This Day in Bovina for August 2016

Ninety seven years ago today, the August 1, 1919 Catskill Mountain News reported that "there is being planned the Bovina annual Community Picnic for the last Thursday of August. This fact has been announced in the churches." The paper went on to report that "Efforts will be made to secure a good speaker, and there may be a band to furnish music. There will be a formal program of speech in the morning, then a picnic dinner, then a number of athletic events to shake down the dinner, also a ball game." The event did take place as planned and was a success.

Seventy seven years ago today, on August 2, 1939, Jane Loughran Dickson died, a week shy of her 77th birthday. The daughter of James Loughran and Caroline Carman, she married Dr. Gilbert Dickson. She was widowed in 1912. For a number of years, she was Bovina's de-facto postmaster (her son held the actual title). Jane is buried in the Bovina Cemetery.

109 years ago today, the Bovina column in the August 3, 1908 Delaware Express reported that "A party was held at Mrs. Muller's in honor of her granddaughter, Louise, Wednesday afternoon. The people report a fine time." Mrs. Muller was Alouise, the widow of Urban Muller. Louise likely was Louise McCumber, the daughter of her daughter Jennie Muller McCumber.

Aggie Bell Armstrong, the three day old daughter of Frank Armstrong and Jeanette Burns, died 144 years ago today, August 4, 1872.

112 years ago today, the Bovina column of the August 5, 1904 Andes Recorder reported that "One day last week Millard, the young son of John Blair, [was] sent to the pasture to catch a horse.  He was bare footed and in some manner he fell from the horse and it stepped on both of his feet cutting and bruising them."

Fifty-two years ago today, the August 6, 1964 Bovina column of the Delaware Republican reported that "Barbara Hoy of Hobart is spending a couple of days with her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Lester Hoy, and Mrs. John Hilson."

126 years ago today, on August 7, 1890, the Delaware Republican reported that, "We had a pleasant call from John Hilson, of Brushland… He looks as if the improvement received from his last year's trip to his native land still continues and he is hoping to see auld Scotia again another season. His descriptions of the scenes there and especially his experiences with their barbers at a penny a shave are graphic, and the latter amusing to all, except the ones who fell into the barber's hands."

Seventy-six years ago today, on August 8, 1940, the Bovina column of the Delaware Republican reported that "Miss Catherine Hastings of Amsterdam, N.Y., is visiting her uncle, Milton Hastings." The same column also noted that "Mrs. James Coulter of New Wilmington, Pa., is spending some time at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Russell."

122 years ago tonight, August 9, 1894, a social hop was held at W.S. Thompson's.

216 years ago today, on August 10, 1800, Elizabeth Coulter was born, the daughter of Francis and Nancy (Glendenning) Coulter. It is not clear whether she was born in Scotland or in Delaware County. Elizabeth died in June 1847 and is buried in the Associate Presbyterian Church cemetery at Reinertsen Hill Road in Bovina.

105 years ago today, the Bovina column of the August 11, 1911 Andes Recorder reported that "Mrs. Ella Telford has engaged to keep house for J. Alex Stott on the Turnpike."

134 years ago today, on August 12, 1882, James Coulter died unexpectedly, "having been sick scarcely 24 hours." He left a wife and four young children. He was 38 years old. James was the son of Walter Coulter and Margaret Storie. He married Mary Rotermund in 1868. Mary survived her husband by almost 50 years, dying in 1931 when she was 86.

Sixty four years ago today, on August 13, 1952, as later reported in the Catskill Mountain News, "Forty-eight descendants of Francis and Nancy Coulter held their 30th reunion at the Fish and Game clubhouse on Wednesday….A picnic lunch was enjoyed by all. The president, William Cash, of Delhi presided. The following officers were elected for the coming year: Myron Coulter of Walton, president; Robert Hall of Bovina, vice-president; Mrs. David Roberts, secretary-treasurer; Mrs. Myron Coulter, dinner committee chairman." The Fish and Game club was on Coulter Brook and was where Francis and Nancy Coulter settled in Bovina around 1802.

Ninety seven years ago today, on August 14, 1919, as later reported in the Andes Recorder, "Postmaster Lauren Dickson went to New York last Thursday and his sister Mary Dickson, who has been attending summer school at Columbia University, returned home with him."

134 years ago today, the Bovina column of the August 15, 1882 Stamford Mirror focused totally on the status of the hay crop. "Haying is nearly finished over here. The crop is considerably larger than that of last year." The column went on to report that "perhaps the most prolific grass farm in the county is that of Mr. Robert McFarland, of the 'Butt End,' which yielded on an average from two and a half to three tons of hay to the acre - something unprecedented even in this section."

Sixty four years ago today, on August 16, 1952, as later reported in the Catskill Mountain News, "Mr. and Mrs. Robert Boggs and Mr. and Mrs. Charles LaFever were Saturday night and Sunday guests of the girls' mother, Mrs. John Edwards, at Turnwood."

The Delaware Republican Bovina column from seventy seven years ago today, August 17, 1939, reported two real estate transactions. The first was that "James Lane has purchased the Hadley farm on the Pink street road." The second one appears to be related - "Mrs. Minnie Hadley has purchased the Everett MacPherson property at the head of the village." This house likely is now the residence of Wayne Morris and Victoria Scott.

142 years ago today, on August 18, 1874, Frederick McFarland was married to Phebe A. Reynolds in the Town of Middletown. They were married by Rev. J.D. Hubble. The marriage ended in 1889 with Frederick's suicide. His wife died two years later. More about Frederick is at the Bovina NY History blog at http://bovinanyhistory.blogspot.com/2013/02/stories-from-bovinas-cemeteries.html.

Fifty-one years ago today, the Bovina column of the August 19, 1965 Delaware Republican-Express reported that "Mrs. Sophia Reinertsen, accompanied her son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Reinertsen, to Missouri, and Madison, Wisconsin, where they are visiting relatives of the family."

126 years ago today, the August 20, 1890 Delaware Gazette reported that "the Bovina Band serenaded some of the prominent citizens of the town, and among them Mr. and Mrs. A.F. Maynard. The band were invited in and Mrs. Maynard served refreshments in elegant style, and her husband presented the boys an envelope containing a $20 bill. Their hospitality as well as generosity were fully appreciated."

128 years ago today, the August 21, 1888 Stamford Mirror reported in its Bovina column that "The friends of Ed O. Hanlon were much alarmed, a few days ago, by the report that he had suddenly died at Delhi, while having some decayed teeth extracted. Happily the report proved untrue. Ed says he knew it was a lie as soon as he heard it."

104 years ago today, on August 22, 1912, Therese "Que" Aitken was born, the daughter of John Bauer and Frances Deitz. She married Floyd "Steve" Aitkens and was widowed in 1982. She died in February 2003 at the age of 90. This passport photo of Que was taken by Bob Wyer in May 1947 (courtesy of the Delaware County Historical Association).

134 years ago today, on August 23, 1882, as later reported in the Delaware Gazette, "Mrs. Peter Calhoun, the mother of Dr. Calhoun, of this village [Delhi], died at her residence in Bovina, Aug. 23. Mrs. Calhoun was born in the year 1799, in the Parish of Luss, Dumbarton Shire, Scotland. She came to America in 1834, and settled in Bovina in 1835, where she resided until her death. In 1835 she united with the Presbyterian church in Andes, of which she was a faithful and consistent member during her life. She was a kind and loving mother, a faithful wife, and a much esteemed neighbor."

Seventy seven years ago today, on August 24, 1939, the "Bovina Centre" column of the Delaware Republican reported that "Mr. and Mrs. Jack Myers, Mrs. Anna Thompson and Ledge Myers of Binghamton visited Mr. and Mrs. Alex Myers over the weekend."

The Brookfield (NY) Courier ninety-six years ago today in its August 25, 1920 issue reported under County and State News Paragraphs on an illness impacting Bovina's dairy cows: "Several cows in Bovina dairies recently attracted attention by giving small messes of milk, and the suspicion of trouble was intensified when the next morning about thirty cows in the dairy of Mrs. Kate Barnhart were very ill, several of them being unable to rise, and one dying during the day. Inspection by Drs. Irvine and Wheeler developed that some powerful physic had been eaten by the animals. Wednesday most of the cows were on their feet again, and suspicion being directed to feed which all had eaten, the stomach of the dead cow and some of the grain were sent to the state agricultural college for analysis."

132 years ago today, the Bovina column in the August 26, 1884 Stamford Mirror reported that "Oats are being harvested, and are an excellent crop."

127 years ago today, the August 27, 1889 issue of the Stamford Mirror reported that "An Uncle Tom's Cabin troupe scooped $80 in Bovina." These shows were common in the latter part of the 19th century, basically presenting some stage version of the famous novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe. With lax copyright laws, these stage versions varied considerably.

Ninety-two years ago today, on August 28, 1924, the Bovina annual town picnic took place. As later reported in the Andes Recorder, "The Delhi band furnished the music."

103 years ago today, on August 29, 1913, the Bovina correspondent of the Andes Recorder reported that "James G. Seath recently had a finger nearly bitten off by a horse." Seath was one of Bovina's Civil War veterans, born in 1840. He died in 1916.

135 years ago today, the August 30, 1881 Stamford Mirror reported in its Bovina column that "There are a number of severe cases of sickness in town at present. Mrs. Orr, [Mrs.] Sloan and Mrs. Ira Worden are considered most critical." Though not clear, Mrs. Sloan may have been Sarah Collins Sloan, who died September 15, 1881 at the age of 78. Mrs. Worden survived this illness but died in 1888 when she was 44 years old.

Sixty-two years ago today, on August 31, 1954, as later reported in the Catskill Mountain News, "the Bovina Fire Department boys won a ten dollar prize for most men in line in proportion to membership at the Walton Fair…."