Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1879-09-23

the HNt ptTSOuS WIN htlt tiNh N'NN'NN
School Agents, or Committee, as they
were then termed. They were rs follows
Isaac Bolster, Abner Shaw, John Willis,
Seth Carpenter, NJ. b. Smith. As these !
were all well known citizens, we can easily
decide the general location of the districts.
Gen Isaac Bolster, who was the grand
: father of the late Gideon Bolster, resided
where Jos. G.. Pcnley now lives, and his
district must have embraced what is now
No l. the Bolster District and also what
is now the South Paris District Abncr
Shaw lived i'm the Shaw neighborhood and
his district embraced the King District and
I the southeastern portion of the town VI.
Il. Smith. who was the great grandfather
of Geo :. Titcomb resided on the farm
where FTceland Swan now lives, aud 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 il. Up to 1900, the town raised
hfty pounds "A year for the support oil
schools. I'm 1900 they raised II To S4Uu
and it increased gradually from that time
forward. The 500 raised in $500 must
have been rs large Il sum in proportion aS
We raise now, for in lo0l and lsO2 the
question ofdividing the town was seriously
agitated and was voted down twice. Inc
last time, at town meeting called for That
purpose and held Sept 22d, lso2, when
there was a large attendance. the vote
stood II in favor and 81 against u 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 Doc divided. and was very
earnestly contested. Is 10 whether IL should
be divided according 20 the sum paid 10y
each district or according 90 the number
of families i'm each district. The parties
seem 10 have been very nearly equally DIV
idcd ~ for "a number OF years they alter
natcd-our party gaining the victory One
wear and the other thc next We can ~r'
] that human nature was much the same in
those DAYS rs 30 is now. for frequently i.r
defeated party were not satisfied with their
defeat and attempted reconsideration of
tine vote so that som" years they voted "u
10 four times before the matter was iu'it
I settled. 10 reminds one of the fierce
struggles Wc often have over tby muWrn-
tou> question whether the owner OF % dog
shall contribute one dollar towards the
public Revenue or not. II was not unit.
1918 that the town finally settled down ON
dividing the money Is now done according
% the 80. OF scholars between and -.
For the first ten years there were nu
we'll defined school districts, but they were
changed from year 90 year rs circumstances
! seemed To- REQUIRE This state OF affairs
did not seem % work well. aud 10 $500
Capt Daul Stowcl, Capt. Jairuo Shaw
Abimh Hall. John Bc>Nc, seth Carpenter
| Nhiiah Warren. Col. Levi Hubbard. ana
Lieut.. iona. BcmiS were appointed com
mittec 10 make new division oi iur
| school Districts which when agreed upon
should Dee decisive.
I'm those day, they rarely trusted q com
Imittcc to take any decisive steps without
consulting aud reporting 20 The town on"
There they incorporated Ia the vote the dec
llarltiou that their report should Dee agreed
! upnu bv the town before % should Doe bind
in., From some reason this committee
JiI not MAKE, any report. but they seem to
have attended 20 their duty, rs Iu lNu- tht
districts were ten loo number, hut >iil WIN
ont any recorded boundaries. The different
Agents were. for the Centre District no"
/ the Hi. Benz. Hammond, the grandiaihrr
of Geo. f and H. l.. Hammond. Who l'cd
where II. l.. Hammond now lives Tor ih'
southeast section of the town, homA'
| stevens. who lived where Ebert 'HloIu
now resides for the southwest part OF the
town. including South Paris, joel k"DIh-
son. who lived on what j. now the Town
! farm. for thc Hall ucighborh"od, Jonathan
! Shurtlcif. for that part lying north "i ~.
Paris and west NJ the river. Joseph SWIM
who lived in the house where john stevens
now resides for the Partridge District
Seth Carpenter, who lived at the four cor
lucrS. where l.. T.. Hanson formerly resided
far The section north OF that. John Gray.
father Of Robert and Elbrid@e tray WHO
lived where Sylvester Dean now lives for
the StcarnS Di>trict-thcu called the b.
mis- District Jonathan BcmiS, the grand
farther of Charlc, and David Bcmi~. who
then lived on the place where the late A>aph
pfri lived. but afterwards removed % The
! Hin: for the Iarhor District, seth Benson,
the grandfather OF our present seth Ben
son. who lived Just out OF what is now tht
village OF North Paris.
Thus matters went ON until $50 when
the number of districts had increased to
"A. and for the first time the numbers were
recorded. They were Is follows, still with
out any recorded bounds:
Daniel ,towcu. 40. ]. lie lived on The oid
' ISmac IL Holmes. No.s This was tnc White
J ia, u.s. shaw, >o Be- Lived where Emmor
~. John 1n Robinson. No. ON the Preston Rob-
''. JOHN >hurucn No. D. Han District ueu
IE.,, UammouJ. - 8. Centre District
Juu Iuryry, No. O. Iucli District
SIIuu, Hammond, No. s.. No. Paris
tricr was nearly alI Afterwards ~rt OH "i" DE-.
saml King. No 70. King District. ,.,...,,
! CuI.U Fryuti--, \o D. Mountain DISTRICT
where Julius 4. King lives.
Hcni Cooper 10 II Wh.ttcmoro District
Coco. Eycr-ou. No. Ij iartriI 60 District.
simeon Walton, No. H. Dean District.
| have been obliged 20 give The names
thu, at length rs the only means by which
the districts could be Identified.
still they do not seem To yet the matter
settled, for the very next year. ISL. the
town voted for Capt Jairu> Shaw 10 look
up the old plan of the town whcrcon thc
school districts have been divided and fetch
the same before the town at their next
meeting.
Thus matters remained generally until
ISIS, when No | was divided and the pres
ent No > formed from part thereof From
that time up 10 l,2s no great changes were
made, but in that year a committee was
again appointed to investigate the bounds
of the districts. and they made their re-
port giving the limits and bounds of the
| IL districts into which the town was then
divided, which was entered upon the rec
ords, and the numbers given to the dis
tricts which they still retain, and now for
the first time one could 90 to the records
and ascertain the bounds of the districts.