Oxford, New York
Encyclopedia
Oxford is a town in Chenango County
, New York
, United States
. The town contains a village named Oxford
. Oxford is an interior town in the south-central part of the county, southwest of the City of Norwich
. At the 2000 census the town population was 3,992. The name derives from that of the native town of an early landowner from New England
.
and Tuscarora
.
A tract of land in the town was purchased by Benjamin Hovey, from Oxford
, Massachusetts
. The first settlers in Oxford arrived in the spring of 1789. Elijah Blackman, his son Jabez Blackman and eleven year-old adopted daughter Polly Knapp built a primitive log cabin on an island in the Chenango River. The little island on which the Blackman family had squatted had been previously been bought by Benjamin Hovey, who when he came on later to take possession, gave them in consideration of the improvements made, a piece of land, a mile and a half up the river. Blackman resided there until his death, which occurred about the year 1825.
The Town of Oxford was made up in 1793 from territory divided from the Town of Bainbridge
and the Town of Union
(now in Broome County
). Oxford lost some of its territory when the Town of Guilford
was created in 1813, and the Town of Coventry
was formed in 1843.
The former Chenango Canal
(1837) passed through the town. Railroad service began in 1870.
, the town has a total area of 60.4 square miles (156.5 km²), of which, 60.1 square miles (155.6 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.9 km²) of it (0.55%) is water.
The Chenango River
flows southward through the town.
New York State Route 12
is a northeast-southwest highway through the town. New York State Route 220
intersects NY-12 in Oxford village.
of 2000, there were 3,992 people, 1,440 households, and 1,035 families residing in the town. The population density
was 66.4 people per square mile (25.7/km²). There were 1,800 housing units at an average density of 30.0 per square mile (11.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.72% White, 0.85% Black or African American
, 0.33% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races
, and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.08% of the population.
There were 1,440 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were married couples
living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 101.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,024, and the median income for a family was $37,639. Males had a median income of $28,169 versus $21,380 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $16,149. About 9.4% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
Chenango County, New York
Chenango County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 50,477. The county's name originates from an Oneida word meaning "large bull-thistle." Its county seat is Norwich.-History:...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The town contains a village named Oxford
Oxford (village), New York
Oxford is a village in Chenango County, New York, USA. The population was 1,584 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Oxford, Massachusetts, the hometown of the landowner....
. Oxford is an interior town in the south-central part of the county, southwest of the City of Norwich
Norwich (city), New York
Norwich is a city in Chenango County, New York, United States. Surrounded on all sides by the Town of Norwich, the city is the county seat of Chenango County. The name is taken from Norwich, Connecticut. Its population was 7,355 at the 2000 census.Lt...
. At the 2000 census the town population was 3,992. The name derives from that of the native town of an early landowner from New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
.
History
The town is within the former realm of the OneidaOneida tribe
The Oneida are a Native American/First Nations people and are one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy in the area of upstate New York...
and Tuscarora
Tuscarora (tribe)
The Tuscarora are a Native American people of the Iroquoian-language family, with members in New York, Canada, and North Carolina...
.
A tract of land in the town was purchased by Benjamin Hovey, from Oxford
Oxford, Massachusetts
Oxford is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,709 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Oxford, please see the article Oxford , Massachusetts.-History:...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. The first settlers in Oxford arrived in the spring of 1789. Elijah Blackman, his son Jabez Blackman and eleven year-old adopted daughter Polly Knapp built a primitive log cabin on an island in the Chenango River. The little island on which the Blackman family had squatted had been previously been bought by Benjamin Hovey, who when he came on later to take possession, gave them in consideration of the improvements made, a piece of land, a mile and a half up the river. Blackman resided there until his death, which occurred about the year 1825.
The Town of Oxford was made up in 1793 from territory divided from the Town of Bainbridge
Bainbridge (town), New York
Bainbridge is a town in Chenango County, New York, United States. The population was 3,401 at the 2000 census.The Town of Bainbridge has a village of Bainbridge located within it...
and the Town of Union
Union, New York
Union is a town in Broome County, New York. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 56,298. The name derives from the town having served as a rendezvous for the Sullivan Expedition....
(now in Broome County
Broome County, New York
Broome County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 200,600. It was named in honor of John Broome, who was lieutenant governor in 1806 when Broome County was established. Its county seat is Binghamton, which is also its major city. The current...
). Oxford lost some of its territory when the Town of Guilford
Guilford, New York
Guilford is a town in Chenango County, New York, United States. The town is on the east border of the county. The population was 3,046 at the 2000 census.- History :The land was purchased from the Oneida tribe in 1785.The town was first settled around 1787...
was created in 1813, and the Town of Coventry
Coventry, New York
Coventry is a town in Chenango County, New York, United States. The population was 1,589 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Coventry, Connecticut by settlers from New England....
was formed in 1843.
The former Chenango Canal
Chenango Canal
The Chenango Canal was a towpath canal that was built and operated in the mid-19th century in Upstate New York in the United States. It was 97 miles long and for much of its course followed the Chenango River, from Binghamton on the south end to Utica on the north end...
(1837) passed through the town. Railroad service began in 1870.
Residents of note
- Camille PagliaCamille PagliaCamille Anna Paglia , is an American author, teacher, and social critic. Paglia, a self-described dissident feminist, has been a Professor at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania since 1984...
, author and academic. - Benjamin Hovey, Founder of the community, military officer, investor.
- Theodore BurrTheodore BurrTheodore Burr was an inventor from Torringford, Connecticut, who was credited with the Burr Arch Truss bridge design and was cousin of vice president Aaron Burr. Theodore Burr came to Oxford, New York in 1792. By 1794, he had built a grist mill , and a dam to power the mill...
, inventor, engineer, cousin of Aaron BurrAaron BurrAaron Burr, Jr. was an important political figure in the early history of the United States of America. After serving as a Continental Army officer in the Revolutionary War, Burr became a successful lawyer and politician...
. - Thomas RyanThomas Ryan (congressman)Thomas Ryan was a nineteenth century politician and lawyer from Kansas.-Biography:Born in Oxford, New York, Ryan moved to Bradford County, Pennsylvania with his parents, attended Dickinson Seminary in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1861...
, born in Oxford, NY who later became a congressman from KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. - Uri TracyUri TracyUri Tracy was a United States Representative from New York. Born in Norwich, Connecticut to Daniel Tracy and Mary Johnson , he graduated from Yale College in 1789 and became a Presbyterian clergyman and missionary to Native Americans...
, Missionary, founder of Oxford Academy, Assemblyman and Congressman. - Charles Benjamin DudleyCharles Benjamin DudleyCharles Benjamin Dudley was a U.S. chemist who was an early proponent of standardisation in industry.Dudley was born in Oxford, New York, and owing to family circumstances, had to wait until 1867 before he could enter Yale College, supporting himself as a night editor on the New Haven Palladium...
, a chemist, proponent of industrial standardization and President of ASTM InternationalASTM InternationalASTM International, known until 2001 as the American Society for Testing and Materials , is an international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services...
from 1902-1908.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 60.4 square miles (156.5 km²), of which, 60.1 square miles (155.6 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.9 km²) of it (0.55%) is water.
The Chenango River
Chenango River
The Chenango River is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in central New York in the United States. It drains a dissected plateau area in upstate New York at the northern end of the Susquehanna watershed....
flows southward through the town.
New York State Route 12
New York State Route 12
New York State Route 12 is a state highway extending for through central and northern New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 11 in the town of Chenango in the Southern Tier. The northern terminus is at NY 37 near the village of...
is a northeast-southwest highway through the town. New York State Route 220
New York State Route 220
New York State Route 220 is a state highway located in Chenango County, New York, United States. It is signed as an east–west highway, but its actual routing wanders considerably from north to south as it proceeds across the county. The western terminus of NY 220 is at an intersection...
intersects NY-12 in Oxford village.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,992 people, 1,440 households, and 1,035 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 66.4 people per square mile (25.7/km²). There were 1,800 housing units at an average density of 30.0 per square mile (11.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.72% White, 0.85% Black or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.33% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.08% of the population.
There were 1,440 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 101.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,024, and the median income for a family was $37,639. Males had a median income of $28,169 versus $21,380 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $16,149. About 9.4% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in the Town of Oxford
- Brackett Lake – A small lakeLakeA lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in the southeast part of the town. - Cheshireville – A former community in the south part of the town.
- Coventry Station – A location southwest of Oxford village and northwest of South Oxford.
- Ingraham Corners – A location northwest of Oxford village at the north town line.
- Northrups Corners – A location south of Oxford village.
- OxfordOxford (village), New YorkOxford is a village in Chenango County, New York, USA. The population was 1,584 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Oxford, Massachusetts, the hometown of the landowner....
– A village in the north part of the town; located on Route NY-12 and NY220 by the Chenango River. - Oxford Station – A location southeast of Oxford village, located on County Road 35.
- Puckerville Corners – A location near the east town line.
- South Oxford – A hamlet southwest of Oxford village, located on County Road 32 (East River Road). The Sannick Family FarmSannick Family FarmSannick Family Farm is a national historic district and historic family farm located at South Oxford in Chenango County, New York. The district includes four contributing buildings, one contributing site, and two contributing structures. They include the farmhouse, corncrib / granary, bank barn,...
was listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2007. - Walker Corners – A location east of South Oxford hamlet.