Sixty-eight
years ago today, on June 1, 1952, Alphonso P. Lee died, just shy of his 90th
birthday. He was the son of Charles Lee and Sarah Bouton and was named for his
paternal grandfather. He is buried in Bovina next to his first wife, Ada Davis,
who died in 1891. Alphonso married as his second wife Julia Van K. Stewart, who
also predeceased him in 1926.
138 years
ago today, on June 2, 1882, as later reported in the Stamford Mirror,
"Will Cathels left his team standing before Strangeway's store…and went
into the store. The horses became frightened and ran away, throwing a new plow
from the wagon and breaking it, and then smashed up the wagon."
Eighty-one
years ago today, on June 3, 1939, as later reported in the Bovina column of the
Delaware Republican, "Miss Margaret Gordon accompanied Miss Alice Hayes
with the Brownies to Howes Caverns…"
163 years
ago today, on June 4, 1857, Samuel W. McCune was born, the son of James O.
McCune and Bridget Brady. He died at the age of 21 in October 1878 and is buried
in Bovina.
Ninety-nine
years ago today, on June 5, 1921, William Johnson and his wife arrived at the
home of his sister, Mrs. Alex Crosier at the Butt End. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson had
traveled from their home in Kansas, leaving on May 23. The Andes Recorder in
reporting their arrival noted that they "covered over 1700 miles in their
Maxwell car."
124 years
ago today, June 6, 1896, as later reported in the Andes Recorder, "The
funeral of Mrs. John Phyfe on Saturday was largely attended. Rev. Samson officiated. She was a loving wife and kind neighbor, and
will be missed in her home, in the community, and in the church." Mrs.
Phyfe was the former Mary Ann Pulling, the third wife of John Phyfe. She was
born in Stamford in 1825. John Phyfe survived his third wife for 4 years, dying
in 1901 at the age of 83.
Seventy-six
ago today, on June 7, 1944, Carl 'Art' Reinertsen, son of Andrew and Sophie
Reinertsen, was killed in action in France during the Normandy invasion. Art
was born in Bovina in 1919 and was 25 years old at his death. He was survived
by his parents and eight siblings, including two other brothers who were in
service, Robert and Sigurd.
159 years
ago today, on June 8, 1861, Isabella J. Laing was born, the daughter of James
Laing and Mary Gardiner. She married Alexander Myers in 1879 and would have
five children. For 38 years, she was the telephone operator in Bovina. In 1943,
she and her husband moved to the Binghamton area. He died in 1947. She died in
Johnson City in October 1951 and is buried in Bovina.
135 years
ago today, the June 9, 1885 Bovina column of the Stamford Mirror, under the
by-line 'Clodhopper' reported that "it is rumored that the adjoining towns
need not look to Bovina for aid in building Railroads when there is not
enterprise enough in the town to put up a Telephone line from Brushland to New
Kingston."
Eighty-two
years ago, on June 10, 1938, a three-act comedy, "The Real Jerry
Jones" was given at the Community Hall. Admission was 40 cents (children
could get in for 20 cents). The cast included Marjorie Ormiston, Grace
MacFarlane, Arthur MacFarlane, Harvey McClellan, and Alex Hilson as George
Baker, a lunatic.
119 years
ago today, June 11, 1901, as later reported in the Andes Recorder, John L.
Gordon and his wife arrived in Bovina for their vacation. The paper noted that
he "is a policeman at Old Slip precinct station." See the Bovina NY
History blog at http://bovinanyhistory.blogspot.com/2014/05/stories-from-bovina-cemeteries.html
for more about John’s short and tragic life.
124 years
ago today, on June 12, 1896, the village school was closed for the school year.
The Andes Recorder reported that "The year just closed has been a very
successful one and this has been largely due to the efficient teachers, and it
is to be hoped that they may be retained for another year."
156 years
ago, on June 13, 1864, a liquor license was issued in Delhi for P.D. Aitkin.
Her tavern was located in Bovina where Jardine's house is today. Mrs. Aitkin's
full name was Pamelia Dorcas Hilton Hamilton Aitken (1823-1883). At the time of
this license, she was married to her second husband, John G. Aitken. The tavern
she ran had been her first husband's, Walter Hamilton. She left Bovina in the
late 1860s and spent the rest of her life in Delhi. This license comes from the
Town of Bovina Town Clerk files.
110 years
ago today, on June 14, 1910, as later reported in the Andes Recorder, J. Alex
Stott shot and killed a mad dog. The paper reported that the dog, belonging to
E.L. Coulter, had been having fits for some time. On the 14th, "it appears
to go mad and started across the hill toward S.R. Seacord's and a warning was
sent out over the telephone to the neighbors." The dog traveled some distance
then turned toward the Stott farm. When it got there it "was frothing at
the mouth and making a peculiar noise." Mr. Stott "promptly shot
it."
Eighty-two
years ago today, on June 15, 1938, as later reported in the Andes Recorder,
"Marjorie Russell, a student at Muskingum college at New Concord, Ohio,
arrived home … for the summer."
109 years
ago today, the Bovina column of the June 16, 1911 Andes Recorder reported that
"Alex Hilson has purchased a new Maxwell automobile from Burr Hubbell, of
Halcottville, and expects it this week."
139 years
ago today, on June 17, 1881, the Bovina correspondent for the Stamford Mirror
reported that "Thomas E. Forrest has received news of the death of his son
Wilson, which occurred some two weeks ago near Truckee, California."
William Wilson Forrest, born in 1847, died on May 19 and is buried in Nevada
County, California.
159 years
ago today, a Notice, dated June 18, 1861, appeared in the Bloomville Mirror: “We,
the undersigned inhabitants of the town of Bovina, do hereby forbid any person
or persons from fishing in the streams running through our lands after this
date, under penalty of the law. Bovina, June 18th,1861. Walter Stott, Thomas E.
Forest, Jas. Thomson, Jr., Andrew Thomson, David Coulter.”
109 years
ago today June 19, 1911, as later reported in the Andes Recorder, "Miss
Helen Blair graduated Monday from the high school at Oneonta. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Blair, Millard
Blair and Miss Mary Thomson attended the exercises. Miss Blair will enter the Oneonta Normal next
fall." Helen Blair later married Marshall Thomson and passed away in 1997
at the age of 107. More about Helen can be found on the Bovina NY History blog
at https://bovinanyhistory.blogspot.com/2012/12/stories-from-bovinas-cemeteries-bovinas.html
Ninety eight
years ago today, on June 20, 1922, as later reported in the Andes Recorder,
"Archie Boggs died in New York city … after an illness of a week from
pneumonia, at the age of about 40 years. He leaves a wife, his mother, Mrs.
Charles Boggs [of Bovina], and a sister."
Ninety-one
years ago today, on June 21, 1929, the Hilson's new barn was the site of
"a dance for the benefit of the Bovina Center fire department…" It
was announced that another dance would be held a week later.
Ninety-nine
years ago, on June 22, 1921, as later reported in the Andes Recorder under the
headline "Bovina Boy Married", Everett Orr Russell married
"Ethel Harris, daughter of the late Dr. Harris, formerly of Andes and
Walton…at Los Angeles, California." Everett was the son of John A. Russell
and Agnes Orr. Everett and Ethel lived in California the rest of their lives,
having one daughter. In 1940, Everett is listed as a lemon inspector living in
Ventura, California. He was a widower by the time of his death in California in
May 1966. He was 76 years old.
121 years
ago today, the Bovina column of the June 23, 1899 Andes Recorder reported that
“Miss Anna Phyfe received her graduation diploma from the Oneonta Normal School
this week" while "Miss Jennie Hastings graduated from Delaware
Literary Institute this week as salutatorian of her class."
Seventy-seven
years ago today, the Bovina Center column of the June 24, 1943 Delaware
Republican reported that "Miss Catherine Banaut, a teacher at Caroga Lake,
is at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Banaut for the summer
vacation." (Note that Banuat was misspelled in the paper.)
Eighty years
ago today, on June 25, 1940, as later reported in the Bovina column of the
Delaware Republican, "A number from here were at the Junior prom at the
new school at Delhi on Tuesday evening."
200 years
ago today, June 26, 1820, several applications for roads were submitted to the
town of Bovina. This is the application for a private road on the property of
Andrew Bartram. I don't know exactly where this is located, but it appears to
be in the Lee Hollow/Bramley Mountain area.
124 years
ago today, on June 27, 1896, as later reported in the Andes Recorder,
"G.D. Miller had tomatoes on the vines in his garden. One measured seven and a half inches in
circumference. Next."
112 years
ago today, the June 28, 1907 issue of the Catskill Mountain News reported the
following concerning a lawsuit brought before a Bovina Town Justice by Ella
Brown Campbell, who lived in Bovina, against her brother: "A lawsuit
brought by Mrs. Henry S. Campbell against her brother, George Brown, of Arena,
as administrator of her mother's estate, came up before Justice T.C. Strangeway
Friday. The suit was withdrawn, and
another action immediately brought. The action is brought to secure pay for
caring for the mother."
139 years
ago today, the June 29, 1881 Delaware Gazette reported that "The name of
the Post-office Bovina Valley, Delaware County, N.Y., has been changed to Lake
Delaware."
Eighty-seven
years ago today, June 30, 1933, John A. Doig died at the age of 70. Born in
Bovina in 1863, he was the son of Walter A. Doig and Margaret C. Armstrong. He
was buried in the Bovina Cemetery.
