Recorded
history is simply a
collection of the remembrances of a people. Whatever a group
of people
remember or record about their past becomes their history.
Oxford's history is still in the making,
and as
we
observe the 175th Anniversary of Incorporation, it is fitting
to gather
in information about the community's past. This is not
intended to be a
complete and official history -- it is instead a collection of
noteworthy events and ideas which found expression in the town
of
Oxford, Connecticut.
The author expresses gratitude and
appreciation
to
all those who have assisted in compiling this information for
publication. Many residents have aided by providing
photographs,
remembrances and in some cases, written sections of this book.
Special gratitude must be given to the
following:
Mr. Kenneth Marsden, for assistance in
history
of
hotels and use of his historical cards; Miss Bernice Hull for
John Hyde
tradition, the loan of Sharpe histories, and material on the
Twelve
Mile Stake; Miss Ida Renker for material by the Rev, Henry S.
Douglas;
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Meek, for information on the history of
their
home; The Rev, C. Ronald Wilson for his article on slavery in
this
area; Richard Ryan for his piece on Colonial Military Musters
in
Oxford; to Terrance O'Neil for use of his address to the Derby
Historical Society; to Beeda Tucker for use of family
photographs; to
Paul Gazy for use of family photographs and Oxford Advertiser;
Mrs.
Truman Wheeler for use of old postal cards; Mrs. Charles
DeBisschop,
use of family photographs and post cards; Mr. and Mrs. H.
Milton
Larson, for loan of old photograph; Also to Dan Kiley and Mrs.
Schaper
for use of old photographs.
This
book is dedicated to the people who
have lived in and loved the community of Oxford. This history
is their
story, and this book is dedicated to those who have gone
before, those
who share in this 175th Anniversary with us, and those who
will follow
in the years to come.
