This Day in Bovina for November 2022

 

Here's the monthly compilation of entries from the Town of Bovina Facebook page:

Eight years ago today, on November 1, 2014, these five Bovinians were part of a group visiting Scotland. Here are Pat Miele, Peg Hilson, Jim Hilson, Jean Parsons Merenberg and Ray LaFever at the Scottish Borders Archives in Hawick. A number of early Bovina settlers came from the Scottish Borders, including Francis Coulter and John "Old Jock" Hilson. 

 

150 years ago today, on November 2, 1872, Walter A. Doig was awarded $12 in damages for the loss of two sheep killed by dogs. Here's the document: 

 

119 years ago today, on November 3, 1903, as later reported in the Andes Recorder, a "meeting against secret societies" took place in the Covenanter church in Bovina (the church was located where the fire hall now sits). One of the speakers spoke against the Grand Army of the Republic (the GAR), the Civil War veterans group. The speaker, who claimed to be a Civil War veteran, said "he would not belong to such an order." The Recorder went on to say "we don't want such a man in our order, so he need not bother himself about it. The order is better without such as he."

 

124 years ago today, the November 4, 1898 Bovina column of the Andes Recorder noted that "out of seventeen cows which John M. Miller has had come in this fall, eight have had milk fever, and four have died." Miller's farm was on Pink Street, the farm later known as Suits Us Farm.

 

138 years ago today, on November 5, 1884, David F. Hoy submitted this claim for $4 for two days of services he rendered as clerk of elections. 

 

123 years ago today, on November 6, 1899, as later reported in the Bovina column of the Andes Recorder, "Merritt Reynolds was in town….selling patent neck yokes."

 

172 years ago today, on November 7, 1850, William D. Thompson, son of David Thompson and Jennette Hume, married Agnes Murray, the daughter of John Murray and Jennet Scott. They would have 4 children, but only one would survive to adulthood, William Henry Thompson. William and Agnes would be married over 51 years. William died in 1902, Agnes three years later.

 

127 years ago today, the Andes Recorder in its November 8, 1895 edition reported that "There is every prospect of a telephone to the upper part of the town, with an instrument at J.E. Hastings, Johnson Brothers, Post office, Mrs. Hewitt's, McFarland Brothers, A.F. Maynard's and at W.B. Thomson's."

 

128 years ago today, the November 9, 1894 Bovina column of the Andes Recorder reported that "Gossips say there is to be a case of matrimony on Pink street soon." No further information appears in subsequent papers to identify this couple. There were two couples married in Bovina not long after this notice. Hope Chamberlain married Jennie Mabon on November 28, 1894, but the Mabons lived in Lake Delaware (and I'm not sure from where Chamberlain came). On December 5, 1894, Andrew C. Seacord married Elizabeth Loughran. This may be the couple mentioned in the gossip, but we can't be sure. The gossip could have been totally wrong.

 

Thirty years ago today, the November 10, 1992 Delaware County Times carried this Bovina News column by Ann Cairns. 

 

Seventy years ago today, on November 11, 1952, the Bovina Home Bureau held the second meeting on "Self-Help in Case of Accidents." A third meeting was scheduled at the community hall for November 25.

 

161 years ago today, November 12, 1861, Rachel Atkin died. We don't know much about her ancestry other than that her maiden name was Miller. She married Charles Atkin and they had seven children. She was 58 at her death.

 

117 years ago today, on November 13, 1905, John Gordon wrote this letter from Laurel Bank, Gatehouse, Scotland to his brother Tom, informing him of the death of his sister Bella. Isabella Gordon was born in Scotland in 1850 and spent her entire life there.  She was buried in Kelton Churchyard. 

 

113 years ago today, on Sunday, November 14, 1909, the pastors of the Bovina United Presbyterian, Reformed Presbyterian and Methodist churches all preached sermons against dancing.

 

Sixteen years ago today, the November 15, 2006 Delaware County Times carried this article about Hugh Lee receiving an advocacy award from the New York Library Association. 

 

101 years ago today, on November 16, 1921, Thomas C. Strangeway submitted this statement of expenses as a candidate for town supervisor (he won and served one term). 

 

Margaret Sanderson Doig died 150 years ago today on November 17, 1872 of typhoid fever.  Born in Washington County, NY in 1807, she was the daughter of Patrick Sanderson and Nancy Hodge.  She was married to Andrew Doig and would have nine children.  Andrew died in 1865.

 

Eighty-six years ago today, on November 18, 1936, Lester Foreman was selected to become superintendent of schools in Rochester.  Forman was hired to fill the unexpired term of the previous superintendent, who had passed away.  Foreman was 32 years old and a native of Bovina.  Born in Bovina in 1904, he was the son of Robert Foreman and Dora Alice Boggs.  He graduated Cornell in 1926 and taught in the Rochester area until 1931 when he became an agriculture teacher in the Williamson High School.  Foreman died in Pittsford, NY, outside of Rochester, in 1969.

 

125 years ago this evening, on November 19, 1897, as later reported in the Bovina Column of the Andes Recorder, Bovina saw two weddings barely a half hour apart. Both ceremonies were performed by the same clergyman, W.L.C. Samson. The paper noted that "it made him hustle and he had to miss one wedding feast." The first wedding was that of Sylvan LaFever and Ella Burns, who were married at the bride's home. Ella was the daughter of Alexander and Nancy Burns. Sylvan and Ella would have three children: Benson, born 1900; Clarence, born 1902 and Ruth, born 1904. Ruth died in 1906 and Ella died in 1908 near Oneida Lake. The same evening of the LaFever/Burns wedding, William T. Miller was married to Mary Boggs. William was the son of Michael Miller and Sally McCune Miller; Mary was the daughter of Thomas Boggs and Jane Archibald Boggs. They would be married until Mary's death in 1926 and would have no children. Ironically, both grooms died in June 1940. Sylvan and Ella's son Benson later married William and Mary's niece, Anna Bell Barnhart. 

Sylvan and Ella (Burns) LaFever

William and Mary (Boggs) Miller

 

164 years ago today, on November 20, 1858, Maggie Thomson was born, the last of the eight children of John Thomson and Helen Armstrong. She was slated to have a short life, dying in February of 1867 at the age of 8.

 

William David Thomson (or Thompson, the records vary) was born 154 years ago today on November 21, 1868. He was the son of David Low Thompson and Eliza Murray.  He died in 1958 when he was 89 years old and is buried in Bovina.

 

122 years ago today, as later reported in the Andes Recorder, "the old soldiers were invited to John P. Dennis' [on November 22, 1900], and spent an enjoyable evening together.  The inner man was well cared for and an excellent repast served." Old soldiers was a common reference in this time period for Civil War veterans.

 

126 years ago today, November 23, 1896, as later reported in the Bovina column of the Andes Recorder, noted orator Colonel H.W.J. Ham gave the first lecture in the fall lecture course in Bovina. "The speaker took for his subject, 'The Snollygoster in Politics' and his lecture far exceeded the expectations of the audience.  It contained enough humor to keep his hearers in the best of spirits, but the undercurrent of solid argument for the uplifting of the plane of American citizenship and fostering a patriotic sentiment that will drive out of politics the self seeking, unprincipled place hugger – the snollygosters – who are feeding on the public and degrading the institutions of the land, made the thoughtful ponder on his words.  He closed with a touching picture of the need now so great in the country of the proper training of the young, and dwelt on the importance of surrounding the young man’s life with pictures of honor and faith."

 

Ninety-four years ago today, November 24, 1928, an accident took place in Bovina, later reported in the Andes Recorder:  "Hugh McPherson and Ledger Myers had a narrow escape Saturday night in an auto accident.  The young men had been at Henry Monroe's during the day cutting wood and coming home the lights on the car were poor.  When just below the intersection of the uptown and Coulter Brook roads a car left standing in the road without lights by the mechanic at Kaufman's garage in front of the LaFever house, where he lives, loomed up out of the darkness and there was a crash. McPherson who was driving escaped injury.  Myers was hurled against the windshield and it was shattered. Fortunately he was not thrown against the jagged edges of the glass and escaped with only a few minor cuts.  Their car was quite badly damaged." The LaFever house mentioned likely is the home of Leonard and Ann Cairns, owned at that time by my grandmother, Anna Bell LaFever. It was a couple of doors away from mine. Similar such accidents would happen at least twice during my childhood.

 

123 years ago today, the November 25, 1899 Hobart Independent carried this item: " Tho Bovina Centre lecture course has been arranged as follows: November 28, readings by Miss Dean; December 12, lecture by Colonel Copeland; January 16, entertainment by J. Williams Macy; March 14. concert by Swedish Ladies’ Quartette."

 

Thirty-nine years ago today, the November 26, 1983 Binghamton Press carried this article about the settle of a boundary dispute between Bovina and Andes. 

 

Twenty-three years ago today, on November 27, 1999, Edwin Milton Doig passed away. Born in 1905, Ed was the son of Milton and Jennie Thomson Doig. He married Gladys Biggar and had 3 children. Ed was in the army from 1926-29 and farmed much of his life on Pink Street. Here's Ed and Gladys with two of their children, Raymond and Marilyn, in 1943. Photo by Bob Wyer, courtesy of the Delaware County Historical Association. 

 

120 years ago today, November 28, 1902, the Bovina column of the Andes Recorder reported that "Through the kindness of E.T. Gerry the five year old child of Fred Minister [this might be Minster], who lives in the John R. Hoy tenement house, will soon be taken to New York for treatment.  The child is afflicted with knock knees." I am not sure of the child's name, but a review of the census suggests it was one of his younger daughters, Florence or Kate. The Delaware Gazette reported in October 1903 that "Fred Minster [now living in Delhi] went to New York city…accompanied by his little daughter who is there to finish the treatment which was begun last fall with an operation." In May, 1905, the Delaware Gazette reported that "the child of Fred Minster, which has been at a New York hospital receiving treatment through the kindness of Mrs. E.G. Gerry, is home." Whether this was the same child or another I cannot tell. Fred and his wife Nellie had a large family of at least nine children.

 

145 years ago today, in the Bovina News from the November 29, 1877 Andes Recorder appeared the following plea: "What has befallen the once agitated project of connecting us with the Andes and Delhi Telegraph Line? If only the proper effort were made this would easily be accomplished. The work should be done at once."

 

103 years ago today, November 30, 1919, as later reported in the Bovina column of the Andes Recorder, "Dr. Norris B. Whitcomb with his wife and little daughter, who left here to become a medical missionary in Egypt, arrived safely at Naples, Italy." Whitcomb would stay in Egypt until his death there in 1935 from septicemia. He is buried in Egypt.