IN MEMORIAM, WM. OXFORD. 6l 



for some time. In 185 1 they came to Allamakee county, Iowa, and 

 the following year to Crooked Creek, in this county. His wife died 

 about a year ago. 



It is said that Mr. Oxford drove the hrst team to Brownsville, 

 coming on the Indian trail in the spring of 1853. I" 1858 he built 

 a sawmill near what is now Freeburg, on his farm, now owned by 

 his son-in-law, Joseph Till. Mr. Oxford devoted a great deal of 

 his time to the raising of fine apples, having at one time one of the 

 finest, if not the finest, orchard in the county. 



For the last year he had been quite feeble, and for the last few 

 months he was in the Caledonia hospital. 



The writer's attention was first called to Mr. Oxford in con- 

 nection with the exhibit of fruit that he contributed to the World's 

 Fair at Chicago, in 1893, the collection that he sent being one of the 

 finest that was shown with the Minnesota exhibit there. It was 

 some years after that before we had the pleasure of a personal ac- 

 quaintance. Mr. Oxford occasionally attended our meetings, and 

 while a man of few words his influence was always to be counted up- 

 on for any good purpose in the work of the association. For many 

 years and up to within a year of his death he was a regular ex- 

 hibitor in the horticultural department at the state fair, and his 

 fine orchard of five acres or thereabouts, containing upwards of 

 one hundred and twenty-five varieties of apples, including some 

 seedlings of value, enabled him to make fine exhibits. At least 

 two of his seedlings are known somewhat to olanters in Minne- 

 sota. The late J. S. Harris, in his book describing Mmnesota ap- 

 ples, which is now in the society library, describes two. One is 

 called "Oxford's Seedling" only, an early winter variety, and the 

 other is "Oxford's Orange," also of the same season. Mr. Ox- 

 ford was also very much interested in plums, having a large or- 

 chard of native varieties, one of his seedlings, the "Red T^me," be- 

 ing quite extensively planted. His experience in growing tender 

 fruits, such as peaches and pears, had met with some success, 

 though with no conclusive results. 



Mr. Oxford's name appears on the roll of the society first in the 

 year 1893. He was made an honorary life member in the year 1899 

 at the same time as was Mr. O. M. Lord, Mr S H. Kenney and 

 a number of others of the veterans of the sbcietv, his loyal service 

 during the limited period of his connection'^with the society having 

 justly earned him this distinction. We are sflad to have the oppor- 

 tunity to publish so fine a picture of Mr. Oxford as appears here- 

 with, accompanied by the faces of two of his descendants, his 

 happy expression therein indicating his kindly feeling towards them 

 and, we believe, towards all the world, this being evidently his dis- 

 position. 



In his death we have parted for a time from one of the most 

 loyal members of our organization. — Sec'y. 



