A Week with Bovina People - October 1900 - 125 Years ago from the Andes Recorder

Life in Bovina 125 years ago this month, as reported in the pages of the Andes Recorder. 

October 5, 1900

• Alex Hilson was at Delhi Monday.

• James Muir was here from Andes on Tuesday.

• Peter Arbuckle was in town Monday from Delhi.

• A.F. Storie, of Newburg, is a visitor in town.

• George Gladstone visited Andes one day recently.

• Leslie McNee has returned from his work at Stamford.

• William Hoy, of Oil City, was here the first of the week.

• The Methodist parsonage has received a new dress of paint.

• Mrs. Alex Hilson and Miss Jennie Archibald were at Delhi Tuesday.

• The infant child of Mr. and Mrs. E.C. Burgin is seriously ill at this writing. [This likely was their son, Paul Marvin Burgin, who was born in June 1900. He would survive his childhood illness, dying in Delhi in 1983.]

• Mrs. Archie Maynard has purchased a light quartered oak surry from C.L. Huber.

• John Storie was down at Delhi Tuesday, as were also Samuel and Maggie Storie.

• Alex Hilson is having the water brought from across on the sidehill to his barn.

• A game of ball Friday between the boys and married men resulted in favor of the boys.

• Mr. and Mrs. John R. Hoy are visiting their son at Oil City, Pennsylvania, stopping at Walton and Ithaca enroute.

• Rev. W.L.C. Samson and Elder D. L. Thompson are attending the meeting of Synod at Philadelphia this year.

• A.T. Hyzer, of Madison, South Dakota, was in town Friday.  His wife was Mary Cathels, a native of this town.

• The old veterans would like to know why they were not given excursion rates from Bloomville to Stamford last week.

• Charles Carman was in town Tuesday and took down the building which he has used for two or three years for a photograph gallery.

• Miss Minnie B. Ruff has entered the Delaware Academy at Delhi, and will devote the larger part of her time to vocal and instrumental music.

October 12, 1900

• Alex. Hilson had a cow die Saturday.

• T.S. Miller was in this village Monday.

• W.L. White was at Stamford Saturday.

• Barton Jackson was in this place on Monday.

• Alex Hilson is in New York city this week.

• Robert Feiro was over at Andes on Saturday.

• John W. Blair was at Bloomville on Saturday.

• John Aitkin, of Delhi, was seen in town Saturday.

• Thomas Gordon and wife were at Delhi Saturday. 

• Frank D.M. Landon and his bride were on Sabbath.

• Born to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Robson September 10, a son.

• Miss Nellie Myers is very low this (Thursday) morning.

• David Hoy, of Colchester, has been a guest in this place.

• Mrs. Muller and daughter Frederika visited Delhi Friday.

• Anna Dumond, of Stamford, has been a guest in town.

• James H. Liddle and wife, of Andes were in town Saturday.

• Dr. Dickson, wife and daughter went to the City Wednesday.

• Andrew Tuttle and wife, of Andes, were in this place Wednesday.

• Mrs. A.O. Butts and Mrs. Thomas Gordon were at Arkville Friday.

• Adam Laidlaw and Milton Hastings are expected home from the west this week.

• Miss Susan White, of Fennimore, Wisconsin, is a guest of relatives in town.

• George Hunter and family, of Colchester, were guests at William Cook’s the first of the week.

• Elmer Thomson and wife, of Long Island, are guests of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John G. Thomson.

• We understand that James L. Ormiston will move from Pennsylvania to Maryland, where his brother, Thomas, resides.

• The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper will be observed in the United Presbyterian church the third Sabbath of October, with preparatory services on the preceeding (sic) Friday and Saturday. 

• At the ball game Saturday between the married men and boys the score stood 12 to 11 in favor of the married men.  Each side has now won a game and the third will played Saturday.

• All those wishing to subscribe for a copy of the 144th Regiment history, written by J. Harvey McKee, can do so by calling on B.S. Miller, who has been appointed to solicit subscriptions in Bovina.

October 19, 1900

• Reed Dumond was seen in town on Friday.

• Ephriam Worden was here from Andes Friday.

• W.J. Hyzer, of Andes, was in this place Tuesday.

• R.R. Gladstone and wife were visitors here Tuesday.

• Miss Anna Bell Thompson was up form Delhi Saturday.

• Rev. Piper preached to the Methodist church here Tuesday night.

• John Dunn, of Binghamton, has been a guest at Peter McNair’s.

• W.C. Russell and wife and Miss Ella Forrest visited Delhi Tuesday. 

• The first day of registration Saturday 315 were registered as against 314 last year.

• Mrs. Joseph Brown, of Downsville, who has been living in Bovina, died last week.

• James Hoag, of California, who formerly lived in Glenburnie, has been visiting in town. 

• James Laing has moved from Andes onto James Ormiston’s farm (the old Andrew Archibald farm.).

• Among those at Delhi Wednesday were Frank Gownlock and wife, Marshall Scott and Mrs. Slater.

• Alex. Hilson had a heifer break its leg Saturday by turning around quickly.  It was killed and the meat peddled out.

• At the Republican rally last Thursday night Hon. D.L. Thompson was chosen chairman. Messrs Burnett and Nichols made excellent addresses and held the closet attention of their audience. 

• Miss Nellie Myers whose serious illness we mentioned last week, died Friday morning, aged 20 years.  She had been ill for several months, suffering with gatherings in the head.  The funeral was held Sabbath at 12:15.  Rev. Samson preached the sermon, and Rev. Williams read the scripture lesson and offered prayer. [“Gatherings in the head” was a general term that likely referred to some kind of cerebral access.]

• Last Friday David Oliver and wife started to the drive to the village and had not proceeded far before they met with an accident.  Some one had skinned a coon and left the carcass laying in the middle of the road, and this frightened the horse causing it to turn around in the road.  Mr. and Mrs. Oliver were thrown out and while the former escaped with bruises the latter had her shoulder dislocated and was otherwise injured Leonard Sloan who works for R.A. Thompson happened to be where he saw the accident and went to the rescue.

October 26, 1900

• Joseph Raitt is visiting in town.

• E.J. Hanlon was in this place Monday.

• John G. Russell was at Bloomville Friday.

• John Storie was down at Delhi on Tuesday.

• James Mills and wife were in town recently.

• Hugh Munn and wife were in this place Friday.

• Thomas Rich, of Hobart, was seen in town Monday.

• Dr. Dickson, wife and daughter have returned from the city.

• Elmer Hastings, wife and daughter were Delhi visitors Friday.

• The truant officer has been making a tour of the schools in town.

• A number intend to go to Andes to hear Ray next Tuesday night.

• At the sociable last week at W.L. Moore’s the receipts were $7.20.

• The total registration this year in Bovina is 324, as against 321 last year.

• Mrs. John G. Russell returned from Walton Wednesday, after an extended visit.

• William Miller of Walton, is visiting his brothers and other relatives in town.

• The carpenters are pushing the work on F.R. Coulter’s wagon house right along.

• Adam Laidlaw and Milton Hastings arrived home Friday from their western trip.

• John Oliver and family and Mrs. G. D. Miller visited the County Seat on Thursday.

• George Cable is at Delhi this week as a grand juror and Charles Hafele as a trial juror.

• Dixon Thompson, William Archibald, Elmer Hastings and John G. Russell were at Delhi Wednesday.

• Communion services were held in the United Presbyterian church on Sabbath, Rev. Sankey assisting the pastor.

• Richard Smith is visiting his sons at Walton. His son-in-law, Mr. Seeley, will move back to Walton from California.

• The receipts of the sociable held at Lancelot Thompson’s Wednesday evening for the benefit of the Methodist church amounted to $23.60.

• A fishing social will be held at G.D. Miller’s Friday evening, November 2, for the benefit of the Methodist church.  All are cordially invited to attend.

• Rev. T.M. Slater and wife expect to soon visit Europe, where he will meet his sister, who for some years has been doing mission work in Syria.  The item noted above which has been, published in some of the county papers, we are informed is untrue.

• Mrs. Jane Murray Thompson, relict of Walter Thompson, died at Davenport, Thursday, October 18, aged 67 years and 7 months. She was born at Perthshire, Scotland. Seven children survive her – five boys and two girls. The remains were brought here Friday and the funeral was held Saturday at the residence of her son, Elliott. Rev. Samson preaching the sermon and Rev Slater offering prayer. The interment was made at Delancey. 

Bovina to Have a Lecture Course.

Arrangement for the Bovina lecture course are being completed and negotiations for the following lectures are under way, vis: Colonel L.F. Copeland, Dr. James Hedley, Rev. A.A. Willies, D.D., and either the Metropolitan Quartette or the Norton-Wald Musical Combination.  This is thought to be the best course ever offered to the Bovina public.  Course tickets and reserved seats for the above course and an entertainment by local talent will be sold for $1.  It is expected that tickets may be procured on election day of A.B. Phyfe at Strangeway’s store.

Bovina and the American Revolution - Elisha Maynard (1763-1840)

On November 12, 1778, a company of militia in Westchester County was on guard duty at the home of the colonel of the regiment. Not long before daylight, the company was attacked by a British infantry force, killing the regiment’s lieutenant and a private, wounding the captain and taking the rest of the force, including the colonel they were trying to protect, as prisoners.  

One of the privates in this company, was Elisha B. Maynard, who later was one of earliest Europeans (if not the first) to settle in what became the town of Bovina. But before Elisha’s adventurous trek as a pioneer in the wilds of the Northern Catskills, he led an adventurous life while in the service of his country. 

He enlisted in March 1778 while residing in the Town of Harrison, Westchester County, serving until November 1778 when he was taken prisoner. He, along with other members of his company, was taken to New York City, first in the “provost jail” where he spent three months then to the “Sugar House” where he remained a prisoner until April 1779 when he was exchanged. He was later paid for his time in captivity 12 pounds 7 shillings and 1 pence.

Image from Wikipedia entry for Sugar House dates from long after the war, but provides an idea of what one of the prisons in which Maynard was housed looked like.

The Sugar houses prisons in New York City were notoriously bad. They were used to store sugar and molasses imported from the British West Indies. These were owned by several prominent families, including the Livingstons, ironically, who owned much of what is now Bovina. The sugar houses were confiscated by the British when they occupied New York City to be used for prisons. Over 17,000 soldiers are estimated to have perished under the substandard conditions in these sugar houses and prison ships over the course of the war, more than double the number of killed in battle. 

Revolutionary War veteran Levi Hanford from Walton, who was captured in March 1777, about a year and a half before Maynard, described his experiences in the sugar house. The cramped conditions initially housed about 40 to 50 prisoners but the population soon swelled to between 400 and 500, though attrition was constant due to those succumbing to illness. Rations consisted of pork and sea biscuits, which were often moldy from sea water and infested with worms. Supplies for sick prisoners were provided by the fledgling American government, as "the British furnished nothing" according to Hanford.

Elisha was released in New Jersey in April 1779. He had to walk back to New York across the  Hudson River near Tarrytown before he could get back to the home of his father in Bedford. He continued to serve throughout the rest of the war, mainly in Westchester County as a private in various companies. In March 1781, he joined a company to “convey and guard a number of British prisoners from Bedford…to the American Prison at Fishkill in the County of Dutchess…”

After the war, he lived about eight years in the Town of Harrison before moving his family to what is now Bovina. He first arrived in 1792, leasing about 150 acres of land in the northern part of Bovina. Married with 3 children, he and his wife Esther would have 12 children all together. 

In 1828, he turned his Bovina farm over to his son and moved back to Westchester County, settling in Rye, NY, dying ther in 1840. He had applied for a pension in May 1834. 

Unfortunately, we do not know where he is buried, though I’m assuming it was in Westchester County. 

October 1925 - 100 Years Ago in "That Thriving Town"

October 2, 1925

• Wednesday at John W. Blair’s sale of cows no big prices were received.

• Wilber Doig is moving this week to the farm which he recently purchased on Elk Creek.

• Mrs. Gideon Miller, of Hamden, spent over the week end with Mrs. Andrew T. Doig.

• Hilson Brothers have sold their entire dairy of Holstein cows to W.D. Ceas.  They will buy tested cows.

• William A. Hoy and Jas Ackerley are trial jurors drawn from Bovina for October court. None were drawn for the grand jury.

• Mr. and Mrs. Frankl Brown, who for several years have been employed on the farm of John Blair, are moving to Delhi this week. 

• Ted Fuller has rented what is known as the Armstrong farm, to Alfred Johnson, from near Arkville, who has taken possession.

• Mrs. Estella Oliver, who has been with her daughter, Mrs. Fred Thomson for some time, has gone to visit her son, William Oliver, at North Kortright.

• At the Republican caucus Saturday there was a spirited contest for collector between Mrs. Alex Myers and Mary Bouton, and the first named won by only one vote.

BOVINA NOMINATIONS – Republicans and Democrats Willing to Serve the Dear People

Below are the nominations made by the Republican and Democratic parties in the town of Bovina.

Republican – William J. Storie, Supervisor; D.G. Currie, Town Clerk; Isabelle Myers, Collector; John W. Storie, M.T. Hastings, Thomas C. Strangeway (vacancy), Justices of the Peace; Walter G. Coulter, Town Superintendent Highways; David Draffin, Assessor 4 years, William J. Archibald, Assessor 2 years, William C. Russell (vacancy) Assessor 2 years; D.D. Liddle, Overseer Poor; H.C. Burgin, School Director.

Democrat – Wallace B. Smith, Supervisor; John W. McCune, Town Clerk; Jennie I. Hoy, Collector; James A. Boggs, Howard McPherson, Rema M. Hobbie (vacancy), Justices of Peace; Guy C. Rockefeller, Town Superintendent Highways; George Decker, Assessor 4 years, Howard Campbell, Assessor 2 years, Charles Fuller (vacancy) Assessor 2 years; Evertt Jocelyn, Overseer Poor; Frank T. Miller, School Director.

October 9, 1925

• Mrs. David Oliver, of Hamden, was a recent visitor in town.

• Mr. and Mrs. Sloan Archibald were County Seat visitors Tuesday.

• Ralph Hillis, our garage man, was at Binghamton on Saturday.

• Robert G. Thomson has rented rooms in Delhi and will move from Frasers.

• Dr. Leonard Thomson, of Connecticut was here the first of the week to see his father.

• Senator Peter G. Gerry spent last Wednesday and Thursday at his Lake Delaware estate.

• Mrs. Georgie More, of Stamford, and Mrs. Ella Benjamin, of Liberty, are visitors here.

• Mrs. J.A. Thomson, of Delhi, called on her cousin, Mrs. Walter Wilson, on Sabbath.

• Mr. and Mrs. Ray Thomson and Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Parsons were Delhi callers Saturday.

• Mrs. H.L. MacWhirter was here on Tuesday from Andes calling on Mr. and Mrs. Robert R. Gladstone.

• Lewis Baker attended the Cobleskill fair last Thursday and the Binghamton fair on Saturday.

• Miss Angelica L. Gerry, who has spent the summer at Lake Delaware, returned to New York this week.

• Rev. W.L.C. Samson, of Pittsburg a former pastor, is preaching at revival meetings in the U.P. church.

• William Archibald sold his entire dairy this week to Gladstone Brothers, of Andes.  He will restock with tested cows.

• John W. Blair has secured Mr. and Mrs. Rowe, of Hobart, to work for him on his farm, and they moved the past week.

• Miss Jennie Bigger has returned to her home in Bovina Center after helping Ray Thomson during the cauliflower season.

• Mr. and Mrs. Chauncey McFarland and Mr. and Mrs. Milton Liddle and daughter left this week for Jamestown on a vacation.

• Mr. and Mrs. J.E. Rusgrove, of Terryville, Connecticut, are guests of her parents Mr. and Mrs. Robert Parsons, in Upper Bovina.

• William Crosier, who sold his household goods last Thursday, has gone to Steubenville, Ohio, to make his home with his son, Harry Crosier. [William was a widower. He stayed with his son until his passing in 1931.]

Aged Bovina Man Dead

Frank C. Armstrong died at the home of his son, William Armstrong, October 7, at the advanced age of 87 years. He was a native of Bovina and much of his life was spent in the town. For the past few years he had resided in Walton, returning to Bovina the past summer.

He was three times married, his first wife being Nettie Burns, his second Mrs. Brown and his third Mrs. Neidig. He is survived by the son at whose home he died and a daughter, Mrs. Ted Fuller, both by his first wife.

Home on Vacation

Dr. Norris B. Whitcomb, who went to Assiut, Egypt, six years ago as a medical missionary under the United Presbyterian board, has arrived at his former home in Walton on a vacation of fifteen months. Assiut is in upper Egypt, about 200 miles above Cairo. Mrs. Whitcomb and two children came home last April. For several years he was physician at Bovina. [Dr. Whitcomb would go back to Egypt and came back for another furlough in 1933. He returned to Egypt and died there in May 1935.]

October 16, 1925

• Ralph Barnhart is having changes made in his bath room.

• Mrs. A.S. Banker and son, Gilbert, spent Sabbath at Pine Hill.

• Norton Forrest is preparing to put water in his stables this fall.

• Thomas Van Deusen, of Walton was an over the week end visitor in town.

• Robert Robinson has purchased a drag saw from Thomas A. Raitt, of Andes.

• Mrs. Herbert Thomson and son, of Andes, were Monday guest of Mrs. Andrew Doig.

• Mrs. Ella Teneick and daughter, of Oneonta, were visitors at David Liddle’s the past week.

• Mrs. William Armstrong is confined to her bed. Miss Nettie Doig is attending to the household duties.

• Robert A. Thomas and wife, and William Puffer and wife of Hobart, were recent guests at William Armstrong.

• Mr. and Mrs. Frank Myers and Jack Myers, of Endicott, spent of the week end with their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Alex Myers.

• John Blair, John Hilson and William Archibald, who were at Vermont last week after dairies of tested cows, purchased 86.

• The Meetings at U.P. church the past week brought many visitors to hear Rev. W.L.C. Samson. We note among them Rev. and Mrs. Skinner. Mrs. William Hastings, Aaron Beams of Oneonta; Henry Campbell, wife and daughter, William Ward and family, of Walton; William Aitkens and wife, Mrs. Gideon Miller, Mrs. McNaught, of Hamden; William T. Black and wife, Geo Cable, Mrs. Robert Hunt, James A. Thomson and wife, Wilson McFarland; James Robinson and dauter, of Delhi; Andrew J. Thomson, of New Kingston; Marjorie Boyd and sister, of Pittsburg.

October 23, 1925

• The Bovina Public Library building is being re-shingled. [This is now the Bovina museum]

• Mrs. Hamilton Russell, who has been on the sick list is improving. [This was Cecil Russell’s mother.]

• Mrs. John McCune, who broke her arm several weeks ago, is able to be out again.

• Milton Liddle and family and Mrs. David Liddle were shoppers at Oneonta Saturday.

• William Crosier started this week for Steubenville, Ohio, to make his home with his son.

• A hollowe’en party will be held at the home of Everet DeSilva on Friday evening, October 30.

• Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Strangeway and Miss Nettie Doig were visitors at Margaretville on Saturday.

• Edward Gladstone and family and Mrs. Robert E. Thomson were at Margaretville and Andes last Saturday.

• Mrs. Mary Corsier, who has spent some time here, returned to the home of her son in Philadelphia this week. 

• There was no preaching service at the R.P. church last Sabbath, owing to the absence of the pastor, Rev. A. M. Thomson.

• In the estate of Mary A. Russell late of Bovina, letters of administration have been issued to Erwin Russell. Estimate is $2,500 real and $2,750 personal. One son is the heir.

October 30, 1925

• Mrs. James Monroe, of Delhi, spent the week end in town.

• Mrs. Margaret Salton, of Delancey, is visiting her friend, Miss Margaret Storie.

• Mrs. Thomas Gordon, who is taking care of Miss Dean at Delhi, was home for a week, returning last Sabbath.

• Mrs. Bell McPherson, who has been in Walton the past year, is visiting sons, Everett and Charles McPherson.

• T. Montgomery, in upper Bovina recently had the great toe on one foot amputated by Dr. Thomson at Delhi.

• Mrs. Morehouse, who makes her home with her daughter, Mrs. Loron Maxin, is visiting her son at Rock Rift.

• Floyd Rockefeller, who has been living on the Bryden farm, has purchased the Layman place at East Delhi.

• Twin sons were born on Saturday, October 24, to Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher Davidson, of Bovina, at the home of J.E.W. Thompson in Delhi. One of the babies died. [The surviving baby was Alan Lloyd Davidson, who later served in World War II. He died in 2004.]

• Dr. N.B. Whitcomb, a former physician here, who has been a medical missionary in Egypt for several years, being sent by the Bovina U.P. church spoke at the morning service last Sabbath. Next Sabbath there will be a temperance sermon.

• The Beacon Light Sabbath school class will hold a Hollowe’en social in the church parlors October 31. On Election day there will be bake sale at Cecil Russell’s store. The Willin Workers will serve an oyster dinner in the church basement on Election day. 

Leg Re-Broken

Alva Shultis, of Meridale, who has been crippled for several months due to a broken and crushed leg, went to Pittsburg, Penn., this week and expected to have the leg rebroken and reset in order to straighten the foot. His wife accompanied him. The Shultis family were former residents of Bovina. 

This Day in Bovina for September 2025

 

Here's the monthly compilation of the daily entries on the Town of Bovina Historian Facebook page. 

This image of Paul Bellino was taken by Delhi photographer Harold McMurdy in 1940. Born in New York City in 1908, he came to Bovina as a child with his parents, Angelo and Rose Bellino, in 1915. They had the farm on Pink Street now owned by Hall Wilkie. Paul graduated from the Oneonta Normal School and in 1931 he was teaching in Oneonta. He was a veteran of World War II, enlisting in 1942. Paul died in 1999. Image courtesy of the Delaware County Historical Association.  

Eighty-two years ago today, the September 2, 1943 Delaware Republican reported in its Bovina column that "Warren Sarle of Chicago is spending a few days with his father, Dr. W.C. Sarle, who recently submitted to an operation for cataracts." Dr. Sarle had been the doctor in Bovina since 1927. He left Bovina not long after the surgery and died in 1946. This sign is now at the Bovina Museum.  

147 years ago today, the September 3, 1878 issue of the Stamford Mirror had this item: Mr. M.N. Mitchell of Andes, was recently assaulted by a drunken constable from Bovina. Such officers of the law (?) ought to be under lock and key for a while."

125 years ago today, on September 4, 1900, Fred Bramley of Bovina, and Lucy Jackson, of Andes, were married at Delhi. The Andes Recorder noted that the "marriage occurred just ten months to the day after the death of his first wife." His first wife, Margaret, died in November 1899. They had been married for seven years and had two children, both who died young. His marriage to Lucy lasted 14 years until her death in 1914. They would have five children. Fred would marry a third time but waited nine years before marrying Christina Close in 1923. He would be widowed a third time when she died in 1943. He died the following year.

These are three postcard views of the same bridge - the old Scott Bridge which stood at the lower end of the Bovina Center hamlet. Built in the 1870s, it was demolished in 1955 after a modern replacement bridge was built. 

Thirty-nine years ago today, the September 6, 1986 issue of the Daily Star (Oneonta) carried this article by Diane Galusha about Hilson's Store.  

124 years ago today, the September 7, 1901 Delaware Republican had the following item of news ('borrowed' from the Andes Recorder): "Needle in Her Foot - For some time Mrs. Joshua Hobbie, who resides in the upper part of Bovina, has been suffering severely with swollen foot, it was thought she would have to go to the hospital and undergo an operation. Last week she was rubbing the afflicted member when she felt something sharp in the foot and called to others of the family and an examination showed that the point of a needle protruded and when pulled out by Mr. Hobbie it was found that with the exception of being broken at the eye the needle was intact. How the needle got there is a mystery, as Mrs. Hobbie has no recollection of ever running a needle into herself. She still has a very bad foot." This likely is Matilda Pangburn Hobbie. Born in 1862, she survived the needle and died in 1927.

101 years ago today, September 8, 1924, Hillis's garage in Bovina submitted this bill for $10.45 to the Town of Bovina for a tire and tube.  This garage later became Thomas's garage and is now owned by Tom Hetterich.  

Sixty years ago today, the Bovina column in the September 9, 1965 Delaware Republican-Express reported that "Mr. and Mrs. Robert Burns and older daughter, Amy, have been on a seashore vacation and other places of interest. Mrs. Jack Burns kept the baby in their absence." The baby was Colleen.

This chauffeur license image of Fred Desilva were taken by Delhi photographer Harold McMurdy in 1940. Chauffeur licenses were required for anyone driving for hire or as part of their job. Today this is known as a Class E license in New York.  Frederick Alexander DeSilva was born in Arena in 1909 and spent much of his childhood and early adulthood in Bovina.  He married Ethel Burgin in Bovina in 1934. Fred and Ethel have the distinction of being the only married couple to appear on the World War II Bovina Honor Roll. They moved to Hobart around 1946. Fred died in Stamford in 1976. Image courtesy of the Delaware County Historical Association. 

Roxanna A. Hobbie, the three-year-old daughter of Joshua Knapp Hobbie and his wife Sarah, (also known as Sally) died 190 years today on September 11, 1835.  She is buried in the Bovina Cemetery. 

136 years ago today, the September 12, 1889 Hobart Independent had this item: "Archie Maynard, of Bovina, who has been roaming about this vicinity during the summer, and ' cutting up' peculiar capers, has been adjudged insane by a commission—which consisted of Dr. Buckley of Delhi, and Drs. McNaught & Odell of Hobart" The paper reported a few months later that Archie had returned to his home in Bovina. This is likely Archibald Maynard, son of Elisha B. Maynard and Jane McDonald. Born in 1860, he was living with his parents in 1900 in Stamford and listed as an invalid. By 1910, his census entry lists him with his widowed mother, working as a landscape painter, but two years later, he was examined by a commission and committed to the Binghamton State Hospital. He died there in 1927.

In 1946, Delhi photographer Bob Wyer took a series of aerial pictures around Bovina in a plane piloted by Eddie Davidson. This image is of Eddie's parent's home at Russell Hill Road and County Route 6. Fletcher and Lois Davidson bought the home in 1923. It is now the home of Bonnie and Ed Denison.  Image courtesy of the Delaware County Historical Association. 

Here's a postcard view of the Bovina United Presbyterian Church, likely dating from the early 20th century. Note the stone steps on the left and in the front of the church. These were for alighting from horse drawn carriages.  

On September 15, 1858, 163 years ago today, Rhoda Davis died in Andes.  As reported in the Bloomville Mirror on September 21, Mrs. Davis was the widow of Samuel Davis.  She was 88 years old at the time of her death.  The paper went on to report that "She was one among first settlers in Bovina.  Her exemplary life endeared her to all who had the pleasure of her acquaintance." She was born Rhoda Hilton around 1770 in Connecticut.

Seventy-two years ago today, on September 16, 1953, as later reported in the Catskill Mountain News, a school fair was held at the Bovina Center school. Here's the article which appeared on the front page of the paper. 

Fifty-seven years ago today, the September 17, 1968 Daily Star (Oneonta) included this photo and caption of the new barn being built by Jack and Bob Burns. The barn still is in use by Dominic and Laurie Gullow. 

In 1946, Delhi photographer Bob Wyer took a series of aerial pictures around Bovina in a plane piloted by Eddie Davidson. Farm on left now owned by Raymond Stewart, Jr, was purchased from William and Luise Sellhorn. The Sellhorns purchased the property in the late 1930s.  The property at one time was owned by Sloan Archibald.  The farm on right is that of Raymond's brother, Lester Stewart.  These farms are part of lot 108 of Great Lot 41 of the Hardenburgh Patent.  One section of this lot leased in 1834 for an annual rent of one shilling per acre paid to James Overing. Image courtesy of the Delaware County Historical Association.   

124 years ago today, on September 19, 1901, a memorial service was held at the Bovina United Presbyterian church for recently assassinated U.S. President William McKinley.  As later reported in the Andes Recorder, the service was presided over by the church's pastor, Rev. Samson.  "Charles Arbuckle read the scripture lesson; Margaret Swart read the President's proclamation, and addresses were made by Rev. Slater, R.E. Bergman and Rev. Samson." Presidential Portrait by Harriet Anderson Stubbs Murphy

109 years ago today, September 20, 1916, Cecil Russell was married to Isabell Irvine. Here is the invitation to the wedding received by Henry Monroe and his sister Martena. 

In 1946, Delhi photographer Bob Wyer took a series of aerial pictures around Bovina in a plane piloted by Eddie Davidson. This image is of the Weber farm. It was owned by Mary Weber and still is in the Weber family today as Webcrest farm, operated by Ed and Donna Weber. The lower left is where Bovina Farm Day takes place each year. Image courtesy of the Delaware County Historical Association. 

109 years ago today, September 22, 1916, the J.W. Coulter Hose Company had a ball game, a Chicken Pie supper and an entertainment in the evening to raise funds. The Bovina Fire Department still has a piece of equipment from the company. Images courtesy of Bovina Fire and EMS from the Town of Bovina Bicentennial Parade in July 2022.  

Seventy-two years ago today, a newspaper (unidentified) reported in its September 23, 1953 issue that "The first meeting for lessons in first aid was held at the fire hall Wednesday evening, Sept. 16, with 11 enrolled in this course. The beginners’ course will last for eight weeks and the advanced course will take another four weeks with meetings to be held once a week. This course is being taught by Earl Many and Harold Morse of Hobart. Those enrolled are Mrs. Floyd Aitkens, Mrs. Victor Rose, Mrs. John Renner, Mrs. Howard LaFever, Mrs. Leif Reinertsen, Mrs. Clifford Hall, Mrs. Norton Forrest, Mrs. Magdalena Rosa, Victor Rosa, Floyd Aitkens and George Storie."

Sixty-three years ago today, on September 24, 1962, Rema Hobbie died on the family farm on Cape Horn Road in Bovina. His obituary was published a few days later in the Catskill Mountain News. 

This chauffeur license image of Raymond Jardine was taken by Delhi photographer Harold McMurdy in the late 1930s. Chauffeur licenses were required for anyone driving for hire or as part of their job. Today this is known as a Class E license in New York. Raymond B. Jardine was born in 1900 in Bovina and died there at his home in 1962. He married Mary Hyzer in Franklin, NY in 1934 and had three children, Marian, Martha and Richard. Image courtesy of the Delaware County Historical Association.  

Eliza Aitken, the 31-year-old wife of David Aitken, died 181 years ago today on September 26, 1844.  She is buried in the Old Reformed Presbyterian Church cemetery. A death notice appeared a few days later in the October 2, 1844 Delaware Gazette: "In this town, on the 26th ult., after a short but severe illness, which she bore with christian fortitude, Eliza Aitken, wife of David C. Aitken, aged 30 years, formerly of New York." Her husband died three years later.  

Seventy-eight years ago today, on September 27, 1947, the Delaware County Jersey Club held its second annual Consignment Sale at the Charles McPherson Farm in Bovina. This was later the farm of Frank and Stella McPherson. Here's the cover of the sales catalog. 

These images of Charlie McIntosh were taken by Delhi photographer Harold McMurdy in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Born in 1915, he lived most of his life in Bovina, dying in 1989. He married Eva Pindar in August 1943. Images courtesy of the Delaware County Historical Association.

Fifty-nine years ago today, the Bovina column in the September 29, 1966 Delaware Republican-Express reported that "The Recreation Club met last Thursday for a luncheon meeting. Officers elected for the coming year are: Chairman, Mrs. Stanley Hewitt, vice-chairman, Mrs. Alex Rabeler sr., secretary-treasurer, Mrs. William J. Storie." The same column also reported that "Mr. and Mrs. Howard LaFever and son Allan took their son John to Canton last weekend where he will enter college for his freshman year. They also visited Mrs. And Mrs. Benson LaFever at Massena."

130 years ago today, on September 30, 1895, as later reported in the Andes Recorder, people around Bovina woke up to snow covering Bramley Mountain and Mount Pisgah.

A Week with Bovina People - September 1900 - 125 Years ago from the Andes Recorder

Life in Bovina 125 years ago this month, as reported in the pages of the Andes Recorder:

September 7, 1900

• Miss Ella Lee went to Walton Saturday.

• John M. Miller and family were at Delancey on Sabbath.

• Walter Biggar, wife and daughter visited Delhi Saturday.

• Professor R. Eston Phyfe and wife were in town on Sabbath.

• Mrs. Richard Smith and Mrs. John G. Russell are visiting at Walton.

• A.T. Doig is having his store painted.  Alex Myers is doing the job. [This is now Russell's Store.]

• Mr. and Mrs. Gideon Miller visited his parents at Andes over Sabbath.

• Frank Gladstone and W.T. Hyzer were in this place Monday from Andes.

• John G. Russell and Miss Fannie Case were among those at Delhi Tuesday.

• Miss Anna M. Phyfe started Monday to resume her duties at Dogeville as teacher.

• John Thomson, of Downsville, was a guest of his brother, Elliott Thomson, over Sabbath.

• Mrs. James T. Hannon, of Oswego, is visiting her mother, Mrs. Martha Gillie at Lake Delaware.

• Miss Jennie J. Campbell has gone to Hobart to begin her duties as teacher in the High School there.

• At the Margaretville fair last week Dennis Brothers were awarded 35 first premiums and 8 second premiums out of a possible 43.

• Rev. Welch, of Oneonta, preached in the United Presbyterian church on Sabbath. Rev. Marvin Thompson will preach next Sabbath.

• Dennis Brothers are exhibiting their poultry at both the Delhi and Walton fairs this week, dividing their exhibit between the two.

• Among those who have been visiting at Hobart recently were Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Davidson, Miss Jennie Hoy and Miss Vessie Thomson.

• Mrs. Hurclerode and Miss Grace McLardie, who have been stopping at D.J. Miller’s, have returned to their home in Ohio. Miss Hurclerode remained. 

Fred Bramley, of Bovina, and Lucy Jackson, of Andes, were married at Delhi on Tuesday, September 4, by Rev. F.H. Seeley.  The marriage occurred just ten months to the day after the death of his first wife.

September 14, 1900

• Rev Samson has arrived home.

• William Archibald was at Delhi on Saturday.

• Thomas A. Oliver of Delhi was in town Tuesday.

• W.T. Armstrong was in town from Andes Friday.

• Adam Scott and wife were up from Delhi on Sabbath.

• Mr. and Mrs. Mulnix of Deposit were visitors here Monday.

• Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hinkley were seen in this place Tuesday.

• John Robertson, of Andes, is at present a guest of his son, Marion.

• Mrs. Alex. Hilson and Miss Jennie Archibald visited Andes Friday.

• Robert P. McIntosh, wife and child, of Delhi, were in town Tuesday.

• Born at Walton, September 6, to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Doig, twin sons.

• Rev. John H. Lee is visiting in this place and renewing old acquaintances.

• At the County fair last week Dennis Brothers took 31 premiums on their poultry.

• Misses Anna Phyfe and Libbie Thomson have entered Delaware Academy.

• Miss Jennie B. Hastings went to Oneonta Tuesday to enter the Normal School.

• Rev. Marvin Thompson preached in the United Presbyterian church on Sabbath.

• George McNair has gone to Binghamton where he expects to secure a position.

• Mr. and Mrs. Gilstie and Mrs. William Rogers were guests at Thomas Gordon’s Monday.

• A man has been in town from Chicago by the name of Follett, selling maps and school supplies.

• Among those who went to Oneonta Tuesday were Mr. and Mrs. G.D. Miller, Miss Belle J. Miller and John G. Russell.

• Alex. Hilson and wife, Mrs. Elmer Hastings, Mrs. W.G. McNee, John Oliver, wife and family took in the Oneonta fair Wednesday.

• Wednesday Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Close, Mr. and Mrs. Gideon Miller, Dr. Seacord, Howard McPherson and Peter McNair attended the Shavertown fair.

• Mrs. T.M. Slater returned Tuesday from Sterling Valley. A brother of Rev. Rob, a former pastor of the Reformed Presbyterian church, accompanied her.

• Isaac Samuels and James Knox were in town one day this week. Mr. Knox’s grandfather, Rev. James Douglas, preached in the old stone church at the Butt End.

• The show with moving pictures, etc. in the Methodist church Friday and Saturday evenings was a good one.  The receipts the first evening were $23 but we were unable to learn those for the second evening.  

September 21, 1900

• Gerry’s tally ho was here Tuesday.

• Thomas Miller was a Delhi Saturday.

• F.R. Coulter was over at Andes on Tuesday.

• William Maynard was home over Sabbath.

• David Currie was up from Delhi on Sabbath.

• Rev. John H. Lee went to Walton Saturday.

• W.C. Russell was down at Delhi the first of the week.

• Rev. Welch and family returned to Oneonta Saturday.

• Thomas A. Oliver, of Delhi, was in this place Saturday.

• William Bramley and wife, of Delhi, were in town Friday.

• Much damage was done to corn by a heavy frost here this week.

• Thomas Gordon and wife visited her parents at Fall Mills over Sabbath.

• E.T. Gerry and family are at their summer home at Livingstone’s Lake. [This is now Lake Delaware.]

• Mr. and Mrs. Walter A. Doig recently visited their daughter at DeLancey.

• Mr. and Mrs. John VanAikin, of Little York, are guests at John G. Thompson’s.

• At a ball game Saturday between Bovina and New Kingston played here the score stood 7 to 4 in favor of Bovina.

• Saturday Woodburn & Smyth erected a fine monument on the John W. Bramley plot in the Bovina Centre cemetery.  

• Mrs. Samson’s and Miss Jennie E. Miller’s Sabbath School classes held a picnic Saturday at the David Miller house below the village.

• F.R. Coulter is preparing to build a new wagonhouse to take the place of the one recently destroyed by fire. W.S. Boggs has the contract.

September 28, 1900

• James Gladstone was in town Saturday.

• W.R. Miller was over at Andes On Wednesday.

• Hamilton J. Hewitt was seen in this place on Saturday.

• Miss Jen Campbell was home from Hobart over Sabbath.

• Verne DuMond, of New Kingston, visited this place Monday.

• Thomas Hutson and Walter Scott, of Delhi, were here Friday.

• Alex. Hilson and Albert Butts were at the County Seat Tuesday.

• John M. Miller and wife, and Michael Miller visited Delhi Tuesday.

• Andrew Russell and wife arrived in town Saturday from Oneonta.

• The old veterans were at Stamford attending the reunion Thursday.

• F. R. Coulter and Will Armstrong were over at Bloomville Tuesday.

• James Hastings and wife, G.D. Miller and wife were at Delhi Tuesday.

• Mark Gerowe, the Bloomville beekeeper, was in this village Tuesday.

• Mrs. Andrew Anderson, of Andes, was a guest here the latter part of last week.

• Charles Kaufman, of Margaretville, and Mrs. T.S. Miller, of Andes, were here on Monday.

• James G. Seath and Mr. and Mrs. James Boyd were at Andes Tuesday to attend the funeral of Mr. Seath’s mother. 

• Communion services were held in the Reformed Presbyterian church on Sabbath, with preparatory services on Friday.

• Among those in this place on Sabbath were, Mr. and Mrs. Jas F. Scott, of Delhi, Lon Cooper and family, of Scotch Mountain, Thomas Thompson, of Bloomville, and Freemont Oliver, of DeLancey. 

Bovina and the American Revolution - Samuel Ludington (1744-1814)

The oldest Revolutionary War grave in Bovina, at least a marked one, is that of Samuel Ludington. We don’t know a lot about him, partly because he never applied for a pension. He died before the pension process began in 1818. 

He was born in Branford, Connecticut in 1744 and married Ruth Galpin in 1766. In 1775, he joined Captain William Douglas’ company, General Wooster’s 1st regiment of the Connecticut militia, serving as a private. Samuel and Ruth would spend the bulk of their lives in the New Haven area of Connecticut. They came to what later became Bovina around 1810, to live with their son, Henry. Samuel died in 1814. His widow survived him until 1831. Their son Henry died 11 years later, having drowned in the West Branch of the Delaware River just below Sherwoods. He is buried in Bovina too.

An interesting footnote to Samuel’s story is that of his niece, Sybil. Sybil is known as the female Paul Revere. In 1777, when she was 16, she is supposed to have ridden 40 miles from her home in New York (near Danbury) through Putnam County to alert militiamen under the command of her father Colonel Henry Ludington, that the British had landed and were marching to Danbury. It’s a wonderful story that probably is not true. There’s no evidence any such ride took place. Information from the time about the subsequent battle indicates that the people in Danbury were already aware that the British were coming. But Sybil was commemorated in a US Postage stamp in 1975 and still is remembered in Putnam County, where she is buried.

There is a wikipedia entry for Sybil Luddington at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sybil_Ludington with further information about her and the debate about her famous ride. 

September 1925 - 100 Years Ago in "That Thriving Town"

Life on the streets of Bovina 100 years ago this month from the pages of the Andes Recorder: 

September 4, 1925

• Mary Chase, of Endicott, is a guest at James Mabon’s.

• Mrs. A.T. Doig is visiting her brother, E.F. Thomson, at Walton.

• Mrs. A.S. Banker and G.D. Miller are spending a few days with her people at Pine Hill.

• Attorney Lauren Dickson, of Binghamton, is spending a week at the Dickson home here.

• Robert Scott, a native of Bovina, died at Jamacia, Long Island, September 1, at the age of 82 years.

• Misses Margaret Archibald and Jeannette Forman, of Delhi, spent over the week end with Bovina relatives.

• Miss Jane Archibald, who is attending business school at Poughkeepsie, spent a few days with her parents last week. 

• Ralph Barnhart moved this week to the house in the upper part of Bovina Center, purchased recently of Charles Russell.

• Mr. and Mrs. Thos C. Strangeway are spending a few days at the home of their son-in-law, Professor Leon Taggart, at Oneonta.

• Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Burns and family, of Kingston, are spending the week with his father, J.D. Burns and his brother and sister.

• Lester Hoy moved this week from Delhi and took possession of the farm which he recently purchased of his father, William A. Hoy. [This is now the home of Tim and Tamara McIntosh.]

• Millard Blair, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Blair, was married September 1, at Seattle, Washington. The newly weds are enroute east on a wedding trip. [His new wife was Octavia Mescher.]

• The Bovina town picnic was held on Thursday of last week.  Addresses were made by Attorney Ernest Bergman, of New York, and H.W. Harper of Walton.

September 11, 1925

• Miss Caroline Dickson teaches this year at Rutland, Vermont. 

• Mrs. James Monroe has moved to rooms in part of Geo S. Mable’s house at Delhi.

• Miss Emily Archibald has gone to teach on Lake Champlain the present school year.

• A young son of Harrison Hall on the Soper farm, is ill with what is feared is infantile paralysis. [I'm not sure which child this is. Harrison was the father of Harold and Clifford, who both lived in Bovina, but he had several other children.]

• Misses Jane Hilson and Mary Flansburg have gone to East Orange, N.J. where they will teach the coming year.

• The Bovina Center school opened on Tuesday with Gilbert Banker as principal, and Miss Edith Liddle primary teacher.

• Miss Jenet Laidlaw has entered the Cortland Normal School and Helen Gladstone goes to the Oneonta Normal School.

• William Crosier will dispose of his household goods and go to Steubenville, Ohio, and make his home with his son. [He would spend the rest of his life there, dying in Ohio in 1931.]

• A goodly number of the friends of Mr. and Mrs. William J. Storie made them a surprise visit at their home below the village, the occasion being the tenth anniversary of their marriage.

• S.F. Ferris, of Albany, was here over the week end, and Mrs. Ferris and child, who have been spending the summer here, returned home with him. Mrs. Ferris will be remembered as Bessie Boggs.

Native of Bovina

Mrs. William Yeoman died at the home of her son, W.B. Yeoman, at Pines, near Walton, August 30, aged 86, of a shock of apoplexy. Her maiden name was Hannah Elizabeth Dibble. She was born in the town of Bovina and was the daughter of Thomas and Nancy Dibble. She married the late William Yeoman May 8, 1855, and spent her married life in the town of Delhi, removing with her son and family to Walton three years ago. She is survived by the son, W.B. Yeoman, a daughter, Mrs. J.S. Williams of Delhi, two grandchildren, Dr. F.D. Landon of Great Barrington, Mass., and Mrs. C.H. Millspaugh of Middletown, also one sister, Mrs. Walter Hammond of Delhi. 

September 18, 1925

• Mrs. William T. Miller underwent an operation at the hospital in Delhi on Tuesday.

• Miss Hannah Coulter has returned from visiting her sister and other relatives in New Kingston.

• Mrs. Wilber Archibald commenced her duties Monday as teacher in the high school at Fleischmanns.

• Mrs. Marshall Thomson, of Manhasset, Long Island, is visiting her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Blair.

• Rev. W.C. Samson, a former pastor, will be present at a weeks’ meetings at the U.P. church, opening on October 6.

• The truck of Milton Hastings went to Syracuse this week, taking Junior Project work for Delaware county to the State fair.

• Millard Blair and bride, of Seattle, Washington, arrived in Bovina last Saturday to visit his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Blair.

• A heavy storm of rain accompanied by a high wind, passed over Bovina on Saturday evening and numerous trees were blown down.

• Miss Mary Thomson, of South Kortright, is at the home of her brother, Elliott Thomson. As executor of the estate of William M. Johnston, she has sold the farm at South Kortright and the new owner is in possession.

Severely Burned

Saturday a girl employed in the kitchen at the summer home of Robert L. Gerry in southern Bovina, was very severely burned while singeing a chicken.

September 25, 1925

• Miss Mary Thomson has been at Oneonta a few days the past week.

• Miss Margaret Gordon went to Albany this week to enter the Teachers College.

• William S. Gordon returned to his studies at Pratts Institute in Brooklyn this week.

• Mrs. Mary Gordon went to Delhi on Thursday to care for Miss Sarah Dean an aged woman.

• The school fair for the town of Bovina was held Wednesday. The exhibits were very fine.

• Miss Hannah Dumond, of Stamford, was a recent guest at Jas Ackerley’s and Fred Thomson’s.

• William Archibald has been having his residence at the stone arch bridge treated to a new dress of white.

• J.D. Burns and daughter, Mrs. Howard McPherson, and MRs. Fred Thomson were at Oneonta on Tuesday.

• Benson LaFever has moved from the tenant house on James Boggs’ farm up-town, to part of their house in the upper part of Bovina Center.

• Miss Margaret Downie, daughter of the late Thomas Downie, formerly of Bovian, died September 17, at Cleveland, Ohio, where she was a teacher in the public schools.

• Kester Signor, well known here, and who some time ago sustained a broken leg in an automobile accident near Penton, has gone to New York to have the leg attended too.

• Bovina real estate transfers recorded are Henry G. Bramley to Elizabeth Bramley, $1; Chas J. Russell and wife to Ralph Barnhart $1; Wm. A. Hoy and wife to Lester T. Hoy $1.

• The friends of Mr. and Mrs. Millard Blair gave them a surprise party on Friday evening. Mr. and Mrs. Blair left Tuesday to return to their home in Seattle, Washington, going via New York and Virginia.

• Rev. D. D.H. Elliott, general secretary of the Forward Movement of the Covenanter church in United States, opened a series of evangelistic meetings in the R.P. church Wednesday evening. R.A. Steetlet, of Pittsburg, will lead the praise services.

Hand Injured

Jay Waterman, who is employed on the Gerry estate at Lake Delaware, had his hand caught in a clay pigeon trap last week. The tendons of one finger were severed and he was at the Delhi hospital a few days for treatment.