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the people aspired to become a town. It was then they preferred their petition to the General Assembly for incorporation as such. Year after year, to the seventh, they presented their petition, when on the seventh they were successful, and Oxford was incorporated a town. Not in the least daunted for being six times repulsed, they persevered until victory crowned their efforts. Their indomitable determination, their energetic action, their unfaltering perseverance, are to be regarded with admiring approbation. When speaking of this with one who was active in the cause, I said, "How long were you in gaining success by prevailing with your petition?" He said, "Seven years; just as long as it took our country to gain her independence."
I must not omit to say, the people at last resorted to strategy, and by strategy they succeeded. The town election of the town of Derby was at hand, The town meeting was warned to be held at nine o'clock forenoon, but never opened till one o'clock afternoon. The people of Oxford agreed to go together in a body, and be on hand and open the meeting of the town at 9 o'clock a.m. It was carried out to the letter. The hour of meeting was set and known to every man who might vote. They all congregated and formed in procession on the main street of the central part, and ready at a given signal simultaneously to start. The signal given, the procession moved. It was so much the custom then to open a town meeting with a prayer, that proceedings without prayer were hardly regarded as legitimate. To save trouble from that direction, Rev. Wm. Bronson, minister here, was taken along to offer the opening prayer. The signal for a move being given, the procession moved on; no time was lost. They reached the place of meeting. It was nine o'clock. They set about the business of the hour with a diligence that told what was meant.
The Derby people were in consternation. They started out and ran their horses in every direction, calling on persons to hasten to the meeting. But before enough of the voters could be gotten there to outnumber the Oxford voters, Nathan Stiles, who resided where Dr. Thomas Stoddard now resides in the town of Seymour, was chosen Town Clerk, and the meeting had voted that town meetings should be holden one half the time in Oxford.
Derby no longer opposed the movement of Oxford to become a separate town, but turned over and aided in the matter. These facts were given me by Capt. David McEwen, a prominent citizen, one ever ready and active in public enterprise, a man of laudable character, a farmer by avocation, and when in the prime of life was one of the most thorough, flourishing and successful operators. I am told he was marshal of the day and led the procession.
In and by the act of incorporation, it was ordered that the first town meeting be held on the third Tuesday of November, 1798, that Thomas Clark, Esq., warned the meeting, and that
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