Friday, March 22, 2024

A Week with Bovina People - March 1899 - 125 Years ago from the Andes Recorder


Here’s what was happening in Bovina 125 years ago, March 1899, from the pages of the Andes Recorder.

 March 3, 1899

David Currie was at Delhi on Sabbath.

Henry Thomson was up from Delhi Monday.

William C. Russell was over at Andes Wednesday.

Thomas Mabon and F.C. Armstrong have traded horses.

Thomas Hilson made a trip over to Bloomville Monday.

The Steel range men are around selling high priced ranges.

Milton Hoy has been home from Pennsylvania for a few days.

James Forman and Albert Butts were down at Delhi Thursday.

James Robinson has moved from Delhi to B.S. Miller’s farm this week.

David Finkle has moved from Delhi into Robert Jackson’s house at Lake Delaware.

About 30 young people from Andes attended “Midnight Charge” in this place last week.

John Storie and wife returned Sabbath from Albany, where Mrs. Storie has been for treatment.

We understand that A.B. Jardine has purchased William B. Scott’s farm in Glenburnie, for $2,500.

William Maynard has purchased a fine bicycle wheel, pneumatic tire buggy from Charles Huber, of Delhi.

Edwin Scott, William B. Smith and Colin McNaught will soon begin selling their milk at Almeda [now South Kortright] creamery.

Andrew Doig has been selling some more goods at auction and will sell for the next thirty days at reduced prices.

Saturday William McCune fell in John McCune’s cellar and broke both bones of his arm between the wrist and elbow.

The “Midnight Charge” played last Thursday and Friday nights was well attended and well spoken of.  The Methodist church will net about $40.


March 10, 1899

Bart Jackson was in town Friday.

Fine Hunt was down at Delhi on Friday.

William L. White has sold his dairy of butter.

George Hughes was in this place on Friday last.

Robert A. Thomson was over at Andes Saturday.

Fred Bramley was at the County Seat Saturday.

Last Friday G.D. Miller was over at New Kingston.

Emma Campbell was home Saturday from Roses Brook.

Walter Oliver and wife were here from Federal Hill Saturday.

Mrs. E.C. Dean, of Delhi, has been visiting her parents in town. [Mrs. Dean was born Mary Elizabeth Bramley. Her parents were John and Margaret McCune Bramley, who both would die the following fall.] 

William Richardson and wife have been guests at Henry Coulter’s Margaretville. [William was Isabell Russell’s grandfather. The wife mentioned was his second wife, Eliza McDonald Coulter.]

Mr. and Mrs. Albert Butts and Mr. and Mrs. Lance Thomson visited Rev. S.E. Myers at Arena last week.

William Cook, George Currie, James and Robert Forman and sister attended the funeral of William Wight at Delhi Friday.

William Wight of Delhi who formerly lived just below the “Hook” on the farm now occupied by Alonzo Tuttle, died last Wednesday evening with pneumonia, aged 73 years.

Andrew Doig and Edwin F. Thomson have sold their shoe business at Bellefontaine, Ohio, we understand and Mr. Doig will open up business in his store at this place again.

Bovina can boast of having one of the best orchestras in this section.  The members are, Whitney, 1st violin; Forman, 2d violin; McPherson, cornet; Coulter, baritone; Laidlaw, bass; Miss Phyfe, piano.  They go to Andes this week Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings to play at “Lights and Shadows.”

Thomas Smith, of Harpersfield, died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. John Campbell, in this town last Thursday morning, after an illness of one week with pneumonia, aged 82 years. The funeral sermon was preached Sabbath afternoon at 3 o’clock by Rev. Samson. Interment was made at North Kortright on Monday. 


March 17, 1899

H. Johnson was down at Delhi on Monday.

Madison McFarlane will soon move to Delhi.

Gilbert D. Miller and wife [the former Mary Jane Banker] were at Delhi on Monday.

Martin Coulter and wife visited in town last Thursday. [This Coulter likely is David Martin Coulter. His wife was Anna M. McNair.]

David Hoy was here from Colchester the first of the week.

William A. Hoy made a trip to the County Seat Thursday.

Miss Mary Schultz is at William T. Miller’s for the season.

John M. and William T. Miller were over at Andes Wednesday.

James Archibald and Archie Boggs were at Walton the first of the week.

Edward L. Coulter has sold seventeen acres of land to Thomas Mabon.

Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Miller, of Oneonta, visited at Gilbert’s D. Miller’s last Thursday and Friday.

Marion Robertson and wife and Robert F. Thomson were among those at Andes on Thursday.

Heifers at James Mitchell’s sale averaged $29,90.  Three of them went to Colon Campbell’s at Walton.

Arthur Neish has moved into the Alex. Jardine house and Jardine has moved to the William Scott farm in Glenburnie for which he traded his house.

John McCune has his cellar complete and ready for the frame.  Gray Brothers were the masons, and some of the stone were drawn from the cut at the top of the hill on the Turnpike.

Quite a number from town attended a concert at Almeda [South Kortright] Friday evening for the benefit of the Christian Endeavor society of that church. Saturday evening half a hundred attended the entertainment at Andes.

The stock and fixtures of Sylvenus W. Bramley, who formerly conducted a jewelry in Rondout, and who had been declared a bankrupt by the courts, were sold Tuesday at auction by the sheriff. The purchaser was R.E. James of Chicago, and the price paid was $2,650. [Bramley was born in Bovina in 1863, the son of Stephen G. Bramley and Mary S. Lull. He ended up moving to Chicago for some time, then settled in White Plains where he ran a jewelry store for many years.]


March 24, 1899

John M. Gordon was in town Friday from Delhi.

John McCune is having a well drove in his cellar.

James Hastings was over at Andes on Tuesday.

Hamilton J. Hewitt and wife were in town on Friday.

W.S. Squires has moved to Relay in the town of Stamford.

John B. Liddle was in this place on Friday last from Andes.

William Moore is hauling the lumber for John McCune’s house.

David Miller, of Delhi, has been visiting his son on Miller avenue.

Mr. and Mrs. John Blair were guests of her parents at Delhi on Friday.

David Oliver and niece, Girty Robertson, visited at Delancey Friday.

Walter Graham will occupy the McIntosh farm below the Hook, having leased it.

John M. Miller buys a ton of feed a week and his yield of butter is six tubs per week.

Peter McNair, James Robinson and Elmer Hastings were down at Delhi on Thursday last.

G.D. Miller was at Bloomville Friday and at Andes Saturday looking after dekin skins.

Those who went from here to Andes last Wednesday night came home defeated in checker playing.

William McCune, Jr. is again employed at Alex Oliver’s in Glenburnie this being his sixth year there.

J. Borst, of Lake Delaware, has been moving into a part of Thomas Gordon’s house in Glenburnie.

Calla Boggs received a silver watch, and John Oliver a copy of the Ladies Home Journal in the recent Express figure contest.

Land in Bovina is evidently not very low in price.  For the seventeen acres which he purchased from Edward L. Coulter, Thomas Mabon paid $1,000.

Milton A. Doig has gone on the road as a cigar agent for a Cincinnati firm.  He has a very fine line and among them many novelties gotten up in designs both fancy and unique.


Bovina Pathmasters for 1899 [Pathmasters were responsible to ensure the public roads were maintained. This included overseeing work by each property owner to keep the roads passable. Bovina had over 50 road districts. This system of maintaining public roads was changed in the early 20th century, with the election of a highway superintendent for the whole town.]


District Name

1 John Biggar

2 F.G. White

3 Edgar Hall

4 Wm. J. Crosier

5 John M. Miller

6 Jas Robinson

7 Walter Biggar

8 Wm. B. Smith

9 Fred Johnson

10 T. Strangeway

11 W.L. Forrest

12 William Boggs

13 Wm. R. Miller

14 R.E. Bergman

15 William Black

16 James Monroe

17 James Wight

18 Robt Robinson

19 Al McPherson

20 Frank Russell

21 F.C. Armstrong

22 Arthur Hoy

23 A. Johnson

24 A.J. Bouton

25 William Ruff

26 Wm. T. Miller

27 John Corbin

28 Dixon Thomson

29 Alex. Burns

30 James Mabon

31 F.R. Coulter

32 Gid. Robertson

33 George Brown

34 William Forrest

35 Robert Doig

36 Jas. H. Coulter

37 Geo. Gladstone

38 Stephen Seacord

39 R.H. Russell

40 W.B. Thomson

41 John Irvine

42 Joshua Hobbie

43 James Forman

44 John Campbell

45 David Liddle

46 Alex Bryden

47 John A. Russell

48 S. Rockafeller

49 R.A. Thmson

50 W.M. Muray

51 John W. Atkin


March 31, 1899

Robert Irvine was here on Sabbath.

Bert Elliott is working for Wilson Scott.

Alex Hilson was at New York city last week.

Frank R. Coulter was over at Andes on Monday.

Frank Gowanlock was at Andes the latter part of last week.

Frank Miller and sister, Miss Carrie, were guests at Andes on Friday.

William M. Armstrong has purchased the Alex. Jardine house of John A. Irvine.

Warren Dean has moved from Miss Jennie Miller’s house below the village to the Tollgate. [I’m not sure to what tollgate this refers.]

Alex. McPherson has secured a position as blacksmith in a wagon shop at Williamsburg, Pa.

Mr. and Mrs. George Gladstone, of Bovina, were guests at J.L. Strangeway’s on Tuesday.

Mr. and Mrs. John R. Hoy were at Canada Hollow on Sabbath to see Mrs. William Elliott, who is quite poorly. [Mrs. Hoy was the former Isabella Wilson Miller. Mrs. Elliott was Isabella Cairns Miller and a first cousin of Mrs. Hoy.]

Preaching in the United Presbyterian church Friday evening, March 31, also Saturday at 1:30 o’clock. Communion services on Sabbath, April 2.

Rev. James B. Lee, a former pastor here, is the candidate for president of the village of Franklinville, on the “Union Progressive Moral Party” ticket.

Joseph Raitt, of Walton, who is well known here, slipped on the ice as he was leaving James Turnbull’s at Hamden last week, and falling struck his side against the corner of the step and broke some ribs.

Tuesday, Libbie, daughter of Mrs. A.D. Thomson, went to Andes and on her way home she met with quite an accident. When near Peter Mosier’s she met William Miller, driving W.C. Laing’s team and the front wheel of her wagon caught on the rear wheel of Miller’s wagon, this frightened her horse and it spring, breaking the thills and harness all to pieces. Miss Thomson hung onto the lines and was pulled over the dash board, but fortunately was not injured. The horse ran as far as Dixon Coulter’s where it was caught. [Libbie was Elizabeth M. Thomson (1884-1962), daughter of Andrew Dixon and Mary Jane "Jennie" McNaught Thomson.]


In the Andes news:

Andrew Biggar died Tuesday afternoon at his home at Pepacton, aged 70 years. He never recovered from an attack of the grip with which he was taken about the time of the death of his daughter. Bovina was his native town, and for a number of years he [had] been a noted butter maker, taking many premiums. The funeral was held Thursday and the remains interred in the lower cemetery at Andes. [Andrew was the son of Walter Biggar and Janet Cowan and spent most of his life in the Town of Colchester in Delaware County. He left a widow, the former Elizabeth George, and had four children.]


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