USA > Maine > Oxford County > Woodstock > History of Woodstock, Me., with family sketches and an appendix > Part 3
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Voted, to choose one Collector of taxes for the year ensuing.
Voted, To adjourn this meeting for half an hour.
The adjournment having expired, the inhabitants met and proceeded to make choice of a Collector of taxes for the year ensuing. Made choice of Christopher Bryant as a Collector of taxes for the year ensuing, who was duly sworn by Seth Carpenter, Justice of the Peace.
Voted, To accept of Mr. Luther Briggs and Mr. Oliver Colburn as sureties for Mr. Christopher Bryant, as a Collector of taxes for the ensuing year.
Voted, To dissolve this meeting.
A true record.
Attest : MERRILL CHASE, Plantation Clerk.
The next meeting was held at the same place on the sixth day of April of the same year. The warrant, signed by the Assessors, was directed to Christopher Bryant, Constable, and the meeting was for the purpose of casting the votes of the plantation for Governor, Lieut .- Governor, Senators and Council- lors, "agreeably to the Constitution of the said Commonwealth." The whole number of votes polled was 28. For Governor,
26
HISTORY OF WOODSTOCK.
Elbridge Gerry had 24, and Caleb Strong 4; for Lieut .- Gov- ernor, William King had 24, and William Phillips 4; for Sen- ators and Councillors, Eleazer W. Ripley and Jonathan Page each had 24, and Ebenezer Poor and Hon. Matthew Cobb had each 24 votes, and Lewis Lothrop had 4 votes. This was prob- ably the first time that there was voting for State officers in Number Three.
The third meeting was held at the same place on the 11th day of May following the last meeting, and was held for the purpose of seeing how much money the plantation would raise for thé support of schools, for repairing roads and for defraying necessary plantation charges. They voted to raise no money for the support of schools, none for the repair of roads, and twenty-five dollars for plantation charges.
The fourth meeting of this year was held on the second day of November. The warrant notified "all the male inhabitants of said plantation being twenty-one years of age, and resident in said plantation for the space of one year next preceding, having a freehold estate within said plantation of the annual income of three pounds or any estate to the value of sixty pounds, to assemble at the dwelling house of Merrill Chase, to give in their votes for a representative of the people of said Commonwealth in the Congress of the United States for the Seventh Eastern District." At this meeting eighteen votes were thrown, all for Levi Hubbard.
The fifth meeting was held at the same place as the last, on the twelfth day of November, and the warrant read the same, only the object of the meeting was to vote for electors for Presi- dent and Vice President. The whole number of votes was twenty-three, all for John Woodman, of Buxton, Theodore Mussey, of Standish, and Henry Rust, Jr., of Norway.
The next meeting was held on the eighth day of March, 1813. At this meeting all the old officers were re-elected, except the Collector of taxes. This office was set up at auction and struck off to Cornelius Perkins, the lowest bidder. Abraham Walton
27
HISTORY OF WOODSTOCK.
and Morton Curtis were accepted as the Collector's sureties. Voted to raise three hundred dollars for the making and repair of roads, and to pay one dollar per day for labor on the road done before the first day of July, and four shillings afterwards. Voted not to raise any money for the support of schools the en- suing year. Voted to raise twenty-five dollars for town charges.
The second meeting for this year was held on the fifteenth day of April. At this meeting Cornelius Perkins, Samuel Bry- ant and Luther Whitman were chosen highway surveyors, and the plantation voted "to allow seventy-five cents per day for oxen before the first day of July, and fifty cents per day after- wards, and to allow seventeen cents per day for a cart, and for a plough fifty cents."
The next meeting was held on the fifth day of April, and for the purpose of voting for Governor and other State officers. The number of votes polled was twenty-four. The fourth meeting for this year was holden on the fourteenth day of September, and the chief business was " to see if the plantation will choose an agent for the purpose of appearing to defend against an action concerning the roads, at the Court of Common Pleas, holden at Paris in November next." At the meeting, Stephen Chase was chosen agent for the purposes aforesaid, and - the employment of an attorney was left to his discretion.
The fifth meeting was held on the twenty-second day of November, the object being to raise money for making and re- pairing roads, and additional for defraying town charges. Four hundred dollars were voted for making and repairing roads, and forty dollars additional for defraying necessary town charges.
The next meeting was held on the fifteenth day of March, 1814. The old officers were all re-elected. Stephen Chase was voted five dollars for attending court two terms. Voted to allow Capt. Perham and others eight dollars for powder expended at muster the eighth day of October last. Voted to raise thirty dollars for defraying town charges, twelve hundred dollars for making and repairing roads, and one hundred dollars for the sup-
28
HISTORY OF WOODSTOCK.
port of schools. Josiah Dudley, Samuel Bryant and Luther Whit- man were chosen highway surveyors. The price per day on the road was fixed at one dollar and twenty-five cents, and the taxes were struck off to Cornelius Perkins at seven cents on the dollar.
The second meeting for 1814 was held on the fourth day of April, " to see if the plantation will petition the General Court for an act of incorporation," and to attend to some minor busi- ness. It was voted to petition the General Court for an act of incorporation. It was also voted to accept the School Districts as made up by the assessors, and Merrill Chase, Alexander Day, John Billings, Cornelius Perkins and John Gray were chosen school agents, the first in the plantation.
The next meeting was holden on the fourth day of April, and was the annual election for the choice of Governor and other State officers. For Governor, Caleb Strong had one vote and Samuel Dexter twenty-eight; for Lieut .- Governor, William Phillips had one and William Gray twenty-eight; for Senators, Daniel Stowell had one and Albion K. Parris had twenty-eight. This was during the war and politics run high. Rowse Bisbee threw the only whig vote.
The third meeting this year was held on the seventh day of November, and was for the purpose of raising money to pay arrears of town charges, and "to see if the town will allow Capt. Perham and others their accounts for assisting and pro- viding for the militia after being called out to march to Portland." At this meeting ninety dollars were raised for defraying arrears of town charges, and Capt. Perham was allowed five dollars and sixty-seven cents for his account.
The next meeting was held on the seventh day of November, to vote for representative to Congress. The " male inhabitants of said plantation, being twenty-one years of age next preced- ing, having a freehold estate within said plantation, of the annual income of ten dollars, or any estate to the value of two hundred dollars, were notified and warned to meet," &c. At this
29
HISTORY OF WOODSTOCK.
meeting Albion K. Parris had eighteen votes and Samuel A. Bradley one. This was the last plantation meeting. Before the time for the next meeting for the choice of plantation officers, an act of incorporation had been passed, and the next meeting was for the acceptance of the charter, and if accepted, to act under it.
The organized plantation life of Woodstock was short-less than three years. A glance at the proceedings of the several meetings will show some of the difficulties under which the in- habitants labored. They were poor, and money for any purpose, except to supply their own wants, could not be raised without great sacrifice. They were obliged now to bear the burdens of taxation for State and County purposes, and when it came to raising money to be expended in the plantation, they reduced it to the smallest possible amount. At the first meeting nothing was voted for roads or schools and only twenty-five dollars for all purposes. No highway surveyors were chosen. At the first meeting in 1813, it was voted to raise three hundred dollars for roads but still nothing for schools. The results of the first year's policy were now beginning to be felt. A suit was brought against the plantation for bad roads and they were obliged to send an agent to Paris to look after it. The next year they raised twelve hundred dollars for making and repairing roads ; this was more than twenty-five dollars for each head of a family in the plantation. But they had a long stretch of road in pro- portion to their numbers, roads that were hilly and liable to wash out and easily get out of repair. For two years they voted not to raise anything for the support of schools. Of course, there were those in the plantation who desired to have public schools, or the question would not have been raised, but the majority were opposed and it was voted down. The ma- jority doubtless felt that bread and clothing for their children were of greater importance than education, and many of them felt that they were not able to have all three.
A copy of the first tax assessed in the plantation by virtue
30
HISTORY OF WOODSTOCK.
of orders from the County Treasurer and the warrant of Levi Hubbard, in 1812, the main points of which have already been given, will indicate the financial standing of each of the in- habitants at that time, and is reproduced here. The sum of the State, Town and County tax is set against the name of each person, and this includes two polls, the Town and County 20, and the State 27 cents.
Bisbee, Rowse
Total, $0.98
Hammond, Enoch
Total, $0.96
Bryant, Solomon
1.06
Lothrop, Edward
0.71
Bryant, Samuel
66
0.79
Nason, John
0.74
Briggs, Luther
0.56
Nutting, James
66 0.74
Bryant, Christopher
66
0.63
Perkins, Cornelius
1.27
Colburn, Jerathmel
0.90
Perham, Lemuel, Jr.
66 0.71
Curtis, Seth
0.95
Pezham, Jotham
0.92
Curtis, Charles
0.74
Perham, Lemuel
0.95
Chase, Stephen
0.95
Rand, Lazarus
0.90
Curtis, Noah, Jr.
1.19
Rand, David
0.47
Curtis, Morton
66
1.22
Ricker, David
0.96
Curtis, Noah (no polls)
0.64
Swan, William (2 polls)
1.50
Chase, Merrill
1.27
Swan, Gideon
0.95
Drew, Levi
0.58
Townsend, George
66
1.45
Dudley, Jos. & Bro. (2 pls.) "
1.26
Thurlow, Asa
0.47
Dow, Benaiah
1.03
Thurlow, Amos
1.19
Day, Alexander
66
0.74
Walton, Jonathan
1.19
Fuller, Consider
66
0.71
Walton, Abraham
1.59
Felt (Widow) (no poll)
0.19
Whitman, Joseph
1.19
Fobes, Benj.
1.22
Whitman, Luther
1.59
Hutchinson, Solomon
0.97
Whitman, Jacob
1.54
The entire tax upon the resident owners (forty-two families) was only forty-one dollars and seventy-eight cents, a trifle less than one dollar on the average to each family.
A glance at this tax list shows that the following persons had moved in during the organized plantation period: Josiah Churchill, from Buckfield, lived on the hill south-east of Chase's ; William Cotton had moved into the east part ; Otis and Thayer Townsend had perhaps become of age; Daniel Dacy had moved to the east part, Jerathmel Colburn also, and likewise John Lunt; David Dow, brother of Benaiah, had come in; Jeremiah Felt had become of age; Richard Green had come ; John Bil-
31
HISTORY OF WOODSTOCK.
lings had come to the Captain Cole place, since called, and Thomas Farrar was in the plantation. James Nutting had moved to Greenwood, and perhaps one or two others had moved out, but there were now forty-two persons in town liable to be taxed, and who were taxed. And now, after less than three years of plantation existence, the inhabitants were ambitious to be incorporated as a town and assume the additional burdens and obligations which such a change would impose upon them. Heretofore they had been exempt from the support of paupers, which, as a town, they would be obliged to assume, all of which they subsequently found out. But there were certain privileges they would enjoy as a town which as a plantation they could not have, and this probably decided them in favor of a town.
Following is a copy of the petition sent to the General Court by the assessors, pursuant to a vote of the plantation :
" To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, on the last Wednesday of May, A. D. 1814 :
" The subscribers, assessors of an unincorporated Plantation called Number Three, in the County of Oxford, in behalf of said plantation, represent that we experience much inconvenience in consequence of being unincorporated. We therefore request that said Plantation Number Three, consisting of one- half of a township granted to Dummer Academy, and one-half a township granted to Gorham Academy, may be incorporated into a town by the name of Sparta, and as in duty bound will ever pray.
May 14, 1814.
MERRILL CHASE, CORNELIUS PERKINS, JOTHAM PERHAM."
The petition having been sent to the General Court at Boston, was favorably considered, and in due time the following act was passed and was signed by the Governor :
"COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN.
" An act to establish the town of Woodstock.
" SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, that the half
·
32
HISTORY OF WOODSTOCK.
township granted to Dummer Academy and the half township granted to Gorham Academy, said half townships lying within the County of Oxford, be and hereby are established as a town by the name of Woodstock, within the following described boundaries, viz : Beginning at the north-west corner of the town of Paris, thence south 6812 degrees east on the northerly line of said Paris to the north-west corner of said town; thence north 14 degrees west on the line of the town of Sumner, 360 rods : thence north 7 degrees west, on the line of said Sumner, 480 rods, to a beech tree standing in the north-east corner of said Sumner; thence north 10 degrees west, 320 rods, to a tree marked; thence north 6812 degrees east, 80 rods, to a tree marked; thence north 734 rods to a spruce tree marked and standing in the north-east corner of a half township granted to Gorham Academy ; thence south 6812 degrees west, 1664 rods, to a beech tree standing in the north-west corner of said grant to Gorham Academy; thence on the same course on the north line of a half township granted to Dummer Academy, 3 miles and 8 rods, to the north-west corner of said half township, near the westerly side of a pond (Bryant's) ; thence south 30 degrees east on the westerly line of said last mentioned half township, 6 miles, to the first mentioned bound. And the inhabitants of the said town of Woodstock are hereby vested with all the powers and privileges and subject to the like duties and requisitions of other towns, according to the Constitution and laws of the Commonwealth.
"SECTION 2. Be it further enacted that any Justice of the Peace, for the County of Oxford, is hereby authorized to issue a warrant directed to a free- holder of the said town of Woodstock, requiring of him to notify and warn the inhabitants thereof to meet at such convenient time and place as shall be expressed in said warrant, for the choice of such officers as towns are required to choose at their annual town meetings.
[Approved Feb. 7, 1815.]"
It is said that political questions of the day had something to do with the refusal of the committee to report the name of " Sparta," as prayed for by the assessors, but there is nothing on record to show what they were. The reason why they se- lected the name of Woodstock is equally obscure, but the sub- stitution was generally quite satisfactory to the people of the plantation.
The act having become a law, the inhabitants at once adopted measures for carrying it into effect. In pursuance thereof, the following warrant was obtained and duly posted :
33
HISTORY OF WOODSTOCK.
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.
OXFORD, SS.
To Seth Curtis, of Woodstock, in the County of Oxford, one of the freeholders and inhabitants of said town, GREETING :
You are hereby required, in the name of said Commonwealth, to notify and warn the inhabitants of said town of Woodstock, qualified by law to vote in the choice of town officers, to meet at the dwelling house of Noah Curtis, in said town of Woodstock, on Monday, the 20th day of March instant, at ten o'clock in the forenoon, for the purpose of making choice of all such officers as towns are required to choose in the months of March or April, annually.
Given under my hand and seal at Paris, this sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifteen.
ALBION K. PARRIS, Justice of the Peace.
Upon the reverse side of this warrant, is the following return : OXFORD, SS. WOODSTOCK, March 20, 1815.
Pursuant to the within warrant, I have notified and warned the male in- habitants of said town, qualified to vote in town meeting, to meet at the time and place, and for the purposes within mentioned.
SETH CURTIS.
As this was the first meeting held under the act of incorpora- tion, the full proceedings as recorded upon the records of the town are here given :
At a legal meeting of the inhabitants of the town of Woodstock qualified to vote in the choice of town officers, held at the dwelling house of Noah Curtis, in said town, on Monday, the 20th day of March, in the year of our Lord 1815, at ten o'clock in the forenoon, the meeting being opened by read- ing the warrant, the inhabitants proceeded, agreeably to said warrant, to make choice of the following officers for the ensuing year, viz :
1st. Chose Mr. Rowse Bisbee, Moderator, to govern said meeting.
2d. Chose Stephen Chase, Town Clerk, who was duly sworn to the faithful discharge of the duties of his office as the law directs, by me,
ROWSE BISBEE, Moderator.
3d. Voted, To choose three Selectmen.
4th. Chose Messrs. Cornelius Perkins, Alexander Day and John Billings, Selectmen. Each of said Selectmen, on the same day, personally appeared · · and gave oath to the faithful discharge of the duties of the office of Select- man.
5th. Voted, To choose the Assessors separate from the Selectmen.
3
34
HISTORY OF WOODSTOCK.
6th. Chose 'Messrs. John Gray, Jr., Richard Green and Josiah Dudley, Assessors, who were duly sworn.
7th. Chose Mr. Seth Curtis, Treasurer.
8th. Chose Luther Whitman, Collector of taxes.
9th. Voted, To accept Solomon Bryant and Seth Curtis, sureties for Luther Whitman, Collector of taxes. Said Whitman agreed to collect the taxes for five per cent.
10th. Chose Mr. Luther Whitman, Constable.
11th. Chose Messrs. Jotham Perham, Solomon Bryant, Jacob Whitman, Seth Curtis, Aaron Davis, Jr., Lazarus Rand and Enoch Hammond, Surveyors of Roads.
12th. Chose Samuel Bryant, Surveyor of Lumber.
13th. Chose Messrs. Alexander Day and Cornelius Perkins, Fence Viewers.
14th. Chose Jacob Whitman and Cornelius Perkins, Tything men.
15th. Chose Mr. Rowse Bisbee, Sealer of Weights and Measures.
16th. Chose Messrs. Cornelius Perkins and David Ricker, Field Drivers.
17th. Chose Messrs. Merrill Chase, John Gray, Jr., Josiah Churchill, Amos Thurlow and Richard Green, Hogreeves.
18th. Chose Messrs. Luther Whitman, Josiah Churchill and Josiah Dudley, Pound Keepers.
19th. Chose Messrs. Noah Curtis, Jr., Luther Whitman, Stephen Chase, Enoch Hammond and Josiah Dudley, School Committee.
20th. Chose Mr. Richard Green, Sealer of Moulds for Brick.
All the above officers, as the record shows, were duly sworn by the Town Clerk.
Voted, to dissolve the meeting.
A true record.
Attest : STEPHEN CHASE, Town Clerk.
An abstract of the proceedings of a few subsequent meetings is here given, as showing the methods of managing their town affairs.
At a meeting holden April 3, 1815, at the house of Noah Curtis, which was on the farm in the Curtis neighborhood, after- wards occupied by his son Seth and still later by his grandson Adoniram, Rowse Bisbee acting still as Moderator, it was voted to raise $700 to be expended on roads and $100 for schools; it was voted not to raise any money to defray town charges. At this meeting, accounts against the town were presented and allowed as follows: Samuel Bryant, $12.01 for powder, rum and whiskey ; Seth Curtis, $6.12 for work on the County road
35
HISTORY OF WOODSTOCK.
and for whiskey. A committee of accounts, composed of the Selectmen, was chosen, to audit accounts and report on the state of the treasury. The meeting was adjourned to meet again at Josiah Churchill's on the sixteenth of May. At the adjourned meeting no business was transacted. But a meeting was held on the same day, by virtue of a warrant issued May 2d, at which several roads laid out by the Selectmen were accepted, and the Selectmen were instructed to protect the public lands from trespass. Solomon Bryant and Cornelius Perkins were appointed agents to superintend the working out of arrears of highway taxes. Voted to raise $110 to defray town charges. The assessors were directed to take a new valu- ation. Seth Curtis was directed to procure a chest for keeping the town books and records.
1136846
At a meeting holden September 19th of the same year, Rowse Bisbee, Stephen Chase, Jacob Whitman, Noah Curtis, Jr., Mer- rill Chase, David Ricker, Cornelius Perkins, John Billings, Aaron Davis, Aaron Davis, Jr., Amos Thurlow, Richard Green, John Gray, Jotham Perham, Josiah Dudley, Consider Fuller and Luther Whitman were confirmed as the list of Jurymen. Cor- nelius Perkins was the first name drawn out to serve in the Court of Common Pleas, to be holden at Paris on the first Tuesday of October, 1816. This ended the meetings for the . year 1815.
The annual meeting for the election of town officers for 1816, was holden at the dwelling house of Josiah Churchill, whose place was between the Chases and the Curtis neighborhood, on the west part of the farm since owned by Aaron M. Irish. The old town officers, with some trifling exceptions, were re-elected. It was voted to accept of the School Districts as laid out by the Selectmen. This revision is given under the head of Education. At this meeting, one hundred and fifty dollars were raised to defray town charges, and one hundred and twenty-five dollars for the support of schools. At an adjourned meeting holden April first, it was voted " to set up the town's poor to the lowest
36
HISTORY OF WOODSTOCK.
bidder." Joseph Clifford and wife were bid off by John Gray for $90. It was voted to petition the General Court for per- mission to sell the public land. Several roads were accepted, one " from the town road to Amariah Harrises." Voted to build a brick house for the town ammunition. At a meeting held May 20th, $100 were raised for the support of the poor; this was the first experience of the town in this direction. On the same day the town voted on the question of separation from Massachusetts, and twenty-three votes were thrown in favor and none opposed. In a note the Clerk adds: "The whole number of voters in Woodstock was found to be forty-five." September 2d of the same year, another meeting was held to vote on the question of separation, and thirty-five voted in favor and none against.
At the March meeting, 1817, Samuel Stephens was chosen a Selectman ; Stephen Packard bid off the Collectorship at two per cent .; $125 were raised to defray town charges, $600 for the repair of roads and $125 for schools. At a meeting held April 7th, Stephen Chase, Josiah Dudley and Merrill Chase were chosen a committee to divide the non-resident lands into school districts, the organization of districts the year previ- ous having been made without reference to land. Joseph Clifford having died, Luther Whitman bid off his widow at ninety cents per week. Lemuel Perham bid off Sally Warren and two children at sixty-nine cents per week. On the second day of June, a meeting was held, at which " old Mrs. Lucy Swan" was set up at auction and struck off to Samuel Stephens at $1.09 per week. Dr. Benjamin Chandler, of Paris, was chosen town physician. Voted to sell the personal property of the late Joseph Clifford belonging to the town. Voted to accept a road from Luther Briggs' to Jacob Twitchell's, according to Rowse Bisbee's minutes. Other meetings were held this year, but the proceedings were unimportant.
In 1818, the annual meeting was holden March 2d, at the house of Seth Curtis. The town officers were nearly the same
37
HISTORY OF WOODSTOCK.
as the year before. Jonathan Fickett was chosen a tything man, Charles B. Brooks, hogreeve, and Caleb Bessee and Wil- liam Davis were on the Board of School Committee. Raised $100 for town charges, $800 for roads and $150 for schools. Lucy Swan was struck off to Samuel Bryant at $1.50 per week. At a meeting, March 16th, the Selectmen were directed to dispose of the personal effects of Lucy Swan. April 6th, a new list of jurors was accepted, as follows: John Billings, Jotham Perham, Rowse Bisbee, Merrill Chase, Noah Curtis, Jr., Charles Curtis, Luther Whitman, Samuel Stephens, Jacob Whitman, Alexander Day, Richard Green, Seth Curtis, Amos Thurlow, Aaron Davis, Aaron Davis, Jr., Stephen Chase, David Ricker, Consider Fuller, Jonathan Fickett, John Gray, Josiah Dudley, William Davis and Cornelius Perkins. Capt. Samuel Stephens was chosen agent to contract with Jonathan T. Clif- ford for the support of his mother ; $150 raised for support of poor. Voted to suspend the law of the General Court, respect- ing the killing of certain useful birds at certain seasons of the year. September 10th, $200 was raised to repair the west County road, and Cornelius Perkins empowered to expend the money. Lemuel Perham was allowed one dollar per week for the last five weeks he kept Sally Warren and her two children. On the second day of November, a meeting was called at the house of Stephen Chase to vote for a member of Congress, but no one came to vote.
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