This was FREBURG - Oxford County

Oxford County Organized 1805

Oxford County was organized in 1805 with land set off from parts of York and Cumberland Counties. A site committee was appointed of justices of the peace to review the options. The committee recommended a site in Paris Hill and it was affirmed at the August, 1805, term of the Oxford County Court of General Sessions of the Peace. The deed for the land for the county buildings was executed in October of the same year. The land, known as the county common, abutted the south side of the town common....

....Fryeburg, settled prior to Paris Hill, was an economic center exceeding Paris Hill in vitality. In 1799, a York County Judge of Probate was authorized to hold court in Fryeburg each year. After Oxford County was organized Fryeburg continued to serve as a branch location for the probate court of the county.

The first building constructed for the Oxford County Registry of Deeds was built in Fryeburg in 1820. The brick building held deed documents transcribed by Daniel Webster, the orator and statesman, among others. Webster, a preceptor of Fryeburg Academy, interrupted his law studies at age 20 to come to Fryeburg on his first job, to earn money partly so his brother could continue college. He "moon-lighted by copying deeds for the registrar at 25 cents each, managing two deeds per night and so earning his $2.00 weekly board, thus leaving his salary [from the Academy] clean" One local historian claimed his conduct in Fryeburg did not presage his later flamboyant reputation:

"I've searched in vain for the source of the statements that he drank rum, played cards and showed little promise of his future remarkable. While here he ran a charge account at the local store, which totaled $33. No rum appears in the entries (though it often

does in other people's charge accounts) but he bought "segars" and raisins several times.... [One fifth of the expenditure was for writing equipment (pencil, paper, quills, ink, powder to blot ink). His letters show he was careful to be reserved with "the misses" because many were his pupils."

"Much of his spare time was spent in reading, in writing letters and verse, and conversing with a local young lawyer. Evidence shows he was energetic, diligent, prudent and successful. Deeds were copied with care. He was an able inspiring teacher. School performances during the semi-annual exhibition were so good the trustees gave him an extra $10. He began studying the government history of the U.S. He wrote and delivered an oration for the 4th of July observance (the original manuscript is at the Academy). Its closing works were the same as the last words he spoke in the Senate in 1850. Someone present at the 1802 oration was so impressed that he prophesied Webster would become the New Hampshire governor."

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