wife: Alice L., born May 1, 
 1844 ; married Lewis Rowe of Schoharie House, N. Y. Mr. 
 Dodge held the office of sheriff of tlie county, and was a 
 man prominent in local affairs, both in Oxford and Guil- 
 ford. 
 
 Peteu, born October 4, 1810 ; died October 23, 1839 ; mar- 
 ried January 26, 1835, Mary P. Lewis of Norwich; died 
 February 5, 1896, in Cortland. She married (2) June 23, 
 1858, Colonel Ezra M. Stratton of Roxbury, N. Y., who 
 died October 24, 1876. Children of Peter and Mary 
 (Lewis) Dodge: Christianna O., born October 27, 1835; 
 married February 21, 1855, D. D. Shepard of Oxford, and 
 resides in Oxford. (Children, La Verne and Addie L.) 
 
294 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Anolia P., born May 23, 1837; married April 12, 1864, 
 Kichard T. Husted of Lisle. (Child, Lura F., born Sep- 
 tember 8, 1869; died in 1903.) Augusta P., born Decem- 
 ber 6, 1838; married May 9, 1857, Harry J. Wattles of 
 Lisle, N. Y. (Children, Mason D., Louis and Louise, 
 twins.) 
 
 Mary Ann^, born November 17, 1814 ; died December 17, 
 1889; married June 5, 1834, John Moore. 
 
 Laurette, born June 30, 1818 ; died July 16, 1901 ; mar- 
 ried April 7, 1841, Munson Smith. 
 
 Harriet N., born June 19, 1821; died April 21, 1886; 
 married Charles B. Moore. 
 
 James, born November 9, 1824 ; died in infancy. 
 
 James Oscar, born August 25, 1830 ; died July 7, 1896, 
 in Oxford; married (1) March 25, 1855, Elizabeth A. Roys 
 of Oxford, born January 16, 1837; died August 6, 1870. 
 Married (2) October 26, 1871, Lavina B. Hull of North 
 Haven, Conn. Child by first wife: Loyal I., married 
 Addie L. Stork of Coventry. (Child, Elizabeth V.) Chil- 
 dren by second wife : Margaret I., died in infancy ; Mary 
 Genevieve, married Novtoiber 1, 1898, Arthur C. Lewis; 
 died May 11, 1901. 
 
 Worth makes the man, aud want of it the fellow ; 
 The rest is all but leather or pruuello. 
 
 — Pope. 
 
 Job Willoughby. 
 
 Job Willoughby, a very worthy man, was a pioneer who 
 in the early part of the nineteenth century settled on the 
 east side hill of Oxford. He encountered many incidents 
 on his way to the new settlement by a blazed trail, and his 
 struggles in the forest to establish a home. He followed 
 agricultural pursuits for many years, and was strong in his 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 295 
 
 devotions, loyal in his relationship to men and principles, 
 and frank and open in all his utterances. Nothing is now 
 known in regard to his wife. Children: 
 
 John, lived and died in Oxford. Unmarried. 
 
 Ira, married Minerva Colson of Poolville, N. Y., a lady 
 much respected. After her death, which occurred May 
 20, 1864, at the age of 63 years, he then well advanced in 
 age, went to Kansas, where he died. Their home for many 
 years was on State street. Mr. Willoughby was very eccen- 
 tric, and for a long period was " the town fiddler," whose 
 services were frequently required for dances, also for pic- 
 nics at Lake Warn, when that resort was very popular and 
 reached by canal. His favorite song, which he used to sing 
 to his own violin accompaniment, was: 
 
 He shot him a goat. 
 
 To make him a coat. 
 
 And his beard hung down lilce a Jew so ; 
 
 By all that was civil, 
 
 He looked more like the devil. 
 
 Than he did like Robinson Crusoe. 
 
 Children of Ira and Minerva (Colson) Willoughby: 
 Frederick Stanley Montgomery, born about 1824 ; while 
 a student in Oxford Academy, from 1838 to 1846, composed 
 a poem of several cantos of much merit, entitled " The 
 Indian Queen of Chenango," which was dedicated to his 
 intimate friend, William H. Hyde, Esq. He graduated 
 from Union College and then went South on account of 
 delicate health, later became principal of a leading acad- 
 emy in Washington, D. C, where he also read law. Just 
 as a brilliant career opened for him he died of yellow fever 
 near Charlestown, Virginia, September 28, 1849, aged 25 
 years. Alfred, possessing a genial disposition, located in 
 Illinois, where he married and died October 16, 1867, in 
 Nebraska City, aged 35. Ellen Minerva, married and 
 went to Missouri, where she died, leaving one daughter. 
 Edg.\r Rodney, enlisted during the Civil war, was a good 
 
296 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 soldier, but never returned. Eosalie Marie, married 
 James Coley, then a teacher in Oxford Academy. They 
 moved to Iowa, where she died in her twenty-second year, 
 leaving two daughters. Her husband, in 1905, was still 
 living at the age of 83 years. A singular coincidence of the 
 family of Ira Willoughby is that no two members of the 
 family are buried in the same state. 
 
 Russell W., resided on Butler street, then known as 
 Red street. He also played the violin and followed the 
 occupation of a carpenter. For many years he had a clock 
 dial set in the siding of his house facing the street, which 
 for the passerby or neighbor answered the purpose of a 
 town clock. He had a peculiar faculty of calling to liim 
 any cat, however wild, which he could pick up and caress. 
 His death occurred December 22, 1869, aged 55. Ruth, 
 his wife, died February 28, 1862, aged 52 years. 
 
 James, a wanderer for many years, finally returned 
 home to die. 
 
 Zebulon, moved to Cooperstown, where he died. 
 
 Almira, married Reuben Doty of Oxford. 
 
 He believed that he was born not for himself, 
 but for the whole world. 
 
 — Lucan. 
 
 John Perry. 
 
 Deacon John Perry, born in 1781 at New London, Conn., 
 died suddenl}'^ in Oxford June 3, 1857. For more than two 
 score years he had been a member of the Oxford Baptist 
 church, and was one of the constituent members, and the 
 last but one of the little band who first received fellowship 
 as a church. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 297 
 
 Deacon Perry's first wife was Mary Welch of New Lon- 
 don, Conn., whose death on April 21, 1830, was of a dis- 
 tressing character. At that time their residence was on 
 Washington avenue, a little story and a half house on the 
 site of the present residence of Millard C. Loomis, Esq. 
 Ebenezer, their eldest son, was in his room and had taken 
 down a gun preparatory for a hunting trip. Having for- 
 gotten that the weapon was loaded, he snapped the flint 
 and its contents v.ere immediately discharged. Mrs. Perry 
 was in the garden and directly in range; the ball passed 
 through the side of the house, struck the right arm of the 
 unfortunate woman about four inches from the shoulder, 
 passed through her body and lodged in the left shoulder. 
 She fell to the ground and immediately expired. At her 
 funeral, which Avas largely attended. Elder Jabez Swan 
 preached a sermon which took three hours to deliver. 
 
 Deacon Perry's second wife was Lydia , whose 
 
 death occurred April 4, 1869, at the age of 77. 
 
 Children by first wife : 
 
 Ebenezer W., died April — , 1875, at Tuscola, Mich., 
 aged 68. 
 
 John, died suddenly November 1, 1896, in Tuscola, 
 Mich., aged 74. 
 
 Reuben F., died February 18, 1864, in Brooklyn, N. Y., 
 aged 40. 
 
 Laura, died March — , 1897, at Atlantic City, N. J. 
 Married Dr. Augustus Willard of Greene. Child : Anna, 
 married George W. Connely of Atlantic City, N. J. John 
 died in New Jersey. 
 
 Mary, died January 27, 1905, in Greene. Married Addi- 
 son Dudley Adams. 
 
 Maria Louise, died March 4, 1903, aged 92, in Oxford; 
 married Oliver Rhodes of Oxford. 
 
^98 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Dorcas, married Erastus Main of Friendship, N. Y. 
 
 Fanny, died March 26, 1881, aged 73. Married Palmer 
 P. Yeomans of Oxford. Children: Kufus P., married 
 Electa Norton ; Fanny, died January 9, 1861, aged 16. 
 
 Bold of your worthiness, we single you 
 As our best moving fair solicitor. 
 
 — Shakespeake. 
 
 Hon. John Tracy. 
 
 Hon. John Tracy, 6th, of Oxford was born at Norwich^ 
 Conn., October 26, 1783. His descent from Lieutenant 
 Thomas Tracy of Norwich, Conn., was in this wise. Hi» 
 father was : 
 
 John the 5th, who married Esther Pride. 
 
 John the 4th, who married Margaret Huntington. 
 
 John the 3d, who married Margaret Hyde. 
 
 John the 2d, who married Elizabeth Liflflugwell. 
 
 John the 1st, who married Mary Winslow. 
 
 Lieutenant Thomas Tracy of Norwich. 
 
 Mr. Tracy, with his father's family, journeyed on horse- 
 back at an early day to Columbus, this county. In 1805 he 
 came to Oxford and was deputy clerk under Uri Tracy. 
 Having pursued the study of law with Stephen O. Runyan, 
 he was admitted in 1808 as an attorney in the Supreme 
 Court, and commenced the practice of his profession in 
 this village. His rulings in law were never reversed in the 
 Court of Appeals. He was appointed examiner and master 
 in chancery, and in March, 1815, received the appointment 
 of Surrogate of the county. He was a member of Assem- 
 bly in 1820, 1821, 1822, and 1826, and in 1821 again re- 
 ceived the appointment of Surrogate, and in 1823 that of 
 First Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, holding these 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 399 
 
 oflBces until 1833, when he resigned them. The legislature, 
 in 1830, made him a regent of the university, and in 1831 
 he was appointed Circuit »Tudge of the sixth district, but 
 declined the appointment. In 1832 Mr. Tracy, then called 
 Honest John, was elected Lieutenant-Governor, with Wil- 
 liam L. Marcy, Governor; and with him was re-elected in 
 1834 and 1836. In 1846 he was elected from Chenango 
 county, with Colonel Elisha B. Smith as his colleague, a 
 delegate to the convention for revising the constitution, 
 and w^as chosen president of that distinguished body, which 
 had on its roll the names of Ira Harris, Ambrose L. Jordan, 
 Samuel J. Tilden, Samuel Nelson, Charles O'Connor, and 
 Michael Hoffman. 
 
 Mr. Tracy's interests in all good works for the perma- 
 nent improvement and welfare of the village was repeat- 
 edly manifested, and the Academy, of whose board of 
 trustees he was for years the president, and St. Paul's 
 church, of whose vestry he was a member, and a warden 
 at his death, will bear evidence to his worth in faithful 
 and ajffectionate remembrance. 
 
 Mr. Tracy married August 5, 1813, Susan Hyde, daugh- 
 ter of Joseph Hyde, of Franklin, Conn., who died Febru- 
 ary 3, 1864, aged 76, suiTived but a short time by her 
 husband, who died in the following June at the ripe age 
 of four score years. They had one son and two daugliters : 
 
 John, born at Oxford, June 20, 1820, and was the 
 seventh John in descent from Lieut. Thomas Tracy. He 
 was drowned while skating on the Chenango river, De- 
 cember 24, 1829. 
 
 Esthp:r Maria and Susan Eliza, twins, born April 9, 
 1816. The former married Henry R. Mygatt, Esq., and 
 died June 25, 1895, in New York City. The latter mar- 
 ried James W. Clarke and died October 15, 1906, in New 
 York City. 
 
300 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 In requital ope his leathern scrip, 
 
 And show me simples of a thousand names, 
 
 Telling their strange and vigorous faculties. 
 
 — Milton. 
 
 William G. Sands, M. D. 
 
 Dr. William G. Sands was a son of Judge Obadiah 
 Sands, a native of Sands Point on Long Island, descended 
 from Capt. James Sands, an Englishman, who came to 
 this country about 1642, landing at Plymouth. 
 
 Dr. Sands was born in Bainbridge, N. Y., November 
 5, 1810. About the year 1828 he was in attendance at 
 Oxford Academy, and immediately thereafter commenced 
 and completed his course of studies here as a physician 
 and surgeon with Dr. Perez Packer, and graduated at 
 the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York 
 City in 1832. He returned to Oxford and until the death 
 of Dr. Packer practiced with him. Later he was asso- 
 ciated with Dr. William P. Holmes for a short period. In 
 1842 he entered into the drug business, having purchased 
 the stock of goods formerly owned by Clarke & Babcock. 
 After a time he took into partnership with him, his 
 brother, Frederick A. Sands and James H. Fox, which 
 was dissolved in December, 1850, Mr. Fox continuing the 
 business. 
 
 Dr. Sands retired from the active practice of his pro- 
 fession in 1864, and thereafter devoted his time largely 
 to the care of his large and increasing estate, and to 
 the numerous trusts as guardian and trustee for others, 
 which he discharged with great fidelity and probity. He 
 was elected to the Assembly, with Solomon Ensign, Jr., 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 301 
 
 and Hiram E. Storrs, as members from this county, in 
 1846, and was also Supervisor of the town in 1852. He 
 died suddenly June 14, 1889, leaving an estate valued at 
 from 1500,000 to |600,000. Dr. Sands married October 
 26, 1837, Sarah Eliza, daughter of Henry and Sarah 
 (Washburn) Mygatt, born January 6, 1818, in Oxford; 
 died July 2, 1890, at Vallonia Springs, N. Y. Children : 
 
 Clarissa Donnelly, died in infancy. 
 
 Maria Clarissa, born November 26, 1839; died March 
 4, 1870 ; married December 31, 1867, Peter W. Clarke. 
 
 Sarah Washburn, born January 13, 1842; died March 
 7, 1869; married October 1, 1859, Henry L. Wade. Chil- 
 dren: William Henry, died in infancy; William Sands, 
 died in infancy. 
 
 Catherine Odessa, born October 15, 1852; died Oc- 
 tober 7, 1890 ; married January 17, 1882, Joseph E. Pack- 
 ard. Children: Edith; Henry, died July 7, 1893; Wil- 
 liam Guthrie; Katharine. 
 
 From labor there shall come forth rest. 
 
 — Longfellow. 
 
 Daniel Dudley. 
 
 Daniel Dudley was born in Alstead, New Hampshire, 
 August 6, 1808, where his early years were spent on a 
 farm. He came to Oxford in the autumn of 1830 and 
 taught school the following winter in the old schoolhouse 
 east of the village, near the old Bush tavern, not very 
 far from where the station of the N. Y., O. & W. railway 
 now stands. In the spring of 1831 he started to learn 
 
302 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 the wagon making trade with Col. Tarbell. After serving 
 a proper apprenticeship he formed a partnership with 
 James Durham and they carried on the business together 
 for a couple of years, when Mr. Durham withdrew from 
 the firm and went to Norwich. Mr. Dudley continued 
 the business and about 1836 built the house on Washing- 
 ton avenue, now owned by Mrs. Charles M. Dodge, and 
 carried on the business of wagon making in it for some 
 twenty-three years, a portion of the time also having quite 
 an extensive cooperage in the same building. 
 
 Mr. Dudley married, in 1834, Miss Miranda Bemis, 
 born November 10, 1811, who had come from Stafford, 
 Conn,, two years previous. In 1860 Mr. Dudley gave up 
 his business and bought a farm in Dodge Hollow, west of 
 the village, where he lived some six years. In 1866 he 
 moved to Maine, Broome county, where he engaged in 
 farming for twelve years, and then went to Binghamton, 
 where he died February 19, 1884. Mrs. Dudley died I\Iay 
 24, 1891, in Altoona, Pa. 
 
 Mr. Dudley joined the Methodist church soon after he 
 came to Oxford, and, for a number of years, was one of 
 its trustees. He was one of the three members of the 
 building committee, which had in charge the erection of 
 the church edifice where this society now worships. He 
 served a full term in the old volunteer fire department in 
 this village and was quite fond of the organization. He 
 took a prominent part in the organization of the Eepubli- 
 can party in Chenango county, and, although at one time 
 yielding considerable local influence in the new party, he 
 neither sought or desired any public office. His most 
 prominent characteristics were integrity, strength of will, 
 and independence in thought and action. Five children 
 were born to Mr. and Mrs. Dudley, of whom two, M. 
 Elithea and Mary C, died in infancy. Of the remaining 
 

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ANNALS OF OXFORD 303 
 
 three, Amanda S., married January 4, 1859, Seth W. Free- 
 man, and died March 14, 1891, in Peoria, 111.; Charles 
 B., married March, 1906, Mary Virginia Crawford of 
 Bryn Mawr, Pa., and resides in Altoona, Pa.; and Eliza 
 M., married S. S. Allen, and resides in Binghamton. 
 
 Charles B. Dudley, Ph. D., was born in Oxford, April 
 14, 1842. His early years were spent in the district school, 
 and later Oxford Academy, in the fall and winter, and 
 in working on a farm in summer. August 6, 1862, he 
 enlisted as a private in the 114th Kegiment, N. Y. V., and 
 was made a Corporal July 1, 1864. He was in seven 
 battles, participating in the siege of Port Hudson in 1863; 
 in the Red River campaign in the spring of 1864, and 
 was finally severely wounded in the battle of Opequan 
 Creek, in the Shenandoah Valley, September 19, 1864. 
 He was then mustered out of the service and sent to the 
 hospital. 
 
 The studious habits, which may be said to have charac- 
 terized Dr. Dudley's whole life, manifested themselves 
 even during his army service. During one winter, while 
 the army was in winter quarters at Franklin, Louisiana, 
 he had his Latin grammar and reader sent to him, and 
 devoted many hours of his camp leisure to a study of that 
 language. 
 
 Returning home in 1865, he began to prepare for col- 
 lege at Oxford Academy, and entered Yale College in 
 the fall of 1867, graduating as A. B. in the class of '71. 
 The next year was spent in newspaper work in New Haven, 
 obtaining means to prosecute further studies, and to pay 
 ofp obligations already incurred during the previous four 
 years. Having no independent means of his own Dr. Dud- 
 ley obtained quite a portion of the funds needed to secure 
 an education by working at whatever could be found to be 
 done, both in vacation and in term time. In the fall of 
 
304 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 1872 he entered the Sheffield Scientific school of Yale Col- 
 lege and graduated in 1874, with the degree of Ph. D., 
 having spent two years largely in chemical study. The 
 next college year was spent as assistant to Dr. George 
 F. Barker, Professor of Physics, at the University of Penn- 
 sylvania, Philadelphia. During this year some transla- 
 tions of technical papers were made, which were published 
 in the Franklin Institute Journal. In September, 1875, 
 Dr. Dudley accepted the position of teacher of the sciences 
 in Riverview Military Academj^ at Poughkeepsie, which 
 position he retained only about a month, as on November 
 10th of the same year he was invited to accept the position 
 of Chemist of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company at 
 Altoona, which position he still holds. When he began 
 his work there, no railroad had a chemist as a regular em- 
 ploye, although many of them had occasional chemical 
 work done. 
 
 Of the work done by Dr. Dudley, perhaps that which has 
 attracted the most widespread public attention was the 
 study of steel rails made in the early eighties. Another 
 and very important line of work in connection with the 
 laboratory of the Pennsylvania Railroad at Altoona has 
 been the making of specifications for materials. This is 
 perhaps the most exacting and time consuming work that 
 has been undertaken. 
 
 Dr. Dudley has twice been abroad on business for the 
 company, once in 1886 to study oil burning on locomotives 
 in Russia, and again in 1900 as delegate to the Interna- 
 tional Railway Congress in Paris. He has been vice- 
 president of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, 
 and has twice been president of the American Chemical 
 Society. He has been president of the American Society 
 for Testing Materials. He is a member of the English^ 
 French and German Chemical Societies, of the Iron and 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 305 
 
 Steel Institute of Great Britain, and the Verein Deutscher 
 Eisenhuttenleute. He is also a member of the American 
 Society of Civil Engineers, and of the Mining Engineers, 
 the Mechanical Engineers, and the Electrical Engineers as 
 well. He is a member of the Union League Club of Phila- 
 delphia, the Cosmos Club of Washington, and of the En- 
 gineers' Club of New York. 
 
 Apart from his professional work, Dr. Dudley spends 
 no small amount of time in connection with the Altoona 
 Mechanics' Library, which under his supervision and the 
 fostering aid of the Pennsylvania Kailroad Company, con- 
 tains now over 35,000 volumes. 
 
 They now to fight are gone ; 
 Armor on armor shone ; 
 Drum now to drum did groan. 
 To hear was wonder. 
 
 — Drayton. 
 
 Mexican War Volunteers. 
 
 The trouble with Mexico over the annexation of Texas 
 began early in 1846, and Silas Wright, Governor of the 
 State, issued orders in obedience to a requisition from 
 the President, James K. Polk, for seven regiments of 
 volunteer infantry, to be enrolled and held in readiness 
 for muster into the service of the United States for the 
 prosecution of the existing war between the States and the 
 Republic of Mexico. On June 1 James Tyrell, " Captain 
 of the Infantry, of the Town of Oxford," advertised in 
 the village papers that applications from persons desir- 
 
3o6 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 inaf to volunteer would be received by him up to the 
 12tli of that month. Having enrolled a company of fifty 
 men, it was organized June 29, by the election of the 
 following officers: James Tyrell, Captain; John Dodge, 
 Jr., First Lieutenant; Daniel A. Johnson, Second Lieu- 
 tenant; R. H. Sisley, First Sergeant; Hiram Bartoo, 
 Second Sergeant; William Eaton, Third Sergeant; Aus- 
 tin R. Abbott, Fourth Sergeant; Edward M. Osborn, First 
 Corporal; William Bowers, Second Corporal; Josiah L. 
 Clark, Third Corporal; Benjamin Miner, Fourth Cor- 
 poral. After the transaction of this business the company 
 marched to an adjoining field to the music of the " spirit- 
 stirring drum " and " ear-piercing fife," where it was 
 inspected, and, after performing a few evolutions, was dis- 
 persed until called for by " Uncle Sam." 
 
 James Terrel enlisted in the company recruited at Ox- 
 ford, and was sworn into the service at Utica, and assigned 
 to Compony K, 8th United States Infantry. His regiment 
 sailed from New York and joined Major General Scott's 
 army at San Pueblo. He participated in several important 
 battles and with the victorious American army entered the 
 City of Mexico, and saw General Scott when he rode into 
 the city at the head of his staff. The capture of the City of 
 Mexico (September 14, 1847) ended the war, and, on 
 July 26, 1848, Terrel was discharged from the service at 
 Jefferson Barracks below New Orleans. While he re- 
 mained in the city he, as were many other soldiers, was 
 presented with a stock and a handsome blanket by Mexican 
 ladies. The stock was a leather collar Avorn around the 
 neck and served to keep the soldier's head up and eyes 
 straight ahead. The soldiers called it a " dog collar." The 
 blanket was stolen from him by a fellow soldier who was 
 hung for stealing, as Avere eigiiteen others for the sam<' 
 crime, he witnessing the execution. The portrait of Mr. 
 
* 
 
 [AMES A. TERREL— A Mexican War solcier 
 
 FIRE DEPARTMENT HOUSE, FORT HILL 
 (The tower was replaced by a modern structure in 
 1Q02 on presentation of a new town clock to the 
 village by the Ladies Village improvement Society.) 
 
 Oxford Bookstore and Times Office — 1897. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 307 
 
 Terrel represents him in cap with silver eagle, and coat 
 and sash worn while in the service. His musket and 
 other accoutrements he had, at the expiration of his term 
 of service, turned over to Capt. Elisha Kent Kane, who 
 afterwards became famous as an Arctic explorer. The 
 medals shown on the coat were presented to him by the 
 government. One of gold, another of silver, given for 
 special service and bravery; the third, made from cap- 
 tured Mexican cannon, was given in 1878, to all survivors 
 of the war. So far as is known he was the last survivor 
 of that war in this section of the State. 
 
 INIr. Terrel died IMay 12, 1906, and was given a military 
 funeral. Breed Post, G. A. R., escorted the remains to 
 Riverview cemetery, and a delegation from Meade Post 
 at the W. R. C. Home fired three volleys over the grave 
 of the old soldier. 
 
 Being myself no stranger to suffering, I have 
 learned to relieve the sufferings of others. 
 
 — ViBGIL. 
 
 Dr. Casper Bruchhausen. 
 
 Dr. Casper Bruchhausen was born on the 28th of Au- 
 gust, 1806, at Frankfort on the Main, Germany, and came 
 to America in 1836, locating in Philadelphia. In 1839 
 he commenced the study of homeopathy with Dr. Charles 
 F. Hoffendahl, a graduate of the University of Berlin, 
 who removed to Albany in 1840, where Dr. Bruchhausen 
 continued his studies with him. He afterwards pursued 
 
3o8 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 his studies with Dr. George W. Cook of Hudson, and 
 subsequently placed himself under the instruction of Drs. 
 Frederick Gray and A. Gerald Hull, who were then the 
 principal practitioners of the homeopathic school in New 
 York City. In August, 1842, at the urgent request of Dr. 
 George W. Koberts, the pioneer homeopathist of Che- 
 nango county, Dr. Bruchhausen went to Greene, and the 
 two practiced in company with mutual benefit until May, 
 1843, when the latter established himself in Oxford. Here 
 he remained until April, 1848, and then permanently lo- 
 cated at Norwich. He was twice married, his second wife 
 was Miss Mary Leonard of Oxford, who died in Norwich, 
 September 17, 1883. An adopted daughter, Ellen, mar- 
 ried Frederick H. Burchard of Oxford, and now resides 
 in Norwich. Dr. Bruchhausen was an author of consid- 
 erable poetical ability; many of his poems originally ap- 
 pearing in The Oxford Times. In 1870 he issued a vol- 
 ume entitled " Rhymes of the Times and Other Chimes." 
 He died in Norwich December 28, 1891, aged 85. 
 
 The eternal Master found 
 
 His single talent well employ'd. 
 
 — Johnson. 
 
 Elijah B. McCall. 
 
 Elijah Brewster McCall, born June 22, 1794, at Leba- 
 non, Conn.; died August 6, 1868, in Oxford; married 
 November 19, 1829, in Oxford, Mahetabel Smith, born 
 April 9, 1807, in Hadley, Mass., died July 14, 1895, in 
 Buffalo. Children : 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 309 
 
 Eliza, died October 30, 1878, at Sayre, Pa. Unmarried. 
 
 John B., married September 3, 1879, Helen L. Morse, 
 at Norwich ; residence, Buffalo. Children : Adrian Morse, 
 Mary Eliza. 
 
 Elijah Brewster McCall was born on a farm, and came, 
 with his father's family, lineal descendants of one who 
 landed at Plymouth Rock from the Mayflower, to Che- 
 nango county in 1807. At an early age he taught school 
 and took up civil engineering, or surveying, at which he 
 became quite expert, thoroughly understanding the his- 
 tory of Central New York and Chenango county in par- 
 ticular. He was an early and active participant in the 
 construction of the Chenango canal, and it is said that 
 he once made a survey of the whole line and that the 
 levels proved to be correct when the canal was completed. 
 He also surveyed the Ithaca & Owego R. R., one of the 
 first in the State. 
 
 Mr. McCall was town superintendent of public schools 
 for Oxford for a number of years until the system was 
 changed to school commissioners. He also assisted the 
 students of the old Academy in the practical part of sur- 
 veying. He was extremely fond of the game of back- 
 gammon, and often would be seen in the stores of Cyrus 
 M. Brown and A. F. Bartle, indulging in that pastime. 
 
 The barn and office of Mr. McCall was burned March 
 8, 1853. His entire stock of surveying and engineering 
 instruments, together with a valuable collection of field 
 books and maps of the original surveys of this section of 
 the country, and the records of his own surveys, covering 
 a period of more than thirty years, were destroyed by 
 the flames, involving a loss of |1500, on which there was 
 no insurance. 
 
310 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Man passes away ; his name perishes from record and recollection ; 
 his history is as a tale that is told, and his very monument becomes 
 a ruin. — Ibvinq. 
 
 Gordon Family. 
 
 Henry Gordon, born in 1770, was an early resident of 
 Oxford, and settled on and cleared the land now known 
 as the Lobdell farm. He died June 21, 1820. He married 
 Elizabeth Bartle, who was born in 1773, and died in 1854. 
 
 Children : 
 
 John, born in 1795 ; died March 24, 1879 ; married July 
 7, 1822, Polly Hackett, born April 27, 1798, died October 
 12, 1889. Children : James H., died in 1815 ; George W., 
 died in 1853; William A.; Mary J., died November 16, 
 1864; Harriet; Susan, died October 17, 1864; David B., 
 and Charles A. 
 
 Henry, born in 1797. 
 
 Margaret, born in 1800; married Artemus Haynes. 
 
 Erastus, born in 1802; died in 1873; married, (1) 
 
 Hannah ; married, (2) Mrs. Mary Jane (Baker) 
 
 Bennett, by whom he had two children, Etta and Chest er^ 
 
 Susan, born in 1803; died in 1888; married Nehemiah 
 Smith. 
 
 Jeremiah, born in 1806. 
 
 Eliza, born in 1808; married Morehouse. 
 
 David, born in 1810; died 1837. 
 
 Melissa, born in 1813. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD ^ri 
 
 Death borders upon our birth, and our cradle stands in our graVe.- 
 Bishop Hall. 
 
 Redmond Family. 
 
 On the 19th of March, 1851, Owen Redmond and family 
 sailed from Kingston, Ireland, for America on board the 
 " Coronet," a sailing vessel of 1500 tons register, and, after 
 a tedious voyage of eight weeks, arrived in New York City. 
 Mr, Redmond intended to locate in Green Bay, Wis., and 
 came to Oxford to leave his family to rest and recuperate 
 from the strain of the long voyage. His health failed and 
 death closed all his hopes and trials on the 11th of June, 
 1851. His remains were interred in Riverview cemetery, 
 where his youngest son was laid beside him a few months 
 later. 
 
 Mr. Redmond was born in Ballywalter, County Wex- 
 ford, Ireland. He married Sarah Newton Lett of Tinn- 
 across, County Wexford, Ireland, who died January 18, 
 1894, in Greene. Mrs. Redmond, in the time of her deep 
 affliction, found many kind sympathizing friends, among 
 whom were the Balcoms and Hydes. In the following 
 October she bought from Henry R. Mygatt, Esq., a farm 
 of 131 acres, now owned by Lazarus Gallagher, on which 
 she lived till 1886. The last seven years of her life were 
 spent in Greene with her son Richard. The closing of 
 her life of sad trials was met with courage and the hope 
 for reward in the better land. Children: 
 
 Walter J., married Margaret McKeon, and still re- 
 sides in Oxford. 
 
313 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Richard Joseph, married M. Clare Nowlan, resides in 
 (Ireene. 
 
 KiTTiE M., died April 12, 1869, aged 23, unmarried. 
 
 Owen, died in infancy. 
 
 Daniel W. Ivedniond, born in Ballywalter, County Wex- 
 ford, Ireland; died January 16, 1903, in Oxford, aged 84. 
 Mr. Eedmond came to Oxford in June, 1851, the day of 
 his brother Owen's funeral. He had a liberal education, 
 and was a man of large experience, having filled the posi- 
 tion of paymaster under the government works during 
 the famine period, after which he was in business as 
 malster and cloth merchant in Garey, Ireland. After 
 coming to Oxford he was engaged as clerk and bookkeeper 
 by Clark & Hayes, and afterwards by H. K. Mygatt, Esq., 
 and continued in that vocation for various firms while he 
 lived. Mr. Redmond never married. 
 
 John Redmond was born in Ballywalter, County Wex- 
 ford, Ireland, and came to Oxford in November, 1854. 
 The 3'ear following, his brother-in-law, Nicholas Scallen, 
 also came and together they bought the Seeley sawmills, 
 etc., which they worked until failing health obliged them 
 to give up. Mr. Redmond died February 12, 1881, and 
 his wife, Elizabeth Scallen, died in 1873. 
 
 Children : 
 
 Walter J., married (1) Kate Moore; married (2) Mrs. 
 Judith Conners. Now deceased. 
 
 Mary, married James Keyes; died in 1905. 
 
 Lawrence, who followed the sea, died in New York 
 City. 
 
 Christina, married James Dunn ; died in 1906. 
 
 Teresa, married Thomas Horan, of Eau Claire, Wis., 
 where she died. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 313 
 
 Go where glory waits thee ; 
 
 But, while fame elates thee, 
 
 Oh ! still remember me. 
 
 — MOOBE. 
 
 Nelson Purdy, 
 
 Nelson Purely, a resident of Oxford for several year» 
 previous to 1851, was born in 1819 at Sherburne Four 
 Corners, Chenango county. After learning the carpen- 
 ter's trade he came to Oxford to follow that occupation. 
 He became identified with the building interests of this 
 place to a great extent, and his first work was on the 
 Methodist church, w^hich he erected. He built a house 
 for himself on Washington avenue, now the home of M. 
 C. Loomis, Esq. He also constructed the residences now 
 occupied by Mrs. O. H. Curtis, Mrs. B. P. Edwards, James 
 G. Van Wagenen, and Frank T. Corbin. His wife w£is 
 Charlotte Rebecca Denison, daughter of Daniel and Bet- 
 sey (Hunt) Denison of Oxford, who died August 20, 1895, 
 at Gre^n Spring, Ohio. In 1851 Mr. Purdy moved to 
 Dunkirk, N. Y., and entered into the wholesale lumber 
 business, where he was later joined by his brother-in-law, 
 Charles McNeil of Oxford. In a year or so Mr. Purdy 
 and Mr. McNeil moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where they 
 continued the same business for a number of years. Mr. 
 Purdy died February 20, 1906, in that city, having enjoyed 
 exceptionally good health throughout his lifetime. At the 
 time of his death he was a director of the People's Ga« 
 Company, and vice president of the People's Saving and 
 
314 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Loan Association, the latter being one of the most pros- 
 perous banks in Cleveland. 
 
 Children : 
 
 John Nelson. 
 
 Henry Denison. 
 
 Helen Emma, died July 14, 1860, aged 6. 
 
 A man in any station can do his duty, 
 and doing it, can earn his own respect. 
 
 — ^Dickens. 
 
 Elihu Cooley. 
 
 Elihu Cooley came to Oxford about the year 1838 from 
 Cooperstown. He was born December 15, 1805, in Lau- 
 rens, Otsego county, N. Y. He was a descendant of Benja- 
 min Cooley, one of the founders of Springfield, Mass., 
 the descent being, Benjamin, came from England, 1620- 
 1684; Daniel, born in Springfield, Mass., 1651-1727; 
 
 Benjamin, born in Springfield, 1681 ; Ebenezer, born 
 
 in Wales, Mass., 1716-1753; Barnes, born in Brimfield, 
 Mass., 1748-1844; Samuel, born in Pelham, Mass., 1778- 
 1844; Elihu. His maternal grandfather was Elihu Ack- 
 ley, a Revolutionary soldier. Mr. Cooley was an architect 
 and builder, and an expert in wood carving. 
 
 Mr. Cooley was the builder of the fifth Academy build- 
 ing, and the Methodist church, in which there is a marble 
 tablet containing his name. All the wood carving and 
 fine wood work in St. Paul's church was his handiwork. 
 He had charge at different times of building or improving 
 every church, but one, in town, and many of the old homes 
 contain his handiwork. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 315 
 
 He was a Knights Templar, as was his father and grand- 
 father before him. He married in 1829, Asenath Payne, 
 daughter of Edward Payne of Laurens, born in June, 
 1807; died April 6, 1885, in Oxford. Mr. Cooley died 
 April 17, 1882. His descendants look upon him as a type 
 of the early Puritan, staunch in principle, faithful and 
 conscientious in duty, and stern, but a tender and loving 
 nature. He gave his children a good education, and his 
 eight daughters were gi'aduates of Oxford Academy. 
 
 Children of Elihu and Asenath (Payne) Cooley: 
 
 Caroline M., born May 5, 1830, in Laurens; married 
 William Haight of Oxford. 
 
 Clarissa A., born January 4, 1832, in Laurens; died 
 December 29, 1899; unmarried. 
 
 Emeline M., born October 28, 1834, in Laurens; mar- 
 ried Daniel C. Winton of Morris. 
 
 Edwin Ruthvin, died in infancy. 
 
 Adaline S., born March 14, 1838; died May 28, 1904, 
 in Medford, Oregon; married Judge David van Antwerp. 
 She was a gifted and fluent public speaker, and was identi- 
 fied with educational and temperance work for many years 
 in Oregon and Nebraska. She was re-elected four times 
 to the ofiflce of Superintendent of Public Schools in 
 Nebraska. 
 
 Julia E., born August 15, 1839, in Oxford; married 
 Virgil D. Carruth ; resides in California. 
 
 Amanda C, born February 13, 1843, in Oxford; mar- 
 ried Albert Saunders; resides in California. 
 
 Louisa H., born October 28, 1846; married William 
 Moffatt of Oneonta. 
 
 EsTELLA M., born January 1, 1848; married James T. 
 Lowry; resides in St. Paul, Minn. 
 
 Chester Cole, born January 5, 1851, in Oxford; died 
 May 6, 1865, in Oxford. 
 
3i6 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Our duty is to be useful, not according to our 
 desires, but according to our powers. 
 
 — Amiel. 
 
 Rev. Henry Callahan. 
 
 Rev. Henry Callahan, born January 5, 1811, at And- 
 over, Mass., came to Oxford June 25, 1850, and was pas- 
 tor of the Congregational church for the following twelve 
 years. He was prepared for college at the celebrated 
 Philips Academy, at Andover, and graduated from 
 Union College and Andover Theological Seminary. Be- 
 sides at Oxford he aptly filled pastorates at Niagara Falls 
 and Franklin, N. Y. His residence while here was on 
 Clinton street, now the home of Frank T. Corbin. In 
 1862 he was appointed Chaplain of the 114th Regt., N. Y. 
 Vols. A severe illness of fever at New Orleans ruined 
 liis health so that a full recovery never followed, and 
 he resigned September 19, 1863. Soon after his return 
 from the army he went to Franklin, where he remained 
 for more than twenty years as pastor and teacher, in the 
 latter position he fitted and prepared many young men for 
 college. He was a friend of all, especially to youth, with 
 whom, in social relations, he gained confidence, and with 
 earnest sympathy gave needed assistance. In his home, 
 where a graceful and gracious hospitality always pre- 
 vailed, and in other homes, he brought the comfort of a 
 bright and tender Christian confidence. Mr. Callahan 
 died at Franklin, February 7, 1888, aged 77. Mrs. Calla- 
 han was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jere Allis. Their 
 children who grew to manhood were, Edward, Henry 
 White, Robert Carroll. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 317 
 
 Jere Allis, who, with his wife, resided in Oxford for a 
 number of years from 1850 with his daughter, Mrs. Henry 
 Callahan, nearly reached the century mark before his 
 passing away. His death occurred April 19, 1885, in Frank- 
 lin, N. Y., at the age of 98 years and nine months. His 
 wife, Mary White Allis, died February 2, 1877, in Mil- 
 waukee, Wis., aged 83 years. Mr. Allis had voted at 
 every presidential election from 1807, as Federalist, Whig, 
 and Republican. Rarely favored, through exemption from 
 disease, all his faculties remained alert until the last day 
 of his life. Though in his 99th year his habits of activity 
 continued, and every day he would sit at a chopping block, 
 cutting small wood for exercise. He did not relinquish 
 his chair until a day or two before his death. His second 
 daughter, Lucy J., married J. T. Gilbert of ^lilwaukee, 
 Wis., and died there November 12, 1889. 
 
 Throw not the cross away. 
 Of it the crown is made. 
 
 — Solace. 
 
 St. Joseph's Church. 
 
 St. Joseph's (R. C.) church was erected in the fall of 
 1849. Mr. James Flanagan, the first of the congregation, 
 came to Oxford February 14, 1848, and labored faithfully 
 for the church in this mission. Father James Hourigan 
 of Binghamton was the pioneer of Catholicism in this 
 county, his mission embracing the counties of Broome, 
 Chenango, and Cortland. 
 
3i8 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Previous to the erection of tlie clnirch edifice occasional 
 services were held at the residence of Mr. Flanagan, where 
 the first mass in town was celebrated in the fall of 1848. 
 Father Hourigan having appointed the date upon which 
 services were to be held, Mr. Flanagan would notify the 
 people in the neighboring towns, sometimes taking nearly 
 three days to go the rounds. At that time there were five 
 families in Smithville; three in Preston, four in Nor- 
 wich and only Mr. Flanagan's in Oxford. There was no 
 church, except at Binghamton, and Father Hourigan was 
 the only priest in this mission. 
 
 During the pastorate of Father Callen, through his and 
 Mr. Flanagan's exertions, land was purchased for a ceme- 
 tery of Mr. C. F. T. Locke and paid for by the parish- 
 ioners. After Father Callen came Father McCabe, whose 
 mission embraced Oxford, Sherburne, Hamilton, Cortland, 
 and Solon. He left this charge in April, 1857, to resume 
 the pastorial duties of his former mission at Malone, N. Y., 
 where he met with a shocking death on the 24th of the 
 following November. He had retired for the night and 
 in some way the bed clothes caught fire, burning him to 
 death. The fire was confined to the room and nothing 
 was known of the lamentable al¥air until next morning, 
 when his body was discovered. Father McCabe, while 
 a resident of this village, made many friends in and out 
 of his communion. 
 
 In the fall of 1870 repairs were commenced on the 
 church and finished the following spring. The building 
 was moved back, an addition of sixteen feet and a new 
 front put in, the auditorium arched, and stained glass 
 windows added. Following is a list of the clergy in their 
 order: Fathers Hourigan, Roach, Callen, McCabe, Brady, 
 McDermont, McAnulty, O'Connell, Harrigan, Finneran, 
 Shay, Cullen, Hart, Mahon, and Purcell. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 319 
 
 In 1890 the building now used as a public library was 
 purchased for a rectory, and occupied till the opening 
 of the library, when the present rectory on Scott street 
 was purchased. 
 
 Unwept, unhououred, and unsung. 
 
 — Scott. 
 
 Adolphus B. Bennett. 
 
 Adolphus B. Bennett was among those who served his 
 country during the Revolutionary war, soon after the 
 close of which he came to Oxford. Nothing further is 
 now known in regard to him. Children : 
 
 Egbert, died in Oxford; married Gertrude Reichtmier, 
 died June — , 1882, in Des Moines, Iowa. Children : 
 Amanda M., born September 28, 1824, in Homer, N. Y. ; 
 married Chester C. Cole; Royal; Ransom, married June 
 21, 1849, Mary Jane Baker of Utica. 
 
 Catherine, married Cyrus Tuttle; died November 23, 
 1867. 
 
 Nancy, married Samuel Wheeler. 
 
 Adolphus B., 2d., married Harriet Cary. Child : Charles 
 A., died April IS, 1898, aged 87; married August 30, 
 1836, Caroline Osgood of Preston, died June 6, 1905, aged 
 93 : Children : Adolphus B., 4th, married Margaret R. 
 Rouse (children, Charles H., infant, died July 13, 1887; 
 Florence B., teacher in public school, New York City). 
 Charles A., 2d, married Mary A. Baldwin; (children, Re- 
 becca B., Thomas B.). Adolphus B., moved to Brantford, 
 Canada, and died there. 
 
320 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 So with decorum all things carry'd ; 
 Miss frown'd, and blush'd and then 
 was married. 
 
 — Goldsmith. 
 
 Lewis Ketchum. 
 
 Lewis Ketchum was born February 14, 1819, at Quaker 
 Hill, Dutchess County, N. Y., and, while yet quite young, 
 came with his parents, Elijah and Anice Ketchum, to 
 Smithville to reside. In 1849 he became a resident of 
 Oxford, having in February of that year bought the Philip 
 Bartle farm on Panther Hill, where he still resides with 
 his granddaughter, Mrs. Baron Gale. Panther, or 
 " Painter Hill " as it is now commonly called, derives its 
 name from the fact that the last panther in this vicinity 
 was killed on it. 
 
 Emmarilla Bartle, a comely maid, was a member of 
 Elijah Ketchum's household, and it was not long ere 
 Lewis, then twenty-three years of age, had avowed his 
 love for her. One winter's night, it was the 13th of Janu- 
 ary, 1842, Thomas S. Purple, a justice of the peace, 
 dropped in to spend a social hour with his neighbors. 
 During a lull in the conversation, Lewis spoke up and 
 said: 
 
 " 'Squire Purple, can you tie a knot with your tongue 
 that you can't untie with your teeth? " 
 
 The 'Squire was not slow in understanding the ardent 
 lover's wants and replied : " That I can, young man. Is 
 it a marriage knot that you want tied? " 
 
 " It is," said Lewis, " and I want it done now and 
 right here." 
 
 " Very well," answered the 'Squire, as he arose from 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 321 
 
 his chair, " you take me by surprise and must wait a short 
 time, that I may get over my confusion." 
 
 " All right, 'Squire, we'll be ready when you are." 
 
 Thus speaking, Lewis crossed the room where Emma- 
 rilla was spinning wool on the big wheel, dressed in a 
 light short gown and brown quilted petticoat; her arms 
 were bare, and her hair was gathered away from her 
 flushed cheeks and knotted behind her ears. The wheel 
 was humming a quick measure, and she trod lightly back 
 and forth, the wheelpin in one hand, the other upraised 
 holding the tense, lengthening thread, which the wheel 
 rapidly devoured. 
 
 " Emmarilla," fondly spoke the youthful lover, " put 
 away your work, for this shall be our wedding day." 
 
 " Wait a while, Lewis," was the shy reply, " I want 
 to get my twenty knots before nine o'clock." 
 
 " We'll not wait at all," answered he, and trustingly 
 she placed her hand in his and was led, blushingly, before 
 the Justice. 
 
 By this time 'Squire Purple had overcome his nervous- 
 ness and soon made them man and wife. The parents of 
 the groom witnessed the simple ceremony and with tear- 
 ful eyes in heartfelt words gave their blessing. 
 
 On January 13, 1892, after having passed on life's path- 
 way, through winter storms and summer sunshine for 
 half a century. Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum gathered their 
 friends and relatives together and celebrated their golden 
 wedding. On the second day of the following month Mrs. 
 Ketchum passed away at the age of 69 years. 
 
 Children : 
 
 Harriet, died January 14, 1903; married November 8, 
 1861, George Webb of Oxford. 
 
 Warren E., born September 10, 1850; died in infancy. 
 
 Anice a., born Januarj^ 3, 1852; died in infancy. 
 
}22 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Of right and wrong he taught 
 Truths as refin'd as ever Athens heard ; 
 And, strange to tell, he practic'd what he preached. 
 
 — John Armstrong. 
 
 Benjamin Cannon. 
 
 Benjamin Cannon was born at Cannonsville, Delaware 
 county, June 11, 1818. He entered Oxford Academy in 
 1835, where he studied two years, then joined the sopho- 
 more class of Union College, graduating in 1840. After 
 finishing his college course, he spent a year in the law 
 office of Judge Amasa J. Parker at Delhi. He continued 
 his studies with Henry VanDerLyn, in this village, and 
 was admitted to the bar in New York city in 1843. During 
 the next year occurred his marriage with AnnaM., daugh- 
 ter of Epaphras Miller of Oxford. Remaining here in the 
 practice of his profession until 1850, during which time he 
 was appointed Examiner in Chancery, he removed to Can- 
 nonsville, named from his father, where he resided until 
 elected County Clerk of Delaware county in 1853, being 
 reelected in 1856. Returning to Cannonsville in 1859, he 
 passed the intervening years until the spring of 1873, when 
 Mr. Cannon came to Oxford, having purchased the Will- 
 eox residence, now the Memorial library^ He died at the 
 age of 59, on the 19th of December, 1877. Children : 
 
 Robert M., born April 26, 1848; married December 22, 
 1881, Antoinette, daughter of Col. George D. Wheeler of 
 Deposit. Has four daughters. Mr. Cannon is vice presi- 
 dent of the Albermarle and Chespeake Canal Co., Norfolk, 
 Va, Elizabeth B., born May 29, 1850; married January 
 21, 1875, at Oxford, Robert W. Archbald, now United 
 States Judge at Scranton, Pa. J. Lathrop, died April 7, 
 1856, in Delhi, aged 4 years. Charles B., born March 
 15, 1856, resides at Cannonsville. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 323 
 
 How the Doctor's brow should smile 
 Crown'd with wreaths of chamomile. 
 
 — MOOKE. 
 
 Mowry Family. 
 
 The Mowrys, formerly spelled Morey and Mori, are of 
 English stock and descendants of the Earl of Mori. The 
 first of the name to emigrate to America came over in 
 the Mayflower and settled in Providence, R. I., and after- 
 wards some of the family moved to Whitehall, N. Y. Pre- 
 vious to 1806, Dr. Phillip Mowry, his wife Ruth, and 
 six children came to Oxford from the latter place. Dr. 
 Mowry was a tall, spare man, active till within five years 
 of his death, when the dial of time marked 100 years. 
 Mrs. Mowry died at the age of 90 years. Children : 
 
 George. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 George Mowry, born October 23, 1765 ; died October 23, 
 1823, in Oxford ; married June 11, 1809, Sally Manly of Ox- 
 ford, born February 26, 1791, died February 26, 1830, in 
 Oxford. Studied and practiced medicine in Oxford, and 
 was very methodical in his ways. He owned and occupied 
 a residence which stood near the present site of the Clarke 
 block, the grounds extending to the river. He and his 
 wife were buried in the old cemetery on State street. Dr. 
 Mowry was about four feet in height and used two canes 
 when walking, which was seldom. His wife always helped 
 him mount his horse whenever his practice called him 
 any distance, and when fairly astride he made a very odd 
 appearance. His legs and arms were those of a tall man, 
 but his body was very short, in consequence of a curvature 
 of the spine, in those days called rickets. 
 
324 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Capt. James Thompson of Norwich frequently told an 
 amusing incident in regard to Dr. Mowry, both of whom 
 were members of the Masonic lodge in this village. Joseph 
 Richmond, a neighbor of Capt. Thompson, came with him 
 one night to Oxford to join the lodge. Richmond was 
 an unassuming man and stuttered when embarrassed. 
 After entering the lodge room Capt. Thompson jokingly 
 said to him that when initiated he would see the devil, 
 as his Satanic majesty always took part in the work. 
 At that instant the door opened and Dr. Mowry entered, 
 stooping forward with flowing hair over his deformed 
 shoulders and reaching out his long silver headed canes 
 directly toward them. Richmond jumped up and excitedly 
 exclaimed : " Goo-od God, th-th-there he comes ! " The 
 captain was highly amused and could scarcely restrain 
 his laughter as he arose to greet the doctor. 
 
 Dr. Mowry was one of the original members of the 
 Chenango County Medical Society, of which he was the 
 first secretary, an office he held for over fifteen consecu- 
 tive years. 
 
 Washington Mowry, born April 19, 1777; died May 20, 
 1859, in Oxford; married Hannah Curtis, daughter of 
 Deacon Solomon Curtis, who lived on the farm now owned 
 and occupied by Whitman Mowry. Mrs. Mowry was born 
 April 2, 1782; died July 25, 1870, in Oxford. Washing- 
 ton Mowry, when but a lad of 17, selected the land now 
 known as the George Root farm, and assisted by his father 
 made a clearing near a spring and erected a rude house 
 to live in. He continued to clear and improve the land, 
 and when opportunity offered set out many fruit trees, 
 among which were apple, pear, peach, plum, and cherry. 
 As his means increased he built a large and commodious 
 house and numerous barns, and at his death owned a fine 
 farm of 230 acres. He was an inveterate smoker and a 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 325 
 
 man of very few words, aside from matters pertaining to 
 his farm. 
 
 Children of George and Sally (Manly) Mowry, all of 
 whom were born in Oxford: 
 
 EuTH Eliza, born August 10, 1810. After her mother's 
 death lived in the family of Deacon Wm. Gile. Died 
 November 7, 1831. 
 
 Sally Cassandra, born January 16, 1812. Lived with 
 family of Dr. Cleveland, druggist. Died June 20, 1831. 
 
 George Phillip, born January 28, 1814 ; died June 28, 
 1885, in Geneva, N. Y. ; married Mary Rodman, who, in 
 1905, was still living. While a young man clerked in the 
 drug store of Dr. Cleveland in Oxford and later went 
 to Geneva, where he engaged in the drug business with 
 Luther Kelly. Had nine children. 
 
 DeWitt Clinton, born May 18, 1816, died July 26, 
 1848, in Middlebury, Ohio; married Ehoda Allen of Mid- 
 dlebury. Children: Allen and Henry. 
 
 OcTAViA Aldruda, bom September 16, 1818; died July 
 23, 1877, in Flint, Mich. Lived in the family of Samuel 
 Farnham, merchant, for a time and then went to a rela- 
 tive's in Pennsylvania, where she met and married Dr. 
 
 Fish. They came to Oxford for a three days' visit 
 
 and then left for Flint, Mich., accompanied by Mrs. Fish's 
 sister, Helena. Children: two sons and two daughters. 
 
 Washington Jefferson, born December 28, 1820, is 
 now a resident of Kansas City, Kan. He married in 1850, 
 Mrs. Khoda (Allen) Mowry of Coventry, Ohio, widow of 
 his brother DeWitt. She died August 23, 1906, at Kansas 
 City, Kan. After the death of his mother Mr. Mowry lived 
 with his uncle, Washington Mowry, four months and then 
 returned home with his aunt, Mrs. Arnold Briggs, of 
 Smyrna, who had come to Oxford to attend the funeral 
 of her mother. There he stayed till he was fifteen years 
 
326 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 old and then returned to his Uncle Washington's in Ox- 
 ford, remaining till after his twenty-first birthday. Dur- 
 ing this time his uncle never mentioned the name of his 
 brother, the father of his nephew. Becoming tired of 
 farm life, Washington J. drifted westward and located 
 at Akron, Ohio, near where his brother DeWitt lived. 
 Later he engaged in the manufacture of Sarsaparilla beer 
 at New Lisbon, Ohio, and then entered the grocery busi- 
 ness at Salem, Ohio, but soon sold out to his partner and 
 returned to New York, where he worked a year and a 
 half for his brother George in Geneva. Still having a 
 fondness for the West he left Geneva and finally located 
 at Turner Junction, 111,, remaining there twenty years. 
 Here he bought land, built a large house, kept boarders 
 and again entered into the grocery trade. During four 
 years of this time was postmaster at Turner Junction. 
 In 1870, with his family, Mr. Mowry again started west 
 for Kansas City, Mo., but, not liking the place, went to 
 Fort Scott, Kan., where he rented and kept a hotel for 
 ten months, then located at Arkansas City, Kan., having 
 been engaged in farming and hotel business. Of his chil- 
 dren but one is now living, WilmotDeLancy Mowry, who 
 is married and resides in Kansas City, Kan. 
 
 Helena Cordelia, born April 10, 1823; died May 14, 
 1900; married in Flint, Mich, John Sutton, a merchant 
 tailor. Children : Lell M., married James Potter, of Flint; 
 George, married and lives in Buffalo, N. Y. ; Josephine, 
 married William Tennant of Saginaw, Mich. 
 
 Children of Washington and Hannah ( Curtis) Mowry, 
 two sons dying in infancy: 
 
 Almira, died April — , 1827; married about 1826, Syl- 
 vanus Koot. Child: George W., married (1) Harriet 
 Bowers; married (2) Mary J. Jacobs. 
 
 Lydia, born February 26, 1810; died November 13, 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 527 
 
 1888; married May 5, 1830, Nicholas Walker of Oxford. 
 Children : Frances E., born July 15, 1842 ; married James 
 Murray, a native of Scotland, and resides on the old 
 homestead. Washington, born February 27, 1846; died 
 March 20, 1851. Austin G., born May 21, 1849; died 
 July 14, 1895; married Betsey Dent of Greene. 
 
 George W., born April 24, 1806; died suddenly Au- 
 gust 17, 1885, in Oxford ; married January 5, 1832, Polly 
 Eoot of Oxford, born April 20, 1802 ; died August 4, 1886. 
 Children : Bertha Almira, died in infancy ; Heniy A., 
 born October 30, 1834 ; married Emeretta Hutchison ; Van- 
 Buren, born December 27, 1839; died November 23, 1890; 
 married Sarah A. Wheeler. 
 
 Phila, born January 10, 1812; died April 5, 1897; 
 married Elislia Dickinson. 
 
 Solomon C, born February 11, 1814 ; died January 26, 
 1886; married December 15, 1836, Abigail C. Havens. 
 Children: Sarah M., died in infancy; Whitman R., mar- 
 ried Sarah P. Wheeler; Charles L., married Augusta A. 
 Brewer; Sarah C, died March 18, 1849; Curtis S., married 
 Alice L. Root. 
 
 Andrew, born August 4, 1816; died November 7, 1900; 
 married February 27, 1840, Hannah Carhart of Oxford, 
 Children: Lydia M., died in infancy; Narcissa A., mar- 
 ried February 26, 1862, Julius Wheeler ; Andrew F., died 
 November 16, 1897, married September 27, 1869, Jane 
 Bloomer; Phila A., married June — , 1868, Adelbert See- 
 ley; Washington E., married October — , 1882, Emma 
 Lewis. 
 
 Wilson G., born , 1824; died June 7, 1888, in 
 
 Troupsburg, N. Y. ; married Luc^'^ A. Greene. 
 
 Zeruah, born , 1820; died August 19, 1884, 
 
 in Coventry', N. Y. ; married William Walker. 
 
328 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 God's finger touched him and he slept. 
 
 — Tennyson. 
 
 Ray Clarke. 
 
 Ray Clarke, who lived on what is now the Cone farm, 
 was born February 13, 1782, at Newport, R. I., and died 
 in 1847 at South Oxford. He married Celia Greene of 
 Warwick, R. I., born January 10, 1776; died August 9, 
 1829, at East Greenwich, R. I. In 1825, when traveling in 
 Tennessee, he was overtaken by a heavy storm in the 
 Cumberland Mountains and exposed all night to its fury. 
 This brought on an attack of brain fever, from which he 
 never fully recovered. Among his children were: 
 
 Cecelia Greene Clarke, born in 1808; died in 1880; 
 married Judge George A. Brayton, Chief Justice Rhode 
 Island Supreme Court for thirty-one years. 
 
 Ethan Ray Clarke, born January 10, 1818, at Po- 
 towoiiiut, R. I. ; married October 29, 1810, Mary E. Mil- 
 lard of Warwick, R. I. He was educated at Jamaica 
 Plains, Mass., and inherited property from his grand- 
 father, including a farm in this town. He removed to 
 Oxford in 1840 after his marriage, and entered the min- 
 istry in 1851, becoming pastor of the Free Will Baptist 
 church in the east part of the town. He removed to 
 Genesee county in 1856, and, during the Civil war, went 
 as Chaplain of the 1st R. I. Cavalry, and then later the 
 25th N. Y. Cavalry, serving until 1865. In 1866 he re- 
 turned to Oxford and remained until 1870, when he 
 removed to Michigan. Children : 
 
 Susan Celia, born in Oxford ; married Wm. E. Marwin 
 of Jersey City. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 329 
 
 Anna Augusta, born in Oxford; married James P. 
 Boyd of Chicago. 
 
 Isabella Emily, born in Oxford; died April 25, 1888; 
 married Arthur M. Mayhew. 
 
 Mary Eijzabeth, born at Oxford; married William 
 J. Rose. 
 
 Jessie, born October 10, 1849, in Oxford; died No- 
 vember 8, 1864, at Buffalo. 
 
 George Brayton, married Florence J. Holley; resi- 
 dence, Vernon, Mich. 
 
 Ray, born January 13, 1855, in Oxford; died January 
 6, 1865, at Buffalo. 
 
 Ward Greene, born January 2, 1859, at Stafford, N. Y. 
 A physician and professor of dental surgery in Rush 
 University, Chicago. 
 
 Ilis life was geutle ; aud the elements 
 
 So mix'd in him, that Nature might stand up, 
 
 And say to all the world, This was a man! 
 
 — Shakespease. 
 
 Amos A. Franklin. 
 
 Amos A. Franklin was born in Stonington, Conn., June 
 27, 1785. He learned the trade of cabinet maker in New 
 London, Conn., and came to Oxford in 1808, where he 
 was active in advancing the interests both of religion 
 and education. He fitted up the upper story of his cabi- 
 net shop to make a comfortable place for holding meet- 
 ings, instituted a flourishing Sundaj^ school, of which he 
 was for many years sui>erintendent. In the long inter- 
 vals when the Presbyterian church was without a pastor, 
 
330 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 being too poor to afford continuous support, with the 
 assistance of other members of the church he held meet- 
 ings, which were well attended, reading some well selected 
 sermon. He was for many years a trustee of Oxford 
 Academy. In company with James A. Glover he estab- 
 lished in 1829 the Oxford foundry. Mr. Franklin was a 
 member of the State legislature in 1829, was a partici- 
 pator in getting the Chenango canal, at that time consid- 
 ered of great importance to the prosperity of the town, and 
 was one of the special commissioners sent to Albany to 
 look after its success. He was a magistrate in Oxford 
 for about twenty years, and sheriff of the county one term. 
 In 1847 he moved to Wisconsin and assisted in building 
 up a church in his new home, of which he was ten years 
 a deacon. He died April 14, 1858, in Patch Grove, Wis. 
 He married (1) in October, 1809, Anne Howe of Spring- 
 field, Vt., who died July 12, 1811, aged 21 years. Married 
 (2) in eTanuary, 1814, Minerva, daughter of Anson Gary, 
 whose death occurred May 23, 1859, in Patch Grove, Wis. 
 
 Child by first wife: 
 
 Stephen. 
 
 Children by second wife : 
 
 Hannah, married Anson Cary, 2d. 
 
 MiNEKVA, married Rev. Samuel H. Stevenson, died Janu- 
 ary 27, 1872, in Oilman, 111. 
 
 Anna. 
 
 Sarah. 
 
 Mary. 
 
 Richard. 
 
 Amos. 
 
 Edward. 
 
 Benjamin, died October 23, 1843, in Wisconsin, aged 18. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 33» 
 
 They are soldiers. 
 Witty, courteous, liberal, full of spirit. 
 
 — Shakespeare. 
 
 Sherwood Family. 
 
 Asa T. Sherwood was baptized in Greens Farms, Conn., 
 July 4, 1762; died in Guilford, N. Y., June 18, 1834, 
 where he settled when it was a part of Oxford; married 
 Mary Phillips. He was one of those small Connecticut 
 boys who went into the Revolutionary army as soon as 
 he could hold a gun and served seven years. His broth- 
 ers and sisters, some of whom settled in this section, were : 
 Levi, Elen, Isaac, Abigail, John and Hezekiah, twins, and 
 Hannah. His children were : Isaac, David, William, Asa, 
 Phopbe, Gorham, Sally, and John. 
 
 William Sherwood, third child of Asa T. and Mary 
 (Philips) Sherwood, was born June 2, 1793, in Greens 
 Farms, Conn.; died May 9, 1875, in Norwich, N. Y.; 
 married Abigail Smith, of Oxford, born September 18, 
 1800; died August 21, 1850. William Sherwood served 
 in the War of 1812 and was with General Scott at Sack- 
 ett's Harbor. 
 
 Children, all born in Guilford, N. Y. : 
 James W., 1st, born May 5, 1818; died July 20, 1820, 
 in Guilford. 
 
 David L., born September 25, 1819; died suddenly No- 
 vember 8, 1891, in Oxford; married Susan C. Peabody, 
 died September 22, 1897, in Oxford. Children : Charles 
 W., married Anna Estabrook ; Frederick, married Hattie 
 Judd; Emogene, died in Utica, unmarried; Ida, married 
 Charles B. Eaton, died in Tacoma, Wash.; Abigail. 
 
332 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Charles S., born February 7, 1822; died August 21, 
 1900, in Lebanon, 111.; married Mary J. Riley. 
 
 Nehemiah, born June 22, 1824 ; died May 21, 1893, in 
 Greene; married Lucy A. Rice, died June 12, 1899, in 
 Greene. 
 
 SOPHRONA A., born April 9, 1827; died November 12, 
 1896, in Norwich, unmarried. 
 
 Nancy Eliza, born March 29, 1829 ; married James H. 
 Allen, born in 1822; died February 10, 1898, in Frank- 
 fort, N. Y. 
 
 Edmund T., born February 10, 1831; died October 3, 
 1895, in Norwich, unmarried. 
 
 Eugene, born June 18, 1834; married Susan Whita- 
 more and resides in Binghamton. Served three years in 
 Civil Avar. 
 
 James W., born February 7, 1837; married Cordelia 
 T. Judson, and resides in Oxford. Served three years in 
 Civil war. 
 
 Susan C, born October 7, 1839; unmarried. Resides 
 in Norwich. 
 
 The descent of James W. Sherwood of Oxford from 
 Thomas Sherwood, who came to America from Ipswich, 
 England, in 1034, is as follows: I. Thomas, II. Isaac, 
 III. Thomas, died August 5, 1756, in Albany, N. Y., where 
 he was in Capt. Whiting's company in the campaign of 
 1756; IV. John, V. Asa, VI. William, VII. James W. 
 
 The descent of Asa T. Sherwood, on the maternal side, 
 is, I. John Rowland, born in 1593 in England. By first 
 wife, said to be a daughter of Gov. Carver, he had a 
 daughter II. Desire. John Rowland was a prominent 
 man in the Plymouth Colony; was governor's assistant, 
 etc., and is named among the first in the list of Mayflower 
 passengers. Desire, born in 1623, in Plymouth, married 
 Capt. John Gorham, who was a great soldier, and lost 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 333 
 
 his life from disease contracted when fighting the Nar- 
 ragansett Indians. There are sevei*al towns named Gor- 
 ham for him, and Gorham, Maine, has a monument erected 
 to him. He and Desire had III. Jebez, born August 3, 
 1656, in Barnstable, Mass., who married Hannah 
 (Sturges) Gray, and they had a son IV. Joseph, born 
 August 22, 1692. Joseph married Deborah Barlow, and 
 had V. ;Mary, who married John Sherwood, and they were 
 the parents of VI. Asa T. Sherwood. 
 
 Ofifering to carry weary traveller 
 His orient liquor, in a crystal glass. 
 
 — Milton. 
 
 Andrew Achorn. 
 
 Andrew Achorn, who had been one of England's " Hes- 
 sian hirelings," in the war of the Revolution, but who, 
 aft«r being captured with Burgoyne's army, came to know 
 and love the American people, whom, he said, he had been 
 taught to believe were all savages. At the close of the 
 war many of these soldiers remained and settled in the 
 country they had fought against. Achron drifted into 
 South Oxford, where he lived to a good old age, well pre- 
 served in the whisky of that day. He was a good me- 
 chanic and farmer, and had a large orchard and cider 
 mill which flowed large quantities of cider. It was a 
 place for the tramping Indians and a resort for Abe 
 Antone and his band w^hen they went into that neighbor- 
 hood to hunt. Achron was a gunsmith, having learned 
 the trade in Germany, and did a good business by re- 
 pairing guns and making steel traps for the Indians. He 
 and Antone were fast friends. When Antone was in hid- 
 ing, after murdering John Jacobs in Madison county, it 
 was Achorn who secreted and sheltered him until the 
 searcli in this section was over. 
 
334 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 The sun was set ; the night came on apace, 
 And falling dews bewet around the place, 
 The bat takes airy rounds on leathern wings. 
 And the hoarse owl his woeful dirges sings. 
 
 —Gay. 
 
 Wheeler Family. 
 
 Of the early history of Hezekiah Wheeler, from whom 
 the whole Wheeler family in this vicinity is descended, 
 little is known. He was probably bom and raised in the 
 vicinity of Gloucester, R. I., and spent his youthful days 
 there. He Avas born about the year 1749 or '50, and was 
 married to Mary Wood about 1773. Soon after his mar- 
 riage he enlisted in the Patriot army of the Revolution 
 as a minute man, like every other able-bodied man of that 
 day who was not enrolled in the regular army. The min- 
 ute men were permitted to remain at home, but were liable 
 to be called out in an emergency on short notice when 
 an invasion took place or when army stores and supplies 
 were to be guarded. At the close of the war Mr. Wheeler 
 settled down on a farm in Gloucester, where, in connection 
 with his farm, he conducted a hotel, which, being on the 
 public highway leading from Gloucester to Providence, 
 and being withal a genial landlord and a popular man, he 
 soon amassed a fair competence. 
 
 On the 8th of October, 1813, Mr. Wheeler came to Ox- 
 ford, where some of the family had already preceded him. 
 During this year he had had a protracted illness which 
 nearly cost him his life, but on the 27th of September his 
 health having improved, he with his wife, and Nicholas 
 Smith, wife and child, started on the long and tedious 
 journey to join their friends in the then famous " Che- 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 335 
 
 nango county." Their prog^ress, necessarily slow, was 
 a part of that general trend of New England blood toward 
 the setting sun, which so markedly characterized the 
 early part and middle of the last century, and took place 
 at the time when it was going " out west " to go into 
 New York State. 
 
 Their friends became very much alarmed and anxious 
 at their failure to arrive on the day expected, and, on 
 October 8, Nehemiah Wheeler and Arnold Phetteplace 
 started out to find trace of them. Passing through Rock- 
 dale, Mt. Upton, up the Butternut creek, and through 
 Gilbertsville, without any tidings, they continued the 
 search until near Morris thp travelers were discovered 
 slowly approaching. After joyful greeting had been ex- 
 changed the journey toward their destination was resumed 
 which would consume many hours. Night fell, the wolves 
 howled, and terror began to exert its sway as they passed 
 beneath hemlock trees whose heavy boughs overhung their 
 path. Late in the evening they reached their journey's 
 end, the log house of Eddy Phetteplace, the husband of 
 their daughter Anna, where a warm fire of crackling logs 
 and a warmer greeting introduced them to their western 
 home. 
 
 The farm where Mr. Wheeler located is now owned 
 by Nelson Turner. During the fall of 1827 it became 
 evident that his earthly pilgrimage was drawing to a 
 close, and that he with his companion of so many years 
 were soon to be numbered with the departed. On January 
 8, 1828, his spirit took its flight into the great unknown. 
 Mrs. Wlieeler was too ill to be informed of her husband's 
 death, and on the following day, after an interval of 
 twenty-seven hours, their spirits were reunited. They 
 were both buried in one grave at the Gospel Hill cemetery 
 in Guilford. Children : 
 
5^6 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Hezekiah, born November 5, 1775; died February 26, 
 1779. 
 
 Mary, born September 10, 1777, in Gloucester, R. I.; 
 died January 7, 1863, in Providence, R. I. ; married Oliver 
 Wade of Gloucester, R. I., born June 4, 1773; died May 
 8, 1853, in Providence, R. I. Children : Susan, born April 
 4, 1795; died January 16, 1882; married Asaph Smith. 
 Wheeler, born October 2, 1796 ; died June 22, 1809. Nancy, 
 born May 1, 1800 ; died July 8, 1887. Deborah, born De- 
 cember 25, 1804 ; died January 16, 1884. Sarah B., born 
 February 21, 1807 ; died May 11, 1880. Violetta, born May 
 8, 1808 ; died October 23, 1893. Nathaniel, born April 19, 
 1811; died September 20, 1841. Mary M., born July 19, 
 1813; died November 27, 1902. Paris, born January 19, 
 1816; died March 28, 1854. Serrie, born November 28, 
 1821 ; died October 19, 1872. 
 
 Anna, born December 17, 1779, in Gloucester, R. I. ; died 
 October 10, 1859, in Springfield, Pa. ; married April 20, 
 1796, Eddy Phetteplace of Gloucester, R. I., born February 
 29, 1776, in Gloucester; died August 15, 1861, in Spring- 
 field, Pa. Mr. and Mrs. Phetteplace settled in Oxford in 
 1811 , but in April, 1813, the town of Guilf ortl, then called 
 Eastern, was set off from Oxford, which made them resi- 
 dents of Guilford. Children : Arnold, born June 8, 1798 ; 
 died in Sabona, 111. Mary, born August 31, 1800; died 
 August 10, 1871, in Wisconsin. Isaac, born April 27, 1802 ; 
 died May 12, 1815. Minerva, born November 18, 1804; 
 died December 31, 1841, in Oxford. Eddy W., born April 
 21, 1808; died about 1898 in Jamestown, N. Y. David T., 
 born February 13, 1800; died February 18, 1868, in Wis- 
 consin. Hezekiah, born July 11, 1812 ; died May 20, 1891, 
 in Cliautauqua, N. Y. Anne, born May 16, 1815 ; died May 
 8, 1892, in Wisconsin. William, born January 4, 1818; 
 died November 23, 1883, in Michigan. Eli, born June 6,. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 357 
 
 1821; died June 29, 1865, in the army. John, born July 
 18, 1823. 
 
 Henry, born February 26, 1782, in Gloucester, E. I.; 
 died October 24, 1855. Married Naomi Phillips, born June 
 
 10, 1784 ; died March 9, 1874. Children : Nehemiah, born 
 July 23, 1802 ; died June 29, 1872 ; married Fanny Burli- 
 son; (children, Lee, Hezekiah, Nathan, Willis, Peter, 
 Nehemiah, Minerva, Lily.) Thomas, born December 13, 
 1803 ; died June 4, 1875 ; married ( 1 ) Alma Stead ; married 
 (2) Charity, widow of Stephen Stead; (child by first wife, 
 Angel S.). Jeremiah, born December 21, 1805; died May 
 
 11, 1864; married Almira Brown; (children, Orrin, An- 
 drew, John, George, Eddy, Elizabeth). Anna, born No- 
 vember 26, 1807 ; died February 22, 1839 ; married Gardner 
 Wade. Hezekiah, born December 4, 1809 ; died March 29, 
 1816. Henry, born November 18, 1811 ; died May 14, 1902 ; 
 married (1) Miranda Shapley; married (2) Emma Lamb; 
 (children by first wife, Maria, married Devillo Hallett; 
 David, married Janette Knight; Julius, married Narcissa 
 Mowry; Thomas, married Lydia E. Dickinson; Sarah, 
 married YanBuren Mowry. (Child by second wife, Julia 
 M., married George Hovey). Naomi, born February 1, 
 1814; died June 7, 1901; married John Shapley; (children, 
 Martha, Hannah). Luke, born January 27, 1816; died 
 January 23, 1860; married (1) Sarah Evans; married (2) 
 Pamelia Gray; married (3) Mary Ann Gray; (children by 
 second wife, Jirah, married Janette Smith ; Sarah, married 
 Whitman Mowry; Gerritt, married Hattie Hovey). Ru- 
 fus, born April 2, 1818; died July 27, 1896, in Whitney 
 Point; married Elizabeth Willcox; (children, Nancy, mar- 
 ried Abram Coxe; Priscilla, married (1) Silas Rogers; 
 married (2) Samuel Rounds; John P., married (1) Lot- 
 tie Smith; married (2) Mrs. Carrie Cline; Mertie died 
 young). Mary, born February 27, 1820; died April 28, 
 
338 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 1888; married Reuben Pearsall; (child, Edgar A., married 
 Marietta Moon). Philip, born July 31, 1823; died Octo- 
 ber 11, 1878 ; married Lavina Scott ; ( children, Anna, mar- 
 ried Joseph Baker; Randall, married Marilla Stead). 
 Nancy, born January 16, 1827 ; died October 28, 1839. 
 
 Susanna, born October 17, 1786, in Gloucester, R. I.; 
 died August 19, 1858, in Guilford, N. Y. ; married Nicholas 
 Smith, sou of Perigrine Smith of Gloucester, R. I. ; came 
 to Oxford October 8, 1813. Children : Mary, born Decem- 
 ber 29, 1811, in Rhode Island; died August 3, 1891, in 
 Pennsylvania. Susan, born December 31, 1813, in Oxford ; 
 died December 31, 1847, in Guilford. Isaac P., born No- 
 vember 18, 1815, in Oxford ; died May 25, 1875, in Pennsyl- 
 vania. George, born December 18, 1817, in Oxford; died 
 February 3, 1848, in Guilford. James W., born March 1, 
 1820, in Oxford; now resides in Bainbridge. Miranda, 
 born November 16, 1822, in Oxford; died February — , 
 1825, in Oxford. William H., born April 6, 1827, in Ox- 
 ford ; died January 31, 1899, in Guilford. Elvira O., born 
 September 8, 1830, in Guilford. 
 
 The introduction of noble inventions seems to tiold by far the most 
 excellent place among human actions. — Bacon. 
 
 The Chenango Foundry. 
 
 The Oxford Foundry was established in April, 1829, as 
 the Chenango Foundry, by Amos A. Franklin and James 
 A. Glover. They introduced the first steam engine into 
 this town, and were the first establishment of the kind west 
 of the Hudson river to use steam power. They carried on 
 tlie business a few years, when Levi Chubbuck and Erastus 
 Miller became associated with Mr. Franklin. The business 
 was continued a short time under the name of A. Franklin 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 339 
 
 & Co., when E. P. Willcox became a partner and the firm 
 name was changed, to Franklin, Willcox & Co., who oper- 
 ated it three years. Messrs. Franklin and Miller then 
 withdrew, and the remaining partners continued under the 
 name of Chubbuck & Willcox. On the 28th of August, 
 1846, the foundry, then owned and occupied by E. P. Will- 
 cox, took fire and, with the plow shop and wareroom at- 
 tached, was entirely consumed. Only a portion of the 
 plows, stoves, etc., were saved. The loss was several thou- 
 sand dollars. The shop was rebuilt and Mr. Willcox con- 
 tinued the business in connection with a hardware store 
 till March, 1859, when he sold to George Rector and Eli 
 Willcox, v/ho, on the 29th of October, 18G0, dissolved part- 
 nership, Mr. Rector purchasing the entire interest of Mr. 
 Willcox. In January, 1868, Mr. Rector disposed of the 
 foundry to James ]M. Edwards, and the hardware store to 
 Messrs. Raymond & Miller. Mr. Edwards did a general 
 machine and foundry business till November 23, 1883, 
 when early on that morning the foundry, together with all 
 the machinery, patterns, etc., was again destroyed by fire, 
 nothing being saved. Loss about |5000, with an insurance 
 of |2500. The wood shop was saved. The foundry has 
 never been rebuilt. The building was constructed of stone 
 and was about 40 by 62 feet, two stories high, and stood 
 upon the same foundation as the one burned in 1846, which 
 was only one story high. 
 
 THE ONEIDA ANNUAL CONFERENCE of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church was held in thisviUage in 
 August, 1842, and nearly 200 ministers were in attendance. 
 Bishop Hedding was present and presided with ease, dig- 
 nity, and dispatch. On Sunday, during the conference, ten 
 elders and seventeen deacons were ordained. 
 
340 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 In life there are meetings which seem 
 hike a fate. 
 
 — Owen Mebedith. 
 
 Jacobs Family. 
 
 Cornelius Jacobs, born in 1720 in Holland, came to 
 America at a very early age with his parents. In the same 
 vessel that brought them over was a family from France, 
 whose name is now lost to history. This French family 
 had a daughter nearly the age of Cornelius. On landing 
 in New York the two families traveled together to a point 
 in Dutchess county, N. Y. The infants were placed in 
 baskets, slung over the back of a horse and thus made the 
 journey to their new home in America. In later years they 
 again met, renewed their acquaintance and married. Mr. 
 Jacobs died January 22, 1805, in Dutchess county. Their 
 children were : Lewis, who went to Vermont at an early 
 day and became lost to the family. Israel, born in 1744, 
 lived most of his life in Westchester county; at an ad- 
 vanced age he came to Oxford to reside with his nephew, 
 who was his namesake, and died July 23, 1832, unmarried. 
 Cornelius, Jr., born May 19, 1754, in Westchester county; 
 died April 18, 1811, in Durham, Greene county, N. Y. ; fur- 
 ther mention of Cornelius, Jr., is made below. 
 
 One incident is related in regard to Cornelius, Sr. He 
 was accustomed to say grace at the table in the most 
 reverent manner. One day during the ceremony the family 
 cat took a notion to sharpen her claws upon his leg. 
 Dressed in his knee breeches and long thin stockings, it 
 proved a very severe experience, and the well-known formu- 
 lary could scarcely be finished, when he shouted in great 
 wrath, " Ilabbit the cat! " 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 341 
 
 Cornelius Jacobs, Jr., married about 1784 Elizabeth 
 Lyon at North Castle, Westchester county, N. Y., born 
 eTuly 8, 1764; died September 27, 1848, in Oxford. She 
 was a girl of twelve years when General Howe gained 
 possession of New York. Cornelius was in the Revolu- 
 tionary war, having enlisted at its commencement and 
 serving to the end. He was one of the body guard of 
 General Washington, and as he was a light man and a 
 bold rider, was employed in carrying dispatches. The 
 service required skill in horsemanship, tact, daring, in- 
 tegrity, and great power of endurance. During the entire 
 war he held this position, a perilous and arduous one that 
 took him much of the time from camp, and during the 
 seven years was never in a battle. At the close of the war 
 he was paid in Continental money, nearly worthless, and 
 went back to begin life in empty handed poverty at 35 years 
 of age. In April, 1811, Mr. Jacobs found himself with a 
 large family struggling with poverty and anxious for the 
 future. Finally it was decided that they leave Dutchess 
 county, where they were residing, and start for the west 
 and locate in the " Chenango country." Accordingly he 
 started on horseback, leaving his wife to pack the house- 
 hold goods and stow them away so that an incoming tenant 
 could have the house. The Catskill turnpike had been 
 opened a few years previous, a thoroughfare of great in- 
 terest to the people of the Hudson valley. Over this Mr. 
 Jacobs traveled and in the course of a few days arrived at 
 the home of his brother-in-law, David Lyon, who had 
 located above Oxford in 1792, on the brook now known by 
 his name. The only place he could find for his family was 
 a part of a log cabin in the woods a few rods east of what 
 was so long known as the VanDerLyn farm in South Ox- 
 ford. After a few days he started on the return trip for 
 his family, who were waiting in suspense, and when in the 
 
34a ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 town of Durham, about thirty-five miles from home, he 
 became seriously ill. After lingering between hope and 
 fear, striving in the meantime to get word to his wife, he 
 died before she could reach him. Here began the struggle 
 of a heroic woman and mother, whose strong character 
 appears in bold relief, shining out from the early history 
 of the town. She had nothing to do but return and face 
 the rayless night that had settled upon her surroundings. 
 The widow of one week with the assistance of two sons, 
 aged 17 and 15, turned her face toward Oxford. The chil- 
 dren and goods were put into two wagons and the journey 
 commenced in the last week of April, 1811. Six days were 
 consumed in their pilgrimage, that is now compassed in 
 about as many hours. Reaching Oxford, the children and 
 goods were placed in the rude cabin, which soon became 
 home with all its sacred attachments. After a struggle of 
 two years they were forced to move into another log house 
 in the vicinity of the river bridge at South Oxford, work- 
 ing the land on sliares for a year. The family then moved 
 on to the Roswell Enos farm, one mile above the village, 
 where toil and economy brought more of the comforts of 
 home and more experience to the boj^s. Their father had 
 at the close of the war drawn a " soldier's right " of 160 
 acres, situated near Auburn, N. Y., but thought it of very 
 little value and sold it for a horse, saddle, and bridle. 
 Thus throwing away a golden opportunity. 
 
 In a short time his sons were old enough to go into the 
 woods in " the Deserts," and then and there commenced a 
 struggle for a home, clearing the land, purchasing the title 
 and living at the same time. But few can realize the hard 
 times experienced by the pioneers following the war of 
 1812. The year 1816 was called the year without a sum- 
 mer. The year following was nearly as bad. Mrs. Jacobs 
 and her familv were near the famine state and at the same 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 343 
 
 time endeavoring to pay for land at |5.50 per acre. But 
 perseverance and sturdy hearts won the battle and homes 
 for the children, some of whom had grown into rugged men 
 and women. 
 
 Children of Cornelius and Elizabeth ( Lyon ) Jacobs : 
 
 Mary, born June 25, 1786 ; died April 10, 1879 ; married 
 May 25, 1811, Stephen Lake, born June 20, 1786 ; died No- 
 vember 12, 1857. 
 
 Susan, born November 22, 1788; died March 1, 1852; 
 married Eber Isbell. 
 
 Israel, born April 26, 1791 ; died July 29, 1857 ; married 
 (1) in 1810 Jane Anderson, born February 3, 1787; died 
 April 19, 1848; married (2) June 11, 1849, Mrs. Julia 
 Kinney, born January 5, 1813; died February 1, 1881. 
 
 Thomas, born October 13, 1793 ; died February 18, 1875 ; 
 married October 6, 1816, Phebe A. Stratton, born July 17, 
 1798 ; died February 15, 1883. Children : Alfred S., born 
 December 8, 1817; married Laura Holladay; (children, 
 Amanda, died in infancy; Luancy H., married John H. 
 Gifford; Alvine, married Alice H. Sweet; Alice, married 
 T. G. Stanton; Charles H., married Lucina E. Sweet; 
 Agnes A., married Thomas J. Root). Susan Ann, born 
 April 1, 1820, married George Davidson. Thomas H., 
 born July 21, 1822; married Nancy Holladay; (children, 
 Francis H., married DeEtta Rathbone; John P., married 
 Louisa Rathbone). Alvin, died in infancy. Harriet C, 
 born December 25, 1825 ; married Laman Pearsall. Peter 
 G., born June 22, 1828; married Caroline Ferris; (chil- 
 dren, Carrie L., married William T. Kelsey; William K., 
 married Mrs. Ella Graves Edwards; Mary F., married 
 Asa P. Hyde. Harriet C). Austin, died in childhood. 
 Darwin, born September 19, 1833 ; married Tamer E. Wes- 
 sels; (child, Albert J.). James A., born November 13, 
 1835; died November 24, 1856; unmarried. 
 
344 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Cornelius, born February 28, 1796; died December 21, 
 1872; married November 13, 1824, Ann Baldwin, born 
 December 21, 1801; died November 26, 1867. Children: 
 John, born August 16, 1825; married Catherine Healy. 
 Daniel B., born October 28, 1827 ; married Jerusha A. Hin- 
 man. Israel, born September 22, 1831 ; married Sarah E. 
 Hull. James E., born August 5, 1836; married Catherine 
 Norris. 
 
 William G., born May 28, 1798; died in infancy. 
 
 Eliza Ann, born January 28, 1800 ; died July 24, 1885 ; 
 married January 1, 1817, William Stratton, born August 
 13, 1795; died January 7, 1879. 
 
 William Lyon, born July 21, 1802 ; died April 6, 1876 ; 
 married Phila Giff ord, born November 17, 1807 ; died Octo- 
 ber 13, 1886. Children : Jane E., married Henry Race. 
 Three children died in infancy. 
 
 George Alvin, born January 22, 1805; died May 27, 
 1848; married January 31, 1830, Elnora Adams, died July 
 18, 1880. Children : Susan, Jane A., Vashti, George. 
 
 James H., born May 1, 1807; died June 23, 1884; mar- 
 ried November, 1833, Sarah Miller, born July 31, 1813; 
 died February 27, 1905. Children: Zeruah E., born 
 August 2, 1834. Mary J., born November 18, 1836. Israel 
 P., born May 25, 1839; married (1) Lisetna DeF. Brazee; 
 married (2) Emma Hay ward. S. Elexey, born May 30, 
 1841; married N. D. Bartle. James, born May 21, 1843; 
 married Sarah J. Bunnel. Ann B., born May 22, 1847; 
 married Wheaton Race. 
 
 Edwin T., born January 16, 1809; died August 1, 1889, 
 at Pitcher, N. Y.; married (1) September 23, 1832, Mary 
 Ann Noble, born November 23, 1811 ; died June 19, 1881 ; 
 married (2) March 28, 1888, Mrs. Martha L. Darrance. 
 Children by first wife: Infant son; Ira D., in Civil war 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 345 
 
 and died September 19, 1863, at Folly Island, S. C. ; Ed- 
 win T, Jr. 
 
 Edwin T. Jacobs was for many years a prominent Bap- 
 tist minister and well known in this section of the State. 
 In an article prepared for the writer in 1888 he stated : 
 
 From the Indian trail to the iron rail ; from the pine knot blaze to 
 the electric light ; from the trammel and crane to the kitchen range ; 
 from the saddle to the Pulman car ; from the power of muscle to the 
 power of steam. These are notches on the tall stick of time. Measured 
 by epochs of by-gone ages they seem but the brief steps of childhood, 
 but taking the vast changes and wonderful progress in human events, 
 they seem like the tread of a giant. The hardy woodman and his 
 family found that suffering and progress were inseparable, that self- 
 denial is the price of everything valuable in human attainment, and 
 that labor is the force that wins. 
 
 How well I remember the old round table turned up against the wall. 
 We looked forward very impatiently to the time when it was drawn 
 out, turned down and a pin inserted to keep it in place. Then the tin 
 basins were placed in a circle to the number corresponding with the 
 hungry mouths, and filled with milk if there was enough, if not the 
 balance was supplied with water. Mother was a very practical woman 
 with a vast amount of inventive genius. Young ladies and gentlemen, 
 these are the days of fine arts, but the coarser arts were studied then 
 In the hard school of necessity. 
 
 At that time there were no schools as at present and no church 
 privileges, nor a church edifice in the county. A road was cut through 
 the woods east from Coventry station, and it was a saying that Sunday 
 only went up as far on that road as a certain rock, all beyond was no 
 Sunday. But 
 
 The groves were God's first temples. Ere men learned 
 To hew the shaft, and lay the archtrave, 
 And spread the roof above them. 
 
 The writer has often attended services in a barn and sat " up gal- 
 lery " on the scaffold or on the hay mow, the only cushioned seats, and 
 watched the old white-haired minister as he waded through his sermon 
 of an hour and a half, pausing when half through to take a pinch of 
 snuff. Conventional rules were dispensed with, and so was his coat 
 in very warm weather. But the question of bread could not be dis- 
 pensed with, though broadcloth and brass buttons might There is 
 nothing like a boy's appetite except it is a girl's. After bread came 
 clothing. Richard Arckwright had taught the world the art of spin- 
 ning by machinery, but in the backwoods of America every yard of 
 cloth needed for clothing was the product of home manufacture. The 
 little wheel, the big wheel, the distaff and reel, and the old loom in the 
 corner were always called into requisition. No power loom had then 
 been invented, but behind these rude implements of domestic art was 
 the power of a mother's love. The hands that held the distaff, txirned 
 the wheel and pressed the lathe never struck for wages. I wish some 
 artist could reconstruct that old kitchen with the trammel and lug-pole, 
 the bake-kettle on the hearth, the frying pan held by its long handle 
 over the blazing fire, and a lot of hungrj' boys and girls waiting for 
 
346 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 the Indian loaf or flapjacks. The artist must not omit the " old wooden 
 roclier." Then in that relic of tlie by-gone days, clasped in the loving^ 
 arms and pressed to the warm heart of that best of mothers, my 
 childish tears have often been dried and the rough passages of life 
 made smooth. 
 
 The only question about clothing was where to find the wool and 
 flax. Sheep are not found in the wilderness, though wolves may be. 
 and it was sought among the older farmers on the river, then worked 
 up " at the halves," making the labor double. How well I remember 
 my first jacket and trousers. They were made of green flannel, and 
 how anxiously the process of making was watched. At last they were 
 finished and submitted to the inspection of the household. The next 
 Sunday morning was bright and beautiful. Invested in the suit I was 
 a boy enlarged, elongated, bifurcated ! Life and the nineteenth cen- 
 tury were opening grandly. But a change came over the spirit of my 
 dreams and the first great downfall of my life awaited me — I fell into 
 the slop pail. And now to see that new suit, the pride of the house- 
 hold, and the triumph of a mother's skill, drawn out of the ruins with 
 the remains of a boy in it. Do you wonder that after almost 80 years it 
 Is called to mind. It was the first thing I do remember, and the last 
 thing to be forgotten. 
 
 He stands erect ; his slouch becomes a walk. 
 He steps right onward, martial is his air. 
 His form and movement. 
 
 COWPER. 
 
 Bliss Willoughby. 
 
 Bliss Willoughby, son of Joseph and Bridget (Wick- 
 wier) Willoughby, was born in New London county, Conn., 
 February 22, 1767. When sixteen years of age he enlisted 
 in the Revolutionary army, and served the last six months 
 of the war. While in service he marched three days with- 
 out food, and the last night, coming to a place where cattle 
 had been slaughtered, found a paunch, which he emptied 
 and washed in a nearby creek, and with five companions 
 ate it with a keen relish. When lie laid down to rest he 
 slept soundly through the night, and awoke in the morn- 
 ing to find himself half under water, a heavy rain having 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 347 
 
 set in. Mr. Willoughby was not in any general battle, but 
 while on a march came to a place where the British were 
 burning buildings, who hastily took to their boats, but 
 before they could get out of gun shot distance he saw 
 many of them fall into the water. After being discharged 
 and paid off he started for home, finding that it took $30 
 of Continental money to buy a meal of victuals. He had 
 but little schooling, only three months in two winters. He 
 lived on a farm in Westchester county for a short time, 
 when he moved to the farm now owned by Griffin Bros., in 
 Preston, February 23, 1800, where he had bought 600 acres 
 of land. He was on the road eighteen days, finding the 
 snow four feet deep in the forests. Here he remained till 
 after the war of 1812, when he was forced to leave, being- 
 unable to make payments. He then lived a few years on 
 the farm now owned by Lazarus Gallagher, and then 
 bought the place, now known as the Willoughby farm, on 
 the road from Oxford to Guilford, where he lived until his 
 death, which occurred May 31, 1849. He married April 
 20, 1791, Fanny Patton, born January 10, 1768 ; died Feb- 
 ruary 7, 1815. Children : 
 
 Nancy, born April 25, 1792; married in Preston James 
 Ashcraft of Connecticut. 
 
 David P., born in Mottville, Conn., April 20, 1794 ; died 
 February 21, 1883 ; married in 1818 Charlotte McNeil of 
 Oxford, who died December 29, 1891, aged 93. Soon after 
 their marriage they moved into the south part of the town, 
 settling upon a farm which they cleared and lived upon 
 over forty years. In 1862 they removed to the west side of 
 the river in South Oxford to reside with their son. They 
 united with the Oxford and Greene Baptist church in 
 1837, and for a period of sixty-five years enjoyed married 
 life. Children: John Bliss, married Mary Ann Race; 
 (children, Marcia, married David Bartle; Rector, married 
 
348 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Rosalia Stratton; Chester, married Emma Stratton). 
 Sarah Maria, died April 29, 1906, in Binghamton ; married 
 Albert Jewell. 
 
 Levi C, born March 9, 1796; married Nancy Black; 
 lived and died in Ohio. 
 
 Margaret P., born February 4, 1799; died January 
 13, 1815. 
 
 John B., born January 16, 1802; died May 23, 1885; 
 married ]May 3, 1829, Nancy Shapley, born in 1806; died 
 October 19, 1897. They resided on the homestead farm 
 during the remainder of their lives. Children : Francis 
 E., married Janette E. Root; residence, Rockford, 111. 
 William D., born February 10, 1833; married September 
 18, 1861, Lucy E. Willcox of Preston; until 1889 he re- 
 sided on the homestead, when he moved in the village. 
 John H., born in 1842; died in 1891; married L. Louise 
 Woodruff. 
 
 Eliza P., born August 17, 1804; married Samuel Eddy. 
 
 LiJCETTA, born June 24, 1807, in Preston, N. Y. ; mar- 
 ried February 21, 1836, George N. Havens of Oxford. 
 
 William D., born January 2, 1811; died April 11, 1832, 
 in Oxford; unmarried. 
 
 I shall show the cinders of my spirits 
 Through the ashes of my chance. 
 
 — Shakespeare. 
 
 Ira Willcox. 
 
 Ira Willcox was born in Durham, Greene county, N. Y., 
 August 22, 1788. He commenced business in the county 
 of his birth, where he resided till 1812, when he removed 
 to Norwich, and soon after made his home in Oxford, where 
 he lived, until his death, thirty-nine years. On coming to 
 this village he opened a store in the vicinity of Washington 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD J49 
 
 park. In 1833 he built the brick block on Fort Hill, con- 
 tinuing the mercantile business until 1840, when he retired. 
 Mr. Willcox was a member of Assembly from this county 
 in 1831, and in 1830 was elected president of the Bank of 
 Chenango in Norwich, which place he continued to fill 
 while he lived. He was a large, fine looking man, weigh- 
 ing 200 or more pounds; of strong mind, great energy of 
 character and of persevering industry. These qualities soon 
 enabled their possessor to acquire a fortune. Mr. Willcox, 
 while on a southern trip, died at Jacksonville, Florida, 
 November 29, 1852, aged 64. He married Rachel Austin 
 September 22, 1813, who was born at Durham, N. Y., Sep- 
 tember 22, 1793, and died at Oxford July 31, 1817. On 
 February 20, 1819, he married Lucy Willcox, who was born 
 at Chatham, Conn., October 28, 1793, and died at Oxford 
 January 22, 1873, aged 79, after suffering from consump- 
 tion for a quarter of a century. His children were : 
 
 Chauncey a., who died at Oxford September 14, 1817. 
 
 Mary Elizabeth, a gifted and cultured young lady, who 
 only reached the age of 19, dying on July 31, 1838. 
 
 Ann Augusta, for many years prominent in religious 
 and social life, of a most friendly and generous spirit. 
 Her last years were fraught with disease and suffering; 
 she died at Philadelphia November 8, 1885, aged 70 years. 
 She married Nathan B. Willcox February 10, 1842, who 
 died at Whitesboro, N. Y., February 7, 1854. Two daugh- 
 ters survive : Mrs. Theresa B., Zueliz, and Mrs. Charlotte 
 Combs of Philadelphia. 
 
 Ira Willcox's store on Fort Hill was the principal one in 
 the town, and he had an ashery on one of the streets lead- 
 ing to the Lackawanna station. At that day Chenango 
 county was new and cleared lands scarce, except along the 
 river. He purchased large quantities of ashes gathered 
 from the fallows at six cents per bushel, put them into 
 
350 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 leaches, made lye and boiled it down to black salts, trans- 
 porting them to Catskill, from there by sloops to New 
 York, where they were sold and the proceeds returned in 
 goods to his store. After a time he built ovens and pearled 
 the salts into pearl ash, which lessened the weight and in- 
 creased the value. Farmers from around the country 
 would drive wagons loaded with salts, pearl ash, etc., to 
 Catskill, taking a week to make the round trip. They re- 
 turned with all kinds of merchandise. For two years Mr. 
 Willcox purchased large quantities of oats at fifteen to 
 eighteen cents a bushel, potatoes at twelve cents a bushel, 
 and butter at six cents a pound, loaded them in arks, con- 
 structed of rough planks put together tightly, made on the 
 bank of the river near the store, and when the spring 
 freshets came floated down the perilous tide to a southern 
 market. The first year he had the good luck to pass safely 
 down the rapid stream, but the second year he stove up in 
 endeavoring to pass a bridge near Harrisburg and lost 
 heavily, everything being washed down the river. This was 
 the last of the ark business on the Chenango. 
 
 Our human laws are but the copies, more or less imperfect, of 
 the eternal laws, so far as we can read them. 
 
 — Fboude. 
 
 Village By-Laws in 1810. 
 
 The following extracts from the village by-laws ai-^e 
 copied from the Chenango Patriot of September 11, 1810 : 
 
 AT A MEETING 
 
 Of the Trustees of the Village of OXFORD, convened at the dwelling 
 house of Erastus Perkins, innholder, in said Village, on the 6th day 
 of September, 1810, the following BYE-LAWS and RESOLVES 
 were ordained and established. 
 
 Sec. I. T)E IT RESOLVED BY THE TRUSTEES OF THE VIL- 
 D LAGE OF OXFORD, IN LEGAL MEETING CON- 
 VENED, That in addition to the officei-s particularly defignated by 
 
LAFAYETTE SQUARE— Before trees were set out in the Park in 1905 
 
 FORT HILL MILL— Remodeled froin structure erected shortly after 1800 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 351 
 
 the act of incorporation, there fhall be elected by the Trnftees, when 
 it fhall by them be thought expedient, a Vice-Prefident, a Secretary, 
 and not lefs than two nor more than four officers, to be defignated by 
 the name of Ediles. * * * The duty of the Ediles fhall be to 
 execute all laws relating to the improvement of the ftreets, allies and 
 fquares, all laws relating to nuifances, all laws relating to delinquen- 
 cies under the fifth and fixth fections of the bye-laws, and fhall alfo 
 be pound keepers. 
 
 Sec. II. BE IT ALSO RESOLVED, That all meetings of the Truf- 
 tees hereafter to be had shall be warned by the Prefident, giving four 
 hours perfonal notice, or three days public notice in writing, fet up on 
 one of the pofts of the central arch of the bridge ; and that all ex- 
 traordinary meetings of the free-holders and inhabitants of faid village 
 fhall be warnned by the Pi-efident, giving eight days like notice, or 
 publifhing the fame in fome newfpaper printed within the village, 
 giving not lefs than five nor more than eight days notice. * * * 
 
 Sec. IV. AND WHEREAS it is at all times convenient that the 
 village location be marked with accuracy and diftinctnefs, to prevent 
 ambiguity in reference to be made in any bye-law or refolve of the 
 Board of Truftees touching the fame, BE IT THEREFORE OR- 
 DAINED, That that part of the village fub-allotted and plotted by 
 Doctor Jofiah Stephens, lying on the fouth-eaft fide of Chenango-river, 
 a plan of which is appended to his truft deed executed to the Prefident 
 and Directors of the Chenango Turnpike Road Company, fhall in the 
 number of lots, the names of fquares and ftreets, be and the fame is 
 hereby eftablifhed. That the ftreet running parallel with the Chenango 
 river on the weft fide thereof, fhall for ever hereafter be known by 
 the name of Water-ftreet ; that the Public Square on the north-weft 
 fide of the river, and between Water-ftreet and the river fhall forever 
 hereafter be known by the name of Market-Square ; that the ftreet 
 running from Market-Square weft-north-wefterly, commonly known by 
 the name of the State Road, be for ever hereafter called and dif- 
 tinguifhed by the name of Cayuga ftreet. 
 
 Sec. V. Swine, geefe, and ducks fhall not be fuffered to go at large 
 within the village, and if any fuch are found it fhall be the duty of 
 the Ediles or any one of them, to caufe the fame to be impounded, and 
 the Edile fo impounding the fame fhall immediately thereafter caufe 
 a notification thereof to be fet up on one of the pofts of the central 
 arch of the bridge. * * * 
 
 Sec. XI. AND WHEREAS it is important both to the convenience 
 and fafety of the citizen, that no obftruction be interpofed to the fafe 
 paffage over the Chenango-bridge in faid village, BE IT RESOLVED, 
 That no individual or individuals fhall be fuffered at any time here- 
 after to ufe the faid bridge as a log way, or to lay or depofit thereon 
 any log, logs, or timber of any kind. * * * 
 
 Sec. XII. BE IT ALSO RESOLVED, That as foon hereafter as the 
 treafury fhall be in a fituation competent to difburfe the neceffary 
 expenfe, and on the order of the Prefident, the Ediles fhall caufe Main- 
 ftreet, from the houfe of Uri Tracy, efquire, to the bridge, Gx'eene- 
 ftreet, as far as the Academy, Academy-Square, Merchant's Row, Fort 
 Hill Square, Market Square, Water-ftreet from the houfe of Anfon 
 Cary, efquire, to the house now occupied by John B. .Johnfon, and Cay- 
 uga-ftreet to the fchool-houfe, to be lined with lombardy populars or 
 other ornamental trees. 
 
3S3 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Sec. XIV. WHEREAS ALSO, the firing of guns in the public ftreets 
 and fquares of the village is a boyifh paftime, not unfrequently at- 
 tended with great mifchiefs and hazard to the citizen, the fame is 
 hereby prohibited. » * ♦ 
 
 Sec. XIX. The foregoing bye-laws fhall be immeditely printed in 
 the Chenango Patriot and fhall go into operation the firft day of 
 October, one thoufand eight hundred and ten, and not before. 
 
 By order of the Trustees, 
 
 THOMAS BUTLER, President. 
 
 When I 
 
 . . sleep in dull cold marble. 
 
 Say, I taught thee. 
 
 — Shakespeabe. 
 
 David G. Barber. 
 
 David G. Barber, A. M., born February 19, 1817, in 
 Fort Ann, N. Y. ; died December 1, 1899, in Oxford ; mar- 
 ried September 22, 1841, Milicent E. Griswold of New 
 Berlin, bom August 9, 1819, died December 6, 1901, in 
 Oxford. 
 
 Mr. Barber was born on a farm, but in early life de- 
 veloped a desire for an education, which was obtained in 
 the district schools, at the old Academy at Hamilton, and 
 at Oxford Academy, then under the charge of Prof. Merrit 
 G. McKoon. He first taught in Litchfield, N. Y., and 
 then in other district schools until he located at South 
 New Berlin, where he taught a select school for several 
 years. From there he went to Norwich and taught in 
 the Academy, returning to South Berlin, and in 1859 took 
 charge of Oxford Academy as principal, a position he 
 held eleven years. No teacher in the long list of instruc- 
 tors in the Academy, the history of which covers more than 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 353 
 
 a century, ever had the love and respect that Prof. Barber 
 commanded. He was gentle, kind, and patient, harsh 
 words and forcible methods were unknown, and his school 
 was a model of good order and earnest work on the part 
 of his pupils. The Academy, during his principalship, en- 
 joyed a successful season, and was largely attended. A 
 large number of prominent business and professional men 
 throughout the country, " my boys," as he was accustomed 
 to call them, owe their success in life to the teachings 
 and moral principals instilled into their minds by Prof. 
 Barber of Oxford Academy. His mild, persuasive powers 
 won that love and respect for him that can never be for- 
 gotten. In recognition of his successful work as an in- 
 stinictor Madison University, now Colgate, conferred upon 
 him, in 1855 the honorary degree of Master of Arts. Years 
 previous he was made a town superintendent of schools, 
 an office now extinct, a position he held three years. In 
 1870 he was elected school commissioner for the second 
 district of Chenango county on the Democrat ticket, and 
 resigned the principalship of the Academy. He held the 
 office for three successive terms, and conducted its affairs 
 faithfully. On his retirement from official duties he lived 
 a quiet life in his pleasant home just above the village, 
 and died commanding the respect of the community. In 
 accordance with his expressed wish a gold-headed cane, 
 presented to him by his pupils while in the Academy, was 
 placed in the casket and buried with him in Riverside 
 cemetery. 
 
 Children : 
 
 Elizabeth Freelove, died in infancy. 
 
 ZoKADA, married Rev. Lewis Halsey; died January 2, 
 1900, in Phcenix, Ariz. 
 
 Caroline, married George S. Keyes. 
 AzALiA, married William T. Coggshall. 
 
354 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Clock of the household, the sound of thy bell 
 Tells the hour, and to many 'tis all thou canst tell ; 
 But to me thou canst preach with the tongue of a sage. 
 And whisper old tales from life's earliest page. 
 
 — Eliza Cook. 
 
 Benjamin Moore. 
 
 Benjamin Moore, born October 19, 1776, in Massa- 
 chusetts ; died April 16, 1846, in Oxford ; married in 1801, 
 Margaret Bell, born July 20, 1784, in the Parish of And- 
 worth, Galloway, Scotland; died February 9, 1845, in 
 Oxford. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Moore came to Oxford shortly after their 
 marriage in 1801, while the country was yet wild and 
 unbroken. They were obliged to follow " blazed " trees, 
 and often were followed by a pack of howling wolves 
 which they kept at a distance by carrying firebrands. 
 Their early life was passed amid hardships and privations 
 known to the pioneers of Chenango county, of which the 
 present generation have no comprehension . 
 
 Children, all born in Oxford: 
 
 Elizabeth, born July 29, 1802; died March 5, 1877; 
 married Thomas Root. 
 
 John, born in 1805; died September 2, 1880; married 
 June 5, 1834, Mary Ann Dodge, whose death occurred 
 December 17, 1889. He was familiarly known as Capt. 
 John Moore, receiving his title from being captain in the 
 local militia. He was a man of remarkable business judg- 
 ment, having accumulated what was considered in his day 
 a large fortune. Children: Helen L., bom October 5, 
 1835, died April 28, 1874, unmarried ; George L., born June 
 17, 1840, died April 6, 1887, married February 22, 1881, 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 355 
 
 Carrie Darling of Guilford ; Margaret Augusta, born Jan 
 uary 2, 1851, died in childhood. 
 
 William, born January 30, 1808; died in infancy. 
 
 Benjamin W., bom June 8, 1813; died in infancy. 
 
 Charles B., born February 2, 1814; died suddenly 
 September 19, 1896, on the farm upon which he was born, 
 now occupied by his son. Married October 28, 1841, Har- 
 riet N. Dodge, whose death occurred April 21, 1886. Mr. 
 Moore held several town offices creditably and with ability, 
 though he never sought political preferment. Child: 
 Ward IT., married Estella Chaddon. 
 
 In records that defy the tooth of time. 
 
 — Young. 
 
 Assessment Roll. 
 
 The following memorandum is taken from assessment 
 rolls of the town and shows the valuation of property as 
 far back as 1807, or earlier, when the town was called 
 Fayette : 
 
 TOWNSHIP OF FAYETTE. 
 
 Garrett Van Waggoner, $600; Peter Whiteside, $900; Jonathan Law- 
 rence, $500; Samuel M. Hopkins, $600; John Quackinboss, $1860; 
 George Gossmar, $2560. 
 
 OXFORD GORE. 
 
 Andrew Mitchel, $400; Robert Gossmon, $680. 
 VILLAGE OF OXFORD. 
 
 Hoyt, Gold all that Lot of land Withe the Building there on, late the 
 homestead of Thomas Butler, Esq.. in the village of Oxford at the N. 
 E. end of academy Square so called is bounded and decribed as follows, 
 to wit : beginning at a point N. * * * along Main Street to Tracy's 
 land * * * by Dan Throop's land * * * to academy Square on 
 the Common along Side Throop's line * * * to the place of be- 
 ginning, being 2 A 2 R 10 P, be it more or less. Amen. So say you all. 
 
 Hoyt, Gold, the large store and lots on which it stands on fort hill 
 
3s6 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Square in said village. Being Lots No. 3 & 4, in a village allotment of 
 Lot 92 in Fayette. Being eacli 50 feet L 7 & a lialf, $800. 
 
 Assessment Roll of the Real and Personal Estates in the town of 
 Oxford, in the County of Chenango, Made the fourteenth Day of May 
 in the year of our Lord, one thousand Eight hundred and Seven, By 
 Reuben Bristol, Gurdon Hewitt, and Benjamin Yale, Assessors for Said 
 Town: 
 
 Ai Beard, $750 ; James Bennet, $525 ; Peter Burgot, $1900 ; Jonathan 
 Baldwin, $1500; Zepheniah Eddy, $400; Benjamite Green, $360; Hosea 
 Goodspeed, $50; Green Hall, $920. 
 
 Sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish, I give 
 my hand and heart to this vote. 
 
 — Daniel Websteb. 
 
 Town Meeting, 1811. 
 
 At the annual town meeting held at Perkins' Hotel on 
 the jftrst Tuesday of March, 1811, the following persons 
 were chosen to fill the following oflflces: Isaac Sherwood, 
 supervisor; Erastus Perkins, town clerk; Samuel Smith, 
 Lyman Ives, Hiel Tracy, assessors; Daniel Johnson, Levi 
 Sherwood, poor masters; Luther Cowles, Daniel Tracy, 
 Asa Gregory, commissioners of highways; Zalmon Smith, 
 Samuel Smith, Alvan Woodworth, Silas Haven, Ira Locke, 
 constables; Samuel Smith, collector. The pathmasters 
 chosen were: David Richmond, Abel Gibson, Jr., Rufus 
 Phelps, Benjamite Green, Levi Sherwood, Alexander Mc- 
 Neil, John Nash, Zalmon Barnum, Archibald Lindsey, 
 Hewitt INIills, Edward Hackett, Jr., Gerrit Burgot, Wil- 
 mot Munson, Henry Gordon, Ebenezer Belknap,, Simon 
 Cook, Augustus Parsons, Elam Yale, Simeon Parker, 
 Thomas Richmond, John Dodge, Abraham Pier, Levi Yale, 
 Gurdeon Chamberlain, Thomas Root, Roswell Drake, 
 Kniffen Wilson, Elemuel Cornwell, John Anson, Daniel 
 Smith, Josiah Hackett, Job Wilcox, William Bennett, Asa 
 Sherwood, Emmaus Locke, Gideon Mead, Aaron Root, 
 Asa Havens, Luther Austin, James Cure, Solomon Bundy, 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 357 
 
 Roswell Holmes, Eliphalet Bristol, James Mudge, Jona- 
 than Godfrey, Amos Kice, John Cely, Joseph White, Wil- 
 liam Cable, Samuel Kent, Samuel Balcom. The fence 
 viewers and pound keepers were : David Tillotson, Russel 
 Root, Thomas Root, Isaac Boyce, Joseph Gifford, Peter 
 Esten, Roswell Morgan, John Nash, Uriah Yale, Amasa 
 Coleman, Amos Burlison, James Hayes, Daniel Johnson, 
 Samuel Balcom, Andrew Miller, Francis Balcom, John 
 Hull, John Miles, Daniel T. Dickinson, Daniel Wetherby. 
 At this meeting it was 
 
 Voted, that the Fence viewers be pound keepers for the present year. 
 
 Voted, that every pound keeper's yard be considered as a sufficient 
 pound. 
 
 Voted, that the Fence viewers receive for their services six shillings 
 a day. 
 
 Voted, that Hogs, Horses, Mules, Jacks or Jenneys shall not be free 
 Commoners the present year, and every person taking either of them 
 to pound shall be entitled to Twenty-five Cents a head. 
 
 Voted, that no beast or tame animal of the four footed kind, shall 
 be a free commoner between the first day of November and April 
 within half a mile of any Store, Tavern, Grist or Saw mill under a 
 penalty of Twenty-five Cents a head. 
 
 Voted, that the owner of every Ram which is found running at 
 large between the 10th day of September and the 10th day of Novem- 
 ber shall forfeit the sum of Two Dollars. 
 
 Voted, that there be a bounty of Ten Dollars for each Wolf Scalp 
 or Panther's caught within the bounds of this Town for the Present 
 Year. 
 
 A true record of the Proceedings of Town Meeting for the present 
 Year. 
 
 Ebastus Pebkins, Clerk. 
 
 But just as he began to tell, 
 The auld kirk-hammer strak the bell. 
 Some wee short hour ayout the twal, 
 Which raised us baith. 
 
 — Burns. 
 
 The Village Bell Ringer. 
 
 The first bell in the county was placed in St. Paul's 
 church in this village in 1818, and was rung for many 
 years by an old man named W^alter Dwight Russell. He 
 was a well known character, and rang the bell on all occa- 
 
358 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 sions, morning, noon and night, and for funerals, after 
 which he struck the age of the deceased. He used to say 
 that he knew when he was a mile away whether he was 
 ringing the bell or not. His business was boring pump 
 logs for water to be conveyed through the village. The 
 following is a fac simile of an advertisement from a paper 
 of that period, which gives an idea of the character of the 
 " old sexton " : 
 
 DIlSlG DONG BELL 
 PAY ME OFF WELL. 
 
 THE worthy inhabitants of the village of Oxford, who, for one 
 long year, have heard the faithful and deep toned admonitions 
 of the village bell, which reminds them of the hours of devotion, danger, 
 rest, and refreshment, will, in their turn, please to salute my ears with 
 the jingle of their CASH. But if they neglect this call, I swear by 
 the " hollow head and long tongue " of my sleep destroying instrument, 
 that the Justice shall rattle his precepts, and the Constable ring a 
 peel that shall make both their ears tingle. 
 
 WALTER DWIGHT RUSSEL. 
 
 When I was sick you gave me bitter pills. 
 
 — Shakespeaee. 
 
 Levi P. Wagner, M. D. 
 
 Dr. Jjcvi P. Wagner was born in Georgetown, Madison 
 county, in the year 1830. His early education was aca- 
 demic, on completing which he entered the Albany Medi- 
 cal College. Upon graduating he came to Oxford in Feb- 
 ruary, 1854, and commenced the practice of his profession 
 in rooms now occupied by Dr. Chas. E. Thompson, dentist. 
 He married January 15, 1857, Julia Emily Sands of 
 Oxford, born February 4, 1838, in Franklin, N. Y. Mrs. 
 Wagner was the daughter of Marcellus and Louisa (Cham- 
 berlain) Sands. Bereft of her parents at an early period 
 in her life, she came to Oxford and resided with her uncle, 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 359 
 
 Dr. Wm. G. Sanda. Her education was completed at 
 Oxford Academy. She died June 18, 1901, in Binghamton, 
 while on a visit. 
 
 Dr. Wagner after his marriage purchased the residence 
 now known as the Congregational parsonage and moved 
 his office thereto, where he remained until commissioned 
 surgeon of the 114th Regt., N. Y. Vol., July 29, 1862, 
 when he immediately entered upon his duties of the office. 
 On the departure of the regiment for the seat of war. Dr. 
 Wagner was presented by his townsmen with a revolver, 
 and by the Masonic lodge with a sword. He remained with 
 the regiment till Sheridan's great battle in the valley of 
 the Shenandoah, when he was detached and put in charge 
 of the Depot Field Hospital at Winchester, Va., of which 
 he had entire control until April 1, 1865. Thereafter he 
 had a important position on the staff of Gen. Hancock, 
 which he held till his muster-out. After the close of the 
 Civil war, becoming enamored of the Southern country, 
 the doctor engaged extensively in cotton raising near 
 Charleston, S. C, where he died on the 14th of October, 
 1872. 
 
 During his residence in Oxford, Dr. Wagner, both in his 
 profession and as a citizen, won a large share of the public 
 respect and esteem, and in the more intimate relations of 
 comijanion and friend, showed his more generous and ex- 
 cellent gifts of head and heart. Mrs. Wagner, with her 
 sons, returned from the South after the death of her 
 husband and made her home in Norwich. Children : 
 
 William Sands, born August 23, 1858, in Oxford ; mar- 
 ried November 24, 1890, Sarah Scott in Norwich. Resides 
 at Syracuse. 
 
 Max, born March 14, 1867, in South Carolina; died 
 October 1, 1900, near Panay, Island of Luzon; married 
 Jennie Macey, and had two children. Served in the United 
 
36o ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 States signal service for six years and later in the govern- 
 ment weather bureau at Washington. At the outbreak 
 of the war with Spain he volunteered in the signal service 
 and spent several months in Cuba and Porto Rico. At 
 the close of the war he was honorably discharged from 
 service. Soon after he accepted a lieutenant's commission 
 and went to the Philippines in charge of the signal service 
 with the 26th U. S. Vol. Infantry. Was killed in ambush 
 by Filipinos, while en route from Jaro to Santa Barbara 
 with Private Lamareux. 
 
 Maud, born September 21, 1868; died in infancy. 
 
 Clement S., twin to Maud, resides in Norwich, and is 
 station agent at Lackawanna depot. Unmarried. 
 
 Florence, born in 1871 ; died in infancy. 
 
 In every rank, or great or small. 
 'Tis industry supports us all. 
 
 —Gay. 
 
 Albert C. Hovey. 
 
 Albert C. Hovey, son of Simon Hovey of Guilford, N. Y., 
 was bom in that town April 17, 1827. His grandfather, 
 who was an carl^^ settler in Guilford, was a brother of 
 Gen. Benj. Hovey, the pioneer of Oxford who gave the 
 town its name. Albert C. Hovey came to Oxford in the 
 fall of 1860, and up to the time of his death, February 
 8, 1901, followed the occupation of a farmer. In politics 
 he was an active worker in the Republican party, and for 
 many years held the town office of assessor. He married 
 (1) March 6, 1851, Mary L. Small of Millbury, Mass., bom 
 November 11, 1831; died July 31, 1858, in Millbury; mar- 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD ?6i 
 
 ried (2) January 2, 1859, Betsey Burton Woodruff, born 
 June 22, 1825, in New Milford, Conn.; died October 1, 
 1901. Children, by first wife : 
 
 Harriet F., married Gerrit Wheeler. Children : Nora, 
 married Seymour Fleming; Emma, married Lee Bixby. 
 
 George A., died March 30, 1884; married (1) Julia 
 Wheeler; married (2) Marilla Hartwell. Children by 
 second wife: Luella, married Homer Padgett; Frank, 
 married Bertha Gilbert; Ethel, married Alvin Stead. 
 
 Hiram Frank, in 1887 married Carrie E. Gifford of 
 Oxford. He followed agricultural pursuits for many years 
 and then moved into the village, where he now conducts 
 an extensive livery business. He has been commissioner 
 of highway and is now holding the oflflce of deputy sheriff. 
 
 William A., married Anna Doolittle. 
 
 Child by second wife: 
 
 Mary L., married Elroy V. Salisbury, and resides on 
 the homestead. 
 
 To tell again a tale once fully told. 
 
 — Bryant. 
 
 A Wolf Hunt. 
 
 In the winter of 1818-19 a wolf had its lair on Fitch 
 Hill, three miles above this village, and sheep were missed 
 nightly from the neighboring folds. Two young lads, 
 Aaron B. Gates and Rathbone Lewis, believing they could 
 kill the beast left the schoolhouse on the east side of 
 the river at noon one day and started in pursuit. The 
 only weapon they had was a gun, which Gates carried. 
 On reaching Fitch Hill these bold young hunters found 
 
36i ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 under a pine root the hiding place of the wolf, but it had 
 left and they followed the tracks until dark into the town 
 of Preston, being unsuccessful in their search. They re- 
 traced their steps, but becoming tired and hungry stopped 
 for the night with a hospitable neighbor. Next morning 
 the boys were joined by a party of a dozen or more and 
 again started in pursuit. Fresh tracks were found around 
 the pine root, but the wolf was again missing and that 
 day's hunt resulted as did the first. The chase was con- 
 tinued for more than a week, and on one or two occasions 
 kept up through the night by some of the hunters, but still 
 the wolf eluded them and killed a sheep every night. 
 Horns were blown at intervals to enable those in pursuit 
 to keep advised of their companions scattered among the 
 hills and valleys. Major James McCall of Preston, a 
 great hunter, though rather portly, followed the trail three 
 days on horseback. Finally the wolf was driven upon the 
 flat below this village, managing though closely watched 
 to elude the vigilance of those on guard, and ran upon the 
 ice in the river, over the dam and under the bridge, .making 
 his escape in the direction of Pharsalia with the hunters 
 closely following. Night coming on, a number of the party, 
 including young Gates, halted at the log house of a Mr. 
 Powell, between East Pharsalia and the " Hook." They 
 were hospitably entertained and early in the morning con- 
 tinued the pursuit, which was to close the chase. An 
 old hunter named Breed, living near a large spruce swamp 
 on what was then known as Moon Hill, hearing the horns 
 of the approaching party, suspected the reason and 
 watched; soon the wolf came in sight and was shot by 
 him. The party, though disappointed at the result of the 
 chase, determined to enjo^^ what was left of it, and placing 
 the carcass in a sleigh drove to this village where a great 
 time was had. They then went to Norwich, stopping 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 363 
 
 at the Gates farm where another team was hitched to a 
 large sleigh and the trophy of the chase placed in a con- 
 spicuous position. At that early day liquor was sold in 
 nearly every store, and, as the delegation halted in front 
 of each, liberal potations were handed out and many of 
 the boys got quite mellow before the finish. Mr. Breed 
 claimed the large bounty then offered on wolves and got it. 
 
 Independence Day, 1824. 
 
 " I'd sooner ha' brewin' clay and washiu' day together than 
 one o' these pleasuriu' days. There's no work so tirin' as 
 danglin' about an' starin'. an' not rightly knowln' what you're 
 goin' to do next. 
 
 — George Eliot, 
 
 In July, 1824, the anniversary of American Independ- 
 ence fell upon Sunday, but, notwithstanding this, the citi- 
 zens were patriotic and held three celebrations on the 
 following day. The Gazette of July 7, states : 
 
 INDEPENDENCE. 
 
 The anniversary of American Independence was celebrated in this 
 village on Monday. 
 
 At an early hour a large concourse of citizens of this, and the ad- 
 jacent towns, assembled at Perkins' Hotel. Capt. M'Call's troop of 
 horse, and Capt. Glover's company of artillex-y, were paraded to unite 
 with the citizens in the proceedings of the day, and deserve much credit 
 for their martial appearance and military evohitions. A numerous 
 procession was formed and proceeded to the Presbyterian Church. 
 When the procession was formed there appeared on the groiind. Six- 
 teen Revolutionary officers and soldiers — men who had braved the 
 dangers of war to secure our country's freedom. They formed them- 
 selves into a hollow square, and Col. Tracy the marshal of the day, 
 committed to their charge two national standards ; which were borne 
 by two of the veterans within the square. The sight of the colours 
 under which they had fought and bled, and the sound of martial music, 
 appeared to reanimate these old soldiers, they marched off the ground 
 with military precision and firmness, in the full enjoyment of the 
 blessings of Liberty and Independence. The exercises in the church 
 were commenced by an impressive prayer, by the Rev. Mb. Wickham. 
 
364 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 A choir of singers, and a band of Instrumental music, are deserving 
 of great praise, for ttie liiglily creditable manner in which they per- 
 formed the national and patriotic airs, and other musick selected for 
 the occasion. 
 
 The Declaration of Independence was read by Mr. Thokp, at the 
 close of which he very eloquently eulogized the writer and the signers 
 of that instrument. 
 
 The Oration by Mb. Allen, was listened to with the most profound 
 attention. The auditors awarded to him their full approbation of the 
 sentiments advanced by him, and were highly gratified by his pathos 
 and his eloquence. 
 
 After the exercises at the church the procession again formed, and 
 returned to the Hotel, where between 200 and 250 citizens sat down 
 to an excellent dinner, provided by Mr. Perkins. — After dinner, Toasts 
 were drank, accompanied with the discharge of cannon and music by 
 the band. 
 
 In the afternoon upwards of 100 Ladies repaired to Doct. Packer's 
 Island with a band of Musick, and partook of refreshments prepared 
 for the occasion. Towards evening a nimiber of Gentlemen joined 
 them and the day was closed in sociable conversation with much good 
 feelings. Several Volunteer Toasts were given containing much senti- 
 ment, but which we are unable to publish for want of room. 
 
 The third celebration was reported in the Gazette, as 
 follows : 
 
 FOURTH OF JULY IN OXFORD. 
 
 The day was celebrated with unprecedented brilliancy, on the summit 
 of the eminence in rear of E. Clark's Hotel. Distinguished fellow citi- 
 zens from the adjacent towns honored the day with their presence. 
 Mr. Clark dined nearly 500 persons, and it was estimated that 1000 
 were present — It was truly a proud day, for freemen rich and poor. 
 Several revolutionary veterans rallied around the proudly waving flag 
 of liberty, and drank the memory of our much loved Washington. 
 
 We select a few of the numerous Volunteer Toasts on the occasion : 
 
 By a gentleman from Norwich : 
 
 The Young freemen of Chenango opposed to Patent Gentlemen and 
 ))iock draicing-room dignity. 
 
 By a gentleman from Coventry : 
 
 The Yeomanry of the United-States — the tag-rags and hoht-ail^, in 
 the hour of doubt and peril their country's best defence. 
 
 By a gentleman from Bainbridge : 
 
 Our Farmers, Mechanics and Laborers — in time of war, Soldiers. 
 
 By a gentleman of Oxford : 
 
 The Sowers of discord — may they reap hemp well twisted. 
 
 By a gentleman of Oxford : 
 
 The officers and soldiers of our country — May they never draw the 
 sword without cause, nor sheath it without conquest. 
 
 By a gentleman from Pharsalia : 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 365 
 
 The American Fair — They will never Surrender to any arms but 
 those of Freemen. 
 
 The Gazette of July 14, contains the following com- 
 munication from the ladies: 
 
 Mb. Hunt, The gentleman who furnished for your last week's paper 
 the account of the celebration of the 4th July, at Perkins' Hotel in 
 this village, connected with it also (inadvertently no doubt) the Ladies' 
 celebration. The Ladies wish it to be distinctly understood that they 
 were in no wise identified with either party, and they disclaim any 
 newspaper plausibility calculated to mislead the public. They cele- 
 brated on " Cork Island " which has always been viewed as neutral 
 ground. An invitation was given to all the reputable females within 
 the precincts of the corporation, rich and poor. Indeed their primary 
 object was to discountenance invidious distinctions in the celebration 
 of public festivals. 
 
 In the issue of the following week, Mr. Hunt states : 
 
 It will be seen that on the anniversary of the day from which we 
 date our freedom — two or three parties were got up to celebrate that 
 event. We regret that on this occasion such animosities among citizens 
 of a town should exist, as to prevent a strict unity of feeling and 
 good will for each other — and we hesitate not to say, that if a deaf 
 ear was turned to the voice of demagogues and designing men and 
 that if every individual viewed mankind as they ought that all men 
 are born free, equal, and independent, that no dissentions, no jealousies 
 and animosities would exist, but that all would be peace, harmony and 
 concord among us — and we hope that when another year shall roll 
 around that j\'e may be as united in celebrating as were our fathers 
 in achieving our iudependeuce. 
 
 On the light of Liberty you saw arise the light of Peace. 
 
 — AVebstee. 
 
 Samuel Baldwin, M. D. 
 
 Samuel Baldwin, M. D., was born in November, 1756, 
 in the town of Egremont, Berkshire County, Mass. At 
 the age of 17 he was one of the drafted militia of his native 
 State, and served in the Continental army at different 
 periods thirteen months. In the year 1775 he was a " min- 
 
3^6 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 ute man," being called into active service soon after the 
 battle of Lexington, on the 19tli of April of that year. 
 He joined the Continental troops at Boston, where he re- 
 mained three months. In the following January he was 
 one of the volunteers who marched into Canada, in prose- 
 cution of one of the most difficult and perilous enterprises 
 undertaken during the Revolutionary contest. Besides 
 suffering from an attack of the smallpox at Montreal, on 
 his way to that place, he marched in one day sixty miles, 
 on the ice of Lake Champlain. In the spring of 1777 the 
 army, under General Gates, having been obliged to re- 
 treat before the combined British force of the North, Mr. 
 Baldwin returned to Egremont much reduced and en- 
 feebled by the hardships and privations which he had 
 endured. He was drafted again in the following Septem- 
 ber, and once more joined the army under General Gates. 
 He was present at the battle of Saratoga and witnessed 
 one of the most important events of the Revolution, the 
 surrender of Burgoyne on the 17th of October, 1777. After 
 this Mr. Baldwin devoted himself to study, and succeeded 
 in acquiring a substantial education in the ordinary 
 branches of English learning, together with a sufficient 
 knowledge of the languages to enable him to begin the 
 study of medicine. At the age of 28 he entered upon the 
 practice of his profession in the town of West Stockbridge, 
 Mass., where he continued for sixteen years, during which 
 he was twice elected a Representative to the Legislature. 
 In the year 1800, after the death of his wife, he removed 
 to Wyoming, Pa., where he resided, with the exception 
 of two years spent in Ohio, until he came to this village 
 in 1819, where he spent the remainder of his life with his 
 daughter, Mrs. Epaphras Miller. He died September 2, 
 1842, aged 86. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 367 
 
 Milo Porter. 
 
 Milo Porter, born in 1808 at Waterbury, Conn., came in 
 early youth to Smithville, when he came to Oxford and 
 purchased the farm now owned by M. E. Wooster, near 
 the W. R. 0. Home. Mr. Porter resided upon this place 
 forty-five years, or until his .death, which occurred August 
 27, 1899. Mrs. Porter died August 5, 1889. Children : 
 
 Fidelia, married (1) Samuel A. Small, of Millbury, 
 Mass.; married (2) Henry B. Stone, of Worcester, Mass., 
 where she died in 1906. 
 
 Pauline, resides in Oxford; unmarried. 
 
 Walker, married Alice Brizee. Resides in Oxford. 
 
 Theodore L., died January 11, 1864, aged 14. 
 
 I have done the state some service, and they know it ; 
 No more of that ; I pray you, in your letters, 
 When you shall these unlucky deeds relate. 
 Speak of me as I am ; nothing extenuate, 
 Nor set down aught in malice. 
 
 — Shakespeare. 
 
 Nathaniel Locke. 
 
 Nathaniel Locke came to Oxford as early as 1800, for 
 he received the appointment of sheriff of Chenango County 
 on the 12th of August, 1801, being the second person to 
 hold that office in this county. He was also the second 
 State senator from Chenango, serving four years from 
 1806, and was in the Assembly in 1810. Mr. Locke built 
 the residence on Albany street, now occupied by Chas. W. 
 Brown, Esq. He married Mary Hovey, daughter of Gen. 
 Benjamin Hovey. His death occurred June 6, 1820, at 
 the age of 54 years. Child : 
 
368 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Charles Floyd Thomas Locke, was born in Oxford 
 and became a prominent citizen and business man. He 
 served several terms as deputy sheriff, and in 1851 rep- 
 resented the town as supervisor, having been elected on 
 the Whig ticket. He married in 1817. Addeliza Wood, 
 who died May 25, 1854, aged 57 years. His second mar- 
 riage was to Mrs. Eliza A. Willcox of Oxford, May 27, 
 1855. Her death occurred October 31, 1856, at the age 
 of 38 years. Early in 1857 he went on a visit to Omaha, 
 and on his return was taken ill in St. Louis, where he 
 died May 13. Mr. Locke was very popular in the com- 
 munity. A universal joker, he had a word for everybody 
 and a curt reply for anything said to him. Whoever of 
 his associates met him expected and received a return of 
 real wit. He was one of the best hearted men, full of 
 sympathy for the afflicted and an open hand for charitable 
 purposes. Children by first wife: 
 
 Mary G., born in 1818; died December 20, 1849, in 
 Portsmouth, Ohio; married Smith. 
 
 John Van Ness, born in 1820. He received the title of 
 Major during his connection with a militia company in 
 this village. In July, 1852, he went to California and 
 his efforts in mining were favored by fortune. On the 
 17th of October of that year, while driving a loaded team 
 between Stockton and the mines, the mules took fright 
 and threw him to the ground, where the wheels of the 
 wagon passed over him, terminating his existence. Mar- 
 ried September 18, 1845, in Utica, Catherine Helen Clarke, 
 born March 29, 1819, in Brookfield, N. Y. Children: Mary 
 Elizabeth, married September 1, 1869, in Chicago, Edwin 
 Hanson; residence, Denver. John Foote, residence, 
 Denver. Child by second wife: 
 
 Helen, married Clarence R. Miner of Oxford. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 369 
 
 I do remember an Apothecary, 
 And hereabouts he dwells. 
 
 — S H AKESPEABE. 
 
 Samuel Ray Clarke, M. D. 
 
 Dr. Samuel Ray Clarke, brother of Ethan Clarke, born 
 in Brookfield, N. Y., November 6, 1800, came to Oxford 
 and opened an office on the west side of the river where 
 he practiced, and later carried on the drug business, with 
 the exception of one or two short periods, until his death, 
 which occurred June 1, 1860. Married Susan Maxon, 
 daughter of Capt. William Cheever, October 15, 1827, at 
 Oriskany, N. Y., who survived him but a short time, her 
 death occurring on the 29tli of October, 1860. Four sons 
 were born to them. Dr. Clarke had, at different times, 
 associated with him as partners in the drug business, E. 
 G. Babcock, and from September, 1846, till June, 1847, 
 Dr. George Douglas. In April, 1856, he disposed of his 
 stock of drugs and medicines to his sons William H. and 
 Herbert R., who dissolved the copartnership in September, 
 1857, the former continuing the business till April, 1858, 
 his store in the Clarke block having been burned in the 
 preceding February, when Dr. Clarke again became pro- 
 prietor. He was a man of very fair standing in his profes- 
 sion, a good citizen, generous, public spirited and hos- 
 pitable. Their children were : 
 
 Herbert Ray Clarke, born August 1, 1828, in Leonards- 
 ville, N. Y. ; married in Philadelphia, June 3, 1857, Mary 
 Whitney, daughter of Eli Wescott Bailey, died October 
 
370 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 18, 1886, in Jersey City. Children: Herbert B., Fannie 
 W., William H., Grace. 
 
 William Henry Clarke, born March 21, 1832, in Ox- 
 ford ; died at St. Paul, Minn., January 17, 1862 ; married 
 in Greene, July 28, 1857, Julia McMahon born in New 
 Milford, Conn., September 5, 1836, died March 15, 1864, 
 at Oxford. Had one child, Henry McMahon, born May 8, 
 1860, died March 11, 1864. 
 
 James Orville Clarke, born May 11, 1836, at Oxford; 
 married ( 1 ) July 11, 1860, Marie Louise, daughter of Dr. 
 Austin and Jane (Perkins) Rouse of Oxford; married 
 (2) March 17, 1881, Marian L., widow of Jacob Winants, 
 and daughter of Chauncey and Eebecca Devendorf, at 
 Savannah, Ga. Children by first wife: Fred Rouse, born 
 April 17, 1861, at Oxford, died at Chicago, December 19, 
 1881 ; Charles Carter, born December 17, 1863, at Oxford, 
 died April 17, 1894; Louise Maxson, born August 19, 
 1865, at Jersey City, married at Chicago, June 20, 1887, 
 John Herbert. Children by second wife: Alma Marian, 
 born in Savannah, Ga., February 12, 1882; James Or- 
 ville, born in Ocala, Fla., August 4, 1887; John Dunn, 
 born in Ocala, Fla., September 28, 1889. 
 
 Sarah Cornelia Clarke, born March 17, 1841; died 
 September 26, 1842. 
 
 George Cheever Clarke, born January 11, 1844, in 
 Oxford; married in 1871, in Mt. Vernon, Ohio., Clemmie, 
 daughter of John Gershaw and Elizabeth (Curtis) Plymp- 
 ton, died July 17, 1886, in New York City. Children: 
 Lizzie P., George H. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 371 
 
 Everybody's family doctor was remarkably clever, and was 
 understood to have immeasurable skill in the management 
 and training of the most skittish or vicious diseases. 
 
 — George Eliot. 
 
 Edward York, M. D. 
 
 Edward York, M. D., was born at North Stonington, 
 Conn., August 26, 1797. He graduated at Yale Medical 
 School, and in 1824 went to McDonough, where in August, 
 1825, he married Lydia Stratton. They lived for a time 
 in East Smithville, now Tyner, he being the only physician 
 that ever located there; then moved to Oxford, where his 
 brother, Jeremiah York, and his sister, Mrs. Randall 
 Maine, were living. Here he built a house on the west side 
 of the river, but after about a year returned to McDonough 
 and bought his father-in-law's farm, where he lived until 
 about 1843, when failing health obliged him to give up 
 both the farm and the practice of his profession. He 
 moved to Oxford and bought a house on Mechanic street, 
 where he died May 16, 1855. Mrs, York sold the homestead 
 in 1877 and moved to Westfield, N. Y., to reside with her 
 only son, George P. York. She died there on the 10th of 
 February, 1888, aged 80. Dr. York was fond of his pro- 
 fession, and in many of his ideas was in advance of the 
 thought and practice of his time. He was a man of excel- 
 lent character, but his timidity, resulting from a want of 
 confidence in his abilities, unfitted him for the profession. 
 Children : 
 
 Minerva, married Abel Patchen. 
 
 Mary, unmarried. 
 
 Rachel, married Zacharias Paddock. 
 
372 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 George P., died August 19, 1888, in Westfield, aged 50 ; 
 unmarried. 
 
 Maria, died January 26, 1855, aged 15. 
 
 ACHSA, married Dr. William H. Tanner; died in August, 
 1904, at Waterbury, Conn. 
 
 Alice, unmarried 
 
 Jenny, married in 1873 J. Arthur Skinner of West- 
 field, N. Y. 
 
 Thomas Brown. 
 
 Thomas Brown, whose death occurred April 2, 1848, at 
 the age of 68 years, at an early day lived upon the farm now 
 occupied by the Woman's Relief Corps Home. His wife, 
 Rebecca Jewell, who died June 8, 1843, at the age of 58 
 years, was a sister of Gilbert Jewell, a well known farmer 
 of North Guilford, (born October 12, 1794; died June 16, 
 1876). Mr. Brown was a builder of bridges and mills, and 
 was associated with Theodore Burr, a prominent bridge 
 builder in the early days of this town. He built the long 
 bridge at Sunbury, Pa., over the Susquehanna river, and it 
 was there while engaged in this work his daughter, Sarah 
 J., who married Levi Nichols, was born. His son, George 
 T. Brown, who resided at the head of Albany street, died, 
 April 16, 1882. Sarah, his wife, died January 7, 1892. 
 His otlier children were : Alpheus, Gurdon, and William. 
 Mrs. Brown was a daughter of Elisha Jewell of Trenton, 
 N. J., who owned a stage coach line running between Tren- 
 ton and New York and Philadelphia. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 373 
 
 Thou know'st that all my fortunes are at sea. 
 
 — Shakespeabe. 
 
 Hatch Family. 
 
 The following record of the Hatch family in this country 
 begins with Elisha Hatch, born in 1689, the record not 
 giving his birth place. He died April 15, 1770, in Green 
 River, Columbia, county, N. Y. 
 
 Among his children was Samuel, born June — , 1720, 
 in Rhode Island ; died April 30, 1797, in Hillsdale, N. Y. 
 He was a sea captain and his mate was John Sweet, and 
 the two owned the vessel they cruised in. After the death 
 of Sweet, Captain Hatch married the widow of his mate. 
 Captain Hatch followed the sea forty years, and then 
 bought a farm in Hillsdale. Children : 
 
 Samuel, was drowned while at sea with his father. The 
 body was recovered and buried at Hadam, Conn. At one 
 time he was with a shipAvrecked crew, and they w^ere 
 several days Avitliout food. Finally one night, becoming 
 desperate from hunger, they resolved that the next day 
 they would draw cuts to decide who should be sacrificed to 
 save the lives of the remainder of the crew. But when 
 morning dawned a vessel appeared, Avliich rescued them 
 from their perilous position and from the horrible ordeal 
 they had planned to put in practice but a few hours before. 
 At another time his crew were taken by the Morgans 
 and they again suffered for lack of food, but for not as long 
 a period. 
 
 John, born May 4, 1761 ; was drowned July 26, 1839, in 
 the Chenango river at South Oxford; married March 22, 
 1790, Martha Bassett, died June 3, 1850, in Oxford, aged 
 86 years. John was the only heir to his father's (Captain 
 
374 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Samuel Hatch's) property in Hillsdale, which was a part 
 of the VanTJensselaer claim. When the court decided it 
 belonged to VanRensselaer John was left with scarcely 
 anything, and moved to Oxford, where he bought land 
 three miles below the village, upon which he remained 
 until his death. Children : 
 
 Hannah, born May 11, 1791 ; died in childhood at Hills- 
 dale. 
 
 Samuel, born October 13, 1792, at Hillsdale. 
 
 John S., born July 26, 1794, at Hillsdale; died of fever 
 and ague February 13, 1816, in Oxford ; married January 
 1, 1834, Irene Kilbourn, born March 30, 1815, at Hawley, 
 Mass. Child: Thomas J., born October 28, 1834, in Ox- 
 ford ; married Mary E. Scoville at Mt. Morris, N. Y. ; 
 (children, John S., Ida J., Orra, Ira M.). Jane Eliza, 
 born October 29, 1836, in Oxford; married March 7, 1854, 
 A. D. Snyder, at Cuba, N. Y. ; (children, Allen, Ivan, Ethel, 
 died January — , 1892 ; Evelyn, married Walter P. Boname 
 of Oxford; died February — , 1894; child, William). 
 Francis Irene, born April 26, 1844, in Oxford; married 
 William Kellar October 18, 1863, at Cuba, N. Y. 
 
 Sally, born May 16, 1796, at Hillsdale; died January 
 17, 1892, in Oxford; married (1) John I. Powers; married 
 (2) Shubel Bliss. 
 
 Charles C, born March 10, 1798, at Hillsdale. 
 
 Hannah, 2d born December 1, 1801, at Hillsdale; died 
 August 19, 1875, in Oxford; married September 11, 1832, 
 Ira Merrill in Oxford, born November 10, 1806, in Water- 
 bury, Conn. Ira Merrill's second wife was Mrs. Irene 
 Hatch, widow of John S. ( Children of Hannah and Ira : 
 Martha, born October 31, 1833 ; died September 23, 1864 ; 
 married November 29, 1854, Edgar Hull. Evalina, born 
 April 23, 1836; died January 13, 1854. Mary M., born 
 November 29, 1839 ; died April 10, 1870. ) 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 375 
 
 ]N[argaret, born January 12, 1803, at Hillsdale, N. Y. ; 
 died June 11, 1883, in Oxford ; married September 9, 1833, 
 Benjamin R. Barber of Oxford, born November 11, 1802; 
 died November 9, 1891. Children: Charles Oscar, born 
 December 4, 1834, in Oxford; married in 1857 Celinda O. 
 Finch; fitted himself for a teacher; was in Civil war, after 
 which located in Kansas. Sarah, born June 2, 1837, in 
 Oxford ; died March 22, 1901, in Oxford ; unmarried. Irene, 
 born February 29, 1840; married (1) John Lord of Ox- 
 ford; (2) George Salvage of Bolivar, N. Y., where she 
 resides. Thomas A., born March 9, 1843 ; during Civil war 
 enlisted in 89th N. Y. S. Regt. in August, 1861; wounded 
 December — , 1862, and after several months in hospital 
 was discharged and returned home May 20, 1863; died 
 July 29, 1863. John W., born July 28, 1846 ; died August 
 20, 1848. 
 
 Thomas, born March 29, 1806, in Hillsdale, N. Y. ; died 
 October 3, 1829, in New Troy, Pa. 
 
 Labour, wide iis the earth, has its summit in heaven. 
 
 — Cablyle. 
 
 William Lett. 
 
 William Lett, born in 1820 at Timacross, County Wex- 
 ford, Ireland ; died December 9, 1895, in Oxford ; married 
 in 1845 Catherine, daughter of Edward D'Arcey and Bai> 
 bara Kirkman (Hodges) Clifford of Ashfield and Castle 
 Annesley, County Wexford, Ireland. They left the " Green 
 Isle " in 1851 and after a long and tedious voyage arrived 
 in America and located in Oxford. Mrs. Lett was born in 
 1830 and with two daughters still resides in Oxford. Mr. 
 
376 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Lett was an industrious and persevering man, and in a 
 short time was able to provide a comfortable home for his 
 family. He assisted in laying out Riverview cemeteiy and 
 lived to see a large majority of his early acquaintances 
 taken their for their final rest. In later years he twice 
 visited his native land, but still had a fond affection for 
 his adopted country. Children : 
 
 Elizabeth, a sister in the Loreto Convent, Gary, Ire- 
 land. 
 
 Richard, went to Texas, and nothing heard from him in 
 years. 
 
 Charles, died March 10, 1906, in Oxford. 
 
 Margaret J., married Thomas Nowlan of Binghamton. 
 Since his death has resided in Oxford. 
 
 Sarah F., unmarried. 
 
 Only the Actions of the just 
 
 i^niell s\Aeet and hlossom in the dust. 
 
 — Shirley. 
 
 William E. Chapman. 
 
 William E. Chapman was born in Ithaca May 10, 1806. 
 His mother died when he was young and the family was 
 quite broken up. Mr. Chapman went to New York, learned 
 the printer's trade and spent several years there with the 
 Harpers, who thought very much of him. He became a 
 member of the " Marine Temperance Society of the Port 
 of New York," and was an earnest, faithful worker in the 
 temperance cause the rest of his life. He came to Oxford 
 about the year 1828, and on the 10th of December of that 
 year, with Daniel Mack, purchased the Chenango Repuh- 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 377 
 
 licau, then published in this village by Benjamin Corry. 
 On March 3, 1831, Mr. Chapman and T. T. Flagler com- 
 menced a new series and soon after changed the name to 
 The Oxford RepuhJican. In 1838 Mr. Chapman became 
 sole proprietor and continued the business of publisher, 
 and also conducted a book store for a few years, when he 
 sold to J. Taylor Bradt, and purchased the farm now 
 owned and occupied by O. M. West over. After several 
 years spent upon the farm he retired from active business 
 pursuits and returned to the village to spend his remaining 
 days. 
 
 Mr. Chapman was a consistent member of the ]\[ethodist 
 Episcopal Church, and had witnessed its growth in this 
 village from the erection of the first edifice, and was 
 actively identified with its welfare through his long and 
 worthy life. For more than ten years he was a member of 
 the Board of Trustees of Oxford Academy. In his life he 
 manifested the qualities of the good citizen, the kind neigh- 
 bor, and steadfast friend and patron of the religious and 
 educational interest of the community. His death occur- 
 red August 21, 1887, at tlie age of 81 years. Mr. Chapman 
 was twice married. His first wife was Harriet Sellick, who 
 died June 19, 1829, leaving three daughters and one son : 
 
 Emily, married David C. Bronson, and died in 1872. 
 
 . Children : William C, married Ella E. Painter ; has one 
 
 daughter, Mrs. E. \A'. Tallman. Henry W., married Carrie 
 
 Wiltsie; has one daughter, Imogene. Carrie J., died in 
 
 1857. Addie I., married John Tyler, 
 
 Harriet Elizabeth, still resides in Oxford; married 
 Henry B. Willcox, now deceased. 
 
 Thomas E., was a member of the llth N. Y. Cavalry 
 during Civil war, and now a member of the G. A. K. ; mar- 
 ried (1) S. Arline Westover; married (2) Ida M. Birdie- 
 
378 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 bough. Children by first wife: Clarence W., married 
 Maggie C. Carter ; have one son, Stuart K. Alice May. 
 
 Arminta M., married Charles W. Miles, and died at 
 Saratoga February 23, 1881. Had one son, C. Grosvenor, 
 now living in New York. 
 
 Mr. Chapman's second wife was Sarah L., daughter of 
 Kev. Peter Lowe, born at Flatbush, L. I., in 1804, and 
 died in Oxford January 19, 1887, aged 82. She was a 
 sister of Mrs. Gerardus VanDerLyu, came here in 1829 
 and was married to Mr. Chapman in April 1840. Had one 
 daughter : 
 
 Sarah Eliza, married Osmer M. West over. 
 
 Our country ! in her intercourse witli foreign nations, may slie 
 always be in tlie riglit ; but our country, right or wrong. 
 
 — Stephen Decatub. 
 
 Independence Day, 1852. 
 
 Oxford has been famous in times past for its Cork Island 
 duel, the great Greek ball, and the celebrated Bridge bee. 
 Matters of so much notoriety as to have found their way 
 into the history of the county. We now place before our 
 readers a description of the Fourth of July celebration in 
 1852, Avhich was carried out in the good old fashioned 
 way. 
 
 Thirteen guns saluted the rising sun, and tlie merry peal 
 of the village bells fell harmoniously upon the waking 
 senses of our citizens. Long before the hour assigned for 
 the commencement of the exercises a larger gathering than 
 had ever before assembled in our town had congregated 
 upon Lafayette Square. The Oxford Guards, led by 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 379 
 
 Colonel John C Bowers, were out in all their glory, and 
 full of the original spirit. The members of the Fire Com- 
 pany, in neat and uniform dress, with Niagara engine 
 decorated with flowers, also took a part in the exercises. 
 At 10 o'clock the procession formed in front of the Stage 
 House, Major Samuel A. Gifford acting as marshal and 
 Colonel Solomon Bundy as assistant, and moved to Wash- 
 ington Square, marching to the stirring sound of martial 
 music. Then, after an eloquent prayer by the Rev. S. Han- 
 son Coxe, and music by the Gilbertsville Brass Band, the 
 Declaration of Independence was read by Benjamin Sher- 
 wood, Esq. An exceedingly appropriate oration was then 
 pronounced by James W. Glover, Esq., who adorned its 
 close by a graceful and elegant address to a surviving 
 soldier of the Revolution, present upon the platform, Mr. 
 Ebenezer Terry of Guilford, aged 99. 
 
 During its delivery a wagon fantastically decorated and 
 filled with some dozen young men, evidently bound on a 
 spree, entered the village from the north. As it advanced 
 they struck up a lively air, discoursing music from tin- 
 horns, old pans, drums, and cowbells. Proceeding to the 
 ground where the exercises were in progress, it was evident 
 that a disturbance was contemplated. They were warned 
 not to go on the ground, but not heeding the kindly warn- 
 ing, their vehicle was suddenly arrested in its progress, 
 the music silenced, the instruments abandoned, and the 
 serenading party, driving tlieir detached horses before 
 them, beat a precipitate retreat and disappeared in a sorry 
 plight in the direction from which they came. Their 
 wagon found a calm retreat in the waters of the Chenango. 
 The incident furnished material for many humorous jokes, 
 and will explain some allusions made at the feast. 
 
 At the close of the oration three enthusiastic cheers were 
 given for the reader and the orator. The benediction was 
 
38o ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 pronounced by the Rev. Henry Callahan. Cheered by a 
 lively piece from the band, the procession again formed 
 and marched to LaFayette Square, where beneath the 
 shade of a pleasant arbor a sumptuous dinner was pre- 
 pared. An ox had been roasted whole for the occasion, 
 and 520 persons sat down to the entertainment. Great 
 numbers were unable to obtain seats at tlie table and dined 
 at the hotels. After the cloth wan removed the thirteen 
 regular toasts were called for, each one being followed by 
 three hearty cheers, one gun, and music by the band. The 
 following toasts were then given : 
 
 By David Broun, President of tlir daii. — Generals Scott and Pierce; 
 Each leading a great army to battle. May the figlit be an honorable 
 one ; and may the vanquished party render cheerful obedience to the 
 rule of the victors. 
 
 Eeceived with three hearty cheers. 
 
 By Ransom Baleom, Esq. — The Orator and Reader of the Day: Not 
 like prophets who are without honor in their own country — their talents 
 are properly appreciated at ho)ne. 
 
 To this Henry S. Monroe responded. He arose amid 
 tremendous cheers and made a most brilliant and effective 
 speech. He alluded in the most felicitous terms to the 
 sacrificing of the ox, and to the artist who had rendered 
 him immortal. He spoke of the glory and recollections of 
 tlie day, and paid a high compliment to the patriotism of 
 the citizens of Oxford. At the close of a most judicious 
 and entertaining speech he presented: 
 
 The name of Ransom B<ilcom: The true Patriot, the distinguished 
 Advocate, and the gifted Artist. (Mr. Baleom engraved the cut repre- 
 senting the ox upon the bills.) 
 
 Six cheers were given and Mr. Baleom was loudly called 
 for. His response was eloquent and patriotic. He alluded 
 to the fact that Oxford was the only place in the county 
 Avhere an ox had ever been roasted whole. He said in olden 
 times a certain people made a golden calf, which they 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 381 
 
 could not eat, but worshipped; that the citizens of this 
 place, discarding the ancient example set them, had 
 slaughtered an ox, which they roasted whole and fed to 
 the multitude. The calf of olden time was only food for 
 the eye, whereas the ox of to-day was food for the stomach. 
 There was no artist who had given us a picture of the 
 golden calf, but if his friend (Monroe) was to be credited, 
 there was one who had furnished a cut for the roasted ox, 
 and had thus rendered the real four-footed beast of the 
 day immortal. His speech throughout was exceedingly 
 appropriate to the occasion. 
 
 William H. Hyde was called upon. He said that he 
 was forcibly reminded by the carniverous visit of certain 
 ill-disposed persons of a historic reminiscence quite in 
 point. After the destruction of Troy by the Greeks, and 
 when Aneas and his companions, after long wanderings, 
 had landed upon the Strophades and spread on the shore 
 their tables for a repast, the Harpies, flying monsters, at- 
 tracted by the savory viands, flew down and stripped the 
 tables. We had received a similar visit, but thanks to a 
 few gallant patriots, our tables are unharmed — our noble 
 ox was untouched. We do not blame them very much. A 
 strong southern breeze wafted the savor of beef northward. 
 They had had no beef for many weeks, and through their 
 streets rang beef! beef! beef! Unlike the Harpies, they 
 left their feathers behind them, and got no uecf. Tf they 
 will send down that wagon we will send them a boiic. He 
 closed with the following toast: 
 
 The Harpies who hovered around our Ox: If their iruDudeuce con- 
 tinues to Iveep pace with their rapacity, we hope soon to he taxed for 
 a jail enlargement. 
 
 Three tremendous cheers followed. 
 
 S. Bundy then presented the banner which the " Har- 
 pies ■ ■ liad hoisted upon their ill-fated vehicle when enter- 
 
38a ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 ing the town, which was captured by one of the gallant 
 Oxford Guards, accompanied by the following: 
 
 The wncclcome Delegation from the North: Behold, their once proud 
 banner has become the phicked feathers of the " Harpies." 
 
 G. H. Perkins, after a few appropriate remarks gave the 
 following toast, which was drank standing and in silence : 
 
 The Memory of Henry Clay: As his life was an emblem of the 
 progress, success, and glory of our country — the recollections of his life 
 will grow dearer to every true-hearted American. (Henry Clay died 
 June 29, 1852.) 
 
 So when the great and good go down, 
 
 Their statues shall arise 
 To crowd those temples of our own, 
 
 Our fadeless memories. 
 
 By James W. Glover — Hungary and Ireland — deserving to be added 
 to the catalogue of independent nations ; may a day like this soon be 
 theirs. 
 
 By T. 8. Packer — The Oxford Firemen. They will never be able to 
 throw water enough, even through their extra 100 feet of hose, to 
 quench the fires of their patriotism. 
 
 By Wm. H. Hamilton — The Fair of our County. Unlike our County 
 Fair, for the reason that the largest does not always take the pref- 
 erence. 
 
 By James Coley — The Ox roasted here to-day ; his has been the un- 
 usual and distinguished honor of being sacrificed in the cause of 
 liberty. 
 
 By a Quest — Captain Frederick Hopkins ; The last survivor of Revo- 
 lutionary times in Oxfoi'd. Would that Providence might prolong his 
 days in comfortable health, with the power, fairy-like, never to grow 
 older until the Fourth of July shall cease to be celebrated by the 
 American people. 
 
 The best feeling prevailed at the table, and the toasts 
 were drunk amid the most patriotic demonstrations. In 
 the evening there was an exhibition of fireworks, including 
 the throwing of fireballs, which were large balls of cotton 
 soaked in camphene, lighted and hastily thrown from one 
 direction to another until burned out. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 3S} 
 
 Of manners gentle, of affections mild ; 
 In wit a man, simplicity a child. 
 
 — Pope. 
 
 George Stone. 
 
 Among the early settlers in the eastern part of the town 
 was George Stone, who emigrated from Foster, R. I., in 
 1827, where he was born in 1788. He, with his wife and 
 four sons, the eldest eleven years of age, came with an ox 
 team over a rough road, traveling many days on the way 
 through an unbroken wilderness, encountering many a 
 wolf, pantlier, and other wild beasts. He bought a farm 
 of Joshua White, which was partly cleared and had a small 
 frame house, and 
 
 " A rusty-gray curb, round a rugged stone well, 
 Where with dangle of bucket the sweep rose and fell." 
 
 Here Mr. Stone passed the remainder of his days, dying 
 May 14, 1839. He married in 1813 Naomia Bennett, born 
 in 1788, and died February 10, 1835, in Oxford. Children : 
 
 George W., married Jane Stratton and settled in Penn- 
 sylvania. 
 
 Jonathan, married Minerv^a Price and settled in Illi- 
 nois. 
 
 Zebulon, died in Oxford ; unmarried. 
 
 Joshua B., born October 11, 1816, in Foster, R. I. ; died 
 December 26, 1867, in Oxford ; married February 5, 1840, 
 Anna Matteson, born August 26, 1813, in Otsego county; 
 died April 26, 1895, in Oxford. Mr. Stone remained on 
 the homestead, and the same farm is now owned by his 
 son, Charles, having been in the family well toward one 
 
384 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 hundred years. Three years after her husband's death, 
 Mrs. Stone married Lewis B. Anderson. Believing in early 
 life that she had a special work to do for God and human- 
 ity, for nearly half a century she devoted her life to that 
 purpose. She often conducted services in the Free Will 
 Baptist Church in East Oxford and was a preacher of more 
 than ordinary ability. She had lived in that vicinity nearly 
 sixty years, and her kindly ways and social disposition 
 gained for her friends from all stations of life. 
 
 Children of Joshua B. and Anna ( Matteson ) Stone : 
 Mary C, married December 27, 1859, Joseph P. Turner of 
 Oxford. Charles M., married October 21, 1874, Ada 
 Smith of Oxford. ( Children : Jessie, married Jesse Jacobs 
 of South Oxford; Anna, married Irving INIcNitt of South 
 Oxford, and resides in Norwich.) jMr. Stone has been 
 supervisor of the town two terms. He has been prominent 
 in town politics and is an influential and able member of 
 the Republican organization. Jennie F., married O. A. 
 Campbell of Brooklyn. George H., married Grace Beebe 
 of Mai^thon and resides in Tacoma, Wash. Jessie F., 
 died August 12, 1874, aged 17. 
 
 List ; a brief tale. 
 
 — Shakespeare. 
 
 Visited by Indians. 
 
 In 182G there lived near the western part of the town 
 Kichard Iloldridge, a hatter by trade, and he also taught 
 the school in that neighborhood. One morning he arose 
 early and finished a bonnet that a neighboring housewife 
 had ordered, and then proceeded to the school house, 
 
 Mrs. Iloldridge and bab}^ were alone in the little house, 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 385 
 
 and while biisil}' engaged about her household duties was 
 startled by the opening of the door and the entrance of a 
 number of Indians. Among them was a squaw, who, seeing 
 the infant at play on the floor, picked it up tenderly and 
 chanted an Indian lullaby. Mrs. Holdridge was now 
 greatly alarmed as she thought her baby was to be taken 
 from her, but soon saw tears trickling down the dusky 
 face of the squaw, who by gestures indicated that she had 
 recently lost her papoose, and that Mrs. Holdridge need 
 feel no alarm as the little one would not be harmed or taken 
 away. 
 
 In the meantime the remainder of the party had made a 
 tour of inspection in the little house, and among all the 
 articles they inspected the new bonnet was the only thing 
 that really caught their eye. The chief, or leader of the 
 party, who was tall and very stout, approached Mrs. Hold- 
 ridge, and with the bonnet in his hand exclaimed, " Me 
 want this ! " She endeavored to explain that it was not her 
 property and could not give it away, but to no purjjose, 
 and reluctantly granted the request, rather than have them 
 make furtlier search in the house for articles that could 
 not be as easily replaced. The unwelcome guests soon 
 departed with the chief in the lead wearing the odd head- 
 gear with much sedateness and pride. 
 
 The' unwieldy elephant, 
 To make them mirth, us'd all his might, and wreathed 
 His lithe proboeis. 
 
 — Milton. 
 
 Early Exhibitions. 
 
 One of the first exhibitions of wild animals to appear in 
 Oxford was held in the hotel barns in August, 1822. In 
 
386 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 one barn was a large African lion and a monkey; in the 
 other was a leopard, tiger and monkey. It was the town 
 talk for many a day and but few missed the wonderful 
 sight brought to their doors by the caravan. The follow- 
 ing announcement appeared in the Oxford Gazette: 
 
 ^:^T0 THE CURIOUS. 
 
 A FULL GROWN 
 
 AFRICAN LION. 
 
 With several smaller Animals, to be seen at Mr. Clark's hotel in 
 Oxford, on Saturday the 24th and Monday the 26th of August flours 
 of exhibition from 9 o'clock in the morning until 5 in the evening — with 
 good music on an Organ.^ — Admittance 12 1-2 cents, children half price. 
 
 THE BRAZILIAN TIGER 
 
 AND 
 
 AFRICAN LEOPARD, 
 
 with several smaller Animals, also to be seen at the same time and 
 place as above — with good music on different instruments. — Admittance 
 12 1-2 cents, children half price. 
 
 The first theatrical troup that came to this village was 
 the Walsteins in September, 1823. The performance was 
 given on Fort Hill in an old store, situated between the 
 brick block and the building now occupied by the Me- 
 morial library. The building was then used as a Lancas- 
 terian School, in those primitive days of the scholastic 
 reign of Joseph Lancaster. It was a huge barn-like, un- 
 painted barracks. The stage and its gaudy decorations 
 were fitted up for a week's campaign. The following is 
 the advertisement taken from the Gazette: 
 
 OXFORD 
 
 THEATRE, 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 387 
 
 THIRD NIGHT. 
 
 MR. & MRS. WALSTEIN, (late Mrs. Baldwin, of the London and 
 New York Theatres,) have the honour respectfully to announce to the 
 inhabitants of Oxford and its vicinity, their intention of performing 
 with a Theatrical Party, at Fort Hill Old Store, this evening, Sept. 
 
 24, when will be presented the celebrated Comedy of 
 
 MATRIMONY; 
 
 Or; the Castle of De Limhiirg. 
 
 After ivhich the follotciiig Vocal Entertainments: 
 
 A favourite Hunting Song, by Mrs. Walstein, 
 
 " Barney leave the Girls alone," Mr. Gilbert, 
 
 " The Hayband " — a Yorkshire Song, Clarendon, 
 
 " Five to One, or the Rival Lovers," Walstein. 
 
 To conclude with the celebrated Comic Opera of the 
 
 POOR SOLDIER. 
 
 TICKETS twenty-five cents, to be had at Mr. Clark's Bar, & Mr. 
 Throop's Office. — Doors open at seven, and curtain to rise at half after 
 seven. — Front seats reserved for the Ladies. 
 
 The following advertisement from the Gazette of June 
 
 25, 1823, announces the appearance of an elephant, prob- 
 ably the first that was ever exhibited in this town. A 
 single elephant at that time excited more interest than the 
 droves that circus companies own at the present day, and, 
 probably, the small boy with those of a larger growth, 
 were up early in the morning to welcome the great pachy- 
 dermatous mammalia and later, to witness the " sagacious 
 animal draw a cork from a well filled bottle and drinlc the 
 contents " — a feat that, undoubtedly, many of the patrons 
 imitated successfully, and accounts for the custom that is 
 kept up to this day on public occasions, and especially 
 when Barnum with his " Greatest on Earth " invades the 
 country : 
 
38R ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 AN EXHIBITION 
 
 Of A Natural Curiosity, 
 
 THE LARGE AND LEARNED 
 
 ELEPHANT. 
 
 TO be seen at Clark's Tavern, in the village of Oxford, on Friday and 
 Saturday, the 4th and 5th of July, 1823. 
 
 This wonderful Animal, which for Sagacity and Docility exceeds any 
 one ever imported into this country, will go through her astonishing 
 performances, which have excited the admii-ation of every beholder. 
 
 The Elephant is not only the largest and most sagacious animal in 
 the world, but from the peculiar manner in which it takes its food and 
 drink of every kind with its tnmk, is acknowledged to be one of the 
 GREATEST NATURAL CURIOSITIES, ever offered to the public. 
 
 She is nearly 8 feet high, 20 feet fit>ni the end of her trunk to that 
 of her tail, 12 feet 6 inches round her body, 3 feet 9 inches round her 
 legs, 3 feet 6 inches roiind her feet, and is judged to weigh, between 
 SIX & SEVEN THOUSAND POUNDS. 
 
 Some of the amusing exercises of this animal, are, to kneel to the 
 company, balance her body alternately on each pair of legs, present her 
 right foot to enable her keeper or any other person to mount her trunk, 
 carry them about the room and safely replace them, draw a cork from 
 a filled bottle and drink the contents, and then present the empty 
 bottle and cork to her keeper. She \\\\\ lie down, sit up, and rise at 
 command, bows and whistles at request, answers to the call of her 
 keeper, she takes from the floor a small piece of money with her trunk 
 and returns it to her keeper, besides many other marks of sagacity. 
 Those wishing to gratify their curiosity, may now have an opportunity. 
 
 Music on the ancient Jewish Symbal. 
 
 Admittance 12 1-2 Cents, Children under 12, Iwlf price. Hours of 
 exhibition from 9 m the morninu until 5 //( the ereuing. 
 
 Alike all ages : dames of ancient days 
 
 Have led their children through the mirthful maze; 
 
 And the gay grandsii-e. skill'd in gestic lore. 
 
 Has frisk'd beneath the burden of threescore. 
 
 — Goldsmith. 
 
 Grand Ball. 
 
 In the 3"ear 1823 tlie sympathies of the citizens of Ox- 
 ford were aroused by tlie revolution progressing in Greece. 
 Her people had long suffered from oppression and eruel- 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 389 
 
 ties imposed by the Turlvs liviug among tliem, who little 
 expected that the time of retribution was at hand. As 
 the Greeks became enlightened by contact with the world 
 at large they chafed under the tyranny of their oppressors 
 and resolved to throw off the yoke of the Moslems. They 
 organized a secret society whose members were solemnly 
 pledged to fight for the emancipation of their country. 
 When the signal was given for the rebellion to begin there 
 was a general response throughout all Greece. The spirit 
 of Miltiades and Leonidas possessed them. The uprising 
 became so serious that the Turks resorted to the most 
 extreme cruelties in their defence; churches were pillaged 
 and hundreds of priests slain, while men, women and 
 children were massacred, and towns ruined and given to 
 the flames ; the monuments of Grecian glory were trampled 
 beneath the feet of the merciless Moslem. Our people were 
 anxious to assist in relieving such sufferings, and devised 
 a plan for a Greek Ball, for which the price of tickets was 
 to be three dollars and the balance above expenses should 
 be given to the Greeks. A meeting was called and the 
 accompanying minutes prepared: 
 
 At a meeting of the Officers of the 32d Brigade of Infantry, and 16th 
 
 Regiment of Artillery, held at the Hotel of E. Clark, in the village 
 
 of Oxford, on Saturday the 20th day of December, 1823, Brigadier 
 
 Gen. Hansom Kathbone was called to the chair, and Lieut. Col. S. G. 
 
 Throop, of the IGth Reg. of Artillery, appointed Secretary. 
 
 Resolicd, That we view with painful anxiety the glorious struggle 
 
 now making by the Greeks, to emancipate themselves from Ottoman 
 
 Oppression, and once more gain a footing among the nations of the 
 
 earth. With a view to aid them in their Patrwtick Struggle, and at 
 
 the same commemorate an event no less honourable to American arms, 
 
 than interesting to the Nation — 
 
 Resolved, That a MILITARY BALL be given on the evening of the 
 8th of January next, at the hotel of Ethan Clark, in the village of 
 Oxford, in commemoration of the glorious victory obtained by the gal- 
 lant Gen. Andrew Juclcson and the Militia under his command, in his 
 defence of New-Orleans ; and that the surplus funds arising from said 
 Ball, be appropriated for the benefit of the Greeks. 
 
390 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Resolved, That a committee of arrangement be appointed, including 
 ttie Chairman and Secretary. 
 Resolved, That Gen. R. Kathbone be appointed Treasurer. 
 
 COMMITTEE OF ARRANGEMENT. 
 
 Ransom Rathbone, Brig. General 32d brigade Infantry. 
 
 S. G. Throop, Lieut. Col. 16th Reg. Artillery of St. N. Y. 
 
 A. C. Welch, Col. of the 190th Reg. Infantry. 
 
 John Noyes. Jr. Col. of the 105th Reg. Infantry. 
 
 Elijah Rathbone, Col. of 133d do. 
 
 Joseph Juliand, Lt. Col. do. do. 
 
 Robert Monell, Brigade Ma.i. 32d Brigade Infantry. 
 
 R. VanWagenen, Brigade 2d Major do do. 
 
 A. C. Griswold, Aidecamp. 
 
 George Farnham, Adjutant. 
 
 S. G. Throop, Sec'y. 
 
 The youth and beauty of the town and country about 
 assembled in force, under the auspices of the distinguished 
 array of names Avhich formed the military committee, full 
 of enthusiasm in view of combining the intrinsic delights 
 of the hop with the furtherance of the cause which ap- 
 pealed to their generous sympathies and sense of justice. 
 — Men and maidens, in Roman togas and Grecian gowns, 
 swept the floors of the hotel, even to the small hours, at 
 least to their own intense enjoyment, (except in the case 
 of Judge Robert Monell of Greene, who sundered his heel 
 cord for the sake of Grecian patriots), although it must 
 be confessed that, had it depended on the unwitting Greeks 
 to settle the deficit in Ball expenses versus receipts, they 
 would have been mulcted in the sum of ten dollars. 
 
 He had kept 
 The whiteness of his soul, and thus men o'er him wept. 
 
 — Byron. 
 
 Samuel Ross. 
 
 When the village of Oxford had been settled for about 
 twenty years, Samuel Ross, a graduate of Princeton Col- 
 lege and a contemporary of Theodore Frelinghuysen and 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD ^91 
 
 N. S. Prime, the father of Ireneus Prime of the New York 
 Observer, came from the city of New York to make his 
 future home with his wife, who was JMargaret Shepard 
 Eevel from the eastern shore of Virginia. His father, 
 Andrew Boss, was a descendant of John Ross of Scotland, 
 who was one of the first settlers of New Jersey. Samuel 
 Ross and wife came here in the year 1815, and Mrs. Ross 
 died the following year. Mr. Ross at one time resided on 
 the Nathan Pendleton farm, and also had a home on Clin- 
 ton street. While at the latter place his grounds extended 
 to the top of the hill west of the street and running paral- 
 lel with Columbia street. Upon this hill Mr. Ross located 
 a private burying ground enclosed in brick walls and pro- 
 tected by a right of way to and from the same against 
 future owners of the adjoining grounds. Several burials 
 were made therein, but after the lapse of some seventy-five 
 years, the only vestige of it now remaining is a headstone 
 to the memorj^ of Margaret Shepard Ross. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Ross were among the first members of St. Paul's church, 
 and at the first celebration of the Holy Communion they 
 were of the seven members who communicated. Mr. Ross 
 was elected warden in 1816 and continued a warden or 
 vestryman for several years. His associates at that time 
 were Hon. John Tracy, Uri Tracy, James Clapp, Simon G. 
 Throop, Jr., Stephen O. Runj^an, Ransom Rathbone and 
 Erastus Perkins. Mrs. Ross died at the home of Rev. Wm. 
 B. Lacey and the subsequent marriage of Mr. Ross to Mrs, 
 Maria Stephens is recorded. She was the widow. of Alvan 
 Stephens and the daughter of Robert Randall of Brook- 
 field, Madison county. Mr. Stephens died in the first year 
 of his marriage and thus she became a bride, a mother, 
 and a widow in the one brief year of her marriage. In 
 her marriage to Mr. Ross six children were born to them, 
 Samuel R., George, Margaret, Mary E. and Martha, twins ; 
 
392 
 
 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 and Elizabeth Ann, All of whom have passed away except 
 their eldest son, Samuel Randall Ross. Mary E., married 
 Elijah Jones; died June 5, 1895, in Auburndale, Mass. 
 Early in her married life she went to Paris and studied 
 art, leaving her husband and infant child for a year or so. 
 She became quite noted as an artist in oil. Elizabeth Ann 
 died July 8, 1894, in Andover, Mass., married Rev. J. E. 
 Latimer, a Methodist minister, who afterwards became a 
 professor in the Boston University ; George went to Ports- 
 mouth, Ohio, and became a commercial traveler for his 
 brother Samuel. He was drowned in Kentucky while 
 attempting to ford Big Sandy river. Upon the marriage 
 of their daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, Mr. and Mrs. Ross 
 removed from Oxford to Elmira to enjoy their society, 
 where he died in 18(U. AVhen the Rev. J. E. Latimer and 
 wife removed to Boston, Mrs. Ross accompanied them and 
 died there in 1875. They are buried in Elmira. Those who 
 lived in Oxford in the early years of its history recalled 
 his blameless life and integrity, and it was a great satis- 
 faction to them to know that to the period of his death, 
 his sunset of life was serene and happy, with the capacity 
 to enjoy the society of friends and his favorite authors 
 until his brief illness of a week Avhich terminated his life. 
 His death was that of the exultant Christian, and with 
 looks of love and words of tender sympathy to those around 
 him, it was evident that his e,ves were turned rapturously 
 to the bright shore which gleamed upon his dying vision 
 from the other side of the dark river of death, and to the 
 very last he spoke of the dear old Oxford friends, and he 
 spoke of them with deep emotion. 
 
 Samuel Randall Ross was born April 8, 1819, in this 
 village. He was educated at Oxford Academy, and at the 
 age of 24 located in Portsmouth, Ohio, where he lias since 
 resided. He engaged in the wholesale grocery business. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 393 
 
 which he continued until 1857, when he retired from busi- 
 ness until 1861. He then entered the wholesale tobacco 
 business in Cincinnati, under the firm name of Kercheval 
 & Koss, from Avhich he retired in 1873. 
 
 His wife was Miss Elizabeth Kinney of Portsmouth, 
 whom he married September 7, 1817. Mrs. Ross died 
 October 28, 1897. The survivinj? children are : Miss Anna 
 Ross, George Kinney Ross, of Portsmouth ; Thomas Waller 
 Ross, of Cleveland, O. 
 
 Mr. Ross is the only remaining' old time merchant of 
 Portsmouth, and a strong church man, having been con- 
 nected with the Episcopal church ever since he has lived 
 in that city. His hospitality is well known and he has 
 entertained more distinguished people than any other per- 
 son in the place of his adoption. Mr. Ross has passed his 
 87th year, and enjoys excellent health and is in the pos- 
 session of all his faculties. His society and companion- 
 ship are much sought after and highly appreciated. 
 
 Whoe'er amidst the sous 
 Of reason, valour, liberty, and virtue, 
 Displays distinguish'd merit, is a noble 
 Of Nature's own creating. 
 
 — Thomson. 
 
 Henry VanDerLyn, Esq 
 
 Henry Van Der Lyn, Esq., was born on the 24th day of 
 April, 1784, at Kingston, N. Y. He was a sou of Peter 
 A^an Der Lyn, a worthy and skillful surgeon during the 
 Revolutionary war, and a nephew of John Van Der Lyn, 
 who was considered in his day one of the world's most 
 famous artists. After pursuing his studies in Kingston 
 
394 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Academy, he entered Union college at the age of 16, grad- 
 uating with the honors of the valedictory in 1802, and soon 
 thereafter commenced the study of law with the distin- 
 guished and able lawyer, Hon. Ogden Edwards in New 
 York, in whose office he acquired those habits of close 
 study and discrimination which distinguished him through 
 life, and that knowledge of law which secured him an ad- 
 mission to the Bar in 1806. 
 
 Mr. Van Der Lyn early in life formed the habit of daily 
 writing in a journal commentaries on the works he read, 
 making extracts and noting down the events of his life and 
 of society around him. We make the following extracts: 
 
 While at college I got a coat altei-ed and made witli a single row of 
 buttons and buttonholes in front. This harmless freak caused the 
 nickname of Count Ramford to be fixed on me, and which has followed 
 to this day. 
 
 At this time barbers were in the height of their usefulness and 
 prosperity, when curling tongs and powder were applied to the head 
 of every fashionable, and many torturing twinges have I endured dur- 
 ing the tedious operations of head dressing. 
 
 In the winter of 180G I made a visit to Albany to consult some niom- 
 bers of the Legislature on the subject of my removal to the western 
 part of the State, but without effect. I called on Frederic A.i De Long, 
 who was to remove in the spring to Jericho (Bainbridge), in Chenango 
 county, for infoi'mation about the best place of my settlement, and he 
 mentioned Oxford about 15 miles from Jericho. I yielded to his advice 
 and made my arrangements to bid a final adieu to my native place. 
 In April, 1806, I went to New York to purchase the residue of my law 
 library, which was small but large enough for me at that time. In the 
 latter end of May I put my books, paper case and trunk on board a 
 wagon, and accompanied by my Uncle Philip Newkirk, began my journey 
 to Oxfoi'd. and separated from the friends of my youth, from my 
 mother, brothel's, and relatives in search of pi'ofessional fame and the 
 means of support. I was then in my 22d year and felt a sensation of 
 apprehension and distrust in going among strangers to a distant place 
 to commence the novel business of instructing others and managing 
 their legal concerns. My Uncle Philip and I arrived at Oxford in the 
 afternoon on Saturday. I was somewhat disappointed on my first view 
 of the place, it was small with only two painted houses in it and the 
 stum))s in the adjoining fields showed that it was a young settlement. 
 We lodged at the hotel of Erastus Perkins. The next day was Sunday 
 and the young people of the village assembled in the ball room of Mr. 
 Perkin's to sing psalms. I took my aeat in the hall to see them as 
 they went up stairs. There was no duirch nor regular divine service 
 in the village. I went to board with Major Dan Throop, who had a 
 number of boarders. Ransom Ratbbone, a merchant ; Roswell Randall, 
 a student in the oflifce of Stephen O. Runyan ; John Kinsey, an old 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 395 
 
 bachelor; and two Miss Bepacs from Hudson, formed the group that 
 daily assembled at the table of Major Dan. 
 
 The last of January, 1815, Garry went out with Daniel Peny in a 
 Bled to Kingston to remove mother to Oxford. Aunt Ann Master' and 
 Thomas G. Newkirk returned with him. Since this time I have been a 
 housekeeper. 
 
 Mr. Van Der Lyn, finding in the place of his settlement 
 an institution of learning, gave early attention to its wel- 
 fare, and was for many years its zealous friend, trustee, 
 and supporter. He never wearied in doing well for that 
 institution, and Oxford Academy owes to him and a few 
 other early supporters much of its high standing and use- 
 fulness. He was also a liberal contributor to St. Paul's 
 church, and interested himself in the circulation of a sub- 
 scription to procure a suitable place of worship. 
 
 Mr. Van Der Lyn died October 1, 1865, in the S2d year 
 of his age, after a life of activity and labor of more than 
 fifty-nine years, and amid scenes so changed, beholding the 
 growth of a prosperous village and the country about him 
 changed from a wilderness to bright fields. 
 
 The term " Count " clung to him through life from his 
 great suavity and gentlemanly manners. He was a con- 
 firmed bachelor, possessing many genial peculiarities of 
 character, which rendered him a great favorite in the 
 social reunions of the bench and bar during term time. 
 Numerous legends are current of his tact and readiness 
 in extricating himself from occasional faux pas, induced 
 by his excessive courtliness and desire to render himself 
 agreeable to those with whom at the time he happened to 
 be conversing. 
 
 The story is told that Mr. Van Der Lyn once owned a 
 dog that robbed the meat market of a roast of beef and 
 escaped. The proprietor reasoned that if he went to the 
 owner and told him his dog had stolen the meat, that it 
 would be denied, so he adopted another plan. Entering 
 the " Count's " office, he told of the robbery committed and 
 
396 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 asked what he should do about it. He was advised to 
 make out a bill and present it to the owner. The butcher 
 promptly prepared the bill and found it amounted to five 
 dollars, which he presented to the " Count," saying it was 
 his dog that was the thief. " All right," was the reply, 
 and the bill was paid. As the butcher was leaving the 
 " Count " called and reminded him of a " strange coinci- 
 dence." He said that five dollars was just the amount of 
 his bill for advice. The butcher returned the five dollars 
 he had just collected and retired without another word. 
 He was rendered speechless. 
 
 c 
 
 ENSUS OF 1825.— Following is the census of the town 
 in 1825, copied verbatim from the Oxford Gazette : 
 
 450 heads of families ; 
 1,410 males ; 
 1,391 females; Total 2.801. 
 
 28.3 subject to militia duty. 
 
 532 voters. 
 19 aliens. 
 
 1 coloured persons not taxed. 
 
 2 do do taxed. 
 
 1 do taxed and qualified to vote. 
 
 333 married females under 45 years of age. 
 253 unmarried females between 1(J »& 45. 
 937 do under 16 years of age. 
 
 21 marriages — (52 male births — 4(5 female births— 24 male deaths — 
 25 female deaths, within the past year. 
 14,184 acres of improved lands. 
 3,506 head of neat cattle. 
 537 horses. 
 12,317 sheep. 
 1,923 hogs. 
 
 G,725 yards of fulled cloth ; 
 10,423 do of flannel ; and 
 15,872 do of linen, manufactured within the past year. 
 
 3 rxrist-mllls— 14 Saw-mills— 1 Oil-mill— 3 Fulling-mills— 3 Card- 
 ing machines — 1 Woolen factory — 1 Trip hannner — 3 Distilleries 
 — 3 Asheries. 
 
 CEiNSUS OF OXFOKl) VILLAGE. 
 
 112 heads of Families — 37S males — 363 females. — Total 741. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 397 
 
 An honest man, close button'd to the chin. 
 Broadcloth without, and a warm heart within. 
 
 — COWPEE. 
 
 Austin Hyde. 
 
 Judge Austin Hyde, son of Benjamin Hyde, was born 
 in Franklin, Conn., January 21, 1789, his father having 
 been a soldier and afterwards a pensioner of the Revolu- 
 tion. He came to this village when it was comparatively 
 new and was the second of six brothers and two sisters, all 
 of whom settled in this State, and the eldest, Bela B., was 
 the first collector appointed for the Erie canal at the 
 present city of Rome. Uri Tracy then was county clerk 
 and Mr. Hyde became his deputy. Soon thereafter the 
 office was removed to Norwich, where he went and re- 
 mained several years, but returned and became a member 
 of the mercantile firm of Mygatt & Hyde, doing business 
 at the old store now removed, which stood in the corner 
 near the residence of Joseph E. Packard. 
 
 Mr. Hyde was Supervisor of the town many years ; twice 
 a member of the State Legislature, in 1823 and 1833; the 
 first collector appointed at this place for the Chenango 
 canal in 1838 ; was soon after a judge of the Court of Com- 
 mon Pleas of the county; a trustee of Oxford Academy, 
 and a long time its secretary and treasurer; a warden of 
 St. Paul's church; appointed receiver to close up the 
 affairs of the Chenango County Mutual Insurance Com- 
 pany, and discharged other important trusts, public and 
 private. Mr. Hyde, on his return from Albany after the 
 passage of the Chenango canal bill, was met by a delega- 
 tion of townsmen, who had procured a boat, placed it on 
 wheels, and in this he was escorted to his residence, which 
 
398 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 is now occupied by A. D. Harrington. The town was 
 illuminated and Mr. Hyde entertained a large company 
 that evening. A severe thunderstorm came up and many 
 were detained at the house till a late hour, and were finally 
 carried home in a lumber wagon on account of the heavy 
 downpour and condition of the streets. 
 
 Mr. Hyde married in October, 1819, at New Milford, 
 Conn., Elizabeth, a sister of Henry and William Mygatt, 
 and died at his home in this village, now the residence of 
 A. D. Harrington, February 25, 1850, leaving his widow, 
 who died June 19, 1882, and four children, Caroline E., 
 William H., Minerva H., who married Clark I. Hayes of 
 Unadilla, Otsego county, and died January 9, 1904, and 
 Mary E. The Misses Hyde are the last of the family, and 
 still reside in Oxford. 
 
 W^illiam H. Hyde, son of Austin and Elizabeth (Mygatt) 
 Hyde, was born in this village September 4, 1826. His 
 early education was obtained at Oxford Academy, where 
 he prepared for Yale College, but not finding student life 
 there to his liking withdrew and entered Hobart College 
 at Geneva, N. Y., graduating in 1848. Returning home he 
 taught in the Academy for several terms and read law with 
 Henry E. Mygatt. Admitted to the bar in 1854, he was 
 for a short time a partner of James W. Glover. In 1857 
 he represented Chenango county in the Legislature. 
 
 June 16, 1859, Mr. Hyde married Miss Myra Bates 
 Graves at Northampton, Mass., and soon after removed to 
 Oconomowoc, Wis., where he practiced law. On the break- 
 ing out of the Civil war, Mr. Hyde returned to Oxford, 
 where he remained until his death, which occurred May 
 5, 1902. 
 
 In 1865 Mr. Hyde was elected Special County Judge, 
 serving three years, and was Supervisor of the town for 
 four years. In the year 1857 he was elected a trustee of 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 399 
 
 Oxford Academy, resigned that year, was re-elected in 
 1873, made vice-president of the board in 1878 and presi- 
 dent in 1881, an office he held up to the uniting of the 
 Academy Avith the Union school district. He was thor- 
 oughly conversant with the history of the institution, hav- 
 ing prepared the historical address for the jubilee celebra- 
 tion in 1854. Mr. Hyde was a warm friend of the Academy, 
 did a great deal for its advancement, and his pen was ever 
 ready to perpetuate its long and brilliant career. For 
 several years, previous to and during the Civil war, he did 
 the editorial work on The Oxford Times. His work was 
 that of a scholar and polished writer. 
 
 Mr. Hyde was a communicant of St. Paul's church, hav- 
 ing been confirmed May 23, 1848, by Bishop DeLancy, and 
 for many years a member of the vestry, and at his death a 
 warden of the church. 
 
 Mrs. Hyde and only child, Elizabeth Mygatt Hyde, are 
 yet residents of Oxford. 
 
 The next best thing to being witty one's-self, is to be able to 
 quote another's wit. 
 
 ■ — BOVEE. 
 
 Practical Jokes. 
 
 Among the practical jokers of the early days in the 
 town's history were Ira and Luman McNeil, honest and 
 industrious men, but fond of a joke. Not far behind them 
 were William Moore, Lyman Hunnewell, Mark Sherwood, 
 Noble Betts, and several others. They were a jolly set 
 and enjoyed fun no matter at whose expense. About 1820 
 their fame as practical jokers became widely known 
 throughout the surrounding country, and frequently trav- 
 elers who came to Oxford spoke of the fact, and then were 
 
400 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 quite apt to experience some of their pranks. An old 
 citizen used to relate that when a resident of Cooperstown 
 he strayed into this vicinity while hunting and came to the 
 top of the east hill, looked down on the village, but dared 
 not enter; having heard of the jokes played on unsuspect- 
 ing strangers. 
 
 One day a traveler stopping at the Stage house casually 
 remarked to the landlord that he had heard of the sells 
 and jokes that the villagers Avere noted for, and hinted 
 that it would take a pretty smart man to get the start of 
 him. At this one of the inmates left the barroom and the 
 landlord replied evasively to the stranger's remarks. Soon 
 after a man came rushing in and excitedly asked the land- 
 lord for his crowbar and chain, as " a huge turtle had got 
 wedged in the flume over at the mill and stopped the 
 wheel," The mill stood on the site of Harrington's block, 
 and the unsuspecting traveler, now greatly excited, fol- 
 lowed the man and tools over to see the wonderful sight, 
 but was soon back with dripping clothes, as the jokers had 
 succeeded in getting him completely submerged in the 
 water. He acknowledged the sell, and tradition relates 
 that the receipts at the bar for the remainder of the day, 
 owing to the liberality of the stranger, were very satisfac- 
 tory to the landlord. 
 
 The dull season in town was alleviated by the practical 
 jokes perpetrated on country customers, who were sent to 
 Mygatt's tannery to see the big eel caught in the river. 
 Their curiosity was usually satisfied, for a plank was so 
 arranged that the victim in attempting to look into a vat 
 would fall in, and on extricating himself would usually 
 swear vengeance on the perpetrator. 
 
 Men who had music in their souls were sent to the Epis- 
 copal rectory to borrow the rector's fiddle or drum; and 
 the patience of the Rev. Leverett Bush was sorely tried in 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 401 
 
 explaining to the numerous victims that it was meant for 
 a practical joke, as he had no musical instruments of any 
 kind. 
 
 Sometimes the jokes were returned by subjects who were 
 not so green as they appeared to be. In those days there 
 were what was called " tramping jours," journeymen seek- 
 ing work. On a summer's morning there came to the 
 Stage house an innocent looking young man, who in- 
 timated that he was a blacksmith looking for work, and in 
 the course of the forenoon called at McNeil's shop. He 
 stated his business, and the shop hands, thinking him a 
 good subject to practice upon, began plying him with ques- 
 tions, among others whether he thought he could weld four 
 pieces of iron together at one heat. He was not so sure 
 about that and thought it a little difficult. When the noon 
 hour arrived they left him alone in the shop instead of 
 inviting him to dinner, and on their return found he had 
 left practical proof of his skill as a blacksmith. He had 
 taken two pairs of valuable tongs, placed their jaws into 
 each other, welded them very firmly and departed to seek 
 employment elsewhere. 
 
 On another occasion a man was hired to tear down a 
 fence in front of the residence of Jonathan Baldwin, who 
 then lived in a house on the premises now occupied by P. 
 G. Clarke, with a tumbledown fence surrounding it. Wil- 
 liam Moore was the bartender in the hotel on the opposite 
 corner, and one day he stepped out, leaving Lyman Hunne- 
 well in the barroom alone. A stranger came in looking for 
 a job, and taking him for the landlord inquired if he 
 wanted to hire a man. Lyman, wiio was quick-witted, 
 thought he would have some fun with the " deacon," re- 
 plied that he did, and going to the door pointed to Mr. 
 Baldwin's house, saying : " I am going to tear that old 
 house down and put up new buildings, and you may begin 
 
402 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 with the fence. An old crazy man lives, or stays, there 
 wlio may object to your working, but pay no attention to 
 him as he is of no account," Lyman then took the man 
 into dinner, after which he gave him an ax, hammer, and 
 a pan, charging him to save all the nails. The man went 
 to work in earnest and soon had the fence knocked to 
 pieces. Mr. Baldwin, hearing the noise, went out to see 
 what it was about, and on his discovery of the destruction 
 of his fence, rushed out and exclaimed : " What in h — 1 
 and d — n are you tearing that down for? " The man paid 
 no attention to him until Mr. Baldwin seized a handspike 
 from the woodpile and threatened to spill his brains out; 
 then he quit and went to the hotel, inquiring for the land- 
 lord. Moore told him he was out, but Lyman was upstairs 
 with a few of his cronies looking out of a window enjoying 
 the sport. The landlord did not return, and finally the 
 bartender put on a sober face and told the stranger that 
 the crazy old fellow was after a warrant for his arrest, and 
 the stranger hurriedly left town, never to return. 
 
 At another time the player of the joke had the tables 
 turned on him. Bradford Church, a brother-in-law of 
 Luman McNeil, who was noted as being quite dry in his 
 jokes, but not so practical, was fatting a very large porker 
 that became quite celebrated as the largest hog in the 
 village. After it was killed one of the hams was hung in 
 a smokehouse to make it the more palatable for table use. 
 It was the town talk and the time for cutting the " big 
 ham " was an event in the near future. When the time at 
 last arrived Mr. Church went for the ham, but someone 
 had been before him, and it was gone, creating considerable 
 excitement, and all of the " west side " neighbors were very 
 anxious to know what had become of it. Finally a search 
 warrant was obtained, and Charles A. Hunt, the constable 
 of twenty years service, employed to find the missing ham. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 403 
 
 A crowd soon gathered with all the habitual curiosity to 
 see the outcome of the affair; but there was one among 
 them who was becoming uncomfortable; he knew more 
 about the ham than he wished he did, and matters were 
 getting quite serious. Ira McNeil had removed the ham 
 for a joke, and the question was how to get it back. After 
 a while he saw the opportunity to edge away from the 
 crowd, which were following the constable to search sus- 
 pected premises, and getting the ham into a cornbasket 
 attempted to return it unseen, but had scarcely reached 
 the street when he was confronted by the officer and his 
 solicitous followers. He stood convicted. The ham was 
 found in the basket on his back ; what better proof of guilt? 
 The affair had become a little too serious for a joke and 
 too ludicrous for a crime, and the quickest and most satis- 
 factory way in which to end the matter was to adjourn the 
 crowd to the tavern and liquidate the constable's fees, 
 which owing, to his several deputies present, were not 
 light. 
 
 Life is labour and death is rest. 
 
 — Abchias. 
 
 Havens Family. 
 
 John Havens, a distiller by trade, came to Oxford as 
 early as 1806. For a few months he found employment in 
 a distillery in the village and then purchased and moved 
 upon the land east of the village, which in the course of a 
 few years he developed into a fine farm. He was the only 
 child of his parents, and when but eight months old his 
 mother died. His father was a patriot of 1776 and endured 
 
404 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 with others the hardships of Continental army life. Mr. 
 Havens had very few advantages in early youth, and his 
 first term in school was while in his eighteenth year. He 
 always felt the lack of early schooling and gave his chil- 
 dren the education which was denied him. 
 
 Mr. Havens was born January 18, 1784, in Hinsdale, 
 Columbia county, N. Y., and died June 10, 1862, in Ox- 
 ford. He married November 9, 1806, Sally Newcomb, 
 who was a school teacher in Oxford. She was born May 
 30, 1778, in Lebanon, Conn., and died December 5, 1858, 
 in Oxford. They were the parents of eleven children, all 
 born in Oxford, three of whom died in infancy. Those 
 who grew to maturity were : 
 
 George N., born October 16, 1809; died January 21, 
 1887, in Oxford; married February 21, 1836, in Oxford, 
 Lucretia Willoughby, daughter of Bliss and Fanny (Pat- 
 tan) Willoughby. Children: Ann Lee, married Peter J. 
 Conover of Oxford; (adopted child, Lily Belle, married 
 Walton Bennett and resides in Columbus, O.). John K., 
 born April 6, 1839, in Oxford; died March 3, 1887, in Guil- 
 ford; married September 24, 1860, Julia A. Burton of 
 Oxford; (children, Minnie Lee, born in Oxford, married 
 Edgar B. Stansell of Syracuse, who died November 7, 
 1888; George B.. born in Coventry, married Belle Burton 
 and resides in Guilford; Leroy N., born in Guilford, mar- 
 ried Grace M. Murray and resides in Syracuse). Mar- 
 garet, married William Manning, deceased; (child, Fanny, 
 married Rev. A. W. Burke). Fanny, born in 1844, died in 
 1861, married Andrew Burton; (child, Orrie, resides in 
 Newark, N. J.). 
 
 Salome B., born June 13, 1811; died Februaiw 28, 1890; 
 married December 27, 1840, Garner Wade. Children : 
 Clarence, Harris, died in Illinois. 
 
 Bradford, born September 24, 1815; died July 25, 1898^ 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 405 
 
 in Guilford; married Sally Ann Harrington. Children: 
 Leroy N., enlisted during Civil war in Co. A, 114th Regt. 
 N. Y. S. V. ; shot in temple and instantly killed at battle 
 of Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864. Sarah C, married 
 Cornelius Whitcomb of Guilford. 
 
 Abigail, born June 7, 1817 ; married December 15, 1836, 
 Solomon C. Mowry. , 
 
 Theoda, born May 23, 1819; died August 15, 1882, in 
 Oxford; married October 7, 1846, Gilbert Bowers, born 
 February 12, 1820, in Scipio, Cayuga county, N. Y. ; died 
 December 15, 1886, in Oxford ; enlisted during Civil war in 
 Co. E, 89th N. Y. S. V. Children : Worthington N., mar- 
 ried Lizzie Wackford. Luther E., married Cora Collyer. 
 Ann Marie, died in infancy. James E., born September 
 10, 1853 ; died January 14, 1876. Mary S., born June 15, 
 1856; died April 12, 1861. John H., died in infancy. 
 
 Mary B., born April 24, 1821 ; died January 15, 1902, 
 in Oxford ; unmarried. 
 
 MORILLA E., born August 10, 1823; died February 5, 
 1855, in Bainbridge ; married Hiram Davis. 
 
 Cornelia K., born June 26, 1825; married James Hart- 
 well, who died October 23, 1884, in Oxford. Children: 
 Sarah C, married Delos R. Eells; (children, Mabel C, 
 Marion A., married Clarence Hitt; Juliette, married Ches- 
 ter Bartle; Ruby C). Morilla, married (1) George 
 Hovey; married (2) Hiram Hovey; married (3) David B. 
 Gordon; (children by first husband, Luella, married 
 Homer Padgett; Frank, married Bertha Gilbert; Ethel M., 
 married Alvin Stead of Guilford). Albert L., unmarried. 
 
4o6 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Here shall the Press the People's rights maintain, 
 Unawed by influence and unbribed by gain ; 
 Here patriot Truth her glorious precepts draw, 
 Pledged to Religion, Liberty and Law. 
 
 — Stoby. 
 
 Journals of Oxford. 
 
 During the past ninety-nine years Oxford has had seven 
 distinct journals or newspapers published within its bor- 
 ders. Many made heroic efforts to live, but died in in- 
 fancy; two or three were merged into other papers and 
 have thus lost their identity. 
 
 But one now remains, The Oxford Times, which in its 
 seventieth year, has nothing of senility in its appearance, 
 but like old wine improves with age. A large increasing 
 circulation proves this to be a positive fact, and its success 
 comes simply because it has reflected the happenings and 
 championed the interests of Oxford and the county of 
 Chenango. As a writer states : " The scrupulousness with 
 which The Times has adhered to the cause of local in- 
 terests has not always been to its immediate pecuniary 
 advantage, but its publishers have the satisfaction of 
 knowing that its stand is approved by its home advertisers 
 and that it is therein strengthening its foundations for 
 future permanency." 
 
 The first journalistic enterprise launched in Oxford saw 
 the light of day in the month of October, 1807. It was 
 owned and edited by John B. Johnson and bore the name 
 of The Chenango Patriot. It existed but three or four 
 years, and then died a natural death. The issue of October 
 17, of that year, contained extracts from the New York 
 Gazette of October 4 and 7. Among other interesting 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 407 
 
 items were : " By the arrival of the British brig ' Tom 
 Barry,' in the short passage of 36 days from Scotland, the 
 editors of the New York Gazette have received London 
 and Glasgow papers to the 27th of August." 
 
 " Pope Pius VII., by the authority of Almighty God, 
 and of the Saints Peter and Paul, has executed sentence 
 of excommunication against the Emperor Napoleon, for 
 want of due reverence to his majesty, and other acts of 
 usurpation and violence." 
 
 But notwithstanding all this the village of Oxford was 
 moving on in the full tide of successful settlement. The 
 age of pot and pearl ashes, and black salts, had arrived; 
 and the columns of the President, a village journal that 
 appeared shortly after the Patriot, and soon went hence, 
 published by Theophilus Eaton, announced : 
 
 " The trustees of the Associated Presbyterian Society, 
 Uri Tracy, Stephen O. Runyan, and Amos A. Franklin, 
 notwithstanding the rumors of war, and the excommunica- 
 tion of the emperor, will receive subscriptions to the new 
 church, without further delay." 
 
 The Oxford Gazette was started in 1814 by Chauncey 
 Morgan, who published it until Marcli 5, 1823, when 
 George Hunt became proprietor. June 23, 1824, Ebenezer 
 Noyes became associated with Mr. Hunt in its publication. 
 In February, 1825, it was sold to Howard & Carlisle, and 
 shortly after Mr. Morgan again became proprietor, who 
 sold to William G. Hyer, in 1826. In September, 1826, 
 Benjamin Corry came into town, from some place south, 
 astride a pair of saddle-bags and riding a very fine gray 
 horse. He was emphatically a business man, and pur- 
 chased the Gazette, editing it very acceptably for a few 
 years, when the publication was discontinued. Mr. Corry 
 married Leafa Balcom, daughter of Francis Balcom, and 
 
4o8 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 soon after moved to Water-town, N. Y., where he continued 
 his editorial career for several years. 
 
 The Chenango Republican w^as started in 1826 by Benj. 
 Corry, who sold to Daniel IVIack and Wm. E. Chapman 
 Dec. 10, 1828, and on Sept. 22, 1830, Daniel Mack became 
 sole proprietor. March 3, 1831, Wm. E. Chapman and 
 T. T. Flagler commenced a new series, and soon after 
 changed its name to the Oxford Republican. In 1838, 
 Mr. Chapman became sole proprietor. During the next 
 few years it was successively published by J. Taylor Bradt, 
 Benj. Welch, Jr., and R. A. Leal. In January, 1843, 
 Charles E. Chamberlain became associated proprietor with 
 Mr. Leal, and in August of the same year Mr. Leal again 
 became editor and proprietor, Wm. M. Lewis doing the 
 printing. R. A. Leal died in January, 1844, and his brother 
 LaFayette became proprietor. In 1847 it was merged with 
 the Norwich Journal, and published as the Chenango 
 Union. 
 
 The Chenango Whig was published a short time in 1835, 
 by Denison Smith Clark. 
 
 The Miniature, a small monthly, was issued from the 
 same office. 
 
 The Oxford Times was founded in the fall of 1836 
 by a joint stock company, and was for some time con- 
 ducted by H. H. Cook, a lifetime resident of Oxford. In 
 1841 it passed into the hands of E. H. Purdy and C. D. 
 Brigham, from Avhom it was in turn transferred to Waldo 
 M. Potter, in 1844. The following year Judson B. Galpin 
 became associated proprietor with Mr. Potter. In 1848 
 Mr. Galpin assumed entire control of the paper and con- 
 tinued its publication till his death, February 20, 1893, 
 marking a continuous connection of forty-eight years with 
 The Times. The paper then passed into the hands of his 
 eldest son, Theodore B. Galpin, who has been connected 
 
THEODORE B. GALPIN 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 409 
 
 with the establishmeut from early youth. In January, 
 1894, Mr. Galpin disposed of one-half interest to Welling- 
 ton Alexander, who retired from the firm in September, 
 1899, and commenced the publication of the Oxford Press. 
 July 1, 190G, C. Edward Snell, foreman of The Times, 
 purchased the Press and merged it Avith The Times, under 
 the firm name of Galpin & KSnell. The Times was then 
 enlarged to an eight page journal and many improvements 
 made in its make up. 
 
 The Oxford Transcript, commenced in 1853 by George 
 N. Carhart, was published about six months. 
 
 The Chenango Democrat was commenced November 19, 
 1803, and published but a short time. 
 
 'T'HE FORT HILL HOUSE, a noble looking three- 
 -*■ story structure, with large columns in front, and one 
 that would now do credit to any city, which stood on the 
 site of the residence of William M. Miller; together with 
 the store of Kufus Baldwin, hat store of Peleg Glover and 
 cabinet shop of John Y. Washburn, extending nearly to 
 the river, burned on the morning of May 13, 1839, making 
 the largest fire Oxford ever experienced. Charles H. Cur- 
 tis was proprietor of the house and shortly after the fire 
 went west, finally settling in Chicago at a time when he 
 could count every man in that city. He accumulated a for- 
 tune which at one time was estimated at $3,000,000. Dur- 
 ing the summer of 1885 he lost heavily in speculation, and 
 on January 12, 188G, his lifeless body was found in the 
 lake, and it is supposed that he committed suicide. 
 
4IO ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 The storm is past, but it hatli left behind it 
 Ruin and desolation. 
 
 — Longfellow. 
 
 Severe Storms. 
 
 On Saturday evening, September 17, 1853, a thunder- 
 fitorm broke upon this part of the Chenango valley. The 
 rain commenced falling at 10 o'clock and poured without 
 cessation until 3 a. m. Sunday morning the river was 
 raised over its banks and swept along, a turbid flood at 
 average high water mark. A good many crops of corn on 
 the low flats were flooded or carried ot¥. Clarke's creek 
 overflowed its banks, filling the Chenango house cellar, 
 and discharged its surplus over LaFayette square into the 
 canal. It put the Maine laAv in force in Landlord Hamil- 
 ton's cellar, emptying sundry barrels of liquor and mixing 
 it with rather dirty water. The canal bank gave way near 
 the aqueduct above the village. The Fly ]Meadow brook, 
 running into the river from the west, near Clarence 
 Miner's, was so high and rapid as to carry off all the 
 bridges above the ])lank road, and the plank road bridge 
 was so much undermined as to be impassable. All the 
 dams on this creek, except Sheldon's, were swept out as 
 far up as Lewis's in Preston. The shop at Wait & Guern- 
 sey's upper dam was carried away, and the dye house at 
 their factory. The Lyon brook carried away all the bridges 
 above the river road, and cut out Bemis's dam. His mill 
 was also injured, and logs and lumber floated off. The 
 Padgett brook swept off Charles Padgett's dam and saw- 
 mill, and four bridges, as well as crops and fences. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 411 
 
 And him who, with the steady sledge, 
 Smites the shrill anvil all day long. 
 
 — Bryant. 
 
 William Dunne. 
 
 William Dunne, born November 2, 1815, in Kings 
 county, Ireland; died March 6, 1895, in Oxford; married 
 (1), in Ireland, Catherine Pierce, who died February 15, 
 1850, in Oxford; married (2), in Oxford, Sarah Flanagan, 
 sister of James Flanagan, born March 15, 1822, in Kings 
 county, Ireland ; died in 1890, in Oxford. 
 
 Mr. Dunne came to New York city in 1847, and the fol- 
 lowing year to Oxford. Having perfectly learned the trade 
 of a blacksmith, he had no difficulty in finding a position 
 open in the shop of Charles and Fred B. McNeil, where, 
 by honest toil and strict integrity, he remained a number 
 of years. Then desiring a shop of his own he, with his 
 family, moved to South Oxford, where, having hired a shop 
 of Powers & Smith, carriage makers, he did their work and 
 a general blacksmith business besides. In 1857 he pur- 
 chased a farm in the McNeil neighborhood, where he passed 
 the remainder of his days. Mr. Dunne was a man of in- 
 domitable industry and perseverance; a man of thrift, 
 whatever he did was well done. Children by first wife : 
 
 Mary, born in Kings county, Ireland; married James 
 Bolger and resides in Norwich. Children: Catherine, 
 William J., James, Henry. 
 
 Michael P., born in Kings county, Ireland; married 
 Mary A. Moore in Oxford, whose death occurred February 
 25, 1900. Followed the trade of his father and success- 
 fully conducted business in Tyner and later in Oxford. 
 Now retired and living in the village. In 1903 visited his 
 
412 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 birthplace in Ireland and returned with many a rare curio, 
 which, added to the relics and collection of coins already 
 in his possession, makes an interesting exhibit. Children : 
 Sarah E., teaching in New York city; William H., a prom- 
 inent business man of Norwich; James E., married Alice 
 Flanagan of Smithville Flats and has two children, Dr. 
 Charles M., successfully practicing dentistry in Norwich, 
 and Mary A., engaged for a number of years teaching in 
 Brooklyn, married January 1, 1906, Benjamin W. Moore 
 of Brooklyn. 
 
 Patrick H., born in Kings county, Ireland; married 
 Miss Callahan in Detroit, Mich., where he now resides. 
 Has five children. 
 
 Children by second wife, all born in Oxford : 
 Martin J., married in Detroit, where his family resides. 
 Now veterinary surgeon in the Philippines in the employ 
 of the U. S. government. Has three children. 
 
 Margaret, married Michael Powers and resides in Ox- 
 ford. Children : William, married Helen Hogan and has 
 two children; John, Sarah, Martin, Clara, Clarence, Ed- 
 ward, and Nellie. 
 
 Agnes, married in Oxford Robert Kahl ; born in Ger- 
 many; died September 29, 1889, in Oxford. Children: 
 Robert and Martin. 
 
 Nellie, resides in Oxford. Unmarried. 
 
 Catherine, married in Oxford, Joseph Gallagher. Chil- 
 dren: William, Thomas Duane, died February 12, 1906, 
 aged 20, Nellie, Theresa, Joseph, and Catherine. 
 
 Theresa, married in Oxford, Francis CuUen; died in 
 Preston. 
 
 Anna, resided a number of years in New York, now liv- 
 ing in Oxford. Unmarried. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 413 
 
 The life given us by nature is short ; b\it tlie memory of a well- 
 spent life is eternal. 
 
 CiCEBO. 
 
 Myron Powers. 
 
 Myron Powers, a native of Dutchess county, was a 
 miller in Norwich for several years, until 1843, when he 
 moved to Greene and purchased a farm of 125 acres. After 
 remaining there a term of years he bought a farm in South 
 Oxford, upon which he passed the remainder of his days. 
 Early in life he married Gertrude Willson, and of their 
 nine children six grew to maturity, among whom was 
 Alanson W., a resident of South Oxford. 
 
 Alanson W. Powers obtained his mental training in the 
 public schools of Greene and Norwich, and then learned 
 the trade of a wagon maker, and has folloAved it since. 
 In 1849 he located in South Oxford and began the manu- 
 facture of wagons, sleighs and carriages, and in the ex- 
 cellency of his work he soon became well known through- 
 out a large territory of the surrounding country. Mr. 
 Powers has served in official capacities as postmaster, ex- 
 cise commissioner and inspector of election, and advocates 
 the Republican principles of government. In religious be- 
 lief he is a member of the Baptist church, and is also a 
 member of Oxford Lodge, No. 176, F. & A. M. He mar- 
 ried in 18.50, Miss Emily Bartoo, daughter of Hiram Bar- 
 too of Greene. Children : 
 
 Myron E., born February 1, 1861, in South Oxford; 
 died November 15, 1900, in Oxford; married Jessie Shel- 
 don of Oxford. Children : Percival S., Kathryn A., Ken- 
 neth W. Two children died in infancy. 
 
 Minnie M., resides at Richmond Hill, N. Y. Unmarried. 
 
414 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Method is the hinge of business and there is no 
 method without order and punctuality. 
 
 — Hannah Moobe. 
 
 Robinson Family. 
 
 William Robinson came to this country about 1636 and 
 settled at Dorchester, Mass. 
 
 His son, Samuel Robinson, married Mary Baker. His 
 son. Rev. John Robinson, graduated at Harvard College 
 in 1695, and was a minister of the church at Duxbury, 
 Mass. He removed to Lebanon, Conn., where he died Nov- 
 ember 14, 1745. His wife was Hannah Wiswell. Their 
 son, John Robinson, was born April 16, 1715. Died at 
 Bozrah, Ct., August 21, 1784. His wife was Thankful 
 Hinkley. Their son, Samuel Robinson, born June 7, 1752, 
 in Lebanon, Ct., died March 2, 1815, in South Oxford; 
 married * Priscilla Metcalf of Lebanon, Ct., born July 29, 
 1759; died May 20, 1850, in South Oxford. They first 
 settled at Bozrah, Ct., and removed to Oxford in 1800. 
 Mr. Robinson was a direct descendant of one of the Pil- 
 grim Fathers. On his arrival in Oxford he engaged in 
 farming and milling and became known as a most pros- 
 perous farmer. Their children, all born in Lebanon, Ct. : 
 
 John Wallace, born April 5, 1779; lived at Wilkes- 
 barre, Pa. 
 
 Faith, born July 23, 1781 ; died March 1, 1863, in Ox- 
 ford. Unmarried. 
 
 Jabez, born April 9, 1783. 
 
 Andrew, born January 20, 1788 ; probably died in Texas. 
 
 Dan Hyde, born October 11, 1795. 
 
 * Ancestors of Priscilla Metcalf, who was the wife of Samuel Robii> 
 son of Oxford. N. Y. 
 
 Michael Metcalf, born in Tatterford, County of Norfolk, Englanu, 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 415 
 
 Jabez Robinson, son of Samuel and Priscilla (Metcalf) 
 Eobinson, removed to South Oxford in 1808. Born of 
 Revolutionary ancestors and in the same year in which 
 was consummated the independence of his country and 
 which saw her take her place among the nations of the 
 earth a recognized power; bred in the stern school of 
 economy which the great struggle had necessitated, and 
 his youthful mind filled witli those sterling tales of pa- 
 triotism which fell from the lips of the heroes who had so 
 lately offered their all upon the altar of their country, he 
 was well prepared for the subsequent scenes and trials of 
 life, as a pioneer in a new and sparsely settled country. In 
 the second great struggle of the then infant country to 
 preserve and to perpetuate the liberties won in the Revo- 
 lution, he entered the ser\ice of his country in the forces 
 raised by his adopted State, was promoted to the rank of 
 brevet Major, and remained until the close of the war. 
 
 In 1834 Mr. Robinson was elected sheriff of this county, 
 and in all the various stations which he was called upon 
 to fill from time to time, was faithful, deserving and fully 
 adhering to the tenents of his early education. His farm 
 lay on both sides of the Chenango river, and in the course 
 of time he erected a grist and saw mill. He furnished 
 
 being persecuted by Bishop Wren, on account of his religion, emigrated 
 with his wife and nine children, in April, 1637, and settled at Dedham, 
 Mass., in July of that year. 
 
 His eldest son, Michael Metcalf, 2d, married Mary Fairbanks of 
 Dedham. 
 
 Their second son, Jonathan Metcalf, married Hannah Kenris of 
 Dedham. 
 
 Their third son, Ebenezer Metcalf, of Lebanon, Conn., married Han- 
 nah Able. 
 
 Their second son, Benjamin Metcalf, married Sarah Able. 
 
 Their fourth son. Dr. Andrew Metcalf, was born at Lebanon, Decem- 
 ber 5, 1736. He married Zerviah Hyde, September 20, 1758. 
 
 Three of their children became residents of Oxford ; namely : Pris- 
 cilla, the wife of Samuel Robinson. Jabez H., born at Lebanon, August 
 26. 1761. Married Violata Thomas and died at Oxford. Luke, born at 
 
 Lebanon, May 4, 1764, married Frink and died November 26, 
 
 1856, in Oxford. 
 
4i6 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 employment for the poor, took honest toll, and left a 
 record that was unblemished. His death occurred Feb- 
 ruary 25, 1864, at the age of 81 years. Mr. IJobinson mar- 
 ried (1) July 10, 1810, Maria Ten Broeck of South Oxford, 
 died April 4, 1818 ; aged 29 years. Married ( 2 ) February 
 
 7, 1819, Ann Ten Broeck, sister of first wife; died June 
 
 8, 1873, aged 75 years. Cliildren by first wife: 
 Frances, born October 28, 1812, in South Oxford; died 
 
 October 19, 1859, in Houston, Texas; married Alvin S. 
 Perkins. Child: Sarah Maria, married Rev. I. W. Tays 
 of El Paso, Texas. 
 
 Sarah, born June 15, 1814, in South Oxford; died Au- 
 gust 9, 1836, in Norwich. Unmarried. 
 
 Mary, born April 28, 1816, in South Oxford ; died March 
 4, 1895, in Salida, Colo. ; married June 16, 1832, Calvin 
 Wheelock of New York city. Child : Anna J., married 
 October 18, 1882, Eli W. Ten Broeck, and resides at Salida, 
 CoL Children by second wife: 
 
 Samuel M.,born April 25, 1821, in South Oxford. 
 
 John W., born March 12, 1823, in South Oxford; died 
 April 27, 1881, in Jackson, Mich. ; married jMary Jane 
 Bradford of Huntsville, Ala. 
 
 Maria A., born January 14, 1825, in South Oxford; 
 married George Stratton, and resides in South Oxford. 
 
 Rev. James A., born March 26, 1827, in South Oxford; 
 died December 17, 1897, in Cortland, N. Y., where he had 
 been for ten years rector of Grace Episcopal church. Was 
 also chaplain of 32d N. Y. S. V. regiment during Civil 
 war. Married Sarah T. Hale of Hornellsville, N. Y. 
 
 Perez Packer, born i^ugust 5, 1832, in South Oxford; 
 died June 2, 1854, in Jackson, Miss. Unmarried. 
 
 Jennie A., born December 13, 1834, in South Oxford; 
 died November 26, 1896, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. ; married Tip- 
 ton Bradford. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 417 
 
 Charles L., born May 6, 1837, in Norwich; married 
 Virginia Watkins of Huntsville, Ala. Resides in Louis- 
 ville, Ky. 
 
 Dan Hyde Robinson, son of Samuel and Priscilla (Met- 
 calf ) Robinson, born October 11, 1798, in Lebanon, Conn., 
 died May 24, 1871, in South Oxford; married Alvira 
 Loomis of Oxford, who died March 21, 1861, in South 
 Oxford. Children : 
 
 Maryette, died April 6, 1865, in South Oxford ; married 
 January 8, 1845, George Stratton of South Oxford. 
 
 Harriet, born December 4, 1825; died March 9, 1893. 
 Married May 16, 1855, Erastus Hill, born January 2, 1826, 
 in Smithville; died February 24, 1885, in South Oxford. 
 Children : Chauncey, married Elizabeth Smith ; Nancy, 
 married William Mason; Alvin, married Mary Murdock; 
 Hattie L., died December 4, 1876, aged 15. 
 
 Luke M., born October 10, 1830 ; died February 9, 1895, 
 in Neenah, Wis. ; married September 30, 1858, Maria L. 
 Fish of Oxford. Children : Amy E., born July 30, 1864 
 in South Oxford ; died October 2, 1900, in Neenah, Wis. ; 
 Dan A., born April 15, 1866. Residence Menasha, Wis. 
 
 Alvin P., died November 16, 1859, of yellow fever in 
 Houston, Texas, aged 22, unmarried. 
 
 Frances, born February 15, 1844; died March 4, 1896, 
 in Homer, N. Y. ; married September 16, 1868, John A. 
 Flagg. Children: Mary A., married Manley H. Daniels 
 of Homer; Nettie, married Fred Newcomb, of Homer. 
 
 Samuel M. Robinson, son of Jabez and Ann (Ten 
 Broeck) Robinson, born April 25, 1821, in South Oxford; 
 died December 15, 1896, in South Oxford; married Feb- 
 ruary 22, 1848, Sarah A. Brown of New Berlin, w^ho died 
 December 7, 1904, in South Oxford. Mr. Robinson re- 
 ceived his education in Oxford Academy, and after leaving 
 that institution returned to the home farm where he spent 
 
4i« ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 bis entire life. He engaged in agricultural pursuits and 
 also conducted a saw and grist mill. He was an honest 
 man of sterling integrity, highly respected by his towns- 
 men, and had held many public offices of trust, among 
 which were supervisor, Justice of the Peace, and highway 
 commissioner. Children : 
 
 Emogene, married Dr. Warren Scott of Cromwell, Ind. ; 
 died August 7, 1891, in South Oxford. 
 
 Margaret W., died December 25, 1862, aged 12. 
 
 Mary J., married Albert Tremaine, resides in Greene. 
 
 Sarah L., twin to above, married Dr. DeWitt Hitch- 
 cock; died February 11, 1897, in Long Island City, N. Y. 
 
 Frances A., married Edward Robinson of Greene ; died 
 September 13, 1880. 
 
 Archer, adopted son, married Clara Ives of Afton. Re- 
 sides on the old homestead. 
 
 CENSUS 1834. — We copy from a sheet, soiled by age, 
 upon which was taken the " Census of the village of 
 Oxford, on the first day of January, 1834,''' by Henry R. 
 Mygatt, Esq., and Judge Samuel McKoon : 
 
 Forty-four families on the East side of tlie river containiug 409 in- 
 habitants, 221 males, 248 females. 
 
 Sixty-six families on the West side of the river containing 441 in- 
 habitants, 234 males, 207 females. 
 
 One hundred and ten families, 910 inhabitants, 455 males, 455 
 females. 
 
 Twenty-eight more inhabitants on the East than on the West side 
 of the river. 
 
 Statistics of the town of Oxfoi-d. — Five ministers of the gospel : Rev. 
 Leverett Rush. Episcopalian ; Rev. James Abell, Pi-esbyterian ; Revs. 
 Washington Kingsley and Elisha B. Spaarks, Baptist ; Rev. Henry Hal- 
 stead. Methodist. 
 
 Att'ys at Law. — Heuiy VanDerLyn, Henry Mygatt, James Clapp. 
 Samuel McKoon. 
 
 M. (t. McKoon, Principal of Oxford Academy, Elizabeth C. Merwin, 
 Preceptress. 
 
 <»no oil mill. 1 woolen factory, 12 saw-mills, 3 grist-mills, 1 iron 
 foundrv, 3 tanneries. 
 
AN^MLS OF OXFORD 419 
 
 He strove among God's suffering poor 
 One gletim of brotherhood to send. 
 
 — Lowell. 
 
 James Flanagan. 
 
 James Flanagan was born in the year 1816 in Armath, 
 Ireland, and came to Oxford in 1848 with his young wife, 
 Anne Troy, and infant daughter, Mary. He soon found 
 employment in the blacksmith shop of Wilmot Roberts, 
 where he remained several years, and then entered into 
 business for himself, having a shop near his residence on 
 Greene street. Mr. Flanagan was the first Irishman who 
 came to Oxford to reside, and Father James Hourigan, 
 of Binghamton, once said of him that he was the corner 
 stone of Catholicism in Chenango county. Previous to the 
 erection of St. Joseph's church services were held at his 
 residence, where the first mass in town was celebrated. 
 Mr. Flanagan was a friend in need to many of his country- 
 men on their arrival in town, who usually came in by 
 canal and landed here perfect strangers. Often he took 
 them, sometimes an entire family, to his home where they 
 remained until he found employment for them in the com- 
 munity. In 1871 Mr. Flanagan became a contractor at 
 the time of the construction of the O. & W. railroad, then 
 called the Midland, but the venture proved disastrous and 
 he lost heavily. About twenty years previous to his death 
 Mr. Flanagan lost his eyesight, but his cheerful heart and 
 disposition were unchanged, and uncomplaining he groped 
 his way about the streets of the village having a pleasant 
 greeting for all. Mr. Flanagan died June 11, 1891, and 
 his faithful and lovinar wife followed him to the better 
 
420 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 land six months later, her death occurring January 2, 
 1892. Children : 
 
 Mary, married Daniel Duggan, and resides in Newark, 
 N. J. 
 
 Ellen, unmarried, resides in Cleveland, Ohio. 
 
 Catherine, married Edward Dockery, and resides in 
 Orange, N. J. 
 
 Theresa, married John Porn, and is the only member 
 of the family residing in Oxford. 
 
 Anna, married Patrick Byrne of Norwich. 
 
 Margaret, married Thomas Dugan, and resides in 
 Orange, N. J. 
 
 John J., married Anna Byrne, and resides in Norwich. 
 
 BUSINESS FIKMS IN 1835,— Among those who were 
 doing business in this town during the year 1835 we 
 find the following list in the " Chenango Whig, and Mis- 
 cellaneous Journal," published in this village by Denison 
 Smith Clark, dated March 6. It reads, " Synopsis of the 
 Yearly Advertisers to the Whig " : 
 
 Elisha Bishop, Dry Goods, Groceries, &c. Fort Hill Buildings. 
 
 Benjamin Butler, President of Agricultural Society. East side of 
 the river. 
 
 J. S. & F. R. Clark, Variety Store. Fort Hill Buildings. 
 
 Clark and Balcom, Dry Goods, Groceries, &c. Adjoining Clarke's 
 Hotel. 
 
 Joel Chapin, Cabinet maker. East side of the River. 
 
 Horace Dresser, Law Office. 4 Fort Hill Buildings. 
 
 James Durham, Coach Maker. On the West side of the River. 
 
 A. A. Franklin & Co., Chenango Foundry. East side of the River. 
 
 Seth H. Fisk, W. I. Goods Store. Checkered Building west side of 
 the River. 
 
 Dr. DeForest, Physician and Surgeon. Fort Hill Buildings. 
 
 William Gile, Clothing Emporium. East side of the River. 
 
 William Mygatt, Leather Store. ISast side of the River. 
 
 Newkirk & Miller, Dry Goods, Groceries, &c. Exchange Buildings. 
 
 Perkins & VanWagenen, Dry Goods, Groceries, Drugs, &c. East side 
 of the River. 
 
 Rouse & Perkins, Druggists, &c. Exchange Buildings. 
 
 Charles Perkins, Tailoring store. West side of the River. 
 
 Gardner Stratton, Hat Store. Fort Hill Buildings. 
 
 J. Y. Washburn & Co., Chair manufacturers. East side of the River. 
 
 Ira Wilcox, Dry Goods, Groceries, &c. Fort Hill Buildings. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 421 
 
 Everyone is the son of his own works. 
 
 — CEBVANTEb. 
 
 Cyrus M. Gray. 
 
 Cyrus M. Gray, born in McDonough, June 7, 1826, re- 
 moved to Oxford, April, 1828. Married November 22, 
 1850, Derinda Lincoln of Horseheads, N. Y., born Feb- 
 ruary 6, 1829, and died April 7, 1896, in Oxford. Two 
 children, Ella L., married Rev. Edwin J. Brownson Au- 
 gust 7, 1879. Edward Cyrus, died October 20, 1896, mar- 
 ried Maude Potter of Cooperstown. 
 
 Cyrus M. Gray attended school at Oxford Academy, and 
 when 19 taught in what was known as the Stone school- 
 house, receiving $10 a month and boarding around — two 
 nights to a scholar. This was before the time of steel 
 pens. Part of the work of the teacher was to make the 
 quill pens for seventy scholars. On September 20, 1846, 
 he began clerking for Cyrus Tuttle, remained with him 
 for four years, when on April 1, 1850, with Derick Race, 
 he went into the grocery business in the Corner Store, at 
 that time owned by Joshua Root. After six months he sold 
 out to Mr. Race and bought the Packer drug store. In 
 1851 he went into business at Cannonsville, N. Y., where he 
 remained until 1855, and then returned to Oxford and 
 bought what is known as the Tower farm, and farmed it 
 for four years. In 1860, with William B. Race, he bought 
 the Corner Store, now occupied by Baldwin & Mead, and 
 opened a dry goods and grocery business. After one 
 
422 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 year John R. Wheeler bought out Mr. Race and for ten 
 years the business was successfully carried on under the 
 name of Gray & Wheeler. In 1871 they sold the goods 
 and leased the store to Tower & Morley, and for two years 
 carried on business across the street, in the store now 
 occupied by Rector Youmans as a meat market; when Mr. 
 Wheeler removed to Chicago and failing health led Mr. 
 Gray to purchase and build what has been since 1874 the 
 homestead. After a rest he clerked two years for Clarke 
 Bros, and five years for Skinner Bros, in the Corner Store. 
 In 1877 Mr. Gray bought out Skinner Bros, and again took 
 up business at the old stand, where he continued until 1891, 
 and then retired to his homestead. Politically Mr. Gray is 
 a staunch Republican, and voted for the first time for Presi- 
 dent in 1848 for Van Buren, and voted for the first Re- 
 publican President when the party was started and at 
 every presidential election until the last, when he was out 
 of the State, making thirteen presidents. Religiously he is 
 a Baptist, uniting with the church when fifteen years of 
 age, and ever since has been identified with every depart- 
 ment of the work. Mr. Gray is now residing with his 
 daughter, Mrs. Browmson, in Centralia, 111. 
 
 And the maize-field grew and ripened. 
 Till it stood in all the splendor 
 Of its garments green and yellow. 
 
 — Longfellow. 
 
 Benjamin Butler. 
 
 Benjamin Butler, avIio owned the farm on State street 
 known as the Corn Hill farm, now the property of George 
 B. Fletcher, was a son of Dr. Benjamin and Diadama 
 (Hyde) Butler of Norwich, Conn., where he was born 
 January 30, 1764. lie married Hannah Avery of Groton. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 423 
 
 They settled at New London, Conn., and afterwards re- 
 moved to New York city, where he carried on the business 
 of a broker for many years. In 1806 they came to Oxford. 
 Mr. Butler was one of the founders of St. Paul's Epis- 
 copal church in this village, and occupied a house on the 
 site of the present church edifice in 1807-8. Later he occu- 
 pied a residence on Merchant street, and then for a year 
 or so the old mansion, later known as the McKoon house. 
 From here he removed to the farm above mentioned, and 
 became extensively engaged in sheep raising, and buying 
 and selling land. At his death, which occurred January 
 15, 1839, the hills surrounding the village were covered 
 with sheep owned by him and let out to various parties to 
 keep. Having large landed possessions, a great many peo- 
 ple were in his employ. Mr. Butler read medicine and 
 practiced for a short time. He was called to see a man, 
 but his treatment of the case was so unsuccessful that the 
 patient nearly died, and Dr. Butler then and there gave 
 up the profession. Hannah Avery Butler, his wife, died 
 August 1, 1829, aged 58. Children : 
 
 Benjamin, who died in infancy. 
 
 Julia H.. born at New London, Conn., June 13, 1794; 
 married James Clapp; died November 17, 1832. 
 
 Mary D., born at New London, Conn., January 8, 1797 ; 
 died December 12, 1881, in Utica ; married Nicholas Dever- 
 eaux of Utica. They had six children, the eldest daughter, 
 Hannah, married Hon. Francis Kernan of that city. 
 
 Elizabeth, third daughter, died in infancy. 
 
 Cornelia Ann, born at New York, March 1, 1806 ; mar- 
 ried William C. Pierpont of Pierpont Manor, N. Y. They 
 had six cliildren. 
 
 Elizabeth Hannah, youngest daughter, born at New 
 York, February 19, 1813. She was unmarried, and lived 
 
424 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 many years, until her death, March 18, 1883, upon the old 
 farm with Mr. Warren Eaton, as manager. 
 
 Mr. Butler was a very dark skinned man, though of a 
 fine commanding presence. He owned a colored boy as a 
 part of his personal property, as in those days New York 
 was a slave state. One day he sent the boy to a store for 
 a corn basket he had bought, and told him to have it 
 marked with his initials, " B. B." The basket was brought 
 home unmarked, the boy had played on the way and for- 
 gotten that part of his errand, so he was sent back and 
 cautioned not to return until he brought it duly marked 
 with his master's initials. When in the course of an hour 
 he returned there were seven Bs conspicuously displayed 
 on the basket. His master discovering the surplus initials 
 exclaimed : 
 
 " You black rascal, what did you have so many for? " 
 
 The boy, with a broad grin, answered : " Massa, it 
 
 means ' Black Ben Butler's Black Boy's Bushel Basket ! ' " 
 
 No legacy is so rich asi honesty. 
 
 — Shakespeabe, 
 
 James Walker. 
 
 Among the heroic men who came to this town at an 
 early date, and who witnessed its development, enduring 
 toil and hardships without murmur or complaint, and suc- 
 ceeding, were able to pass the sunset of life in peace and 
 quiet, was James W^alker. He was born May 30, 1788, 
 and died January 17, 1864. He married April 3, 1806, 
 Jane Padgett, whose parents came from England. She 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 425 
 
 was born July 8, 1790, and died April 16, 1872. Children : 
 
 Jane, born June 28, 1807; died May 21, 1881. 
 
 LoviSA, born August 6, 1809; died May 24, 1899; mar- 
 ried (1) Porter Bingham; married (2) Nathan Bailey, a 
 veteran of the Mexican war. 
 
 Nicholas, born July 11, 1811; died October 2, 1893; 
 married May 5, 1836, Lydia Mowry, of Oxford. Lived and 
 died on the farm where he was born. 
 
 James, born June 5, 1814; died October 4, 1853; mar- 
 ried Phoebe Carhart. 
 
 William, born December 27, 1816; died April 1, 1871; 
 married Zeunih Mowry. 
 
 Sarah, born April 15, 1819; died April 13, 1885; mar- 
 ried William Beardsley. 
 
 Hannah, born December 29, 1821; living in Iowa; mar- 
 ried Helam Barstow. 
 
 Willis, born April 19, 1824; died June 4, 1892; marriexl 
 Mary Ann Bowers. 
 
 Daniel, born April 12, 1827; died December 13, 1903; 
 married (1) Frances Atlelia Main; died February 19, 
 1864; married (2) Eliza Parker. 
 
 JuLLi, born August 14, 1829 ; died March 30, 1887 ; mar- 
 ried George Lampliere. 
 
 WiLLARD, born March 5, 1832 ; died June 26, 1893 ; mar- 
 ried Hannah Mary Main, born August 24, 1834 ; died Jan- 
 uary 12, 1904. 
 
 My voice is still for war. 
 Gods ! can a Roman senate long debate 
 Which of the two to choose, slavery or death? 
 
 — Addisow, 
 
 Throop Family. 
 
 Major Dan Throop, a native of Connecticut, and for 
 many years a resident of Hudson, N. Y., came to Oxford 
 
42b ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 in 1800. He was for a time proprietor of the hotel, now- 
 known as the Hotehkiss House, and for many years a mer- 
 chant in this village. When in possession of his health 
 and vigor he was a useful citizen and an active ofiftcer in 
 his civil and military capacity. The disease which termin- 
 ated his life was of several months standing, in which 
 period he was a great sufferer. A soldier of the Revolu- 
 tion, he met sickness and death with characteristic firm- 
 ness and resignation. He died at liis residence on Fort 
 Hill, May 19, 1824, and was buried in tlie old cemetery on 
 State street. Mary, his widow, also a native of Connecti- 
 cut, died at Nineveh, N. Y., October 13, 1843. 
 
 Simon Gager Throop, born at Kinderhook, N. Y., Jan- 
 uary 4, 1790, came from Hudson with his father. Major 
 Dan Throop, in 1800. He was for a time a student, after- 
 wards a partner, of Henry Van Der Lyn, Esq., and was 
 the first lawyer that practiced in Bainbridge. For several 
 years he was a member in the family of Martin Van Buren, 
 with whom he also studied law, and became quite a suc- 
 cessful criminal lawyer. 
 
 A member of " the Unadilla Hunt, or Oxford Chase," 
 he became very popular with the masses. He married 
 September 4, 1814, Asenath Burr, daughter of Theodore 
 Burr, the famous bridge builder, who died in Scranton, 
 Pa., October 18, 1877, aged 85. Mr. Throop had a resi- 
 dence on Fort Hill, near the site of the Memorial library, 
 with an office near by, which was the headquarters for the 
 citizens on particular occasions to discuss politics and on 
 Saturday evenings to amuse themselves with cards and 
 dice. Chauncey Morgan, Gen. Peter Sken Smith, and 
 many others took part in these convivial sessions. 
 
 Mr. Throop's social qualities were of the most bril- 
 liant and genial order. Unrivalled in wit, humor and 
 caricature, he was the life and soul of the social circle, 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 427 
 
 and " kept the table in a roar " wKerever his mobile and 
 expressive countenance appeared. When the strife be- 
 tween Oxford and Norwich over the county seat was in 
 progress he was sent to Albany as a lobby member in the 
 interest of Oxford. When he returned the citizens gave 
 him a reception, which was held in the afternoon and even- 
 ing at the residence of Chauncey Morgan, A numerous 
 company of ladies and gentlemen assembled, and among 
 the good things prepared for the feast was a large turkey, 
 and in some way it fell to Mr. Throop to do the carving. 
 Taking off his coat and rolling up his sleeves he seized the 
 carving knife and fork and went to work, at the same time 
 keeping the company in good humor by his witty jokes. 
 The carving finished, he wiped his fingers with a napkin, 
 put on his coat and striking a parliamentary attitude, 
 said : " Gentlemen and ladies, I submit this subject to 
 your immediate consideration," which was received with 
 great laughter and applause. 
 
 Mrs. Chauncpy Morgan, assisted by her sister, Mrs. 
 Samuel S. Sherwood and Miss Harriet Bessac, of French 
 descent, and ]\Irs. Throop, a lady of splendid appearance, 
 richly dressed and wearing a profusion of jewelry, did the 
 honors and lent their vivacity to the pleasures of the even- 
 ing. At a late hour the reception came to a close. 
 
 Under the first constitution of our State, in 1818, Mr. 
 Throop was member of Assembly from Chenango county. 
 His associates in that assembly were Tilly Linde, then of 
 Sherburne, and Perez Randall of Norwich, for many years 
 a popular county clerk. From June, 1818, to April, 1822, 
 Mr. Throop was district attorney of the county. The early 
 records of St. Paul's church for more than ten years from 
 1816 are inscribed by him as secretary. In 1832 he left 
 Oxford, and in 1871, at the age of 82, was appointed As- 
 sociate Judge of Monroe county, Pennsylvania. He died 
 
428 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 in Stroudsburg, that State, February 17, 1877. Mrs. 
 Throop died in Scranton, October 18, 1877, aged 85. Mary 
 Gager, their only daughter, married Edward L. Wolf of 
 Honesdale, Pa. 
 
 Col. Benjamin Throop, with wife and daughter, came 
 to Oxford from Kinderhook, N. Y., in 1818, at the urgent 
 request of his son, Major Throop, to spend the remainder 
 of his days among relatives. His health was poorly and 
 mind impaired, and at the age of 80 years his death oc- 
 curred at the home of his grandson on Fort Hill, May 16, 
 1822. In 1776, he led a hundred warriors of the Mohigan 
 tribe to Canada, who chiefly fell in that unfortunate cam- 
 paign victims to the enemy and smallpox. Subsequently 
 he received a commission of captain in the line and was 
 eventually promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel of 
 the Fourth Connecticut regiment. He Avas ordered by 
 Washington to protect New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and 
 served under Sullivan and Putnam through the war until 
 peace prevailed. He was present and fought in the battles 
 of Long Island, White Plains, Saratoga and Moumouth, 
 and also in many severe conflicts with the Indians. The 
 name of Washington never failed to lighten a smile on 
 his cheek and his eye for a moment would resume its origi- 
 nal brightness. Col. Throop was buried with honors due 
 to his rank and service, it being the first military funeral 
 in the county. An appropriate sermon was preached by 
 Rev. Leverett Bush, D. D., rector of St. Paul's church. 
 The body was escorted to the grave by Capt. Wheeler's 
 company of artillery, Capt. Smith's militia, soldiers of 
 the Revolution, many in the uniform of officers, and a 
 large concourse of citizens of Oxford and from every town 
 in the county. The procession was headed by muffled 
 drums with solemn music, and a horse with military saddle 
 and bear skin holsters, and spurred boots fastened to the 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 429 
 
 stirrups, led by a colored man. During the march to the 
 old cemetery on State street minute guns were fired by the 
 artillery. After the commitment service had been read 
 the militia fired six volleys over the grave. Leaving the 
 cemetery the dead march was changed to the familiar 
 strains of Yankee Doodle, to which air the procession 
 quickened its pace and made a much quicker trip back to 
 the house on Fort Hill. 
 
 Dr. Benjamin Throop, son of Major Dan Throop, was 
 born November 9, 1811, in Oxford. Educated at the 
 Academy he was a student with Horatio Seymour, Ward 
 Hunt, Charlemagne Tower, Henry R. Mygatt, and many 
 others who in later life became noted throughout the 
 State and country. Dr. Throop went to Scranton in the 
 early days of that city, and investing in coal lands he be- 
 came wealthy and was prominently identified with the 
 city's growth and interests. He became president of the 
 Scranton City Bank, and also of the Scranton Illumina- 
 ting, Heat and Power Company. His death occurred in 
 that city June 26, 1897. He married in 1842 Miss A. F. 
 McKinney of Schuylkill, Pa. Children : 
 
 Mary Eliza. Residence, Scranton. 
 
 Eugene Romayne, died in 1852. 
 
 Benjamin Henry, died in 1851. 
 
 William Bigler, died in 1852. 
 
 George Scranton, died in 1894. 
 
 Greater than genius, greater than power, greater than riches, 
 is the ability to pour out one's life for the uplifting of others. 
 
 — Clayton S. Coopeb. 
 
 Henry Mygatt. 
 
 Henry Mygatt, son of Noadiah and Clarissa (Lynde) 
 Mygatt of New Milford, Conn., came to Oxford in 1806, 
 
430 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 pursuing for a few years the occupation of a saddler. 
 Afterwards he engaged in mercantile business for several 
 years in company a portion of the time with his brother 
 William, and brother-in-law, Austin Hyde. He finally 
 transferred the business to his son-in- law, John Donnelly, 
 who continued it till failing health compelled him to re- 
 linguish an active life. The firm occupied a building which 
 stood on the corner south of Washington Park. It then 
 adjoined the residence of Joseph E. Packard, and was used 
 many years by Dr. William G. Sands as an office. Mr. 
 Mygatt was born November 7, 1783, in New Milford, Conn., 
 and died May 5, 1835, in Oxford. He married (1) in 1809, 
 Sarah S. Washburn of Oxford, who died September 26, 
 1818, in Meredith, N. Y. Married (2) Mrs. Susan Hosmer 
 of Connecticut. Children by first wife : 
 
 Henry K., born April 10, 1810, in Oxford; died March 
 31, 1875, in Oxford. 
 
 Orlando N., born August 24, 1812, in Oxford ; died Au- 
 gust 17, 1827, in Oxford. 
 
 Clarissa A., married (1) John Donnelly, who died Oc- 
 tober 30, 1838; married (2) Frederick A. Sands; died Au- 
 gust 16, 1886, in Unadilla. 
 
 Sarah E., married Dr. William G. Sands. 
 
 Mr. Mygatt had three children by his second wife, all 
 of whom died in infancy. 
 
 Henry R. Mygatt, son of Henry and Sarah (Washburn) 
 Mygatt, prepared for college at Oxford Academy, then 
 in charge of David L. Prentice, and graduated at Union 
 College in 1830. Soon thereafter he commenced the study 
 of law in the office of James Clapp, and was admitted at 
 Albany in 1833. His professional toils and successes cov- 
 ered a long term of practice in all the courts of this State, 
 as well as in the Supreme Court of the United States. 
 He was greatly beloved and resijected for his excellence of 
 
o 
 r- 
 O 
 < 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 43' 
 
 character, was highly benevolent, his heart and hand were 
 always open to whatever concerned the welfare of the 
 community. Great as Avere his benefactions they were not 
 bounded by the limits of his own town. He was not an 
 aspirant for public office, and invariably declined all 
 nominations therefor. He held successively the office of 
 secretary, vice-president, and president of Oxford Acad- 
 emy for a number of years. During that time he strength- 
 ened it with his counsels, his labors, and with repeated 
 and munificent gifts, placing during a portion of the time 
 at its disposal free tuitions for worthy and needy scholars. 
 To St. Paul's church he was also a bountiful benefactor, 
 to which its records bear testimony. Mr. Mygatt received 
 from Hobart College the honorary degree of Doctor of 
 Laws, a designation well and worthily bestowed, and was 
 one of the corporators named in the act of Congress which 
 created the Centennial Board of Finance for the Inter- 
 national celebration of the hundredth anniversary of 
 American Independence. Mr. Mygatt married December 
 2, 1835, Esther Maria Tracy, daughter of Hon. John Tracy, 
 who died June 25, 1895, in New York city, Children : 
 
 John Tracy, born November 29, 1836 ; married August 
 28, 1861, Mary Stevens, daughter of Hon. Daniel S. Dick- 
 inson, of Binghamton. After passing his Freshman year 
 at Hamilton College, Mr. Mygatt, second term Sophomore, 
 entered Union, from which he was graduated in class of 
 '58, being one of the Commencement speakers. While in 
 Union he was a member of the Adelphi Literary Society, 
 and held the office of President. He was admitted to the 
 Bar in 1861, and located in Binghamton; but after a few 
 years' practice, finding this occupation too sedentary, 
 abandoned it for the paper trade, and for many years was 
 established in Duane street. New York city. He held at 
 one time the office of President of the Binghamton Council 
 
432 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 of the Union League of America ; was also District Deputy, 
 founded several councils of the organization, and was 
 secretary of a large and important meeting of the League 
 held soon af .31 the draft riots of 1863 in New York. Mr. 
 Mygatt is a Son of the Revolution, a Free Mason, and also 
 a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity. He is a graceful 
 and earnest speaker and wields the pen of a ready writer. 
 
 Child : D. S. Dickinson, born May 9, 1864, in Bingham- 
 ton; died February 3, 1888, in New York city. Married 
 Minnie H., daughter of Nicholas D. Clapp of New York 
 city. (Children: daughter, Tracy Dickinson; son, Henry 
 R.). 
 
 Henky, died May 29, 1842, aged one year. 
 
 William R., born April 20, 1851 ; married September 6, 
 1876, Agnes P., daughter of Andrew J. Hull of Oxford. 
 Now residing at Chicago. 
 
 Mai, married September 27, 1881, James A. Brown. 
 Residence, Fergus Falls, Minn. 
 
 Along the cool sequester'd vale of life, 
 They kept the noiseless tenor of their way. 
 
 — Gray. 
 
 Whittenhall Family. 
 
 William Whittenhall, formerly spelled Wettenhall, an 
 Englisman and a tailor by trade, came from Albany and 
 built a frame house below the village in which he kept tav- 
 ern for many years. The building is still standing and is 
 the one next below the farm house of O. M. Westover. Mr. 
 Whittenhall moved in 1808 to Smithville and subsequently 
 to McDonough, where he died April 2, 1848, aged 89. He 
 had three sons, all born in Oxford : 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 433 
 
 Uri, born in 1805, conducted a bakery in Oxford in 1829. 
 He removed to Greene previous to 1850 and purchased 
 the Chenango House in that village, which he conducted 
 for a long term of years, and became personally known to 
 the traveling public from the days of the stage coach to 
 those of the railway car. Mr. Whittenhall died December 
 29, 1887, in Greene. Harriet, his wife died March 8, 1879, 
 aged 71. Children : 
 
 Sarah Jane, married (1) James E. Thurber; married 
 (2) John G. Brown of Utica, where she now resides. 
 
 Henry F., married August 30, 1860, Arabella J. Race 
 of Greene. 
 
 Otis, married Eliza Kathan, and had many descendants 
 in Steuben county. 
 
 Elihu, born in 1808, was interested in the bakery with 
 his brother Uri. He died at Sabetha, Kan., December 1, 
 1881. Married Eliza A. Shumway, who died August 23, 
 1866, at Albany, Kan., aged 57. Their eldest son, Captain 
 Daniel S. Whittenhall, died at the Soldiers' Home in Dan- 
 ville, 111., November 27, 1904. He was born in Oxford, 
 June 12, 1829, where his boyhood days were spent and his 
 education obtained in the Academy. In early manhood 
 he went West and at the breaking out of the war of the 
 Rebellion, enlisted April 19, 1861, claiming the distinction 
 of being the first volunteer to be sworn into the service, a 
 claim that was well borne out by a documentary letter 
 that appeared in the Topeka, Kansas, Maily December 11, 
 1901. Captain Whittenhall served three months with the 
 Firet Illinois Cavalry and was captured with Col. Mulli- 
 gan's men at Lexington, Mo., in September, 1861. Later 
 he was made Captain of Co. E, Second Kansas Cavalry, 
 and served until January 1, 1863, when he was discharged 
 for disability. 
 
434 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 I cau't but say it is an awkward sight 
 To see one's native land receding through 
 The growing waters. 
 
 — Bybon. 
 
 Freshet of 1842. 
 
 We copy a description of the freshet of February 5, 1842, 
 contributed to the " Mirror," a paper read before the 
 Ladies' Conversational Society at that time. The water 
 gods are supposed to have played many mad pranks with 
 buildings and vegetables, also floating off a slaughter- 
 house. 
 
 Such a sight as greeted the vision on last Friday morning seldom 
 meets the ken of habitants resident within our little vale. From hill 
 to hill, with the exception of a few favored spots^, occupied by some, 
 who, more fortunate than their neighbors, had become somewhat ele- 
 vated in the world, one vast sheet of water met the eye. Its surface 
 covered with masses of floating ice and timber, with here and there a 
 boat endeavoring to rescue from the embracing flood some portion of 
 its spoils. Old Neptune had taken possession of the valley ; the water 
 gods were holding a jubilee and, 'mid their I'evelry, strange pranks they 
 played us poor mortals. One of their mad freaks was to gift with 
 power of locomotion fields of ice, miles of fences, scores of barns, bridges, 
 and things inanimate, too nimierous to mention, and these latter, ap- 
 parently right well pleased, eagerly sought to exercise their newly 
 acquired faculties, without regard to the care and attention which had 
 been bestowed upon them by those to whom they had heretofore been 
 faithful servants ; indeed, several barns were guilty of a breach of 
 trust and Swartouted * with the people's deposits to parts unknown. 
 One, also, of which a better example might have been expected, it hav- 
 ing been located within a stone's throw of a sanctuary, has committed 
 a grievous act of trespass by occupying, without license, a portion of 
 an adjoining meadow. These same mischievous personages have had 
 the bare-facedness to enter in a sly way the cellars of some of our most 
 (notable house-wives, and, without regard to the loss and inconvenience 
 occasioned thereby, have upset pork barrels and pickle tubs, made beef 
 
 * Swartout was one of the earliest New York defaulters and ab- 
 sconders. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 435 
 
 fresh, which once was salted, set ashes to leaching, before the old ladies 
 had dreamed of making soap, used the latter article by the barrel, 
 whenever they had occasion to wash their hands, prepared a cold bath 
 for the old gentleman who was in the nightly habit of drawing the 
 spiggot from the cider barrel, and, as for pumpkins and onions, boxes 
 and casks, these fresh water imps turned their heads completely. They 
 were all in motion, elbowing this one, nodding to that, cross over here, 
 right and left there. It was a most hetrogeueous assemblage. Here 
 might be seen a spruce squash offering his crook to a matronly pump- 
 kin ; there an onion endeavoring to draw tears from the already pink 
 eyes of a potato; here a cabbage with head downcast and countenance 
 siiffused with teai's ; and still another with head erect viewing with 
 dismay the riotous acts of his sauce-y brethren. Apples with blushing 
 cheeks, beets that looked as if the scene had caused a rush of blood to 
 the head ; despairing parsnips, as yellow as if in the last stage of the 
 jaundice ; aristocratic carrots, red with rage at being thuS' uncere- 
 moniously jostled by the crowd ; turnips, which, if their countenances 
 were any indication of their feelings, felt flat ; in short, many a pale 
 faced esculent was placed in a position not to be coveted, and which 
 would have brought a blush to their cheeks, had they not had so many 
 companions in their misery. It may well be said that such a row 
 among the occupants of basement stores has not been kicked up this 
 many a day. But cellars were not alone the scene of their labors ; 
 many a proud tree, that had reared his crest on high for ages, and 
 spread his protecting branches far and wide, was by their agency up- 
 rooted, prostrated and borne along by the resistless flood, with scarce 
 time allowed for saying. 
 
 What oft is said, 
 To me it seems I have a swimming within my head. 
 
 The shrine, on which many a fatling had poured out its life cur- 
 rent, together with its blood-stained walls and floors, as trees came 
 against it astride chargers of ice gave way with a crash, and far 
 above the din of the elements, was heard a voice saying, " I can't 
 stand the pressure of these times." " Make thy escape," said the barn 
 to the horse, " for every joint in my frame speaks of approaching dis- 
 connection, and warns me that soon I, like my neighbor, must be 
 added to the amount of floating capital." See that being yonder, with 
 countenance most rueful, and altered mien, the whilom occupant of 
 that vast domicile, located below the arches that span the noble river. 
 Hear him exclaim, " Othello's occupation is gone, and now is the dis- 
 content of my winter made perfect." Alas ! poor fellow, these inter- 
 meddlers had given his wheels an overdose of cold water ; and for the 
 time being he is deprived of the privilege of putting his hands into his 
 neighbor's meal-bags. And hark ! what sounds are those that salute 
 the ear, borne by the winds across the troubled waters? Ah, 'tis an 
 unavailing cry for help from a band of fugitives attempting to escape 
 the water-spirits' cold embrace. Vain hope, useless endeavor ; their 
 agent, the flood surrounds and overwhelms them ; they sink and sink 
 to rise once more — a mass of wool and mutton. 
 
43b ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 No reckoning made, but sent to my account 
 With all my imperfections on my head. 
 
 — Shakespeabe. 
 
 Death of a Burglar. 
 
 A series of daring burglaries were perpetrated in the 
 Chenango valley in May, 1862. Hamilton, Earlville and 
 Norwich were successfully visited within three nights by 
 the bold intruders, who gathered in sever-al watches and 
 considerable cash. As the burglars followed the telegraph 
 line down the valley, messages were sent ahead, warning 
 the people of the probabilities of a visit from the unwel- 
 come guests. Not much attention was paid to the warning 
 by the several localities except Oxford, when on Tuesday 
 night, June 3, watchmen were stationed on several streets. 
 Shortly after 2 a. m., a mysterious individual made his 
 appearance in front of the residence of J. B. Galpin on 
 Clinton street, and when accosted by Selah H. Fish as 
 to his business and destination, said his name was Jones 
 and represented himself as on the way to Chenango Forks 
 to take charge of a canal boat. He was armed with a 
 crutch and a cane, and affected the cripple. The watch, 
 like a good Samaritan, kindly offered him accommoda- 
 tions for the night, which he seemed inclined to accept, 
 but when near F. G. Clarke's residence he bade farewell 
 to crutch, cane, overcoat and attendant and started on 
 a keen run towards Fort Hill, passing Jack Coats on the 
 canal bridge. The latter being unable to stop the sup- 
 posed burglar threw a club at him as he disappeared in 
 the direction of the river. 
 
 Early Monday morning, June 9, persons passing over 
 the river bridge discovered the bodv of a man floating from 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 437 
 
 above, which was secured and Coroner T. J. Bailey of 
 Norwich summoned. The facts in brief elicited by the 
 examination before the jury were, that the body had been 
 about one week in the water, and was that of a man ap- 
 parently between 35 and 40 years of age, of strong muscu- 
 lar development. On his right shoulder blade was a bruise 
 apparently recent, on his left leg above the knee was a 
 slight wound, which might have been caused by a small 
 bullet or blunt instrument, and through his pants was a 
 hole corresponding thereto. On the fore leg below the 
 knee was a bad bruise tied with a silk handkerchief. The 
 property, other than clothing, found upon the body were 
 two pocket knives, a pair of lady's rubber shoes, a railway 
 guide, a map of New York, a six-shooter, loaded, a pair 
 of hollow forceps, well adapted to turning keys in doors, 
 two gold watches, one recognized by Mr. Samuel Ham- 
 mond, as but a short time before taken from hi& room at 
 the Noyes House, Norwich, money in current bills, |495, 
 and coin in amount about |18. Among the coin was a 
 piece much worn, recognized by Mr. Hammond as having 
 been in his possession as a pocket piece for more than fif- 
 teen years. Paint was discovered on the soles of the rub- 
 bers similar in color to that with which the stairway of 
 the Noyes House had recently been painted. A promissory 
 note, as follows, completed the list : 
 
 Factoryville, Feb. 1, 1862. 
 
 $100. — Due Dr. Johnson, or bearer. One Hundred Dollars, borrowed 
 money. 
 
 (Signed,) C. C. & W. BROOKS. 
 
 The hands of the watches had been arrested at a little 
 past two o'clock. The attending circumstances furnished 
 strong evidence that this was the same person, or one of 
 a party, who had committed the burglaries up the valley, 
 and was afterwards seen at night in the streets of our 
 
438 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 village. Evidently he had crossed the bridge, jumped the 
 fence and run up the east bank of the river into the cove. 
 Without the intervention of judge or jury, or the law's 
 delay, the quiet waters of the Chenango sealed his fate. 
 A few days later, a lady accompanied by a gentleman, 
 came to our village and made inquiry concerning the 
 drowned man. She came from Factory ville and had been 
 married about four months previously to Dr. Johnson. 
 He had been absent three weeks from home and was last 
 heard from at Syracuse. With much feeling she described 
 the overcoat and other articles of the deceased with con- 
 siderable accuracy. After remaining a short time she left 
 town, apparently well persuaded that she had discovered 
 the truth of her husband's death. The body was buried 
 in the old cemetery on State street, and a stone with a 
 plain inscription marked the grave. 
 
 And while a paltry stipend earning. 
 He sows the richest seeds of learning. 
 
 -Lloyd. 
 
 David Fiske. 
 
 David Fiske was born in Temple, N. H., in 1797, came to 
 this town and settled in East Oxford on a farm in 1820, 
 where he did well his part in prostrating the forest and 
 turning the wilderness into fruitful fields. He and his 
 wife often went to Jericho, now Bainbridge, on horseback, 
 following a path through the heavy timber marked by 
 blazed trees. For a man of his time he was well educated 
 and taught district school for ten winters, also devoted 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 439 
 
 much time to teaching music. For several terms he held 
 the office of Justice of Peace, and his decisions were im- 
 partial and wise. His death occurred November 26, 1880, 
 in Oxford. His wife was Millie Sheldon, whom he married 
 in Temple, N. H. Her death occurred March 13, 1884, at 
 the age of 86 years. Children, all born in Oxford : Lucy, 
 married Charles Peacock of Norwich; Mary, died in early 
 childhood; Abigail, married George Carhart, of Oxford; 
 Lydia, married Chauncey Barstow of Oxford; Horace, 
 remained on the old homestead. Married (1) Martha Pad- 
 gett; married (2) Emma Jones; Emily, married Joseph 
 Estabrook, now resides in Oxford, and only survivor of 
 the family. 
 
 His daily prayer, far better understood in acts than 
 words, was simply doing good. 
 
 — Whittiek. 
 
 Pendleton Family. 
 
 Nathan Pendleton and Amelia Babcock, his wife, of 
 Quaker stock, came to Norwich from Stonington, Conn., 
 soon after 1800. They settled on the east side of the 
 Chenango river, about three miles below the village, and 
 his land lay on both sides of the stream. They brought 
 with them seven children, three girls and four boys, leav- 
 ing five in Connecticut. 
 
 Isaac, one of the sons, was born January 16, 1781, in 
 Westerly, E. I., and died November 3, 1843, in Oxford. 
 He married, in 1808, Bridget Stanton of Stonington, 
 Conn., whose death also occurred in Oxford. Mr. Pendle- 
 ton purchased a farm at Lyon Brook, which is still known 
 
440 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 by his name, and moved April 7, 1820, upon it with his 
 family. His wife and son Nathan, then but three weeks 
 old, making the journey upon a bed placed in a wagon. 
 Children : 
 
 Amelia, married Harry Hull of Oxford. 
 
 Lydia Ann, married Daniel H. Richmond ; died in Nor- 
 wich. 
 
 Isaac, died in infancy. 
 
 Mary, died in infancy. 
 
 Rhoda, married (1) Ormund Richmond; married (2) 
 Benjamin B. Hewitt. 
 
 Nathan, married Mrs. Elizabeth (Packer) Pellett. 
 
 Jane, married Albert G. Aver; died August 6, 1894, in 
 Preston, Conn. 
 
 Sarah, married Charles R. Breed; died December 19, 
 1905, in Norwich. 
 
 Stanton, married Amanda Malvina White; died in 
 1905 at Norwich. 
 
 Henry, married Helen Cary; died in Nebraska City. 
 
 Nathan Pendleton, son of Isaac and Bridget (Stanton) 
 Pendleton, was born March 17, 1820, in Norwich, N. Y., 
 and came to Oxford with his parents when but three weeks 
 old. He married May 22, 1815, Mrs. Elizabeth (Packer) 
 Pellett of Norwich, born April 5, 1820; died March 18, 
 1890, in Oxford. Mr. Pendleton received his preliminary 
 education in a district school, after which he took a course 
 in Oxford Academy and DeRuyter Institute. Remaining 
 on his father's farm until 1849, he purchased the property 
 a mile south of the village, on the east side of the river, 
 which he still occupies, active and energetic. Mr. Pendle- 
 ton is a leading agriculturist of the county, and is a fair 
 example of the kind of men who have contributed so 
 largely to the growth and substantial prosperity of the 
 town. Children : 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 441 
 
 Elizabeth Packer, died June 9, 1887, in Norwich, N. 
 Y., aged 41; married Captain Robert A. Stanton of Nor- 
 wich, born April 29, 1838; died September 5, 1886, in 
 Norwich. Captain Stanton was educated at the Norwich 
 and Oxford academies, and in 1859 commenced the study 
 of law in Oxford with Horace Packer, and subsequently 
 pursued it under Dwight H. Clarke. He was among the 
 early enlisted soldiers of the Civil war, having joined 
 Sickles's brigade in June, 1861. Through promotion, he 
 became quartermaster-sergeant of the 74th N. Y. V., second 
 lieutenant and captain. He served his country faithfully 
 for three years. On his return to Norwich he resumed his 
 legal studies, and was admitted in November, 1865. In 
 1868 he was elected district attorney and sei*ved three 
 years. Children: Edith, Margaret, married H. William 
 Clarke of Oxford, Nathan P. and Charles R. 
 
 James Nathan, died April 24, 1872, having but just 
 reached the threshold of young manhood. 
 
 But I have that within, which passeth show ; 
 These but the trappings and the suits of woe. 
 
 — Shakespeare. 
 
 Rev. Horatio T. McGeorge. 
 
 Rev. Horatio T. McGeorge, died January 13, 1852, aged 
 97. He was born in London, England, and in early life 
 had the advantage of a liberal education. His attainments 
 as a linguist were extensive and thorough, and he spoke 
 with ease and fluency eight different languages. At the 
 age of 25, having married the daughter of an eminent 
 Scotch divine, his mind was directed to the Christian 
 ministry, and he was pastor of several dissenting congrega- 
 
442 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 tions in Scotland. At this period of his life he also studied 
 medicine, and in connection with his clerical duties was 
 to a considerable extent engaged in its practice. About 
 1802, he emigrated to this country and settled at Hadley, 
 Mass., where he resumed the work of the ministry, and 
 was for several years pastor of the Congregational church 
 in that place. Then he removed to South Oxford in 1820, 
 where the remaining part of his long life was spent. Dur- 
 ing a portion of this time he preached in the Congrega- 
 tional church at Coventryville, but was dismissed March 
 16, 1827. 
 
 During his residence in Oxford, Mr. McGeorge was very 
 eccentric, and always wrote his name as Rev'd Horatio T. 
 McGeorge, V. D. M. It was said he had been banished 
 from England. He owned a Cremona violin, which he 
 handled skillfully, playing nothing without his notes, and 
 his execution was equal to any master of that instrument. 
 He often drove to town, usually in an old gig, connected 
 by his own ingenuity with a horse and two wheels about 
 thirty feet from his seat, with ropes and straps so adjusted 
 that he could free the animal from the vehicle and retain 
 his seat. He had a small log cabin near his house that he 
 used for his study. Sensible of how much men are affected 
 by external appearances and to strike the passing traveler 
 and the casual visitor with awe, he affixed to the outside 
 of the building a large-sized coffin, standing upright, the 
 head of which, when the lid was down, admitted the light 
 through his only window. The more fully to accomplish 
 his object, he had the roof and sides decorated with signs 
 of his own make; a few of the inscriptions were: 
 " Hermitage," " It preaches," " The house of death," and 
 " Beware, thou sinner." Within was an open grave, which 
 as each morn returned he threw out a small quantity of 
 earth. Skeletons and articles of like species composed the 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 443 
 
 ornamental part of his furniture. To sundry old men, 
 women, and children this paraphernalia of death was ex- 
 ceedingly terrifying. But transitory is our happiness here 
 below^ and the unfortunate tenant of the " Hermitage " 
 had practical demonstration of it, for, notwithstanding 
 the sanctity of the place, on one dark Saturday night the 
 coflftn and signs were transferred to the side of a slaughter- 
 house in the village, at the singular appearance of which 
 hundreds of citizens were greatly shocked through the 
 Sabbath that succeeded the transfer. The occasion was 
 one of great grief to the old doctor, but it ended this 
 vagary. He was buried in the grave that he himself had 
 dug, and a stone wall in the shape of a coffin was built 
 around it, which remains to this day. 
 
 He was the father of twelve children, among Avhom were : 
 
 Elizabeth, born in 1779; died September 13, 1857, at 
 Greene, N. Y. ; married Reuben Chase. 
 
 Horatio T., Jr., born in 1784 ; died January 13, 1854, at 
 Athens, Pa. 
 
 Davey D., born December 12, 1801, at Middletown, 
 Conn.; died October 19, 1889, in Oxford, where he had 
 resided since 1820. Married (1) December 19, 1826, 
 Priscilla Eobinson of Pittsfleld, N. Y., born February 29, 
 1807; died July 2, 1835, in Oxford. Married (2) January 
 5, 1836, Hannah C. Bolles, born January 21, 1814, at 
 Southbridge, Conn. ; died December 3, 1891, at Schenevus, 
 N. Y. Children by first wife: Elizabeth A., married 
 Solomon Bundy, Jr.; Catherine A., di'^d June 2, 1906, at 
 Hornell, N. Y. ; married James Curtis of Addison, N. Y. 
 Children by second wife: Sarah D., died March 8, 1874, 
 in Oxford; married Rodney L. Smith of Wolcottville, 
 Conn. ; Evalina, married September 4, 1878, William Cook 
 of Oxford; Now a resident of Afton, N. Y. 
 
444 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 He tried the luxurj- of doing good. 
 
 — Ckabbe. 
 
 Austin Rouse, M. D. 
 
 Dr. Austin Rouse, born June 15, 1796, in Norwich, N. 
 Y., was the eldest son of Judge Casper Eouse, who came 
 from the New England states and settled on the site of 
 Mt. Hope cemetery in that village. Dr. Rouse studied 
 medicine with Dr. Henry Mitchell of Norwich and com- 
 pleted his studies with Dr. Perez Packer at Oxford in 
 1821, with whom he practiced for some time, remaining 
 here till his death, which occurred August 27, 1866. In 
 the social and domestic relations of life he was ever 
 characterized by great purity of character, integrity of 
 purpose, and an abiding kindness of heart, as uniform as 
 it was admirable. He was, perhaps, connected with more 
 hearthstones and homes than any other person in the 
 community in the dear and tender relations of a beloved 
 and faithful physician. Dr. Rouse married May 12, 1825, 
 Jane E., daughter of Erastus and Abigail (Stephens) 
 Perkins, born May 2, 1806; died September 28, 1875, in 
 Scranton, Pa., at the home of her daughter, Mrs. A. B. 
 Bennett. Mrs. Rouse, while descending a staircase, fell 
 and was discovered by her daughter apparently in a faint. 
 A physician was summoned, but the patient was beyond 
 human help and expired in fifteen minutes after she was 
 taken up. It was thought she tripped and fell headlong 
 down the steps, striking upon her head and dislocating the 
 vertebrae of the neck. Children : 
 
 Mary J., married Henry C. Roome. 
 
 Louise, married (1) James O. Clarke; married (2) 
 
 Stevens. 
 
 Margaret R., married Adolphus B. Bennett; died July 
 29, 1891, in Jersey City, N. J., aged 47. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 445 
 
 Ay, call it holy ground, 
 
 The soil where first they trod. 
 They have left unstaiu'd what there they found. 
 
 Freedom to worship God. 
 
 — Mrs. Hemans. 
 
 Ephraim Fitch. 
 
 Ephraim Fitch, one of the early settlers of the town, 
 was born in Norwich, Conn., March 29, 1736. His father 
 came over in the Mayflower from England and first settled 
 in Massachusetts. Ephraim married Lydia Root, April 
 28, 1757, and raised a family of four children, one girl and 
 three boys. He was the first elected supervisor of the 
 town; was well educated, having passed through college; 
 he became a teacher and later president of the same col- 
 lege. The first visit that he made to Oxford was on horse- 
 back, accompanied by Daniel Tremain, through the woods, 
 guided only by marked trees and Indian paths. The two 
 travelers bought land and afterwards settled upon it; the 
 former near Fitch hill, north of the village, which sub- 
 sequently was named after him, and the latter on the east 
 side of the river, near Brisbin. They improved large 
 farms, raised families, and lived to be very old men. Mr. 
 Fitch died in Cattaraugus county, where he moved in 
 1814. He was said to have been 96 years of age at the time 
 of his death. His sons, John and Jonatham, held town 
 offices with Anson Cary, Uri Tracy, and others. 
 
 John Fitch was a captain in the Revolutionary war, 
 served through most of the northern campaigns, and 
 fought in every battle of consequence. A genuine spirit 
 of '76, he was attached by General Washington to that 
 brave body of men which, from the extreme danger of 
 
446 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 their service, was called the " Forlorn Hope." He was 
 twice married and raised a family of fourteen children, 
 eight sons and six daughters, all living to a ripe old age 
 but one, a girl, who died at the age of 24. Captain Fitch 
 died suddenly in this village July 8, 1824, aged 66. 
 
 Daniel Perry Fitch, the seventh son of Captain John 
 Fitch, was born on Fitch hill April 23, 1804, and passed 
 the first twenty years of his life in this town and Norwich. 
 At the age of 12 he entered the office of the Oxford 
 Gazette, published by Chauncey Morgan, where he learned 
 the "art preservative of all arts." Previous to this time 
 he became a member of the family of Cyrus A. Bacon, 
 probably working for his board, as he took care of the 
 cow, set the table and helped wash dishes. James Clapp 
 kept his horse in the barn where Mr. Bacon kept his cow, 
 and one day while preparing for a drive dropped a five 
 dollar gold piece, which he was unable to find. A few 
 mornings afterwards Perry saw something shining in the 
 dirt, picked it up and put it in his mouth until he had 
 finished milking, when he showed it to Mr. Bacon, who 
 told him to let Mr. Clapp see it. Mr. Clapp asked where 
 it was found, and said it was his pocket piece, then placed 
 it in his pocket and continued eating breakfast. Perry 
 went into the kitchen feeling very poor, but soon Mr. 
 Clapp asked him to go to the store of Ira Willcox, where 
 he purchased a fine piece of broadcloth, and then took him 
 to William Guyler's tailor shop and told him to make the 
 boy a good coat, as he had found and returned his gold 
 piece. In a short time Perry had a coat worth more than 
 the amount of money he had found. When Morgan sold 
 out young Fitch entered the office of Thurlow Weed, who 
 published the Chenango Agriculturist in Norwich about 
 the year 1818. Perry remained with Mr. Weed until he 
 sold, and then left the printing business on account of poor 
 
RESIDENCE OF ALPHA MORSE AND VIEW THEREFROM 
 
 ST. JAMES HOTEL 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 447 
 
 health. He had relatives in South Oxford, where he re- 
 mained five years, then left for the western part of the 
 State, and died a few years ago at Cuba, N. Y. 
 
 Who does the best his circumstance allows, Does well, acta 
 nobly ; angels could do no more. 
 
 — Young. 
 
 Hezekiah Morse. 
 
 Hezekiah Morse, born July 3, 1767, at Sherburne, Mass. ; 
 died suddenly July 18, 1827; married (1) Elizabeth Perry; 
 married (2) Sally Stow, who died September 22, 1870, 
 aged 93. 
 
 Mr. Morse removed to Eaton, Madison county, in 1804. 
 In 1809 he was elected supervisor of that town, which 
 office he held for several successive years. At an early age 
 he became a communicant of the Episcopal church, and as 
 there was no congregation of that persuasion in the vicin- 
 ity of Eaton he came to this village in 1819 to reside that 
 he might worship in that faith. Mr. Morse purchased of 
 Daniel Denison Valley View farm, now owned and occu- 
 pied by his grandsons, A. and E. P. Morse. 
 
 His son, Hezekiah B,, was born February 15, 1811, in 
 Eaton, and coming to Oxford with his parents resided on 
 the farm till his death, which occurred June 16, 1879. He 
 was a practical farmer and made a success in life. The 
 farm originally comprised 160 acres, but at present com- 
 prises ninet}^, one-third of which is fertile river bottoms, 
 through which the Chenango pursues its winding way, and 
 the rest gradually rolling west to higher elevations. Mr. 
 
448 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Morse married May 4, 1845, Clarissa S3 monds, born June 
 29, 1824, in Oxford ; died July 4, 1877. Children : 
 
 Melvin, died March 21, 1864, aged 18. 
 
 Alpha, married Mariba Durfee. He and his brother 
 Edward have pursued dairying in a practical manner for 
 years, and engaged in raising thoroughbred short-horn 
 cattle purely for dairy qualities. Mr. Morse had an exhibit 
 of cattle at the World's Fair in Chicago, where he was 
 employed several months. Children : John R., born Jan- 
 nary 18, 1868 ; died September 10, 1870 ; A. Raymond, mar- 
 ried Bertha Willcox, and has tv/o children living, having 
 lost twin sons ; now practicing medicine at Eaton, Madison 
 county. 
 
 Clara, died December 27, 1872, aged 22; unmarried. 
 
 Twin sons, died in infancy. 
 
 Edward P. 
 
 The greatest happiness comes from the greatest activitj'. 
 
 — BOVEE. 
 
 Jeremiah York. 
 
 Jeremiah York was born September 25, 1794, at North 
 Stonington, Conn, In 1815 he married Catherine Pendle- 
 ton at Norwich, N. Y., where they resided three years and 
 then came to Oxford. Mrs. York was a native of Connecti- 
 cut, where she was born July 22, 1789. She died January 
 14, 1826, in Oxford, leaving three children, Hiram, Henry 
 D., and Catherine, who married S. P. Stillman. The two 
 last are still living in 1906, aged 82 and 79 respectively. 
 Mr. York lived the remainder of his life in Oxford, passing 
 away April 24, 1873. He married for his second wife Mrs. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 449 
 
 Aruba Sheldon, born February 4, 1804; died April 21, 
 1886. One child blessed this union, Electa A., who mar- 
 ried Henry L. York of Norwich, and died November 2, 
 1853, aged 25. 
 
 During the many years of his life in Oxford, Mr. York 
 was an active and prominent member of the community, 
 being identified especially with its educational interests. 
 He was a trustee of Oxford Academy until the frailties of 
 old age obliged him to resign. His children, four in num- 
 ber, and three of Mrs. York's (nee Sheldon) were educated 
 at the Academy, in which he was so much interested, and 
 they repaid his kindness by attaining good scholarship. 
 
 Mr. York erected in 1835 the first brick dwelling-house 
 in Oxford, now the residence of Walker Porter, south of 
 the W. R. C. Home. He was a thorough-going farmer, 
 using every method then known to make his farm pro- 
 ductive, and at one time took first premium awarded by 
 the Town Agricultural Society for the best wrought and 
 cropped farm in Oxford. He was for many years a deacon 
 in the Baptist church, and also an honored member of the 
 Masonic order. 
 
 Abigal Sheldon, daughter of Mrs. York by a former 
 marriage, was born in 1825 in White Store, N. Y., and 
 died January 12, 1891, at Highmount, N. Y. She married 
 Charles Fish, born in 1824 near Albany, and who came 
 with his father's family to Oxford in 1840 and lived on the 
 Loren Willcox farm, then owned by a Mr. Thompson, a 
 relative. Soon after the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Fish 
 they went to Elmira to reside, where their two daughters 
 were born : Georgianna, married ( 1 ) John Hoffman, a 
 native of Germany, who died in 1883; married (2) Henry 
 Bellamy of Pleasanton, 111. Medora, married October 16, 
 1866, James T. Hill of Oxford, now residing at High- 
 mount, N. Y. 
 
450 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Neither above nor below his business. 
 
 — Tacitus. 
 
 William Mygatt. 
 
 William Mygatt, born October 25, 1785, in New Milford, 
 Conn. ; died February 5, 1868, in Oxford ; married January 
 29, 1817, in New Milford, Caroline, daughter of Cyrus 
 Northrup, born July 27, 1797, in New Milford; died May 
 15, 1866, in Oxford. 
 
 Mr. Mygatt was one of the prominent business men of 
 Oxford, whose career was especially successful. During 
 the summer of 1818 he brought his wife of but a few mouths 
 to this village and engaged in the mercantile business. 
 For a few years he was associated with his brother, Henry 
 Mygatt, and brother-in-law, Austin Hyde, after which he 
 devoted his whole attention to the tanning business. He 
 purchased of Major Dan Throop the place now owned by 
 Mrs. George B. Coe, then a farm, and his tannery stood at 
 the foot of the hill, but no vestige of it now remains. Mr. 
 Mygatt's business operations were of greater magnitude 
 and extent than usually pertain to one man in a country 
 town. By his industry, his diligent attention to business, 
 and a wise forecast, he was eminently prosperous and suc- 
 cessful. His habits of life were rigidly temperate, frugal, 
 and regular, and to these doubtless he was much indebted 
 for that uniform health which he enjoyed even to old age. 
 Early trained in the principles of Christianity, he always 
 exhibited a high appreciation of the institutions of religion, 
 giving to them liis personal encouragement and pecuniary 
 support. Thus he lived to a good old age, honored and 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 451 
 
 respected; then he passed awsij and entered into rest. 
 Children : 
 
 Elizabeth, born November 7, 1817; married Henry L. 
 Miller; died February 5, 1890. 
 
 Frederick N., born August 19, 1819; died March 27, 
 1823. 
 
 Sarah A., born October 16, 1821 ; died March 1, 1893 ; 
 married April 20, 1847, Dr. Alfred B. Coe, died August 
 13, 1854, aged 36. Children : George B., born January 6, 
 1849; died April 8, 1901; married Florine Brewster of 
 Schoharie; (child, Ralph B.). William M., born Novem- 
 ber 8, 1851; died September 19, 1893, in West Winfield, 
 N. Y. ; married Lucia Winsor of Guilford; (children, 
 James W. and Alfred W.) . Carrie E., born May 16, 1853 ; 
 died unmarried August 12, 1896, in Owego, N. Y. 
 
 Emily N., born August 26, 1823; died unmarried May 
 15, 1856. 
 
 Susan M., born October 29, 1825; died February 21, 
 1826. 
 
 Caroline L., born January 31, 1827; died January 23, 
 1895, in Minneapolis; married September 18, 1850, Rufus 
 J. Baldwin, born Januaiy 22, 1825, in Guilford; died in 
 Minneapolis, Minn. Children: Emily, born August 29, 
 1853 ; died April 17, 1858. Lizzie, born July 9, 1859 ; died 
 April 10, 1869. Frederick R., born November 6, 1860. 
 
 Jane A., born February 1, 1829; died November 24, 
 1894 ; married June 14, 1866, Dr. George Douglas. 
 
 JuLLi M., born May 8, 1832; died April 23, 1863, in 
 Minneapolis, Minn. ; married September — , 1857, Charles 
 E. Vanderburgh, born December 30, 1830, in Skaneateles, 
 N. Y.; (children, William H., born July 15, 1856; Julia, 
 born , 1861; died , 1871). 
 
4^2 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 The choir, 
 With all the choicest music of the kingdom, 
 Together sung Te Deum. 
 
 — Shakespeabe. 
 
 John C. Bowers. 
 
 John C. Bowers, born April 14, 1811, in Stonington, 
 Conn.; died April 1, 1898, in Oxford; married (1) Achsa 
 Main, daughter of Kandall Main of Oxford, who died 
 within a year and a half after their marriage ; married ( 2 ) 
 January 31, 1842, Emeline Peck, born July 17, 1817; died 
 November 4, 1902, in Sidney. 
 
 Mr. Bowers came to Oxford in 1817 and in later years 
 became colonel of a militia regiment, when such organiza- 
 tions were popular, and a very dashing officer he made. 
 He was a conductor of singing schools for many years in 
 Oxford and adjoining towns, teaching " sacred music " to 
 many old-time singers, who eventually became members of 
 village choirs. In the early days of St. Paul's church he 
 was a choir leader, Avhich position he faithfully and satis- 
 factorily filled a number of years. When the present 
 church was erected he furnished the stone to build it, and 
 laid many rods of sidewalk in the village. Mr. Bowers 
 conducted a bakery for a time on Washington street, op- 
 posite the Chenango House, which has since been burned. 
 He successfully canvassed a portion of the State for the 
 New York State Gazateer, and in Illinois for a United 
 States map. Later he built the octagon house on Mechanic 
 street. Children by second wife: 
 
 D. Marion, married October 16, 1873, Frances Weller of 
 Sidney, where he now resides. Rodolphus T., died Jan- 
 uary 2, 1853, in infancy. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 453 
 
 He lives long that lives well. 
 
 — FULX£B. 
 
 Samuel A. GifFord. 
 
 Samuel A, Gifford, who was familiarly known as Gen- 
 eral Gififord, was the only son of Abner and Lucy (Lord) 
 Gifford, who came in 1800, soon after their marriage, and 
 settled in the town of Oxford on what is known as Prospect 
 View farm, which overlooks nine towns. Here their six 
 daughters and one son were born. General Gifford was 
 the youngest of the family, except one sister who died at 
 the age of fourteen years. He always resided in the town 
 and the greater portion of his life was spent on the farm 
 that his father settled. At an early age he became con- 
 nected with the State militia and in the course of time 
 was promoted from a private to captain, then to colonel 
 and brigadier general. He received his commissions from 
 the Governor of the State and held the office until the 
 militia was disbanded. Having a talent for vocal music, 
 he for many years taught singing schools and was leader 
 or chorister in some church nearly all his life, till failing 
 health compelled him to give up active work. General 
 Gifford was born in 1817 and died September 29, 1894. 
 He married in 1848 Emma Hodge of Oxford, born in 1824 ; 
 died November — , 1906. Children : Mary A., married 
 Alexander Lathan; residence Denver, Col. Ray, married 
 Ida Carhart; died in 1893 in Oxford. Ward B., married 
 Jennie L. Turner; residence Oxford. Hial H., married 
 Ella B. Brooksbank, and resides on the old homestead. 
 
454 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Each in his narrow cell forever laid, 
 The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep. 
 
 — Gbay. 
 
 McFarland Family. 
 
 The clan Macfarlane descended from one of the ancient 
 Earls of Lennox. The ancestor was Gilchrist, the brother 
 of Maldowen, or Malduin, third Earl of Lennox ; the name 
 of a descendant named Parian being changed to Macpar- 
 lan, and later to Macfarlane, originating the name of the 
 Highland Clan. Dnring the year 1488, in a war for the 
 protection of their lands on the west shore of Loch 
 Lomond, the Macfarlanes separated, forming a clan by 
 themselves. They were numerous and powerful, but in 
 the wars of the clans their chief was killed, they nearly 
 destroyed, and many of the survivors tied to remote parts 
 of the country. Andrew Macfarlane, who married into the 
 Stewart and Darnley families, saved a portion of the clan 
 from destruction, and recovered for them a part of their 
 possessions. His son, Sir John Jklacfarlane, was made 
 captain of the clan. A portion of the Clan Macfarlane at 
 the time of their dispersion settled in the north of Ireland, 
 and changed the spelling of the name to McFarland. 
 
 Daniel McFarland and son Andrew, aged 28, were 
 among a colony of Scotch-Irish who lauded in Boston on 
 the 4th of August, 1718. They settled in Worcester, Mass. 
 
 Andrew McFarland, son of above, married Rebecca 
 Gray, and they had three sons, William, James, and 
 Daniel. James married Elizabeth Barbour. 
 
 John McFarland, eighth child of James and Elizabeth 
 (Barbour) McFarland, was born Februarj^ 20, 1766, and 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 455 
 
 resided for many years in Worcester, Mass. During the 
 Kevolution he was a drummer-boy, and later a member of 
 Governor Thomas Hancock's bodyguard, a company of 
 mounted men. After the war he became a blacksmith, 
 married Abigail Spencer, and had two sons, Ira Barbour 
 and Lawrence, and one daughter, Anna, who married an 
 Ackerman. He died at the residence of his son, Ira B., in 
 Oxford, May 31, 1843, aged 76. His wife died July 13, 
 1831, aged 59. 
 
 Ira Barbour McFarland was born at Kinderhook Land- 
 ing, N. Y., August 30, 1780. He married Polly Fenton, a 
 daughter of Solomon Fenton, December 28, 1808. He 
 came with his family into this section in 1816, and after 
 living in poor circumstances at Sidney Plains and in Guil- 
 ford, finally settled upon a piece of land about three miles 
 below Oxford village on the west bank of the Chenango 
 river. After his arrival here he taught school on Panther 
 hill seven winters in succession. The same school was 
 taught by his brother, a son, and four grandchildren, ex- 
 tending over a period of ninety years. Mr. McFarland 
 cleared the forest land into a fine farm and reared a family 
 of eight children. During his residence in Sidney he was 
 considered one of the most skillful pilots ou the Susque- 
 hanna in running lumber rafts to Philadelphia and Chesa- 
 peake Bay. The beggar for a crust of bread was never 
 turned from his door, and the heart hungry for sympathy 
 always found it in him. He was well read and a man of 
 unusual breadth of understanding and judgment. Mr. Mc- 
 Farland died January 21, 1880, aged 91. His wife, who 
 was a faithful assistant and shared her husband's troubles 
 and hardships during his pioneer life, was his true com- 
 panion as long as life lasted. She died January 29, 1866, 
 aged 74. Their children, all born in Oxford, were: 
 
 Edwin F., born November 6, 1809; a school teacher in 
 
4^6 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Oxford and later in Concord, Ky., where he died Decem- 
 ber 12, 1857; married Abigail Simmons March 4, 1829, 
 who died at Muscatine, O. They had six children, the 
 youngest of whom, Henry B., came to Oxford at the death 
 of his father to live with his Uncle Solomon. He was edu- 
 cated at Oxford Academy, became a telegraph operator, 
 and is now train dispatcher of the M. & St. L. Ry. at Minne- 
 apolis, Minn. 
 
 Orson L., born July 19, 1810 ; married Julia A. Holmes 
 and moved to Troupsburg, N. Y., where he died April 11, 
 1894. They had two children. After the death of his wife 
 he married a second time. 
 
 Philenda, born May 5, 1813; died July 6, 1820. 
 Betsy E., born April 17, 1816 ; died at Norwich Decem- 
 ber 28, 1850; married Cyrus Horton, who died May 3, 
 1879. They had six children. 
 
 Susan M., born October 12, 1819; died ; married 
 
 Erastus Briggs, who died August 8, 1894, aged 83. They 
 had six children, Oscar E., married Julia L. Loomis; 
 Marion, married Liberal C. B. Fish; Elizabeth, married 
 Samuel Morehouse; has one daughter, Minnie; Ire E., mar- 
 ried Mayme Hasley ; have two children. Hazel and Robert ; 
 Edwin R. D., married Laura H. Arnold ; a minister of the 
 M. E. church ; has one daughter, Christina ; Herbert A. 
 
 Solomon F., born July 12, 1828. He received his educa- 
 tion at the Panther hill school and Oxford Academy. 
 Farming not being to his taste, he went into a foundry at 
 South Oxford with his brother-in-law, Cyrus Horton, 
 where he became expert at the business, and worked at the 
 same in Addison, Norwich, and Sherburne. With the 
 money thus earned he managed to pay his way through 
 the study of medicine, and also through college. He 
 studied with Dr. George Douglas in this village, was 
 licensed to practice by the Chenango Medical Society in 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 457 
 
 1854, and then located at Troupsburg: Center, N. Y. After 
 practicing two years he entered the medical department 
 of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, from which 
 he graduated in the class of '57, and returned to Oxford, 
 where he became a successful physician and surgeon. On 
 the 15th of May, 1851, he married Hannah B., daughter 
 of Peleg B. Folger. In August, 1862, Dr. McFarland was 
 commissioned Assistant Surgeon by Governor Morgan, and 
 assigned to the 83d Regt. N. Y. S. V. He was mustered 
 into the service by Major Lee at Norwich and started at 
 once to join the regiment. He was absent nearly three 
 months and then was forced to resign on account of lack 
 of physical endurance. He was present at the battles of 
 South Mountain and Antietam. April 19, 1863, he was 
 appointed by the President Surgeon of the Board of En- 
 rollment for the 19th New York District, with quarters 
 at Unadilla the first few weeks and afterwards at Nor- 
 wich. He performed the arduous duties of that office for 
 thirteen months, when continued ill health compelled him 
 to resign from military service, and he again took up his 
 professional work in Oxford. Mrs. McFarland died June 
 24, 1883, after a lingering disease, which she bore patiently. 
 Her life was devoted to her family and she left remaining 
 a noble record. On June 30, 1884, Dr. McFarland moved 
 to Binghamton, where his reputation as an oculist became 
 quite extensively known. In April, 1885, he married Addie 
 L. Chamberlain. He died April 26, 1900. His children 
 by his first wife were: Evalyn A., born at Troupsburg, 
 N. Y., March 5, 1853; married Frank Cowan in October, 
 1883, and died November 6, 1883. Agnes P., born at 
 Troupsburg, N. Y., October 20, 1854 ; now residing at Bing- 
 hamton; unmarried. Francis H., died in infancy from in- 
 juries received in falling from a wagon while at play. 
 Frank Heney, born in Oxford in 1861 ; married November 
 
458 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 9, 1887, Martha Kent of Lyons, N. Y., and is now an opti- 
 cian at Binghamton. 
 
 Henry A., born May 15, 1831 ; married Sarah Jane Hor- 
 ton, who died June 9, 1882. He practiced dentistry for 
 many years in Oxford and then removed to Binghamton, 
 where he also built up a large practice. He was also man- 
 ager for many years while in Oxford of the Western Union 
 Telegraph Company, at the time when the register printed 
 the dots and dashes on long strips of paper and was read 
 by the eye. It was on this cumbersome instrument that 
 he received the news of the firing on Fort Sumpter. He 
 died at the home of his brother, Charles A., on the old 
 homestead, January 20, 1892, His children : Fred A., 
 bom December 30, 18G7; now stenographer in the office 
 of the solicitor of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul 
 Railway Company at Minneapolis, Minn. ; married Martha 
 L. McNair, and has one son, Arthur Henry. Jennie Elene, 
 twin of Fred A., married Fred L. Titchener of Bingham- 
 ton; died at Cortland February 8, 1902, leaving five 
 children. 
 
 Charles Arthur, born August 13, 1833; died May 30, 
 1905; was the last survivor of the family, and always re- 
 mained upon the old homestead. He held acceptably the 
 office of supervisor, as well as minor town positions. He 
 married April 9, 1856, Charlotte Webb, with whom he lived 
 in unbroken harmony for forty-five years. Mrs. McFarland 
 died October 2, 1901. Their children are: Harriet, mar- 
 ried Melvin B. Stratton of South Oxford. Ira B., married 
 Alice R. Stratton October 21, 1885 ; resides in New York. 
 Lottie, married Vernon D. Stratton, Esq., September 27, 
 1893; (children, Marion C, Margaret McF., died in in- 
 fancy, and Hubert C.) Lillian, twin to Lottie, married 
 Arthur E. Cline June 2, 1906 ; residence Ogdensburg, N. Y. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 459 
 
 His tribe were God Almighty's gentlemen. 
 
 — Dbydkn. 
 
 Ishmael Nichols. 
 
 Ishmael Nichols was among the early residents of the 
 village of Oxford and came from Nooseneck, R. I., and 
 was born April 5, 1766. His wife's maiden name was 
 Lydia Holl. His death occurred in Oxford in 1820, after 
 
 which his widow married Stevens. They lived with 
 
 her son, Archibald Nichols, in a part of the house at the 
 head of Albany street, now known as the George Brown 
 house. The children of Ishmael were : Archibald, married 
 Betsey Sherwood; Spencer, Palmer, Gardiner, Sarah, mar- 
 ried Levi Sherwood of Oxford; after a few years they 
 moved to Illinois and both died there. William, studied 
 medicine and practiced in Abington, near Scranton, Pa., 
 where he died November 12, 1822. Alfred, followed agri- 
 cultural pursuits at Addison, N. Y. Hiram, studied med- 
 icine with his brother William, and practiced over fifty 
 years at Clarks Green, near Scranton, Pa., where he died 
 September 29, 1886. 
 
 Archibald Nichols, son of Ishmael and L^^dia (Holl) 
 Nichols, was born June 14, 1787 ; place of birth unknown ; 
 died December 11, 1838, in Wellsboro, Pa. ; married Betsey 
 Sherwood, daughter of Levi Sherwood of Oxford. They 
 moved to Wellsboro, Pa., about the year 1825, where he 
 engaged in the lumbering business on West Branch of 
 Pine Creek. While a resident of Oxford he owned the 
 farm near Riverview cemetery, now known as the George 
 Brown place. Children : 
 
 Levi I., born December — , 1809, in Oxford ; died Novem- 
 ber 14, 1868, in Wellsboro, Pa. ; married Sarah J. Brown, 
 daughter of Thomas Brown of Oxford, who died in Wells- 
 
46o ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 boro, aged 84. Mr. Nichols was a fine musician, and while 
 yet very young played the organ in the Presbyterian 
 church. Like Mrs. Sylvia Fox Taintor, his cousin, he re- 
 ceived his musical talent from the Sherwoods. He moved 
 to Wellsboro about the year 1831, and became largely 
 identified with the material interests of Tioga county. He 
 was engaged in mercantile business with his brother Enos, 
 and served a term as Associate Judge upon the county 
 bench. He was the father of thirteen children, one of 
 whom, Mrs. Sarah Nichols Williams, still resides in Wells- 
 boro, and has in her possession a piano given her father by 
 his grandfather, and which was the first one taken into 
 Tioga county. Pa. 
 
 Lj'dia Maria, died in youth, Enos A., unmarried; en- 
 gaged in mercantile business with his brother Levi in 
 Wellsboro ; died at the age of 30 years. Mary E., married 
 William Bache, one of the prominent citizens of Wellsboro. 
 
 Obedieuce, we may remember, is a part of religion, and there- 
 fore au element of peace ; but love which includes obedience, 
 is the whole. 
 
 — Sewell, 
 
 Universalist Church. 
 
 " The First Universalist Society in the town of Oxford " 
 was organized July 8, 1833, at the west side district school- 
 house in the village; Anson Cary and Luke Metcalf were 
 appointed moderators, and Daniel Denison, clerk. Luke 
 Metcalf, Philip Bartle, Daniel Denison, Anson Cary, Oliver 
 Richmond, Ira Dodge, Jabez Robinson, Thomas Brown, 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 461 
 
 and Henry Balcom were the nine trustees elected ; Charles 
 Perkins, clerk of the society ; James Perkins, treasurer, and 
 Calvin Cole, collector. The earliest record of any meetings 
 in the town is in the year 1833, of one conducted by Rev. 
 George Rogers in the hall of the old hotel on Washington 
 park. Occasional services were held at the residences of 
 Messrs. Bartle and Metcalf, and at the west side school- 
 house by Rev. Nelson Doolittle, who came to Oxford in the 
 fall of 1834, and remained here nearly four years. The 
 present church edifice was erected in 1836 and '37, and 
 was dedicated February 22, 1837, the Revs. O. Winston, 
 S. R. Smith, N. Doolittle, and M. B. Smith officiating upon 
 that occasion. The edifice cost about |3,000. The site was 
 purchased by Henry Balcom and Ira Dodge of Ethan 
 Clarke, and deeded by them to the society November 26, 
 1839, for 1300. 
 
 During the year 1862 the ancient pulpit was replaced by 
 one of modern style, and in 1870 sundry changes were 
 made upon the building, which was lowered twenty-eight 
 inches, and stone steps replaced the wooden ones that had 
 extended the whole length of the front. Outwardly the 
 church remains unchanged, but the inside was renovated 
 and modernized in 1882; the body was transformed, the 
 side galleries removed, and the pulpit placed opposite to 
 where it had stood so many years ; the pews remodeled, the 
 floor newly carpeted, and the walls tinted. A new organ 
 was purchased, which occupies a space near the pulpit. 
 Seventeen memorial windows, rich in design, light the 
 auditorium; one above the pulpit and circular in form is 
 dedicated to the memory of Rev. and Mrs. John Temple 
 Goodrich by their son and daughter. About |1100 was 
 expended in repairs. The rededication services were held 
 November 22, 1882, Rev. D. Ballon of Utica delivering the 
 sermon. 
 
462 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 On the 22d of February, 1887, occurred the fiftieth an- 
 niversary of the dedication, at which the sermon preached 
 by Rev. S. R. Smith at the dedication in 1837 was read, 
 and Rev. D. Ballou delivered a semi-centennial address, 
 giving a historical sketch of the society. A bell was added 
 to the church in 1887. For over fifty years Mrs. Sylvia 
 (Fox) Taintor was organist and " played the melodies of 
 devotion, the bridal march and the funeral dirge for al- 
 most two generations of her associates and companions." 
 
 The clergymen who have served the society as pastors 
 
 are: Rev. Nelson Doolittle, 1833-34; Rev. Skeel, 
 
 1835; Rev. J. T. Goodrich, 1836-1849; Rev. A. W. Bruce, 
 1850-51; Rev. Charles E. Hewes, 1852-56; Rev. J. G. Bar- 
 tholomew, 1856-58; Rev. A. J. Canfield, 1859; Rev. B. L. 
 Bennett, 1859-60; Rev. Daniel Ballou, 1861-63; Rev. F. 
 B. Peck, 1865-69; Rev. J. W. LaMoine, 1872-74; Rev. R. 
 F. Kingsley, 1875-77; Rev. J. M. Clark, 1879-'80; Rev. 
 Ure Mitchell, 1881-85, and 1887-88; Rev. Amanda Deyo, 
 1889-91; Rev. Charles Palmatier, 1892-93; Rev. L. M. 
 Clement, June, 1894-95; Rev. J. L. Scoboria, 1895-96; 
 Rev. G. W. Powell, 1900 ; Rev. O. R. Beardsley, 1903, died 
 May 25, 1905; Rev. H. L. Rickard. 
 
 Rev. John Temple Goodrich was born May 28, 1815, in 
 Middlefield, N. Y. He came to Oxford and boarded in the 
 family of Rev. Mr. Doolittle, until his removal to Norwich 
 in the spring of 1838. Mr. Goodrich preached his first 
 sermon in public in this village and remained here some 
 twelve years, where he was united in marriage to Miss 
 Margaret M. Bolles, daughter of Elias Bolles, Esq. Five 
 children were born to them. Mr. Goodrich is supposed to 
 have perished in the great Chicago fire. He registered at 
 the Metropolitan Hotel in that city October 5, 1871, en- 
 gaging a room for an indefinite period. On Sunday, the 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 46? 
 
 eighth, he was known to have been in his room up to the 
 hour of retiring, and this was the last seen of him. The 
 hotel burned early the next morning. 
 
 He lived in that past Georgian day, 
 When men were less inclined to say 
 That " Time is Gold," and overlay 
 With toil their pleasure. 
 
 — DOBSON. 
 
 General Ransom Rathbone. 
 
 General Ransom Rathbone, a man of rare social qual- 
 ities, was born at Colchester, Conn., April 10, 1780, and 
 came to Oxford in 1806. His father was an officer in the 
 war of the Revolution. He was an enterprising man and 
 carried on a large mercantile business on the corner now 
 occupied by the residence of F. G. Clarke. His store and 
 dwelling were among the palatial buildings of that day. 
 He also had a store in McDonough, under the charge of 
 his son, Henry W. Rathbone. He owned a paper mill in 
 that village, which in later years was burned. 
 
 General Rafthbone came to Oxford Avhen the urgjent 
 needs of a village in the full tide of a successful settlement, 
 and hopeful for the future, required vigorous and enthus- 
 iastic men like him to take a part in its business and de- 
 velop its resources. For more than a quarter of a century 
 his personal history appears prominently blended with 
 every important public enterprise. As one of the founders 
 of St. Paul's church, and one of its vestry for twenty years ; 
 as trustee of Oxford Academy for a still longer term, and 
 during its greatest trials; as a brigade major and inspector 
 
464 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 in active service on the frontier in the war of 1812, and as 
 a friend and active promoter of the Chenango canal 
 project, superadded to other public duties, he found full 
 scope for the exercise of rare energy, industry, and public 
 spirit. He was a lover of fine horses, always keeping them, 
 and occasionally would hitch them tandem to his gig, driv- 
 ing to neighboring towns, and even to Utica in a day. 
 
 Among General Rathbone's chattels was a slave boy 
 named Pomp, who was full of pranks and very mischiev- 
 ous. When his master had occasion to flog him, which was 
 often, he would take him by the wool on the top of his 
 head. One day Pomp thought he would get the better of 
 the General for once, so he had the wool shaved off clean 
 on the crown of his head, and then stuck it on with wax. 
 The next offense occurring soon after, the General got his 
 rawhide and seized Pomp at the usual point, but much to 
 his amazement it didn't hold, and Pomp danced off in 
 high glee, shouting, " Oh, Massa Rathbone ! youse snatched 
 me baldheaded and I's an ole man now; 'cause I ain't got 
 any wool on the top of my head." This prank of Pomp's 
 gave him a reprieve from the rawhide for many days. 
 
 General Rathbone left Oxford in 1842, removing to 
 Steuben county, where, amid the green ruins of the forest, 
 he founded a village, which bears his name, and where he 
 died July 17, 1861, at the age of 81. His wife, Catherine, 
 daughter of Captain John Fisher, an Englishman, died 
 July 27, 1857, at Rathboneville. Children : 
 
 Cornelia M., married Dr. W. G. Micks; died June 25, 
 1857, at Clinton, N. C. 
 
 Catherine, unmarried. 
 
 William R., who bore the title of Major, died July 9, 
 1872, in Elmira, N. Y. 
 
 Henry W., died September 29, 1891, at Elmira. One 
 son, James B., now resides in that city. 
 
MAJOR O. H. CURTIS 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 465 
 
 John F., died unmarried October 28, 18G5, at Wood- 
 bridge, Cal. His inheritance from his father of the love 
 for fine horses was the cause of a terrible accident on the 
 Canisteo river near Rathboneville. He had two high- 
 strung horses hitched tandem to a cutter and invited Miss 
 Jane Jones, a young society lady, to a drive on the ice. 
 The river was frozen hard, and when at their highest speed 
 in crossing a reef where the ice was thin, the forward horse 
 broke through, but leaped across on to firmer ice. The rear 
 horse also sprang upon the ice, drawing the cutter with its 
 occupants into the opening at such an angle that the 
 momentum threw the young lady head foremost under the 
 ice. Mr. Eathbone seized her by her dress and cloak, but 
 the latter unfastened and she disappeared from sight. As- 
 sistance was quickly at hand, but it was necessary to cut 
 the ice in blocks of a rod long and float them under to 
 move with the current one after another for two hours 
 before reaching the body. 
 
 Take thou thy arms and come with me, 
 For we must quit ourselves like men. 
 
 -Bryant. 
 
 Major O. H. Curtis. 
 
 Major Oscar Henry Curtis, son of George and Nancy 
 Curtis, born March 25, 1832, in the town of Norwich ; died 
 December 2G, 1903, in Oxford; married June 6, 1866, 
 Susan Elizabeth, daughter of John and Sarah (Hopkins) 
 VanWagenen. 
 
 Major Curtis spent his childhood on a farm at White 
 Store, Norwich, working through the summer and attend- 
 
466 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 ing school in the winter. At an early age he taught in dis- 
 trict schools and later entered the Gilbertsville Academy, 
 where he prepared himself for Union College, from which 
 he gi-aduated in 1858. Soon after he came to this village 
 and taught languages and higher mathematics in Oxford 
 Academy, and during the last term was principal in 
 charge. In 1860 he commenced reading law with Henry R. 
 Mygatt, Esq., having studied in the interval of teaching 
 under Henry VanDerLyn, Esq. He was admitted to the 
 bar in May, 1861, and commenced the practice of law in 
 this village. In 1862 he offered his services to the govern- 
 ment and on July 29 was commissioned by Governor Fen- 
 ton to raivse a company for the 114th Regt. N. Y. S. V., and 
 immediately transformed his oj[fice into a recruiting sta- 
 tion, raising the first company in that regiment, and going 
 to the front commissioned a captain. By the death of Col. 
 Smith in 1863, Captain Curtis was promoted to the rank 
 of Major, and served in that capacity till the close of the 
 war. He was an intrepid soldier and participated valiantly 
 in all the hard fought battles that the regiment was en- 
 gaged in, and happily escaped without wounds. When 
 Lieutenant Colonel Morse was wounded at Sabine Cross 
 Roads, Major Curtis commanded the regiment, and also 
 after the fall of Colonel PerLee at Opequan he commanded 
 the battalion under very trying circumstances. Twice he 
 he held the position of Judge Advocate, once of a general 
 court-martial under General Dwight, and again of a mili- 
 tary commission under General Emery. At the close of 
 the war Major Curtis returned to Oxford and resumed his 
 law practice. He was Justice of the Peace eight years 
 from 1867, and in 1868 was elected Special County Judge, 
 holding the office four years, and was Loan Commissioner 
 three years. He represented Chenango county in the Leg- 
 islature in 1879 and '80, and did effective work in that 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 467 
 
 body. For a decade previous to his decease he held posi- 
 tions in the United States Senate, his last position was in 
 the office of the Secretary of the Senate. Major Curtis was 
 prominently identified in tlie centennial of Oxford Acad- 
 emy held in 1894, and afterwards compiled and published 
 a work on the celebration, a book that cost him much labor 
 and pains, but one that proved interestingly valuable. 
 
 'Tis not the whole of life to live, 
 Nor all of death to die. 
 
 — Montgomery. 
 
 Jesse Brown. 
 
 Jesse Brown, a native of Devonshire, England, was born 
 December 27, 1807. His death occurred January 31, 1899, 
 in this village. Mr. Brown and wife came to America in 
 1840 and first located in Preston near the Norton farm. 
 After residing for a time at Preston Corners they came to 
 the farm in this town next south of the Halfway House, 
 where they resided forty years, and where Mrs. Brown died 
 February 17, 1888. In 1898 Mr. Brown, becoming physi- 
 cally helpless and enfeebled by age, disposed of his farm 
 and removed into the village Avith his youngest daughter. 
 Here he passed the remainder of his life in full enjoyment 
 of sound mind and intellect. Children : William H., died 
 in 1862, in early manhood; unmarried. John H., married 
 and resides in Scranton, Pa. Lucy J., married Frank W. 
 Comstock, and resides in Oxford. Helen F., married 
 Thomas Knight, and resides at Oradell, N. J. Josephine 
 J., resides at Oradell, N. J. ; unmarried. Charles A., mar- 
 ried and lives in Kansas City, Mo. Mary G., married A. 
 W. Colony, and resides at Madisonville, Pa. 
 
468 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Formed on the good old plan, 
 A true and brave and downright honest man. 
 
 -Whittike. 
 
 Cole Family. 
 
 Samuel Cole, born July 23, 1775, in Voluntown, Ct, 
 died November 8, 1832 in Oxford; married December 20, 
 1798, Alice Pullman of West Greenwich, R. I., born June 
 22, 1783. died January 21, 1858, in Sterling, 111., and 
 buried in Mt. Hope cemetery, Norwich, N. Y. Mr. Cole, 
 accompanied by his wife and son Calvin, then a lad of 12, 
 came from Sterling, Ct., in 1811 to Oxford and settled 
 the farm now occupied by Clarence R. Miner. He put up 
 a log house containing two rooms and clearing the land 
 subdued the soil for agricultural purposes. The family 
 were congenial, fond of entertaining, and soon became 
 popular with their neighbors, though many lived at a dis- 
 tance. 
 
 One extremely cold winter's night, when the snow lay 
 deep and drifted, three couples of young people started 
 out for a straw ride to the Cole farm. Their conveyance, 
 a rough sleigh drawn by a yoke of oxen, was slow of 
 locomotion, but with the jest and mirth of youth, the time 
 seemingly passed in a quick manner. While passing 
 through a deep drift near their destination the sleigh was 
 overturned and all were thrown in the snow. With much 
 laughter and joking the party reloaded, when it was found 
 the tongue of the sleigh was broken and could not be used. 
 The sleigh was too heavy for the men to propel with their 
 companions in it and all were forced to walk the re- 
 mainder of the way. By shoveling and stamping the snow 
 a path was made that the ladies could follow and in this 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 469 
 
 way they finally reached the home of the Coles. They 
 could not return to their homes until the sleigh was sup- 
 plied with a new tongue, and the men accompanied by Mr. 
 Cole went with lanterns into the woods to cut one. Ne- 
 glecting to ascertain the correct measurements, they re- 
 turned to the sleigh and then again entered the woods, and 
 after many trials and vexations found a tree that would 
 answer. Quickly felled and roughly hewn it was taken 
 back to the house. The night was cold and bitter and the 
 work had to be finished in the living room of the little 
 log cabin. The stick reached from one side of the build- 
 ing to the other, and with the huge fireplace and the large 
 old-fashioned bedstead, there was but scanty room for the 
 company. But they accommodated themselves to the situ- 
 ation and enjoyed a social visit, notwithstanding the many 
 inconveniences. There was but one drawing knife to work 
 with to any advantage and as soon as one became weary 
 with using it another would take it and the others worked 
 with their jackknives. The men worked with a will and 
 as in the course of natural events all things come to an 
 end, so did their work upon the tongue, and it was fitted 
 to the sleigh. It was roughly made, but could be used, and 
 that was all that was necessary. In the meantime Mrs. 
 Cole was preparing supper and had to make frequent visits 
 to the pantry. In doing so she had to climb upon and 
 walk across the bed. Potatoes were put in the ashes of 
 the fireplace to roast, a large panful of doughnuts fried, 
 biscuits made, and with brown bread and apple butter, 
 she served a supper, when the men had finished their labor, 
 that was heartily enjoyed. At a late hour the party started 
 on their return trip and reached their destinations without 
 further mishap. 
 
 Children of Samuel and Alice ( Pullman ) Cole : 
 
 Calvin, born September 1, 1802, in Sterling, Ct. ; died 
 
470 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 May 10, 1SS2. in Oxford. Married February 24, 1830, 
 Fayerte Balcom of Oxford; died April 1, 1ST9, aged 71, 
 in Oxford. Mr. Cole was a public spirited man, always 
 interesting himself in national, state and home affairs. He 
 served the county in the Legislature, the government in 
 the revenue service and the town in various offices, which 
 duties were faithfully performed. A friend to the cause 
 of education he gave liberally in money and devoted much 
 time to the interests of Oxford Academy, of which for 
 twenty-eight years a trustee, and fourteen a president of 
 the board, he was diligent in the discharge of his duties 
 long after his personal interests in the school had ceased. 
 His active services covered a time when no small amount 
 of labor and personal inconvenience was required, being 
 specially active in the erection of the buildings of the 
 present Academy and the late boarding association. On 
 the evening of July 17, 1881, the Cole fountain on the 
 LaFayette Park, a memorial offering of the sons of Calvin 
 and Fayette Cole, was presented to the town. The presen- 
 tation addr6*ss was made by Irving J. Cole, son of John 
 C. Cole, of Troy; the acceptance on behalf of the village 
 trustees by Dr. D. M. Lee ; the dedicatory by Wm. H. Hyde, 
 Esq., and a poem by Miss L. A. Balcom was read. The 
 park was handsomely illuminated with Chinese lanterns, 
 the hotels and business places brilliantly lighted and dec- 
 orated. A large throng was present to witness the exer- 
 cises, which were of a very interesting order. Three sons 
 were bom to them : Augustus, married October 9, 1856, 
 Frances M. Davis of Poughkeepsie ; died February 8, 1892, 
 in Oconto, Wis. (Child, Henry, resides in Oconto.) 
 John Calvin, bora in 1834 ; died suddenly March 28, 1888, 
 at Troy, N. Y. Married ( 1 > Lydia Tomlison of Troy ; 
 married (2) Emma M. Smiley of Germantown, Pa. He 
 went to Troy in 1854 and engaged in the insurance busi- 
 
THE BAPTIST CHURCH 
 
 Erected i8'!4 — Kkmodhled 1870 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 471 
 
 ness, continuing until his death. (Child by first wife: 
 Irving T., residence, Seattle, Wash.). Henry C, married 
 October 22, 1873, Fanny O. Stewart of Chicago ; died Jan- 
 uary 13, 1895 in Omaha, Neb. ( Children : Fayette, Fan- 
 nie, residence, Omaha.) 
 
 Chester Cicero, Chief Justice Supreme Court of Iowa, 
 born June 4, 1824, in Oxford; married June 25, 1848, 
 Amanda M. Bennett of Oxford. Graduated at Oxford 
 Academy in 1846 ; studied in Harvard Law School, 1846-8, 
 Engaged in practice August 11, 1848; Judge and Chief 
 Justice of Supreme Court of Iowa, 1864-76, then resigned 
 and returned to practice; Dean of Iowa College of Law 
 since 1892. Editor Western Jurist (legal monthly), 1866- 
 81; edited annotated edition Iowa Reports (12 vols.). 
 Children: Spencer C, born January 14, 1850; died Au- 
 gust 20, 1851; William W., born August 15, 1852; died 
 November 14, 1894; married Frances Chapin; Alice Ger- 
 trude, born December 7, 1854; married A. E. Atherton; 
 Mary E., born March 6, 1857; married D. C. McMartin; 
 Chester, born July 15, 1859 ; died August 18, 1862 ; Frank 
 B., born November 9, 1861; married Ella Jenkins; Carrie 
 S., born February 10, 1864 ; married J. R. Hurlbut. 
 
 Phebe a., died April 4, 1890, in Sterling, 111; married 
 Taylor. 
 
 William H., resided in Baltimore, Md. 
 
 Spires whose " silent finger points to heaven." 
 
 — Wordsworth, 
 
 Baptist Church. 
 
 The first settlers in this town brought with them a 
 religious culture and a love of religious institutions im- 
 bibed in their New England homes; and nearly contein- 
 
473 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 porary with the first labor directed to the subjugation of 
 the wilderness, religious services were held. As early as 
 1814 there were a number of persons of the Baptist per- 
 suasion in this vicinity who desired to form themselves 
 into a church. On July 14, 1815, " The Oxford Baptist 
 Church of Christ " was organized in what was called the 
 McNeil school house, a half hour walk below the present 
 church edifice. August 17, the council of recognition met 
 in a neighboring grove and recognized sixteen persons, 
 among whom were Mrs. John McNeil, Nathaniel Havens, 
 Mrs. Clara Havens, Daniel Tracy, Jr., Mrs. Polly Tracy, 
 John Dodge, Mrs. Betsey Gifford, Mrs. Abigail Hackett, 
 John Hull, Mrs. Hannah Hull, John Perry, ^Irs. Mary 
 Perry, Hial Tracy and Mrs. Susan Tracy. The organiza- 
 tion grew rapidly and within three years had a member- 
 ship of 103. The congregation worshiped in school-houses 
 or private dwellings till 1833, when a church building was 
 erected and dedicated January 9, 1834. Elder Jabez S. 
 Swan, subsequently pastor, preached the dedication ser- 
 mon. This church has served as a feeder of other Baptist 
 churches. The church was remodeled in 1857, the old- 
 fashioned box seats changed to a more modern style, and 
 the pulpit moved to the opposite end of the church. Again 
 in 1879 the church was more extensively remodeled. The 
 audience room is a model of chaste beauty and its seating 
 capacity is three hundred. The horseshoe gallery will seat 
 one hundred and fifty. The wainscoting is of ash and 
 cherry alternate, and the slips are of ash, trimmed with 
 black walnut. All the wood-work in the rooms mentioned 
 is finished in oil. The windows are of stained glass, taste- 
 fully designed, and the pulpit platform extends into an 
 alcove. Rising above this platform in the rear is an open 
 baptistery, presenting to the eye in raised letters the 
 words: " Buried with Him in baptism." The orchestra is 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 473 
 
 at the right of the platform. A new pipe organ was in- 
 stalled in November, 1904, at a cost of |12,000. 
 
 The following has been the succession of pastors and 
 dates of settlement : Levi Holcomb, 1819 ; Nathaniel Otis, 
 1825; Robert Adams, 1832; Washington Kingsley, 1833; 
 J. D. F. Bestor, 1838 ; Jabez Swan, 1839 ; Elisha G. Perry, 
 1842; Geo. W. Stone, 1844; Wm. S. Smith, 1848; Elijah 
 Baldwin, 1851; Nathaniel Ripley, 1853; W. T. Potter, 
 1857; L. E. Spafford, 1864; A. Reynolds, 1870; John O. 
 Ward, 1873 ; R. A. Patterson, 1875 ; W. R. Baldwin, 1877 ; 
 L. F. Moore, 1882; B. F. Williams, 1886; P. D. Root, 1887; 
 L. T. Giffin, 1889 ; Curtis B. Parsons, 1892, pres mt pastor. 
 
 Good actions crown themselves with lasting bays 
 
 "Who deserves well, needs not another's praise. — Heath. 
 
 Thomas G. Newkirk. 
 
 In 1814, when 16 years of age, Thomas G. Newkirk came 
 to this village from Kingston, on the Hudson, intending 
 to enter upon the study of law with his cousin, Henry 
 VanDerLyn, Esq., but finally decided to engage in the 
 mercantile business, and commenced as a clerk for Gen. 
 Ransom Rathbone. In the year 1831 he formed a partner- 
 ship with Epaphras Miller, which terminated in 1836, 
 when he formed a partnership with his brother Warden, 
 and traded a few years under the firm name of T. G. New- 
 kirk & Co. He continued in business for a number of 
 years, associated a portion of the time with his son, Fred- 
 erick P., and Ward VanDerLyn. For many years Mr. 
 Newkirk served St. Paul's parish as vestryman and as 
 
474 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 warden, and gained the utmost respect and confidence of 
 tlie community. He died March 24, 1875, aged 76. In 
 1826 Mr. Newkirk married Elizabeth L., daughter of Capt. 
 Frederick Hopkins, who died Sunday evening, October 15, 
 1899, at the advanced age of 95 years and 6 months. Mrs. 
 Newkirk was born at Derby, Conn., April 22, 1804, and 
 came with her parents to Oxford three years later. At 
 an early age she taught school near the present farm resi- 
 dence of I. P. Fitch, and was paid for her services half in 
 money and half in grain. As was the custom she boarded 
 around the district. She often related one experience 
 where they had potpie for dinner, and which she and the 
 family enjoyed and partook of freely. At the close of the 
 meal she was asked what kind of potpie she had been 
 eating. " Why, veal, of course," she answered. " Oh, no, 
 that's woodchuck," was the reply. Mrs. Newkirk would 
 laughingly say, that she immediately pushed back from 
 the table, stepped into the yard and in a very short time 
 had got rid of " that woodchuck potpie." 
 
 Mrs. Newkirk was one of the early students of Oxford 
 Academy, and previous to her death was believed to have 
 been the oldest living student of this institution. She was 
 a devoted wife and mother, a faithful and consistent mem- 
 ber of St. Paul's church, and a friend and neighbor in all 
 that words imply. Children : 
 
 Frederick P., born April 24, 1827; married December 
 12, 1855, Phebe Arminda Yale of Guilford, N. Y., a direct 
 descendant of Elihu Yale, founder of Yale University. 
 For twenty years from 1853 he was in the mercantile busi- 
 ness with Ward VanDerLyn and on the dissolution of the 
 firm they purchased the Westover farm. After three years 
 Mr. VanDerLyn sold his interest to his partner, who still 
 owns the property. Mr. Newkirk has served the town as 
 supervisor and for several terms has been a justice of the 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 475 
 
 peace. In 1905 Mr. and Mrs. Newkirk celebrated their 
 golden wedding at which they received hearty congratu- 
 lations from a host of friends at home and abroad. Nearly 
 600 guests were present. The reception was from 3 to 9 
 o'clock, after which Harrington's hall was opened and 
 dancing participated in till a late hour. Children : Peter 
 v., married Ada M. Ransom of Montour Falls, N. Y. Clerk 
 at First National Bank, Oxford. (One daughter, Eliza- 
 beth.) Frank B., married Carrie B. Foote of Oxford. 
 Engineer on Lackawanna railroad, and resides at Cincin- 
 natus. (One son, George Frederick.) 
 
 Sarah Jane, born May 12, 1830, died October 29, 1859, 
 greatly mourned by her mother and friends. 
 
 Myron Robbins. 
 
 Myron Robbins, a worthy colored man, came to Oxford 
 about the year 1840 from Sherburne, where he was born 
 in 1809. He died March 21, 1865. In 1842 he married 
 Maria Randall of Oxford, born November 15, 1819; died 
 July 28, 1879. Their children were born in Oxford, but 
 one of whom survives: Theron H., served in Civil war 
 and died at home within a few months after honorable 
 discharge; Frances P., died at Delhi, December 28, 1897; 
 married Marcus Randall, who died in Oxford several years 
 previous; Peter A., resides at Delhi, unmarried; Jane C, 
 died September 12, 1868, aged 16, in Oxford. 
 
 John Randall, better known as " Jack," father of Mrs. 
 Robbins, married Julia A. Crawford. She was a slave 
 in the Jewell family, and their marriage was a runaway 
 match. Mr. Randall worked many years for the Jewells 
 to earn his wife's freedom. 
 
4/6 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Skill'd in the globe and sphere, he gravely stands, 
 And with his compass, measures seas and lands. 
 
 — Dbyden. 
 
 Captain Frederick Hopkins. 
 
 Captain Frederick Hopkins of Derby, Conn., accom- 
 panied by Solomon Bundy of Huntington, Conn., came to 
 Oxford in the summer of 1806, both on horseback. In 
 the following spring he brought his wife and infant daugh- 
 ter, Elizabeth, in an old fashioned schooner drawn by a 
 yoke of oxen with a horse in the lead, via Catskill and the 
 old State road. Captain Hopkins, while yet in his teens, 
 served in the Revolutionary war, and was the last pen- 
 sioner of '76 in Chenango county. An elder brother was 
 on General Washington's staff and Mr. Hopkins had the 
 honorable distinction of once dining with the Father of 
 his Country. After the war he became a sea captain and 
 on one of his voyages to the West Indies was captured 
 by the French, losing his vessel and entire cargo. In 1814, 
 when St. Paul's church was established in Oxford, he was 
 elected senior warden and continued for many years faith- 
 fully to discharge the duties of that office. His death 
 occurred June 23, 1855, at the age of 87. Captain Hop- 
 kins married (1) Pickett; married (2) Susan 
 
 Smith, who died June 16, 1858, aged 78. 
 
 Children by first wife : 
 
 Alison, married Januai-y 25, 1820, Polly Dickinson of 
 Oxford. Children : James, Andrew, Charles, Sheldon, 
 Calena, married Jesse H. Giftord. 
 
 Augustus Rufus, born February 10, 1779, in Derby, 
 Conn. ; died June 7, 1870, in Oxford ; married Mary W^il- 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 477 
 
 son of Oxford, born January 16, 1804, died March 22, 
 1893. Children: Frederick, born May 15, 1836, married 
 Phoebe Coy (child, George F.) ; Susan C, died in infancy; 
 James A., born May 22, 1844, married Maria Tucker ( chil- 
 dren, George F., died in infancy, Nellie L., Anna M.)- 
 
 Charles E., died January 16, 1864, aged 62 ; unmarried. 
 
 Children by second wife: 
 
 Elizabeth L., married Thomas G. Newkirk. 
 
 John F., died July 4, 1893, in Oxford, aged 87 ; married 
 (1) Julia Beard; married (2) Jane E. Lobdell, who died 
 February 22, 1895, in Oxford. 
 
 Sarah A., married John Van Wagenen, November 13, 
 1833, born December 12, 1807, died December 26, 1886. 
 
 Susan, died in early womanhood. 
 
 In the long run a man becomes what he purposes, and gains 
 for himself what he really desires. 
 
 — Hamilton Wright Mabie. 
 
 Solomon Bundy. 
 
 Solomon Bundy accompanied Capt. Frederick Hop- 
 kins on horseback to Oxford on that summer's day in 
 1806, and with him put up at the tavern kept by Erastus 
 Perkins. The following day was Sunday and the ti^avelers 
 were out early viewing the town. Returning to tlie house 
 they were approached by a guest, who said : " Gentlemen, 
 I see you are strangers in our little hamlet and I would 
 be pleased to have you take a drink with me." They ac- 
 quiesced and the hospitable citizen soon took his departure. 
 The travelers were quite anxious to learn the name of the 
 man who was so considerate of them, and inquired of the 
 
478 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 landlord : " Who is the gentleman with the black coat and 
 white cravat whom we have had the pleasure of meeting? " 
 " Why, that is our Presbyterian minister," replied Mr. 
 Perkins. " He is doing excellent work in the ministry, 
 and I assure you he would be pleased to have you attend 
 his meeting to-day." They attended. Monday morning 
 the travelers rode over the east hill to look at a farm of 
 200 acres owned by Gerrit Burghardt, which they pur- 
 chased. The following spring they moved their families 
 on the farm and lived for a year or more in the same 
 dwelling, for many years thereafter known as the Capt. 
 Hopkins' house. When Mr. Bundy and family moved 
 from there, it was into a new house a quarter of a mile 
 nearer the village, the same, with many alterations now 
 occupied by W. J. Redmond. Mr. Bundy died February 
 24, 1851, while on a visit to his son, Oliver T.,at Windsor, 
 N. Y. Jane Fraser, his wife, who was a native of Hunt- 
 ington, Conn., died August 22, 1846, aged 70. Mrs. Bundy 
 was very fond of children and delighted in entertaining 
 them. She had a Avay of roasting apples and potatoes for 
 them in the ashes covered over with live coals in the 
 kitchen fire-place, and when done they tasted better than 
 any prepared at home. She had a way too of getting the 
 butternut and beechnut meats for them that none ever 
 tasted quite as good elsewhere. Children : 
 
 Oliver T., born January 31, 1801 ; died January 9, 1874, 
 in Deposit, N. Y. Married Lydia Smith of Wellsboro, 
 Pa. Practiced medicine in Deposit. 
 
 Rachel, born May 14, 1803; died August 15, 1866, in 
 Oxford. Unmarried. 
 
 Jane Maria, born September 17, 1805. Married Rev. 
 James Noble and moved to Iowa, where she died. 
 
 Nathan, born July 22, 1807, in Oxford; died May 3, 
 1846, in Harford, N. Y. Married Hannah Hawks. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 479 
 
 Amelia, born August 27, 1811, in Oxford ; died October 
 29, 1851, in Oxford. Unmarried. 
 
 Philo, born February 10, 1814, in Oxford ; died June 1, 
 1901, in Oswego. Married (1) in 1842, Margaret A. Burt, 
 who died in 1868. Married (2) in 1870, Catherine Van- 
 Dyck, who died in 1899. Had five daughters by first wife, 
 and one by second wife. He was educated in Oxford Acad- 
 emy and taught several terms in the common schools. Iti 
 1838 went to Oswego and engaged in the grain trade. In 
 1862 was made a paymaster in the U. S. army with the 
 rank of Major. Was also deputy collector of the Port 
 of Oswego. 
 
 Sophia Louise, born June 30, 1816, in Oxford; mar- 
 ried George Manwaring and moved to Iowa. Died August 
 20, 1891 in South West Civy, Mo. 
 
 Edward Augustus, born November 6, 1819, in Oxford; 
 died May 13, 1892 in Oxford. Married (1) Esther Shap- 
 ley; married (2) Eliza Burlison. Resided on the home- 
 stead for many years. Came to the village and for several 
 terms was a civil magistrate. 
 
 Solomon, born May 22, 1823, in Oxford; died January 
 13, 1889; married (1) June 28, 1846, Roxanna Hitchcock 
 of Oxford; born December 25, 1821; died July 28, 1848. 
 Married (2) Elizabeth A. McGeorge of Oxford, born Oc- 
 tober 20, 1827. Resides at Grand Rapids, Mich. Mr. 
 Bundy was the first child baptized in the Presbyterian 
 church. His early life was spent in working on the farm 
 during the summer season. He received a common school 
 education, which was liberally supplemented by his private 
 studies and extensive readings. Soon after his second 
 marriage he removed to the village and engaged in the boot 
 and shoe business, and later entered the law office of 
 James W. Glover as a student. While pursuing his studies 
 he held the office of justice of peace and clerk of the Board 
 
48o ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 of Supervisors. Admitted to the bar in 1859, he soon 
 formed a law partnership with Horace Packer. In 18G2 
 he was elected District Attorney of Chenango county, and 
 in 1876 was elected to the Forty-fifth Congress. 
 
 Child, by first wife: Elizabeth R., now practicing 
 medicine in Philadelphia. 
 
 Children by second wife : Nathan A., married Ella M. 
 Hull of Oxford. Now resides in Philadelphia. Children: 
 Elizabeth, married Joseph A. Culbert of Philadelphia; 
 Kate, married Daniel Burke, Esq., of Brooklyn; Agnes, 
 married James H. Millhouse of Buffalo, N. Y. 
 
 McGeorge, man'ied Mary G. Hollister, now practicing 
 law in Grand Rapids, Mich. Children : Nathan Hollister, 
 born May 18, 1886; Harvey Hollister, born March 30^ 
 1888; Frederick McGeorge, born January 4, 1900. 
 
 Thy wit is as quick as the greyhound's 
 mouth — it catches. 
 
 — Shakespb:abe. 
 
 Isaac Sherwood. 
 
 Isaac Sherwood, a native of Connecticut, was born in 
 1768. At an early age he moved to Oxford and began the 
 practice of law, in which profession he rose rapidly. He 
 held the office of judge of the county, was justice of the 
 peace for a long term of years, and was supervisor of the 
 town for a number of years. Later he embarked in the 
 mercantile tailoring business in this village, and also be- 
 came a large land owner. He maiTied a Miss Smith, a 
 native of Connecticut. Children : Samuel S., and Rebecca. 
 
 Samuel S., married Catherine Bessac, a native of 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 481 
 
 France. She was descended from a long line of French 
 ancestry, who were known in history for their chivalry 
 and important services rendered the French government. 
 After clerking for some time in his father's store, his 
 father gave him a fine farm, still known as the Sherwood 
 farm above the W. E. C. Home. He immediately moved 
 upon it and followed agricultural pursuits the rest of his 
 life, and through energy and good judgment made a suc- 
 cessful farmer. He died in 1846. Mrs. Sherwood died 
 October 6, 1821, aged 34. Children: John, Mary, Har- 
 riet, Catherine, married James Bennett; Isaac S. 
 
 Kebecca, married (1) Charles Denison of Oxford; mar- 
 ried (2) John Judson of Oxford; married (3) ■ 
 
 Hoxcie. 
 
 Isaac S. Sherwood, son of Samuel S. and Catherine 
 (Bessac) Sherwood, born September 18, 1816, in Oxford; 
 died January 13, 1898, in Oxford; married September 12, 
 1837, Abigail Tiffany of Sherburne, N. Y., born in 1817; 
 died in 1896 in Oxford. Mr. Sherwood was born upon the 
 farm upon which he lived and died. In his early days, 
 being an excellent penman, he accepted a position to copy 
 deeds and legal papers and to settle estates ; he also became 
 a prominent figure in the courts, being clerk for different 
 lawyers. For a few years he clerked in a village store, 
 but later devoted his attention to farming. During a long 
 term of years he was a popular auctioneer of farming and 
 household goods, his ready wit and free command of lan- 
 guage making him a successful dealer in that line of trade. 
 He invariably looked ufjon the humorous side of life, and 
 his reputation as a wit and eccentric character was more 
 than local. He seldom wrote in a serious vein, as was 
 frequently illustrated by advertisements, auction bills, and 
 rhyming notices that were posted at the watering trough 
 near his residence, also the original mottoes that adorned 
 
482 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 the walls of his home. Mr. Sherwood was a true sports- 
 man, expert with gun and rod. During the latter years of 
 his life he devoted much time to the collection of native 
 birds, which he himself skillfully mounted, and to which 
 was added many rare and foreign birds, contributed by 
 friends. In June, 1896, he presented this large and val- 
 uable collection to Oxford Academy. Mr. Sherwood re- 
 ceived his education at Oxford Academy. He was popular 
 in town and county, and was a member of Oxford Lodge, 
 No. 175, F. & A. M. He was elected supervisor of the town 
 and a trustee of Oxford Academy several years. His later 
 days were spent in quiet retirement from active labor, and 
 his passing was felt by the community at large. His burial 
 was beside his wife on a high knoll upon the farm, which 
 commands an extensive and beautiful view up and down 
 the Clienango Valley. 
 
 For man to assist man is to be a god ; this is the path to 
 eternal glory. 
 
 — Pliny. 
 
 D. M. Lee, M. D. 
 
 Dwight Morgan Lee. M. D., was born at Georgetown, 
 Madison county, January 25, 1843. His father. Rev. 
 Hiram W. Lee, D. D., was a Presbyterian clergyman ; and 
 the early education of the son was obtained at Cincinnatus 
 Academy. In 1863 he graduated from Hamilton College, 
 Clinton, from which he received the degree of A. B. He 
 began to read medicine in 1861, at Earlville, under Dr. 
 D. J. Eessegieu ; attended two courses of lectures in the 
 ^ledical Department of the University of New York, and 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 483 
 
 at Albany Medical College, graduating from the latter, De- 
 cember 27, 1864. He immediately entered the army as 
 assistant surgeon of the 22d N. Y. V. Cavalry, was pro- 
 moted surgeon by brevet, and remained until mustered out 
 of service in August, 1865. The following month he com- 
 menced the practice of medicine at Smithville Flats, re- 
 maining till March, 1867, when he came to Oxford, 
 continuing his practice successfully till his death, which 
 occurred October 5, 1895. 
 
 .Dr. Lee was a member of the Chenango County Medical 
 Society; the Medical Association of Central New York, 
 and the Medical Society of the State of New York. Was 
 one of the original pension examiners; president of the 
 corporation, 1881-7 and 1892; past master and past high 
 priest of Masonic lodge and chapter, and a member of the 
 Commandery. In later years he gave special attention to 
 diseases of the eye and ear. 
 
 Dr. Lee married in 1866, Elizabeth E., daughter of John 
 R. and Susan S. (Hough) Gleason. Children: Charles 
 D., married Johanna Bayer of Breslau, Germany; Hiram 
 A., died in infancy; Zaida B; and Walter C. 
 
 The Town Clock. 
 
 In the spring of 1850 a number of enterprising citizens 
 joined in raising a fund for the purchase of a town clock, 
 which, during the month of May was placed in the tower of 
 the old Episcopal church on Fort Hill, by Messrs. Hop- 
 kins & Millard of De Ruyter, at a cost of |265. It re- 
 mained there until 1864, when the church was taken down. 
 In 1867 a tower was built on the Fort Hill block for the 
 
484 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 clock and a fire bell. In 1887 the works became worn and 
 the clock ceased running. 
 
 On the evening of August 8, 1902, The Ladies' Village 
 Improvement Society, having procured a new clock at a 
 cost of |650, presented it to the village at a lawn fete held 
 on Fort Hill. The Citizens Band was present and ren- 
 dered some of their most choice music. Nathan P. Stanton, 
 Esq., in behalf of the ladies made the presentation speech, 
 and Hon. S. S. Stafford, in behalf of the village accepted 
 the gift in a few well chosen words. An excellent supper 
 was served and a delightful evening was spent. 
 
 By the fireside still the light is shining, 
 
 The children's arms round the parent's twining ; 
 
 From love so sweet, O who would roam? 
 
 Be it ever so homely, home is home. 
 
 — Dinah Mulock Cbaik. 
 
 Nehemiah Smith. 
 
 The most of the old settlers who came here during the 
 early part of the nineteenth century were poor in pocket, 
 but, possessed of an unlimited amount of energy and per- 
 severance, and having faith in the country, " stuck it out," 
 and were successful. Among them were Nehemiah Smith, 
 the third of that name, a native of Lyme, Conn., who set- 
 tled on Port Hill in this village in 1801. He was a car- 
 penter and cabinet maker, which vocation he pursued till 
 his death in December, 1835. Elizabeth (Gee) Smith, 
 his widow, died in 1858. Children: 
 
 Erastus, married Sophia McNeil, died in Buffalo, Oc- 
 tober 26, 1847. 
 
 Susan, developed into a beautiful girl, and while in 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 485 
 
 young womanhood started alone on a lengthy journey. She 
 was never again seen by her family, although traced to 
 Utica, nothing definite was ever known in regard to her 
 fate. 
 
 Sally, married (1) Peabody; married (2) Asa 
 
 Sheldon. Died in Oxford. Child by first husband : Susan 
 C. Peabody. Married David L. Sherwood of Oxford. 
 
 Fanny, married John Crosier; died January 20, 1886, 
 aged 73, in Buffalo. Child: Fanny, died in infancy. 
 
 Esther, married William Terrel; died July 26, 1876, 
 aged 72, in Buffalo. Child: James, died May 12, 1906, 
 aged 80 years; married Alinda Crannell. 
 
 Eunice, died in Oxford. Unmarried. 
 
 Nancy, married Stephen Bentley; died in Ellicottville, 
 N. Y. Children: Ada, Burr, Anna. 
 
 Abigail, married William Sherwood of Oxford; died 
 August 21, 1850, in Norwich. 
 
 Nehemiah, 4th., married Susan Gordon of Oxford ; died 
 June 14, 1873. Children : Jane, died December 26, 1901 ; 
 married John Thurber; (their children: Elizabeth, mar- 
 ried Warren Smith; Ida, married George Ketchum; Min- 
 nie, married Delbert Jenks; Dell E,, married Jennie 
 Sharp; Guerdon, died unmarried). Sophia E., born Oc- 
 tober 19, 1828, married Hiram D. Walworth, died De- 
 cember 3, 1905. ( Children : Louise W., married Edward 
 B. Loomis; Susie E.) Margaret, died in 1856, unmarried. 
 Almira, married LaFayette Briggs. (Child: Margaret E., 
 married G. B. Bretz of Brooklyn.) Nehemiah, 5th, mar- 
 ried Sarah Barr. ( Children : George, N. Y. C. R. R. mail 
 agent; Charlotte; Matilda, married Frank Root; Eliza- 
 beth.) 
 
 James, died in New Orleans. Unmarried. 
 
 Charles, died in California. Unmarried. 
 
 Betsey, died in 1836, in Oxford. Unmarried. 
 
486 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 It is uncertain in what place deatli may await thee ; therefore 
 expect it in any place. 
 
 — Seneca. 
 
 Frederick Greene. 
 
 Frederick Greene came at an early date from Dutchess 
 county and located in Oxford. He married Sophia Bald- 
 win, daughter of Jonathan and Parthenia (Stanford) 
 Baldwin. His death occurred August 13, 1846, in Oxford. 
 Mrs. Greene died July 22, 1885, at Grand Kapids, Mich. 
 
 Children : 
 
 Harvey M., born November 23, 1837, commenced the 
 practice of medicine in November, 1868, and in January, 
 1870, removed to Grand Kapids, Mich. December 12, 1872, 
 he left that city for Dutchess county to be married and 
 stopped in New York to transact business, v/liere he was 
 stricken with apoplexy and died on the 17th of that month. 
 
 Bradford G., born April 16, 1839, in Steuben county; 
 died suddenly December 6, 1896, at his residence on Clin- 
 ton street, now owned by Dr. Chas. B. Payne. Married 
 September 7, 1870, Marania Sisson of Norwich. Children : 
 Frederick B., married Minnie A. Howard; Harry, resides 
 at Greenfield, Mass. 
 
 Mr. Greene was public spirited and untiring in his de- 
 votion to public improvement. Upon finishing his edu- 
 cation at Oxford Academy he entered the office of Dr. 
 Eccleston to learn dentistry. In October, 1861, he enlisted 
 in the navy, being assigned to duty as surgeon and steward 
 on the gunboat Port Ivoyal, and afterwards in transport 
 service. In 1863 he entered the merchant marine, where 
 he continued two years, serving under his flag at many 
 
ANrMLS OF OXFORD 487 
 
 European stations, principally in the Mediterranean. In 
 1865 he returned to Oxford and resumed dentistry, which 
 he continued a short time, and was soon after engaged at 
 the jeweler's bench in the store of H. H. Cady. A year 
 later Coville & JNIoore succeeded Mr. Cady, and Mr. Greene 
 continued with them for about sixteen years, in the mean- 
 time taking the ticket and express agency for the N. Y. O. 
 & W. R'y., and subsequently adding the coal business. 
 Mr. Greene had an agreeable disposition, enjoyed hearing 
 and telling a good story, in which he was an adept; and 
 had a good word for everyone and everywhere. He was an 
 active member of Breed Post, G. A. R., and also of Oxford 
 Lodge, F. & A. M. He was one of the incorporators and 
 a director of the Excelsior Mutual Insurance Company. 
 He was largely instrumental in procuring the adoption of 
 the Union Free School system and the passage of the 
 necessary resolutions to provide for the erection of the 
 building. He was appointed postmaster under the ad- 
 ministration of Benj. Harrison, which position he occupied 
 four years and eight months. 
 
 Charles F., born January 4, 1842; Corporal Co. H., 
 114th Reg't, N. Y. S. V., during Civil war. Killed at 
 battle of Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864. 
 
 Clara C, graduated from Oxford Academy and taught 
 for nearly thirty years in the Grand Rapids, Mich., public 
 schools. She left her home July 2, 1903, in that city, and 
 for several days the mystery surrounding her disappear- 
 ance was not cleared until her body was found in the 
 suburbs of the city behind a piece of underbrush. Indica- 
 tions pointed that death was due to poison taken with 
 suicidal intent. The body was cremated and the ashes 
 sent to Oxford and placed within the grave of her mother. 
 
488 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power. 
 
 And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave, 
 Await alike the inevitable hour. 
 
 The paths of glory lead but to the grave. 
 
 — Gray. 
 
 VanWagenen Family. 
 
 Gerrit Huybert Van Wagenen, son of Huybert and 
 Angenietje (Agnes) Vreden Burgh VanWagenen, born at 
 No. 5 Beekman slip, now 33 Fulton street, New York, 
 January 21, 1753; died November 20, 1835, in Oxford; 
 married March 11, 1783, Sarah, daughter of Derick and 
 Eachel (Vanllanst) Brinckerhoff, born November 5, 1764, 
 in New York ; died December 9, 1833, in Oxford. 
 
 Gerrit VanWagenen was a Revolutionary soldier and 
 received the appointment of second lieutenant in the 8th 
 company commanded by Captain John Quackenbos, in 
 Colonel McDougal's regiment, being the first regiment in 
 the New York State troops. He left New York in August, 
 1775, with part of the regiment for Canada, and partici- 
 pated in the storming of Quebec in the columns of General 
 Montgomery. He remained in Canada till May, 1776, 
 when he returned to New York in charge of prisoners 
 whom he was ordered to take to Philadelphia. Returning 
 to New York and finding the British were landing on Long 
 Island, he offered his services to General Sullivan, and 
 was sent by him with four other officers to the Jamaica 
 Pass. The entire party was captured, and he was held as 
 prisoner twenty-two months, when he was exchanged. He 
 then received an appointment in the department of Com- 
 missary of Prisoners, with the pay and rations of a major, 
 wlticli office he held three years, being stationed most of 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 489 
 
 the time at Fishkill and West Point. After the war he 
 engaged with his father in the hardware business in New 
 York, which the latter had carried on at No. 5 Beekman 
 slip since 1760. This was dissolved May 1, 1791, and he 
 continued the business by himself, and afterwards with his 
 son Hubert, till about 1820, when it was sold out to others. 
 He was a vestryman of Trinity church from 1808 to 1811. 
 In 1821 he removed to Oxford, where he established the 
 first hardware store in the south end of the Hotchkiss 
 House. He subsequently built and occupied a store on 
 Washington park. He was largely engaged in the pur- 
 chase and sale of land, and at his death owned about two 
 thousand acres between the Chenango and Unadilla rivers. 
 Mr. VanWagenen built on Lyon brook, then affording a 
 good water power, a grist mill, carding, or woolen mill, 
 and a saw mill. At the time of his removal to Oxford his 
 household goods and merchandise were brought on sloops 
 up the North river and carted over the Catskill mountains 
 to Oxford. Bishop Hobart, one of the early pioneers of 
 the church and whose diocese was the entire State of New 
 York, was an intimate friend of the family and was accus- 
 tomed to make his headquarters at their house, and from 
 there made his visitations to the surrounding parishes. 
 Mr. VanWagenen was a liberal contributor to all religious 
 and public enterprises. By his will he established the 
 VanWagenen missionary fund for the support of a mis- 
 sionary of the Protestant Episcopal church in the county 
 of Chenango, and the VanWagenen cemetery was be- 
 queathed to St. Paul's church of Oxford. 
 
 Children : 
 
 Eachel, born October 5, 1783, in New York ; died May 
 8, 1839, in New York ; married in 1811 Tyler Maynard, an 
 attorney-at-law, who died in 1817 in the West Indies. 
 
 Hubert, born February 3, 1785, in New York; died Octo- 
 
4«90 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 ber 31, 1852, in Poughkeepsie, N. Y. ; married March 20, 
 1808, Mary Wheeler of Red Hook, N. Y. 
 
 Richard and Gerrit, twins, born November 22, 1786; 
 died in infancy. 
 
 Agnes, born December 12, 1787, in New York ; died Feb- 
 ruary 13, 1868, in Oxford; married June 18, 1822, in 
 Oxford, Erastus Perkins. 
 
 Sarah, born July 4, 1791, in New York ; died in infancy. 
 
 WiLHELMiNA Maria, bom March 24, 1793, in New York ; 
 died November 2, 1873, in Oxford; unmarried. 
 
 Sarah Brinckerhoff, born December 20, 1794, in New 
 York ; died December 21, 1878, in Oxford ; unmarried. 
 
 Catherine, born October 2, 1790, in Newtown, L. I.; 
 died February 14, 1886 ; unmarried. , 
 
 Richard, born October 8, 1798, in Newtown, L. I.; died 
 September 27, 1837, in St. Josephs, Mich. ; unmarried. 
 
 Gerrit, born November 6, 1800, in New York ; died Sep- 
 tember 27, 1858, in New Brunswick, N. J. ; married March 
 17, 1835, x\nna C. Pierrepont of Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 William, born July 26, 1802, in New York ; died Decem- 
 ber 6, 1864, in Oxford; married January 8, 1840, Ursula 
 A., daughter of James A. and Ann (Bradley) Glover of 
 Oxford ; died May 24, 1887, in Oxford. Children : John 
 Richard, born November 9, 1841; married December 26, 
 1872, Clara L., daughter of George W. and Clarissa 
 (Whitmore) Lester of Binghamton, N. Y. Mr. Yan 
 Wagenen was supervisor of Oxford in 1868, elected county 
 treasurer in 1872, and is now president of the First 
 National Bank of Oxford; (children, Helen M., William 
 Lester, Henry Tracy, Florence, Harold W., and Ursula). 
 James G., born December 1, 1845, in Oxford; married 
 April 9, 1867, Mary E., daughter of Stephen H. and Mary 
 (Gillman) Millard of Oxford ; he was in service in the Civil 
 war in Co. L, 20th N. Y. Cavalry, which was the advance 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 491 
 
 regiment into Richmond at the surrender; (child, Anna 
 M., married Jared C. Estelow of Oxford). Anna G., born 
 September 24, 1853 ; died in infancy. Mary E., born Feb- 
 ruary 21, 1857; married August 25, 1886, William W. 
 Lester of South Norwalk, Conn. 
 
 John, born July 28, 1804, in New York; died July 2, 
 1846, in Oxford; married November 13, 1833, Sarah A., 
 daughter of Captain Frederick and Susan (Smith) Hop- 
 kins of Oxford, born December 12, 1807; died December 
 26, 1886, in Oxford. Children: William Hubert, born 
 November 11, 1837; married January 21, 1874, Anna L., 
 daughter of Jacob and Sarah J. Selden of Williamstown, 
 N. Y. ; in drug business twenty-seven years in Oxford ; 
 residence Rome, N. Y. ; (children, all born in Oxford, 
 Sarah Louise, Grace S., married Arthur F. Carpenter of 
 Rome; Nellie E.). Susan Elizabeth, married June 6, 1866, 
 Major Oscar Henry Curtis of Oxford, who died December 
 26, 1903. 
 
 If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can talie it 
 away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays 
 the best interest. 
 
 — Franklin. 
 
 Kinney Family. 
 
 Solomon Kinney died November 14, 1839, in Oxford. 
 He married ( 1 ) Grace Wise, a native of Connecticut ; mar- 
 ried (2) PhilaGifford. 
 
 Samuel Kinney, only child of Solomon and Grace (Wise) 
 Kinney, married Amelia Crumb of Stonington, Conn. He 
 died April 3, 1847, and his wife's death occurred Decem- 
 
492 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 ber 22, 1865. Their children were : Charles Albert, 
 Susan, Mary Mead, Samuel Wise, and Jane Elizabeth. 
 
 Samuel Wise Kinney was a prominent and well-known 
 farmer of Oxford, where he resided during his lifetime. 
 He was born June 5, 1821, and died June 6, 1894. Mr. 
 Kinney was twice married; his first wife was Sophia 
 Symonds of Oxford, born Januaiy 11, 1819; died Novem- 
 ber 25, 1864. His second wife was Mrs. Huldah (Seeley) 
 Jeffords, w^ho survives and resides in a western state. 
 Children by first wife : Henry, died June — , 1883 ; mar- 
 ried Frances M. Rowley of Guilford. Frances, married 
 Archilaus Haynes of Colesville, N. Y. Isabella, died 
 April 8, 1851, in infancy. Ward, married Helen Minor of 
 McPherson, Kan., where he resides. Charlotte, married 
 Edgar W. Edmunds of Oakville, N. Y., and resides on the 
 old homestead. 
 
 But what good came of it at last?" 
 Quoth little Peterkin. 
 Why that I cannot tell," said he ; 
 " But 'twas a famous victory." 
 
 — SOTJTHEY. 
 
 In Military Days. 
 
 Few incidents in the past attracted so much attention as 
 that of the muster of the local citizen soldiers at " general 
 training," or drills and muster under the militia system. 
 The event was looked forward to with pleasure, as it gave 
 the men a chance to meet old acquaintances, and the boys 
 to invest their pennies in the inevitable gingerbread. The 
 companies, glittering with tinsel and flaunting with 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 493 
 
 feathers, were duly paraded through the maneuvers on 
 " the green," much to the satisfaction of all emancipated 
 school boys and idlers. 
 
 The militia consisted of all able-bodied white male citi- 
 zens between the ages of eighteen and forty-five. Among 
 those exempt from military duty were clergymen, school 
 teachers, students in colleges or academies, and members 
 of fire companies; though in cases of insurrection or in- 
 vasion all but clergymen and teachers could be called upon. 
 
 Each militia company was obliged to assemble for train- 
 ing on the first Monday in September; and between Sep- 
 tember 1 and October 15, at a place designated by the com- 
 mander of the brigade, the regiment was directed to assem- 
 ble for one day's general training. Each militiaman was 
 personally notified of an approaching muster, and failure 
 to appear or to bring the necessary equipments resulted in 
 a court-martial and a fine, unless a satisfactory excuse 
 could be given. Those who could not pay were imprisoned 
 in the county jail. The military spirit that existed in 
 those days was a prominent feature of the country in 
 general. Many that gathered every fall at " general train- 
 ing " had seen active service in the Revolutionary war. 
 Almost every large town had its militia company, but in 
 Oxford they had an artillery company and a cannon. 
 Simon Throop was the captain, and with his sword, 
 epaulets, black feather, black coat trimmed with red, and 
 red topped chapeau, he appeared to the youth of that day 
 greater than any king or potentate. Peter Sken Smith, 
 soon after he came to Oxford, entered into the spirit of 
 the community and raised the first company of riflemen in 
 the county, which in a short time developed into a bat- 
 talion, and for several years were applauded for their 
 military bearing. About the same time, Wayne Berry of 
 Preston was captain of a cavalry company that looked very 
 
494 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 attractive and valiant. They appeared at the yearly mus- 
 ters at Oxford and Norwich, but the horses, excepting the 
 captain's, looked as though they enjoyed the harrow and 
 plow much better than the military ordeal to which they 
 were subjected, especially late in the day, when the captain 
 always showed himself on his favorite steed to the terror 
 of all beholders. 
 
 The place of meeting for muster was designated by the 
 commanding oflQcer, and the sale of spiritous liquors on 
 the grounds could only be carried on by special permission 
 of this officer. Total abstinence was not the rule by any 
 means, and any officer had the right to take a bottle from 
 a private and destroy it, but the contents were usually 
 stowed away about the officer's person, and often the bur- 
 den was rather heavy to carry conveniently. 
 
 At " general trainings " the regiment was made up of 
 odd, ill-sorted, and ungainly men for the most part. Men 
 from the back hills, who sometimes came in barefooted, 
 carrying their boots and militia outfit in a bundle; cob- 
 blers, tailors, and farm hands from neighboring hamlets, 
 short, tall, fat, lean, bow-legged, sheep-shanked, cock-eyed, 
 hump-shouldered, and sway-backed, equipped by art as 
 economically, awkwardly, and variously as they were en- 
 dowed by nature. The officers of the volunteer companies, 
 on the other hand, were generally selected for their hand- 
 some appearance and martial bearing. There were also a 
 few veterans of the war of 1812, who were noticeable for 
 their precise bearing and contempt for their crude com- 
 panions. 
 
 As before mentioned, the regiment assembled yearly for 
 general training between September 1 and October 1.5, 
 usually for one day, though sometimes they were on parade 
 for a longer time. On one occasion they camped in Oxford 
 for a week, and about forty officers' tents were pitched. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 495 
 
 On Monday and Tuesday the officers of the regiment met 
 for drill. On Wednesday the uniformed militia, number- 
 ing 400, with nearly as many more without uniforms, met 
 their officers for parade, inspection, and review. Thurs- 
 day, Friday, and Saturday the uniformed continued in the 
 field, drilling and exercising. There were organized com- 
 panies present from neighboring towns besides the Oxford 
 companies. Stalwart Captain Zadoc Adams of the Rifle 
 Brigade of Preston combined the greatest tact, skill, and 
 pride in military evolutions, and the exhibition drill given 
 by his company in uniforms of gray, and their military 
 band, was an event not soon to be forgotten. Brigadier- 
 General Rathbone reviewed the militia; General DeFor- 
 rest the cavalry, and General Peter Sken Smith the rifles. 
 On the occasion of a military review Major Benjamin 
 Ray, a Revolutionary veteran, would come from Norwich 
 in great state, accompanied by Captain Harvey of Preston, 
 a patriot of '76, to enjoy the events. The Major also had 
 another comrade, Jason Gleason, who was sometimes 
 called " Bildad," whom he would, in the height of his ex- 
 citement, enthusiastically punch in the ribs and exclaim, 
 referring to General Peter Sken Smith : " What eyes ! " 
 " Remember the battle of Monmouth, bub? " 
 
 Captain Wayne Berry would loudly declaim on the 
 fading glories of the past, and irreverently proclaim that 
 certain judicial functionaries then on the bench should 
 " withdraw " and give place to better men, by reason that 
 " they could not stand so much popularity." " Perez, 
 Perez ! " he would proudly exclaim, " Old Wayne foots the 
 bill; eat like a fattin' hog! " At the same time making an 
 assault on the gingerbread stands and drawing from his 
 pocket a well-filled purse, from which he promptly settled 
 all bills. 
 
496 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 He wears a brown old Brunswick coat, 
 With silver buttons, — round his thi'oat, 
 A soft cravat ; — in all you note 
 An elder fashion. 
 
 — DOBSON. 
 
 Lewis Family. 
 
 Samuel Lewis, born May 20, 1744, in Voluntown, Conn., 
 now a part of New London, came to Preston, N. Y., in the 
 spring of 1804 with his wife and seven children. They 
 made the trip in covered wagons and were a month on the 
 way. He settled on Fly Meadow creek, on the farm occu- 
 pied by his grandson, Samuel E., during his lifetime, now 
 owned by Jerry Sharp. Samuel served in the Revolution- 
 ary war as private in Captain Benjamin West's company 
 in Colonel John Topham's Reg't. (R. I.). He married 
 Sarah Edwards, born August 18, 1750, and died May 1, 
 1831. Mr. Lewis died February 9, 1818, both having lived 
 and died upon the farm which they settled. 
 
 Among the children who accompanied them was Clark, 
 born February 20, 1778, in Rhode Island, and died Octo- 
 ber 27, 1853, in Preston. He married Mary Willcox of 
 Exeter, R. I., who died November 21, 1855, in Preston. 
 Children : 
 
 Eunice, born in Rhode Island; died May 19, 1873, aged 
 70, in Norwich ; married Elnathan Terry, whose death oc- 
 curred June 25, 1866, in Norwich, aged 71. 
 
 Mary, born November 18, 1804, in Preston; died Janu- 
 ary 27, 1883, in Bainbridge; married Charles Eccleston of 
 Preston. 
 
 Stephen, born August 7, 1806, in Preston ; died January 
 20, 1892, in Oxford; married Aurilla Eccleston, born 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 497 
 
 August 29, 1810, in Preston; died December 9, 1885, in 
 Oxford. Children: Hiram E., born February 7, 1838; 
 died March 22, 1880, in Oxford; married Jane Webb. 
 Henry C, twin to Hiram, died June 12, 1892, in Oxford; 
 married Mercy Edmunds. Ar-vine S., married Sarah 
 Loomis of Smithville; resides in Oxford. 
 
 Clark, born December 23, 1808, in Preston; died July 
 31, 1893, in Oxford ; married October 22, 1839, Mary Strat- 
 ton of South Oxford; born May 26, 1821, in South Oxford; 
 died March 21, 1873, in Oxford. Children : George W., 
 enlisted in the United States Navy August 15, 1862, for 
 one year, and was discharged October 15, 1863. He en- 
 listed from New York and first served on U. S. Bark 
 " Arthur " from Pensecola, Fla., for about five months. 
 Ti'ansferred to U. S. Bark " Anderson," for a time on 
 blockade duty at Aransas Pass, Texas. Married Olive A. 
 Brooks of Oxford, who died March 31, 1904. Marietta, 
 married (1) J. B. Jenkins of Oneida; married (2) A. Van- 
 Emburgh of Ridgewood, N. J. Charlotte A., married 
 Enoch Henry Currier, principal of the New York Institu- 
 tion for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb. 
 
 Before coming to Oxford Clark Lewis was for a few 
 years engaged in the lumber business in Pennsylvania. 
 In 1838 he came to Oxford and in partnership with his 
 brother Stephen bought the grist and saw mill one mile 
 south of the village. In 1850 he bought the plaster, grist, 
 and lumber mill in the village, now owned by Fletcher and 
 Corbin ; here he did a large business, as he had a planing 
 mill in connection with the plant. Before the Civil war he 
 did a thriving business in plaster and employed many 
 hands at the mill. During the winter months when the 
 sleighing was at its height the farmers coming from neigh- 
 boring towns, Morris, Unadilla, Sidney, and other outlying 
 villages, would reach Oxford in the afternoon, trade at the 
 
498 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 stores, spend the night at the hotel, and in the early morn- 
 ing get their load of plaster and start for home. Up to the 
 serious flood of 1865 he had prospered and acquired 
 wealth, but the great losses he sustained in mill and stock 
 from water damage ruined him, and he never recovered 
 therefrom. Previous to this he erected the building known 
 as the Lewis block, now owned by C. A. Gillman, T. C. 
 Pettis, and T. W. Robinson, on the third floor of vrhich 
 was a ballroom extending the whole length of the building. 
 This ballroom was on seveial occasions the scene of Inrge 
 dancing parties, under the auspices of the Masonic fra- 
 ternity, and the firemen, and during the Civil war, 
 luncheon was served in this same room to the 114th Regi- 
 ment by the ladies of Oxford on their departure from and 
 their return to the count3^ Mr, Lewis's residence v/as on 
 Clinton street, now the home of C. O. Wilcox. 
 
 Hannah, born November 21, 1810, in Preston; died 
 February 23, 1900, in McDonough; married September 4, 
 1836, William R. Burdick, born May 5, 1812, in Pharsalia, 
 N. Y. ; died March 3, 1893, in McDonough. He lived for 
 some time in Oxford, where he learned the currier's trade 
 in the Mygatt tannery. Children: Oresta L., married 
 Rev. William L. Hiller; died November 6, 1901, in Par- 
 sons, Pa. Lewis Dayton, born in Guilford, N. Y. ; was 
 educated at Oxford Academy and Fairfield Seminary, 
 Herkimer county. He entered Madison University, now 
 Colgate, and completed nearly half the classical course 
 when he left and enlisted in Co. K, 10th N. Y. Cavalry. 
 He was commissioned second lieutenant with rank from 
 September 30, 1862, but owing to protracted ill health 
 resigned December 18, same year. Mr. Burdick taught 
 public and private schools in Guilford, Otselic, Smithville, 
 Earlville, and ]McDonougli, and for some time was em- 
 ployed in the First National Bank of Oxford. He has 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 499 
 
 written occasionally for publications since 1860 on literary, 
 political, religious, historical, and oriental subjects. He 
 is the author of several books, which have received many 
 flattering notices from the leading journals of the country. 
 His books have been published in the order named, viz. : 
 Through Field and Wood, Foundation Rites, Magic and 
 Husbandry, Oriental Studies, and The Hand. Mr. Bur- 
 dick resides in Oxford, and is a member of the American 
 Association for the Advancement of Science, American 
 Folk-Lore Society, and Corresponding Member of the New 
 York Genealogical and Biographical Society. Sarah L., 
 died June 9, 1875, in McDonough, unmarried. Mary E., 
 married William Eber Jones and resides in Oxford. Erford 
 W., married Charlotte Brundige of Gilbertsville, and re- 
 sides in Chicago. Ellen H., died December 4, 1878, in Mc- 
 Donough, unmarried. Henry E., died in childhood. 
 
 Sarah, born July 24, 1813, in Preston; died January 3, 
 1814, in Preston. 
 
 Samuel, twin to above, died August 29, 1816, in 
 Preston. 
 
 Ira W., deaf mute, born March 16, 1815, in Preston; 
 died suddenly November 21, 1893, in Preston; married 
 Catherine P. Ellerson, deaf mute. Children : William, 
 Prudence, Catherine, James, John, Charles, Sarah. 
 
 Edward, born August 16, 1817, in Preston ; died in child- 
 hood. 
 
 Samuel E., born August 9, 1819, in Preston ; died on the 
 old homestead October 24, 1885 ; was a member of Assem- 
 bly from this county in 1861. Married (1) Maryette Tur- 
 ner; married (2) Lydia Smith; married (3) Lemira D. 
 Sanford. Children by second wife: Wilson D., deceased. 
 
500 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 S. Edward. Child by third wife: Florence married 
 Hubert C. Stratton, Esq., of Oxford. 
 
 Sarah E., died in childhood. 
 
 Clarinda, died in childhood. 
 
 Prudence, deaf mute, born November 21, 1826, in Pres- 
 ton; died June 18, 1906, in Oxford. She was educated in 
 the Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb 
 at Washington Heights, New York city, and this institu- 
 tion became her home for a large part of her life, for she 
 returned to it as assistant matron, a position which she 
 held for thirty-three years and relinquished only when 
 compelled to by failing strength and advanced age. She 
 had a wide acquaintance with the deaf and dumb, and was 
 intimately associated with them all her life. She was of 
 a kind and genial disposition and made friends with all 
 whom she came in contact, and was respected, loved, and 
 honored by all who knew her. For the last two years her 
 home was with relatives in Oxford. 
 
 So sleeps the pride of former days, 
 
 So glory's thrill is o'er. 
 And hearts that ouce beat high for praise, 
 
 Now feel that pulse no more. 
 
 — MOOBE. 
 
 Isaac J. Stratton. 
 
 Isaac J. Stratton was born November 13, 1782. He 
 was the seventh son of a seventh son, a personage who has 
 always been credited by the superstitious with super- 
 natural powers, especially powers of healing. Mr. Strat- 
 ton remembered that, when he was a child, children 
 afflicted with King's evil, or scrofula, were sometimes 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 501 
 
 brought to him that he might touch them. September 11, 
 1803, he married Rachel, daughter of John and Khoda 
 Alger Punderson. The young couple, aged respectively 21 
 and 17, began their life together on a newly-cleared farm 
 in Smithville, three miles from any neighbors. Mrs. Strat- 
 ton's stories of this time became in after years the delight 
 of her grandchildren. Mr. Stratton built the house with 
 his own hands, and his only door was a blanket woven by 
 Mrs. Stratton, a sort of great-grandmother to the modem 
 portieres. 
 
 There were many Indians about, who, though not really 
 unfriendly, were yet among the uncertain elements of life. 
 One day Mrs. Stratton had just baked two loaves of bread 
 before her open fire, and was putting them away on the 
 shelf which served for a pantry, when a big Indian, 
 blanketed and painted, appeared in the doorway and said : 
 " Me want bread." She offered him one loaf, but he re- 
 plied : " Me want more." One can imagine that it was a 
 trying moment for the young wife, with no help near; but 
 as she hesitated she heard the sound of her husband's ax 
 far off in the forest and it gave her courage to answer: 
 "No, you can have only one." She inwardly determined 
 that Isaac should not come home, hungry and tired, and 
 find nothing for his supper. Her tall visitor grunted, let 
 us hope in admiration, and walked off with his half of the 
 bread. 
 
 About 1807 they left this farm and moved to McDonough 
 to be with Mrs. Stratton's father. Deacon John Punderson. 
 In 1806 a son, Charles, was born, and in 1808 a daughter, 
 Lydia, who in 1825 married Dr. Edward York. Soon after 
 Mr. and Mrs. Stratton gave up the farm to their daughter 
 and her husband, and about 1841 they themselves moved 
 to Oxford, where Mrs. Stratton died January 2, 1861, at 
 the age of 75. Her husband lived to be 91 and died Feb- 
 
502 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 ruary 1, 1873. Their lives were full of helpfulness to all 
 who needed help; but they are prominently among those 
 whom children and children's children " rise up and call 
 blessed." 
 
 Charles Stratton, son of Isaac J. and Rachel (Punder- 
 son) Stratton, was born January 8, 1806, in Smithville, 
 N. Y. On August 22, 1839, while bathing in the Chenango 
 canal with his father, he sank beneath the water and his 
 body was not recovered for several hours. His father 
 made a desperate attempt to rescue him, but, failing, sum- 
 moned assistance. Mr. Stratton married February 7, 
 1827, Lovina Loomis of Smithville, born February 13, 
 1807; died January 3, 1870, at Upper Lisle, Broome 
 county. Children : 
 
 Lydia, married Samuel Williams ; died October 19, 1891, 
 at Upper Lisle. 
 
 Louisa, married Joseph W. Hamilton; died December 
 2, 1892, aged 63 years, in Oxford. 
 
 Diana, married Horace J. Wood; died April 27, 1878, 
 at Utica. 
 
 Isaac J., married Margaret Bartle; died March 28, 1903, 
 at Portland, Oregon. 
 
 Charles E., married Marion L. Buckley, and resides in 
 Oxford. Children: Elvie C, born November 2, 1859; 
 died February 14, 1860. Flora L., born December 2, 1860 ; 
 married Edwin L. Haynes. Hubert C, born December 5, 
 1863; married Florence Lewis. Robert B., born July 13, 
 1868 ; married Minnie B. Brown. Vernon D., born Decem- 
 ber 23, 1869 ; married Lottie McFarland. Nettie C, born 
 November 14, 1873; died April 29, 1875, from scalds re- 
 ceived from falling into a pail of hot water. Carroll I., 
 born March 21, 1876 ; married Genevieve Carpenter. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD ^03 
 
 May one be pardoned and retain the oflfense? 
 
 — Shakespeabe. 
 
 An Old Murder Trial. 
 
 Sunday, October 25, 1846, Coroner Callender was 
 called to hold an inquest on the body of George Manwar- 
 ring, Jr., who was found dead at the log house of his sister, 
 Nancy Cady, three miles southwest of this village. The 
 neighbors were called in during the night and found Man- 
 warring upon a straw bed on the floor, lying partly on his 
 right side with his face toward his breast. The Cady 
 family, consisting of the mother, two young men, and two 
 boys, were examined and the gist of their testimony was, 
 that Manwarring came to their house drunk on Saturday 
 night, shortly after dark, in company with Russel Cady, 
 and went to bed with him. The latter stated that at mid- 
 night he discovered his companion dead and aroused the 
 family. A post-morten examination was had, which 
 elicited sufficient evidence to the Coroner's jury that they 
 returned a verdict of death by violence. Warrants were 
 issued and Mrs. Cady and her son Russel were arrested, 
 jointly indicted, and committed for trial. At the term of 
 the Circuit Court commencing September 13, 1847, Hon. 
 Charles Mason, Justice, Russel Cady, at the age of 23, was 
 on trial for murder. There were many dark circumstances 
 which operated against the accused. Threats had been 
 made against Manwarring's life; in a petty lawsuit he 
 stood in their way; he was found dead in their dwelling; 
 there were marks as of violence upon his person ; cries were 
 heard on the fatal night; conflicting stories were told by 
 members of the family, and the general belief and opinion 
 
S04 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 of all who first saw the body was that violence was the 
 cause of death. These were sufficient of themselves to 
 justify not only strong suspicions, but to form a tolerably 
 well-ground belief. To escape from this weight of testi- 
 mony, it became necessaiy to prove that no murder had 
 been committed. Failing to create a reasonable doubt of 
 this in the opinion of the jury, under the rulings of the 
 Court, the result was a conviction, and Russel Cady was 
 sentenced to be hung on the 23d of November, 1847. His 
 counsel carried the case to the Supreme Court on a bill of 
 exceptions, and a second trial was commenced April 10, 
 1848, under more favorable auspices. The fact that a new 
 trial had been granted admitted error in the first; and 
 additional evidence was adduced to involve the cause of 
 death in doubt and mystery. These doubts inured to the 
 benefit of the prisoner, and the result was a verdict of 
 acquittal. In the first trial of Mrs. Cady the jury were 
 unable to agree upon a verdict. As the evidence was not as 
 strong against her as it was against her son, and there 
 being no probability of her conviction, she was discharged. 
 
 Not wealth nor ancestry, but honourable conduct and a noble 
 disposition make men great. 
 
 — Ovid. 
 
 Joseph G. Thorp. 
 
 Joseph G. Thorp was born April 28, 1812, at Butternuts, 
 Otsego county, where his father filled the pulpit of the 
 Presbyterian church. He was early inured to the work of 
 a farm, which both gave strength to his body and en- 
 couraged and stimulated habits of industry. Only those 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 505 
 
 limited school privileges were at hand which the country 
 school-house provided; of such he made the most. With 
 these aids at his command, together with energy, self- 
 denial, and determination, the subject of this sketch rose 
 to positions of credit, wealth and honor. 
 
 When Mr. Thorp was 17 years of age he began business 
 as a clerk in the dry goods store of Ii*a Willcox. He en- 
 tered upon his duties with the understanding that, in case 
 of their faithful performance, he should receive a salary 
 of fifty dollars a year with board. He continued as clerk 
 on these terms for four years, and during three succeeding 
 years at an increased salary', after which he became a 
 partner in the dry goods business. When he arrived at 
 middle life, after a partnership of several years with his 
 brother-in-law, N. C. Chapman, he had become possessed 
 of considerable property as well as of a practical knowl- 
 edge of business and excellent reputation. The firm at 
 length became interested in projects for more extended 
 business operations which seemed to offer at the West. 
 Their stock of goods was sold to Messrs. Miller and Perkins 
 in the year 1856, and after engaging in banking for a time 
 at Clinton, Iowa, they removed to the pineries of the Chip- 
 pewa, having previously bought lal*ge tracts of lumber and 
 mill property at Eau Claire, Wis. In 1868 the firm of 
 Chapman & Thorp, with J. T. and S. C. Gilbert, obtained 
 a charter from the State, and became incorporated as the 
 Eau Claire Lumber Company, with a capital stock of 
 $200,000, which was increased to |2,000,000. 
 
 Mr. Thorp served his State in the Senate for several 
 years. He was a delegate to the National Convention that 
 nominated Grant and Wilson. 
 
 Although so thoroughly a man of affairs, he strove to 
 infuse commercial life with Christian principles and to 
 join business and religion in a closer bond of union. Al- 
 
5o6 ' ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 ways a zealous friend of the Congregational church, to 
 which he made generous contributions, he is well remem- 
 bered as an earnest and active member of the society. 
 
 Mr. Thorp married Miss Amelia C. Chapman at Nor- 
 wich Febniary 21, 1838, whose death occurred April 24^ 
 1893, at Santa Barbara, Cal. Mr. Thorp died January 
 13, 1895, at Cambridge, Mass., where the family had re- 
 sided several years. Children: Louisa C, died October 
 1, 1848, aged 8. Charles G., died September 29, 1848, aged 
 4. Joseph G., Jr., married Miss Anna A., youngest daugh- 
 ter of Henry W. Longfellow, the poet laureate of America, 
 and is a member of the bar of Massachusetts. Sara C, be- 
 came the wife of Ole Bull, universally known as one of 
 Norway's most distinguished sons. 
 
 Time spent in the cultivation of the fields passes 
 very pleasantly. 
 
 —Ovid. 
 
 Warren Eaton. 
 
 Warren Eaton, bom April 2, 1814, in Oxford ; died sud- 
 denly April 7, 1889; married August 12, 1838, Eliza 
 Penston. 
 
 Mr. Eaton, while yet a mere lad, entered the employ of 
 Benjamin Butler on the Corn Hill farm, which, by as- 
 siduous application and persevering industry, he himself 
 became the owner of in later life. He was one of Oxford's 
 most successful farmers, a quiet, unassuming man, de- 
 votedly attached to his family and home. In religious con- 
 victions he heartily affiliated with the Methodist faith, and 
 the society in this village received his loyal and earnest 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 507 
 
 support to the end of his life. In 1839 Mr. and Mrs. Eaton 
 entertained at a New Year's dinner sixteen members of the 
 Eaton family in this vicinity. The event afforded great 
 pleasure, and it was then determined to make it an annual 
 affair, to be held alternately among the relatives, which 
 has been done to the present time without a miss. Mrs. 
 Eaton is now the only surviving member of the original 
 New Year's dinner. When the event falls due at Corn Hill 
 farm the table linen, as well as much of the china and 
 silver, are the same used at the first dinner. 
 
 The principal founders of the Eaton family who came to 
 America previous to 1640 were: Francis, On the May- 
 flower, 1620; John, who went to Haverhill, Mass., and 
 Jonas and William, who settled in Reading, Vt. They all 
 came over between 1634 and 1640, and were the New Eng- 
 land pioneers. The crest of one Eaton arms is the head of 
 a lion, which is represented as swallowing a cask or tun, 
 a rebus on Eaton (eatun). The more usual crest is an 
 eagle's head, sable; in the mouth a sprig, vert. 
 
 In 1888 Mr. and Mrs. Eaton celebrated their golden 
 wedding. Children : 
 
 George Avery, died in infancy. 
 
 James W., enlisted in the 5th N. Y. Heavy Artillery 
 during Civil war. Made a good record upon many a well- 
 fought battlefield. Taken prisoner and died January 3, 
 1865, in prison hospital at Salisbury, N. C. 
 
 Mary Elizabeth, died in infancy. 
 
 Amanda C, married March 12, 1873, George B. Fletcher. 
 Child : Sarah. 
 
 Emma, married Charles S. Brown, resides at Waverly, 
 N. Y. Child : Robert. 
 
 Lizzie, resides at Corn Hill farm, with mother and sister, 
 Mrs. Fletcher. 
 
 George P., married Emma Xluncar of Waitsburg, Wyo ; 
 
So8 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 resides at Granger, Wash. Children: Emma, Warren, 
 Edith, Clara. 
 
 Charles B., married ( 1 ) Ida Sherwood, who died March 
 17, 1899; married (2) Anna Trimble. Residence Seattle, 
 Wash. Children: James, Alice, Ruth, Phillip, Dorothy. 
 
 The love of country is more powerful than reason itself. 
 
 — Ovid. 
 
 Independence Day, 1859 
 
 The celebration of Independence Day in 1859 was long 
 held in pleasant memory. The day was cool and delight- 
 ful. At an early hour the streets were thronged by citizens 
 of Oxford and adjoining towns, making the attendance 
 very great. James W. Glover, Esq., was marshal of the 
 day. His assistants were General Samuel A. Gifford, 
 Colonel Samuel M. Robinson, and Andrew J. Hunt. The 
 Niagara and Lady Washington fire companies, led by the 
 Oxford Band, met at the head of Washington avenue the 
 Deluge and Rescue fire companies from Norwich, with the 
 Sherburne Band, and conducted them to the rooms of the 
 fire department, where ample refreshments were served. 
 The Oxford Guards, under Captain Freeborn Youngs, and 
 the Artillery Company, under Captain Edwin M. Osborn, 
 received the Norwich Heavy Artillery, under Captain 
 James Tyrrell, with mounted guns, and the Infantry from 
 the same place, and escorted them to the village. The pro- 
 cession was formed in front of Hitchcock Hotel and moved 
 to Washington square, where patriotism found full vent 
 in a hiij-h order of merit. Rev. Mr. Matteson of the M. E. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 509 
 
 church made the opening prayer, after which the Declara- 
 tion of Independence was read by Cyrus N. Brown. The 
 oration by John T. Mygatt followed, replete with happy 
 thought and patriotism. The benediction was pronounced 
 by Rev. Mr. Potter of the Baptist church. The procession 
 then reformed and marched to Hitchcock's for dinner. 
 The white clouds which floated lightly upon the horizon 
 above, like banners trailing their shadows, the insignia of 
 the fire and military departments, and their banners, be- 
 neath, and the bright equipage and glittering armor, with 
 the alternate martial and band music, afforded a beautiful 
 pageant, which is seldom equaled in any village. The ban- 
 quet at Hitchcock's was partaken of by a very large and 
 gleeful assembly, and presided over by " Count " VanDer- 
 Lyn, president of the day, who excelled himself in his large 
 experience in similar positions. After the cloth was re- 
 moved regular and volunteer toasts were drunk. In the 
 afternoon there was target shooting, trial of fire engines, 
 and a parade drill of Captain Tyrrell's Artillery company. 
 At sunset a national salute of thirty-two guns was fired. 
 The evening was brilliant with fireworks and a torchlight 
 procession of the fire companies ended the celebration of 
 Independence Day in 1859. 
 
 There is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by 
 which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern or inn. 
 
 — Johnson. 
 
 Clarke Family. 
 
 Ethan Clarke, son of Rev. Henry and Catherine (Pen- 
 dleton) Clarke, was bom at Hopkinton, R. I., March 30, 
 1798. At an early age with his father, who was one of a 
 Rhode Island colony of Sabbatarians, he emigrated to 
 
5IO ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Brookfield, N. Y., remaining there but a few years, when 
 he went to Plainfielcl, N. Y. In the spring of 1821 Mr. 
 Clarke came to Oxford and purchased the Stage House, 
 which he conducted for several years in connection with 
 the stage lines running through this valley, an important 
 enterprise at that day. Afterwards he engaged in mer- 
 cantile business, the first year or two with Henry Balcom, 
 later with Ebenezer Sherwood, and from 1840 with his 
 brother-in-law. Captain Joseph H. Dwight, which con- 
 tinued till the death of the latter in 1845. In 1854 his 
 sons, James W. and Francis G., with Frederick A. Sands, 
 became his partners. At the expiration of a year Mr. Sands 
 withdrew. Shortly after the opening of the Chenango 
 canal the firm added storage and forwarding to their busi- 
 ness, becoming extensive dealers in produce. The adduess, 
 " Care E. Clarke, Oxford, N. Y.," was marked on innum- 
 erable boxes, bales, bundles, barrels, crates, and hogsheads, 
 sent to every country store within a radius of forty miles 
 of Oxford, and the name was a household word in every 
 farmhouse in the same circle, where butter was made to be 
 sent to New York city and a market, until the canal boat, 
 like the stage coach became a thing of the past. The name 
 " Clarke " was a synonym for energy, honor, and business 
 integrity. 
 
 Mr. Clarke died Sunday, February 8, 1857. He had been 
 in usual health and attended church in the morning. Owing 
 to the sudden rise of the river on that day the guard bank 
 to the canal feeder commenced giving away in the after- 
 noon, making it necessary to remove a quantity of flour 
 from the store cellar. Mr. Clarke assisted with his usual 
 activity and energy. During the work of removal he was 
 found in an insensible state and quickly removed to his 
 residence, where death ensued. Mr. Clarke married (1) 
 Lucy, daughter of Keuben and Hannah (Johnson) Wil- 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 511 
 
 cox; married (2) September 5, 1814, Rachel, daughter of 
 Peter and Elizabeth (Cowell) Case, born December 28, 
 1792; died August 25, 1854, in Oxford. The widow, 
 orphan, and stranger ever found in her a sympathizing 
 friend, and the poor a constant benefactor. 
 
 Child by first wife : 
 
 Lucy Wilcox, born August 30, 1812, in Brookfield, N. 
 Y. ; died December 26, 1891, in Oxford. 
 
 Children by second wife: 
 
 James Willard, born July 20, 1815, in Brookfield ; died 
 June 30, 1878, in Oxford. He was an active business man, 
 and held the office of postmaster for two years, from 1841. 
 In 1864 he entered upon the work of establishing the First 
 National Bank of Oxford, of which he became president. 
 For many years he was closely identified with St. Paul's 
 church, as vestryman and warden. The Academy also 
 shared in the labors which he willingly bestowed upon it, 
 and in matters of public and universal interest he devoted 
 much time. Mr. Clarke married (1) March 31, 1846, in 
 Oxford, Catherine Iliad, daughter of Obadiah and Eliza- 
 beth (Teed) Sands, born August 13, 1818, in Franklin, 
 N. Y. ; died March 21, 1850, in Oxford ; married ( 2 ) Susan 
 Eliza, daughter of John and Susan (Hyde) Tracy. Chil- 
 dren by first Avife: Frederick Sands, died in infancy. 
 Winslow, born August 14, 1848 ; died June 3, 1869. Clem- 
 ent Sands, born March 15, 1850 ; died November 28, 1855. 
 
 Elizabeth Ann, born April 27, 1817, in Plainfield ; died 
 January 29, 1887, in Rochester ; married November 9, 1847, 
 in Oxford, Rev. John Visger Vanlngen, born December 4, 
 1806, in Schenectady ; died December 1, 1877, in Rochester ; 
 a former rector of Zion church, Greene. Children : Rachel 
 Louisa, died in infancy. Richard Clarke, died in infancy. 
 John Abraham, born October 21, 1851; married Mary, 
 daughter of Albert and Frances Walker ; residence Roches- 
 
512 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 ter. Hannah Catherine, born July 1, 1853 ; died February 
 6, 1901, in Kochester; unmarried. Fanny DeLancy, died 
 in infancy. Sarah Lucy, died in infancy. James William, 
 born June 10, 1859, in St. Paul, Minn. ; married Anna M., 
 daughter of John and Jane Clark of Yonkers. 
 
 DwiGHT Henry, born March 2, 1819, in Plainfield ; died 
 April 17, 1874, in Oxford; unmarried. On completing his 
 literary training in Oxford Academy and Union College he 
 entered the law office of James Clapp, Esq., as a student 
 On finishing his legal studies he commenced the practice 
 of his profession at Jackson, Mich., and after two years 
 returned to Oxford, where he resided until his death. In 
 1850 he was chosen District Attorney of Chenango county, 
 which office he held for three years; in 1854 was elected 
 Supervisor on the Whig ticket; in 1855 elected County 
 Judge, and in 1859 re-elected, holding the office for eight 
 years. After his retirement from the bench he resumed 
 the practice of law. 
 
 Ethan Case, born December 16, 1820, in Plainfield, N. 
 Y. ; died October 4, 1889, in Washington, D. C. ; married 
 April 11, 1850, in Kochester, N. Y., Elizabeth, daughter of 
 Simeon and Phoebe (Brewer) Mickle of Oneonta, N. Y. 
 Mr. Clarke was educated at Oxford Academy and became 
 a civil engineer. He was employed on the enlargement of 
 the Erie canal, the construction of the Illinois Central rail- 
 road, the military road between St. Paul, Minn., and 
 Superior, Wis., and the survey of several other railroads. 
 In the spring of 1869 he accepted a position in the Treasury 
 Department at Washington. 
 
 Hannah Henry, born October 7, 1822, in Oxford; died 
 August 13, 1880, in Clinton, N. Y. ; married August 2, 
 1843, George, son of Luman and Fitche (Church) McNeil. 
 Children : Rachel Elizabeth, married August 24, 1870, in 
 Oxford, Cory D. Hayes ; residence Clinton ; ( child, (irace^. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 513 
 
 married George Watrous). Catherine Hannah, born Jan- 
 uary 3, 1850, in Oxford ; died September 2, 1889, in Clin- 
 ton; married May 17, 1882, at Clinton, Nathan L. Hayes; 
 (child, Robert). 
 
 Peter Welcome, born April 14, 1826, in Oxford; died 
 here September 10, 1889; married December 31, 1867, 
 Maria Clarissa, daughter of Dr. William G. and Sarah E. 
 (Mygatt) Sands. Mr. Clarke was proprietor of the Che- 
 nango valley stage line, and later became one of the board 
 of directors and cashier of the First National Bank of 
 Oxford. Child: Sarah Sands, married Frederick L. Mc- 
 Laughlin, now resides in White Plains, N. Y. ; (children, 
 Elizabeth, Frederick, Samuel, Richard and Robert, twins) . 
 
 John Ray, born April 9, 1828, in Oxford ; died suddenly 
 in Narragansett, R. I., August 19, 1890; married August 
 15, 1850, Elizabeth Wells, daughter of James A. and Ann 
 (Bradley) Glover. Early in life Mr. Clarke entered upon 
 a business career in his father's store. About 1854 he re- 
 moved to Buffalo and joined a large jobbing house. Four 
 year-s later he returned to Oxford and continued in busi- 
 ness with his brothers until about 1869, when he was made 
 treasurer of the Midland railroad. In 1876 he removed to 
 Binghamton, engaging in the jobbing of hats, caps, furs, 
 and robes. He was actively interested in all that pertained 
 to the Episcopal church. On the organization of the 
 Security Mutual Life Association he was chosen its presi- 
 dent, and was also president of the Binghamton Board of 
 Trade. Mrs. Clarke w:is liberal and benevolent in church 
 and charity work, and it was largely due to her contribu- 
 tion that Trinity Memorial church, Binghamton, was built. 
 Child : Anna Elizabeth, born in Buffalo ; married Septem- 
 ber 13, 1882, in Binghamton, Charles Martin Stone; (chil- 
 dren, Elizabeth Rebecca, Ray Clarke, died in infancy; 
 Mary Clarke, Ruth Glover, died in infancy. 
 
514 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Francis Granger, born November 22, 1830, in Oxford; 
 married (1) August 15, 1860, in Norwich, Clarissa Maria, 
 daughter of Isaac and Clarissa (Randall) Bockee, born 
 there August 10, 1837 ; died September 13, 1882, in Oxford ; 
 married (2) September 9, 1881, in Canandaigua, N. Y., 
 Laura Bemis, daughter of Thaddeus and Rebecca (Bemis) 
 Chapin. Children by first wife: Francis Bockee, born 
 February 17, 1863; died September 18, 1863. Henry 
 Bockee, born September 8, 1864 ; died December 23, 1889. 
 Herbert William, maiTied August 29, 1893, in Oxford, 
 Margaret, daughter of Robert A. and Elizabeth (Pendle- 
 ton) Stanton. James Winslow, rector of St. Andrew's 
 church, Utica. Mr. Clarke early connected himself with 
 the mercantile business conducted by his father, at whose 
 death the firm became Clarke Bros. After the retirement 
 of his brothers from the firm he continued the business for 
 many years, when he became interested in the stone busi- 
 ness. After years of laborious work the Oxford Blue Stone 
 Company was, through his instrumentality, developed from 
 a small flagging quarry into a large and remunerative 
 business. 
 
 But in these nice sharp quillets of the law, 
 Good faith, I am no wiser than a daw. 
 
 — Shakespeare. 
 
 Price & Clapp. 
 
 William M. Price and James Clapp, two young lawyers 
 of New York city, packed their law library in a wagon and 
 drove into the interior of the State to seek their fortunes, 
 preferring the country to the city for their field of labor. 
 
ANrMLS OF OXFORD 515 
 
 They lialted lit several villages which seemed to offer an 
 opening for the practice of law, but were not satisfied with 
 the outlook, and journeyed on until early one summer 
 evening in 1808 they entered the village of Oxford. The 
 beauty of its position, the neatness of the place, and the 
 substantial air of comfort which presented itself in every 
 direction, determined them to take up their residence and 
 end further prospecting, A small but neat building in the 
 center of the village, owned by a milliner, was rented, their 
 books, chairs, desks, and other belongings unloaded and 
 arranged in order in the new oflSce, and as the shades of 
 night set in they nailed their sign on the window and were 
 ready for any business that might come to them. Early 
 the next morning, seated at the door of their new habita- 
 tion, there approached a distinguished looking person, 
 whom later they found to be General Hovey, the largest 
 land owner in the town. He stopped, read the sign on the 
 window, looked at the new-comers, and said : 
 
 " Whence came you, young gentlemen, for you were not 
 here when I took my afternoon walk yesterday? " 
 
 " We came last evening, sir," replied Mr. Clapp, with a 
 gracious bow of the head. " This is my partner, Mr. Price, 
 and I am James Clapp. We started from New York several 
 weeks ago in search of a thrifty town in which to locate. 
 We looked over several, but this is the only one that pleased 
 us, and we have unloaded and intend to stay." 
 
 " I like this enterprise," replied General Hovey, as he 
 resumed his walk, " and you shall have my law business." 
 
 Thus were the young lawyers from the Metropolis intro- 
 duced to the thriving hamlet, and of which one of them 
 remained a resident during life. 
 
 William M. Price was a native of England. The first 
 case that he had before a justice of the peace in this village 
 he broke down, but rallied and became a very popular 
 
5i6 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 and successful lawyer. He did not remain in town 
 many years, but returned to New York city, where he be- 
 came eminent as a criminal lawyer. Better it would have 
 been for him if he had never left the village of his adoption. 
 He was United States attorney for the southern district of 
 New York under the administrations of President Jack- 
 son and VanBuren, until the defalcation of one Samuel 
 Swartwout was discovered. Instead of proceeding against 
 Swartwout according to instructions, he fled to Europe, 
 leaving a resignation behind, and was found to be a de- 
 faulter himself. He remained abroad until the storm of 
 public and political indignation had somewhat abated, 
 then again returned to New York, and claimed that a large 
 sum was due him from the government, but recovered noth- 
 ing. He appeared before the court with much of his former 
 success and endeavored to regain his former standing, but 
 without effect. Finally he became pecuniarily embarrassed 
 with a prospect of coming to poverty and want. His prop- 
 erty was advertised to be sold at sheriff's sale, and had been 
 several times postponed at his request in the hopes that he 
 might by some means get relief, but he was at last informed 
 that the sale must take place, and to advoid the disaster 
 and mortification he put an end to his existence by shoot- 
 ing himself August 11, 1846. His age was 59 years. 
 
 James Clapp was born at Hartford, Conn., December 5, 
 1785. He was a large, firm-looking man, a brilliant lawyer, 
 and fond of the rod and gun; for in those days sporting 
 men were gratified to the extent desired, for all kinds of 
 game were plenty. Mr. Clapp was a student of Aaron 
 Burr's in 1804, at the time of the Burr-Hamilton duel. He 
 came here with a character peculiarly adapted to those 
 early times. He ever declined public honors and office, and 
 few men in private life were more extensively known. 
 Rare conversational powers united with a wide range and 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD y.-j 
 
 versatility of knowledge, rendered him ever attractive and 
 entertaining in the social circle. He married Julia Hyde, 
 daughter of Benjamin Butler, who died November 17, 
 1832, aged 38. Mr. Clapp was found dead January 8, 1854. 
 He, while in a state of unsound mind, like his partner of 
 early days, had put an end to his existence. Children : 
 
 Mary B., born October 20, 1816, in Oxford; died Jan- 
 uary 5, 1845, in Oxford ; unmarried. 
 
 Julia B., born May 12, 1818, in Oxford ; died December 
 9, 1885, while residing in Paris, France; married Novem- 
 ber 22, 1842, Walter L. Newberrj^ of Chicago. She was an 
 active member of the Episcopal church, and a memorial 
 window to her memory is in the American church in Paris. 
 She was known and respected for her liberality and benev- 
 olence, as well as for lier talents and social acquirements. 
 She left a fortune of over |3,000,000. Mr. Newberry died 
 November 6, 1868, at sea en route for Havre to join his 
 famil}', then in Paris. Naturally austere and taciturn, he 
 repelled all offers of friendship or acquaintance on ship- 
 board, and thus among strangers he sickened and died. He 
 escaped the usual burial of those dying at sea by the inter- 
 ference of a gentleman from Unadilla, N. Y., who knew him 
 and who assured the captain of the vessel that the relatives 
 of the deceased would meet any expense accinied in keep- 
 ing the body. A cask of Medford rum that formed a part 
 of the cargo, it is stated, was brought into requisition. Mr. 
 Newberry's body was placed within it, and when the cargo 
 was discharged the cask was rebilled to Mr. Newberry's 
 friends in Chicago by the Unadilla gentleman, who was 
 ignorant of the fact that Mrs. Newberry was then in Paris. 
 The cask left for America on the next steamer and in due 
 time arrived at Chicago on a freight train. The friends 
 who had been notified of the shipment of the body, it is 
 
5i8 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 further stated, took charge of the cask, still containing the 
 body, and buried it in Graceland cemetery. 
 
 Mr. Newberry received an academic education, was ap- 
 pointed to the West Point United States Military Academy 
 by President Andrew Jackson, but because of ill health, 
 abandoned that career and at sixteen years of age joined 
 his brother, Oliver F., in the dry goods trade in Detroit in 
 1826. He was successful, and in 1833 joined a syndicate 
 of five, Lewis Cass and William B. Astor being among the 
 number, in a tour of inspection and for investment in the 
 West. They bought land in Green Bay, Milwaukee, 
 Calumet, and Chicago; at the latter place he settled in 
 1833, making investments there in real estate, which be- 
 came the nucleus of a fortune which was variously esti- 
 mated at the time of his death at from four to ten million 
 of dollars. He figured largely in the city's early history 
 in connection with the establishment of banks, insurance 
 companies, schools, and public improvements generally, 
 and especially as a promoter of railroads. He was a 
 projector and for a time the president of the old Galena 
 and Chicago railroad, the first line of the present great 
 Northwestern system, and lived to see Chicago the greatest 
 railroad center of the world. He was a member of the 
 banking house of Newberry & Burch, twice president of 
 the Chicago School Board, a founder and twice president 
 of the Chicago Historical Society, and by his will he en- 
 dowed a public library, which bears his name, with one- 
 half of his estate. This endowment now, in real estate and 
 securities, is valued at |5,000,000, and is increasing rapidly 
 in value. 
 
 Children, all born in Chicago: Walter, 1st, died young; 
 Walter, 2d, died young; Mary Louise, born August 12, 
 1845 ; died February 18, 1874 ; Julia Rose, born December 
 28, 1853 ; died April 4, 1876. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 319 
 
 Benjamin B., born April 20, 1821, in Oxford; died No- 
 vember 16, 1882, in Utica; married June 1, 1854, Mary 
 Anne Skinner of Albany, and lived at Luzerne, N. Y. By 
 an act of the Legislature, his name was changed from 
 Benjamin Butler Clapp to Benjamin Clapp Butler, to con- 
 form to a provision in his maternal grandfather's will. 
 Two days after Fort Sumter was fired upon in 1861 he 
 offered his services to the country, raised the 93d N. Y. S. 
 v., of which he was colonel, and led with courage and abil- 
 ity during four years of meritorious service. The village 
 of Luzerne owes its favorable reputation to his enterprise 
 and public spirit, and St. Mary's church in that village is 
 mainly the work of his hand. Twice he represented War- 
 ren county in the Legislature. 
 
 James, born August 6, 1823, in Oxford; died February 
 17, 1893, in Cairo, Egypt. Practiced law in Oxford and 
 afterw^ards in Chicago. Later became a resident of 
 Luzerne, N. Y. Buried in Oxford. 
 
 Nicholas D., born November 27, 1827, in Oxford; died 
 February 23, 1889, in New York city; married (1) in 1855 
 Mary T. McMahon of Unadilla, N. Y., born in 1832 ; died 
 in 1866, in Chicago, 111.; married (2) Adele B. Wolfe of 
 New York city. Children by first wife: Minnie, married 
 D. S. Dickinson Mygatt of New York city. Infant daugh- 
 ter. James. Children by second wife: Infant daughter. 
 Edith Devereux, married December 6, 1904, in New York 
 city. Count Rene du Temple de Rougemont of Paris. 
 
520 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 The old familiar faces — 
 How some tliey have died, and some they have left me, 
 And some are taken from me ; all are departed ; 
 All, all are gone, the old familiar faces. 
 
 — Lamb. 
 
 Gerardus VanDerLyn. 
 
 Gerardus VaiiDerL.yn, acooinpanied by his mother, 
 came from Kingston, N. Y., in 1812, to live with his 
 brother Henry. Mr. VanDerLyn married June 1, 1822, 
 Mrs. Jane VanGaasbeck of Kingston, N. Y., a daiigliter of 
 Rev. Peter Lowe of Flatbush, L. I., who died October 12, 
 1862, in the 72d year of her age. He lived a quiet, unas- 
 suming life, and was a thoughtful observer of passing 
 events, taking a deep interest in all the questions of his 
 time. He died November 9, 1875, aged 88. Children : 
 
 Mary, died March 28, 1857; unmarried. 
 
 Henry, studied law with his Uncle Henry and practiced 
 in Oxford ; died May 5, 1869, aged 44 ; married Ursula Sey- 
 mour, whose death occurred October 24, 1902. 
 
 Peter G., died November 17, 1854, in Elmira, aged 27 ; 
 unmarried. Located there in 1849 and had an extensive 
 law practice. 
 
 Ward, born July 23, 1829; died May 5, 1906; married 
 March 11, 1858, Helen E. Palmer, born June 16, 1838, in 
 Oriskany Falls, N. Y. ; died March 27, 1901, in Oxford. 
 Mr. VanDerLyn for a period of twenty years was in the 
 dry goods business with Frederick P. Newkirk, and on the 
 dissolution of the firm in 1873 they purchased the West- 
 over farm and conducted it jointly three years. He then 
 in partnership with Frederick H. Burchard was for ten 
 years in the hardware business. He closed his mercantile 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 521 
 
 career in the Fort Hill block where for nearly five years 
 in connection with his son Frederick, he carried on an ex- 
 tensive clothing business. After that he lived a retired 
 life, cultivating a few acres of land upon his property in 
 the village. Mr. VanDerLyn was for a number of years 
 a trustee of Oxford Academy. He also served several 
 terms on the board of village trustees, and as president of 
 the Oxford Fair Association. Mr. VanDerLyn was of a 
 quiet and unassuming disposition, and in his business 
 dealings, honorable and upright. All of his life had been 
 spent upon the same premises in this village. A singular 
 coincidence in his death was that it occurred on the anni- 
 versary of his brother Henry's, which was in 1869, and 
 also that of Hon. Wm. H. Hyde in 1902, all having lived 
 in the house now occupied by Mrs. Wm. H. Hyde adjoin- 
 ing and formerly a part of the VanDerLyn property. Chil- 
 dren : Mary, married January 6, 1891, Albert S. Burchard ; 
 Frederick, died February 13, 1891, aged 27. Unmarried. 
 
 He was the frieud not of fortune, but of men. 
 
 Andrew J. Hull. 
 
 -Nepos. 
 
 Andrew J. Hull, bom December 4, 1824, in Eaton, N. 
 Y. ; died September 20, 1891. 
 
 Mr. Hull came to Oxford from Angelica, N. Y., about the 
 year 1838, and attended Oxford Academy until he entered 
 Union College, where he graduated in 1845. He then read 
 law in the office of Henry R. Mygatt and was admitted to 
 the bar in 1847, and the same year was united in marriage 
 with Frances B. Perkins, daughter of Erastus and Agnes 
 
522 
 
 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 (Van Wagenen) Perkins. Sometime after he removed to 
 Georgia and engaged in business in that State for a num- 
 ber of years. After the close of the Civil war he became 
 interested in a woolen mill in this village, which was con- 
 ducted but a short time and at a loss. In 1870 he received 
 the appointment of Harbor Master of New York city from 
 Gov. Hoffman, his classmate in college, as also were 
 Bishop Littlejohn and Judge Earl. Children : 
 
 Agnes Perkins, married September 6, 1876, William R. 
 Mygatt and resides in Chicago. 
 
 Katherine M., unmarried, resides in San Francisco. 
 
 Gerrit Henry, born June 11, 1858, in Waltkourville^ 
 Ga. ; died August 10, 1881, in Denver, Col. 
 
 Loathing pretence, he did with cheerful will 
 What others talked of, while their hands were still. 
 
 — Whtttieb. 
 
 Isaac Leonard. 
 
 Isaac Leonard, born Aj^ril 18, 1786, at Hoosic, N. Y. ; 
 died March 23, 1877, in Oxford; married June 3, 1814, in 
 Oxford, Naomi Seeley, born February 20, 1795, in Strat- 
 ford, Conn. ; died September 8, 1888, in Oxford. 
 
 Mr. Leonard was of hardy Welsh stock and served a 
 8hort term in the war of 1812 as a common soldier without 
 any chance for distinction, and unlike most of his com- 
 rades drew no pension, satisfied with the pay of his time 
 of service. After the war he drifted into Chenango county, 
 then still a wilderness inhabited by wild beasts and Indians, 
 and took up on contract a parcel of land located on the 
 hilly confines of the towns of Oxford and Coventry, built 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 523 
 
 himself a log cabin and cleared several acres on it for 
 cultivation. Feeling the need of a helpmate, he courted a 
 comely lass of the neighborhood, Naomi Seeley, and 
 though ten years her senior, won her consent to marry 
 him. By steady industry and economy they succeeded to 
 a farm of 109 acres, though, by a fault of title, not until 
 they had paid for it twice over. Children: 
 
 Mary, married Dr. C. Bruchhausen, died August 15, 
 1883, in Norwich. Matilda, married Hector Beecher, died 
 March 21, 1904. Abraham, born November 28, 1816 ; died 
 May — , 1837. Alfred, born October 21, 1821 ; died June 
 17, 1887. James G., born August 11, 1827; still living. 
 Charles J., born November 26, 1829; died November 26, 
 1864. Nelson, born August 1, 1831; deceased. Huldah, 
 bom May 9, 1834 ; died January 3, 1856 ; married Edward 
 Porter. Sarah E., born August 20, 1841 ; died November 
 5, 1881 ; married William Leach. Riley K., twin to Sarah 
 E., died in 1895. 
 
 Ambition has but one reward for all ; 
 A little power, a little transient fame, 
 A grave to rest in, and a fading name. 
 
 — WiNTEB. 
 
 Samuel Guernsey. 
 
 Samuel Guernsey, born November 10, 1776; died April 
 9, 1836, in Oxford; married about 1800, Sarah Bulkley, 
 bom July 13, 1775, in Saybrook, Conn. ; died September 13, 
 1850, in Greene. 
 
 Mr. Guernsey came from Dutchess county in 1797 while 
 a young man, bought land, worked on it summers, went 
 back and taught school winters. This he did for some five 
 
S24 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 years or more, when he married and settled down to farm- 
 ing as his life work. He was a son of Dr. Guernsey, and 
 a brother, Peter, located in Norwich. Mr. Guernsey 
 brought to his work skill, intelligence, unbounded perse- 
 verance, and left nothing unaccomplished that lay within 
 his reach. He was a great help to the new settlers, though 
 some thought him severe and exacting. He began to be a 
 well-to-do farmer when the hills were almost an unbroken 
 wilderness; hence he employed the surplus labor of the 
 hills. This was when a man could be hired for nine dol- 
 lars a month through the long summer days. Fifty cents 
 and board was all that the laborer could command for 
 twelve hours work. A man of integrity and honor, Mr. 
 Guernsey enjoyed the confidence of a large circle of friends. 
 A man of strict morality and virtue, he commanded and 
 enjoyed the respect of all. The Guernsey farm is now the 
 home of the Farrell Brothers. In early days it was the 
 resort of traveling Methodist ministers, and it was also 
 where the pioneers of the town made their applejack. 
 Children : 
 
 Julia, married Allen Wright of Rome, N. Y., and died 
 there in 1883. 
 
 John M., of whom further mention is made. 
 
 Amanda, married (1) Nichols of Greene; married 
 
 (2) Dr. Rice of Rome, Penn., and died there about 1890. 
 
 Maria, married Charles Stevens of Greene, and died 
 there in 1884. 
 
 Sarah A., married Henry D. Mercur of Towanda, Penn., 
 and died February 19, 1874. 
 
 John M. Guernsey, born in 1804 in Oxford ; died October 
 2, 1862, in Oxford; married (1) in 1843, Lucena E. Smith, 
 born June 23, 1818; died in June, 1851, in South Oxford; 
 married (2) about 1855, Melinda Hollenbeck Wheeler. 
 Mr. Guernsey received a professional education as a doc- 
 
 I 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 52s 
 
 tor, but did not practice any length of time and returned 
 to the farm where he spent the remainder of his life. Chil- 
 dren by first wife : 
 
 Susan M., was severely burned by her clothes taking 
 fire June 11, 1861, and died four days later. Miss Guern- 
 sey was scalding milk pans in the yard near a fire, when 
 by some means the flames were communicated to her dress. 
 She ran towards the house, her screams attracting the at- 
 tention of her father, who endeavored to relieve her from 
 the frightful position in which she was placed, but his 
 efforts were unavailing. Mr. Guernsey received severe 
 burns upon his hands. 
 
 William J., married May 25, 1881, Harriet Anderson 
 of Rome, N. Y. Superintendent of mails at Albany, N. Y. 
 
 Esther, married October 8, 1873, David Finn Smith of 
 Greene. Child by second wife : 
 
 Rachel, married Nelson Wessels of Greene, and died in 
 
 1877. 
 
 He was wont to speak plain and to the purpose, like an 
 honest man and a soldier. 
 
 — Shakesfeabe. 
 
 Hunt Family. 
 
 Luther Hunt, an early resident of Oxford, was born 
 November 9, 1761 ; place of birth now unknown ; died Nov- 
 ember 29, 1830, in Oxford. Mr. Hunt was appointed en- 
 sign of a company in a battalion of militia March 10, 1792, 
 and commissioned lieutenant October 5, 1793. Following 
 is a copy of his commission as ensign : 
 
^26 
 
 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 The People of the State of New York, 
 
 By the Grace of God, Free and Independent. 
 To Luther Hunt, Gentleman, Greeting : 
 
 We, reposing especial trust and confidence, as well in your patriotism, 
 conduct and loyalty, as in your valour and readiness to do us good and 
 faithful service, Have appointed and constituted, and by these presents. 
 Do appoint and constitute you the said Luther Hunt, Ensign of a 
 Company in the Battallion of Militia in the County of Tioga whereof 
 Benjamin Hovey, Esquire, is Major Commandant. You are, therefore, 
 to take the said Company into your charge and care as Ensign thereof 
 and duly to exercise the Officers and Soldiers of that Company in arms, 
 who are hereby commanded to obey you as the Ensign, and you are 
 also to observe and follow such orders and directions, as you shall 
 from time to time receive from our General and Commander in Chief 
 of the Militia of our said State, or any other your superior Officer, 
 according to the Rules and Discipline of War, in pursuance of the 
 trust reposed in you ; and for so doing, this shall be your commission, 
 for and during our good pleasure, to be signified by our Council of 
 Appointment : In Testimony whereof, we have caused our seal for 
 military commissions to be hereunto affixed. Witness our truly and 
 well-beloved George Clinton, Esquire, Governor of the State of New- 
 York, General and Commander in Chief of all the Militia, and Admiral 
 of the Navy of the same, by and with the advice and consent of our 
 said Council of Appointment, at our City of New York, the third day 
 of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and 
 ninety-two, and in the Sixteenth year of our Independence. 
 Passed the Secretary's Office, 10th March, 1792. 
 RoBT. Habpub, D. Secretary. 
 
 GEO. CLINTON. 
 
 Mr. Hunt's son, Charles A., is by some authorities 
 claimed to have been the first white child born in Oxford. 
 Rebecca, his wife, was born in 1760, and died April 3, 
 1823, in Oxford. Children: Williard, born June 29, 
 1797; died November 25, 1826; Samuel died in infancy; 
 Betsey, born May 15, 1791, died July 20, 1828; Charles 
 A., born September 2, 1793; Thomas, born August 31, 
 1795, moved to Rochester when a young man; Samuel F., 
 born May 26, 1799, died January 29, 1829, in Steuben 
 county; Clarissa, born April 17, 1801, died August 12, 
 1831; married December 3, 1820, David St. John. 
 
 Charles A. Hunt married Lucy Preston. He occupied 
 many important public stations with honor to himself and 
 to those who placed him there. In 1849 he moved with his 
 family to Preston, where in May of that year while in a 
 fit of despondency he committed suicide. His age was 56 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 527 
 
 years. Lucy, his wife, died December 3, 1850, aged 52. 
 
 Children : 
 
 Julian, born August 15, 1818; died June 5, 1886, in 
 Binghamt.on ; married Freevon S. Young, who was one of 
 the first to enlist in the 114th Regt. during Civil war. 
 Died from wound August 25, 1863. 
 
 Jane Eliza, born July 10, 1820; died March 23, 1895, 
 in Oxford. Unmarried. 
 
 Charles Luther, born January 18, 1822; died Nov- 
 ember 28, 1875, in Oxford; married Mary Root, died Nov- 
 ember 23, 1893. 
 
 Rebecca, born January 28, 1821; died April 28, 1889, 
 in Norwich ; married Loren D. Bacon of Norwich. 
 
 James Henry, born February 26, 1826; died February 
 5, 1897, in Norwich; married Frances Thompson. 
 
 Chandler P., bom August 10, 1827; died October 12, 
 1903, in Oxford; married Katherine Carpenter, who died 
 November 15, 1890, aged 54. 
 
 Mary Adelia, born November 7, 1830; died July — , 
 1902 ; married Joseph L. Smith, died March 19, 1901. 
 
 Andrew J., born November 29, 1834; married May 6, 
 1858, Mary P. Ransford, died January 20, 1902; resides 
 in Norwich and only survivor of the family. 
 
 Clarissa Elizabeth, born October 14, 1835; died De- 
 cember 26, 1836. 
 
 Clarissa Elizabeth, 2d, born March 10, 1838; died 
 November 28, 1843. 
 
 WiLLAiiD Russell, born April 30, 1842 ; died September 
 11, 1887. Unmarried. 
 
528 
 
 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 War, he sung, is toil and trouble, 
 Honour but an empty bubble. 
 
 — Dkyden. 
 
 Salmon W. Owen. 
 
 Salmon W. Owen, who traced his lineage to ancestors 
 in Wales, was born in 1795, and for a long term of years 
 a resident of Panther Hill in this town, where he died 
 June 6, 1883. His wife was Sally Sherwood, born in 1800, 
 and died December 4, 1879, in Oxford. Mr. Owen was a 
 pilot on the Susquehanna and Chenango rivers in the early 
 days when rafting was carried on extensively. He was 
 among the sturdy men who took part in the Avar of 1812, by 
 reason of which he afterward received a pension, and was 
 the last pensioner of that Avar in this toAvn. Children : 
 
 Marcus S., born April 25, 1820, in Oxford ; died Septem- 
 ber 18, 1896, at Benton Harbor, Mich. Married (1) Au- 
 gusta I. Beckwith of Coventry, N. Y., who died May 1, 
 1856, aged 32. Married (2) Adelaide Pope of New Berlin, 
 N. Y. Mr. OAven at the age of twenty years began the 
 study of music and became a skillful violinist. He tauglit 
 vocal and instrumental music for a number of years. 
 
 Martha Melissa, married Charles Henry Beckwith. 
 Children: Franklin H., married Nannie Kerfoot of Chi- 
 cago; Charles L., married Alice Denike of Poughkeepsie ; 
 James Carroll, an artist in New York, married June 1, 
 1887, Bertha Hall of New York. 
 
 Jane E., married Smith Steere of Norwich. The only 
 survivor of the family and resides in Benton Harbor, 
 Mich. 
 
 DeLos, died June 25, 1857, aged 24. 
 
 Helen M., died July 10, 1877, aged 44. 
 
 Frederic O., died April 5, 1873, in Cleveland, O., 
 aged 37. 
 
AN^MLS OF OXFORD 529 
 
 Mine be a cot beside the hill ; 
 A bee hive's hum shall soothe my ear ; 
 A willowly broolv, that turus a mili, 
 With many a fall, shall linger near. 
 
 — Rogers. 
 
 Stratton Family. 
 
 The first Stratton of whom any record has been found 
 in America, came from England in 1628. By 1660 there 
 were seven Strattons settled on this side of the Atlantic; 
 one at James City, Va. ; two on Long Island and four in 
 New England. Probably most of the Strattons in the 
 United States may be traced back to one of these seven 
 branches and these are shown to be connected by a search 
 of English records. 
 
 Of the Stratton family residing in the town of Oxford, 
 John Stratton was the first, and from him are descended 
 most of the present residents of that name. He was born 
 in New Ipswich, N. H., March 28, 1775, and was one of a 
 family of twelve children, seven girls and five boys. His 
 father was Daniel Stratton, a descendant of Samuel born 
 in England in 1592 and died in Watertown, Mass., in 1672. 
 Daniel Stratton had two brothers, Hezekiah and Nehe- 
 miah, the latter was one of Washington's Life Guards, and 
 a record of him is to be found in a book published in 1905, 
 " The Commander-in-Chief's Guard." 
 
 John Stratton, when a youth, was apprenticed to a Dyer 
 and Clothier, but never followed his trade, being of a me- 
 chanical turn of mind, and became a millwright, which 
 occupation he followed for years. He came to Oxford some 
 time prior to 1809 and made a business of buying and 
 selling land. After a short time he removed to Bingham- 
 ton, but returned to South Oxford previous to 1815, where 
 
530 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 he remained until his death, which occurred January 28, 
 1842. His wife was Charlotte Frink, who was born April 
 22, 1788, in Connecticut, and died March 27, 1875, in Ox- 
 ford. Children : 
 
 Albert G., born November 17, 1809, in Binghamton; 
 died July 15, 1890, in Oxford ; married November 12, 1835, 
 Caroline Willcox, of Oxford, born February 11, 1815. 
 Children: Adelaide C, married (1) Isaac L. Bronsou of 
 Amsterdam, N. Y. ; married (2) E. D. Bronson of Amster- 
 dam. John Hovey, born August 2G, 1838; died April 13, 
 1841. Mary C, born June 29, 1840; died April 8, 1841. 
 Mary L., born April 14, 1842 ; died July 3, 1858. Charles 
 =J., married Mary Kinney of Oxford. Sarah DeF., married 
 Henry M. Juliand of Greene. Tracy, born July 19, 1848; 
 died February IG, 1850. Rosella H., married Rector W. 
 Willougliby of Oxford. Melville B., now owns and occu- 
 pies the farm where his father and grandfather lived and 
 died. Married October 24, 1877, Harriet McFarland of 
 Oxford. (Child: Julian Arthur, born May 15, 1882. In- 
 heriting from his ancestors a love for mechanics he grad- 
 uated from Cornell University in 1904 with the degree of 
 M. E. E. E., and is now with the Western Electric Co. of 
 Chicago.) , 
 
 John, born March 2, 1812, in Binghamton; died Jan- 
 uary 2, 1886, in Oxford ; married January 5, 1844, Hannah 
 Willcox of Oxford ; died January 6, 1904, in Greene, aged 
 82. Children : Eli B., married Anice Race of Greene and 
 resides there. Ellen L., married Dr. C. C. Miller of De- 
 troit, Mich. Latson W., married Ella McNeil of Amster- 
 dam and resides in Chicago. Emma C, married Chester 
 B. Willougliby of Oxford and resides in Sidney. Gilbert 
 J., married Jennie Hodge of Oxford, who died March 29, 
 1906. Clark L., married Bertha Berry of South Oxford. 
 
 Ira, born January 29, 1815, in Oxford ; died September 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 531 
 
 22, 1883; married May 6, 1838, Eliza Dent. Children: 
 James, John, Wesley, Alice, Mary. 
 
 William Frink, born January 27, 1817, in Oxford; 
 died October 31, 1847, in Oxford ; married January 1, 1840, 
 Maria Symonds of Oxford, born January 11, 1820; died 
 July 30, 1890, in Norwich. Children: Whitman, born 
 September 7, 1840; married April 30, 1867, Margaret 
 Sheffer. • Besides in Norwich. Charlotte, born January 
 28, 1842, resides in Norwich. Unmarried. Avery, born 
 March 31, 1844; died September 3, 1865; married August 
 27, 1864, in Wisconsin, Louise Wood. Gerritt Smith, born 
 August 24, 1846 ; died March 18, 1848. 
 
 Charlotte A., born February 26, 1819, in Oxford ; mar- 
 ried January 1, 1838, D. W. TenBroeck. Resides with her 
 brother George. Children : Eli, married Anna Wheelock 
 and resides in Colorado. Frank, unmarried. Alice, mar- 
 ried Landon. 
 
 Mary, born May 26, 1821, in Oxford; died March 21, 
 1873, in Oxford; married October 22, 1839, Clark Lewis. 
 
 George, born September 26, 1823, in Oxford; married 
 (1) January 8, 1845, Mariette Robinson; married (2) 
 October 9, 1866, Maria Robinson. Children by first wife: 
 William Avery, unmarried. Edward L., married Mary 
 Mason. Harvey J., married Fanny Copeland. Luke C, 
 died February 2, 1863, in childhood. Tracy. Alice, mar- 
 ried Ira B. McFarland. 
 
 Ebenezer Ross, born December 4, 1825, in Oxford; died 
 August 26, 1889; married October 28, 1846, Hannah 
 Symonds. Children: Harriet, died April 22, 1906; mar- 
 ried C. O. Willcox of Oxford. Clara, married A. H. 
 Wheeler of Mt. Upton. Curtis B. Albert C, married 
 Lillian M. Tiffany of Norwich ; died July 1, 1889 in Robin- 
 sonville, Miss. George F., married Addie Eaton of Ox- 
 
532 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 ford, now residing in Buffalo. Luverne B., married Cora 
 Church of Oxford. 
 
 Sarah Ann, born September 26, 1828, in Oxford; died 
 December 24, 1859. Unmarried. 
 
 Caroline, born October 29, 1831, in Oxford; died May 
 6, 1832. 
 
 Good actions crown themselves with lasting bays. 
 
 — Heath. 
 
 Samuel Wheeler. 
 
 Samuel Wheeler, one of the earliest residents of this 
 village, by his unstinted benevolence, unremitted industry, 
 and the counsel of a clear and reliable judgment contrib- 
 uted greatly to its prosperity. The duties of various oflSces 
 were discharged with ready ability, fidelity, and universal 
 satisfaction. For twenty-five years he was a consistent 
 member of the Congregational church. Mr. Wheeler died 
 March 20, 1847, aged 58 years. Nancy Bennett, his wife, 
 died in Oswego, N. Y., December 27, 1860, aged 71 years. 
 
 Children : 
 
 John B., born August 26, 1815, in Oxford ; died Decem- 
 ber 2, 1885; married November 11, 1840, Caroline M. De- 
 Shon in McDonough; born October 26, 1820, in Preston; 
 died December 9, 1885, in Oxford. Mr. Wheeler was a 
 blacksmith by trade, a well read man, and devoted much of 
 his time to military affairs. At one time he held high rank 
 and became a distinguished officer, having commanded the 
 43d Kegiment for several years, and on April 29, 1863, was 
 appointed Brigadier General of the 12th Brigade. Chil- 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 533 
 
 dren: Robert A., born March 10, 1844; died March 26, 
 1860. Henry DeShon, born August 29, 1846 ; died October 
 29, 1848. Alice E., married December 1, 1874, J. H. Ken- 
 nedy, of Des Moines, Iowa ; living at 3200 University Ave., 
 that city. Alida A., unmarried, living with her sister in 
 Des Moines. John Lewis, with West Publishing Co., St. 
 Paul, Minn. Children of J. H. and Alice (Wheeler) 
 Kennedy: Grace DeShon, married J. D. Stanley, resides 
 in Denver, Col. Alice Wheeler, married H. E. Moss, re- 
 sides in Hastings, Neb. Caroline Parmelee, unmarried; 
 resides in Des Moines. 
 
 James A., died Januaiy 2, 1843, in Columbus, 111., aged 
 26, where he was teaching school. 
 
 William Henry, born in 1817. Children: William, 
 James, Louise, died October 30, 1884, in Oswego, N. Y. 
 
 Darius, one daughter. Died in Sag Harbor, N. Y. 
 
 Catherine B., born June 2, 1824 in Oxford; died Jan- 
 uary 19, 1905, in Casselton, North Dakota ; married Waldo 
 M. Potter. Children : Franklin, Carrie, Grace, Kittie. 
 
 Angeline, died July 6, 1836, aged 17, from the result 
 of a carriage accident. On the 4th of July, 1836, Miss 
 Wheeler with a party of young people spent the day at 
 Greene. On their return towards evening and near the 
 inn six miles below this village, then kept by Col. Morgan, 
 a carriage tongue was drawn out, frightening the horses 
 and throwing out the driver and the 3'oung lady who was 
 on the seat with him, neither receiving injuries. The tongue 
 was replaced and the party proceeded onward. The 
 young lady's dress was soiled with mud, and Miss Wheeler, 
 who was riding inside, exchanged seats with her. They 
 had gone but a few rods when the tongue again fell, the 
 horses became unmanageable and ran, striking a wagon 
 and turning over the carriage, throwing out the entire 
 
534 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 party of three ladies and the young man who was driving, 
 none of whom except Miss Wheeler received serious in- 
 juries. The party returned to the inn and a physician was 
 quickly summoned, but her injuries were so great as to 
 defy surgical aid and she died on the second day following 
 the accident. 
 
 Happy the man who tills the field, 
 
 Content with rustic labor ; 
 Earth does to him her fulness yield, 
 
 Hap what may to his neighbor. 
 
 — R. H. Stood ABD. 
 
 Ezekiel Olds. 
 
 Ezekiel and Martha (Hackett) Olds came to Oxford in 
 1798 from Berkshire, Mass., traveling with an ox team. 
 He was one of those men of other days, whose lot it was 
 to take a part with Chenango's bold pioneers, when upon 
 all her hills and throughout all her valleys stood the dark 
 and gloomy forest, and where the wolf's long howl was 
 heard echoing to the sound of the woodman's axe. Mr. 
 Olds was truly one of those men whose strong arm has 
 helped to clear away the gigantic trees from our forests, 
 instead of which we now behold green fields stretched far 
 and wide. He died May 31, 1849, aged 84. Mrs. Olds died 
 January 25, 1876, aged 95. Children : 
 
 Olive, married Elijah B. Prentice, died in 1884, aged 
 89. Children: Philo, met death by drowning; Charles, 
 Chauncey, Elizabeth, Susan A. J., John and Martha, all 
 married except last two. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD ^33 
 
 Esther, married Alexander Wilson. Child: Mary L., 
 married Levi Bartle. ( Children : Maryette, married Ran- 
 som Palmer, resides in Sidney; George, married Sarah 
 Pettis, accidentally killed while hunting in Brisbin, Feb- 
 ruary 19, 1876 ; Charles A., died November 18, 1875, in Al- 
 bany, unmarried. 
 
 Abel, died October 13, 1894, aged 92; married Thurza 
 M. Gartsee, who died February 19, 1885, aged 72 years. 
 Children : Andrew B., died suddenly May 1, 1904 ; married 
 October 28, 1856, Caroline M. Holmes of Oxford; died 
 August 9, 1900. He was the last of the family. For many 
 years devoted his time and attention to music, and as a 
 violin player led and conducted an orchestra, which was 
 in great demand for public and private parties. Frederick 
 E., died suddenly, January 24, 1900, aged 55. 
 
 Abigail, married Nelson Wright. Children: Mary E., 
 married Edward A. Nickerson; Martha, married (1) Lewis 
 Foote; married (2) James Brooks, died in Oxford. 
 
 Caroline E., born February 24, 1811 ; died May 9, 1905 ; 
 married Levines B. Jackson. Children : Sarah I., married 
 Willis Wheeler, had one son; Charles H., who died July 
 4, 1874, aged 16 ; Mary A., married James P. Seaman, died 
 in 1898; (children: Carrie, Mary, Arthur and Naomi.) 
 Susan C, married (1) Nathan Wheeler; married (2) By- 
 ron Phelps. Martha A., married Clark K. Holmes. ( Chil- 
 dren : Etta M., married Eugene Wells; Minnie E.) Esther 
 M., died 1868, aged 12. 
 
 Charles, married Jane E, Hackett, died in 1851. 
 
 Erastus, married Laura A. Bnrlison. Children : Ward 
 L., died in 1884, unmarried; Jessie D., married George 
 Franklin, died in 1896. 
 
536 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 An honest man's the noblest work of God. 
 
 — Pope. 
 
 Samuel S. Stafford. 
 
 Samuel S. Stafford passed away May 4, 1904, after an 
 illness of ten days. The direct cause of his death was from 
 a wound received in the service of his country during the 
 Civil war. At the age of twenty years Mr. Stafford en- 
 tered Oxford Academy to prepare for a college education, 
 in the meantime teaching four terms of district school. 
 At the call of President Lincoln, July 2, 1862, for three 
 hundred thousand men, the 114th Regiment of volunteers 
 was formed. Major O. H. Curtis, then a young lawyer in 
 Oxford, enlisted Company A, which JMr. Stafford joined 
 July 23, 1862, and assisted in recruiting. Volunteering 
 his services in defense of his country caused the abandon- 
 ment of his cherished plans for a collegiate education. 
 Upon recommendation lie was commissioned a First Lieu- 
 tenant, with rank from August 6, 1862, and was presented 
 with a handsome sword, sash and belt by the officers and 
 men of Co. A. He served witli his regiment until March 
 11, 1863, when he was detailed a member of a General 
 Court Martial sitting at Brashear City, Louisiana. The 
 court was in session one month, after which Lieutenant 
 Stafford joined his regiment, and participated in the bat- 
 tle of Fort Bisland, the skirmish at Franklin and the 
 siege of Port Hudson. It was at Port Hudson, July 11, 
 1863, while bravely leading his men on the assault of the 
 enemy's breast works tliat he received the wound that 
 eventually caused his death. He was sent liome to re- 
 cuperate, aiul for I'.Mi months was confinc^d to his bod, and 
 

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ANNALS OF OXFORD 537 
 
 July 8, 1864, was honorably discharged from the service 
 on " account of wound received in action." 
 
 While recovering from his wound Mr. Stafford was ten- 
 dered the nomination for Member of Assembly by the Re- 
 publican party, an office he had not sought and was 
 ignorant of the fact that he was to be thus honored. He 
 accepted the nomination, was elected and went to Albany 
 on crutches, serving in the Legislature of 1865. On his 
 return from the Assembly he studied law with Solomon 
 Bundy, was admitted to practice and elected to the office 
 of School Commissioner for the second district of the 
 countj^, and later appointed one of its Loan Commissioners, 
 an office he held for several terms. He was Supervisor 
 of the town for three years, 1886 to 1888, and for many 
 years corporation attorney for the village. To all elec- 
 tive offices he received nearly the unanimous vote of his 
 party and many votes from the opposing party, so well 
 was the trust in his integrity and honor established. Con- 
 scientious and painstaking in the discharge of one public 
 duty he was so in the many entrusted to him, and has left 
 a clean and bright record. As a lawyer his office work was 
 perfect, and as a counsellor he was a model, for no opinions 
 were given without mature deliberation and in belief that 
 they were for the best interest of the client, though they 
 might be contrary to his expectations. 
 
 Mr. Stafford was a Past Master of Oxford Lodge, No. 
 175, F. & A. M.; had served one term as District Deputy 
 Grand Master of the Masonic district; was Past Com- 
 mander of Breed Post, No. 196, G. A. R., and secretary 
 of the 114th Regimental Association. To these organiza- 
 tions he was devoted and gave much attention and counsel. 
 With Major Curtis he did much to keep up the regimental 
 reunions and perpetuate the regiment's glorious achieve- 
 ments. He was a communicant of St. Paul's church, and 
 
538 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 at his death a member of the Vestry. Mr. Stafiford was 
 the eldest son of Job and Wealthy Stafford, and was born 
 June 8, 1837, in Preston, N. Y. He married December 
 12, 1866, Mary A. Gilbert of Oxford. 
 
 Aaron B. Main. 
 
 Aaron B. Main, born November 9, 1804, in North Ston- 
 ington, Conn.; died December 22, 1875, in Oxford. Mar- 
 ried November 19, 1829, Adelina Maine ; born May 7, 1809 ; 
 died February 8, 1890, in Oxford. Children : Susan Maria, 
 born September 9, 1830 ; died December 7, 1896, at Greene. 
 Married October 28, 1851, Thomas Miller, who while fish- 
 ing in a brook had a paralytic shock and drowned, August 
 19, 1898. Frances Adelia, bom August 11, 1832 ; died Feb- 
 ruary 19, 1864 ; married November 6, 1853, Daniel Walker. 
 Hannah Mary, born August 24, 1834; died January 12, 
 1904; married February 14, 1854, Willard Walker. 
 Stephen Henry, born July 24, 1836; died June 17, 1856. 
 Lucina, born June 10, 1840; died January 10, 1899; mar- 
 ried September 23, 1868, James D. Smith. Catherine 
 Eloisa, born August 10, 1845; died January 4, 1894; mar- 
 ried June 8, 1869, John W. Cudworth. 
 
 LEVI Sherwood lived on a farm at the head of Albany 
 street, afterwards known as the IngersoU place, and 
 now a portion of Riverview cemetery. He followed the 
 occupation of tanner and currier. At his di^ath he was 
 buried under a tree on his farm, the Masonic fraternity 
 conducting the services. His daughter Betsey married 
 Archibald Nichols, and Levi, a son, married Sarah Nichols. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 539 
 
 With thee goes 
 Thy husband ; him to follow thou art bound ; 
 Where he abides, think there thy native soil. 
 
 — Milton. 
 
 John Padgett. 
 
 John Padgett and family, English by birth, came to Ox- 
 ford at a very early day in the town's history. Mr. 
 Padgett's marriage in England was not pleasing to his 
 wife's parents, they considering their daughter above him 
 in rank, therefore the Padgetts emigrated to America. On 
 their arrival in Oxford they settled near Walker's Cornel's 
 in the east part of the town. Among their children, all 
 born in Oxford, were: 
 
 John, 2d, born in 1768 in England, and died in 1834 in 
 Oxford. He married Anna Preston of Oxford, whose death 
 occurred in 1823. Children : Erastus, John 3d, Elizabeth, 
 Hannah, William, Lorenzo, Henry, Lewis, born August 15, 
 1816; died July — , 1905; married Clarissa Manwarren; 
 Maria and Sophia, twins; Mary, Harvey. 
 
 James, died November 24, 1848, aged 77. 
 
 William, died in the autumn of 1800 from injuries re- 
 ceived in a bear trap. Near where the Padgetts settled is 
 a brook which bears their name. Beartrap falls came by 
 its name in connection with the death of William Padgett. 
 A deadfall or primitive bear trap had been constructed in 
 the form of a figure 4, with a heavy piece of timber made 
 sharp on one side to fall upon and hold a bear or other 
 large animal when caught under it. Early one morning 
 William went alone to examine the trap, was caught and 
 held by the sharp log for several hours before anyone came 
 
540 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 to his aid. When released he called for water, which was 
 brought to him in a hat, drank it and immediately expired. 
 
 Hannah, married Shapley. 
 
 Mattie, married Garner Shapley. 
 
 Jane, married James Walker. 
 
 To be honest as this world goes, is to be one man picked 
 out of ten thousand. 
 
 — Shakespeare. 
 
 Ebenezer Root. 
 
 Ebenezer Root, a miller, came from Great Barrington, 
 Mass., previous to 1800 and settled in the eastern part of 
 the town, where he lived until 1820, when he moved to 
 Fayette (Guilford village) and took charge of the grist 
 mill for a number of years. He was also a drover and 
 cattle dealer. He returned to this town and run the Van- 
 Wagenen mill on Lyon brook, near the present O. & W. 
 R'y bridge, and in 1839 took the mill of Edward Arnold 
 a half mile below North Guilford, where he died February 
 12, 1842, aged 82. He was buried at Guilford Centre. At 
 one time he ran a mill built by the Westcotts to grind grain 
 for their distillery. He was known throughout this sec- 
 tion as " the honest miller." Mr. Root was a Minute Man 
 during the Revolution and enlisted six times, the first time 
 in February, 1777, serving one mouth; the last enlistment 
 was in 1781, seiwing fourteen days. He served under 
 Captains Silcox, Ingersoll, Denning, Carson, Downing and 
 Heathcote. He applied for a pension in 1832, which was 
 allowed. He was twice married and the father of sixteen 
 children. His second Avife, Cynthia Whipple, to whom he 
 was married in 1802, died in 1856. 
 
• ANNALS OF OXFORD 541 
 
 Let fortune do her worst, whatever she makes us lose, as loug 
 as she never makes us lose our honesty and our independence. 
 
 — Pope. 
 
 Capt. John Backus. 
 
 John Backus was born in Norwich, Conn., April 11, 
 1781. He ran away from home to go to sea when he was 
 about twelve years old, but his father brought him back 
 and told him if he wanted to be a sailor to start in a proper 
 way and found him a place on a ship sailing from New 
 London. He rose rapidly from one position to another, 
 and became a captain before he was very far in his twen- 
 ties, serving under the Government in the war of 1812. 
 Yielding to the importunities of his wife, he left the sea 
 in 1813, and following the line of immigration from Con- 
 necticut with his wife and little daughter came to Oxford. 
 We quote from a letter written by Mrs. Backus to her 
 husband's parents in Connecticut: 
 
 January 24, 1814. 
 You will be surprised to hear that we have moved. Mr. Backus has 
 taken the Coffee House in Oxford Village (the present Hotchkiss 
 House), a large building, considered a very good stand. A good farm 
 under cultivation attached to it ; has taken it for three years at $300 
 per year. We are now all bustle and confusion as we came into the 
 house yesterday and the other family have not yet left the house. The 
 girls in this country are not half so good as they are down country. 
 Mr. Backus has requested the bearer of this letter, Esq. Nichols, to 
 call on you and he can inform you of all particulars. He has likewise 
 requested him if possible to bring our looking-glass as we are much 
 in want of it. This bouse has six large rooms on the ground — besides 
 a shop, which takes one end of the house through and fronts on one 
 of the public squares of the village. Mr. Backus says Esq. Nichols 
 thinks you might get a load of wheat about twenty miles from here 
 at one dollar 25 cash. There was a load sold here for that to-day. * 
 * * I wrote Mrs. Brewer and requested the favor of the notes of 
 the two afternoon chants, as we have a church meeting here, and a 
 subscription out for building a church. Ben.i. Butler, formerly from 
 New London, subscribed $500 and a subscription among the ladies for 
 furnishing the pulpit had several days ago, $40 or upwards to it. 
 
S43 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 In a letter written May 17th of the same year by Mrs. 
 Backus : 
 
 A Mr. Hackett sets out to-morrow morning after a load of our 
 goods. * * * Since my husband spoke to Mr. Hackett about going 
 the journey he has seen Mr. Jabez Perkins who would liked to have 
 gone, but the old man would not give up going. He is not quite so 
 steady at all times, but hope he will take good care of the load. He 
 will talk a great deal, you may believe just as much as you have a 
 mind too and no more. We were much surprised at the number of 
 deaths mentioned by Father in his letter. * « ♦ i am almost lost 
 without my little girl. I can see her every step I take, some talk or 
 action is ever before me — and then to find it real that her little body 
 is crumbling into dust crowds hard upon the heart. ♦ * * They are 
 forming an Episcopal society since we came and think they will be 
 able to get a nice church with assistance from Trinity church, N. Y., 
 which they have no doubt of obtaining, and have had three sermons 
 delivered by a young clergyman, who they are in hopes of hiring soon — 
 a very excellent speaker indeed. My husband is one of the committee 
 and seems quite engaged. * * * will thank you for a few cran- 
 berry beans and watermelon seeds & a receipt to color red. * ♦ ♦ 
 If you have observed any new fashions for making gowns will thank 
 you for a little description. If I live I calculate to make me a good 
 black one soon and should like to make it handsomely, as it is not 
 likely I shall wear it out immediately. 
 
 A meeting was held at the house of Abijah Lobdell, May 
 23, 1814, for the purpose of forming an Episcopal church. 
 John Backus was chosen chairman and Abijah Lobdell 
 clerk. It was resolved that the youthful parish erect a 
 place of worship and call it St. Paul's church of Oxford. 
 Frederick Hopkins and John Backus were elected wardens. 
 The first celebration of the Holy Communion was Decem- 
 ber 10, 1815, Lucinda Backus and Bedee Hull being the 
 only communicants. 
 
 In 1814, Mr. Backus bought a farm of 108 acres at |10 
 per acre, now owned by Alva M. Balcum, near the top of 
 Gamble Roof hill, and that summer proceeded to build the 
 house which is still standing and the exterior but little 
 changed. Mrs. Backus gives the following description in 
 a letter home : 
 
 Our house since planting comes on slowly. Will tell you how it is 
 calculated. It is I think 25x37 ft, calculated to have on the ground 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 54J 
 
 a large kitchen, one keeping room witli cupboard, two large bedrooms 
 with clothespress and cupboard, a pantry and back entry with sink. 
 A story and a half ; stands on the corner of two roads. When he 
 feels able calculates to build in front on the State Road, Have a 
 very pleasant view of the village. 
 
 On April 8, 1820, Mrs. Backus died, leaving two small 
 children: William and Lucinda. 
 
 William, who was born in 1816, married Maria S. 
 Campbell of Norwich, Conn., in 1844. They went west, 
 when to quote his own words: "I could have bought all 
 the land that Chicago now stands on for |10 an acre, and 
 I wouldn't take it as a gift." Mrs. Backus died at Cher- 
 ubusco, Ind., in 1898, and Mr. Backus at Norwich, Conn., 
 in 1899, leaving no children. 
 
 Lucinda, born in 1818, was married to Amariah N. 
 Bemis in 1839. They lived in Oxford village till 1851, 
 when they removed to Lyon Brook, where Mr. Bemis 
 bought and operated the mills. For many years he trans- 
 ported his lumber to New York by canal. In 1870 he sold 
 the mills and moved to Esmen township, 111., where Mrs. 
 Bemis died in 1889. Mr. Bemis dying at his daughter's in 
 Oxford in 1897. They left four children: 
 
 Nelson A., married Sarah Sheldon of Guilford, N. Y. 
 Residence, Odell, 111. 
 
 Mary, married Albert C. Greene. Residence, West- 
 minster, Conn. 
 
 Harriet Lucinda, married Dr. D. A. Gleason of Oxford. 
 
 Sarah Abigal, married Frank Raisbeck. Residence, 
 Bloomington, 111. 
 
 In 1821, John Backus married for his second wife, 
 Abigal Glover of Oxford, and they had four children. Mr. 
 Backus spent the remainder of his life quietly on his farm, 
 where he died March 17, 1842. His wife continued on the 
 farm with her son Henry till her death in 1872. 
 
 Children : 
 
544 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Henry, never married, living at the old homestead until 
 January 1, 1885, when he sold to Alva M. Balcum, at 
 which time he moved to Newburyport, Mass., where he 
 died in 1898. 
 
 John, Jr., died in Norwich, Conn., in 1866, leaving two 
 children : Lila, living at Norwich, Conn., and John 3d, 
 living at Providence, K. I. 
 
 Harriet, born in 1827, died in 1832. 
 
 Nathan Glover, died in Lisbon, N. D., in 1899, leaving 
 one daughter, Alice M. Bennett of Seattle, Wash. 
 
 Death from Lightning. — A sad catastrophe occurred 
 near this town on the night of September 6, 1819. 
 Jabez Perkins, a young man of 36 and brother of p]rastus 
 Perkins, with his family had closed their cabin amid the 
 deep darkness in the woods and retired. A fearful thunder 
 storm came up, during which Mr. Perkins and wife in an 
 instant of time were stricken by a blinding flash of light- 
 ning into eternity. A child sleeping with them was un- 
 harmed. They left a large and helpless family destitute 
 and forlorn. 
 
 JARED Hinckley, born at Lebanon, Conn., November 8, 
 1759, was a soldier of the Revolution who came to 
 Oxford about 1803. He died April 12, 1828, aged 69. His 
 widow, whose maiden name was Hopestill Brewster, died 
 in 1849, aged 89. Mary O. Hinckley, their daughter, 
 died December 27, 1884, in Clifton Springs, N. Y. Married 
 November 17, 1819, Ashel J. Hyde of Oxford. Resided in 
 this village thirty-three years. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 545 
 
 * * * hearing the hammers, as they smote 
 The anvils with a different note. 
 
 — Longfellow. 
 
 Hoe Factory. 
 
 The Oxford Hoe and Edge Tool Company was organized 
 in tlie spring of 1853 by a stock company, with a capital 
 of |10,000, of which Alamanzar Watson was president, 
 and Lemuel Bolles, Thomas J. Wood, Joseph G. Thorp 
 and Nelson C. Chapman were trustees. The factory was 
 under the superintendence of Mr. Bolles, whose edged tools 
 had been awarded several premiums at State fairs and 
 Mechanical institutes. The fires were first lighted early 
 in December, 1853, and business was soon in full operation, 
 their work gaining an extensive reputation throughout the 
 country. At the World's Exhibition in the Crystal Palace 
 at New York in 1854, the award for the best solid shank 
 cast steel hoe was given to this company, and a silver medal 
 was awarded in November, 1855, by the American Institute 
 fair in New York. On the average thirty men were em- 
 ployed and about $40,000 worth of goods were manufac- 
 tured per annum. Mr. Bolles remained in the company 
 ten years and then established a hoe factory at South Ox- 
 ford. Hon. John Tracy succeeded Mr. Watson as president, 
 January 1, 1854, and held the office till the expiration of 
 the charter in 1863, when the company sold to John Y. 
 Washburn and Wm. A. Martin, the latter retiring in June, 
 1871. Mr. Washburn continued the business till Septem- 
 ber 17, 1871, when the establishment was destroyed by 
 fire. At the time of the discovery, shortly before one o'clock 
 Sunday morning, the main building was on fire at the 
 south end and by the time the engines reached the scene, 
 
546 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 had spread so that it was impossible to save that part of 
 the building and the firemen turned their attention to the 
 wing, containing the engine and boilers, which escaped 
 injury by keeping two streams of water upon it until day- 
 light. The safe and other articles were taken from the 
 oifice, and with the exception of the engine, boilers, a 
 quantity of belting and a few knives, v\'ere all that was 
 saved. The property was valued at |24,000, on which there 
 was an insurance of |11,000. About |2,000 worth of hoes 
 and nearly the same amount of knives were destroyed. 
 
 BURNING OF THE CiiENANGO HousE. — Early Tuesday 
 morning, Februaiy 7, 1871, fire was discovered in the 
 barn connected with the Chenango House, on the site 
 of the present residence of Mrs. Mary Warn. An alarm 
 quickly brought the firemen, but the flames had gained 
 such headway that it was impossible to check the devasta- 
 tion. The Chenango House and barn, livery barn, and a 
 barn owned by Orson Crumb were destroyed. L. & A. W. 
 Bartle, proprietors of the hotel, were heavy losers. Buell 
 & Dodge, proprietors of the livery, lost nine horses, several 
 wagons and everything connected with the barn. ^[r. 
 Dodge had an insurance of |1,000 on his half of the livery. 
 Mr. Crumb lost his barn, together with its contents. 
 
 SAMUEL Stow, born April 17, 1712, came to Oxford in 
 L819, to reside with his daughter, Mrs. Hezekiah 
 Morse, and died January 21, 1835. He was a sergeant- 
 major during the war of the Revolution, and in 1832 was 
 granted a pension of |40 per year. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 547 
 
 Ladies Village Improvement. 
 
 The iron bridge across the canal was removed last week. The 
 change is great in the general view, and will be the greatest improve- 
 ment Oxford has ever witnessed. One other improvement must now 
 follow, and that is to curb a portion of LaFayette square and form 
 a small Park. * * * The principal item of expense in forming the 
 Park would be in the curbing, a few entertainments by a " Village 
 Improvement Society," would soon raise the amount required. Who 
 is the first public-spirited lady or gentleman to make a move? You 
 can coimt on the Times office for assistance. — Oxford Times, September 
 3, 1879. 
 
 The above item evidently had a stimulating effect for 
 five days later a meeting of several of the ladies was held 
 to devise ways and means of constructing a park on La 
 Fayette Square. From that time the ladies have worked 
 with a will, as the three parks in the village, the town 
 clock, and other improvements testify. The society has 
 raised and expended several thousands of dollars for the 
 benefit of the village. 
 
 DANIEL Tucker came on foot from Massachusetts to 
 Wattles Ferry, near Unadilla, in 1787, and in the 
 spring of 1791 removed to a farm of fifty acres south 
 of the Blackman farm, in Oxford, which is still owned by 
 his descendants. In 1793 he married Mary McKenzie, who 
 came from Kinderhook, Columbia county, and died July 
 19, 1833. Mr. Tucker worked for Gen. Hovey the first two 
 years, and drove team between Oxford and Catskill. 
 Sleighs were used and the runners were shod with iron- 
 wood. There was no road at that time and those who ac- 
 companied the teams carried axes with them to cut away 
 the trees. Mr. Tucker died September 7, 1845, aged 85. 
 He was one of the most fearless, energetic, and active men 
 among the earliest settlers ; industrious as well as honest, 
 he enjoyed the esteem and respect of all. He was the father 
 of eleven children. 
 
548 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 STEPHEN Asa Sheldon, who for a number of years was 
 a resident of the village, was born April 28, 1830, in 
 the town of Norwich, N. Y. He married March 26, 
 1856, Sarah E. Haynes, daughter of Charles B. and Sarah 
 (Mead) Haynes, of Oxford. He went to California in the 
 early days of the gold excitement, where he remained a 
 year or more, experiencing all the hardships and exciting 
 scenes incident to a mining camp. About the year 1860 
 Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon moved to a farm three miles above 
 the village of Oxford on the east side of the river. Here 
 they remained a short time and then came to the village, 
 where they spent the remainder of their lives. Mr. Shel- 
 don's death occurred September 22, 1895. That of his wife, 
 March 14, 1901. Children: Charles Benjamin, born 
 July 7, 1857; died January 29, 1861. Jessie Haynes, 
 married December 15, 1886, Myron E. Powers of Oxford. 
 
 Zopher Betts, a man of large stature, came from Mas- 
 sachusetts, where he was born at Egremont in 1761, 
 and settled on the West side of the river at South Oxford, 
 In the early days of the community, when the Oxford and 
 Greene Baptist church was formed at Brisbin, he was one 
 of the ten constituent members. His sons were Erastus, 
 Silas and Warren, and his daughters were the wives of 
 Blodget Smith, William D. Wheeler, Jeremiah TenBroeck, 
 Wheaton Race and Loren Miller. Numerous descendants 
 are living in the county. Mr. Betts was a soldier of the 
 Revolution, and after living in Oxford a while, he went 
 to Egremont with horse and wagon to get proofs that he 
 might secure a pension, in which he was successful. He 
 died March 10, 1842. Jane, his wife, died February 14, 
 1841, aged 76. They were buried in the TenBroeck ceme- 
 tery at South Oxford. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 549 
 
 JVMES M. Edwards came to Oxford in 1835 and was em- 
 ployed in the foundry until 1868, when he purchased 
 the property and continued its owner .until his death, which 
 occurred February 7, 1887. The foundry was destroyed 
 by fire November 23, 1883. He held the offlce of village 
 trustee for several years, in which position he was 
 honored and trusted, as in all his business transactions. 
 Mr. Edwards was born January 12, 1815, in Cairo, N. Y. 
 In January, 1845, he was married to Miss Sarah Chub- 
 buck, born May 28, 1816, in Eaton, N. Y., and died Sep- 
 tember 17, 1902, in Oxford. She was a cousin of Mrs. 
 Emily Chubbuck Judson, a prominent missionary, though 
 better known as Fanny Forrester, the poetess and author 
 of the Alderbrook Tales. Children: John W., died in 
 1877. Unmarried. Harriet H., married Darwin E. Le- 
 land, and resides in Oneida. Sarah Jennette, married 
 William F. Cook. James H., married Mabel T. Davis of 
 Binghamton. Residence, Passaic, N. J. 
 
 J)EL Chapin, who pursued the occupation of a cabinet 
 maker in the early days of Oxford, died August 2, 
 1860, in Saratoga Springs, aged 62 years. Honor F., his 
 wife, died May 18, 1844, in Oxford, aged 49 years. 
 
 Children : 
 
 Eliza B., died March 4, 1851, in Philadelphia, aged 24 
 years. Anna Wickham, died December 20, 1851, in Ger- 
 mantown, Pa., aged 24 years. Floyd LeRoy, died April 
 10, 1889, in Glens Falls, N. Y. He studied medicine and 
 became a physician. During the Civil war was surgeon 
 of the 30th N. Y. S. Vols. At second battle of Bull Run 
 he allowed himself to be taken prisoner by the enemy so 
 that he could attend to the wounded Union prisoners 
 within the Confederate line. 
 
550 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 Death hath so many doors to let out life. 
 
 — Beaumont. 
 
 Killed the Wrong Man. 
 
 During the night of June 25, 1860, John S. White, who 
 kept the old Bush stand, now the farm residence of Pat- 
 rick Hogan near the O. & W. station, Orlando Utter and 
 Samuel Robinson, having blackened their faces and dis- 
 guised themselves, went to the house occupied by Horace 
 R. Burlison and family, situated a short distance below 
 White's hotel, and opening the door of the house ascended 
 to the chamber floor and commenced tearing the roof 
 off; working away with the evident intention of razing 
 the house to the ground. While they were at this work, 
 Burlison procured a gun and fired, killing Robinson al- 
 most instantly. His intention was to shoot White, but, 
 owing to the darkness and disguises, killed Robinson. It 
 was alleged that Burlison, who was a poor man with a 
 large family, kept a house of illfame, which was a nuis- 
 ance and a pest to the neighborhood. The coroner's jury 
 brouglit in a verdict of murder ; but the grand jury failed 
 to indict him, and he was discharged. Robinson had 
 but previously come from the West and was in the employ 
 of White. He Avas a sober, industrious young man of 
 good habits. A few days after the affair, several persons 
 of that neighborhood collected together and razed the 
 house to the ground, destroyed the barn and filled up 
 the well, leaving not a vestige to mark the place where 
 once there was a dwelling. 
 
FIRST NATIONAL BANK BUILDIN .—Erected in 1S94 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 5,51 
 
 Money is a good soldier, sir, and will on. 
 
 — Shakespeabe. 
 
 First National Bank. 
 
 The First National Bank of Oxford was established in 
 February, 1864, in the building now occupied by Miss S. 
 J. Swan, with a capital of |T0,000, which was increased 
 May 10, 1864, to |100,000, and again February 15, 1865, to 
 $150,000, at which amount it stood till June 2, 1879, when 
 it was reduced to |100,000, the present capital, by paying 
 back to the shareholders |50,000 in cash. The first 
 directors were: James W. Clarke, Frederick A. Sands, 
 Peter W. Clarke, William VanWagenen, William H. Van- 
 Wagenen, Francis G. Clarke, and John R. Clarke. The 
 first board of officers were elected February 10, 1864. They 
 were: James W. Clarke, president; Frederick A. Sands, 
 cashier, and May 10, 1864, John R. VanWagenen was 
 elected assistant cashier. The bank opened for business 
 February 13, 1864, and took up quarters on the second 
 floor of the Clarke block, while the Navy Island location 
 was being prepared for its reception, to which it removed 
 within a few weeks from the organization. Frederick A. 
 Sands resigned as cashier March 22, 1865, in favor of 
 Henry L. Miller, who was succeeded October 8, 1867, by 
 John R. VanWagenen, Mr. Miller accepting the office of 
 vice-president, which was created at that time. After the 
 death of Mr. Clarke, the organizer of the bank and the 
 moving spirit of the enterprise which had proved of so 
 
553 ANNALS OF OXFORD 
 
 much importance to the communit}', June 30, 1878, the 
 office of president was vacant till the annual election in 
 January, 1879, when John R. VanWagenen, the present 
 incumbent, was elected thereto, and Peter W. Clarke, vice- 
 president, Mr. Miller declining a re-election. J. Fred 
 Sands was appointed to the vacant cashiership, which 
 office he held till the appointment of Peter W. Clarke, 
 January 11, 1887, when he was elected vice-president, 
 holding the office for one year only. 
 
 Cory D. Hayes, at present in the banking business at 
 Clinton, N. Y., was assistant cashier from January 14, 
 1873, till his removal from town March 1, 1878. Jared C. 
 Estelow, the present incumbent, was appointed in January, 
 1888, having served as teller for several years previous. 
 The present directors are: John R. VanWagenen, presi- 
 dent; Cory D. Hayes, vice-president; Jared C. Estelow, 
 cashier; Charles W. Brown, William H. VanWagenen, 
 William M. Miller, and Gilbert J. Parker. The bank has 
 been uniformly successful, having accumulated a large sur- 
 plus besides paying liberal dividends. A semi-annual 
 dividend has never been omitted since the first one in Jan- 
 uary, 1865. In 1894 the present commodious building was 
 erected, which is a monument to the enterprise and liberal- 
 ity of the present management. Its plans were drawn in 
 the office of State Architect Perry, and personally super- 
 vised by him. 
 
ANNALS OF OXFORD 553 
 
 Every man has his fault, and honesty is his. 
 
 — Shakespbabb. 
 
 Stephen H. Millard. 
 
 Stephen Hambidge Millard, with his wife and infant 
 daughter came to Oxford from Watledge, Gloucestshire, 
 England, his native place, in 1842. He was bom February 
 1, 1821, and his marriage to Mary Gillman occurred in 
 1840. Their voyage to America in a sailing vessel occupied 
 fifty-two days. Landing in New York city they continued 
 their trip by water to Oxford, taking a boat via Albany and 
 Utica. Here they spent the remainder of their lives. Mr. 
 Millard was a cooper by trade and conducted an extensive 
 cooperage for a term of years, employing a large number 
 of hands. He was fond of music and for many years was 
 leader of the choir in the M. E. church. Mrs. Millard was 
 bom in 1822 and died June 20, 1898, in Oxford. 
 
 Children : 
 
 S. Amelia, married (1) September 20, 1860, Gilbert J. 
 Kowley, who died May 31, 1867; married (2) Edward 
 Smith, now residing in Seymour, Ct. 
 
 Mary E., married April 9, 1867, James G. Van Wagenen. 
 Frank S., married September 2, 1875, Delia V. Soule 
 of Smithville. 
 
 Ellen J., married February 1, 1871, William Alexander. 
 Carrie, married June 10, 1886, Edwin T. Delavan. 
 Harriet L., died April 16, 1859, in infancy. 
 
CHRONOLOGY 555 
 
 The eternal landscape of the past. — Tennyson. 
 
 t CHRONOLOGY t 
 
 A 
 
 Allen, Isaac, died Oct. 23, 1873, aged 87. 
 Allen, Mrs. Isaac, died Dec. 31, 1865. aged 68. 
 Ayrault. Chas. V. R., drowned Aug. 19, 1873, aged 15. 
 
 B 
 
 Bank, First National, established in February, 1864. 
 
 Balloon, Mammoth, from Buffalo, arrived in town, Sept. 17, 1873. 
 
 Bartle, A. F., died June 23, 1895, aged 76. 
 
 Bartle, David W., died Feb. 3, 1897, aged 57. 
 
 Bartle, Erwin D., died Jan. 30, 1896. aged 61. 
 
 Bartle, George, accidently killed while hunting in Brisbin Feb. 19, 1876. 
 
 Bartle, Mrs. Philip L., while visiting at Corning, killed by train Aug. 
 
 9, 1903. 
 Basket Works Co., moved to Oxford from Astabula, Ohio, in 1890. 
 Beardsley, Asa, died Dee. 35, 1894, aged 74. 
 Beardsley, John C, died April 3, 1886, aged 59. 
 Beardsley, Mrs. JohnC, died March 31, 1904. 
 Beardsley, Rev. O. R.. pastor Universalist church, died May 25, 1905, 
 
 aged 61. 
 Beebe, Ira, died April 16, 1903. 
 Bentley, J. J., died March 8, 1905. 
 Berry, ErastusJ., died May 15, 1899. 
 Blackman, James H., died Nov 8, 1899, aged 70. 
 Blanford, Mrs. Ashton, died Sept. 11, 1904. 
 Blizzard, severe, March 12, 1888. 
 Boname, Peter D., died Dec. 1, 1890, aged 49. 
 Boname, Mrs. Peter D., died Feb. 13. 1904. 
 Brewster, Ezra S., died March 33, 1905, aged 50. 
 Britt, Michael, died Aug 38, 1903, aged 50. 
 Brodie, John S., died suddenly April 37, 1906, aged 35. 
 Brooksbank, Robert, died March 33, 1903. aged 59. 
 Brookins, Wm. H., suicided at W. R. C. Home July 33, 1906, aged 63. 
 Brown, Cyrus M., died Sept. 3, 1873. aged 59. 
 Brown, VanNess, died from self inflicted wound May 24, 1888. 
 
S56 CHRONOLOGY 
 
 Brown, Mrs. Grace, died May 18, 1905. 
 
 Burdick, EramaD., murdered.body found buried inswamp Auj?. 9,1888. 
 
 Burglars, entered house of Charles Hunt. Fire bell gave alarm Sept. 
 
 8, 1870. 
 Burglary, of E. Clarke «& Sons store of $1,100 June 27, 1841. 
 " Bush, Mike," Italian, killed by blast in Clarke quarry Dee. 37, 1902. 
 
 c 
 
 Canal bridge in village fell under pressure of drove of cattle Aug. 30, 
 1850. 
 
 Casey, Mrs. E. M., died March 30, 1903. 
 
 Chenango Mutual Relief, chartered in 1881, transferred to Security 
 Mutual, Binghamton, April, 1899. 
 
 Centennial year, Jan. 1, 1876 — ushered in by church bells and martial 
 music. Very warm day, doors and windows open, dust flying. 
 
 Church, Frank, of Norwich, killed at Lyon Brook bridge Jan. 1, 1878. 
 
 Church, Captain Wm., died March 18, 1891, aged 81. 
 
 Citizen's Opera House formally opened Oct. 16, 1888. 
 
 Clarke, "Judge" Isaac, died June 5, 1874, aged 77. 
 
 Collins. Geo. H., drowned in river July 4, 1887. 
 
 Collins, William, died May 3, 1891, aged 68. 
 
 Collins, Mrs. Wm., died April 6, 1900, aged 66. 
 
 Collision on Lackawanna, above village, two killed and several se- 
 riously injured Sept. 29, 1874. 
 
 Comstock, S. L., died March 6, 1888. aged 53. 
 
 Comstock, Mrs. S. L., died April 7, 1906, aged 52. 
 
 Concert, Old Folks, benefit Presbyterian church, March 3, 1874. 
 
 Corbin, Mrs. D. D., died March 21, 1904. 
 
 Corbin, Eli L., died Oct. 29, 1896. 
 
 Corbin. Mrs. E. L., died Feb. 19, 1894. aged 73. 
 
 Coughlin, David, died suddenly Oct. 26, 1900, aged 59. 
 
 County Fair, held in Oxford Sept. 25, 26, 1849. 
 
 County House and insane asylum burned in Preston May 8, 1890, thir- 
 teen lives lost. 
 
 Coville, Edward M., thrown from a sleigh and killed Feb. 7, 1885. 
 
 Coville, J. A., died Jan. 23, 1895, aged 74. 
 
 Coville, Mrs. J. A., died Oct. 17, 1904. 
 
 Cowles, Morillo, died Nov. 27, 1902, aged 83. 
 
 Crandall, Robert, died July 18, 1904, aged 84. 
 
 Crosby, Henry, hanged himself Aug. 6, 1888. Mixed up in Emma Bur- 
 dick murder; his wife charged with the murder sent to prison in 
 1889 for eleven years. 
 
 Crumb, Orson, died Dec. 27, 1889, aged 68. Veteran. 
 
 Crumb, Mrs. Orson, suicided by drowning in river Aug. 22, 1877. 
 
 Curtis, Bert J., died suddenly Jan. 6, 1884, aged 25. 
 
CHRONOLOGY S'JV 
 
 D 
 
 Death of Wm. Butler by drowning in Mud pond, Sept. 2, 1881. 
 
 Death by drowning of Geo. L. Gage and Daniel Fisher in Brackett 
 pond, Feb. 37, 1890. 
 
 Death by drowning at South Oxford, of Edward Dibble, of Norwich, 
 June 22, 1899. 
 
 Death by drowning of little son of Janet Flang, July 7, 1896. 
 
 Death by drowning of Edward Hall, Dora Hall and Geo. Sholes at 
 South Oxford. May 10, 1901. 
 
 Death by drowning in canal, of [little son of Benj. F. Lounsberry, Sr., 
 June 20, 1857. 
 
 Death by drowning of Edwin T. Riley April 17, 185G. 
 
 Death by drowning of little son of Orlando Robinson, July 24, 1854. 
 
 Death by drowning of son of Thomas Witherell. Aug. 9, 1860. 
 
 Death by drowning of Charles, son of Jeremiah Wheeler, Oct. 7, 1852. 
 
 Death of Enos Greenfield, a stranger, by drowning, Nov. 22, 1824. 
 
 Death of Nathaniel C. Thornton by drowning in river April 7, 1901. 
 
 Death of " Pat " Cumber by train near Basket factory March 30, 1897. 
 
 Death from poisoning of a little girl in Farnham's photograph gal- 
 lery, Jan. 28, 1864. 
 
 Death of Italian from injuries in Blue Stone quarry, Oct. 24, 1883. 
 
 Derrick, Henry, lost an arm by explosion of cannon, Nov. 8, 1843. Died 
 July 19, 1906, aged 76. 
 
 Deyo, James, born a slave, died Dec. 20, 1900. 
 
 Dickinson. Charles G., died Oct. 4, 1892, aged 42. 
 
 Doane, Wm. H., suicided Dec. 21, 1879, aged 47. 
 
 Dodge, Charles M., died Jan. 28, 1904, aged 61. Veteran. 
 
 Douglass, Frederick, lectured Dec. 8, 1864. Orator, formerly a slave. 
 
 Dudley, Benj. found dead in highway, Sept. 12, 1863. 
 
 Dunn, William, died Nov. 3, 1904, aged 70. 
 
 Dunning, Robert, died June 8, 1899. aged 51. 
 
 E 
 
 Earthquake, a slight shock, Dec. 18, 1867. 
 
 Earthquake, two shocks felt Oct. 20, 1870. 
 
 Edwards, Benjamin, died January 5, 1904, aged 82. 
 
 Electric lights first turned on Feb. 10, 1892. 
 
 Elm tree set out in front of postofiie by B. M. Pearne March 11, 1877, 
 
 tree was then two years old from seed. 
 Elm trees set out in front of Hotchkiss House Oct. 28, 1895, by Robert 
 
 W. Taft. 
 Ensign, Dr. E. L., died at Erieville, Dec. 3, 1903, aged 73. 
 Ensign, Mrs. E. L., died June 5, 1896. 
 Explosion of boiler, 40-horse power, on Joel Ingraham farm Dec. 11 
 
 1893, killing Joseph Schauer and George Hammond, 
 
558 CHRONOLOGY 
 
 F 
 
 Fair, Agricultural and Mechanical, organized in Feb. 1859. 
 
 Fasting and prayer, day of, designated by President Taylor in view of 
 the alarming progress of cholera in the United States, Aug. 4. 1849. 
 
 Fennell, Michael, died from injuries received in Blue Stone quarry, 
 Nov. 22, 1883. 
 
 Ferguson, John H., died June 29, 1898, aged 46. 
 
 Fire, barn of Carl & Cronk, Sept. 15, 1906. 
 
 Fire, barn on Corn Hill farm burned by lightning, July 17, 1866. 
 
 Fire, barn of Michael Casey, Nov. 30, 1866. 
 
 Fire, barn of H. D. Mead, July 7, 1877. 
 
 Fire, barn of George Root, Aug. 11, 1873. 
 
 Fire, barn of Stephen Sheldon, Nov. 16. 1886. 
 
 Fire, barn of Henry Wheeler, July 4, 1876. 
 
 Fire, cabinet shop. J. T. Figary, Jan. 30, 1850. 
 
 Fire, candy shop of Edwin May, house of T. T. Woodley, and stage 
 barns of Ethan Clarke, May 27, 1853. 
 
 Fire, carriage shop of C. M. Dodge, Jan. 16, 1884. 
 
 Fire, carriage shop of Bodge & Robinson, Oct. 19, 1876. 
 
 Fire, Clarke block, destroyed Feb. 26, 1858. 
 
 Fire, Congregational church, Nov. 28, 1897. Water works first used. 
 
 Fire, creamery building at Robinson's Mills, May 26, 1906. 
 
 Fire, farm house of J. O. Dodge, Feb 24, 1883. 
 
 Fire, farm house of Mrs. Alice McCall, Jan. 24, 1903. 
 
 Fire, farm house of James Shapley at Lewis' Mills, June 1, 1879. 
 
 Fire, from lightning, two barns on farm of Leroy Hall, Aug. 30, 1905. 
 
 Fire, house of Mrs. E. H. Beardsley on Merchant street, Oct. 31. 1904. 
 
 Fire, house of Thomas Fennell, Jan. 22, 1879. 
 
 Fire, house of M. S. Pierpont and barn of H. B. Morse, Oct. 18, 1876. 
 
 Fire, house of Timothy Rogers, Aug. 23, 1904. 
 
 Fire, house of E. VanValkenburgh on Franklin street, Dec. 26, 1903. 
 
 Fire, house of Widow Winchester, Jan. 26, 1883. 
 
 Fire, large barn of Olin Murray, Oct. 27, 1905. 
 
 Fire, Lewis' Mills, below village, Nov. 18, 1884. 
 
 Fire, Mammoth store, Sept. 10, 1880. 
 
 Fire, Park Hotel, Oct. 28, 1903. Albert Skillman broke a leg in jump- 
 ing from window. 
 
 Fire, residence of A. S. Burchard, July 4, 1898. 
 
 Fire, residence of Dr. Geo. D. Johnson, May 17, 1904. 
 
 Fire, old paint shop, Taylor street, Jan. 13, 1889. 
 
 Fire, Rorapaugh's livery barn and three horses, and two other barns, 
 June 13, 1899. 
 
 Fire, shops of H. C. Howland and H. O. Daniels, July 20, 1886. 
 
 Fire, sled factory, Dec. 5, 1896. 
 
 Fire, stores of D. B. Smith, John Lord andF. E. BiUings, Feb. 27,1876. 
 
CHRONOLOGY 559 
 
 Fire, store of Tony Furnare, May 23, 1904. 
 
 Fire, tollgate above village, March 27, 1867. 
 
 Fire department, Oxford, organized July 1, 1823. 
 
 Firemen's parade and Sappho Hose banquet, June 29, 1906. 
 
 Fire steamer taken to Norwich on call for help, Dec. 28. 1895, Eaton's 
 
 feed store destroyed. 
 First fire company organized March 8, 1824. 
 First train over Lyon Brook bridge, Dec. 23, 1899. Great crowd out to 
 
 see the sight. 
 First trial of Lady Washington hand engine, Oct. 6, 1858. 
 First trial of steam fire engine, Oct. 3. 1887. 
 Fish, Luman B., died Aug. 22, 1893, aged 34. 
 Fitch, Mrs. Isaac P., died Nov. 24. 1904. 
 Foote, Robert E., died Nov. 5, 1904, aged 87. 
 Fox, James H., died April 19, 1868, aged 59. 
 Fraser, Charles, died Feb. 21, 1900, aged 70. 
 Fraser, Martin, died Sept. 9, 1889, aged 34. 
 Fraser, Mrs. Wm., died March 6, 1895, aged 72. 
 French, Miss Luella, died from burns caused by explosion of gasoline 
 
 stove, Dec. 10, 1900. 
 Freshet, water within twenty-two inches of high water mark of 1865, 
 
 Dec. 11. 1878. 
 Freshet, water within twenty-one inches of high water mark of 1885, 
 
 Feb. 26, 1891. 
 Fulton, Percy E., infant son of Rev. J. M. C. Fulton, died suddenly 
 
 Sept. 13, 1882. 
 
 G 
 
 Gas Co., Oxford, organized, Aug. 9, 1897. 
 
 Gates, A. D., died May 16. 1892, aged 67. 
 
 Gibson, Robert, died suddenly, Nov. 16, 1879, aged 73. 
 
 Gillman, Geo. F., died Jan. 11, 1898, aged 49. 
 
 Gillman, Ray, son of Charles, drowned, July 2, 1890. 
 
 Gillman, Wm., died suddenly, Nov. 8, 1888, aged 68. 
 
 Godfrey, Mrs. Daniel, killed by lightning, Sept. 4, 1867. 
 
 Gomes, Sylvester, drowned June 6, 1863. 
 
 Grant, Gen. U. S., passed through town on special train, July 30, 1873. 
 
 Greeley, Horace, delivered address at fair, Oct. 4, 1860. 
 
 Guilford " Old Folkes " concert, Oct. 12, 1865. 
 
 H 
 
 Hall, Murray, died Aug. 16, 1891, aged 73. 
 Hamilton. J. W., died June 3. 1901, aged 76. 
 Harrington, Wm. A., died June 18, 1880, aged 75. 
 Harrington, Mrs. Wm. A., died Nov. 5, 1893. 
 Hogan, Wm., died April 17, 1896, aged 78. 
 
56o CHRONOLOGY 
 
 Hogan, Wm., 2d, died Oct. 14. 1904. aged 59. 
 
 Holmes, Clark K., died Dec. 11. 1903, aged 71. 
 
 Holmes, Myron M.. died Nov. 23. 1893, aged 80. 
 
 Hook and Ladder Co., organized June 25. 1878. 
 
 Hotchkiss, Mrs. Samuel, died Nov. 17, 1898. 
 
 Hung her infant and self, Mrs. Maria Herrick, aged 17, Oct. 25, 1878. 
 
 I 
 
 Ingraham, George W., died July 7, 1900, aged 50. 
 
 Illumination of village in honor of Lee's surrender to General Grant, 
 
 April 10, 1865. 
 Independent Hose Company organized Oct. 17, 1898. 
 
 J 
 
 Jackson, Fred, colored, mudered his mother Feb. 15, 1879. Died in 
 
 Auburn prison while serving a life sentence, Dec. 17, 1893. 
 Johnson, Robert, aged 44, suicided by poison Dec. 29, 1904. 
 June, Ira W., ex sheriff, died June 20, 1905 aged 76. 
 Justice, Wm. A., died April 3, 1890, aged 75. 
 
 K 
 
 Keeler, Edwin, died April 20, 1900, aged 79. 
 
 Ketchum, Egbert, died May 13, 1885, aged 60. 
 
 Keyes, George S., died Dec. 17. 1887, aged 28. 
 
 Keyes, James, died June 7, 1904, aged 65. 
 
 Keyes, Mrs. James, died Dec. 10, 1904. 
 
 Kilmer, "Doc," drowned Sept. 11. 1903. 
 
 King, Cornelius O., died Aug. 3, 1906, aged 74. Veteran. 
 
 Knott, Mrs. L. Augustus, died Oct. 21, 1905, aged 60. 
 
 Knott, Luke W., died Jan. 27, 1879, aged 74. 
 
 "- i 
 
 Lackawanna's first train ran into Oxford, Nov. 5, 1870. ^ 
 
 Lady Washington engine company organized May 6, 1859. 
 
 Lady Washington fire engine received Oct. 1, 1858. 
 
 Lally, Wm. H., suicided by shooting, Sept. 11, 1905, aged 42. 
 
 Leap year calls made by young ladies, Jan. 1, 1872. 
 
 Lee, John, killed by falling from Lyon Brook bridge, Oct. 6, 1870. 
 
 Lillis, Thomas, died Sept. 6, 1903, aged 85 
 
 Lord, John, for nearly forty years in shoe trade, died Jan. 14, 1888. 
 
 Lord, Mary E., wife of John, died June 6, 1874, aged 53. 
 
 Ludden, Bishop, visited St. Joseph's church, Oct. 10. 1904. 
 
 Lyon, Frank, aged 17, drowned at dam, April 30, 1851. 
 
 M 
 
 Maltby, Mrs. Morris W., died May 12, 1904. f 
 
 Marshman, Jacob, died Jan. 24, 1904, aged 74. 
 
CHRONOLOGY 561 
 
 Masonic convention, Nov. 14, 1906. 
 
 Mass meeting, temperance. May 12, 1843. 
 
 Memorial Library, formally opened Nov. 15, 1900. 
 
 Merithew, J. S., died Nov. 22, 1901, aged 53. 
 
 Merithew, Mrs. J. S., died Aug. 8, 1905, aged 58. 
 
 Mevis, Rev. J. W., died suddenly, April 27, 1896, aged 61. 
 
 Mevis, Mrs. J. W.. died February 13, 1905, aged 68. 
 
 Milan. Mrs. Ann, killed by train, Sept. 12, 1888. 
 
 Milan, Martin, died April 11, 1898, aged 70. 
 
 Miller, Albert, of Utica, brakeman, killed at Lackawanna station, Aug. 
 
 6, 1904. 
 Miner, Amos, died May 30, 1896, aged 68. 
 Moore, Edgar D., died July 22, 1900, aged 38. 
 Moore, Lysander, died Nov. 27, 1898, aged 93. 
 Morehouse, Samuel B., died May 20, 1904, aged 63. 
 Morgan, Gov. E. D., visited Oxford, July 12, 1860. 
 Morley, D. D., died June 9, 1905, aged 78. 
 Munyan, Raymond, aged 2, fatally burned by candle in jack-o'lantern, 
 
 Aug. 15, 1904. 
 Murder attempted, of school girl by Wm. Roberts. Aug. 25, 1884. 
 Murphy, John, died Oct. 7, 1904, aged 77. 
 
 Mc 
 
 McCall, Roswell J., died May 26, 1896, aged 44. 
 
 MeCalpin, Charles, died Sept. 27, 1900, aged 47. 
 
 McCalpin, Wm., died Feb, 22, 1897, aged 86. 
 
 MeCalpin, Mrs. Wm., died June 7, 1900. aged 76. 
 
 McKoon, Merrit G.,a very popular principal of Oxford Academy, died 
 
 Nov. 28. 1854. 
 McNulty, John, of Coventry, drowned in canal, April 19, 1884. 
 
 N 
 
 Newton, Wm, S., died Jan. 27, 1892, aged 83. 
 
 Niagara hand engine bought April 25, 1846. Sold to Guilford in May, 
 1897. 
 
 Niagara Hose company organized March 14, 1878. 
 
 Noonday meeting at Baptist church, when $100 was raised for starv- 
 ing poor of Ireland, March 16, 1847. 
 
 
 
 O'Connor, Patrick, died April 27, 1901, aged 63. 
 
 Osgood, Richard, killed on Navy Island in runaway accident, Sept. 
 
 11, 1871. 
 O. & W., first passenger train through to New York. Aug. 18, 1873. 
 O. & W., passenger station first occupied Feb. 2, 1872. 
 O. & W., work first commenced in town July 23, 1868. 
 
562 CHRONOLOGY 
 
 Packard, Peter M., died Feb. 10. 1903, aged 84. 
 
 Packard, Sophia, wife of Joseph E., died Sept. 15, 1901. 
 
 Parachute jump at the fair Sept. 20, 1888, first ever made in this sec- 
 tion. Fair ended the following year, Sept. 19, 1889. 
 
 Park, LaFayette, staked out April 6, 1880. 
 
 Park, Washington, staked out June 4, 1887. 
 
 Parker Thomas, found dead in bed, July 25, 1904. 
 
 Pearsall, Reuben, died Jan. 29, 1903, aged 84. 
 
 Perfect, Samuel, died April 3, 1896, aged 77. 
 
 Pettis, Mrs. T. C, died Feb. 5, 1894, aged 68. 
 
 Phetteplace, Alonzo. died Sept. 8, 1890, aged 59 
 
 Pointer, Wm. T., died Nov. 15, 1901, aged 68. 
 
 Post, Edw. E. Breed, No. 196, G. A. R., organized Jan. 21, 1881. 
 
 Postofflce burglarized April 16, 1873. 
 
 Postoffice burglarized Feb. 5, 1896. 
 
 PostoflBce burglarized March 26, 1877. 
 
 Postoffice burglarized May 28, 1877. 
 
 Postoffice burglarized Sept. 12, 1872. 
 
 Puffer, Stephen, died suddenly, Feb. 1, 1889. 
 
 Putnam. Mrs. Ellen, first Superintendent W. R. C. Home, died Sept. 
 15, 1901. 
 
 R 
 
 Raabe, George, died Aug. 12, 1887, aged 42. 
 
 Race, Derrick, died Oct. 5. 1903, aged 82. 
 
 Race, Mrs Derrick, died suddenly Oct. 29, 1905, aged 50. 
 
 Race, Harry, died March 4, 1892, aged 72. A 
 
 Race, Henry, died July 9, 1905. 
 
 Race, Joseph, died Dec. 4, 1890, aged 74. 
 
 Race, Wm. B., early resident died Nov. 9, 1882, aged 82. 
 
 Randall. Levi, died Oct. 29. 1903. aged 67. 
 
 Rathbone, J. A., killed at Blue Stone Mill, July 21, 1896. 
 
 Regiment, 114th, passed through on canal boats for seat of war. Ladies 
 served lunch at Lewis Hall, Sept. 6, 1862. 
 
 Regiment, 114th, returned home via canal. Ladies served breakfast in 
 Lewis Hall, June 19, 1865. 
 
 Regiment, 23d Infty., marched through town on way to camp in Penn- 
 sylvania, July 22, 1906. 
 
 Rider. Earl M., died suddenly, Sept. 9, 1904. aged 43. 
 
 Riot, St. Patrick's day, March 17, 1869. 
 
 Roe, George, died suddenly, Aug. 8, 1890. 
 
 Root, Frafjk L.. died Nov. 11, 1904, aged 26. 
 
 Root, Jas. H.. died Dec. 30, 1894. aged 64. 
 
 Root, James J., died Feb. 11, 1892, aged 61. 
 
CHRONOLOGY 563 
 
 Root, John B., died June 6, 1901, aged 73. 
 
 Root, Joshua B.. died Nov. 27, 1891, aged 89 
 
 Root, Mrs. Joshua B., while insane, suieided by hanging, Oct. 9, 1878. 
 
 Root, Mrs. Saujuel, died May 9, 1904, aged 94. 
 
 Round Robin Reading Club organized in 1894. 
 
 Rounds, James, killed by train at Robinson's Mills, June 27, 1904. 
 
 Rounds, Joseph, died Dec. 17. 1898, aged 84. 
 
 Rugg, George P., died Dec. 10, 1901, aged 57. 
 
 Sannick, Augustus, died May 3, 1892, aged 67. 
 Sannick, Mrs. Augustus, died July 16, 1901, aged 76. 
 Sappho Hose ball and banner presentation, Dec. 31, 1874. 
 Sappho Hose Company reorganized from Lady Washington Hose Com- 
 pany, Feb. 27, 1873. 
 Sappho Hose, first parade with carriage, July 11, 1873. 
 Saxe, John G., lectured Oct. 20, 1859. 
 Smith, Daniel B., died Dec. 31, 1894, aged 66. 
 Smith, Lester, died Jan. 26, 1900. 
 
 Smith, Merton B., died suddenly, June 26, 1904, aged 53. 
 Snow fell, May 30, 1884. 
 
 Snow fell to depth of three feet, April 20, 1857. 
 Snow fell to depth of twenty-six inches, Dec. 9,1903. 
 Snow fell to depth of two feet, Oct. 12, 1836. 
 Spaulding, E. Judson, mysteriously disappeared July 16, 1896, and no 
 
 trace of him ever discovered. 
 Spaulding, William, crushed to death in woods by falling tree, Nov. 
 
 21, 1874. 
 Spence, Robt. E., died from self inflicted wounds and disease, Feb. 26, 
 
 1904, aged 56. 
 Sperry, Carlton L., killed by falling from Baptist church spire, June 
 
 7, 1899, aged 27. 
 Stafford, Elmer S., body found in river April 29, 1906. Disappeared 
 
 Nov. 19. 1905. Aged 54. 
 Stafford, Job N., died April 12, 1891, aged 79. 
 Steam fire engine received in Nov. 1898. 
 Steam packet passed through town on canal, June 17, 1863. 
 Stewart, Miss Katie, blind, died Aug. 18, 1906, aged 73. 
 St. James Hotel opened Sept. 23, 1872, by T. C. Pettis. 
 Storm of heavy rain, flooded streets and LaFayette Park, July 21, 1903. 
 Storm, severe electric, July 15, 1904. 
 
 St. Paul's church raised over $200 for Chicago fire sufferers, Oct. 22, 1871. 
 St. Paul's church raised over $100 for starving poor of Ireland, Feb. 
 
 28, 1847. 
 Swan, Mrs. Alma B., died Nov. 25, 1904, aged 92. 
 
04 CHRONOLOGY 
 
 T 
 
 Taintor, Mrs. Sylvia Fox, died Dec. 30, 1891, aged 78. 
 Tansey, Edw. S., died Jan. 13, 1891. 
 Tansey, John, died Aug. 4, 1890, aged 53. 
 
 Telegraph, first office, Oxford and Utica, opened. May 3, 1852. 
 Tew, Harry, died Aug. 19, 1906, aged 58. 
 Tew, James, died July 24, 1902, aged 79. 
 Tew, Mrs. James, died Oct. 11, 1906, aged 77. 
 Thompson, Mrs. Nancy, died March 22, 1892, aged 86. 
 Thorp, Mrs. Mary, died Nov. 13, 1904, aged 90. 
 Titus, Mrs. Benj., died Nov. 4, 1906, aged 42. 
 -Tornado swept through village, June 9, 1906. 
 Tucker, Edw., died Oct. 21, 1888, aged 75 
 Tuttle, Miss Emma, died suddenly, Feb. 11, 1906. 
 Tuttle, Wm. L., died Dec. 8, 1864. 
 
 u 
 
 Union school building first occupied, March 29, 1897. 
 
 V 
 
 Vickburg, surrender of. Great rejoicing in village, July 7, 1863. 
 Village incorporated April 6, 1808. 
 Volunteers, first for Civil war, left May 7. 1861. 
 
 w 
 
 Ward, Matthew, suicided, Oct. 25, 1880. 
 
 Walker, Charles, died Jan. 9, 1890, aged 92. 
 
 Walker, Chas. B., died Dec. 7, 1894, aged 60 Veteran. 
 
 Walsh, , killed by falling from Lyon Brook bridge, Nov. 10. 1869. 
 
 Warn, James, died Jan. 30, 1892, aged 49 
 Water works completed Oct. 18, 1897. 
 Webb, Merritt, died May 2, 1889, aged 87. 
 Wells, Miss Phebe A., died July 22, 1887, aged 49. 
 Welch, Tommy, drowned June 4, 1887, aged 7. 
 Wheeler, Gerrit, shot by Neil Brackett, May 30, 1889. 
 Willcox, Loran, died March 9, 1886, aged 60. 
 Willcox, Samuel, died Nov. 3, 1892, aged 81. 
 Willcox, Mrs. Samuel, died July 3, 1901, aged 83. 
 W. R. C. Home located at Oxford, Oct. 13, 1894. 
 
 Y 
 
 Yonngs, Daniel, found buried in sand bank, Sept. 25, 1876. 
 Youngs, Stewart, drowned during flood, Sept. 4, 1905, aged 12. 
 
 z 
 
 Zero. 30 degrees below, Jan. 11, 1886. 
 Zero, 31 degrees below, Jan. 19, 1904. 
 Zero, 33 degrees below, Jan. 30. 1873. 
 
o 
 z 
 
 Q 
 
 :d 
 
 CO 
 
 z 
 
 g 
 
 < 
 
 ai 
 
 H 
 00 
 
 Z 
 
 < 
 
 D 
 Z 
 
 < 
 
INDEX 
 
 565 
 
 How Index learning turns no student pale 
 Yet holds the eel of science by the tail. 
 
 — POPB. 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Academy, Oxford 125 
 
 Achorn, Andrew 333 
 
 Adams, A. D 189 
 
 Adams, John 77 
 
 AUis, Jere 317 
 
 Assessment Roll 355 
 
 Avery. Geo. D 277 
 
 Backus, Capt. John 541 
 
 Bacon, Cyrus A 250 
 
 Barber, D. G 352 
 
 Balcom family 23 
 
 Bartle family 68 
 
 Bancroft, Dr. Reuben 211 
 
 Balloon 87 
 
 Baldwin, Jonathan 90 
 
 Baldwin, Dr. Samuel 365 
 
 Bank, First National 551 
 
 Betts, Zopher 548 
 
 Beardsley, Wm 243 
 
 Bennett, Adolphus B 319 
 
 Bennett, Moses 80 
 
 Birth, first white 22 
 
 Blackman, Elijah 11 
 
 Bowers, John C 452 
 
 Breed, Levi 226 
 
 Brush, Piatt 193 
 
 Brown, Jesse 467 
 
 Brown, Thos 372 
 
 Bruchhausen, Dr. Caspar 307 
 
 Bridge bee 117 
 
 Bridge, river 224 
 
 Brooksbank, Robert 232 
 
 Brockett, Hezakiah 165 
 
 Burghardt, Peter 73 
 
 Buckley, John 95 
 
 Burr, Theodore Ibl 
 
 Business firms in 1835 420 
 
 Bush, Jonathan 195 
 
 Butler, Benj 422 
 
 Bundy, Solomon 477 
 
 Burning of Chenango House. 546 
 Burning of Fort Hill House. 409 
 
 Cannon, Benj 322 
 
 Callahan, Rev. Henry 316 
 
 Canal ball 222 
 
 Cary, Anson 88 
 
 Census 396, 418 
 
 Chronology 555 
 
 Church, Bradford 65 
 
 Church, Baptist 471 
 
 Church, Free Will Baptist. .154 
 
 Church, Methodist 168 
 
 Church, Congregational 204 
 
 Church, St. Paul's 215 
 
 Church, St. Joseph's 317 
 
 Church, Universalist 460 
 
 Chapman, Wm. E 376 
 
 Chapman, Nelson C 185 
 
 Chapin, Joel 549 
 
 Celebration, Whig 50 
 
 Clapp, James 516 
 
 Clarke, Ray 338 
 
 Clarke, Dr. S. R 369 
 
 Clarke family 509 
 
 Conover, Cornelius 288 
 
 Conference 339 
 
 Cook, Joseph 50 
 
 Cooke, H. H 235 
 
566 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Cooley, Elihu 314 
 
 Cole family 46S 
 
 Court of Common Pleas 197 
 
 Cork Island duel 268 
 
 County 5 
 
 Curtis, Major O. H 465 
 
 Death of a burglar 436 
 
 Death from lightning 544 
 
 Dailey, Aunt Patty 156 
 
 Davidson family 237 
 
 Denison family 890 
 
 Dickinson, Joseph 93 
 
 Distillery 143 
 
 Dodge, Solomon 70 
 
 Dodge, Peter and John 292 
 
 Douglas, Geo. M. D 179 
 
 Doty, Reuben 162 
 
 Dunne, Wm 411 
 
 Dudley, Daniel 301 
 
 D wight, Capt. J. H 186 
 
 Eaton, Warren 506 
 
 Eccleston, Charles 212 
 
 Edwards, J. M 549 
 
 Exhibitions 385 
 
 Farnham, Capt. Samuel 144 
 
 Parrell, Bernard 220 
 
 Fenton, Capt. Solomon 72 
 
 Fish, Selah H 175 
 
 Fiske, David 438 
 
 Fitch, Ephraim 445 
 
 Flanagan, James 419 
 
 Flood of 1865 241 
 
 Foundry 338 
 
 Fourth of July expenses 196 
 
 Franklin, A. A 329 
 
 Freshet of 1842 434 
 
 Galpin, Judson B 181 
 
 Garnsey, Peter B 150 
 
 Gibson, Thomas 223 
 
 Gifford, Joseph 252 
 
 GifTord, Samuel A 453 
 
 Gile, Wm 105 
 
 Glover, James A 239 
 
 Gordon family 310 
 
 Greek ball 388 
 
 Greene, Frederick 486 
 
 Guernsey, Samuel 523 
 
 Hackett, Josiah 100 
 
 Hatch family 373 
 
 Haynes, Chas. B 221 
 
 Havens, Amos 195 
 
 Havens family 403 
 
 Hitchcock, A. A 232 
 
 Hinckley, Jared 544 
 
 Hovey, A. C 360 
 
 Hovey, Gen. Benj 47 
 
 Hopkins, Capt. Frederick . . .476 
 
 Hopkins, Samuel Miles 82 
 
 Hollenbeck, Wm 238 
 
 Hoe factory 545 
 
 Holmes, John 188 
 
 Hull, Andrew J 521 
 
 Hull family 133 
 
 Hunt family 525 
 
 Husking bee 166 
 
 Hyde, Austin 397 
 
 Illumination 121, 165 
 
 Indian antiquities 51 
 
 Indian stories 262, 384 
 
 Independence day 233, 363 
 
 378, 508 
 
 IngersoU, Lambert 214 
 
 Jacobs family 340 
 
 Jewell, Elisha 203 
 
 Joslyn, Dr. Chas 9 
 
 Journal, Miss Hopkins 198 
 
 Journals of Oxford 406 
 
 Judson family 289 
 
 Kellogg, Nathaniel 240 
 
 Ketchum, Lewis 320 
 
 Killed the wrong man 550 
 
 Kinney family 491 
 
 Ladies Village Improvement 
 
 Society 547 
 
 Lee, Dr. D. M 482 
 
 Leonard, Isaac 522 
 
 Lett, Wm 375 
 
 Lewis family 496 
 
 Lobdell, Abijah, Jr 159 
 
 Locke, Nathaniel 367 
 
INDEX 
 
 567 
 
 Loomis family 44 
 
 Lyon family 78 
 
 Mail service 66, 107 
 
 Main, A. B 538 
 
 Main, Randall 251 
 
 Man in Homespun 163 
 
 Mason, Joseph 285 
 
 Mead, Dr 243 
 
 Mead family 228 
 
 Memorial verses 178 
 
 Mexican War volunteers 305 
 
 Millard, Stephen H 553 
 
 Miller, Andrew 230 
 
 Miller, Epaphras 255 
 
 Military days 492 
 
 Moore, Ben j 354 
 
 Morse, Hezekiah 447 
 
 Mowry family 323 
 
 Murder trial 503 
 
 Mygatt, Henry 429 
 
 Mygatt, William 450 
 
 McCall, E. B 308 
 
 McCalpin, Wm 236 
 
 McFarland family 454 
 
 McGeorge, Rev. H. T 441 
 
 McNeil family 62 
 
 Newkirk, Thos. G 473 
 
 Nichols, Ishmael 459 
 
 Old letters 249 
 
 Olds. Ezekiel 534 
 
 Owen, Salmon W 528 
 
 Oxford village 10 
 
 Paring bee 166 
 
 Packer, Horace 190 
 
 Packer, Dr. Perez 282 
 
 Padgett, John 539 
 
 Pendleton family 439 
 
 Perkins, Erastus 147 
 
 Perry, John 296 
 
 Physician, first 61 
 
 Pigeons, wild 229 
 
 Pioneer life 14 
 
 Powers, Myron 413 
 
 Porter, Milo 367 
 
 Practical jokes 399 
 
 Price, Wm. M 514 
 
 Purdy, Nelson 313 
 
 Rafting 122 
 
 Rathbone, Gen. Ransom 463 
 
 Rathbone, John 152 
 
 Ransom, Rev. J. C 187 
 
 Redmond family 311 
 
 Rector, Geo. C 261 
 
 Read, Horace S 150 
 
 Rhodes, Oliver 191 
 
 Robbins, Myron 475 
 
 Rooiue, Edward A 176 
 
 Root, Ebenezer 540 
 
 Ross, Samuel 390 
 
 Robinson family 414 
 
 Rouse, Dr. Austin 444 
 
 Runyan, Stephen O 143 
 
 Sands, Frederick A 192 
 
 Sands, Dr. Wm. G 300 
 
 Sannicks, Aunt Sally 234 
 
 Sheldon, Stephen A 548 
 
 Sherwood family 331 
 
 Sherwood, Isaac 480 
 
 Sherwood, Lewis 538 
 
 Shapley, David 178 
 
 Shumway, Daniel 225 
 
 Sill, Daniel 270 
 
 Smith, Joel 283 
 
 Smith, Munson 211 
 
 Smith. Gen. Peter Sken 278 
 
 Smith, Nehemiah 484 
 
 State 5 
 
 Stone, George 383 
 
 Stow, Samuel 546 
 
 Stafford, S. S 536 
 
 Stevens, Judge Henry 203 
 
 Storm, severe 410 
 
 Stratton family 529 
 
 Stratton, Isaac J 500 
 
 Swan, Rev. Jabez 194 
 
 Tavern days 137 
 
 TenBroeck, John 73 
 
 Thorp, Joseph G 504 
 
 Thurber, Caleb 236 
 
 Tillotson, Jeremiah 193 
 
$68 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Town clock 483 
 
 Town expenses 9 
 
 Town meetings. . . .7, 75, 178, 356 
 
 Town of Oxford 5 
 
 Tracy, Hon. John 298 
 
 Tracy, Uri 54 
 
 Traveling, early 107 
 
 Tucker, Daniel 547 
 
 Turner, Stephen 280 
 
 Tuttle, Cyrus 287 
 
 VanDerLyn, Gerard us 520 
 
 VanDerLyn, Henry 393 
 
 VanGaasbeck, Thomas 203 
 
 VanW agenen family 488 
 
 Village bell ringer 357 
 
 Village bv-laws 350 
 
 "VV agner, Dr. L. P 358 
 
 Warnd, Daere 65 
 
 Washburn, John Y 273 
 
 Watson, Alamanzar. 275 
 
 Walker, Joseph 146 
 
 Westover family 244 
 
 Weeks, Stephen 271 
 
 Webb, John 253 
 
 Wheeler family 334 
 
 Wheeler. Samuel 532 
 
 Whittenhall family 432 
 
 WMlliams. Eber 97 
 
 Williams, Aunt Phillis 160 
 
 Willoughby, Bliss 346 
 
 Willoughby, Job 294 
 
 Wright, Enos 158 
 
 Willcox, Ira 348 
 
 Wolf hunt 361 
 
 York, Jeremiah 44& 
 
 York, Dr. Edward 371 
 
FEB 8 1907