arason. Concluding prayer by Rev. Mr. Tliurston.
March 2ist, Winthi'op B. Norton was chosen Deacon, p.t.
May 7th, Jairus S. Keith, Alexander Muzzey, Elizabeth
Muzzey and Louisa Chaflin were admitted by profession
and Dea. Thomas Morton, Joanna Morton, Daniel Crooker,
Joanna Crooker and Sarah Crooker were admitted by let-
ter from the church at West Minot.
June 30th , Mrs. Sally Norton was admitted by letter
from the church in Concord, N. H.
July i8th, Charles Dean and Miss Eliza Ann Webber
were admitted by profession.
August 2 2d, Miss Mary Dennin was ad. by profession.
September 19th, Mrs. Sarah M. W. Chute was received
by letter from the Hammond Street Church, Bangor.
November 28th, Alexander H. Muzzey was chosen Dea-
con to fill vacancy occasioned by the removal of Dea. Pitt
C. Muzzey.
February 5th, 1837, Mrs. Charlotte Tewksbury and her
son Samuel were rec'd. by letter from the church at Paris.
May 7th , Mrs. Maiy N. Keith, Miss Jerusha G. Webber,
Mrs. Anna Nelson and Mrs. Harriet Cates were admitted
by profession.
June i8th, 1838, Mrs. Jerusha Holmes was received by
letter from the church at Paris.
November ist. Miss Martha B. Allen was admitted by
letter from the church at Williamsburg.
November 4th, Miss Celia Dean was ad. by profession.
December 3d, John Rowe was dismissed to the church
at Paris, and a communication from the pastor requesting
his dismissal was read.
December i2lh, a council assembled to act upon the re-
quest of Mr. Chute ; churches were represented as follows :
Poland, by Rev. Tho's. Williams and Dea. Danl. Pierce.
Otisfield, by Rev. J. P. Richardson and Br. Job Morton.
Paris, by Rev. Joseph Walker and Dea. Elisha Morse.
Norway, by Rev. Charles Soule and Dea. James Flint.
Annals of Oxford. 86
The council was organized by choice of Rev. Thomas
Williams, Moderator and Rev. Charles Soule, Scribe.
It was voted, unanimously, that the pastoral relation be-
tween Mr. Chute and the church at Oxford be dissolved.
The Council expressed its gratification at the harmony that
has subsisted and continues to subsist between the parties,
and commended Mr. Chute to the churches, as a brother
beloved and an able and faithful minister of the gospel.
Rev. Ariel Parish Chute, son of Richard and Doro-
thy (Parish) Chute, born in Byfield, Mass. May i6, 1809.
He was graduated at B. C. in 1832 and three years later at
And. Theo. Sem. After his removal from Oxford, he held
pastorates at Pownal, Me. and at Lynnfield and Ware,
Mass., teaching at intervals at Warren, Milton and Dum-
mer Academies. He was in government service after 1861,
in Custom House and Treasury at Boston ; upon retirement
he settled in Sharon, Mass. where he died Dec. 18, 1887.
His wife was Sarah Maria Winslow Chandler of Bangor,
married April 7, 1836. She was a dau. of Peleg and Esther
(Parsons) Chandler. Their children were :
I Ellen Maria, b. May 23, 1837, m. Sept. 11, 1865, Dr.
A. D. Brown.
II Frances Pearson, b. June 2, 1840.
III Richard Henry, b. March 14, 1843, m. Nov. 6, 1867,
Susan Rebecca Nelson.
IV Esther Andrews, b. June 22, 1846, m. July 13, 1866,
Edgar M. Hickson.
V Sarah Barnes, b. July 30, 1848.
On the 25th day of April, 1839, a committee consisting of
Henry C. Dean, Samuel H. King and John J. Perry rep-
resenting the church and people and, A. H. Muzzey, J. S.
Keith and Alfred Hood representing the church, addressed
a call to the Rev. Isaac Carleton, inviting him to the pas-
torate in Oxford. The invitation was accepted and there-
upon a council assembled on the 28th day of May, compo-
sed of representatives of churches, as follows : —
Albany, by Rev. G. F. Tewksbury, Dea. A. Cummings.
Bethel, by Rev. C. Frost and R. Chapman.
Norway, by Rev. C. Soule and Wm. E. Goodenow.
Otisfield, by Rev. J. P. Richardson and S. A. Anderson.
Paris, by Rev. J. Walker and A. Field.
Poland, by Rev. T. Williams and Z. Cobb.
Waterford, by William Warren.
86 Annals of Oxford.
Rev. Thomas Williams was chosen Moderator and Rev.
J. P. Richardson, Scribe. The council being agreed, it
was voted that the installation be on the morrow at half past
ten o'clock in the fore-noon.
The public service was conducted in the following order :
Invocation and scripture reading by William Warren.
Introductory prayer by Rev. Cyril Pearl.
Sermon by Rev. C. Frost.
Installing prayer by Rev. Joseph Walker.
Charge by Rev. Thomas Williams.
Right hand of fellowship by Rev. George F. Tewksbury.
Address to the people by Rev. James P. Richardson.
Concluding prayer by Rev. Charles Soule.
SEE CHAPTER V FOR SKETCH OF Mr. CARLETON.
July 7, Mrs. Vesta Muzzey was ad. by profession.
Sept. I, Mrs. Lydia Gammon was ad. by profession.
Nov. lo, Henry Dean was ad. by profession.
January 31, 1840, Mary Perkins and Eliza Record were
admitted by letter.
April 24, Frances Norton, Lydia Sampson, Abiel Gam-
mon and Joshua Jackson were ad. by profession.
April 26, Ebenezer P. Fitz was ad. by profession.
May I, Wilson J. Welch, Alfred H. Hood, Nathaniel
Lord, Joanna Lord, Jane Gammon, Bathsheba Bearce,
Rosanna Butters, Miranda Cleveland, Samuel H. King,
and Hannah Woodward were admitted by profession.
May 3, David N. Cates, Henrietta Lombard, and Sarah
Durell were admitted by profession.
May 8, Mehitable Butters, Caleb Woodward, Edmund
Hayes and Paulina Ha3'es were admitted by profession.
May 22, Hannah Yeaton was admitted by profession.
May 29, Hannah Fitts was ad. by letter from So. Paris.
June II, Adin Cleveland was admitted by profession.
June 21, Addison Nelson was admitted by profession.
June 26, Greenville Farris was admitted by profession.
July 5, Thomas and Sally Carman were ad. by profess'n.
August 28, Jonathan and Elizabeth Lucas were ad. by
profession, also their daughter Priscilla.
November i, Daniel Drew was admitted by profession.
December 3, a letter was received from Dennis Hayes
giving notice that hereafter the Baptist's would occupy the
meeting-house. Whereupon it was * 'voted to thank Mrs.
Hayes for the use of the house where we have been hold-
Annals of Oxford. 87
ing our meetings, and that hereafter the meetings will be in
the School-house Hall."
The Baptist Meeting-house, so called, was erected in
1827 by Cyrus Shaw on his homestead lot a few rods north
west of his dwelling-house. It was said to have been built
as a thank offering, an acknowledgement of the divine fa-
vor in giving him the capital prize, $5,000., in one of the
drawings of the Cumberland and Oxford Canal Lottery.
This corporation was chartered by the legislature of 1821
to carry into effect a long contemplated scheme ofc onnect-
ing the great ponds in Cumberland and Oxford counties, by
an artificial water way with the sea, thereby affording to a
large territory cheap transportation of its products to the
markets of the world. Craigies Mills, for a time, fondly an-
ticipated the day when Thompson's pond should become a
part of the canal system, making it the head of navigation
and the distributing point for the back country, but the Port-
land and Quebec Railroad became the town talk in 1834
and July 1849 the Atlantic and St. Lawrence R. R. rolled
its first train of cars into Oxford. The Canal was sold under
the hammer in 1857 by its creditors and soon after the low-
er section was closed ; the boats being private property, con-
tinue in use on the ponds.
Various methods were devised to raise money to build the
Canal, two thousand shares of capital stock were put upon
the market at $50. per share, a special act of the legisla-
ture was secured in 1823, authorizing the corporation to
raise $50,000. by lottery, and in 1825 Canal Bank of Port-
land was chartered with a capital of $300,000., one quar-
ter of which was to be invested in the stocks of the canal
corporation. The managers of the lottery, three in num-
ber were appointed by the Governor and about $27,000.
were raised from this source. Elias Shaw of Portland was
the agent to place the tickets, and they had an extensive
sale in other states as well as in Maine. He sent to his
cousin Cyrus Shaw, post-master, innholder and trader at
Craigies Mills, a package of tickets to be sold on commis-
sion. At this time it was not generally considered inconsis-
tant with rectitude to buy and sell lottery tickets.
The element of chance, seldom dormant in human nature,
then as now entered largely into business transactions, and
even religious and educational institutions made use of lot-
teries to improve their finances. Cyrus Shaw was a thrifty
88 Annals of Oxford.
man and would not ordinarily risk his earnings in lottery-
tickets, but on this occasion, the excessive haste of Elias to
have the unsold tickets returned, led him to suspect that he
held a prize, he therefore retained those not sold and he is
reported to have bought back all the tickets he had sold.
The prize ticket was No. 5506 in the Sixth Class, drawn
January 25, 1825.
The building erected by Mr. Shaw was an inexpensive
structure of wood, not materially different from the chapels
of the time. It was the first meeting-house in West Hebron
(Oxford), its dedication was reported in a Baptist publica-
tion as follows :
*'On September 19th, 1826, at Craigie's Mills, in Hebron
was opened for divine service a new decently finished meet-
ing-house, built and owned by Cyrus Shaw Esq., designed
for the use of the Baptists in that place. Sermon on the oc-
casion by Elder James Hooper of Paris from Psalms 36 : 8
"They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy
house, etc." Bro. Shaw's purpose is to rent the pews 3'early
and devote the proceeds to the support of preaching in the
meeting-house. He has already commenced the business
with encouraging success."
Mr. Shaw died in 1833 and two years later his widow
married Dennis Hayes. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hayes were
interested in the Baptist church, they remodeled the meet-
ing-house by the addition of a vestibule and tower on the
front and refurnishing it generally, including a bell and a
small organ, so that it was quite an ornament to the place.
Tradition says that the bell was a gift of a Boston friend,
and that the organ was the handy-work of Luther Carman.
Deacon Shaw's plan of making the revenue from the pews
supply the pulpit had not proved entirely successful, al-
though most of the time a Sunday service was held in the
meeting-house by an evangelical preacher, and the two so-
cieties appear to have lived together in harmony, neither
being able to maintain a stated supply without the help of
the other. This condition might have continued had not
the "Great Revival" in the spring of 1840 inspired the
hearts of both societies with great expectations. Public ser-
vices were held day and evening for several weeks and al-
most every body in town professed to have turned from the
error of their ways. There was doubtless denominational
rivalry, but there is no evidence of animosity on the part of
Annals of Oxford.
89
Mr. Hayes, to the Congregationalist church, in the notice
above mentioned, but the meeting-house had been built for
and dedicated by the Baptist's, and the time had apparently
arrived when that denomination could support a minister of
their ow^n faith.
From December 1840 until the dedication of their new
meeting-house in June 1843. the society held their meetings
in the School-house Hall.
The little one room school-house in the Craigies Mills
district having been out grown,
was sold to Col. King in 1838
or '9 and removed to King st.
adjacent to Mr. Durell's store,
for a carpenter's shop. The sum-
mer term of school, (the wri-
ters primary) was kept in it,
after removal, while a new
building was in process of con-
struction.
The new school-house was built of brick on the site of the
old one, corner of Main street and the Otisfield road, nearly
opposite the Baptist meeting-house. The second floor, de-
signed for the primary department, had movable seats and
was in frequent use for lectures and public meetings and
advertised as the School-house Hall. It had seating capaci-
ty sufficient for ordinary meetings and the Congregational-
ists were not greatly inconvenienced by the change. In this
pleasant chamber, the good Major's house being found in-
adequate, Miss Frances Eliza Norton gathered the children
of the villagers in Sunday school for instruction in the mys-
teries of the Westminster Confession and to tune their voi-
ces in the rhythmic melody of simple gospel hymns.
"E'n now my wistful fancy, listening.
Hears the sweetly solemn tunes.
That we sang there in the school-house.
On those Sunday atter-noons."
Her school has out-lived the teacher and will out-live her
scholars, but the name of "Aunt Frank", as she was loving-
ly called in her after years, is yet cherished and should be
IN PERPETUUM, as the founder of the Sabbath schools in the
town and probably in Oxford county.
Dec. 4, 1840 Julia Hood and Feb. 6 '41, Dr. Jacob Tewks-
bury, Otis F. and Sally Mixtr were admitted by profession.
90
Annals of Oxford.
March 20th, 1841 a meeting
was held in the School-house
Hall to take into consideration
the propriety of forming a so-
ciety to be incorporated as the
First Congregational Society
in Oxford, also to see what ac-
tion the society will take on the
question of building a new
meeting-house.
The meeting was called to
order by Jairus S. Keith Esq.,
' John Welch was chosen Chair-
man and Charles Durell, Secretary.
It was unanimously voted to build a new church and Dr.
Jacob Tewksbury, Benajah Pratt Jr. and Chandler Record
were appointed a committee to look out the best location for
the building. Col. Samuel H. King, Jairus S. Keith Esq.
and Otis F Mixer were chosen a committee to make esti-
mates of the cost of building, both of brick and wood, appor-
tioning the material into lots ; both committee's to report at
an adjourned meeting, two weeks from this day.
The record of the adjourned meeting, April 2d, 1841 has
a copy of petition and warrant of Dennis Hayes Esq., one of
the Justices of the Peace for Oxford county, authorizing the
incorporation of the petioners into a ''Parish Society".
The persons named on the petition are as follows :
W. B. Norton
Jacob Tewksbury
Samuel H. King
Nathaniel Lord
Abial B. Gammon
Caleb Woodward
Adin Cleveland
Alexander H. Muzzy
S. H. Tewksbury
Chandler Records
Daniel Crooker
Edmund Hayes
Luther F. Pingree
John Welch
Charles Durell
Benajah Pratt Jr.
James Yeaton
Otis F. Mixer
Jairus S. Keith
Joseph Chaffin
Luther Carman
Isaac B. Carman
Alfred Hood
Theophilus Dame
Alfred H. Hood
Thomas R. Carman
The Society was organized by the choice of Dr. Jacob
Tewksbury, Chairman and Charles Durell, Clerk.
Doctor Tewksbury, for the committee on location, reported
Annals of Oxford. Ql
in favor of the site owned by Col. King, near Mr. Linnell's
on King street. Col. King, for the building committee, re-
ported in favor of a brick building. After some discussion
the meeting adjourned for one week. Subsequent meetings
of the parish were held during the month but no further ac-
tion was taken until December 15th, when a committee of
four were chosen "to carry into effect the building of a
new church." The committee were Jairus S. Keith, Henry
C. Dean, Otis F. Mixer and Edmund Hayes, and they
were fully authorized to procure plans, contract for and
superintend the building, and "to accept or not accept the
work when done". Subscriptions were made as follows : —
"We the subscribers, do agree to pay the amount set a-
gainst our names, in labor, materials or cash, to be expend-
ed in building a new church for the First Congregational
Society in Oxford, to be built next spring and summer and
to take pews in the church as a consideration for the same.
Charles Durell,
100.
John Welch,
100.
W. B. Norton,
200.
Samuel H. King,
200.
J. S. Keith,
100.
Jacob Tewksbury,
150.
Edmund Hayes,
100.
Daniel Crocker,
50.
Caleb Woodward,
100.
Otis F. Mixer,
so-
H. C. Dean,
100.
Adolphus Shurtleff,
ld.
Total $1,196.
Mr. Mixer wishing to contract to build the church, was
excused from serving on the building committee.
After viewing several meeting-houses in different places,
the Committee contracted with Otis F. Mixer and Samuel
H. King to build a house according to the specifications, do
all the labor (except the mason work) and furnish the oils
and paints, for the sum of $665. The building to be finish-
ed by the first of September, to the turning of the key, in
case the materials are furnished in season to have the work
done. In payment the said contractors shall accept Jacob
Tewksbury's note for $150., Henry C. Dean's note for $100.
Edmund Hayes' note for $100., Charles Durell's note for
$100., Daniel Crooker's note for $50., Adolphus Shurtleff's
note for $16., Mr. Mixer's note for $30. and for the residue
a lien upon the pews in said house, but before said lien at-
taches, the subscribing proprietors shall be entitled to one
pew each. Caleb Woodward in consideration of $785., con-
tracted to furnish the materials for building, delivered on the
spot, timber, boards, clapboards, shingles, glass and hard-
92
Annals of Oxford.
ware, also a good table that shall be worth at least thirty
dollars in Portland. In payment Mr. Woodward was to ac-
cept the subscriptions made by himself and those of Messrs.
Norton, King, Keith and Welch, and for the residue a lein
upon the pews, same as in Mr. Mixer's contract. In addi-
tion, it was agreed that the said Woodward and Mixer are
to have the sole ownership of the two back tier of pews, to
wit, the eight pews nearest the vestibule. Nathaniel Lord
contracted for the underpinning and cellar under the west-
erly end of the house, for $75., "fifty in meeting-house
stock and the rest as we agree".
June 24th, 1843, the building committee accepted the
house, appraised the pews, called a meeting of the society
for the sale of the same and selected a committee of ar-
rangements for the dedication. The sale took place two
days later, Capt. Luther Carman acting as auctioneer.
The following plan gives the arrangement of the pews,
names of the purchasers and the amount of premium paid.
?
w
?«
Tewkstury
7^
EH
756
S.MKing
«6
JS.Keifh
Geo.Robitison
DHayes
S Sprinft ,
#21
o
i^T.
H.Baker
^49
T^
lib
Mrs.WBN
TiT
J.SXeit-h
Tu
W
721
^TT
S.H.K1W6
Hi.
Or-JaeobTewKsbury
Edmond Hayes
717
£H
/A.HMu72V
W
Charles Sjaring
TTT
N.Lord
7 ^TraidTTo
WBNortoi?
i^\
S.A Warren
1 ^34 Bid* 12/100
OUsPMinef
tit b>6i\
W/rji, I.Allen
11 TTTaidTa
John Welch
^3fc eid^4
Bewjah Pratt Ji
13 7j4
/IdfllphusShurrte^l-
CD
f16
Annals of Oxford. 93
The committee appointed to make the arrangements for
dedication were William S. Allen, Charles Durell and Otis
F. Mixer, and on the twenty-ninth day of June, 1843, the
meeting-house was dedicated to Almighty God.
The Introductory Prayer was by Rev. Mr. Bailey.
Sermon by Rev. Mr. Carleton.
Concluding Prayer by Rev. Mr. Walker.
At a meeting held on the second day of September, 1843,
the thanks of the church and society were voted for appre-
ciated gifts, to be enumerated upon the records of the par-
ish, and Jairus S. Keith, Samuel H. King and Charles
Durell were appointed a committee to transmit copies of the
votes to the several donors as follows : —
To Mrs. Catherine G. Caldwell of Portland, for "her very
acceptable present of a pair of splendid and valuable solar
lamps to be placed on the right and left of the desk."
To Rev. Isaac Carleton, for a communion table.
To Rev. Ariel P. Chute, for a Bible and Hymn-book.
To Mr. John Welch of Boston, for an elegant couch and
two chairs for the desk.
To Dr. Jacob Tewksbury, for the excellant carpet now
upon the floor of this house.
To Dr. Samuel H. Tewksbury, for a fine clarionet for the
use of the choir.
The records of the church do not show that building a
meeting-house stimulated accession to membership. Will-
iam Jordan was ad. by profession in 1842 and in 1845,
Mrs. A. W. Bickford came with a letter from the church in
Brownfield. In 1846 Mrs. Clarinda Carleton was ad. by
letter and S. P. Hall, TheodoraMixer, Elizabeth L. Hall
and Rebecca Wright were ad. by profession. In 1847 Mrs.
S. A. Warren and Miss Ellen E. Allen were ad. by letter
from the church in Waterford. Jairus S. Keith was chosen
Deacon in 185 1, and after his death, Nathaniel Lord was
elected and served ten years. Although frequently with-
out a pastor, the church organization has been continuous
and there has been but few Sundays when religious service
was not held in the First Congregationalist meeting-house.
Calt/intst 23aptist
Amongst the piously inclined of the early settlers of West
Hebron, the Baptist's evidently predominated, notwithstand-
ing the fact of the Congregationalist's being the first, by a
few months, to complete a church organization ; even then
94 Annals of Oxford.
they organized with only six members and there were no
accessions for nearly two years. Records of the Baptist
Church at Craigies Mills are missing, said to have been
burned in the meeting-house, therefore no list of members
can be given, but the article quoted, in part, on page 88 of
this book, concludes with an account of the organization of
the church, as follows :
"Same day (September 19th, 1826,) in the same place,
was organized the Second Baptist Church in Hebron, of
seventeen members, chiefly from the church in Paris and
the first in Hebron. Elder Nathaniel Chase prayed on the
occasion. The individuals proposing to unite in church or-
der, were arranged hand in hand in front of the pulpit, and
in that position received the Right Hand, presented by El-
der John Tripp of the first church in Hebron, in token of
the Fellowship of sister churches. Elder John Haines then
delivered an affectionate address, suitable to the circum-
stances. Immediately after, brother Cyrus Shaw, according
to previous arrangement, was chosen and set apart to the
office of Deacon by laying on of hands and prayer.
The whole sen'ice was interesting, and we are encour-
aged to hope that, as the God of Mercy is bestowing on this
little, loving band, outward favors, so he will abundantly
satisfy them with the fatness of his house and drink of the
river of his pleasure."
It is not to be inferred that public worship was wholly
neglected at Craigies Mills prior to the organization of the
churches, for the school-house was always at the disposal
of itenerent preachers and visiting ministers often discoursed
in private residences or in the open air, weather permiting.
The Convention minutes mention but two pastors of this
church, the first being Elder Robert C. Starr, licensed by
the church in Warren in 1811 and ordained an evangelist in
18 1 6. He became the pastor of the church of Poland and
Oxford in 1838 and after one years service, resigned.
In March 1843, Timothy Bailey was ordained pastor of
the church in Oxford and officiated one year.
The society was a constituent of The Oxford Association
of Baptist Churches and was continued on its roll until 1854
although not represented at its meetings after 1849. The
first delegate was Dea. Cyrus Shaw, who was succeeded in
1832 by Joshua Taylor and Alpheus Drake. Elder Taylor
lived in the old Greely house at the foot of Greely hill for
Annals of Oxford. 95
several years ; he was a preacher and often conducted the
services of the church. Elder E. S. Byron was one of the
delegates in 1842 and is remembered as an acceptable sup-
ply. Samuel Littlefield succeeded Mr. Shaw in the office of
Deacon and frequently attended the Association. In 1837
the church in Poland united with it, and for three years
it went under the name of the Church of Poland and Oxford.
Others of record, representing the church in meetings of
the Association, were Deacons Alden Chandler and D. Dud-
ley, and Bros. Dennis Hayes, Peter Dennin and J. Cain.
Showing the puritanic simplicity of the denomination, we
note that at the Association in 1833, a vote was passed rec-
ommending the discontinuance of mourning apparel, as a
practice useless and expensive. The returns of 1835 g^"^^
to the church in Poland 18 members, to that in Oxford, 16
and the united churches returned in 1837, 46 members.
A summary statement in 1843, probably the last publish-
ed, gives original number of members, 17, admitted by let-