The pages of the Andes Recorder from 125 years ago reported the following happenings in the town of Bovina in July 1901.
July 5, 1901
• John W. Blair was at Andes Saturday.
• John K. Russell was up from Delhi Monday.
• Milton Doig began carrying the mail Monday.
• William Ruff was down at Delhi on Monday.
• R.P. Cormack was here from Delhi Thursday.
• Rev. M.P. Williams was a Delhi visitor Thursday.
• Miss Lillian Miller was here from Andes Monday.
• G.D. Miller and wife went to Walton Wednesday.
• Mrs. Duncan Campbell has been visiting Walton this week.
• Jacob Pintoff has been in town delivering enlarged pictures. [Pintoff was a photographer from Philadelphia.]
• Otis McCumber and family were here celebrating the Fourth.
• Mrs. (Rev.) W.P. Miller, of Dayton, Ohio, is visiting in this vicinity. [Mrs. Miller was the former Ada Gertrude Chipman, a native of Ohio. Rev. Miller was the grandson of early Bovina settler David Miller. He died in Arizona in 1905. His widow survived him for 35 years, dying in Ohio in 1940.]
• Miss Mary Phinney visited relatives at New Kingston, the past week.
• George Hunger and family, of Colchester were in town Wednesday
• Floyd, the creameryman was in town the first of the week, also Charles Broughton and Mr. Peck.
• Mr. and Mrs. James H. McMurray, of Ginnell, Iowa, are visiting in town. It is 25 years since he visited the east. [James was from the Kortright area.]
• The coming fall George D. Robertson will move to New Kingston, having rented the Matthew Stanley farm at the head of that valley.
• Alex Hilson was at Walton Tuesday to meet Mrs. Hilson and son, James, who have been in New York for two or three weeks, where the boy was operated upon for a gathering back of the ear. [A gathering was essentially a lump. James worked with his brother John and later nephews Alex and John Hilson at Hilson Brothers. He was seven when he went to New York. James died in 1984 when he was 89.]
• Among those at Hobart last Thursday to attend the funeral of Mrs. J.S. McNaught were, Mrs. John R. Hoy, and daughter Jennie, Mr. and Mrs. Milton R. Hoy, Mr. and Mrs. W.H. Maynard and Edwin Scott and daughter. [See obituary notice below.]
• Miss Jennie Hastings is home from the Oneonta Normal; Miss Jennie Campbell from teaching at Hobart; Miss Anna Phyfe from teaching at Dolgeville and Miss Bertha Phyfe from Delaware Academy.
• Mrs. Robert B. Jardine died Saturday at her home near the head of Glenburnie, aged about 48 years. Five years ago she was taken with creeping paralysis which gradually grew worse and the past two years she has been unable to help herself nor speak above a whisper and for some time past has been unable to even whisper and finally could not swallow and virtually starved to death. The funeral was held Tuesday, Rev. T.M. Slater officiating, and interment was made in the Bovina Cemetery.
Mrs. J.S. McNaught Dead
June 25 occurred the death of Mrs. J. S. McNaught, at Hobart after an illness lasting over a year. Helen Hoy was born in Washington county in 1824 and soon afterwards her parents moved to Bovina, where she lived until her marriage to Dr. J.S. McNaught in 1847, and they soon afterwards moved to Hobart. She leaves besides her husband, two sons and a daughter – Frank, a doctor at Denver, Colorado; D.M. of Kingston, and Miss Elizabeth, who lived at home. The funeral was held Thursday and the interment made in the Locust Hill cemetery at Hobart.
July 12, 1901
• H.J. Hewitt, of Delhi, was in town Monday.
• James Arbuckle was up from Delhi Saturday.
• John W. Blair and wife were at Delhi Saturday.
• J.D. Burns was over at Margaretville on Wednesday.
• Born to Mr. and Mrs. Gideon Miller, Thursday, July 4, a son.
• John Scott, of Fall Clove, was a visitor in this place Saturday.
• John A. Kemp, of Delhi, was among those in town on Tuesday.
• Jack Davidson and wife and Will Bill, of Delhi were in town on Saturday.
• A brother and two sisters of Mrs. Rabuck have been visiting them this week.
• W.E. Hastings and bride returned Saturday from the Pan American Exposition.
• Walter Phyfe’s son, of Delhi, who has been visiting in town returned to his home Saturday. [The son likely was Granger Phyfe. Sadly, he died in 1905 in Millerton, NY, where the Phyfe’s were living. He was 17. Walter was born in Bovina. He became a doctor and settled in Columbia County. Widowed in 1923, he died in 1929.]
• Will Crosier and wife, Mrs. Belle Hendrix and Miss Etta Hendrix were at Delhi Thursday.
• Frank Graham left Wednesday to visit the Pan American Exposition at Buffalo. He will also spend some time visiting relatives in Canada before his return.
• A meeting was held Wednesday evening [July 10] and it was decided to build a cooperative creamery at the Centre, and it is expected that it will be in running order by September 1st. Douglas Davidson, W.A. Hoy and Robert Thompson were elected trustees for the first year.
• The Fourth passed off without mishap last Thursday [July 4] as advertised only the pig would not run. R.E. Bergman gave an excellent address and held the close attention of the audience. Some of the contests were close and exciting. A number from out of town were here to witness the events. The following are some of the winners: 440 yard dash. Will Thompson, 1st; e. Redman 2d; J.K. McDivitt 3d; Bicycle race, Claud E. Erkson 1st; Robert Hunt 2d; Will Maynard 3d. Boys bicycle race, James McNee 1st; John Gladstone 2d; Running Jump, J.K. McDivitt 1st; Charles Thompson 2nd; Milton Hastings 3d. Shot put: Milton Hastings 1st; George Elliott 2d; E. Bergman 3d. 100 yard dash, Milton Hastings 1st: ---- Blackman 2d; J. K. McDivitt 3d. Sack race, --- Blackman 1st; Will Thompson 2d; James McNee 3d. Smoking contest, Peter Robson 1st; Will Armstrong 2d.
July 19, 1901
• Rev M.P. Williams was at Delhi last Thursday.
• William Smith, of Walton, was in town Sabbath.
• Ad Maxwell and the agent for the Osborne mowers were here Tuesday.
• Mrs. James L. Ormiston and children arrived in town on Friday for a visit.
• Mr. and Mrs. E.A. Worden, of Andes, were among visitors in town Wednesday.
• Henry Thompson and wife visited his parents Mr. and Mrs. W.D. Thompson Saturday.
• Alex Johnson, of Delancey, brother of the late Thomas H. Johnson, has been in town.
• The new creamery will be located on Alex Hilson’s flat and will be 28 x 60 feet and two story.
• Jennie Miller has been having part of her house in this village reshingled. M. and G.D. Miller did the work.
• Rev. Robb, former pastor of the Reformed Presbyterian church here, and family are stopping at D.J. Miller’s.
• Mrs. Martha Gillie, widow of “Sandy” Gillie, for many years court crier, died at her home at Lake Delaware Friday July 12, at the age of 90 years. She was the oldest resident of the town. The funeral was held at the house Monday at 11 o’clock, Rev. Samson officiating. Interment in the Bovina Centre cemetery. [Martha was born Martha Lewis in 1810. Married to Alexander Gillie in 1838, she had four children. Her son William was a fatality of the Civil War, dying in Washington, DC in 1863. She was widowed in 1873.]
• John Phyfe died Wednesday morning, July 17, in the 83d year of his life. He was born in Scotland, and had been a resident of this town for over half a century. He was a tailor by trade and for many years held the office of Justice of Peace in this town. The funeral will be held Friday at 11 o’clock. His birthplace was at Foffar, Scotland and he came to Bovina in the year 1843.
July 26, 1901
• Alex Thompson was at Delhi Monday.
• David Currie was up from Delhi Saturday.
• W.T. Black was seen in town Saturday.
• Mrs. W.T. Black was up from Delhi Tuesday. [Mrs. Black was the former Isabella Irvine, aunt to Isabell Russell.]
• DeForrest’s Medicine show is here this week.
• Miss Jennie Campbell visited at Walton this week.
• Dr. Seacord and family were at Delhi Tuesday.
• Mrs. William Wight, or Delhi was in this place Monday.
• A number of farmers are going to put on lightning rods.
• John Blair and son and B.S. Miller visited Delhi Saturday.
• Mrs. John A. Irvine went to Walton Wednesday on a visit.
• Smith Hillis and wife, of Delhi were visitors in town Saturday.
• William B. Thompson is spending a week visiting at Walton.
• Henry Hogaboon had his pockets picked recently while at Coney Island.
• The first load of lumber was drawn for the creamery at the Centre on Tuesday [July 23].
• James H. McMurray and wife went to New York city on Monday for a visit.
• The foundation of the uptown creamery is completed and work has commenced on the building.
• John Thompson, wife and children, of Downsville, visited his brother, Elliott, the first of the week.
• The creamery at the Centre will soon be commenced. A well will be used to furnish the water supply.
• Mrs. Copeland and Miss Grabin from the West are visiting Mrs. Copeland’s daughter Mrs. W.L.C. Samson. [Mrs. Samson was the wife of the Bovina U.P. Church pastor.]
• J.B. Hastings for three years principal at Davenport school has accepted a position as principal at High Falls.
• John P. Mabon, who for the past three years has held the principalship of a school at Woodhull has accepted a position as principal at Limestone.
• Sabbath evening while James Monroe was using the separator his little two-year-old child got one finger in the machine and the flesh was torn from it. Dr. Rebuck was called and dressed it and hopes to save the finger. [This child probably was Martena Monroe. She later married Arthur Kellam and died in 1988.]
• Mrs. John Ogilvie, well known in these parts, died at her home in Nebraska, July 14, aged about 81 years. Her maiden name was Phyfe and she was born in Scotland, but the greater part of her life was spent on a farm near Lake Delaware. Several years ago with her husband she went west, where she has since resided. [Mrs. Ogilvie was the former Elizabeth Phyfe, daughter of David and Helen Phyfe. She was married to John Ogilvie in 1844. Her husband died in Imperial, Nebraska in 1892.]





















