Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1921-01-18
Oxford County Notes.

i Among the interesting persons who
attended the Oxford Pomona Grange II
Norway last week was A. N. Durham o.
Norway. 1t will be remembered thai
Mr.. Dunham made the snowsh0es fol
Admiral Peary's arctic expedition. Mr.
Dunbam said: "Tbe first lot OF 60 pairi
l made in 1905, and in 1908 got out 6(
pairs more, personally making those
that Lieut.. Peary and his aid, Mat Hen.
derson, reached the pole with" MT
Dunham stated he was born 81 years age
on the farm where he Is now making
snowshoes In the old way. The shoes
Peary reached the pole with were filled
with heavy cow hide and the heel oi
them turned up.
Mention was made In last weeks Dem.
ocrat of the centenary OF the birth ol
Mary A. Livermore and her connection
with the Womsn's Journal of Boston.
An Oxford County man was connected
with this paper during/a part OF the
time Mrs. Livermore was editor. That
man was William K. Moody of Hebron.
Mr.. Moody was brother Of Prof. John
r. Moody, the educator. He bad consid-
erable to do with Maine journalism He
published, for number of years, 10 con-
nection with bis brother mentioned
above, q local paper In Mechanic Falls.
Later he published the Somerset Re-
porter. II was after this he became pub.
Usher of the Woman's Journal and moved
to Boston. Mr.. Moody finished his jour-
nalistic career on the Boston Herald.
Two Oxford County towns will arrive
at the dignity of their one hundredtb
birthday in 1921, Canton and Peru. Can
ton was settled in 1902 and called Phipps,
Canada. Afterwards 1t became part of
Jay. 1t was incorporated under its pres.
ent name February 8, 1921. Peru was
settled by people from Westbrook and
Falmouth in 1893. It was originally COM
posed of FIVE grants and tracts, namely
Thompson grant, Fox's grant, Peck's
grant and Lunt's upper and lower grants.
1t was incorporated ss Plantation No. l
In 1912, and as the town Of Peru the
same day that Canton was made town.
A portion of the town was set OF and
annexed to Rumford In 1895, and q part
of Franklin Plantation was annexed to
Peru In 1885. Both towns will probably
celebrate their birthdays sometime this
next summer. Beside these towns In
Oxford County to become one hundred
years old are two other towns in Maine
which can have centennial celebration
II they wish, Concord and Cumberland.
The Finnish Historical Society Of
America has recently been organized In
Brooklyn, N. Y. This may interest the
many people of Finland who have set
tied In this part of Oxford County. Fin
nish immigration to this country began
on large scale some thirty years ago,
and quite a number of them have set
tied in Paris and surrounding towns,
and It is to collect data about these set
Elements that the historical society has
been organized. 1t is said the first Firms
arrived In America In 1927, coming With
the Swedes to settle aboutthe mouth OF
the Delaware River. In 1888 they estab
lished the Swedish-Finnish colony Of
New Sweden, where Philadelphia now
stands. There is quite q large Finnish
population In Knox County, who show
the same zeal for possessing land as their
compatriots In Oxford County, and be-
cause of their labor and agricultural
tastes the run out farms abandoned by
their Yankee neighbors are returning to
their old time fertility under their new
ownership.