USA > New York > Chenango County > Oxford > Annals of Oxford, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and early pioneers > Part 5
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his wife on the farm, it was occupied by Daniel 3d, who in April, 1833 sold it to Henry Balcom and moved to Towns- end, N. Y., where he died March 16, 1858, aged 74 years. He married in Oxford, Mary Havens, who died September 22, 1854, in Townsend. Children all born in Oxford :
Lucy, born in 1803, died July, 1865, in Havana, N. Y. ; married in Oxford Cyrus B. Main. Children : Louisa, married in Townsend, George Corwin; died in Havana, 1872. Philura, married William Cushing; died in Dix, N. Y., 1862. Alonzo, married M. Eliza Collins; died in Dix. Tracy . C., married Ellen Haumer, both reside in Ithaca.
ISAAC J., born October 15, 1805; died April 11, 1891; married November 16, 1828, Lydia Beverly. Children: James M. ; married (1) Ann Chapman ; married (2) in Penn- sylvania. Eunice A., born August 9, 1831; died August 11, 1843. Sarah J., married George H. Chapman. Elmon L., married Roxana L. Ransom. Had three children, one living.
EUNICE, born 1807; died July 6, 1840; married Caspar Evans. Had two children.
IRA, born August 9, 1809; died May 25, 1881; married Cornelia Chase. Had seven children.
ALBERT, born September, 1812; died January 24, 1884; unmarried.
EBENEZER, born April, 1815; died January 20, 1894; married Catherine M. Chapman.
DANIEL 4th, born January 24, 1817; died October 12, 1877; married (1) Sarah A. Lewis; married (2) Louisa Watkins in Havana, N. Y. Four children by first wife, two by the second.
SYLVANUS H., born February 3, 1820; died May 11,
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1887; married (1) Maria Hamilton in Townsend; married (2) Maria A. Chapman. One daughter by first wife.
JOHN G., born January 3, 1822; married April 1, 1855, Mrs. Sarah A. Evans, both residing at Townsend.
MARY TRACY, sister of Uri, Hial and Daniel, was born September 22, 1722, in Norwich, Ct. She came to Oxford and married Daniel Baldwin of East McDonough, N. Y. Her death occurred January 7, 1829, at the age of 56. Children : Mary, died July 23, 1860, aged 56; married Pardon Smith, of Oxford. Jemima, died May 14, 1886, aged 79; married Horace Corbin of McDonough. Electra, died young.
JONATHAN BALDWIN owned a piece of flat land I
above the river bridge. One summer after he had cut a fine quality of grass and cocked it up the river rose rapidly from a heavy storm and carried the cocks down the river. On discovering his loss he hastened to the bridge and as a particularly large cock was about to pass under, threw his pitchfork into it exclaiming : "If God Al- mighty wants that hay, he wants a fork to pitch it with."
T HE FIRST PHYSICIAN to settle in Oxford was Dr. Timothy Eliot, who was born at Killingworth, Ct., in 1773. But little is on record of him except that he died November 2, 1796.
T HE FORT HILL MILL was built in 1793 or '4, by Theodore Burr and Jonathan Baldwin, the former of whom owned it. It is still "grinding away."
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And him who, with the steady sledge, Smites the shrill anvil all day long .- BRYANT.
McNeil Family.
John McNeil, born December 4, 1767, and Mary (Wise) McNeil, born December 8, 1770, with their two sons, Ira and Luman, came to Oxford from Hillsdale, Columbia county, in February, 1791. They first settled in the vicin- ity of Lake Warn, a few years thereafter removed to the place next below the Lobdell farm, where he died July 26, 1832, aged 64. His wife died March 15, 1843, aged 73.
At the time of their arrival there were but one frame and some two or three log houses where the village now stands; consequently they became familiar with the priva- tions and hardships inseparably connected with a new and unsettled country, when but a lodging place had been made in our village, and all around it was dense forests, in which roamed wild beasts, from which at night their roar and angry cries could be heard.
Mr. McNeil took up a hundred acres of land, but was chiefly occupied with his trade, that of blacksmith. Mrs. McNeil was one of the few who constituted the Baptist church in this village. Children :
IRA, born October 30, 1789; married Clarinda Houck of Lee, Mass. Worked several years with his father at black- smithing, which he afterwards pursued in the village till his death, October 30, 1841, aged 52. His wife died March 27, 1841, aged 53. Children :
JOHN, died February 9, 1893; married Helen L., daughter of General Chas. M. Reed of Erie, Pa. They lived the latter part of
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their lives in Elmira, N. Y., where they died. Children: Charles, Rufus, Clara, Agnes, Nelly, Frankie, John and Mary. CHARLES, married Mary Jane Denison of Oxford. Moved to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1853, where he died January 27, 1900, aged 84. Mrs. McNeil still resides in that city. Children; Frank, born in 1841 ; married (I) Lois LeVake; married (2) Johannah Fitzgerald. (Three children by first marriage, Nelly, William and Mary). William Denison, born in 1844, went into the Civil war, contracted army fever and died at home August 25, 1864. Abby Jane, married Julius M. Carrington of Mich- igan and lives in Cleveland, Ohio. (Three children, Anna Denison, Mary Belle, and Charles McNeil). HENRY, married and died in California. PETER S. S., married Abby Billings of Elmira, where they both lived and died. His death occurring February 21, 1881, aged 55. FREDERICK B., died November 3, 1893, aged 67; mar- ried (1) Eliza A. Bradley, who died in 1870, leaving one child Kate; married (2) Mrs. Susan White, who died January 9, 1906. Kate, daughter of Frederick B, and Eliza (Bradley) McNeil; married Sidney Dennis, died in Iowa in 1888, leaving two sons and one daughter. LEVERET, married, lived and died in Elmira. KATE, married (1) Benjamin Nichols of Lee, Mass .; married (2) Andrew Craig of Jasper, N. Y. Children: Edward, Andrew and Albert, twins, and Charles.
LUMAN, born January 31, 1792 ; married in 1810, Fitche Church of Oxford, with whom he lived for a period of more than sixty-five years. In 1813 he moved to Cov- entryville and there worked at his trade as a blacksmith until 1815, when he returned to Oxford and took up his residence in this village. He remained for nearly thirty years, when he retired to the farm where his long life was peacefully and quietly closed December 23, 1879, at the age of 88. From 1849 to 1853, Mr. McNeil was postmaster, and from time to time held many town offices. He was the last survivor of the earliest settlers and residents of the town and village. Mrs. McNeil died May 20, 1876, aged 87. Children : George, born May 18, 1816; died February 10, 1883. Fitche, (adopted) died December 15, 1845, aged 19.
SOPHIA, born February 7, 1794; died January 1, 1866; married Erastus Smith.
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LEWIS, born August 27, 1796 ; died in Delaware county ; married Clara Warn. Children : Andrew, James, Dwight, John, Thomas, Ann Eliza, married Leveret Rathbone of Greene; Elizabeth, Susan, married George N. Palmer of Chenango Forks, N. Y., died January 2, 1905, in Elmira ; Julia, married Andrew J. Rockwell ; died February 3, 1905, in Elmira.
CHARLOTTE, born December 6, 1798; died December 29, 1891, in South Oxford; married David Willoughby.
JOHN G., born March 17, 1800; died January 31, 1866. Unmarried.
ANDREW M., born September 17, 1805; died January 23, 1868, in Oxford. Married Eliza Maria Smith, died July 31, 1887, aged 71. Children :
GEORGE L., born February 13, 1837; married Lucia Miller of South Oxford, born September 17, 1838. Children: Merrrit A., born February 23, 1866; died March 18, 1893, E. WARD, born April 5, 1869. CLARK, born April 27, 1839; married Marion Webb of Oxford. Child- ren : Nellie, married Norris Carnegie; Mary, married Eli Willcox. MARY SOPHIA, born June 28, 1841; died January 7, 1852. MIL- LARD D., (See article following). FITCHE, born December 25, 1847; died July 8, 1848.
CHARLES A., born November 17, 1807; died May 30, 1884, in Lanesboro, Pa. ; married Philura Main, who died November 25, 1879, in Oxford, aged 73. Children : Ray, died November 22, 1847, aged 17; Theodore F., married Mary Annette Westover; Harriet, married Frank A. Lyon of Lanesboro, Pa. ; Achsa, married Edward F. Phelps of Binghamton.
MILLARD D. McNEIL was born September 12, 1844, on the farm now owned by Mrs. Alice E. McCall one mile below the village. He spent his early years in labor upon the farm and in attending the common schools, finishing his education at Oxford Academy. His first work away from home was teaching district school; but one term satisfied
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him that that profession was not to his liking and he se- cured a clerkship at a small salary in the store of William Balcom, then a leading groceryman of Oxford. After a few years he entered the dry goods business, associated with his brother George and Cyrus A. Bacon. After a short time the partnership was dissolved and Mr. McNeil accepted a clerkship in the mercantile firm of Clarke Broth- ers, where he developed a shrewd business insight which eventually led to his entrance into the firm as junior part- ner. Here he became identified with the leading commer- cial and business interests of the town. Retiring from the firm in 1885, he embarked in the grocery trade with W. A. Carl, whose interest he subsequently purchased and conducted the business until he disposed of it to Whitney & Pughe. Mr. McNeil was appointed postmaster by Presi- dent Mckinley in 1899, and reappointed by President Roosevelt in 1903. He married January 8, 1868, Mary A. Flagg, of Smithville, N. Y. Children : Clarence H., mar- ried January 18,1899, Elise Hampton of Poughkeepie ; en- tered West Point Military Academy in 1892; graduated in June, 1896, with rank of Second Lieutenant. Now holds the rank of Captain and is stationed at Fort Totten, New York harbor. Frederick A., teller First National Bank, Oxford.
B RADFORD CHURCH, born December 7, 1795, in Oxford; died December 26, 1884, at Rock Falls, Iowa. At an early age he married Miss Anna W. Barnes of Oxford, who died in October, 1884, at Como, Ill., aged 87 years.
D ACRE WARNE was the original settler of the land on which is located the pleasure resort now known as Lake Warn.
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Thou bringest * Letters unto trembling hands,-TENNYSON.
Mail Service in Early Days.
In the early days of the town before the official appoint- ment of any regular post-rider, letters were carried by chance travelers. The tavern and family rooms in private houses were used as gathering places for the mail. Letters were thrown carelessly on an open table or tavern bar, for all comers to pull over till the owners claimed them.
Uri Tracy was Oxford's first postmaster, and John Tracy succeeded him soon after his arrival in 1805, holding the office till 1838, when Peleg Glover was appointed. Fol- lowing is the succession of postmasters : James W. Clarke, 1841 ; Cyrus A. Bacon, 1843; Luman McNeil, 1849; Cyrus A. Bacon, 1853; James W. Glover, 1861; Benjamin M. Pearne, 1878; Frederick P. Newkirk, 1886; Bradford G. Greene, 1890; Herbert Emerson, 1895; Millard D. McNeil, the present incumbent, 1899.
In 1802 the only post-town in Chenango county bore the name of " Oxford Academy."
In 1817, the postmaster at Oxford received a salary of $127.93; at Norwich $103.20, and Bainbridge a yearly sum of $6.00.
In 1826 it took a calfskin to pay the postage on a letter. It is told of a woman of that day, who received notice from the postmaster that she had a letter upon which twenty-five cents were due, and not having that amount of money, she without help killed and skinned a calf, selling the hide to
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a tanner, for which she received twenty-five cents and was thus enabled to get her letter.
The first mail carrier was Charles Thorp, of whom noth- ing is now known.
When the postoffice was established at McDonough, about 1825, the mail was carried on horseback in saddle- bags to that place from Oxford every Saturday.
F OURTH OF JULY BATTLES .- During the early '20s and even many years later, the boys of the east and west sides of the village used to gather every Fourth of July and fire any old missle at each other. Those on the east side were stationed at the base of Fort Hill, and those on the west side on Navy Island. The engagement was usually watched by many spectators, who loudly ap- plauded when an especially effective "shot" was made. After the sport became monotonous a flag of truce was raised and hostilities ceased. As both parties were satis- fied a retreat was ordered, those on the east side retiring to a point near the Fort Hill block and then to the com- mon, now Washington park, in front of Perkins Hotel. The west side boys retired to the common, now La Fay- ette park, where the usual fun and frolic of Independence Day was indulged in by each party to their heart's con- tent. In those days Independence Day was not forgot- ten, and the erection of a Liberty pole on the common on the west side of the town was an episode of yearly occur- rence. It was guarded all night lest the east side boys might capture it.
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"I despise them all. If," said Mr. Stiggins, "if there is any of them less odious than another, it is the liquor called rum-warm, my dear young friend, with three lumps of sugar to the tumbler."-DICKENS.
Bartle Family.
John W. Bartle came from Germany previous to the Revolution and settled in Columbia county, and in or about the year 1791 removing to Oxford with his six sons and one daughter, and failing by some wrong doing of others to secure land which had been promised him, set- tled on the west side of Chenango river at the mouth of Bowman's creek, four miles below the village, on the place owned and occupied for many years by his great- grandson, Erwin D. Bartle. There Mr. Bartle kept the first inn in the town, and there he, his son David, his grandson West, and his great-grandson Erwin D. Bartle, lived and died. His children were:
JOHN, a harness maker by trade, who lived and plied his vocation in various parts of the town in which he also died. He married (1) Miss Duffey, by whom he had ten children ; married (2) Lydia Tuttle, who bore him ten more. Nineteen children attended his funeral.
PETER, born September 24, 1769; died in Ohio, March 22, 1831. He located on what was afterwards known as the Jacob Buckley farm, and was a surveyor, running all the township's lines in this vicinity. He married twice; his first wife was Tabitha Loomis, daughter of Benaiah Loomis. This marriage, which took place in May, 1795, was the first one contracted in the town. Four children
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were born to them : Annis, Uri, Caroline, and Lot. Soon after the close of the war of 1812, Mr. Bartle went west, where he contracted his second marriage and had seven children.
HENDRICK, took up his residence where Cyrus Crandall now lives ; married Tabitha White, by whom he had eight children. Both he and his wife continued to reside on the homestead where they settled until their deaths.
PHILIP, born in 1772, settled where Lewis Ketchum now lives; married Betsey Loomis, born in 1770, a daugh- ter of Benaiah Loomis, and with whom he lived in unbroken harmony nearly seventy years. They had no children. " Mr. Bartle built the first school house and his wife was the first teacher," says the State Gazetteer ; but it appears that the Academy was the first school house and Uri Tracy the first teacher. "Uncle Philip" and "Aunt Betty," as they were familiarly known, were universally kind to all, and their home on Panther Hill was known far and wide as a haven of rest for the poor and needy, and of unbounded hospitality. Mr. Bartlelater in life bought the farm where Harvey J. Stratton now lives, where he died October 1, 1861, in his 90th year. Mrs. Bartle died July 28, 1864, aged 94 years.
ANDREW, married and settled in South Oxford; he afterward moved with his family to Junius, N. Y., where he and his wife died.
DAVID, succeeded to the ownership of the homestead, where he and his wife, Rhoda West, died. Eight children were born to them.
ELIZABETH, married Henry Gordon.
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Joy to the Toiler !- him that tills The fields with Plenty crowned; Him with the woodsman's axe that thrills The wilderness profound .- HATHAWAY.
Solomon Dodge.
Solomon Dodge was born in 1767 in Vermont and came to Oxford in 1791 from Sidney in company with Daniel Tucker. There were but two houses in the village at that time. He was in the employment of General Hovey and worked under him in cutting the road from the Unadilla river to the Chenango at Oxford. His second coming to Oxford was in the fall of 1795 in company with Mrs. Jona- than Baldwin, who came through from Egremont, Mass. At this time he settled on what is known as the Morse farm, owned by Alpha and Edward Morse. Mr. Dodge made a small clearing, using the logs to build his first house, which had neither chimney or windows, excepting a hole in the roof and a blanket for a door. After he had cut the trees far enough away so that they would not fall on the building, he put up a second log house, which was considered quite luxurious, for it had doors, windows and chimney. He married Dorcas Burlingame not far from 1796, who was born March 12, 1766, in Vermont. She had one sister, Azubah, and one brother, Ritchison, who was the first surveyor of the town. Mr. Dodge sold out in 1802, to Daniel Denison, and returned to Willet where he purchased a large farm, but meeting with many re- verses, returned to Oxford after five or six years and set- tled west of the village in what is known as " Dodge Hol- low," where he died of numb palsy in April, 1830. The only descendants of Mr. Dodge now living in Oxford, are
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Herbert Emerson, B. M. Emerson, and John E. Jones. Mr. Dodge was a lover of a good horse and in his day owned many fine ones. While living in "Dodge Hollow" he built a race track on his farm, which on many occasions called together the sportsmen of that day to witness the strife between the owners of fast steppers. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Dodge lived with her daughter, Mrs. Gideon Lawton in McDonough, where she died in 1845. Children, all born in Oxford :
MARSHALL, married Abigail Lawton, and was a clothier. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and when dying ex- pressed a wish to be buried in Oxford, his birthplace. He was buried in the cemetery a mile aud a half west of Ox- ford on the old State road. His grave like many other sol- diers of that war, is uncared for. The greater part of his life was spent in McDonough.
HARRY, married Mary Blackman, daughter of Elijah Blackman of Oxford; lived in McDonough for several years and then moved away, and all trace of him and his family has been lost.
POLLY, twin to Harry, married Gideon Lawton, and lived for several years in Oxford, and then moved to Mc- Donough where they both died. Children : Thomas, Eliza, Harry, Lucinda, and Russell, born in Oxford; Almira, William, and Charles, who died in boyhood, born in Mc- Donough. All went to Pennsylvania, excepting Eliza, who married Moses Emerson of McDonough, and Lucinda, who lived with her grandfather Dodge until she was fifteen. She married A. J. Moore of McDonough.
RUSSELL, married Sally Hamilton, conducted a tan- nery for several years in McDonough, and went to Steuben county and died in Addison.
MARTIN, married Betsey Barnes and lived and died in McDonough.
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ALMIRA, married Charles Burlingame, a cousin, and moved to Willet, where they both lived and died.
IRA, married Almira Betts and lived in Oxford a few years, then went to Pennsylvania where his wife died. He went to Iowa and died there.
ALFRED, married Almira Bemas, whose father, Almon Bemas, kept a hotel below Oxford. They moved to Steu- ben county and died there.
ISRAEL, went to Steuben county, and there married Sally White. He died at Westfield, Pa.
C APTAIN SOLOMON FENTON, born in Connecticut June 23, 1749, was a soldier during the war of the Revolution. He was wounded at the battle of Saratoga, where he had captured a British officer in person. He died in Oxford, December 25, 1831, aged 82 years. His wife was Sybil Snow, born September 19, 1749, and died September 29, 1824. They came to Oxford about the year 1816 to reside with their daughter, the wife of Ira B. McFarland.
J OHN TEN BROECK lived at an early day on the farm at South Oxford on which is now the Ten-Broeck- Warn cemetery. His children were: Jeremiah, John, Derrick, Mrs. Dan Loomis, Mrs. Amos Gray, and Maria and Ann, first and second wives of Jabez Robinson of South Oxford.
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The mill-wheel has fallen to pieces, Ben Bolt, The rafters have tumbled in,
And a quiet which crawls round the walls as you gaze Has followed the olden din .- ENGLISH.
Peter Burghardt.
Peter Burghardt (Burgot) came to Oxford with his wife and eight children from Great Barrington, Mass., in 1792, and settled on the farm now owned by F. P. Newkirk. He removed at an early part of the nineteenth century to Alle- gany county and died in Kentucky while engaged in build- ing bridges. He erected the first grist mill in this town on Hovey's creek, one and one half miles west of the vil- lage. His wife died at Warren, Penn. Two daughters died in Oxford, Mary, who married John Dodge, and left many descendants, and Sally, wife of Abijah Lobdell, Jr., who has only two descendants now living : Miss Helen M. Lobdell and Miss Augusta C. Godfrey of this village. Lucretia married (1) Selah Burlingame and moved to Illi- nois ; married (2) - Parsons.
The first death in this town was an infant daughter, Happy Leona, of Mr. Burghardt.
There were four sons, Moses, Gerritt, Peter and Abra- ham, and they all went to the western part of New York state, where their decendants are still living.
Mr. Burghardt was one of the first trustees of Oxford
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Academy, also one of the first vestrymen of St. Paul's church. His son-in-law, Abijah Lobdell, Jr., was also one of the first vestrymen, and it was at his house the first Episcopal services were held. The prayer book then used is now in the vestry of St. Paul's church.
Mr. Burghardt was very strong in his belief in the Epis- copal faith and having contributed to build a Presbyterian church in Great Barrington, he with other Dutch settlers, many of them wealthy, and nearly all Episcopalians, asked to have preaching in their own language on week days at their own expense. The Rev. Mr. Hopkins refused with the reply : " What, Dutch preaching in the meeting house ? No, that shall never be." The Dutch resented the rebuff and stayed at home from church, which angered the minis- ter into threatening the tithing men from the pulpit, and they entered a complaint with the magistrate. Peter Burghardt and his brother were among the offenders. The magistrate was obliged to fine them or commit them to the stocks, though this was against his will; and they were advised to go to the stocks as a quicker and surer means of victory, which they did, with Judge Woodbridge pres- ent as their friend and legal protector from further insults.
The name Burghardt was originally Borghghardt, then Burghardt, and Burgot. The descent of Misses Lobdell and Godfrey is :
I. Heindrick Borghghardt married Maria von Hoesen. Lived in Albany, N. Y. II. Conraed Borghghardt, mar- ried Gesie von Wir at Kinderhook, N. Y. III. Peter Burg- hardt, married Mary Church at Great Barrington, Mass. IV. Sally Burghardt married Abijah Lobdell, Jr., at Oxford, N. Y. V. Helen M. Lobdell. V. Sarah Lobdell married George W. Godfrey. VI. Augusta C. Godfrey.
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As the laws are above magistrates, so are the magistrates above the people; and it may truly be said that the mag- istrate is a speaking law .- CICERO.
Town Meetings.
The first legal town meeting was held on the first Tues- day in April, 1794, at the house of General Benjamin Hovey, and from that time till the division of the town, meetings were held alternately in the eastern part one year and the next in Oxford village, so called, many years before it was incorporated as a village. The officers voted for received their nominations on the day of election; a caucus for electioneering purposes was then unknown. At this meeting Ephraim Fitch was elected supervisor and Elihu Murray town clerk. Peter Burghardt and John Blandon were elected fence viewers. It was "Voted the town to give three pounds bounty on each wolf kill'd in the Town in addition to what the County gives."
At the town meeting in 1795 it was "Voted the Town chuse their officers (Supervisor and Town clerk) by the Clerk's taking each man's name and who he votes for in writing."
In 1800, Anson Cary was elected supervisor, and Capt. Samuel Farnham, clerk. The following records are copied from the town book :
Voted, that James Phelps, Uri Tracy and John Holmes, be a committee for settling the lot commonly call'd the ministerial lot, and that said com- mittee be allow'd for their services one dollar per day,
OATHS OF COMMISSIONERS OF EXCISE.
We, Ephraim Fitch, James Phelps and Anson Cary, commissioners of excise for the Town of Oxford in the County of Chenango, do Solemnly
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