Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1882-12-26
Portland Advertiser.
WOODSTOCK
A FARMING TOWN IN OXFORD co.
DIR. w. b. LApHAM's NEW VOLUME.

was settled IN lI9o Dy Cnrlstophef anu
Solomon junior, sons Of Solomon Bryant
of Pans. They had employed survey
or to run out ten lots Of 100 acres each,
five on each side of the county road from
Paris to Rumford opened in 1896, and
on these Thousand acres" they settled,
without asking permission Of anybody.
What was previously Long Pond took
the name Bryant's Pond from these pion-
GERS. On the maps, this region then APP
peared as township No. 8, and in 1900
the Massachusetts legislature granted the
west half of the township, including the
Thousand acres" to Drummer academy.
In 1903 the east half was granted in the
same way to Gorham academy. The
west half was sold to Michael Little Of
Poland and the east half to James II.
Chadbourn and Others, mostly citizens Of
Gorham. All land titles in the town are
derived from these grants, the Bryant
settlement having been recognized and
confirmed by Mr. Little. In 1912 there
were AZ families on the township, and
Plantation No. 3 was organized. The
settlers were all poor. The heaviest tax
payers on the list for 1912 were Luther
Whitman and Abram Walton, who were
assessed 81. SO apiece. In 1914 the in
habitants sent petition to Boston, pray
ing to be incorporated into a town by the
name Of Spar ia but the great and gen.
eral court responded by establishing the
town of Woodstock, and so it remains TO
this day. The first town meeting was
held in March, 1915, when Rowse Bis
bee was chosen moderator, probably TO
take him off the floor, as the year before
he had cast a solitary vote for Caleb Strong
for governor, all his neighbors voting for
Samuel Dexter. The town voted unani-
mously for the separation Of Maine from
Ma ssachusetts, which was consumma-
ted in 1920. There were 81 families in
town. For many years the people had a
hard struggle to maintain themselves.
Their crops failed som etimes and they
had nothing to fall back upon. Their
marketing and shopping were done at
Paris Hill. Fires ran through the
woods and sometim es destroyed their
dwellings. They suffered for lack Of
proper food and clothing. The vice of
intemperance prevailed. as it always does
under such circums tances. But slowly,
impercep,ibly, the conditions changed.
The fields were cleared of stones and
stumps. The woods receded. The
houses improved The barns grew big
ger and the harvests surer and larger.
Then came the Wa shington movement,
and the customary use of strong drink
ceased to be respectable. In 1913, fifty
years after the first settlement, the town
was inhabited by thrifty and indepen-
dent population Of farmers-none very
wealthy, but few so poor that they could
not get comfortable living by their own
unaided efforts. In 1851 the railroad
was opened to Portland, and village
sprang up at the Bryan,'s Pond station.
In 1856 the town gave the Fremont tick
ct a majority of the votes for Presiden-
tial electors, and in 1860 gave Lincoln a
still larger majority. Nearly hundred
young men from this little town after
ward enlisted to maintain the govern
ment of which Lincoln was the head.
These are the outlines Of the story
which DR.. Lapham, himself native Of
Woodstock, has felt impelled to write.
1t is the history of farming town, hewn
out Of the wilderness during the present
century. Just such towns are growing
up now in northern Michigan and Min
nesota and in Aroostook county in
Maine. The movement here described
belongs wholly to the present day and is
still going on.
The book is embellished with view
Of Bryant's pond and with seventeen
portraits Of sons of Woodstock, including
Professor A. +. Chase of Kent's Hill,
Charles p. Kimball OF Chicago, II. |.
X imball Of Atlanta, ex- Governor Sidney
perham and his brother Joel Perham,
he latter of Boston, Charles O.. Whit
nan, the naturalist, and others. y por-
raft Of the author faces the title-page.
The diary of one of the early settlers,
rom 1901 to 1906, is printed in an ap-
,endix, and an index of names is added.
The family sketches are especially val
liable. A few copies of the book may
'e obtained from Mr.. Berry, the printer.
.HIsToRY OF WOODSTOCK. Ms, with Family |
ketchcs and an appendix. BY William Il. |
.apham. Portland: stephen Berry, printer. |
80.