from Old Times:
Page 427 - 429. [Vol. 3. No. 4., October 1, 1879.]

"The North Yarmouth and Falmouth Social Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427

"[Miss PHEBE M. BUXTON.]
"Early in the year 1813, several residents of the south-western part of North Yarmouth and the section of Falmouth adjoining, associated themselves for the purchase and use of a collection of books called by them the "NORTH YARMOUTH AND FALMOUTH SOCIAL LIBRARY." A meeting of those interested was held at the house of Rev. Martin Ruter, and a constitution was formed and signed. The following are the names of the signers:--
Ephraim Sturdivant. Henry Moxcey.
Martin Ruter. Andrews Blanchard.
Joseph Drinkwater. William Buxton.
Joseph W. Collins. Joseph York.
William York, Jr. George Titcomb.
Enoch Jaques.
Subsequently, as appears by the Library Journal, nine other persons were admitted to the association, namely:--
John Underwood. George Prince.
John Pittee. Retair Drinkwater.
Samuel Pote. Joseph Smith.
Daniel Roberts. Greely Sturdivant.
William Prince.
The only officers chosen by the society were a librarian, and a director or directors, whose business it was to select additions to the library. Two dollars was the fee required for membership, and the assessment on the shares for the purchase of books was left to be determined at each annual meeting.
Some provisions in the constitution (there were no by-laws) read oddly by the (gas and kerosene) light of the present time.
Here is the 11th article of this document:--
"Persons who shall abuse the books they take out shall be subject to forfeitures in the following manner, viz., for every drop of tallow, oil, or other grease on any of the leaves of a book, six cents ; for every rent in a leaf, six cents per inch ; and for tearing out a whole leaf, the price of the book."
That this law was not a dead letter is manifest by the journal, wherein it appears that sundry members were fined, on the return of books, for drops of tallow on the same, a witness to the general use of home-made dips or moulds in their households.
The number of the members being so few, of course the library was small, for cheap books did not then abound. It was mostly composed of "solid," standard works, and the members evidently expected to read without haste, for their regulations specify that octavos may be retained six weeks, and all smaller books four weeks. A list of the books is here given, showing that it included but few of transient value, and quite a number still considered needful to a good library.
Josephus' History, 3 vols.; McKenzie's Voyages, 2 vols.; Clark's Travels; Life of Washington ; History of Rome ; History of Greece ; History of England ; Buchanan's Researches ; Life of Cumberland ; Mavor's Plutarch ; Morse's Geography ; Maury on Eloquence ; Self-Knowledge ; Saint's Rest ; Redeemed Captive ; Beauties of Hervey ; Klopstock's Messiah, 2 vols.; Life of Commodore Preble ; Heathen Dieties ; Hartley on Christianity ; Dow's Opinion ; Centaur not Fabulous ; H. Adam's History of New-England ; McEwin's Types ; Rollin's Ancient History, 8 vols.; Robertson's Charles V., 2 vols.; French Revolution ; Paley's Philosophy ; Lives of the Poets ; Wars of the Jews ; Historical Dictionary ; Modern Europe ; Volney's Ruins, 2 vols.; Blair's Philosophy ; Massachusetts Agricultural Journal, 2 vols; Bigland's View of the World, 5 vols.; Jefferson's Notes on Virginia.
This library remained in existence about seven years. The proprietors found it inconvenient to attend to it, and in 1820 it was dissolved, and the books divided among the members. (360)"

More notes from Old Times:
Page 394. [Vol. 3. No. 3., July 1, 1879.]
"Who can give any information about the SECOND SOCIAL LIBRARY of NO. YARMOUTH? I have a transfer of a share in the Society, dated 1805.
C. E. B." [Charles Edward Banks?]
Possibly Dr. Banks' inquiry led to Miss Buxton's article about the Social Library.

Questions for further study:
Who has a copy of the Library's "constitution" that Miss Buxton mentioned?
Who has the "Library Journal"?
Miss Buxton may have inherited them from her late father, William Buxton.
How many of these men were sea captains?
Have you read any of these books?
Note: I do not know the answers.
Relatives of Bob Bishop:
Joseph Warren Collins, great-great-great-grandfather. He married Hannah Sturdivant. Ephraim Sturdivant and Greely Sturdivant were her brothers. Their children included Charles Collins, president of Dickinson College, Jane Seavey, Ann King whose husband Horatio became acting postmaster-general in 1861, and Olive Colesworthy whose husband Samuel published books and newspapers in Portland (great-great-grandparents). In 1848, Samuel Colesworthy bought the late William Buxton's farm from his beneficiaries, including Miss Phebe M. Buxton, the writer of this article. I have the deed.
The second generation were young children between 1813 and 1820, but the social library must have been a significant benefit to them and to their parents.
Link to Foreside Community Church cemetery. Please hit the return button to return from this cemetery link.
Above retyped from 'Old Times' by Robert F. Bishop, Yarmouth, Maine, September 9, 2003.
Updated December 21, 2004. Top, Back.
www.dredgings.com/oldbooks/library.htm
Web page written using Arachnophilia 4.0.