Here's the compilation of the entries from the Town of Bovina Historian Facebook page:
106 years ago today, on July 1, 1919, as later reported in the Andes Recorder, "Lloyd Oliver had a narrow escape …from going off the high wall at Alex Myers' in his car. Something was wrong with the car and Terry, the garage man, towed it backwards to the top of the pitch and he started to coast down. In front of the Myers house a rod dropped down careering the car into the air so that only one wheel was on the ground and when it righted itself it was on the wall and less than a foot from the edge. Mr. Oliver, who had no brakes, succeeded in guiding the car along the wall and it was stopped in front of Elliott Thomson's." John Lloyd Oliver would pass away in 1924 at the age of 22. He was the hired man for John Burns at the time of his passing.
197 years ago today, on July 2, 1828, David Thomson posted the following ad in the Delaware Gazette: "Six Cents Reward. Ranaway from the subscriber on the 1st inst. an indented apprentice of the Farming business, by the name of Mitchell McComb, in the 20th year of his age. All persons are forbid harboring or trusting him on my account as I will pay no debts of his contracting after this date. The above reward will be paid to any person who will apprehend and return said boy to me but no charges." Whether and/or how he was returned has not been determined but by 1840, McComb had his own farm in Bovina. Before 1850 he sold the farm and ended up in Delhi working as a laborer. He served in the Civil War and settled in Washington, DC after the conflict, where he died in 1880.
117 years ago today, on July 3, 1908, Norman Hawley was married to Edith Michelbach in Bovina, with the Rev. Norman Speer officiating and Mrs. E.E. Hastings and John T. Coulter as witnesses. About six weeks later, on August 18, Norman was arrested at the farm of John A. Irvine on Coulter Brook, where he was a hired hand, for having deserted from the regular army about a year previous while stationed in Vermont. His wife was living in Binghamton at the time, probably with his parents. The letters that passed between them led to his discovery. He was dishonorably discharged on September 20, 1908. This doesn't seem to have had a major impact on his life. In 1910, he was living in Binghamton with his wife and parents. The couple later settled in Syracuse, where Hawley worked for the railroad as an engineer for many years. He passed away in 1946 in Bainbridge and is buried in Syracuse.
Seventy years ago today, on July 4, 1955, Isabell Russell recorded in her diary "A grand day nice & clear but very hot. Charles was over and we ate on the side lawn had our new picnic table." Charles was Cecil's brother. I believe this photo is from that day - Hildreth Russell, Charles Russell, Cecil Russell and Isabell Russell.
118 years ago today, the July 5, 1907 Andes Recorder Bovina column reported that: "The telephone service in Bovina is on the 'bum' and with no signs of anything better. It is stated that the central for the Rose lines will be at Hobart and in order to talk with Andes for example it would be necessary to call Hobart and then talk via Delhi. Certainly very convenient."
Thirty-two years ago today, the July 6, 1993 issue of the Delaware County Times included this photo of Florence Thomas with some of her husband’s antique cars.
126 years ago today, the July 7, 1899 Andes Recorder in its Bovina column reported that "Quite a number of new mowing machines have been bought this year. Besides those mentioned last week they are Walter Biggar, a McCormick; E. Burgin, an Osborn; James Coulter, a Walter A. Wood and F.C. Armstrong, a Buckeye." [Note: I could not find any mention of ‘those mentioned last week’ in the previous issue of the paper.]
127 years ago today, the Bovina column of the July 8, 1898 Andes Recorder reported that "The forest worms are committing great ravages in many sugar camps. In Stephen Russell’s camp they have many of the trees stripped of leaves, and in many other places are equally as bad."
In 1946, Delhi photographer Bob Wyer took a series of aerial pictures around Bovina in a plane piloted by Eddie Davidson. This is the farm of Bill Parsons, which stood at the end of Boggs road in Bovina. Bill was born in 1906. He married Ruth Coulter in 1933, and they raised four children on the farm. Bill died in 1962. The house was demolished about a decade ago. Image courtesy of the Delaware County Historical Association.
113 years ago today, the July 10, 1912 Delaware Gazette carried an article about what later became Route 28: "RIGHT OF WAY SECURED. Tuesday, Chairman Dickson, with [town] Supervisors Johnson and Palmer went over the route of the Andes-Delhi State road in company with an engineer and completed the work of securing the right of way. The damages in Bovina, range from nothing to $200. Some of the trees at Lake Mahican will be saved by a slight change of plans."
The Bovina column from the Catskill Mountain News from seventy-three years ago, the July 11, 1952 issue:
These images of Jim Burns were taken by Delhi photographer Harold McMurdy in the late 1930s/early 1940s. Jim was born in Bovina in 1917, the son of Bill and Emily Burns. He married Helen Bowen in 1938 and farmed in Bovina on Pink Street the rest of his life. He died in 1994, leaving two sons and a daughter. His widow died 20 years later.
156 years today, on July 13, 1869, James Campbell filed with the town clerk a notice concerning a stray colt that showed up at his farm. "Notice is hereby given that an iron grey horses colt came to my premises this morning, the owner is requested to prove property, pay charges and take the same away. Dated July 13, 1869, James M. Campbell." James Campbell's farm was on Scutt Mountain Road.
146 years ago today, a letter dated July 14, 1879 came from Bovina farmer George Archibald to Johnson's Patent Iron Neck Yoke company. It was published in the Delaware Gazette a few days later: "Dear Sir: I have broken three wooden neck-yokes on my mowing machine within the past few years. The last one, the present season broke while turning around frightening one of my horses which threw the other horse on to the knives of the machine, cutting its leg so bad that I was compelled to kill it (a valuable one). I have now one of your iron neck-yokes, which stands the racket. I could have sold my horse for enough to buy your iron neck-yokes for all my neighbors, and many of them are and have been breaking the cheap yokes furnished with the machines."
Ninety-nine years ago today, on July 15, 1926, as reported in the Stamford Mirror, "Mrs. Belle Hilson, Miss Jane Hilson, Miss Elizabeth Strangeway and Miss Ruth Coulter left Thursday for the Pacific coast. Mrs. Hilson and her daughter expect to visit points in California, while Miss Strangeway and Miss Coulter will attend the Young People's Convention in Seattle." Belle Hilson was the widow of Alex Hilson and lived in the house now occupied by Chris and Mike Batey. Elizabeth Strangeway was the aunt of Ruth Coulter. Ruth would later marry Bill Parsons.
This image of a young Margaret Gordon came from photos shared by the late Russ Boggs. Margaret grew up in Bovina, the daughter of Bovina Town Clerk Tom Gordon. She later became a social studies teacher, teaching for many years at Delaware Academy.
In 1946, Delhi photographer Bob Wyer took a series of aerial pictures around Bovina in a plane piloted by Eddie Davidson. This is the image of the Alex Rabeler farm, which later became Suits Us Farm. There's been a farm on this site since at least 1830, when it was owned by John R. Thomson. It later was owned by John M. Miller, then Frank Rupert before Alex purchased it in 1941. This is now the Bovina Center Montessori School. Images courtesy of the Delaware County Historical Association.
178 years ago today, on July 18, 1847, Robert Forrest, the son of Thomas E. Forrest and Ellen Raitt, died at the age of three. He is buried in the Old Associate Presbyterian Church cemetery (more commonly known as the Reinertsen Hill Road cemetery). Thomas and Ellen Forrest would lose several other children in their infancy. Ellen had thirteen children but would lose at least six of them before they reached adulthood.
107 years ago today, on July 19, 1918, Bovina was hit with a heavy storm that caused considerable crop damage and killed three cows. Gardens and field crops, including William Archibald's buckwheat were destroyed by hail, some of the early stones being as large as plums (the Archibald farm was at the lower end of Bovina Center, what later was the Frank McPherson farm). The maple tree at the home of the Muller sisters (across from about where the late Hugh and Pat Lee lived – and where Taylor Foster lives) was struck by lightning. Lightning traveled into the house of Adam Laidlaw through the telephone lines but did no damage (the Laidlaw farm is where Marie Burns lives now). A.B. Phyfe, who had the farm now owned by Tim and Kristin Schneider, saw his entire dairy of three cows killed by lightning.
Twenty-two years ago today, on July 20, 2003, I took this photograph of my dad, Charlie LaFever, with the Davidson brothers, Richard, Ed and Alan. It was the last time these four gentlemen would gather like this. Charlie and Alan died within a couple of weeks of each other in early 2004. Ed and Dick continued their annual trips to Bovina for about another decade. Ed passed away in 2019. Dick lives in California.
Sixty-four years ago today, the July 21, 1961 issue of the Oneonta Star included this story about the family of baseball great Whitey Ford spending some time at Suits-Us Farm:
This image of Ralph Tuttle was taken by Delhi photographer Harold McMurdy in the late 1930s. Ralph was born in 1906 and lived on the Tuttle Farm on Lee Hollow for many years. Ralph died in 1983 and is buried in Bovina.
124 years ago today, on July 23, 1901, as later reported in the Andes Recorder, "the first load of lumber was drawn for the creamery at the Centre…" Here's an image of the creamery a few years after it opened.
129 years ago today, the July 24, 1896 issue of the Andes Recorder, in its Bovina column, had several entries concerning the poor hay and oats crop, reporting that "The worms are doing a great deal of damage in the oats and also in some pieces of corn. Some have quit haying and are cutting their oats to save them from the pests." The Bovina columnist also noted that "a good many have finished haying and the majority say they have only about half a crop, as compared with last year. There will be lots of cows to dispose of this fall."
Eighty-seven years ago today, on July 25, 1934, J. Douglas Burns died in Bovina at the age of 75. He was a lifelong resident of Bovina, the son of John Burns and Nancy Ormiston. He married Maggie Doig in 1879. They had five children, four of whom survived to adulthood - Arthur, Eva, Elizabeth and Willam C. The images are J. Douglas and his wife Maggie.
144 years ago today, the Bovina column for the July 26, 1881 Stamford Mirror reported that "The new boat on the pond at the coopershop is a source of attraction for the small boys, and some large ones."
Forty-three years ago today, this article appeared in the July 27, 1982 Delaware County Times about Russell's Store.
164 years ago today, on July 28th, 1861, George H. Lee, son of Charles R. Lee, died of diphtheria in Brushland. Four days later, his sister, Margery Saloma also died of the same disease. Both children are buried in the Bovina cemetery.
130 years ago today, on July 29, 1895, as later reported in the Bovina column of the Andes Recorder, "John Bramley was in town…after ice for the Andes meat market."
Ninety-one years ago today, on July 30, 1934, David Currie resigned as Bovina Town Clerk. James Hoy was appointed to fill the position. Hoy would hold the position for about a year when David Currie would resume it and hold it until 1945. James' wife, Margaret, succeeded David in the position, becoming the first woman to be the Town Clerk for Bovina.
This double postcard view of Bovina Center probably dates from the 1930s.
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