USA > Maine > Oxford County > Buckfield > A history of Buckfield, Oxford County, Maine, from the earliest explorations to the close of the year 1900 > Part 9
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The descendants of Rev. Nathaniel Chase and Elder William Irish have ever been noted for their interest in education. When
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HISTORY OF BUCKFIELD
the authors of this history were mere boys, Thomas Irish and Thomas Chase were noted school teachers. The former was con- sidered to be authority in all disputed matters in grammar and many are the pupils and teachers who have gone to him with doubtful passages in parsing. The author of Brown's "Grammar of Grammars" once said that he had never met Mr. Irish's equal as a grammarian.
Dominicus Record, Sr., valued education so much that one of his daughters was given an academical education at Fryeburg and other places. The children of Benjamin Spaulding appear to have been well educated for those times. Several of the sons were in business and were very successful. They were much in town office and one, Benjamin, Jr., was repeatedly elected to the General Court and the Maine Legislature. In the chamber of his house the first school in the village was taught.
Although living on a farm in the extreme southern part of the town where school privileges have been always limited, Jacob Whitman set a high value upon education for his children. One of them was a lay preacher, another a physician and the youngest son gathered together a fair library for those days. In the next and succeeding generations, several of the old soldiers' descend- ants obtained a college education. The Longs, the Chases, the Lowells, the Bonneys, the Hutchinsons, the Princes and the Har- lows are other families which have sent out successful teachers and men of affairs. The Leonards, too-Nathaniel, Jacob and Susan, were teachers of mark in their day. The latter fitted her- self for an instructor of youth at the Buckfield "Grammar School" and among her classmates were Virgil D. Parris and William Bicknell. We believe that no town in the county in pro- portion to its population has sent out so many first class instruc- tors as Buckfield.
On the incorporation of the town in 1794, the sum of 50 pounds was raised for the support of schools. The next year but 30 pounds were raised. One from each district or neighbor- hood was elected to look after its educational interests. Those thus selected were of the very first of the men in their sections. Here are their names :
Lemuel Crooker Joseph Chase Enoch Hall Ephraim Hathaway David Farrar Mark Andrews
William Berry John Swett Tobias Ricker Abijah Buck Jacob Whitman
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HISTORY OF BUCKFIELD
In 1796, 60 pounds were appropriated for schools and for several years the same sum was raised. In 1798 it was decided to choose three men for a school committee and the selectmen, Lemuel Crooker, Samuel Andrews and Abijah Buck were consti- tuted as that committee. The same year it was voted to raise money to build four school houses. This vote was reconsidered and it was then voted not to build any school houses that year. Nothing after this appears in the records about building school- houses. They were probably erected by the people in each dis- trict or section. The four which it was proposed to build were to be located as follows: One, at Simon Record's; another, be- tween Abijah Buck's and Thomas Allen's ; the third near Joseph Roberts's and the fourth near John Symonds's. A schoolhouse was built between Abijah Buck's and Thomas Allen's before 1801 for the annual town meeting was held there that year. It was no doubt the first one erected in the town. The one near Simon Record's was built before 1804 and probably the other two also. At this time there was but one schoolhouse in the town of Paris and Turner had only the same number as Buckfield.
At the annual meeting in 1801 it was decided to divide the town into school districts "agreeable to the new law" and the school committee was instructed "to call their districts together to ascertain their bounds by the 15th of July and make return to the selectmen." In 1806 the town was divided into "school ricks" or districts and a record for the first time was made of their members and boundaries which were substantially as given else- where.
The following persons with their estates were given the privi- lege of forming themselves into a school district, which was to be called No. 8. Abijah Buck, Nathaniel Buck. Moses Bisbee. Ben- jamin Spaulding, Abel Spaulding, Leonard Spaulding, Larnard Swallow, John Warren, Abijah Buck, Jr., Jonathan Buck, John Allen, Nathaniel Buck, Jr., Dennis Newbegin and David Bryant. At the raising of the frame for the school house in District No. 7, it became necessary according to the custom of those times to give it a name. The proceedings on such occasions were some- thing as follows: After the frame was up a man selected for the purpose would mount one of the timbers and perhaps say: "This is a fine frame and it deserves a good name. Now what shall we call it?" Another from the opposite side replied. usually in
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doggerel. Something to drink was always an important feature of the ceremonies.
When a certain raising in the Whitman neighborhood took place, the tradition is that the name was thus given: "The sills are level and the posts are plumb. And we will call it Andrew Jackson." In 1822 the frame to a large new barn was raised on the Bonney farm. The naming was as follows:
"This is a fine frame,
Twenty posts support the same : Built of the best pine and ash, Its owner's purse is full of cash ; He's treated well, we'll not complain, It shall be called the new State of Maine."
On the occasion of the raising of the frame for a school house at East Buckfield, the committee having the building of the structure in charge could not agree upon a name. Finally Joshua Davis proposed calling it the Federal school house from the large number of that political faith in that section and as an especial compliment to the chairman of the committee (presum- ably Jonathan Roberts ) who was their leader. This was agreed to. The place became known as the Federal Corner-a name it bears to this day.
School houses were probably erected in most of these districts during that or previous years. The annual town meeting in 1807 was held in the one built in the village on Loring's Hill. This house is now in existence. It is located on the eastern side of the river and was occupied some years ago as a shop by Gilbert Tilton. The sum of $400 was raised that year for the support of schools. In 1808 the first committee chosen to "inspect the schools" was elected. The members of the committee were Gen. Henry Farwell, Dr. Win. Bridgham and Rey. Daniel H itchinson.
The school agents were:
Thomas Joselyn Nath'l Chase Sam'l Tucker Job Packard
John Loring
Elisha Morton
Stephen Drew
Larnard Swallow
There was no supervision of schools in Turner at this time, although the town had been incorporated about eight years prior to Buckfield. The first committee of three for this purpose there was chosen in 1811.
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HISTORY OF BUCKFIELD
CHAPTER XIV.
TOWN INCORPORATED AND FIRST TOWN MEETING.
It appears that the affairs of the plantation were managed by the proprietors without a plantation organization till the town was incorporated. Some fifteen years after the first settlement, there being a sufficient population, a movement was made to have the plantation incorporated into a town. Abijah Buck was authorized by a number of the people to present a petition in his and their behalf, to the General Court, for that purpose. This document accompanied Buck's petition. Both are as follows :
We whose names are herewith undersigned, being proprietors and owners of a Plantation called Bucktown in the County of Cumberland, avouch Abijah Buck to be our petitioner, at the General Court when as- sembled at Boston in June, 1792, to petition to the General Court, that the Plantation of Bucktown may be incorporated into a town.
Bucktown May th 22 1792
Benjamin Spaulding
Thomas Joselyn
Jonathan Tyler
Wm. Mayhew
Nathaniel Buck
Thomas Lincoln
Dominicus Record
Joseph Tyler
John Clay
John Rider Moses Stevens
John Buck
Josiah Tilson
James Hussey
John Warren
Moses Bisbee
Leonard Spaulding
Shubal Marsh
Benjamin Spaulding. Jr.
Benjamin Spaulding ( ?)
John Brock Ichabod Waterman
Joel Foster
To the Honorable, the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General Court assembled :
The Proprietors and Inhabitants of the Plantation of Bucktown in the County of Cumberland, humbly represent that the said Plantation has been and still is under great difficulties and embarrassments on account of their inability to increase improvements and roads, and settle order and regularity among themselves ; that this inability arises from the want of an incorporation into a town; and your petitioners desirous of having the same accomplished, do by our agent, Abijah Buck, humbly Pray the Honorable Court, to grant the said Plantation to be incorporated into a Town. and that the same may be called Buckfield, and as in duty bound will ever pray.
ABIJAH BUCK.
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HISTORY OF BUCKFIELD
The petition was not favorably acted on that year. The act of incorporation, however, passed early the next year and be- came a law March 16, 1793. It is as follows :
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled and by the authority of the same: That the following described tract of land. viz .: Beginning at the Northwest corner of Hebron and running S. 70 deg. E. on the Northerly line of said Hebron 5 miles and about 190 rods, until it strikes the west line of Turner: Thence V. 26 deg. E. by same line, five miles and about one hundred rods until it meets the Southeast corner of No. 6 or Butterfield: Thence running S. 81° W. eight miles and two hundred rods to the East line of Plantation No. 4: Thence by said line running S. 13º E. to the first mentioned bound together with the inhabitants thereon, be and hereby are incor- porated into a town, by the name of Buckfield. And the said town is hereby invested with all the powers, privileges and immunities, which oth- er towns in this Commonwealth do or may enjoy by law.
And be it further enacted hy the authority aforesaid that William Widgery, Esq., be, and he is hereby empowered and requested to issue his warrant, directed to some suitable inhabitant thereof, to meet at some convenient time and place to choose all such officers as towns are by law required to choose in the month of March or April annually.
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.
CUMBERLAND, SS.
To DOMINICUS RECORD of Buickfield
in said county. Yeoman.
GREETING :
In pursuance of a law of this commonwealth, directing me to issue my warrant to some suitable inhabitant of said Buckfield, I do hereby request you forthwith to notify and warn the inhabitants of said Buckfield to meet at your dwelling house in said Buckfield on the first Monday in April next at ten of the clock, in the forenoon then and there to chuse all such of- ficers as towns are by law required to chuse in the month of March or April annually. Given under my hand and seal.
Dated at New Gloucester, the first day of March in the year of our Lord in 1794.
WILLIAM WIDGERY, Justice of the Peace.
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.
CUMBERLAND, SS.
In pursuance of a warrant to me directed by William Widgery Esquire of new Gloucester to Notify and warn the Inhabitants of Buckfield in the County aforesaid to meet at my dwelling house in said Buckfield on the first Monday of April next, at ten of the clock in the forenoon, then and there to chuse all Such Officers as Towns are by Law Required to chuse in the month of March or April annually-
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HISTORY OF BUCKFIELD
I do therefore notify and warn all the male Inhabitants of Buckfield aforesaid to meet at the time and place and for the purpose Abovesaid. Buckfield, March the 4th Day in the Year of our Lord, 1794.
DOMINICUS RECORD.
At the town meeting, held in pursuance of the foregoing war- rant, the following business was transacted :
Officers chosen :
Moderator-Dominicus Record.
Town Clerk-Thomas Allen.
Selectmen-Lemuel Crooker. William Harlow, Jonathan Roberts.
Assessors-Lemuel Crooker, Jonathan Roberts, Ephraim Hathaway.
Treasurer-Dominicus Record.
Collector of Taxes-William Lowell.
Tythingmen-Benjamin Spaulding, William Doble.
Road Surveyors-John Buck for the "Middle District ;" Phil- emon Parsons for the "Third District;" Jasiel Smith for the "West District:" Tobias Ricker for the "North East District;" Enoch Hall for the "Sixth District ;" Amos Brown for the "Sev- enth District;" Benj. Spaulding for the "North West District." Abijah Buck, Ephraim Hathaway and Lemuel Crooker were chosen a committee "for to Lay out Roads."
The people voted for Governor, Lieut. Governor and Sen- ators at the same meeting with the following result :
For Governor, Samuel Adams had 31 votes For Lieut .- Gov., Moses Gill, 25 For Senators, William Widgery, 17
Josiah Thatcher, 9 Daniel Mitchell, 9
At the adjourned meeting, held at the same place April 21st, it was voted "to choose two more selectmen in Addition to three already chosen," and Dominicus Record and Benj. Spaulding were elected. They were also chosen assessors. It was voted "to Dismiss the Committee that were chosen to Lay out Roads." Voted "to Dismiss Benj. Spaulding from being road surveyor," and Abijah Buck was selected in his place. Thomas Lincoln was chosen surveyor of lumber.
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HISTORY OF BUCKFIELD
Voted to choose two more tythingmen, and Thomas Lowell and Seba Smith were elected. Smith asked to be "dismissed" from the position and Job Prince was chosen in his place. The surveyors of roads were made fence viewers. Mark Andrews was elected sealer of weights and measures; John Richardson, Nathaniel Buck, hog reeves and field drivers; Jonathan Phil- brick, pound keeper; John Warren, deer reeve; Joel Foster, scaler of leather. One hundred pounds were raised for "the benefit of the town roads and highways." The price of a man's labor was fixed at four shillings per day and oxen at three shill- ings. The price of "carts, Ploughs and other utensils, to be at the Surveyors Discretion." Fifty pounds was raised for the support of schools. The money "to be Aplied to that use, within twelve months, otherwise, if not, to be returned into the Town Treasury for the use of the Town." Voted to have one town pound to be 25 ft. square and "to postpone the building of stocks." Several town meetings were held during the year, and a number of roads, which had been laid out, were accepted. It was voted to have the town roads three rods wide, and the new ones located "to be opened up" within fourteen months. Domini- cus Record, Abijah Buck and Jonas Coburn were selected as a committee "to Inspect into the Survey of the Town, ordered by the late Act of the General Court."
The town voted in favor of the separation of the District of Maine from Massachusetts, and Abijah Buck was elected as a delegate to represent the town in the matter.
At a town meeting held in December, it was voted to raise money "to defray the charges that has arisen from the High Sheriff's visit."
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HISTORY OF BUCKFIELD
CHAPTER XV.
BOUNDARY DIFFICULTIES.
The proprietors of the town in their original petition for the purchase of the township, asked for a tract of land "to the value of five or six miles square."
Six miles square was the usual size of a township, although some were much larger and many were smaller.
When the contract to purchase was made, the proprietors expected to obtain a tract approximating this size, but when the township had been surveyed, they found that the northern bound- ary line did not extend so far north by one mile as they had expected. They claimed that the surveyor had made a mistake. The land in this mile-wide strip was fertile and valuable and they coveted it. Accordingly, in the early part of the year 1788, Abijah Buck in behalf of the proprietors, sent the following petition to the General Court :
"COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.
To the Honorable the Senate and House of Representatives in Legislature assembled.
The Petition of Abijah Buck of Bucktown or No. 5 in the County of Cumberland,
Humbly Sheweth, that by reason of a mistake of the surveyor running the line between us and Butterfield, the latter plantation has the advan- tage of about 2000 aquers southerly, out of the quantity unsold us by the Committy on Lands for the Commonwealth, and the proprietors of said Butterfield have accordingly availed themselves of the said mistake greatly to our Damage for several important Reasons, and inasmuch as the Lands of the Commmonwealth extend northerly, so as to fully satisfy the Proprietors of Butterfield, he humbly prays in behalf of himself and others to take the matter into your Honors wise consideration, and make such disposition as may seem just and proper.
Dated at Bucktown the 2 Day of February A. D. 1788
ABIJAH BUCK."
This petition met with a decided opposition. The proprietors of Butterfield did not care to part with this tract of valuable land for other land to the northward of their township and nothing came from Buck's efforts, although an act passed the legislature to refer the matter to the Committee on Eastern Lands.
In the autumn when the deed of the township was about to be executed another effort was made by the proprietors to have the
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HISTORY OF BUCKFIELD
matter adjusted to their satisfaction, but this time it appears to have been more with the hope of getting some compensation than of obtaining the tract of land in question. Abijah Buck and Ben- jamin Spaulding in behalf of the proprietors, signed the petition which was dated at Boston Nov. 5, 1788. In it they stated that the Land Committee "though sensible of the wrong done" deemed it out of its power to remedy it without authority from the Gen- eral Court. The House of Representatives on the Ioth of the same month passed a resolve for the Eastern Lands Committee to take the mater into consideration and "make such allowance" as should appear just. The Senate, however, voted to non-concur. So the matter ended.
It will be noted by inspection of the deed, that three of the boundaries were uncertain. And in the act of incorporation of the town two were still left indefinite. In order to remedy this, the General Court June 20, 1794, requested a survey of the township and a plan of it to be made. The committee chosen by the town for the purpose was Abijah Buck, Dominicus Record and Jonas Coburn. Thomas Joselyn was the surveyor. The line between Buckfield and Turner was run in October. The distance was found to be 5 miles and 180 rods. The south and west lines were run in Dec. of that year. The former was 5 miles and 144 rods. The latter 43 miles. The line between Buckfield and But- terfield was run in April, 1795. Distance, 8 miles and 200 rods.
The line between Buckfield and Hebron by this survey, was made 46 rods less than in John Jordan's survey of 1785, and the line between Buckfield and Turner was made 80 rods more. This latter plan was adopted as the true one, and the boundaries fixed in accordance with it.
But two years later the southern boundary line of the town became a matter of serious controversy between Hebron and Buckfield. A new survey of Hebron had been made, and by the terms of the original grant to Alexander Shepard it appeared that a tract of some 2600 acres of Buckfield was included in it. The matter got into the courts and Hebron's claim seems to have been sustained. In consequence, Abijah Buck for the proprietors, pre- sented the following petition to the legislature :
"To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled,
Humbly shews, Abijah Buck for himself and his associates, proprie- tors of the town of Buckfield in the County of Cumberland, that in No-
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HISTORY OF BUCKFIELD
vember 1788, they purchased of the committee for the sale of Eastern Lands, a tract of land containing about 20,033 acres, which has since been incorporated by the name of Buckfield and for which they paid a full consideration. That since the said purchase, a new survey of the town of Hebron has been made, by which the southerly part of the said town of Buckfield has been encroached upon to the amount of twenty-six hundred acres.
Wherefore your petitioners pray, that the Legislature would examine the premises and restrict the town of Hebron within its ancient limits, or make such compensation to your petitioners for the loss, as to your justice and wisdom may seem proper.
Boston, June 15, 1799.
ABIJAH BUCK."
It does not appear that anything came from this petition. The town took the matter in hand and for a time seems to have acted independently of the proprietors.
In 1803, however, they united in a petition to the General Court to settle the matter of the conflicting grants, and in June of that year an act was passed authorizing Peleg Coffin and John Reed "to settle the bounds of said towns, provided that the pro- prietors of Hebron submit their claim in writing and in such submission release all rights in the grant to the proprietors of Buckfield." This was done. The line was again run and found to be as claimed by Buckfield. In Feb. 1807, the matter not hav- ing been finally adjusted on account of the death of Hon. Peleg Coffin, another act was passed by the General Court, authorizing John Reed and William Smith to perform the duties required by the former act.
The town lines of Hebron were resurveyed by Lothrop Lewis of Gorham, under the authority of Reed and Smith, and by his survey, made that year, it appeared that the tract claimed out of Buckfield was somewhat different than the grant to Shepard war- ranted, and that three other tracts-one adjoining Paris, another Turner, and the third Otisfield, amounting to about 1300 acres, had been appropriated by Shepard or his heirs, which were not really included in his grant. The matter was finally settled by allowing Hebron to hold these three tracts. So Buckfield re- tained the disputed territory and its southern boundary was definitely fixed on the line run by John Jordan, and Hebron ap- pears to have obtained, after all, no other land than it had sup- posed it rightfully held, while it actually lost what it claimed out of Buckfield. The loss of a few lots to Paris and the gain of some from Hartford and Sumner will appear in the annals.
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HISTORY OF BUCKFIELD
CHAPTER XVI.
BUCKFIELD VILLAGE ABOUT 1825.
In the corner made by the Turner and Hebron roads on the south side of the river was the store in which Ephraim Atwood traded for many years. South of it was another store in which Enoch Crooker had traded. There was also a building of some kind adjoining, perhaps a dwelling house. Next south a black- smith shop of Col. Aaron Parsons. On the other side of the Ilebron road in the corner made by it and the road over Loring's Hill was the Loring store. Farther west was the dwelling house of John Morrill, blacksmith. Over the well was a "well sweep" and to it was attached an "old oaken bucket" by which the water was taken from the well. On the rising ground still farther to the west were the buildings of Richard Waldron. Rodney Chaffin, who married Waldron's daughter, afterwards lived there. Final- ly Sydenham Bridgham acquired possession and lived there for many years. On the right hand side of the street leading over Loring's Hill next beyond the store was the dwelling house of John Loring, Esq. Further up the hill was the village school house. Next on the same side of the road were the farm build- ings of Ezekiel Record and a short distance south, those of Enoch Philbrick, in recent years the Dean place. Nearer to the village on the opposite side of the Loring Hill road were the farm buildings of Barnabas Perry, also a blacksmith shop. Towards the village square was the cottage once occupied by Samuel An- drews and farther down the Capt. Josiah Parris stand. On the right hand side of the road leading to Turner was the dwelling house of Mr. Jeremiah Bean, also a blacksmith shop. The dwell- ing house was once owned by Benj. Spaulding, Jr., and was moved from the other side of the river. It was first occupied after removal by Benjamin Milliken. On the opposite side of the road was the residence of Zadoc Long, Esq., afterwards that of Col. A. D. White. Back of these buildings on the river was the tannery. Farther down on the same side of the road was the original Baptist church used as the town house. In the corner on the site of the present Spaulding store was the Bridgham hotel -once the Joel Foster tavern. Between it and the bridge was a store over which was a hall long known as Bridgham Hall in
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HISTORY OF BUCKFIELD
which were held all the village dancing parties and where the- atrical shows were given. At one end was a platform for the fiddlers and on the wall above the motto: "Go it while you're young, for when you're old you can't." On top of the store was the flag-pole from which every 4th of July the stars and stripes floated.
On the north side of the river in the corner by the bridge was the "new store" built by Stephen Phelps in which Zadoc Long traded. On the opposite corner was the cabinet shop of James Jewett. Then the residence and hat shop of Gen. Eliphalet Packard and the Col. Aaron Parsons place. Below on the river was the fulling mill and clothing works of William Cole, for- merly owned by William Campbell. On the opposite side of the street from the mill was the large flat-roofed house with its five chimneys, small windows and many rooms, once the residence of William Campbell but later owned by William Cole. Where later the hotel of America Farrar stood was the residence of Samuel F. Brown, Esq., the village lawyer. His law office in which the post office was also kept by him, was situated east of the present law office building of Fred R. Dyer, Esq., and a lane ran down to it from the house. Next this to the north was the residence of Dominicus Record, afterwards the home of Zadoc Long and now "Hotel Long."
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