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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Oxford Memorial Library

Oxford, New York

Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Oxford.

Explore the Archive
11Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1813 to 1978Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

109,722Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Oxford, New York.

Get to know Oxford, New York in earlier years through the newspapers shared in the Oxford Memorial Library's digital archive. Its eleven titles include material from 1813 to 1978.

You can open the archive using the link below.
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  • Selected titles

    Examples from Oxford Memorial Library’s collection include “Chenango Republican” and “The Review-Times”.

  • Free and open access

    No subscription or payment required.

  • A closer look

    An earlier generation comes into view through the stories its newspapers chose to report, placing familiar names and events within the concerns of their time.

Historical newspapers can connect a family name with the events and everyday concerns of an earlier time, offering more than a date or a name on its own. Bring a family connection, a question about a familiar place or an interest in local history, and see where the sources lead. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.

Explore the collection

Titles in this collection

Browse eleven titles and 109,722 digitized pages, with material from 1813 to 1978. A partnership between Oxford Memorial Library and Advantage Archives makes this collection available. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

Start with a detail you already know, then browse the titles below for another perspective on the people and places connected with this collection.

Chenango Republican

856 pages from 1828 to 1830

Chenango Whig

8 pages in 1832

Oxford Gazette

4,904 pages from 1813 to 1827

Oxford Press

4,164 pages from 1899 to 1904

Oxford Republican

2,518 pages from 1834 to 1850

Oxford Times

8,138 pages from 1841 to 1868

The Norwich Journal

8 pages in 1830

The Oxford Review

4,150 pages from 1909 to 1915

The Oxford Review-Times

34,536 pages from 1915 to 1958

The Oxford Times

20,172 pages from 1841 to 1914

The Review-Times

30,268 pages from 1958 to 1978

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About the Archive

About The Oxford Memorial Library’s History Archives

Explore the Oxford Memorial Library’s digital archive, made possible through a partnership with Advantage Archives . The archive offers free access to a wealth of historical newspapers and documents, providing invaluable resources for research, genealogy, and community engagement.

Oxford Memorial Library photo 1

About the Library

About The Oxford Memorial Library

Chartered to serve the Oxford Academy and Central School District, which includes the Town and Village of Oxford, NY, the Oxford Memorial Library is a member of the 4 County Library System. This allows our patrons access to all the books and items we do not own through InterLibrary Loan. The McDonough Community Center houses a branch of the Oxford Memorial Library. Situated on Fort Hill Park, the Oxford Memorial Library can be found in a Federal-style house originally built by Theodore Burr, and is listed on the National Historic Register. It was built between 1809 to 1811, with wings added at an unknown later date. The home was later occupied by the families of Ira Wilcox, an Oxford merchant, from 1814 – 1873, and Benjamin Cannon, a lawyer, from 1873 – 1890; and served as the Rectory for St. Joseph’s Church from 1890 – 1899. In 1900, the house, with its grounds, was given to Oxford to be dedicated as a free public library in memory of Eli Lyon Corbin and Abigail Taintor Corbin (his wife) by their children.

Library History

The History Of The Oxford Memorial Library

In 2007, after several years of planning and obtaining necessary start-up funding, the Library began a 5-year Capital Campaign to renovate the Burr House. Part of this phased Capital Campaign was to add new construction for a Staff Book Processing space, and for a new Community and Youth Services Room. The renovation began with the Young Adult Room, and moved to the new construction of the Staff Book Processing space. The renovation of the Reading Room area, which also includes books on CD and cassettes, and the Large Print collection, was part of this.

In 2009, construction began on the Community and Youth Services Room, a 1,000 square foot meeting space complete with kitchenette and state of the art AV equipment. This new construction also included the addition of a lift, making the Library and CYSR handicap accessible. The CYSR may be used free of charge by community groups once they have filled out an application and it is approved; it is also available for use at times when the Library is closed.

In 2012 and into January of 2013, we finalized the renovations of the Burr House, relocating book stacks to ensure we are completely handicap accessible on the main floor. The upgrading and replacing of necessary electrical service was an important part of this phase. Once the old carpeting was removed, a beautiful wood floor was found underneath and was refinished and area carpets laid as needed. And the last piece of this phase totally renovated the second floor meeting space. This room is also available to community groups to use during Library hours at no charge once an application is received and approved.

About the Community

About Oxford, New York

Oxford, located in Chenango County, New York, has a rich history and has played an integral role in both local and national events. Established as a prominent manufacturing hub as early as the American Revolution, Oxford has been home to notable residents such as Hawley and Hariet Green, Henry Ward Beecher, and William Sands. The town was an important stop on the Underground Railroad during the American Civil War. Oxford has continued to grow and diversify, contributing significantly to the social, cultural, and economic development of the region.

Local History

Did You Know?

Did you know that the Oxford Memorial Library is housed in a Federal-style house originally built by Theodore Burr between 1809 and 1811? This historic building has served various purposes, including as a Rectory for St. Joseph’s Church, before becoming a public library in 1900.

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Check a text match against the page

Start with something you would like to understand about the past of Oxford. It might be a person, a neighborhood or an event remembered in your family. Use the digital archive shared by the Oxford Memorial Library to follow that question into the historical record. When using historical newspapers, try alternate spellings and nearby dates, then read the surrounding page to place a local story in its time. Compare later reporting or another available title to explore different perspectives rather than treating one account as the whole story. If a search result looks incomplete or misspelled, inspect the scanned page when available. Record the issue date and page, then distinguish the printed wording from search text before following the story to another mention.

If a text match looks incomplete, compare it with the scanned newspaper page when available. Check whether wording or names differ, then record the page's printed wording with the issue date and page. Keep the search result distinct from what the page itself shows.

As you connect materials, note where each detail came from and what it can support. Record the title, date, and page or item reference where available. Keep names and relationships tentative until the evidence is strong enough to connect them, and mark which words come from the record and which are your interpretation.

Review collection titles

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Oxford Memorial Library, its community, and Advantage Archives. Together, these partnerships preserve local sources and give people a way to explore, learn from, and share the history around them.

Advantage Archives covers ongoing archive hosting, storage, development, and maintenance. The institution and its community do not pay a subscription, seat license, annual support contract, or other recurring archive-service charge. Local history remains a community resource, not a subscription to maintain.

Would you like to see more of your community's history preserved and accessible? Start a conversation with your library, newspaper publisher, historical or genealogical society, museum, or school about the materials they would like to share and a possible partnership with Advantage Archives.

Learn about partnerships
Read All About It

Stories, research tips, and archive news

Read All About It connects archive research with the people and institutions preserving local history. Explore partner and community stories, project updates, research ideas, and perspectives on digitization, education, and working with primary sources. Use the articles as a starting point for your next question or a new way to share a discovery.

Newest published articles

March 18, 2025

It’s Your Community’s History, So Why Rent Something You Own?

We believe that history belongs to the communities where it was made - not locked behind paywalls or inaccessible due to budget restrictions. Subscription-based services and large content aggregators are generally more concerned with "content" and less concerned with the history that content contains. Their models typically involve a reoccurring charge for a plan that renews annually or licensing agreements with the library based on population served or circulation numbers. You are essentially Renting Access To YOUR History.
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