Here's the compilation of the daily postings on the Town of Bovina Facebook page for January 2020:
122 years
ago today, on January 1, 1898, 20-year-old Maggie Coulter made the following
diary entry: "Weather ranging from zero to six above with wind blowing
snow 10 or 12 inches deep. Mother & Maggie Storie visiting in Scranton at
Chas. Shedds. Went the 30th of Dec. 1897. Started from home 8 o'clock A.M. and
arrived in Scranton 5 o’clock P.M. Aunt Mary Anne staying with us. Mrs. Geo.
Archibald buried to-day. Died suddenly at the wedding of the son William to
Sarah Hobbie at John Hobbie's. Post Office changed from Wm. McCunes to Alex
Hilsons." Maggie later married J. Russell Boggs. They had three children -
Donald, Norris and Robert. She died in 1951
142 years
ago today, on January 2, 1878, "A building in Brushland, occupied by John
Phyfe as a tailor shop, and the upper part by his son as a residence, took fire
from a stove pipe…and before it could be extinguished, a considerable damage
was done both to the building and contents."
101 years
ago today, the January 3, 1919 Catskill Mountain News reported that "Miss
Angelica L. Gerry will erect an Episcopal church at Lake Delaware on the plot
of ground lying between the state road and the road and the road leading to the
Lake. The edifice will be built of imported stone. A house will also be erected
for the use of the rector." Photo by Bob Wyer, courtesy of the Delaware
County Historical Association. May 1960.
134 years
ago today, on January 4, 1882, as later reported in the Bovina column of the
Stamford Mirror, "S.G. Bramley lost a valuable ox….He was starting logs
when one ran against the ox's leg, breaking it so badly that it had to be
killed."
Ninety-seven
years ago today, on January 5, 1923, "Miss Jennie Miller, who stays at
Walter Wilson’s up-town, suffered a shock … which paralyzed one side. She has
improved a little during the last few days.
Mrs. Lucy Coulter is caring for her." This is likely Jennie Elliott
Miller, the daughter of David and Isabella Miller. Born in 1841, she died a
little over two years after this stroke in May 1925.
Ninety years
ago today, the January 6, 1930 Delaware Express in its Bovina column reported
that "Thomas A. Archibald and family, whose home was destroyed by fire
Monday morning have moved into the tenant house on Lee Calhoun's farm which
they will occupy during the winter."
187 years
ago today, on January 7, 1833, the Bovina Association Presbyterian Church
session met. The main topic of discussion concerned "James Coulter having
given in a complaint in in writing against William McGibbon Jr for traveling
with a loaded wagon on [the] Sabbath."
The gist of the story is that McGibbon has been seen traveling to
Catskill on Saturday afternoon and was then seen there on Monday, so an
assumption was made that he made some of the journey on Sunday. It was quickly
proven, based on the testimony of several witnesses, that McGibbon did not
travel on the Sabbath. "James Coulter … expressed his sorrow for taking up
an ill report against a Brother and stated he did not retain any malice or ill
will to William Mcgibbin." The session indicated that they knew
"James Coulter to be a peaceable young man [and] did not inflict any
censure upon him for this than admonishing him to be more careful for the time
to come." Thirty-three years later, James would once again appear before
the session in a more serious matter. More at the Bovina NY History blog at
http://bovinanyhistory.blogspot.com/2011/05/brothers-in-law-part-i.html
Seventy-eight
years ago today, the January 8, 1942 Delaware Republican published this short
Bovina Centre column:
137 years
ago today, January 9, 1883, as later reported in the Bovina column of the
Stamford Mirror, "Mr Andrew McGibbon fell….from the hay lot to the barn
floor, a distance of about nine feet, and hurt his ankle and back quite
badly." He never totally recovered from this injury, dying in July 1883 at
the age of 80.
Ninety-eight
years ago today, on January 10, 1922, as later reported in the Andes Recorder,
"Miss Louise Dennis had a sale of household goods... After a visit with relatives in Walton she
will go to Virginia to live with her brother, John P. Dennis."
124 years
ago today, on January 11, 1896, a meeting was held in Andes concerning "an
electric railroad." A number of
Bovina people attended this meeting. As
later reported in the Andes Recorder, "Our people are very anxious to have
an electric railroad…The only trouble appears to be raising of the $2,000 a
mile which the company requires, and the people think this is almost more than
they can stand." See the Bovina NY
History blog at
https://bovinanyhistory.blogspot.com/2011/03/when-trains-almost-came-i-everything.html
for the start of a four-part series about this attempt to bring the trains to
Bovina.
Ninety-one
years ago today, the January 12, 1929 Bovina column of the Delaware Republican
reported that "there are several cases of measles both in Bovina and
Bovina Center." The same column also reported that "The
superintendent of highways, with help, put salt on the Andes road and also at
Lake Delaware. Cars had rather a sliding time of it, but no one was hurt."
168 years
ago today, on January 13, 1852, John Murray took out this chattel mortgage with
James Cowan of Cortland County for the amount of $370.63. He mortgaged to Cowan
twelve cows, three calves, twenty sheep, a wagon, a sleigh, a harness, one five-year-old
mare, one four year old horse and three acres of rye. He had a year to pay off
the amount. Otherwise, Cowan would take possession of the aforementioned items.
There is no record as to whether or not the mortgage was paid off.
The Bovina
column in the Delaware Republican-Express for January 14, 1943 reported that
"Friends of Charles Hyatt now of the Bronx, New York City, a former
resident of this community will regret to know that he has been compelled to
give up his work and enter a sanatorium for treatment. His physician gives him
hopes of better health again after having a lung collapsed and a rest period of
four months."
200 years
ago today, on January 15, 1820, Jane L. Tuttle, daughter of William Tuttle and
Sarah Carman, was born. Jane was married to Charles Kendall and died Feb 24,
1881. She is buried in Bovina.
130 years
ago today, on January 16, 1890, Christopher Strangeway died at the age of 75.
Born in Scotland in 1814, he married Margaret Thompson in 1836 in Bovina. They
would have seven children. Fifty-three years after his death, on January 16,
1943, his granddaughter Elizabeth Strangeway, daughter of his son Andrew T.
Strangeway, died at the age of 68. Both images courtesy of the Hilson family.
132 years
ago today, the January 17, 1888 Bovina column of the Stamford Mirror reported
that "Robert Black, late teacher in the Bovina Centre district, failed to
return on the expiration of his holiday vacation, and A.F. Storie has been
employed and is now teaching the school." Black had been hired the
previous September to teach the 'winter term.' What ultimately happened to him
I have yet to determine.
162 years
ago today, the Bloomville Mirror for January 18, 1858, carried this
advertisement. This likely is the Edward O'Connor of Anti-Rent War fame. The
only know photograph of O'Connor may have been done at his 'picture gallery.'
It shows O'Connor and his three children and was taken a few months after his
wife's death in May 1858.
138 years
ago today, on January 19, 1882, "The personal property of James H.
Dean….[was] sold at public auction….to satisfy a mortgage held by Wm. McNaught,
of Hobart."
130 years
ago today, on January 20, 1890, the third of three deaths from pneumonia in
less than three weeks occurred. As later reported in the Delaware Gazette,
"D. Lyle Thomson, of Bovina Center, died of pneumonia…., aged about
38." The paper went on to note that Thomson's brother, Andrew, "died
of the same disease about a week ago (January 4), also Mr. Christopher Strangeway,
father of Mr. A.T. Strangeway, of Bovina (January 16)."
101 years
ago today, the January 21, 1919 Andes Recorder Bovina column had the following
item "At a farmer’s meeting held Tuesday about 44 names were enrolled as
members of the Dairymen’s League, W.J. Storie was chosen president; A.T.
Archibald, secretary, and Frank T. Miller, treasurer. A good start for the League in Bovina."
131 years
ago today, the Bovina column of the January 22, 1889 Stamford Mirror had the
following item: "Leonard Sloan was trying how near he could skate to the
edge of the mill-dam without going over, when his foot struck some obstruction
on the ice and he took a flying leap over the dam into the water below the
falls." Leonard David Sloan, born in 1872, survived his 'flight' over the
falls. He died at the age of 43 in 1916.
153 years
ago today, the January 23, 1867 issue of the Delaware Gazette noted the
following: "Hall of Military Record. - Alexander Storie, Supervisor of the
town of Bovina, Delaware county, has paid the amount assigned to that town, in
full, for the erection of the Hall of Military Record." The Hall of
Military Record was to be built in Albany to store records of soldiers of the
Civil War. It was created by an act of the State Legislature, passed in May
1865, to "provide a suitable repository for the records of the war, and
for other purposes." County boards of supervisors were asked pass
resolutions of support and contribute to this repository. In the end, this
building was never built.
The session
of the Bovina United Presbyterian Church met 160 years ago today on January 24,
1860 to discuss rumors about dancing and different interpretations by the
area's Presbyterian churches: “…Elder J. Raitt Jr gave some statements which
led session to believe that Mr. Joseph S. Raitt, Mrs. Mary A. Raitt and Miss
Agnes Davis on the 20th [of January] engaged in promiscuous
dancing. Elders A McEachron and J. Raitt
Jr were appointed a committee to wait upon said persons upon the subject and
report at our next meeting….A free conversation was held upon the course
pursued by the Sessions of Andes & Cabin Hill in encouraging Dancing and it
was unanimously agreed that the 139 Question of the Larger Catechism condemns
dancing & this session will adhere to its former rules upon this subject.”
149 years
ago today, the January 25, 1871 Delaware Gazette reported the following:
"The loss of Mr. Coulter by the burning of his wagon house at Bovina
Valley, a few days since, we understand is estimated at $1000, on which there
was an insurance of $600." This farm was located in the present-day area
of Route 28 and Russell Hill Road.
Ninety-two
years ago today, on January 26, 1928, later reported in the Andes Recorder,
"There was considerable excitement for a short time last Thursday
afternoon when a call went over the telephone for aid to save the house of W.
C. Redman on the Russell farm at the Butt End.
Fortunately, it proved to be only a chimney fire." A little over a
year later, in October 1929, the barn on the same property was struck by
lightning and burned to the ground.
Sixty-seven
years ago today, on January 27, 1953, the Bovina Fire Department had a meeting,
called to order at 8:30 pm by David Roberts. An election for chair of the
department was held, with Alex Hilson and Clarence Burns as nominees. When the
balloting was complete, Clarence won, 3 votes to 2. At the same meeting, Robert
Hall was elected Secretary/Treasurer. A motion was made and seconded that the
janitor salary be $75.
140 years
ago today, on January 28, 1880, "Rev. J. B. Lee was called out of prayer
meeting …. To marry a couple who were in waiting at the parsonage. The parties
were a Mr. Butler and Miss Van Dusen…" The couple were James H. Butler
(1854-1935) of Andes and Lucinda M. VanDusen (1854-1933) of Hobart.
150 years
ago today, on January 29, 1870, William Miller died of cancer at the age of 78
years, 2 months and 23 days. As reported in the Delaware Gazette, "He was
a native of Scotland and emigrated to this country about 40 years ago."
134 years
ago today, on January 30, 1886, John Johnson, the collector of taxes for
Bovina, signed a statement reporting that there was $1.00 in dog taxes unpaid
for 1885 - George Dougherty and Jacob Dietrich. Each had one dog for which
taxes had not been paid. In his affidavit, he stated that "he has not been
able to find the persons charged with said dog tax, nor to find any property
belonging to said persons whereon he could levy the same, nor could he find and
kill the dogs." [1886-01-30 Dog tax unpaid 01]
163 years
ago today, on January 31, 1857, Elizabeth Nettie Cairns was born, the daughter
of John S. Cairns and Elizabeth Chambers. She married Edward L. Coulter in
1878. They had one son, Andrew. Elizabeth died in childbirth in February 1881
and is buried in Bovina. Her husband remarried and would survive Elizabeth by
over 50 years, dying in 1932.
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