Stories from Bovina's Cemeteries - A.T. Strangeway

Andrew T. Strangeway was born in Bovina in 1839, the son of Christopher Strangeway (1814-1890) and Margaret Thompson (1815-1875).  He was a business agent for a company called Gregg and Company before partnering with John Hilson as a merchant.  The partnership was dissolved in 1872, the same year that he married Maggie A. Doig.  In 1874, he built his store which still stands in the hamlet of Bovina Center and is now owned by Tom Hetterich.  Strangeway built onto the back of his store a hall in 1888.  Strangeway’s Hall was used for town meetings and other public events until the Bovina Community Hall was built in 1930.  He operated the store until his death on May 28, 1907.  The store had several owners after Strangeway’s death, including at one point his two competitors – John Hilson and A.T. Doig.  The building was sold to Arthur Hillis in late 1923 and was converted into a garage.  Several owners operated it as a garage, including Clayton Thomas, who ran his garage there for over 20 years. 

From Munsell's 1880 History of Delaware County

Andrew Strangeway and his wife had four children, including a daughter, Margaret Doig Strangeway, born in 1873.  Margaret married Walter Coulter and was the mother of Ruth Coulter Parsons and M. Celia Coulter.   They lost an infant and their son Harvey died when he was eight.  Andrew’s marriage was brief, his wife dying in 1878.  He never remarried.  As well as being a merchant, Strangeway served several terms as Town Clerk and was active in the Bovina United Presbyterian Church. 

Photo courtesy of Ed and Dick Davidson.

An interesting side note:  Just over a month before Andrew Strangeway's death, his store was burglarized.  Fortunately, he had removed all the money so that the burglars who broke in on April 24, 1907 got only some change, a few cigars and a few other articles.

War of 1812

It's been 200 years since the start of the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain.  How did this war impact Bovina?  That's harder to determine than with the US Civil War.  The town of Bovina did not even exist during the war, though the area that is now Bovina was being rapidly settled.  There are no records related to what happened in the area during the war, but we can talk a bit about three men with Bovina connections who did serve in the war - specifically three men who are buried in the Bovina cemetery - Truman White, James Hoy and Close Light.

Close Light is a name that always fascinated me when I saw it in the cemetery as a child.  I wondered if it was native American, but his origins appear to be European.  Born around 1792, he lived in the Lake Delaware area, very near the Bovina town line.  He was married to Melinda Simmons in 1813 and had several children.

Light served as a private in a company commanded by Alexander McPherson in a Col. Putnam Farrington's regiment of militia.  Enlisting in September 1814, he served for three months.  He was paid $24.77 for his service, which ended December 10, 1814.  The Treaty of Ghent which ended the war was signed in late December 1814 but word did not get to the United States until February 1815. 

The State of New York passed a series of laws starting in 1857 to address lack of payment for expenses to war veterans that had originally been ordered in 1818 and 1819. Many veterans of the War of 1812 filed claims under these acts.   Light filed his claim for expenses on June 29, 1857.   He claimed that he was owed $73, itemized as follows:

1 hat - $5
1 ordinary coat - $12
1 vest - $3
1 pair pantaloons - $5
1 overcoat - $15
1 blanket - $5
1 knapsack - $3
1 canteen - .62
2 pair stockings - $1.50
2 shirts - $3,00
1 pair suwarrow boots - $6
1 neckerchief - $1.50
Cash pd for transportation to Catskill from Delhi - $5
Cash paid for transportation to return home - $8

Light's claim was paid on September 26, 1860 for $56.  It is not clear what expenses for which he claimed reimbursement were withheld. Close Light died in December of 1864.

Truman White's Bovina connection may only be that he is buried here.  Born around 1792, he was living in the Town of Middletown in the 1820s and 30s.  By 1840, he was in Andes and by the 1850 census, he was in Meredith.  In 1856, White lost his Meredith farm due to foreclosure.  He appears to have moved to New Milford, Pennsylvania, possibly to live with or near one of his children.  It is not clear when and where he died, but I've speculated that he may have been visiting his daughter, Hannah White Rutherford, who lived in Bovina, and died during the visit.  It probably was easier to bury him near where he died instead of shipping the body back to Pennsylvania.  I was unable to locate any records specific to White's service in the war.  He did not file a claim for expenses as did Bovina's other two War of 1812 veterans, though it might be because he died before the 1857 law was passed allowing these claims.

The third War of 1812 veteran buried in Bovina is James Hoy.  He was born in 1791 in Washington County but lived much of his life in Bovina (his farm was where Jack and June Burns farm).  His service in the war appears to have been very short, though it is possible that this claim was for only one part of his service.  Some family information indicates that he saw additional service and was a lieutenant.  The service for which he claimed payment many years later came in the 1814.  He enlisted in Plattsburgh the first of September 1814 in the 114th Regiment of New York Militia under the company commanded by Henry Price.  He was discharged on September 18, after participating in a march to Burlington, Vermont.  His service was said to include the time needed to return home.  For that service, he supposedly received 160 acres of land, but did not receive the money promised under laws passed in 1818 and 1819.  Hoy filed a claim in December 1859 for $64, itemized as follows:

1 hat - $5
1 ordinary coat - $11
1 vest - $4
1 pair pantaloons - $5
1 overcoat - $10
1 blanket - $4
1 knapsack $1
2 pair stockings - $1
2 shirts - $3
1 pair suwarrow boots - $5
1 neckerchief - $1
Cash paid for transportation to and from Burlington - $14

Hoy was only allowed $17 of his claim and, apparently, the state was lax in paying that.  Hoy filed a further claim on June 11, 1869, requesting his payment.  He died only two days later on June 13.  After his death, his lawyers contacted the state and requested payment of the $17 to his estate.  Hoy's estate was probated in Delaware County. From a review of the probate file, I could find no evidence that the payment that Hoy was still seeking just two days before his death was ever made.  One of his sons, also named James, wrote to J.S. McNaught in May 1873 asking if his father was ever paid the money.  Apparently, he had a warrant in hand but wanted to know if it was genuine.  He noted that "this country is full of counterfeit and bogus articles of that kind."  No response to this letter was in the file. 

Unlike Truman White and Close Light, we actually have a photograph of James Hoy, thanks to his great great grandson, David F. Hoy III.  It is believed that he is wearing his uniform from the war.

Bovina in the Civil War - Soldier Biographies VI

Darius Hadley was born in 1836.  Hadley appears in the 1860 federal census for Bovina enumerated with Jonathan Adee.  He enlisted in the 8th NY Volunteers Artillery in October 1861 and was discharged on February 14, 1863 at a convalescent camp in Virginia after he was wounded in the right foot.  After his discharge, he came back to Bovina to live with his mother Elizabeth and filed a pension claim as an invalid in January 1865. Not long after this, he married and settled in the Town of Colchester where he remained the rest of his life. By 1900, he and his wife Priscilla were living with their son.  Darius died in the fall of 1904 and is buried in Downsville, NY.  His widow filed a pension claim in November 1904.


Robert Halsted was born in Bovina in October 1842 in Bovina, the son of James and Phebe Halsted.  Enlisting in August 1862 in the 144th New York Volunteers as a private, he was paid a bounty of $150.  Robert was discharged on July 12, 1865.  Halsted survived the war by less than a decade, dying in February 1874.  He is buried in Bovina.

Henry Hogaboom was born in the town of Rockland in Sullivan County in 1836.  By 1850, he was living in Bovina with his widowed mother, Elizabeth.  Henry enlisted in August 1864, joining the 144th NY Volunteers as a private.  He mustered out with his company on June 25, 1865 and returned to Bovina, living there at least through 1890.  That year, he was living in Lake Delaware and reported a 'general disability' due to an 'injury in service which is not overcome.'  By 1910, Henry had moved to Ohio and was living in the National Military Home in Jefferson, Ohio, near Dayton.  Dying there in February 1921, his body was brought back to Bovina for burial.

John R. Hoy was born in Washington County, NY in 1831, the son of James Hoy and Elizabeth Robertson.  By 1850, the family was living in Bovina.  John married Isabella Wilson Miller in 1854 and they settled in Bovina as farmers.  Active in his community, when he enlisted in the 144th New York Volunteers in September 1864, he was the tax collector for Bovina.  Because of his absence, the town in December had to appoint Joseph Raitt to fill the position.  John mustered out with his company on June 25, 1865 in Hilton Head, SC.  On his return to Bovina, he continued serving his town, becoming the commissioner of highways.  John and Isabella Hoy had eight children, including David Fletcher Hoy, the man to whom we are indebted for his research into Bovina families.  John and Isabella's daughter Margaret Jane was married to Douglass Davidson.  Margaret Jane is the mother of H. Fletcher Davidson and Vera Davidson Storie.  John R. Hoy died September 1901 and is buried in Bovina.

Edward Kennedy, also sometimes listed as Kenneday, was living in Bovina in the 1890s.  Otherwise, little is known about where he lived.  Born in Tyrone, Ireland in 1838, he enlisted in April 1862 in New York City in the 4th New York Volunteers.  He mustered out in May 1863 and in December that same year re-enlisted in the 16th New York Heavy Artillery.  On February 1, 1865, he deserted his unit while in New York City.  Apparently, he was never punished for it - it appears he was collecting a pension in 1890 for his service in the 4th New York Volunteers.  He is on the 1890 military census for Bovina, listing his post office in 1890 as Lake Delaware.  No further information on Kennedy has been located.

Louis Knapp's time in Bovina was relatively brief.  He was born in Dutchess County in 1830 (though another source says Delaware County).  At the start of the war he was living in Hamden but by the time he enlisted in February 1864, he had been widowed and was living in Bovina as a boarder of Walter D. Miller.  Knapp joined the 144th and was mustered out with his company on June 25, 1865.  He settled in the Shavertown area after the war and at some point remarried.  He filed a pension claim in 1890 and died around 1898 in Dunraven.

Stories from Bovina's Cemeteries - Where is William Thomson

In reviewing the names of people buried in Bovina cemeteries, I noted that there were 375 different surnames.  The most common one is Thomson, with 136 buried in Bovina.  The second most common is Russell, with 100.

The single most common first and last name is William Thomson.  There are 10 different William Thomsons buried in Bovina. They are not all related to each other, though some are.  Here are photos of some of the William Thomson monmuments, courtesy of Ed and Dick Davidson.

This is the oldest William Thomson buried in Bovina.  Born in Scotland in 1801, he was the son of Andrew Thomson and Margaret Blythe.  He and his wife, Jennett Hamilton, had six children, including a son, William B.  The son was born in 1843 and died in 1929.  He also is buried in the Bovina Cemetery, but for some reason, no stone exists for the gave.

There is some confusion in the records concerning this William Thomson, though most have the Thomson without the 'p.'  The son of David and Jennette, he and his wife Agnes had four children.  One of them was William Henry Thomson, whose stone is below.

William's brother David Lowe Thomson named one of his son's for his brother.  William David Thomson lived to be almost as old as his uncle, dying in 1958 at the age of 90.  He too is buried in Bovina.

This William Thomson was the son of Andrew Thomson and Elizabeth Rutherford.  He was born in Delaware County, but his wife was born in Scotland.  They died within a few months of each other in 1884.  William and his wife Amelia had four children, including two sons, Andrew Dixon Thomson and David Lyle Thomson.  The Thomson brothers both died in January 1890.  Note that William and Amelia's monument is made of zinc.

These two William M. Thomsons on this one stone (along with the other names on the stone) were the children of Walter E. Thomson and Jane Murray.  The first William died in 1872 at the age of 13.  Jane had another son after his death and, as was common in the 19th century, they named the newborn son after the son they lost.  This second William was only 9 when he died in 1883.  There are three other children of Walter and Jane on this stone, all dying before reaching maturity.  Walter and Jane had twelve children, but it appears that only 3, a son and two daughters, made it to adulthood.

This stone is that of one of the 3 surviving children of Walter Thomson, W. Elliott Thomson.  Note that he named one of his sons William W. Thomson.  The son is buried here with his parents. 

William S. Thomson was the son of Andrew Thomson and Margaret Isabella Scott.  Married to Jennie Alice Archibald in 1890 in Bovina, they had three children.  This William is a grandson of the 'first' William mentioned at the opening of this blog.

In reviewing records about these various Williams, I sometimes noted Thomson spelled as Thompson.  In the Bovina Cemetery, however, all the monuments for the Williams I found consistently use Thomson.  There is one grave without a stone, however, for a William Lyle Thompson.  The son of Rev.  Marvin Thompson and his wife, Leona Thomson.  Yes, both of William's parents were Thompsons, but with different spellings.  His parent's headstone clearly shows the different spellings in the Thomson/Thompson last name.  His mother's grandparents happen to be the William and Amelia Thomson mentioned earlier.  And though William has no headstone, there is one for his brother, Robert, and it has the Thompson spelling.

Bovina's World War II Honor Roll - Some Assistance Please

With help from the Town of Bovina and the Bovina Historical Society, I am working to reinstall Bovina's World War II Honor Roll (see my blog entry for June 3, 2011 concerning this Honor Roll).  I also need some help from you. 

There are 94 names on the roll.  Through my own knowledge and through the use of Ancestry.com and other sources, I've been able to get enough information on about 2/3 of the names on the list, including birth and death dates.  In the  process, I have identified three people on the roll that are still with us - Ed Davidson, now living in California, Gordon Rabeler, who is in Rockland County, NY, and Stanley 'Stub' Hewitt, who lives in Lake Delaware.

Below are 32 names for which I need some clarification of information I have found or for whom I have no information at all.  I have included birth and death years when I have found those.  For some people, I did find information on Ancestry.com, but because the name is relatively common, I'm not sure in all instances if I have the right one.  I also included text that came from an issue of the 1946 Walton Reporter that provided information on soldiers from Delaware County.  If there is no information, that means I could not find their names - at least in the section marked 'Delhi Draft District.'

So, if you know this person or know someone who does know him (or in one instance here, her), please let me know.  I'm also going to be trying to get photographs of everyone on the roll - preferably in uniform - so if you have photos or know someone who does, I'd appreciate that too.  Drop me a line at bovinahistorian@gmail.com or put any information you wish to share in the comments field at the end of this blog.  Thanks folks.  Any assistance will be greatly appreciated. 

• Samuel Barlow - Walton Reporter: Denver, Col (Delhi): Seventh Armoured Division; inducted Feb. 12, 1942, discharged Aug. 8, 1945.
• Edward Barnes
• Paul Bellino, c 1908-xxxx
• Edwin Chase, 1916-xxxx -Walton Reporter: Temple, Texas (Delhi):  Sergeant, Medical Detachment, 1884th Service Command Unit; inducted Jan. 26, 1942, discharged March 4, 1946.
• Kenneth Curtis, 1923-xxxx - Walton Reporter: Delhi:  First lieutenant, 7th Air Service Group; enlisted Aug. 19, 1942 called to active duty May 24, 1943, discharged Aug. 17, 1946; Asiatic-Pacific and Caribbean service April 18, 1945 to May 25, 1945, and Dec. 4, 1945, to Aug. 2, 1946.
• Frances Decker, 1920-xxxx - Walton Reporter: [Francis A. Decker] Bovina Center: Private, Medical Corps; inducted April 24, 1942, discharged June 12, 1942.
• Donald DeSilva, 1918-1989 - Walton Reporter: Arena: Private, Co. B, 714th Military Police Battalion; inducted March 30, 1943, discharged Oct. 26, 1943.
• Jack Ditty, 1920-xxxx - Is this Thomas J. Ditty, Delhi, who is referenced in the Walton Reporter?  Walton Reporter: Sergeant; enlistment.
• Warren Eitner, 1921-xxxx
• Floyd Estus, 1909-1981 - I suspect that the first name on the roll is incorrect.  I didn't find a Floyd, but I found a Lloyd who was in the Walton Reporter (and who also showed up on Ancestry.com).  Walton Reporter:  Andes: Private first class, Anti-=Tank Co., 320th Infantry; inducted Sept. 23, 1942, discharged Sept. 16, 1945; European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign medal, American Service medal; foreign service Oct. 22,
• Robert Finkle, 1919-2007 - Walton Reporter: No discharge recorded: Shavertown: Army Air Forces; enlisted November 1939.
• Leroy Graham - Is this Jacob L. Graham? I did not find a Leroy.  For Jacob Graham, the Walton Reporter had the following:  No discharge recorded: Bovina Center: Navy; enlisted March 6, 1944 when 17.
• Richard Grundy, 1921-1986 - I did not find Richard but found Harry R.  The R could stand for Richard, but I'm not sure.  Walton Reporter: [Harry R.] Lake Delaware, Delhi:  Technical sergeant, 87th Mountain Infantry; enlisted July 19, 1940, discharged June 26, 1945; European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign medal, American Service medal; foreign service Sept. 7, 1940, to July 13, 1943, and Ju
• Robert Hoagland - Walton Reporter: Bloomville: Private first class, 1983rd Service Command Unit, Prisoner of War Camp; enlisted March 19, 1940, discharged Sept. 28, 1945; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign medal; foreign service Jan. 23, 1942, to Sep. 13, 1944.
• Donald Hoyt, 1920-xxxx - Walton Reporter: [Donald E] Hobart:  Private first class, Co. D, 712th Military Police Battalion; enlisted March 6, 1940, discharged Aug. 9, 1945; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign medal; foreign service April 9, 1940, to July 1, 1944.
• Rudolph Hunt, 1909-xxxx - Walton Reporter: Delhi:  Sergeant, 1262nd Service Command Unit; inducted Jan. 20, 1944, discharged April 21, 1946.
• Ralph Hyatt
• Everett Hyatt
• Arthur Jones
• Robert Lewis - Walton Reporter: Bovina: Private, Co. C, 317th Infantry; inducted April 25, 1944, discharged Dec. 22, 1945; Purple Heart medal (Nov. 29, 1944), European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign medal; foreign service Oct. 22, 1944, to Feb. 20, 1945.
• Roy Lewis
• Lawrence Lewis, 1923-xxxx
• Leora Miller, 1924-xxxx - Walton Reporter: No discharge recorded: East Meredith: Waves, navy.
• Ernist Miller
• Bernard Perry, 1925-xxxx - Walton Reporter: Bovina Center:  Private first class, 107th Tactical Air Command Reconnaissance Squadron; inducted March 30, 1943, discharged Nov. 16, 1945; European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign medal; foreign service Sept. 5, 1943, to Sept. 14, 1945.
• Arnold Schneider, c 1909-xxxx - Walton Reporter: [Sterling A.?] Bovina Center:  Technician 5th grade, Co. C, 53rd Signal Battalion; inducted April 22, 1942, discharged June 7, 1945; European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign medal; foreign service Aug. 19, 1942, to May 25, 1945.
• Albert Simonson
• Robert Todd
• Carl Tuttle, 1915-1997- [is this Earl Tuttle?]  Walton Reporter: Delhi:  Technician 5th grade, 255th Infantry; inducted May 25, 1942, discharged Oct. 5, 1945; European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign medal; foreign service April 3, 1943, to Sept. 28, 1945.
• Arthur VanAlstine
• Wilbur VanNooy
• Marcus Young

Bovina in the Civil War - Soldier Biographies V

Alexander Gill was born in Bovina in January 1839, the son of James and Mary Gill.  He enlisted in September 1862 in the 144th NY Volunteers as a corporal.  He was a sergeant at his discharge on July 12, 1865.  Alexander married Agnes Radeker in Downsville.  He moved to Montrose, Pennsylvania, working as a carpenter.  He died in March 1899 in Pennsylvania.

William T. Gillie was born in Bovina in Apirl 1844.  He enlisted in August 1862 in the 144th NY Volunteers, Company E and was paid $100 for doing so.  He died of typhoid fever at a hospital in Washington, DC on August 6, 1863 and was buried near the hospital.  He was only 19 years old.  There is a memorial stone for William Gillie in the Bovina Cemetery.

Thomas Gordon was born in Scotland and was a resident of Delhi when he served in the war.  He was in the 79th NY Infantry, enlisting September 7, 1864.  He was discharged May 30, 1865.  Thomas was married twice, first to Mary J. Oliver, who died in 1897, and then to Mary R. Scott, who survived him.  He taught in Bovina schools for many years and was noted for his excellent penmanship, which was useful in the years he was Bovina's Town Clerk.  Thomas was active in the local veterans organization, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR).  Gordon was Town Clerk when he died unexpectedly in April 1921.  His daughter Margaret was a noted Social Studies teacher at Delaware Academy.

Francis Gowanlock was born in March 1843 in Bovina.  He enlisted in August 1962 in the 144th NY Volunteers and was mustered out in June 1865, returning to Bovina.  Gowanlock worked as a stone mason and in 1874, married Jane Liddle.  In the 1890 special census, he reported that he suffered from fever and ague as a result of his service in the war.  He also noted that he was shot in the leg.  Gowanlock died New Year's Day, 1918 and is buried in Bovina.

George W. Graham was born in Bovina in 1845.  He enlisted in August 1862 in the 144th NY Volunteers as a private and was paid a bounty of $100 for doing so.  Promoted to 2nd lieutenant, Graham later had to resign because of ill health in September 1864.  He left Delaware County sometime after the war and settled in West Virginia, where he married Sophia Bilson in Harper's Ferry.  Later, he married Jennie E. Marshall as his second wife in Woodstock, VA.  In the 1900 census, he was a life insurance agent and on the 1910 census, he said he was an attorney.  George died in 1916 and is buried in the Bolivar Cemetery in Jefferson County, WV, outside of Harpers Ferry.

"Why Is The Lady Happy?" - Bovina Historical Society's Afternoon at the Museum

This Saturday (May 12), the Bovina Historical Society will host a reception/exhibit at the Bovina Community Hall from 4 to 6 pm to display over 100 artifacts from the recesses of Russell's Store.  The eclectic mix of items includes baking products, clothing, shoes, and advertising pieces.  Parson's Smut-Off, Best English Monarch Brand Bath Brick, Dr. Claris' Fever Medicine, Saturn Bias Velveteen Skirt Binding, Putnam Dyes-Tints, and Socony Auto Spring Oil are just some of the products that will be on display.  Some things from the Russell family also well be on display, including Isabell Russell's wedding dress and her mother's steamer trunk.  The exhibit also will include a couple of artifacts from previous owners of the store. 

Some samples from the exhibit:

Any thoughts on what this is? I know, but do you?

And here's a photograph dating from probably the 1930s of Cecil inside his store. To the right toward the back of the store is a large coffee grinder that can still be seen at Russell's.

Photo courtesy of the Bovina Historical Society

And Why Is The Lady Happy? Come to the Bovina Community Hall on Saturday, May 12 from 4-6 pm and find out - and to support the Bovina Historical Society in its mission to preserve and present the history of the town.  Donations will be much appreciated.