Oxford Past
Oxford, New Haven, Connecticut
 
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-42-

    March 22, 1856:

"Voted to use two third public money for the winter term."
    From the above entry, it would appear that the schools were at that time still primarily funded through the western reserve funds, rather than by taxation. However, it is clear that the other third of the costs of education was to be paid by the proprietors of the school district.

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THE SCHOOL CENSUS OF 1859.

    By the year 1859, listed in the annual report listing all persons between the ages of four and sixteen residing in the district, the First District had the largest enrollment of the 13 districts reported, with 50 children.
    A table of the districts reporting and their census results is listed below:

SCHOOL CENSUS OF 1859 OF PERSONS AGED 4-16 YEARS BY DISTRICT

District
Number
Enumerator
1.
50
Nelson B. Williams
2.
35
William Butler
3.
25
Stiles Tucker
4.
20
Smith C. Wheeler
5.
15
Erastus Wheeler
6.
(District either did not report, or the report has been lost.)
7.
24
James S. Wooster
8.
18
George T. Stoddard
9.
15
Albert B. Towner
10.
30
Ira G. Faws
11.
14
Silas Gunn
12.
17
Abram Bassett
13.
8
Dr. L. Barnes
    All those who enumerated the children were members of their district school committees, except Dr. Barnes, who wrote the title School Visitor after his name, crossing out the printed portion which read School Committee.

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THE FIRST DISTRICT BUYS A NEW SCHOOL

    "April 7th, 1866, at a Special held at the School House in said District, Lewis Barnes, Chairman, it was voted that the district purchase the Masonic Hall for a school house for said district.
    "Voted that Nathan J. Wilcoxson and R. Hudson be a committee to purchase the same for the said district."
   And at a later meeting:
    "1866, April 14th. School Meeting reassembled.
    Voted to accept the report of the committee which was that they had been to Southbury and purchased the Masonic Hall of Terry Munn, the owner thereof for a school house for the First School District of Oxford."
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