This Day in Bovina for July

This month's compilation of the July 2022 entries on the Town of Bovina Historian Facebook page has a different approach. To celebrate Bovina's Bicentennial, I'm sharing images from past celebrations starting in the 1920s (but ending with a celebration almost 200 years ago). 
 
A feature of the annual Old Home Days held in Bovina in the 1920s included some form of a softball game. This is the Bovina Center ladies softball team. The women are Blanche Armstrong, Beulah Decker, Helen Gladstone, Ruth Coulter, Mary Robinson, Wilhelmina Archibald, Isabel Russell, Beatrice Hoy and Frances Bell. One feature of Bovina's Bicentennial celebration on July 30, 2022, will include a vintage baseball game with the Bovina Dairymen.

 
The August 1926 Old Home Day parade featured Alex and Louise Hilson on this flower decked cart and pony. 

 
Another feature of Bovina town picnics in the 1920s was some form of a band. This picture is from the Cecil Russell family. The picnic was on the flat at the end of Maple Street. 

 
Old Home Day in the 1920s usually included a parade. The image is blurry but you can see the parade is on the main street in Bovina. 

 
As well as parades and music, town picnics in the 1920s often included a speaker. I'm not sure about the date of this image, though it comes from the 1920s.
Attorney Ernest Bergeman, a New York City lawyer who summered in Bovina, talked about the very recently passed woman suffrage amendment at the 1920 picnic.  Woman in NY already had the vote, but he noted that even though they had this privilege, many failed to vote in the elections of the previous fall.  He said that it is up to every woman to vote at election time as it is up to the men.  

 
On August 26, 1926, as later reported in the Delaware Republican under the headline "Bovina a Big Town," Bovina's annual Old Home Day took place. The article noted that “At least once each year everyone in this vicinity preens himself or herself, and claims some sort of connection with Bovina. That is the date of the annual town picnic. If everyone who at that time claims the town as a birthplace is right, either there has been a most awful migration from the home nest, or else someone is stretching the truth." Bovina's Old Home Day started with a parade, led by "little Jack Hilson riding his flower-decked Shetland…".  

 
After a 28-year hiatus, Bovina revived the tradition of a town picnic on August 18, 1956. The paraded included this float from the Bovina United Presbyterian Church. The replica of the church was built by Frank McPherson, with the ladies of the church painting the windows. It stood in her garden for years and was featured in several town parades. It is being prepared to appear in the Bovina Bicentennial parade this coming July 30. The kids on the float are Dianne Rabeler Abele, Marcia McPherson Lichtman, "Mac" McPherson & Judy Rabeler Chambers .

 
Bovina's Old Home Day parade in August 1956 included the Bovina Firemen's Ladies Auxiliary. 

 
This interesting character in the August 1956 Bovina Old Home Day parade was my cousin Bobby Boggs. 

 
The 1956 Bovina Town Picnic was advertised in the local newspapers. For the Bovina Bicentennial Celebration, we'll be using the same flat, thanks to the McIntosh family.

 
On September 5, 1964, Bovina held the very last event known as Old Home Day. This slide, taken by my Uncle George LaFever, shows the Bovina Fire Department in formation.

 
In the 1964 Old Home Day, the Bovina Happy Hearts 4-H float, which had won a prize at the Walton Fair the previous month, featured the Fisher Quints - the first ever U.S. born quintuplets. My sisters were both on the float - Susan as one of the nurses and Diane as one of the babies.

 
Following in his father's footsteps (see the July 6 entry), John Hilson rode his horse in the parade at the 1964 Bovina Old Home Day. 

 
Another view of the Old Home Day parade from September 1964, taken by George LaFever. 

 

In 1970, for the first time in its history, Bovina celebrated a milestone birthday with its Sesquicentennial celebration on August 29, 1970. Here's the ad from the Delaware Republican Express for the celebration. 

 
One of the best remembered floats at the 1970 Sesquicentennial celebration was the Burns family float, with Jack and June Burns recreating the Grant Wood painting "American Gothic." The float won first prize. 

 
The 1970 Bovina Sesquicentennial celebration included several activities on McIntosh's flat. Here's Marjorie Russell talking with her mother Isabell. In the background are sisters Elizabeth and Janet McKenzie. Photograph from the Monroe family. 

 
Another memorable float from the 1970 Sesquicentennial featured Mary Pelletier and her mother Jan. This photograph was taken by Charles Winter. 

 
Antique machinery was a feature of Bovina's 1970 Sesquicentennial celebration. Clark Lay's Indian motorcycle, made in 1914, had belonged to his uncle, Clark Miller, who was killed in the First World War. And John Mueller displayed one of his gas engines. Both images by George LaFever. Clark Lay’s Indian Motorcycle will be making an appearance in the upcoming Bovina Bicentennial Celebration on July 30.

 

Laura LaFever took this photograph of Florence Thomas with Congressmen Hamilton Fish at the 1970 Sesquicentennial celebration. Florence drove the congressman in one of Clayt Thomas's antique cars. 

 
Charlotte Vanderhurst shared this image from the 1970 Bovina Sesquicentennial Celebration showing McIntosh's flat. This is where the upcoming Bicentennial celebration will take place. 

 
Like many communities in the United States, Bovina held its own celebration of the nation's Bicentennial in 1976. These two images by Hugh Lee show Cecil and Isabell Russell on John Mueller's antique truck and some of the McIntosh/Brannen family all dressed up for the celebration.  

 
This model of the Bovina UP Church, which stood near Stella McPherson's garden, showed up in another parade in Bovina during the celebration of the nation's Bicentennial in 1976. Photo by the late Dot Ryder. 

 
The second time Bovina celebrated a milestone birthday came in 1995 with the Town's 175th. Here's the poster advertising the celebration. 

 
 
The Bovina Fire Department participated in the 1995 celebration of Bovina's 175th birthday, as they will for the Bicentennial. 

 
The Monroe family had a float in the 175th Bovina Birthday celebration in 1995 (and hope to do so again this year). 

 
My dear ole Pa drove his red Chevrolet convertible in the parade, taking along Howard LaFever and Alan Davidson. (Sorry, I don't recognize the woman with them - if anyone knows, please share) 

 
The Bovina UP Church school had this float for the 175th Birthday celebration in 1995. 

 
The last parade held in Bovina (until tomorrow!) was a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Bovina Fire Department in 2009. Making at least its third appearance in a Bovina parade was this model of the Bovina UP Church. And it will appear again in tomorrow's Bicentennial parade. 

 
Today's the day. After a two-year delay, we are finally celebrating the Town of Bovina's 200th Birthday. The logo was created by Samantha Misa.

 
We conclude this month of reviews of celebrations in Bovina by going back almost 200 years to 1826, when the nation celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Go to the Bovina NY History blog at https://bovinanyhistory.blogspot.com/2015/08/celebration-at-bovina-1826.html to read an article from the Delaware Gazette describing that celebration.
 
 

Town of Bovina Bicentennial Celebration

This is a compilation of the notices I have posted over the past week on the Town of Bovina Bicentennial Celebration Facebook page. 

The long-awaited Bovina Bicentennial Celebration will kick off at 10 am on July 30 with a parade, starting at Coulter Brook Road and going through the hamlet to Creamery Road, ending on McIntosh’s flat. The parade will include floats, antique cars and farm equipment, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Mounted Patrol and finishing with the Lake Delaware Boys Camp. The floats, cars and vehicles will be on display throughout the afternoon on the flat, as will the Bovina Fire Department’s equipment, including the department’s first fire truck. Come see this celebration of our town!

Image is of Jack and June Burns on their 1970 float during the celebration of Bovina's  Sesquicentennial.

Be sure to come to the Bovina Bicentennial Festival on the McIntosh Flat on July 30 from noon until 4 for many fun things to buy and good things to eat. There will be Bovina souvenirs, books, baked goods, demonstrations of blacksmithing, butter making and spinning, children’s games and much much more. Ty’s Tacoria and Pam Guy’s Crossroads Café will be serving lunches and snacks.

Celebration organizers request that attendees not bring their dogs.

Photo is from the Town of Bovina's 1976 celebration of the nation's Bicentennial, taken by Dean Lapinel.

At 2 pm on Saturday, July 30, the Bovina vintage baseball team, the Bovina Dairymen will take on the Fleischmanns’ Mountain Athletics Club on Creamery Field (1396 County Highway 6) in Bovina. Come and cheer along Bovina’s home team during our Bicentennial Celebration!

More information about the Dairymen may be found on their website at https://www.bovinadairymen.org/

Photo shows what appears to be the outfield of the ladies softball game at one of the town picnics from the 1920s.

At 4:30 p.m., an exciting range of musicians from Bovina take the stage for a concert closing the bicentennial’s afternoon festivities. Musicians include Kate Burrascano, College Farm, True, Dan Pelletier, John "Chico" Finn, Laurie McIntosh, the Catskill Music Consort, Dan Finn, Mark Pelletier, Etienne Lytle, and Timothy Harlo Bray. Ira McIntosh will emcee and kick off the music. Don’t miss it!

Image is of the Bovina Coronet, probably from the 1890s or early 20th century.

Bovina's Bicentennial Celebration includes a very special art project. Bovina artists were given old images of Bovina buildings no longer in existence or altered and invited to do their own interpretation of them. These 10 paintings will be displayed in the hamlet during the celebration at the site where the original structure stood (or still stands). Thank you to Brooke Alderson for suggesting and coordinating this project. 

1. Antonio Mora - Strangeway’s Store and later Clayt Thomas’s garage, now home of Tom Hetterich

2. Mike Casey - Hilson’s Store, built in 1867, now Dry Town Tavern

3. Sandra Finkenberg - Kennedy Hotel, demolished in 1960, lot now vacant, across from Brushland Eating House

4. Lizbeth Firmin - Old Jock Hilson Home, burned in 1915

5. Lori Glavin - Creamery in 1943, building was refurbished on the outside a year or so later to its present look

6. Scott Hill - Creamery, original, constructed in 1902

7. Gary Mayer - Scott’s Bridge, built in 1870s, demolished in 1955

8. Rick Mills - Bovina Methodist Church, built in 1849, demolished in 1926, now residence across from Community Hall (photograph below of the old church)

9. Cornell Verlaan - J.R. Douglass home, later Alexander Hilson residence, replaced in 1920s with home of Mike and Christine Batey

10. Tim Cunningham - Kinmouth Store, later home of Clark and Gladys Lay, and Tim Cunningham, now home of Betty Powell

The Bovina Bicentennial celebration will wrap up with more food! A community picnic will take place at noon on July 31 under the tent at McIntosh’s flat. Bring a dish to pass and your own table service or bring your own lunch if you prefer. And there will be birthday cake! Children and adults are welcome to participate in a pie eating contest, tug of war and sack race. 

For those of you visiting from out of town, you can bring lunch with you. If you wish to buy your lunch at Russell’s Store, we are asking you, if possible, to order your lunch the day before so Ellen will be able to have it ready for you. Here's the order form you can use. Forms also are at Russell's and will be at the celebration on Saturday.

It's Almost Here!

We are only 10 days away from Bovina's Bicentennial weekend celebration. Originally scheduled for August 1 and 2, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to delay the celebration until this year - specifically July 30 and 31, 2022. Here’s the schedule:

Saturday, July 30

Parade – 10 am
The parade will start at Coulter Brook Road and go through the hamlet to Creamery Road, where it will end on McIntosh’s flat (the field to the left of the creamery). The parade will include floats, antique cars and farm equipment, and the Delaware County Sheriff’s Mounted Patrol, finishing with the Lake Delaware Boy’s Camp.
The floats and vehicles from the parade will be on display throughout the afternoon on the flat, as will the Bovina Fire Department’s equipment, including the department’s first fire truck. If you are interested in participating in the parade, contact me at bovinahistorian@gmail.com.

Bovina Bicentennial Festival – Noon until 4 pm
The Bovina Bicentennial Festival will take place on the McIntosh Flat, just to the left of the Bovina Creamery (21 Creamery Road) with food vendors, local businesses and organizations offering their products and/or services for sale. Children’s games and demonstrations, including blacksmithing, butter making and spinning, also will take place. Ty’s Tacoria and Pam Guy’s Crossroads Café will be providing food for sale. The Delhi Telephone Company will be providing free wi-fi for the day. Celebration organizers request that attendees not bring their dogs.

At 2 pm, the Bovina vintage baseball team, the Bovina Dairymen will take on the Fleischmanns’ Mountain Athletics Club on Creamery Field (1396 County Highway 6) in Bovina.

Music Festival – 4:30 to 6:30 pm
At 4:30 p.m., an exciting range of musicians from Bovina take the stage for a concert closing the bicentennial’s afternoon festivities. Musicians include Kate Burrascano, College Farm, True, Dan Pelletier, John "Chico" Finn, Laurie McIntosh, the Catskill Music Consort, Dan Finn, Mark Pelletier, Etienne Lytle, and Timothy Harlo Bray. Ira McIntosh will emcee and kick off the music. Don’t miss it!
And if you want more music, Livestock is offering a live concert at 124 Bob Hall Road in Bovina, at 8 pm, with The College Farm as one of the performers.

Sunday, July 31

The Bovina United Presbyterian Church will hold a service at 10:30 am at McIntosh’s Flat.

A community picnic will take place at noon under the tent to wrap up the weekend. You can bring a dish to pass and your own table service. You also are welcome to bring your own lunch if you prefer. A birthday cake will be provided. Some children and adult games, including a pie eating contest, tug of war and sack race will be offered to anyone interested in participating.

Information is available on the town's website at the Town of Bovina Bicentennial site.

July 1922 - 100 Years Ago in "That Thriving Town"

A couple of Bovina farmers lost livestock by lightning. The resurfacing of what is now County Route 6 was completed, and an old Bovina native died in his sleep at his son's home. 

July 7, 1922

• The Camp Fire Girls will sell ice cream on the U.P. church lawn Saturday evening.

• Margaret Gordon has gone to Fall Clove to spend the summer at the home of [the] Scott Brothers. [These likely were her uncles.]

• United States Senator and Mrs. Peter G. Gerry have been spending the past week on their estate at Lake Delaware.

• Arnold Bellows, of Roxbury, has been hired to teach next year in the combined districts No. 1 and 9 at $40 a week.

• The town insurance company has allowed Charles A. McPherson $50 a head for five cows killed by lightning last week and $30 for one.

• John Burns, in the upper part of the town, found a horse dead in the pasture this week. The animal had evidently been dead for three or four days when found.  Whether it was struck by lightning or what was the cause of death is not known.  Mr. Burns was at Meridale on Wednesday and purchased another horse.

July 14, 1922

• Andrew T. Doig was in New York City this week with a party who are boarding at William T. Russell’s.

• The receipts from the sale of ice cream by the Camp Fire Girls on the U.P. church lawn Saturday evening amounted to $30.

• The remodeled Methodist parsonage now owned by Fred Thomson, is nearly ready for occupancy.  Alex Myers is doing the painting. [This is now Chuck and Betty McIntosh's house]

• Warren Archibald, of New Kingston was here last week and traded his Cadillac car with Andrew Doig, the agent, for a new model Sedan.

• The resurfacing of the state road is completed from the bridge at Strangeway store building to the top of the pitch at Lancelot Thomson’s. [This is now County Route 6]

• Ted Fuller, who recently sold the Armstrong farm, has stored his household goods in the Dickson big house and with his wife has gone to Utica.

July 21, 1922

• Miss Angelica Gerry has arrived at her summer home at Lake Delaware.

• The ten-year-old son of Harrison Hall, on the Soper farm, fell from a load of hay and twisted his arm in such a manner that in order to get it straightened the physician had to break the arm.

• Gustave Lifgren, who lives on the D. Lyle Thomson farm up Pink street, has sold the Aitken or Ward farm on the hill further up the same valley, to A.E. Hadley, who lives across the road on Andrew Thomson farm.  The price is $2,500 with immediate possession.

July 28, 1922

• Elliott Thomson is visiting his son, William Thomson, at Binghamton, and taking in the horse racing held at Endicott.

• Mr. and Mrs. Alex Myers are taking a vacation and are visiting their son, Frank Myers, at Endicott.  Mrs. Arthur Decker is in charge of the central telephone office during their absence.

• Frank Kinch, who has been working for F.W. Hyatt in haying, was taken ill on Sabbath with an attack of acute indigestion and is still confined to his home in Delhi.  He had fallen a few days before and struck his side on a stone and the doctor found that he had cracked some ribs.

Found Dead in Bed

Joshua Hobbie was found dead in bed Tuesday morning at the home of his son, Rema Hobbie, in upper Bovina.  He was born in Bovina about 80 years ago and the great part of his life had been spent in the town.  A few years ago the family moved to Colchester, where he and his wife still resided.  Besides his wife he leaves six children. He was one of a family of fourteen children and only one sister, Mrs. E. B. Frisbee of Delhi, survives.

This Day in Bovina for June 2022

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

107 years ago today, June 1, 1915, Mary Gordon wrote a letter from Castle Douglas, Scotland, to her brother Thomas Gordon in Bovina Center. Here's the envelope and second page of the letter, which mentions the First World War which was raging in Europe. 

Forty years ago today, the June 2, 1982 Walton Reporter carried this photo of the Bovina Emergency Squad. 

130 years ago today, on June 3, 1892, the Overseers of several road districts in Bovina requested that Bovina's commissioner of highways purchase a Climax Road machine for the sum of $235, to be paid in installments. 

Eighty years ago today, the June 4, 1942 Delaware Republican carried this Bovina column.

Fifty-one years ago today, June 5, 1971, an auction was held at the home of the last Sophie Reinertsen in Bovina Center. Here's the ad for the auction from the Catskill Mountain News. 

142 years ago today, on June 6, 1880, as later reported in the Stamford Mirror, "a team of horses belonging to Wm. Archibald, managed to get loose form the sheds where they were tied while the family were attending church, and started for home, but were pursued by quite a large portion of the congregation and soon overtaken."

Seventy-three years ago today, on June 7, 1949, as later reported in the Catskill Mountain News, "We are having an epidemic of pink eye in town. Many in the grade school here are afflicted."

Eighty-three years ago today, the Bovina column of the June 8, 1939 Delaware Republican reported that "Postmaster and Mrs. Fred Thomson attended the horticultural meeting in Delhi…."

127 years ago today, on June 9, 1895, as later reported in the Andes Recorder's Bovina column, "A number of the boys were up [to Bovina] from Delhi … on their wheels."  In this instance, 'wheels' means 'bicycles.'  The 1890s were the heyday of bicycling in the United States.  It was bicyclists who started the push toward better maintained roadways.

122 years ago today, on June 10, 1900, as later reported in the Delaware Republican, "Wm. T. Miller died of heart trouble at his residence in Bovina...aged about 60.  He leaves a wife who was a sister of John and Thomas Hastings, and one daughter, Mrs. Geo. T. Russell.  Mr. Miller was one of the substantial men of Bovina, and a very worthy citizen. His funeral was held on Tuesday, the pastor of the Reformed Presbyterian Church officiating."

Fifty-five years ago today, on June 11, 1967, Delhi Tech Professor (and Bovina resident) Gaston Pelletier gave an address at the school’s graduation ceremonies that so impressed local Congressman John G. Dow that he it entered into the Congressional Record.

139 years ago today, the June 12, 1883 Stamford Mirror reported that "Dr. Finney [Phinney], of New Kingston, thinks of locating at Bovina." Dr. Phinney did indeed relocate to Bovina, working there until his premature death in 1901 at the age of 51.

Eighty-two years ago today, the Lake Delaware column of the June 13, 1940 Delaware Republican reported that "Miss Angelica Gerry has opened Ancrum House for the summer and has as her guest Saxham Deury of Newport, R.I."

103 years ago today, on June 14, 1919, as reported by the Andes Recorder, "Sergeant Donald Lee, a member of the Lightning division, who served over a year in France, arrived home ….having received his discharge."  Lee was born in Bovina in 1896, the son of John Bruce Lee and Lucy A. Hall.  The Lee family lived on Lee Hollow.  Donald was a US Army Sargent during World War I, receiving the Purple Heart.  Donald lived to see his 99th birthday, dying in Florida in May 1995. He is buried in Bovina. He was Bovina's last surviving World War One veteran.

142 years ago today, the Bovina column of the June 15, 1880 Stamford Mirror had the following item: "Miss Jennie Russell, our late milliner, has been in town a few days past. This is not supposed to be news to one certain young gentleman in town." As to which Jennie Russell this is I have yet to determine.

127 years ago today, on Sunday, June 16, 1895, Bovina saw a weekend of burglaries. It started the evening before when Homer Burgin's home on present day Route 28 was entered.  The following morning, while the William Forrest family was at church, two burglars entered his house and took his gun and a number of other things.  That evening, burglars entered Francis Coulter's house on Coulter Brook. While rummaging through the house, they awoke Mr. Coulter and fled.  Coulter found his pants dropped on the veranda.  It is likely, though not definite, that all these burglaries were done by the same people.  I never found any evidence that the perpetrators were caught.

179 Years ago today, on June 17, 1843, the commissioners of highway of the Town of Bovina received an application to alter a highway from Alexander Storie:  "The undersigned resident of the said town and liable to the assessed for highway labour therein hereby makes application to you the said commissioners to alter the highway in said Town Commencing at the old road on the line between Priscilla Carman and William Jobson and running a northeasterly course through said Jobsons land to the Stamford town line (which said highway will pass through the improved lands of said William Jobson who does not consent to the laying out of the same)." Where this is located I'm not exactly sure, but I think it's the upper Pink Street area. 

    A few days later, twelve men were brought in to hear the case for and against laying out this highway and agreed that it was necessary to do so.  William Jobson's objections (whatever they were) essentially were overruled.

113 years ago today, the Bovina column in the June 18, 1909 issue of the Andes Recorder reported that "Mrs. William A. Gladstone has sold her farm on Coulter Brook, known as the Robert R. Scott farm, to Emile Snyder (sic), of South Kortright, and he is moving onto it this week.  The sale includes the stock and farm machinery, etc.  The price paid was $4,250." This was the farm of Emil Schneider. Schneider died in 1965. He was the father of three sons and a daughter, Lillian, who married Alex Hilson.

145 years ago today, the June 19, 1877 Ogdensburg Advance and St. Lawrence Weekly Democrat had this tidbit from Bovina: "Mrs. Hoy, of the town of Bovina, Delaware Co., some days ago, while asleep, swallowed a four-tooth gutta percha plate, teeth and all. Strange to say, she has, not as yet, suffered any inconvenience from the accident."

121 years ago, on June 20, 1901, the Bovina 'uptown' cooperative creamery was organized.  As reported in the Andes Recorder, the "creamery will be built on the Andrew T. McFarlane [McFarland] farm," now the Schumann property.  Thirty farmers were to participate.  The trustees elected were Andrew McFarland, George T. Russell and Alexander Burns. The Recorder went on to report that "[t]he contract for the building and apparatus has been let to F.B. Floyd for $4,350 and it is to be ready for business by September 1."  This creamery was organized a couple of months before the Bovina Center Cooperative Creamery was organized.  The uptown creamery building is no more, though the foundation is still identifiable.

103 years ago today, June 21, 1919, Clifton Irvine arrived home from service in the army in the Great War. The Andes Recorder reported that "He is going back to Seattle, where he was before the war, and Lloyd Irvine and Millard Blair expect to go with him." Clifton and Lloyd were brothers and the brothers of Isabell Irvine Russell (Lloyd was her twin). Millard Blair was the brother of Helen Thompson. Clifton, Lloyd and Millard all settled in Washington State.

158 years ago today, on June 22, 1864, a vote was held in Bovina to pay a bounty of $500 to any man enlisting in the Civil War, to be credited to Bovina.  There were several such votes during the war, each time for a larger amount.  By the end of the war, it was up to $800.  This vote was the closest of the war, passing by only one vote, with 68 for and 67 against.

117 years ago today, on June 23, 1905, William B. Thomson, the sole trustee of Bovina School District Number 1 issued this request to Bovina Town Supervisor John Irvine to pay Mina B. Cooke $25 for teaching at the Maynard School.

 

Sixty-two years ago today, the June 24, 1960 Walton Reporter in its Bovina column had this item: "Alan LaFever attended the Westville Air Show at Cooperstown with his uncle, Charles LaFever. Allan won a half-hour free airplane ride, which put him up in the air more than one way." The same column also carried this: "Mrs. Mary Jardine finished her term of school last week. School is now closed until she opens again for the coming year in September. I think all are in accord, Mrs. Jardine is a fine teacher and has done wonders with her group of children." This would be the next to the last year that the school was open. It would close a year later in June 1961.

Eighty years ago today, the June 25, 1942 Delaware Republican Bovina column reported that "The Recreation Club enjoyed a 'hot dog roast' at the home of Henry Monroe on Thursday night of last week.

168 years ago today, on June 26, 1854, Elizabeth Thomson Miller was born, the daughter of Thomas Miller and Elizabeth Thompson. She died at the age of 31 in December 1885 and is buried in Bovina.

172 years ago today, on June 27, 1850, David P. Stewart acknowledged a debt to William Doig of $53.93, dating from 1848, in this document, known as a chattel mortgage.  To cover the debt, he mortgaged several items from his blacksmith shop and components for a wagon being built for him by Herman Roterman, including "one running gear box and three seats of a Two Handle Plesure Wagon.." Stewart was obligated to pay the $53.93 with interest by the 1st of August.  If payment wasn't made, the items mortgaged would become Doig's.  Note that Doig also had the option to redeem the note before the due date of August 1st if he "shall at any time deem himself insecure…"  In the days before credit cards, chattel mortgages were way to get a secured loan.

    There are two possibilities as to who William Doig was.  William Doig (1809-1872), son of Walter Doig and Elizabeth Murdock, is one candidate.  The other is William S. Doig (1829-1896), son of Andrew Doig and Margaret Sanderson.  There is only one Daniel Stewart that I've found, born in 1825 and died in 1877, but there is little other information about him.  Herman Rotermund was a German born wagon maker who was living in Andes in the 1850s and 1860s.  He appears later to have gone to California.  His daughter Mary married James Coulter and is the ancestor of the Parsons and Boggs family, among others.

171 years ago today, on June 28, 1851, four Bovina men made statements related to their unfitness for military service. Joshua Carman, age 40, had hearing issues and a problem hip joint. Walter Hamilton, age 42, ran the hotel located where Jardine’s house is now. He reported a knee injury from a few years previous that continued to plague him. Homer Burgin, age 33, was a farmer on present Route 28. He was not specific about his health problems, just stating that he was 'unfit for military duty on account of ill health…' Thomas Seacord, age 39, had a "weak and lame leg." All four statements were sworn before assessor Walter Stott, Jr. Two of these gentlemen, Hamilton and Seacord, would both die six years later in 1857. The other two lasted considerably longer. Carmen was 70 at his death in 1891, while Burgin was 78 when he died in 1897. 

 

121 years ago today, the June 29, 1901 Walton Reporter carried this article about "Bovina's New Creamery.  F. B. Floyd, who built the Delhi co-operative creamery, with C. H. Broughton and a Mr. Kent of Western New York, have been interviewing the dairymen of upper Bovina and secured thirty stockholders in a cooperative creamery. The largest subscription was by F. R. McFarland, who took $600 in and the others took $300 and $200.

    Mr. Floyd has the contract for the building and apparatus at $1,350, and the creamery Is to be ready for business September 1. It will be a two-story building arranged for putting in dry curd machinery.

    On Thursday of last week Mr. Floyd assisted in organizing the company at a meeting held in the Maynard school house. The trustees elected were F. R. McFarland. Geo. T. Russell and Alex. Burns, who act for the subscribers at present and as a building committee. Mr. Floyd was authorized to engage an expert butter maker for one month on trial when the plant is ready, at $75 per month, make a contract with the Casein company and purchase the supplies needed.

    The creamery will be located on A. McFarland's lands east of the arch bridge. The thirty subscribers have 1,000 cows and as is well known they are all fine dairies in that section. Mr. Floyd says that in all his extensive traveling in dairy sections he has not seen the equal of Bovina.

    The conditions certainly are favorable for success in this enterprise, and it is quite likely that the creamery will prove a material benefit to those interested.

    It is quite likely that the central part of the town is not going to be left behind by their wideawake uptown neighbors and a similar effort is being made to form a cooperative company and erect a creamery at Bovina Centre.

Eighty-four years ago, on June 30, 1938 (as later reported in the Andes Recorder), "Rev. and Mrs. Peter McKenzie traveled to Newark to see their two daughters sail on a six week trip to Finland." The McKenzies had three daughters, Janet, Elizabeth and Margaret. Which two daughters was not stated in the newspaper, though it probably was Janet and Elizabeth.

June 1922 - 100 Years Ago in "That Thriving Town"

In June 1922, work was taking place on the 'Bovina State Road,' which is now County Route 6. A couple of new cars were seen in town and someone broke into Cecil Russell's store. 

June 2, 1922

• Alex Myers is painting the residence of Mrs. Hamilton Russell.

• Millard Blair and Lloyd Irvine of Seattle, Washington, are visiting their people here.

• The members of the American Legion put on the flags and decorated the grave of the veterans Tuesday.

• Congressman John D. Clarke and party of congressmen passed through Bovina on Tuesday morning enroute to Washington.

• G.D. Miller, who is the only surviving veteran of the civil war in Bovina, attended Memorial exercises at Delhi on Tuesday.

• William Burns, who is employed at the Center creamery, is off duty as a result of blood poisoning in his ankle. It came from a sting irritated by his rubber boot.

June 9, 1922

• Sheffiel Smith has a new Essex touring car.

• Two daughters of D.C. Worden, who live in Colorado, are here on a visit.

• Miss Jane Hilson, who has been taking a post graduate course at Columbia University, has arrived home.

• George Cable, who went to Bainbridge last year, has returned to Bovina and taken a job on the town roads.

• Ted Fuller has sold his farm, known as the Armstrong place, to a New Jersey man.  He will remain for a time and run the farm for the new owner.

• Friday evening the home talent play “Old Fashioned Mother” was well attended and the receipts for the Library was $78.  The play was repeated Saturday night but the attendance was small.

• Albert Titsworth, who has been living up town, has purchased the Pickwick house below Lake Delaware and will erect a modern dwelling.  This is known as the Franklin or McIntosh place.

• A lawsuit between James Ackerley and Harvey Wickham is set down for June 27.  The trouble is over a small building on the George Decker farm which Ackerley claims was his and was reserved when the farm was sold to Wickham.

• The contractors on the Bovina state road have leased the barn and garage of Harry Robinson in which to house the Italian workmen.  The contractors have also contracted to get stone from the quarry on the Ed Coulter farm.

June 16, 1922

• John McCune and assistants are at Stamford grading the grounds around the residence of Judge Andrew J. McNaught.

• DeGrath & Hogaboom, the contractors who will re-surface the Bovina state road, are getting the machinery and men on the ground ready to being work.

• Rev. Thomas D. Graham, formerly of the Church of the Covenanters, with his family, will spend his vacation in Bovina.  They have rented rooms for light housekeeping in George Russell’s house.  He is now pastor of the Cross Roads United Presbyterian church of Washington, PA.

June 23, 1922

• F.W. Hyatt has purchased a Nash automobile.

• A nine pound son born to Mr. and Mrs. Henry Monroe died. [He was three days old.]

• The Lunn reunion was held Saturday at the home of Mrs. James Lunn at Lake Delaware.

• The stone arch bridge at the Strangeway store is being torn out preparatory to putting in a wide bridge of steel and concrete.

Here's a postcard of the bridge that was torn out to put in a steel and concrete one.

• Lloyd Irvine and Millard Blair, who have been visiting their parents here, left Thursday for their return to Seattle, Washington.

• The contractors for the repair of the Bovina state road are putting in new sub-base at several points on the road, and will put in a total of three-fourths of a mile.  The crusher is being set up on the Ed Coulter farm.

June 30, 1922

• Lauren Dickson has returned to Yale for a course in summer school.

• Miss Marjorie Lee will be a member of the faculty of the Oneonta Normal summer school.

• Lewis Kennedy, who recently sold Irvine farm on Coulter Brook, has moved to Cortland.

• James Monroe, Jr is home from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Troy for the summer.

• The cornerstone of the new St. James church at Lake Delaware will be laid July 25.  Bishop Nelson and other notables will be present.

• Archie Boggs died in New York city on June 20 after an illness of a week from pneumonia, at the age of about 40 years.  He leaves a wife, his mother, Mrs. Charles Boggs, and a sister.

• One night last week someone gained entrance to the store of Cecil Russell by removing a pane of glass.  So far as could be seen nothing was missing.  Tracks of two men, one of them barefooted, was traced as far as the uptown creamery.

Lightning Damage in Bovina

During the severe electrical storm that swept over Bovina on Wednesday night, lightning struck the residence of Mrs. Ida Burgin on the Andes-Delhi [road] and did some damage but did not fire the building.  Charles A. McPherson on the adjoining (Strangeway) farm had six cows killed.