This Day in Bovina for July 2019

101 years ago today, as later reported in the Andes Recorder, "The first allotment of boys arrived at the Gerry Camp in southern Bovina Monday afternoon [July 1, 1918]."

Seventy-seven years ago today, the July 2, 1942 Bovina column in the Delaware Republican reported that "Clark Lay of Wallkill spent from Wednesday until Friday of last week at his home being called here by the death of his brother, Charles. Evelyn Lay of the Aknusti estate was home from Monday until Friday." A later item in the same column reported that "Funeral services for Charles Lay were held on Tuesday afternoon at the home of his grandfather, George H. Miller."

108 years ago today, on July 3, 1911, Mrs. Walter G. Coulter was taken to the State hospital at Binghamton. As later reported in the Andes Recorder, she had been examined by Drs. Scott and Ormiston a few days earlier "as to her mental condition and found her mind unbalanced." The paper went on to note that "it is hoped by her many friends that the trouble may be only temporary." She did recover and lived in Bovina until her death in June 1953. She was the mother of Ruth Coulter Parsons and Celia Coulter.

131 years ago today, on July 4, 1888, as later reported in the Bovina column of the Stamford Mirror, "The leap year supper…was well attended. The ladies failed to respond to the toasts, as they were expected to do, and were helped out by some of their gentlemen guests. The pleasure of the occasion was somewhat marred by the firecracker fiend, who persisted in throwing crackers around the hall door, and at persons passing along the street."

138 years ago today, on July 5, 1881, as later reported in the Stamford Mirror, "during a heavy storm of wind and rain, just before night, while Duncan Ballantine's team was being driven home from Strangeway's to Andes, a poplar tree was blown over and one of the limbs struck just between the team and the driver, breaking the wagon pole off, but doing no injury to either the man or the team, while the top of the tree struck in front of and around the team."

111 years ago today, at a town board meeting held July 6, 1908, it was reported that the highway fund was expended "and that there was $494.96 still due the workmen for work already performed." A resolution was passed to borrow "on the faith and credit of the town" $500 at six per-cent interest.

139 years ago today, on July 7, 1880, as later reported in the Stamford Mirror, "Rev. J.L. Scott, of Matteawa, delivered his popular lecture on Oliver Cromwell. It was very interesting."

Seventy-six years ago today, the Bovina column in the July 8, 1943 the Delaware Republican reported "Funeral services for Mrs. Everett Jocelyn, who died at the Delhi Hospital on Thursday night, were held at the home here on Saturday afternoon…Burial was made at Halcottville. Mrs. Charles Hyatt and sons Ralph and Everett of New York City attended the funeral but had to return to New York on Saturday evening as both boys are in the armed services and had only a 24-hour leave."

114 years ago today, on July 9, 1905, lightning struck Alexander Burns' wagon house in upper Bovina, but it did not catch fire.  One corner was slightly damaged, and the horses were stunned.  The Alexander Burns farm is at the end of Crescent Valley Road and is now owned by the Goggins family (and Alexander Burns is my great great grandfather).  That same day lightning struck a horse belonging to Will Maynard, while it was grazing in a pasture, but the horse survived.

Eighty-three years ago, the July 10, 1936 Binghamton Press reported on the plans to flood "eighteen hamlets" as part of New York City's plan to use water from the East Branch of the Delaware. The article noted that "beginning at Little Delaware, establishment of a reservoir would flood out the Hook and Bovina Center."

167 years ago today, on July 11, 1852, "an outraged was committed…in the town of Bovina upon the person of a young girl…" The story was reported in the Delaware Express and in turn was in the Albany Evening Journal. The girl, "between 12 and 13" was Nancy Cunningham. She was the niece of a local tavern keeper, Mr. Davis. The crime that was committee on her "for human baseness, can hardly find a parallel in the annals of crime." She had gone to Mr. Davis's barn to feed a pet calf and was seized from behind, her mouth covered, and a cap pulled over her eyes. She was dragged into the woods where she thought she heard more than one man. She lost consciousness, possibly from chloroform and had no further recollection of what happened. Her friends found her early the next morning "entirely insensible." Bovina's Dr. McKenzie visited her and "after an examination, pronounced her person to have been violated…" She was insensible for some time but "has now pretty much regained her reason, and it is thought will recover."  The article concluded that "it is sincerely hoped that the fiends who committed this diabolical outrage will be discovered and punished as they deserve, by being separated for the future from a civilized community."

143 years ago today, the July 12, 1876 Delaware Gazette reported the tragic death of Edward Seacord on July 3, who "was fatally injured by the falling of heavy timbers on his head from the loft of his barn." The article went on to report "Mr. Seacord was engaged in re-silling his barn, in company with four other persons, at the time. The heavy sleepers of the upper-loft, on which there was about a ton of hay, became loosened, probably by the spreading of the frame, and fell, injuring Mr. Seacord so that he survived but about one hour after the accident. The skull was no doubt fractured, as, after being restored to consciousness, vomiting followed until his death."

Seventy-nine years ago today, on July 13, 1940, as later reported in the Delaware Republican, "Miss Caroline Dickson of Long Beach, L.I., Mrs. Mary D. Baldwin of Ossining and Mr. and Mrs. Harold Curran and small son, Roger, of Washington, D.C., arrived here on Saturday for the summer vacation." Caroline, Mary and Mrs. Curran (Anna) were the daughters of Jane Loughran Dickson.

114 years ago today, on July 14, 1905, as later reported in the Andes Recorder's Bovina column, "Frank T. Miller had a narrow escape Friday while drawing in hay.  He had just driven into the barn with a load of hay when without warning the sleepers of the floor beneath the horses gave way and they went down with the floor.  One horse fell to the stable a distance of 17 feet but aside from bruises was uninjured.  Every whit of harness except the collars was stripped from the horses.  The floor where the wagon stood did not go down."

157 years ago today, on July 15, 1862, James Miller swore in a statement that he was unfit for military duty. Specifically, he said "that he is afflicted with a complaint of the lungs…" Miller's was one of several filed in this time period.

198 years ago today, on July 16, 1821, Archibald Armstrong was born. The son of John Armstrong and Isabella Coulter, he died in October 1829 when he was eight years old.

139 years ago today, on July 17, 1880, as later reported in the Stamford Mirror Bovina column, a serenade was given to a Bovina couple. It is the earliest reference I’ve located to the term 'Pink Street.' "Norman tenders his sincere thanks to the 'Pink Street' band for the serenade which he says was given him and his girl on Saturday evening, July 17th."

117 years ago today, the Bovina column of the Andes Recorder for July 18, 1902, reported that "The well borers at the Centre creamery are now down about sixty feet.  Thus far they have been boring through gravel with an occasional layer of clay. How much further they will have to go to strike rock and good water is a matter of conjecture.  There has been no lack of water so far such as it is." Within the week, they struck water at about 85 feet.

170 years ago today, the July 19, 1849 New York Tribune reported on several Anti-Rent meetings in the Delaware County area, including one in Bovina.  A resolution was passed at this meeting, that read in part: "That we consider the tenants the only true possessors, and that our possession should never enure to the benefit of the landlord who fraudulently imposed his leases upon us; and that, in order to bring this cause speedily to an issue, we call upon those who have it in charge to forward the aforenamed suit as speedily as possible, in order to determine us in our course and quiet the minds of so large a community." The resolution went on state that "we, the injured, defrauded and oppressed people will wage perpetual warfare against that accursed system, until it is eradicated root and branch, and call upon every well-wisher of society, every lover of liberty, and every officer wielding influence, either Executive, Legislative or Judicial, to aid us in the just cause we have commenced."

109 years ago today, on July 20, 1910, as later reported in the Andes Recorder Bovina column, "…a dryer for the Dry Milk plant was hauled from Delhi and installed. It weighs five tons and two teams were used to bring it up." The Dry Milk plant was part of the Bovina Center creamery in the hamlet.

117 years ago today, on July 21, 1902, the well borers at the site of the Bovina Center creamery finally struck water at about 85 feet. That done, the well-boring machinery was moved to Mr. Sharpe's on the Elisha Maynard Farm (probably near what is now Christian Ingvordsen's place near Cape Horn).

121 years ago today, the July 22, 1898 Bovina column of the Andes Recorder reported that "The weather the past week has been very close and hot. Rain is much needed." The Bovina correspondent also noted that "some have finished haying and have a big crop. Most of the barns are not large enough and stacking has had to be resorted to."

Eighty years ago today, on July 23, 1939, as later reported in the Bovina column of the Delaware Republican, "Miss Helen McDivitt had the misfortune to slip off a rock at her home here…and break her leg. She is in the Delhi Hospital."

149 years ago today, on July 24, 1870, as later reported in the Delaware Gazette, "A violent thunder storm passed over Scotch Mountain, in this town, and a portion of Bovina…For a short time it rained a perfect deluge, and we learn that the barn of Mr. George Close, residing near Fish Lake, Bovina, was struck by lightning and entirely consumed. It contained the hay crop just harvested and is a severe loss to Mr. C. who is not well able to suffer it."

121 years ago today, the Bovina column of the Andes Recorder reported that "this place was visited by a fine rain Monday night (July 25, 1898) and Tuesday morning." This was much welcome after a period of hot and very dry weather.

Ninety-one years ago today, the Bovina correspondent for the Andes Recorder reported in its July 26, 1928 issue that "William H. Irvine, of Seattle, Washington, son of Mrs. Elizabeth Irvine, of Bovina, recently underwent an operation for tumor on the brain by Mayo brothers, the famous surgeons at Rochester, Minnesota. He had a similar operation more than a year ago. His condition is favorable." Unfortunately, William would succumb to his illness in May 1929. He was one of the brothers of Isabell Russell.

Fifty-four years ago today, on July 27th, 1965, the Bovina Ski Club held a white elephant sale at the community hall.

108 years ago today, the July 28, 1911 Bovina column of the Andes Recorder reported that "Richard Smith, for many years a shoemaker here, died recently in California." Smith was born in England in 1827 and came to the United States in 1852. He was in Bovina for many years and didn't go to California until late in life, after 1905. He died in Santa Ana, California on July 11, 1911.

Ninety years ago today, on July 29, 1929, as later reported in the Delaware Express, "Mrs. Ray Thomson had the misfortune Monday to have a horse step on one of her hands, breaking one of her fingers."

Fifty-three years ago today, on July 30, 1966, Emily Elliott Burns died. The daughter of John Elliott and Ella Squires, she was born in 1887. In 1915, she married Bill Burns, who would survive her. They had five children, sons Robert, James and Clarence and daughters Eleanor, who married Marvin Archibald, and Kathryn, who married Jack Messina.

Sixty-seven years ago today, the Bovina column in the July 31, 1952 Delaware Republican-Express reported "Mr. and Mrs. Edward Coleman of New York City spent several days at the McKenzie cottage. While there, misfortune overtook Mrs. Coleman while preparing supper on an outside fireplace, when a loose brick at the base tripped her, causing her to fall. Her outstretched hand came in direct contact to a hot griddle, causing a deep painful burn. She was taken to Margaretville at once when Dr. Palen made her as comfortable as possible and she left for home on Tuesday."