Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1903-08-18

on the farm now owned by r. E. Bean
more Familiarity known as the Stephel
Cummings place. Abner Abbott chos
the east part of the town and hewed GU
the farm where one of his descendant
still lives. Ephraim Flint went farthe
south and founded his new home, ant
here the widow of his son still resides a
the advanced age of 81. It Is more diff
cult to locate the farm of Mr.. Chandler
as he has left no descendants, and tradi
!, ton says that he remained but shor
time. The other three remained anC
! battling with the rigors of climat.
wrung out success from reluctant soil
, There is abundant evidence that Abnel
Holt felled the first tree in the new set
Element.
) The first child born in the settlement
was a son of Abner Holt, and who was
named after his father. On the same
farm is the first grave ever dug in AL.
bany and here sleeps man by the name
of Jones, who was one of the succeeding
settlers. From that time on the little
settlement continued to grow by new
families coming in and clearing the
wilderness and building their humble
i
grew out of chaos.
By 1888 the place had grown until the
people concluded that the time had come
to assume the Importance of plantation
honors. In that year it was surveyed
by Samuel Titcomb and a plantation was
organized. The first mill was built in
the southwest part of the town, and
several new buildings were erected,
among which was school house, which
served as q church and town house as
we'll.
By 1900 the population had increased
to sixty-nine people, among whom was a
reasonable amount of prosperity as
measured by the standard of those print
tive days. All these years the place WIS
known as Oxford Plantation, but now
the inhabitants felt that the time was
ripe to cast off the swaddling clothes uf
a plantation and don the toga of town.
Some of the timid ones were fearful Of
so bold step, and it required fully two
years of agitation before the matter took
definite form.
In the year 1902 plantation meeting
was held at the residence of Abner Holt,
and after due discussion it was voted to
petition the Honorable Senate and
House of Representatives of Massachu-
sets to be incorporated as town. This
petition set forth the advantages of
town organization, and requested that
the prayer be granted and that the new
town should be known by the name of
Oxford. At that time we were portion
of Massachusetts and the plantation was
in the county of York.
For some reason or other this petition
was refused, as the name of Oxford was
not satisfactory to the parent authorities.
Another plantation meeting was then
called, and after somewhat heated argu-
ment it was decided to send petition to
the General Court, stating that as the
name of Oxford was not satisfactory, the
town might be Incorporated under the
name of Albany. Just why the name of
Oxford was unsatisfactory it is now i'm
possible to tell, but the amended petition
was at once granted. The act of incor-
poration passed the House of Repre-
sentatives June Is, 1903, and on June
Goth was passed by the Senate and sign
ed by the Governor.
The first town meeting in Albany was
held September 10th of that year, in the
school house, and Deacon Jonathan Holt
was chosen to act as moderator. Asa
Cummings was elected as town clerk
and at the same meeting was chosen first
selectman and assessor. AS they did
business very deliberately in those days
the meeting now adjourned until the
next day when the matter was settled
and the business completed by the cleo
ton of Jacob Chandler and James Rus
sell as the other selectmen and assessors. |
Uriah Holt was elected town treasurer
and the decision was reached that the |
collection of taxes should be let out to |
the lowest bidder. This office was cap
turcd by Charles Newell, who at the |
same time was made constable. The |
list of three road surveyors was made up |
of Parsons Haskell, Capt. Bani Haskell |
and Abner Holt.
This did not finish the list of officers |
Uriah Holt was chosen surveyor and |
measurer of boards, planks and lumber;
Deacon Jonathan Holt and Jacob Chand- |
Ter were made fence viewers, while |
Joseph Holt was chosen to the impor.
tant post of tithingman. These officials |
were all sworn to the faithful perform
ance of their duty, and 80 far as we can |
learn they were diligent and true.
At later meeting, held on the 18th Of
November, 1t was voted to raise the sum |
of $3.50, to defray the expenses of in
corporation and other necessary charges.
This completed the organization of the |
town, and from that time on it continued |
the even tenor of its way. These early |
fathers were industrious and frugal. |
They toiled early and late and knew |
nothing of the Injuries of the present |
day. Their virtues were those of their |
Anglo-Saxon ancestors who had wrung
the magma charta from King John on the |
broad plains of Runnymede Heath. |
Banded together by the faternal ties of |
common lot they shared the joys and the |
SORROWS of each other to a greater ex-
tent than their descendants of later
day. To emulate their Spartan virtues |
should be both duty and pleasure to
us who to-day enjoy the institutions
framed by their wisdom and tempered
by their piety.
The first tide of settlement was to the |
north and south, while the place where |
we now are was bowling wilderness |
even as late as 1925. The bears were |
plenty and all other wild game abundant. |
The first stage in town ran past Hunts |
Corner and the late Deacon Lovejoy's
barn now rests upon its bed. The track |
passed between the house and barn of
the old Hunt place, following the edge
of the bog meadow and coming to the |
old Bell place, so called, and crossing a
sag in the hills followed the east side of
Songo Pond striking the Bethel road
near that point.
People of an antiquarian turn of mind
can still trace this old road along the
course that have named.
Albany has had its industries and its
curiosities. The Albany basins, so call |
ed, have long been famous as a point of
interest, and the farm where they are
located was first cleared by Fletcher
Kendall. This place is still visited by
many people who are interested in old
landmarks and objects of natural inter-
est.
In manufacturing industries Albany
has never been 80 fortunate as to have
any of large magnitude, but there have
been several saw mills. The first of
these was located in the southwest part
of the town on Crooked River or one of
its tributaries. At the place known as
Lynchville spool factory was erected
some over thirty years ago and is still
doing fourishing business under tho
management of Elliott & Bartlett. These
constituted the principal manufacturing
industries that we have ever had in the
town.
In matters of education the town
ata rtad from, nna district and Increased