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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01150 5796
Gc 974.602 0x2LI
7068487
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2019
https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofo0Olitc
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF OXFORD, CONNECTICUT
BY NORMAN LITCHFIELD AND SABINA CONNOLLY HOYT, PH.D.
Allen County Public Library Ft. Wayne, Indiana
7068487
Oxford in 1838
Copyright 1960 By Norman Litchfield and Sabina Connolly Hoyt
DEDICATION TO THE MEMORY OF ALL THOSE WHO HAVE LIVED IN, AND LOVED THE TOWN OF OXFORD
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With grateful acknowledgment to the following residents, who, be- cause of their affection for, and pride in Oxford, sponsored the pub- lication of this history:
Mr. and Mrs. Wm. A. Bauer, Jr.
Miss Katharine Matthies
Mr. and Mrs. Wm. S. Duncan
Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Mangold
Mr. Arthur P. Hoyt Mr. and Mrs. Frank J. Mason
Mr. and Mrs. E. H. Koehler
Mr. and Mrs. Mark T. McKee
The Lions Club of Oxford
Mr. C. Arthur Maybury, Jr.
Mrs. C. S. Litchfield
Miss J. Mabel Lum
Mr. and Mrs. Hubert E. Stoddard Mr. and Mrs. George B. Wesley Dr. and Mrs. H. H. Hart
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The writers wish to express their appreciation of the aid given them in their research, by so many people, particularly the following, -
Mr. Wm. Congdon for introduction to historical material in the Yale University Library.
The Rev. Albert Callahan, Rector of St. Augustine's Church, Seymour, and Mr. P. Leroy Barry of Quaker Farms, for information about St. Thomas' Church, Oxford.
The Rev. Kenneth W. Cameron, Historiographer, Diocese of Conn. re Temperance Movement
The Rev. Henry S. Douglas, former Rector of St. Peter's Church,
Oxford and Christ Church, Quaker Farms, for the original copy of his historical address relating to the two Episcopal Churches in Oxford. Mr. Robert Dann for his card file of Oxford Births and Deaths.
Mr. Meyer Fishbein of the National Archives Records Service re Oxford Post Office.
The Rev. James A. Farmer, former pastor of the Oxford Congrega- tional Church for information regarding the history of that church.
Mr. Robert Z. Hawkins for access to family papers and for personal reminiscences.
Miss Mary Hull, of Squantuck for records and old letters.
Miss Bernice Hull of Oxford for the Hyde tradition.
Mrs. Clarence Hubbell for information and photographs of Oxford Center and the Oxford Hotel.
Miss Clara Hawkins for photographs of the Old Mill on Eight Mile Brook at Barry Road.
Mr. Arthur Hoyt, Oxford Town Clerk for access to Town Records, for details of Town Clerk's work, for history of the Lions Club, and many favors.
Mr. George P. Hanel, Advertising and Publicity Manager, Connecticut Light & Power Co. for information regarding Stevenson Dam.
Miss Agnes Kennedy, Librarian Derby Public Library for Freeman's Oath and much other assistance.
Miss J. Mabel Lum, of Quaker Farms for invaluable assistance and many memories.
Mrs. Louis Lineweber, formerly of Oxford, for early records and photographs.
Mrs. Viola Madorno, First President of the Oxford P.T.A. for early memories, furnished by the courtesy of the P.T.A.
Mrs. Persis McEwen, formerly of the Oxford Town Clerk's Office,
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for the original copy of Judge Wilcoxson's 1876 Centenniel Address, and other records.
The late Miss Mary Meigs, formerly of Quaker Farms for old Tom- linson Letters.
Miss Mary L. McNerny, Librarian, Seymour Public Library for ac- cess to the file of the "Seymour Record" later destroyed by flood, and other favors.
Mr. Lloyd Phillips, Historian, Oxford Congregational Church, church records.
The Late Mr. Albert Pope, for old documents and reminiscences.
Mr. Dean K. Phillips, Director of Public Relations, Diamond Gardner Corporation, (Diamond Match Co.) information and picture of South- ford box-board paper mill.
Mr. Charles P. Pope, information regarding Oxford Store and Post Office.
Mr. Wm. S. Parker and Miss Mary Parker, grandchildren of Wm. C. Sharpe, first historian of Oxford, to quote from his works in detail.
Mr. Aurin Ripley for access to Probate Court Records and records of the Oxford Congregational Church.
Mr. David Stiles, Farm Sales Manager, Connecticut Light & Power Co. regarding electric power.
Mr. Xenophon P. Smith, Librarian, Post Office Dept. Library, Wash- ington, D. C. regarding Oxford Post Office.
The Rev. Wm. E. Soule, former Rector, St. Peter's Church, Oxford, and Christ Church Quaker Farms for access to church records.
Mr. J. Birdsey Sanford for information regarding Oxford Post Office. Mr. Hubert E. Stoddard for the account of the Stephen B. Church Co. Mrs. Hubert E. Stoddard for information regarding the first Library of the Town.
Mrs. Laura Stanton and Mrs. Foster Sperry regarding the Parent Teacher Association.
Mrs. Joseph J. Steinecker for picture post cards of Oxford Center.
Mrs. Atwater Treat for her file of Oxford Town Reports and history of the Oxford Grange.
Mr. H. Leslie Tomlinson for Civil War Letters, Portraits of David and Lorena Tomlinson, and other information.
Mr. Ralph Thomas, Curator, New Haven Colony Historical Society and Miss Wallenta of his staff for data on the Oxford Turnpike etc.
Mr. Earle Oleson, for records of the Oxford Fire Department
Mr. Franklyn Sanford, for detailed history of the Oxford Ambulance Association and of the Lions Club
Mr. Joseph Prokop, for information about the Oxford Ambulance. Mr. Charles McKane of Oxford and Mr. Joseph Tuzik of Seymour, for records of the Oxford Boy Scouts.
FOREWORD
The town of Oxford comprises some of the loveliest scenery in the State of Connecticut, but no poet has arisen to sing of its beauties; no world-shaking events have occurred within its boundaries, and hence many histories have passed it by with but casual reference. Neverthe- less, in it have dwelt many people who lived lives of bravery, persis- tence, and intelligence; qualities characteristic of New Englanders, and in one way or another have left behind them some record of their doings, which, though often fragmentary, when put together tell a story of no mean interest.
No extensive history of Oxford has hitherto been compiled and it has seemed to the writers that the time has arrived for the undertaking of such a project. For the past year or more they have been examining such histories as there are, town and church records, old documents etc., and have talked with some of the older people about their memor- ies and those of their grandfathers.
As Oxford was for many years a part of the old town of Derby, one must for some records turn to such publications as the "History of the Old Town of Derby" published by Orcutt and Beardsley in 1880, and to Abel Gunn's contemporary record of happenings in early Derby, which was copied, carefully and painstakingly, word for word, in 1901 by the Derby Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
In 1885, W. C. Sharpe started what was to be a history of Oxford, and in that year issued a slim volume entitled "History of Oxford, Part First". It contained little but church records, births, marriages, deaths etc. It was not until twenty-five years later that he published a second volume. He seemed to have recognized then that it hardly con- stituted a complete history, for he named it "Part two, Oxford Sketches and Records". This second volume contains many interesting records of events and people but makes little attempt to tie them together into a continuous account.
Mr. Sharpe had taught school for a while in Quaker Farms and later became the proprietor and editor of a newspaper in Seymour, Connecticut called "The Seymour Record" for a number of years fol- lowing 1871. He became much interested in local history, writing a "History of Seymour", "Seymour Past and Present" and numerous articles in "The Seymour Record", in which references are made to Oxford. Other publications containing some record of events in Oxford are Timothy Dwight's account of his "Travels in New England", Barber's "Historical Sketches of the Towns in Connecticut", Rockey's
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"History of New Haven County" and the "Commemorative Biographical Record of New Haven County".
The present writers have endeavored to portray, as nearly as pos- sible, the daily life of the people of old Oxford. The community at first was purely agricultural, with its people busy clearing fields out of the heavy forest. Life was then one of mere subsistence. There followed some years of ocean borne commerce through the port of Derby, carrying farm produce to other colonies and to the West Indies. This was followed by wool-growing which was given impetus by General Humphreys at Humphreysville (Seymour). This continued until his death and was soon thereafter abandoned, probably because of the introduction of the cotton gin which made the production of cot - ton textiles more profitable than that of woolens. Small manufacturing then grew up in factories along Little River and Eight Mile Brook, but this petered out with the coming of the railroad up the Naugatuck Valley.
After this there came a time of desultory produce-farming which expanded later, with the introduction of the motor truck and electric milk chiller into modern dairy and chicken farming. These have been Oxford's chief industries up to the present day.
And now the town seems approaching the status of a regional sub- urb, in which a large part of the population work in one of the many factory towns from Bridgeport on the south to Waterbury and farther at the north. The coming of these new citizens, who are keenly inter - ested in the Oxford of today, makes this portrayal of the old life timely.
We have dedicated this account to "all those who have lived in and loved Oxford", feeling that here is a record in which all townspeople, native or newly arrived, can equally take pride.
For errata (1967) please see p. 318
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword ix
1. The Men Who Settled Milford and Derby 1
2. The Settling of Oxford 7
3. The Indians and the Deeds They Gave 10
4. The New Parish of Oxford . 19
5. Some Early Social and Business Problems 29
24
6. Men of the Early Times
7. Slaves in Oxford
42
8. Taverns and Tavern Keepers
44
9. The Revolution
54
10. The Incorporation of Oxford
12. Roads and Turnpikes 66
89
14. Ocean Borne Commerce
98
15. Grist Mills and Saw Mills
16. Small Factories 104
17. Men of Oxford during Industrial Prosperity 121
18. Steamboats and Railroads 131
19. Customs in the Nineteenth Century 136
20. The Temperance Movement 142
21. Masonic Societies 144
22. The Civil War 146
23. A Blacksmith of 1865 160
24. Agricultural Society and the Grange 161
25. The Seymour Record 167
26. Historical Celebration, 1932 168
27. Tercentenary Celebration 173
28. World Wars I. and II. 179
29. American Legion 184
30. Post Offices, Stores, and Stages 187
31. Churches 195
32. Schools and P.T.A. 220
33. Physicians and Health 244
34. Cemeteries 253
35. Public Library 255
36. Town Hall Building 258
37. Selectmen's Reports 259
38. Town Finances 260
39. Changes to Map of Oxford 262
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72
11. The Town Greens
79
13. Bridges; Zoar, Pine's and Stevenson 95
xii
TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED)
40. Industry in Oxford Today 268
41. Fire Department 271
42. Lions Club 274
43. Selectmen of Oxford 276
44. Town Clerks, Judges of Probate, Postmasters 285
45. Ambulance Association 287
46. Boy Scouts 289
Epilogue 290
CHAPTER 1
THE MEN WHO SETTLED MILFORD AND DERBY 4
Oxford, Connecticut, was originally part of the town of Derby, and Derby, in turn, was an outgrowth of the town of Milford, Connecticut. It seems well, therefore, at the outset to consider who the men and women were, who came from England, and finally settled in Milford, Derby, and eventually in Oxford. While the fact is well known that the Pilgrims came to New England in 1620, other immigrations that fol- lowed soon after are not so familiar. One group came to Boston in 1637 from Hertfordshire, England, led by the Rev. Peter Prudden. In Boston they joined another group who came from London a few weeks earlier, headed by the Rev. John Davenport and Theophilus Eaton. Boston at that time was in the midst of religious disputes in which the new groups did not wish to be involved. They decided there- fore, not to remain in Boston, and sent out scouts to find a good place to settle.
The arrival of the two new groups in Boston coincided closely with the end of the war with the Pequot Indians "These merchants desired a fine harbor and good commercial situation. And the reports of the men who returned from hunting the Pequots told them of just such a spot at Quinnipiack on Long Island Sound. Here they could carry out their plan of putting into practice a theocratic ideal even more rigid than that which obtained in Massachusetts, and arrange their civil as well as ecclesiastical affairs in accordance with rules to be obtained from a minute study of the Scriptures." So, the next year, 1638, the two groups sailed away together from Boston to Quinnipiack, the voy- age taking it is said, two weeks.
At Quinnipiack, the Prudden group was given a separate allotment of land, known as the Hertfordshire section, but apparently they were not entirely satisfied there. Some time after arriving in Quinnipiack, Mr. Prudden had been asked to visit Wethersfield and preach there, which he did for some weeks, and endeared himself to many of the people. In 1639, some of the Hertfordshire group joined with some of the Wethersfield people under Mr. Prudden's leadership and formed a new separate settlement on the Wepawaug River, which they named Milford.
The first recorded appearance of Englishmen in the vicinity of Derby was in 1642, when some workers employed by a Mr. Wakeman were engaged there constructing a trading house to deal with the
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Indians. By 1654, some of the Milford people had pushed inland to the head of navigation on the Housatonic River at Derby, and formed a settlement there which was known as "Paugasuck" after the tribe of Indians living in that district. This was in the district between the Naugatuck and Housatonic Rivers, later known as Birmingham. The name Paugasuck was soon applied also to the settlement on the east side of the Naugatuck River, and before long the settlers had altered the name from "Paugasuck" to "Paugaset". The very first settlers there seem to have been Edward Wooster, Thomas Langdon, and Ed- ward Riggs. In the spring of 1655, the settlers in Paugaset made ap- plication to and were admitted by the New Haven Court "into the jurisdiction of a village".
Soon there came to Paugaset a young unmarried man, Abel Gunn, who "having a good handwriting and a talent for business", commenced keeping a record of public events in a book. By 1901 this book had be- come very dilapidated and in that year, the Derby chapter of the "Daughters of the American Revolution" copied the records faithfully, including Gunn's somewhat untutored spelling and punctuation. We re- fer to this as "The Derby Record Book". Gunn recorded that by 1667 "the inhabitants of Pagaset are as foleth, Ed Woster, frances french, Joseph Hawkins, Samuel Riggs, Ephriam Smith, Abel Gunn, Stephen Person, Jerymiah Johnson". It is interesting to note that men of the same surnames came to the Oxford district only a few years later. By 1675 the settlement had grown so that the General Court of Connec- ticut granted it "the powers and privileges of a plantation, with the name "Derby". It was so called presumably after the town of Derby in England, although just why this was done is not too clear, as the early settlers were chiefly Hertfordshire men. One of them, however, Henry Tomlinson, came from Derbyshire, England. It is not unlikely that he suggested naming the plantation after his home town in England.
Gunn records the formation of the plantation of Derby in 1675, "A Court of Election held at harford may 13,1675 (missing) of Joseph Hawkins and John Hulls (missing) to have the (missing) of a planta- tion granted to the inhabetants of Pagasett (missing) abought 12 fami- lies settled thar all ready and more to the number of Eleven preparing for Settlement forth with And that they have ingaged a minister to Come and settle Among them Speedyly and have expended abought one hundred pownes in preparing a hous for the minyster this Court for thar incoredgment Doe grant them the power and privelidg (missing) a plantation and for thar Bownes this court Doe Reserve power in their hans ( ?) to settle thar Bownes - and the New town going up at Mattatuck - - The Commety apoynted by this court to the settle- ment of both the bownes and distrobusion of the Landes, ---- wch Commety is Captain john Nash: Cap. Wil: Curtice: Leu: tho Munson: the plan tasion of Pagasett is by this Court Named Derby." The
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territory of the town of Derby as granted by the General Court in 1675, but for which a satisfactory charter was not obtained until 1720, ex- tended from Two Mile Brook on the South, twelve miles north ward, and on the southern boundary, eastward from the Ousatonic two and a half miles, and on the northern boundary, seven and a half miles, mak- ing an area of about fourteen thousand acres in the original township. ( This included all of what is now the town of Oxford.)
THE FAMILIES IN DERBY IN 1675
By 1675, about twelve families had settled in Derby; the History of Derby listing them as:
Edward Wooster
Stephen Pierson
Francis French
John Hulls
Joseph Hawkins
Jeremiah Johnson
Samuel Riggs
Jabez Harger
Ephriam Smith
Ebenezer Johnson John Tibbals
Abel Gunn
Those "intending to come in forthwith" and who had received grants of land, were:
Mr. John Bowers
George Beaman
Deacon Abel Holbrook
Henry Tomlinson
Nicholas Camp
Jonas Tomlinson
Joseph Hawley
Henry Botsford
Moses Johnson
Among these names are the following which later became identified with Oxford:
Wooster
Riggs
Harger
French
Hawley
Johnson
Hawkins
Gunn Tibbals
The first recorded use of the name "Derby" is dated May 21, 1675, and says "The inhabitants of Derby have granted to George Beman a home lott". Persons wishing to settle in Derby had to conform to cer- tain rules. The original method for accepting settlers was to give the land, consisting of a four acre home lot, ten acres of upland, and four to six acres to make a meadow. Then the man had to build a house and fence his home lot, and reside four years, meeting other town claims of taxes. In 1679 the town changed this rule, voting that "here- after persons taking up land (granted by the town) shall pay the pur- chase price whether they reside on it or not". To become an "admit- ted inhabitant", he had to be of "honest conversation", and a godly man, and must take an oath that he was not a Jew or a Quaker or an
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atheist. Women, apprentices, servants and lawbreakers were specifi- cally excluded from participitation in government.
"To be promoted from the status of an "admitted inhabitant" to that of "freeman" having the right to vote for higher officials, or run for office as magistrate or representative in the General Court, required further qualifications. For this he must be ap- proved by the General Court either directly or through the action of an authorized magistrate, and take the following oath:
THE OATH OF A FREEMAN
"A. B. being by the Pruidence of God an Inhabitant within the Jurisdiction of Conectecott, doe acknowledge myselfe to be subiect to the Gouerment thereof, and doe sweare by the great and feare- full name of the euerliueing God, to be true and faythfull unto the same, and doe submitt boath my person and estate thereunto, ac- cording to all the holsome lawes and orders that there are, or hereafter shall be there made, and established by lawfull authority, and that I will nether plott nor practice any euell agt the same, nor consent to any that shall so doe, but will tymely discouer the same to lawfull authority there established; and that I will, as I am in duty bound, mayntayne the honour of the same and of the lawfull magestratts thereof, promoting the publike good of yt, whilst I shall soe continue an Inhabitant there; and whensoeuer I shall giuve my voate or suffrage touching any matter wch conserns this Comenwelth being cauled thereunto, will give yt as in my con- science I shall judge, may conduce to the best good of the same, without respect of prsons or favor of any man. Soe helpe me God in or Lord Jesus Christe.
Aprill the Xth, 1640."
(from COLONIAL RECORDS OF CONNECTICUT, 1636 - 1665. volume I. p. 62)
It will be noted that a "freeman" did not necessarily have to be a church member, as was required in Massachusetts. It is said that the total number of Freemen in Connecticut averaged less than one-third of the inhabitants, but they nevertheless constituted the real control of the colony. It is interesting to find here that property qualifications as a right to vote were not gotten rid of until 1845.
Very shortly after being given the "powers and privileges of a plantation", Derby began having trouble in getting the inhabitants to attend Town Meetings, and on August 8, 1675, a Town Meeting imposed a fine of sixpence on any person not coming to a meeting within a half- hour after the time appointed and a fine of one shilling on any man staying totally away from a meeting.
As someone has said, the history of places in New England is
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inseparable from that of its churches. The Ecclesiastical Society and the town government were practically the same, and the churches were truly "meeting houses" where secular meetings were held as well as divine service. The record of the "gathering" of the church in Derby follows: "At a town meeting att Derby; feb: 25: 1677: The Lord haveing By his Providence called a company of his Pore Servants into this cor- ner of The wilderness: calls on us first to Seke the Kingdom of God And the Rituasnes thereof put severall persons upon the inqueary of ye town for there fre will and consent to gather A church att Derby and to walke in a church way and Sett up the ordenances of god according to gospell Rules as nere as we can attain According to our best light; The Town haveing had Two meetings about the same.
"The first all ye inhabetants were willing and gave there con- sent in ye thing; att ye second meeting Which was on feb 25, 1677; All Gave their consent by word of mouth not to hinder Soe great and soe good a work but doe Incorreg to Set upon it and will help to maintain if settled and give their consent to aske counsel and consent of ye Naithboring Churches in order to a church Gather- ing."
By 1681, when Oxford began to be settled, the families established in Derby on the west side of the Naugatuck River as near as can be ascertained, were: Joseph Hawkins, John Pringle (later spelt Prindle), William Tomlinson (son of Henry Tomlinson), Samuel Brinsmade, Samuel Nichols, Isaac Nichols, John Hubbell, Henry Williams.
As we have already recorded, in 1675, there were but twelve fami- lies in the entire town. The war with France, 1689-1697, sometimes known as "The Ten Years War" had a quite perceptible effect on Derby and its prosperity, for during this time the tax payers increased only two and the Grand List increased only one third of the whole, and dur- ing the next ten years the increase was about the same. For twenty years ending 1709 the increase was only eleven, and most of these were raised in the town, but few coming in, some going out, and a few dying. The amount of the General List of estates (i.e. assessed valu- ation) for the town of Derby as sent to, and preserved by, the General Court, possesses special interest as showing the very gradual growth as to property and persons in the town:
Year
Amount
Persons
1685
£ 2941
38
1695
1804
42
1700
2109
51
1705
2749
65
1709
2856
49
1710
2927
not reported
1720
4287
11
1725
5310
11
11
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The above list includes of course those persons living in Oxford. So it will be seen that when settlers began to arrive in the Oxford district around 1680, Derby, though fairly well organized as a "plantation", was still a very small place.
CHAPTER 2
THE SETTLING OF OXFORD
It is difficult to establish the exact date of the settling of Oxford, because there was no concerted movement at a given date, such as at Woodbury. The latter took place definitely in 1673, when a group of people in Stratford became dissatisfied with the church conditions there, and left that town under the leadership of the Rev. Zachariah Walker with the avowed purpose of founding a new town.
The settling of Oxford, on the other hand, was simply the normal pushing further inland by individuals, perhaps one at a time, chiefly from Derby, with others from Stratford and New Haven. It seems well to pause here to consider the general state of immigration from England. Charles I. became King in 1625, and almost immediately, strife arose between him and the Puritans, and in 1628 he began "his experiment of governing without a parliament", and for eleven years, until 1640, no parliament sat in England. It was during the twenty years from 1620 to 1640 that the great migration to New England oc- curred, and by the latter date, the population of New England had be- come some 26,000. But after that, for more than one hundred years, there was no further extensive migration to New England.
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