USA > Maine > Oxford County > Paris > History of Paris, Maine, from its settlement to 1880, with a history of the grants of 1736 & 1771, together with personal sketches, a copious genealogical register and an appendix > Part 21
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He and his friends led off the chase, But others closed and gained the race. Though ne'er pretending to be able To immortalize the "Breakfast Table," He taught all how to reap and sow, In th' "Maine Farmer," years ago.
Pursuing still this fruitful theme, We next approach the Court Supreme, Our first grave Judge was A. K. P., Whose name our townsmen often see. The next was Walton of our day, Of whom we all are proud to say, At least, such is my firm belief, He well deserves to be the chief. The last is Virgin, full of mirth, By one consent of solid worth. Once on the Hill, some years ago, As Academic records show, He taught the young and fresh idea How safely through the world to steer. .His wife was kin to Stowell blood, As good as any since the flood. And, by the way, did you e'er know Judge Virgin the trombone did blow ? Pray, are there any special laws, Which to the Bench a fiddler draws? Or any which, by dint of wind, A place upon it one can find ? Then Paris might with truth well boast Of Judges sound, and quite a host, For fiddling, some were heard to say, Was all we did both night and day, And as to winds which always blow, This Hill beats all the world, we know. Judge Virgin once Reporter was, And made a Digest of our laws.
Two others of a lower sphere Resided most their lifetime here. The first was Cole, the late J. G., A man of merit, too, was he ; To him the public did concede The name of pattern Judge indeed. Succeeded him our Stephen E., A man of precious memory To those, at least, who knew him best Before he reached his sacred rest.
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His name is linked with many a cause, Which, not securing wide applause, Does aid and highly elevate All that is noble in a State. Among the first to well sustain The cause so potent throughout Maine, He gave his effort and his heart, And acted well a brother's part. The widows and the orphans too, When Probate Judge, he kept in view. From early life down to its end, Sound learning found in him a friend. To sacred song and art divine His cultured taste did oft incline. But I must cease these filial strains, And pass to what for me remains, Besides judicial honors borne, (Let others say how nobly won, ) My honored sire, our annals say, Attorney General was one day.
Next at the Senate Board step in, And see who Presidents have been, Presided once did Virgil D., And acting Governor, too, was he. Judge Virgin also held that place, Presiding well and with much grace. The third and last found in this seat, Whose merits need I not repeat, Was Vinton, who in point of date, Was President in seventy-eight. Three Speakers too, I think, all told Were chosen from our famous fokl. The first was Hamlin, Hannibal, Who, all admit, presided well. The next was Andrews, Charles by name, Already mentioned in this roll of fame. The next and last was Sidney P., Our worthy President whom we see.
Next, now descending one step more, The Council Chamber we'll explore. In Council of this noble State Three of our townsmen had a seat. The first we notice in this line Was Hubbard, L., in twenty-nine. The next was one for wealth renowned And on hard money always sound.
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His name was Crocker, T., for short, Who ready was to hold the fort, When men opposed his will or way Or sought to lead his friends astray. A useful man he was to State, From early morn till evening late He kept the Treasury in his eye And watched all comers "on the sly." One other filled a Council chair Whose name by his consent I bear. Of him suffice it now to say He in good faith well served his day. And still one more I call.to mind, Whom on this list you all can find. "Tis Washburn, Reuel, named before, Who generally hailed from Livermore. His life was pure, and record fair Because he measured by the "square."
Thus far, my friends, you will have seen, Attention here has wholly been Confined to ranks of civil life- Not heroes of the bloody strife. Not many, as occurs to me, In gilded epaulets we see, And yet we ought not to ignore Our brave and gallant Commodore, Who in connection with his birth And service joined with solid worth, Both for himself and for our town Has justly earned a wide renown. His name is Phelps, our Thomas S., Whose mother's, too, you now can guess.
S. stands for Stowell-name historic- Suggesting also the heroic.
His mother sprang from Uncle Bill, Who lived and died below the Hill. In eighteen forty Phelps first learned How naval laurels could be earned, And from that year down to this day HIas mingled in many a bloody fray. The Chiefs in Eighteen Sixty One, Foreseeing what must well be done, To organize with skill and care For what turned out no light affair, Chose him by ballot from the rest, Because of all they thought him best
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To make a thorough, broad survey, That we might early win the day. Throughout the war, in bloody fight, He nobly battled for the right ; The stars and stripes he proudly bore Until secession was no more. For details of the well-earned fame Which gathers o'er his honored name, I must refer you to the roll Found at our Nation's capital.
If others for this turgid rhyme Escape me at the present time, Whose gallant deeds deserve our thanks, And well might swell our honored ranks, Their names must for the nonce give way, To be rehearsed some other day. Just here. however, we see one Who also was a naval son. A surgeon whom most here have known, And long a doctor of our town. As justly famous for his wit, As for his skill, was Dr. Kit. Tho' when need be of quite stern mien,
The Doctor was a joker keen. As such, he always was most ripe, When puffing from his lighted pipe. Besides conferring common fame, He gave us many a historic name. Why, he immortalized the Cape, The reasons now from me escape. He called the North our "Taunton Green," Because the Tuells there were seen. Why "Sucker Harbor" is so famed, To some of us need not be named, For when up there we fished for trout, "Twas naught but sucker and hornpout. Among those who this town well served, The Doctor's fame was well deserved.
Were not my time exhausted quite, And I at liberty to write What truly is within my heart, Of others who have played their part In paths well trod of high repute, While of life's honors in pursuit, I'd speak of many a worthy son Who County honors well have won.
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Those of them born within this town Or chosen from it for renown By your kind leave I will point out, While wandering briefly here about.
Of Sheriff's, Hamlin led the van, A doctor skilled, a noble man, Whose gates and doors were all ajar To welcome strangers from afar ; The children's friend, as known by many, For whom he always had a penny. The memory of his virtues still Is full of fragrance on the "Hill."
Of County Clerks, nine of thirteen Selected from this town have been. Their names were Hamlin, Chandler, Clark, And every one a man of mark. Succeeding these was Goodenow, Then Cole, who sometimes went by name of "Jo," Then Andrews, Charles, then Kimball Bill, And last, not least, Black, with us still.
Of eight Recorders, only one 'Tis hardly fair to call our son, But he, for thirty years and more The office of Recorder bore, A service never paralleled By any who that office held.
Our Mellen was a genial soul Whose merits all might well extol.
Of Probate Judges, four of ten Have been selected from our men. The first was Chandler, Benjamin, Whose name already we have seen, Then Emery S., then Rawson, L., Whose qualities I need not tell. Last on this roll, drawn from this town, Was worthy Doctor T. II. Brown.
Of Registers, six of fifteen, In Probate desks from us you've seen. The first was Clark, next J. G. Cole, Found also on another roll. Succeeded these, a man of skill, The accurate and courteous Stowell. Next comes my friend, John Goodenow, A classmate, as perhaps you know. The next one's name I choose to skip,
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That hardly will escape my lip. The last, I think, was S. R. Carter, And none than him was ever smarter.
Of County Treasurers half almost, This town may be allowed to boast. First in this line was Hubbard, Levi, Whom none could skip if they should try. Then Major Mellen kept the purse, And County treasures did disburse. Then followed Stowell, "Squire" Levi, Whose name, of course, none will pass by. Another still who kept your treasure, And always did things by square measure, Was Marble N., who always fished A trout from any hole he wished. Then there was Pidgin, William A., A journalist who ranks O. K. The sixth and last, who followed then, Was Shaw, now fishing after men.
But I should be adjudged disloyal To overlook our Solon Royal, Who now just in from heated chase, Comes out ahead, and wins the race.
Of worthies many who in town In offices secured renown, I must omit for want of time To mention in familiar rhyme. Did that permit, I'd name D. D.'s Like Davis, Wilson and Estes, And King, whose life work and whose end Are famous as the Freedman's friend ; And learned professors, at least three, Our Lyford, Vose, and Stephen E., And Flora Barry, queen of song, And Dennett's name I would prolong. And Ripley, now near at your hand, The famous teacher of a band. Of men quite famous, let me say, Was Father Hooper, in his day. Few men of all of early days Had traits more worthy of our praise. The unbefriended and the poor Were always welcomed at his door. He also preached just what he thought, And by his hands his living wrought. Although not of the modern school
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And never bound by iron rule, He said and did what he deemed best, And never cared to please the rest. He always made his sermons short, And best of nags he also bought, A little wine for stomach's sake, Like Timothy he used to take ; Nor was it done behind the door, But often in the old red store. To make him change or bend his will, Was past the power of human skill. Though in derision schools he held, In native strength few him excelled. He loved, and labored, for the town, And in his day gained wide renown.
Of characters quite odd and rare, Our native town had its full share. Old Hector Fuller, grim and black, Of timid children cleared the track. Then there was witty Calvin Cole, By right divine a jolly soul. And Colburn, too, whose funny ways Remind us of our boyhood days. Among the queer ones we may note, Ben. Walton of the "anecdote." The man whose laugh might well be sung, Was that strange fellow called Bill Young. Old Uncle Job, the hermit, too, Here naturally comes into view. Were naked history my delight, The names of many I could write, Who when town-meeting day came round, Were always early on the ground- Some were the last to leave it, too, As many a roguish boy well knew. But those peculiar days are fled And now are numbered with the dead.
The merchants who their marks have made, And won success in marts of trade, Such as our Shurtleff, Ambrose K., And several others of his day, Like Deerings, Shaws, and many more, Might worthily enlarge this score. Of those who of this famous town, For wealth have earned a wide renown, Three names just now I can recall,
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Perhaps the richest of them all. First in this rank, a native son, A million strong has fairly won, Our Deering William, in the West, And, of our men, one of the best. It could not well be otherwise, The "Judge's" son was sure to rise.
The second on this gilded roll, Whom next we meet while on this stroll, Though not a native, years ago, Lived on the farm we call "Bisco." His name is Parker, Harvey D., Whom at the "Hub" you often see ; A prince of landlords, hard to beat, Whose marble halls are on School Street. The next in order, native son, Who also other honors won, Was Prentiss Henry, son of Harry, Whom Abby Rawson here did marry. Both names may well excite applause, For generous aid to virtue's cause. For lawyers, doctors, ministers, And authors, teachers, editors, And landlords, traders, and the rest,
Our town is noted for the best. Mechanics skilled, and farmers famed,
Might also well to-day be named. But I forbear-my time is gone, And possibly your patience worn. Yet I should be adjudged remiss, On an occasion such as this, Our mothers to exclude from view, Of such rare gifts and graces too. The matrons who this soil have trod, Were of a genuine, royal blood. They to society gave tone, And here their queenly virtues shone. All honor to their precious worth ! They to these famous sons gave birth. Here maidens fair and sisters sweet We were accustomed oft to greet. While scenes so hallowed we recall, Blessed be the memory of them all. Now closing this my grateful task, May not I one thing humbly ask? Is there no duty to be done,
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Before our race is fully run ? A town whose scenery is so grand, Whose fathers, nobles of the land, With gifts by nature strong and rare Combined with wise, sagacious care, Impressed their stamp on all we've seen, And benefactors true have been,
Deserves to have its history told And on immortal page enrolled, All that is worthy to be read Of both the living and the dead.
Rev. Dr. H. C. Estes read a paper giving a brief sketch of the churches and ministers in Paris, but as this will appear under the general head of Eclesiastical History, it is omitted here.
EDUCATIONAL HISTORY.
Geo. A. Wilson, Esq., of South Paris, read the Educational His- tory of Paris, as follows :
Ladies and Gentlemen :
I was requested by your centennial committee to prepare a brief address giving a History of Education in the town of Paris. I consented so to do, but at once found on attempting the same, that the history of education in this town from its earliest settlement to the present time, was a subject of such breadth and extent, and so intimately connected with all the religious and material growth and prosperity of the town, and required so much research and patient investigation, that it could not be fully treated in the few moments allotted to me in the exercises of the day. Therefore I shall but briefly touch upon a few of the most marked incidents, and in a gen- eral manner indicate the vast influence which the system of education adopted by our fathers has had, not only upon the fortunes of the indi- vidual citizens, but also upon the very life and growth of the town itself. In order to rightly understand the planting of that seed, which fell into such fruitful ground, and bore such a bountiful harvest, we ought to take a short glance at the first settlers of the town, see who they were, from whence they came, and what impress they left upon the lives and charac- ters of those who have succeeded them ; but we can only briefly say that they came from Watertown and adjacent towns in the State of Massachu- setts, and were men of integrity, honesty, native ability and acquired edu- cation. It is rarely that any new country has such men for its founders. Coming in the prime of life and in the full strength of a sturdy manhood from the parent State of Massachusetts, they brought with them into the midst of this primeval forest, and then unbroken wilderness, that spirit of culture and patriotism and strong faith in the God given principles of free- dom and religious liberty, which were the distinguishing characteristics of the citizens of that State. Descendants of those who had willingly exiled
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themselves from fatherland for conscience sake, descendants of those who had heroically endured dangers and privations, the mere mention of which to-day, might well cause the cheek of strong manhood to pale-to secure freedom for each man to worship God after the dictates of his own heart -themselves, many of them, fresh from that great conflict in which our nation was born, and in whose ears were still ringing the echoes of those glad bells which proclaimed Freedom and Independence over this broad land, they came with strong hands and brave hearts to their great enter- prise, -and it is mainly to their forethought, sagacity and earnestness in building up the free school system in this town, that we owe our past suc- cess and present prosperity.
As we open the old record books and shake off from their leaves the dust of nearly a century and a half, (for the Proprietors' records begin in 1735) we are struck with the beauty of the penmanship, and the force and cor- rectness of the language. Few records of the present day can at all com- pare with them, and as we further look and see the quaint expressions, strange to the ears of us to-day-such as "His most sacred Majesty, " and "His Majesty's Province of the Massachusetts Bay," we are forcibly reminded of the flight of time, and strange thoughts and visions of the startling events which have occurred since the hand guided the pen over the smooth surface of this page, and the generations which have come and gone like the leaves of the forest, come thronging upon us; but we must press for- ward with our task. As I have said, the first grant of Plantation No. 4, as it was then termed, was made in 1735 ; but that location failed on account of its being found to be within the limits of New Hampshire, and it was not until 1773 that the Plantation was finally located where is now the town of Paris, and in 1779 the proprietors' road was cut through from near the easterly corner to the northwesterly corner, the centennial of which occur- rence we celebrate to-day.
The Grant was on condition that the proprietors should within seven years settle sixty families, build a house for the public worship of God, and settle a Protestant minister, and lay out one-sixty-fourth part for the first settled minister, one-sixty-fourth part for the use of the ministry, one- sixty-fourth part for the use of a school, and one-sixty-fourth part for the use of Harvard College. These conditions were fulfilled except so far as the question of time entered into them, and when the grant was lotted out certain lots were set aside for the minister and ministry, and certain lots for a school. These remained unimproved for some years, until in 1799, we find an article in the warrant, to see if the town will devise some method to make the school land profitable. No action was taken under this article at the time, but at a subsequent meeting in 1804, the Selectmen were appointed a Committee to petition the General Court for leave to sell said lands. License was granted June 13, 1804, upon condition "that the net . proceeds of the said sale be and shall forever continue to be vested in some of the public funds of the United States or of this commonwealth or mort- gage of real estate, and the interest arising from the sale of the said school right, shall be applied towards the support of schools, and the interest
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arising from the sale of the ministerial right shall be applied towards the support of the ministry."
Previous to this, the Rev. James Hooper, the first settled minister of the town, had relinquished all his rights in two of said lots to the town. Under the above license, Ebenezer Rawson, Josiah Bisco and Levi Hubbard were appointed a committee of the town to make sale of the lands, and they were sold for $4530. This amount was invested, and the interest of about $3000 of this was applied generally by vote of town for the support of preaching, up to the year 1843, when John Porter, James Deering and Joseph G. 'Cole were appointed a committee to investigate the matter, and on their report, the whole amount was carried to the School Fund, and from that time to the present, the interest has been annually devoted to the sup- port of schools. This was the origin of our present School Fund, and it constitutes a permanent fund for that purpose, with the exception that by some means unexplained by the records, the principal has been reduced to $3815.
The Plantation was settled quite rapidly after 1782, and in 1793 was incor- porated as a town under the name of Paris. What were the advantages for schools during the 11 years prior to the incorporation is not recorded, and we are forced to rely upon tradition, which simply informs us that pri- vate schools were held at various houses and taught by some of the settlers. At the incorporation of the town, it was quite extensively settled, and it . was divided into five school districts, although there were as yet no school houses in any of the districts. At the first town meeting, the clerk clearly records that it was voted to accept the School Districts as divided by the Selectmen in their report. He however fails to record what that report was, so that we are left somewhat in the dark as to what were the original limits of the districts. This record reminds me of a story which they tell of Dr. True of Bethel. They say the Dr. was riding through Paris, and on passing in the road by the house where Maj. Rufus Stowell used to reside, was looking about, (the Dr. always has his scientific eye open when traveling) when his attention was attracted by the huge bowlder still to be seen in the field to the northeast of the road. His curiosity was excited and he left his team and went up to examine it. On inspection he pro- nounced it one of the largest bowlders in this section of the country, and at onee determined to write to the papers giving an account of this won- derful bowlder. Wishing to be very precise as to its height, he informed the public that it was about half as high as the white birch tree growing beside it, without giving the height of the tree. As white birch trees vary somewhat in their height, his description gave about the same idea of the height of the bowlder as the clerk's here gave of the boundaries of the district.
The record, however, gives the names of the five persons who were then elected School Agents, or Committee, as they were then termed. They were as follows :
Isaac Bolster, Abner Shaw, John Willis, Seth Carpenter, and M. B. Smith. As these were all well known citizens, we can easily decide the general location of the districts.
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Gen. Isaac Bolster, who was the grandfather of the late Gideon Bolster, resided where Jos. G. Penley now lives, and his district must have embraced what is now No. 1, the Bolster District and also what is now the South Paris District. Abner Shaw lived in the Shaw neighborhood, and his dis- triet embraced the King District and the southeastern portion of the town. M. B. Smith, who was the great grandfather of Geo. S. Titcomb, resided on the farm where Freeland Swan now lives, and his district must have included all north of what is now South Paris and west of the river. John Willis resided on the Hill, in what was then called the Centre District, and Seth Carpenter in what is called now the Partridge District, including then all north of it, Up to 1800, the town raised fifty pounds a year for the support of schools. In 1800 they raised it to $400, and it increased gradually from that time forward. The $400 raised in 1800 must have been as large a sum, in proportion, as we raise now, for in 1801 and 1802 the question of dividing the town was seriously agitated, and was voted down twice. The last time, at a town meeting called for that purpose, and held Sept. 22d, 1802, when there was a large attendance, the vote stood 41 in favor, and 51 against a division of the town. We should judge from this, that there were about one hundred qualified voters in town then.
For the first twenty years, the question came up annually as to how the school money should be divided, and was very earnestly contested, as to whether it should be divided according to the sum paid by each district, or according to the number of families in each district. The parties seem to have been very nearly equally divided, as for a number of years they alter- nated-one party gaining the victory one year and the other the next. We can see that human nature was much the same in those days as it is now, for frequently the defeated party were not satisfied with their defeat and attempted a reconsideration of the vote, so that some years they voted on it four times before the matter was finally settled. It reminds one of the fierce struggles we often have over the momentous question whether the owner of a dog shall contribute one dollar towards the public Revenue or not. It was not until 1813 that the town finally settled down on dividing the money as now done according to the number of scholars between 4 and 21.
For the first ten years there were no well defined school districts, but they were changed from year to year as circumstances seemed to require. This state of affairs did not seem to work well, and in 1800, Capt. Daniel Stowell, Capt. Jairus Shaw, Abijah Hall, John Besse, Seth Carpenter, Abijah Warren, Col. Levi Hubbard, and Lieut. Jona. Bemis were appointed a committee to make a new division of the School Districts which when agreed upon should be decisive.
In those days they rarely trusted a committee to take any decisive steps without consulting and reporting to the town, and here they incorporated in the vote the declaration that their report should be agreed upon by the town before it should be binding. From some reason this committee did not make any report, but they seem to have attended to their duty, as in 1802, the districts were ten in number, but still without any recorded
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