120 Years Ago - 1905

Melchior Thoeny, a former resident of Jeffersonville, died after a short illness at the home of his daughter, Mrs. William Kohler of Galeton, Pa., on January 13, at the age of 77 years.

The welcome party to be tendered to the new management of the Mansion House is to take place tomorrow night. It appears that at this affair, the older folks will cut just as much of a figure as the younger ones. Baked beans will be a prominent feature of the menu. Mrs. Emma C. Brand, Mrs. J.H. Glassel and Mrs. William Lieb are arranging the affair, which is evident that there will be something to eat.

Mrs. Arnold Moore of Jeffersonville suffered a stroke of apoplexy on Sunday, rendering her helpless and speechless. She is 63.

A son was born January 13 to Oscar Schramm and wife of New York. Mrs. Schramm is a Callicoon girl and her husband is also well and favorably known in this town. The horse race on the ice at Loch Sheldrake Saturday between H.C. Lohman’s Wilhelm and W.H. Murphy’s Kit Penny, both Liberty horses, for a purse of $100, was won by the latter, two in three heats.

Talk about horse racing on the ice: we have it right here on our streets in Jeff when Will Lawrence and Al Lembeck get out their fast horses for a brush over icy streets.

110 Years Ago - 1915

Rev. H.G. Coenen, pastor of the Jeffersonville Reformed and the Youngsville German churches the past two years, recently resigned as pastor of the Youngsville church.

The late J.C. Young of Liberty is said to have carried $80,000 life insurance.

 The Laurel Hill Dairy, of which Fred W. Schadt is manager, has bought the milk business of Smith Bros., and took possession Saturday. The Laurel Hill Dairy now controls the retail milk business in this village and will in a short time be prepared to furnish pasteurized milk, which is now regarded the best to use, from a health standpoint.

Charles Scheidell took an involuntary bath in the mill pond Tuesday afternoon, when he tried to shove into the water a large block of ice that was washed on shore by the recent flood. He slipped and went headlong into the water.

John H. Reyman of East Hill, who has been employed in New York for some time, has leased the butcher shop and fixtures of L.B. Goodman, and will run a meat wagon, starting the business with M. Goodman and also with Fuhrer Bros.

John H. Baum, a well-known farmer of Beechwoods, suffered a paralytic stroke yesterday, the third he has had in about a year.

The new 1,000 pound bell for the Catholic Church was blessed at the regular service held last Sunday by Rev. Fr. Snyder at St. George’s.

100 Years Ago - 1925

Jack McAuliffe, retired undefeated lightweight champion pugilist, was a weekend visitor in Monticello. Jack is a brother of Mrs. Howard Beecher and was the guest of Supervisor and Mrs. Beecher. Since retiring from the ring, McAuliffe has devoted his time to vaudeville and covering sporting events for newspapers.

Ice, fourteen inches thick, is being hauled here from Kenoza Lake.

Roy Hess and Warren Mall will, in the spring, erect a cinder mill next to Ed Manny’s blacksmith shop using the machinery they bought off Fred Blatner of Fosterdale.

Dr. Carl Drohl, chiropractor and former well-known Sullivan County wrestler, is now claiming the middleweight championship of the world as a result of recently defeating several of the most noted wrestlers of Germany and Holland, particularly by reason of his victory over Juchen of Holland. A fall was secured only after three hours and fifty-two minutes.

Anna Dorothy Staib, wife of former Supervisor Frederick Hessinger of this town, died at her home in Callicoon Center Thursday, January 8, in her 78th year.

The auto license plates in this state for next year will be white letters on a dark blue background.

90 Years Ago - 1935

Among the postmaster nominations sent to the U.S. Senate last week was Mrs. Marion Moran of Jeffersonville, who has been acting postmaster. No appointments have yet been made at Kenoza Lake which has been hanging fire for a long time, with several candidates on anxious seat.

Miss Ethel and Cameron Gain and Mrs. W.H. Lawrence, who left here by car January 3 for California, report that they reached the Golden State last Friday after a delightful trip of about 8 days.

Ice which had jammed up at Narrowsburg, Cochecton and Damascus, went out Thursday during the warm weather, but Friday and Saturday’s renewed cold snap has frozen over a large area of the river again.

There is at least one minister who appreciates the editor. At a recent editorial convention a minister is reported to have offered the following toast: “To save an editor from starvation, take his paper and pay for it promptly. To save him from bankruptcy, advertise in his paper liberally. To save him from despair, send him every item of news you can get hold of. To save him from profanity, write your correspondence plainly on one side of the sheet and send it in as early as possible. To save him from mistakes, bury him. Dead people are the only ones who never make mistakes.”

80 Years Ago - 1945

The Thomas Kerry Wood Chemical Plant at Cadosia is totally shut down.

Sgt. Lauren Decker of the 46th Troop Carrier Squadron, Philippines, and Miss Charlotte Rosemier of Mast Hope, Pa., were married on the evening of January 20th. The wedding took place in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Chambers of Equinunk with the Rev. George Payne officiating.

The Jacob Drucker case is scheduled to be heard by the Appellate Division at Albany March 15th. Drucker, convicted in the Murder, Inc., slaying of Walter Sage last May and now in Dannemora, is appealing from the conviction in Sullivan County Court.

The big topic of the day is, of course, the weather. Temperatures as low as 18 below have been reported. Most of the roads are blocked by snow that keeps drifting. The few roads that are plowed out are in bad condition with high snow banks on either side and plenty of snow underneath – making the going very bad. Some folks have been snowed in for over a week. Many of the plows are broken down, help is short, and folks around here who would like to get out are not allowed to help. One farmer who is unable to get out at all is being forced to dump his milk after making as much butter as he can. – Rock Valley Corresp.

Mrs. Lillie Mabel Earle, 77, died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Cynthia Anderson in Hankins on January 25.

Miss Martha Frances, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Bernhardt, formerly of Callicoon, is engaged to Corp. John P. Dixon of the Columbus Army Air Field in Columbus, Miss.

George F. Whitlock of Lakewood and Shirley M. Maudsley of Equinunk were married at Honesdale, January 30.

70 Years Ago - 1955

The young son of shoemaker Ferdinand Caldiero, Joseph, unwillingly joined the Arctic swimmers club Tuesday afternoon. Joe had been playing on the ice in the Callicoon creek near Bill’s Service Station in Jeff when the ice gave way. Fortunately, Al Eiss of Kenoza Lake saw the boy struggling in the water and rescued him.

A 20-year-old Honesdale, Pa., boy, William E. Stegner, was killed in an accident on Ten Mile River Bridge Sunday morning.

Mrs. Nial Eggler of Marie’s Beauty Shoppe underwent major surgery Sunday at the Hamilton Avenue Hospital in Monticello.

Ronnie Gorr fractured his ankle while skating last Saturday. He is able to get around with a cast on his leg.

Sidney Peters, who bought a lot on the former Wagner property, with a force of men is clearing the lot of trees.

Libby Manzolillo, the singing fighter, formerly of Jeffersonville, won an 8-round decision over Eugene Butler in Boston.

60 Years Ago - 1965

Twins, a boy and a girl, were born to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Geiger of the Beechwoods at Liberty Hospital.

The Board of Directors of Liberty Maimonides Hospital re-elected Paul Grossinger as president at the group’s annual reorganization meeting.

Boy Scouts from all over Sullivan County will meet on the golf course in Smallwood for their annual winter Klondike Derby.

Elaine Grant, 16, of White Sulphur Springs, was crowned White Lake Ice Queen at the Lighthouse Restaurant. She represented the W.S.S. Fire Department and won her coveted title over 12 entrants from county fire departments.

A two-day snow and sleet storm climaxed with thunder and lightning, dumped from 10 to 12 inches of snow on Sullivan County.

New York Telephone Company announces that dial service will come to the Sullivan County, Ellenville and Kerhonkson areas on March 21 in the early morning hours.

John J. McGough, chairman of the County Subcommittee of the Sullivan County Aviation Advisory group received a blanket o.k. for his committee to proceed with the final evaluation of the three sites deemed potential for the Sullivan County Municipal Airport.

Arnold Euker, son of Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Euker, has been promoted to Petty Officer, Second Class.

50 years ago - 1975

Ronald M. Albee of Roscoe, former State Assemblyman and a charter member of the Sullivan County Community College Board of Trustees, died Sunday at the Liberty-Loomis Hospital after having suffered a heart attack, at the age of 71.

Lillian and Frederick Kautz, natives of the Beechwoods, now living in Middletown, recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

The Town of Cochecton Volunteer Ambulance Corps celebrated the completion of its first five years of service to the community when officers were installed January 23 at the Cochecton Town Hall. Ethel Rohrmann is president.

Mr. and Mrs. E. Dale Kinch of Whitehall have announced the engagement of their daughter, Kim, to Michael B. Henke, son of Mr. and Mrs. Francis Henke of Callicoon. A May 24 wedding is planned.

One hundred thirty-nine contestants took part in the snowmobile races at Swinging Bridge Reservoir last Sunday.

Franz “Fritz” Menninghaus and his wife, Lucille, have moved to Callicoon from New Mexico where he spent much of his 29 years service as a United States Forest Ranger. They plan to build a home in the near future.

40 Years Ago - 1985

Mr. and Mrs. Thaddeus Nidds of Loch Sheldrake will receive a special medal of honor in the name of their son, Daniel Russell Nidds, who disappeared April 21, 1967, while on a boat in Quang Ngai, Vietnam. He was a Staff Sergeant with the 196th Light Infantry Brigade at the time of his disappearance. The Army declared him dead on October 21, 1973. Congressman Matthew F. McHugh will make the presentation of a medal approved by Congress in 1983, inscribed “Missing in action while serving in the defense of freedom in Southeast Asia. POW/MIA” on one side and “Honoring Americans still missing. You are not forgotten,” on the reverse side, on Friday, January 25, in Monticello. The medal also has the dates “1961-1973” inscribed with a drawing of the countries of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

The new home of Richard Depuy in Forestburgh, an estimated loss of $100,000 to $150,000, was destroyed by fire on Tuesday night. A new TransAm automobile with only about 2,000 miles on it and two motorcycles were also lost in the blaze. Mr. Depuy lived in a trailer nearby and had worked more than a year on building the structure. An attempt is being made to ascertain the cause of the fire. . . Monticello firemen were called to the scene of a fire which demolished Maxie’s Restaurant in Monticello on Monday. Many of the firefighters suffered minor frostbite from the three below zero temperatures plus the high winds sending the windchill factor to more than 20 degrees below zero.

Walter John Wolff, born in Barryville, and a resident at Kelly’s Home for Adults, celebrated his 100th birthday January 27 with a party at the Lions Den in Narrowsburg. He began work with the New York City Police Department in 1913 and stayed on the job for a total of 30 years and 9 months. Retiring in 1944 he returned to his native area, working about a year and a half before going into complete retirement to enjoy his hobbies of hunting and fishing.

“You’re never too old” was proven at the Holiday Mountain Ski Area Wednesday afternoon as the 70 Plus Skiers took to the slopes. Among those participating in the Sixth Annual 70+ Skier’s Race was Lloyd Lambert, founder of the 70+ Skiers Association, who is 83 years old. He says the 1700 member worldwide organization has a member who is 110. Albert Sise of Norwich, Vt., 77 years of age, had the best individual time finishing the course in a time of 25:50. His wife, Susan, 74, finished second in the ladies’ division.

30 Years Ago - 1995

When the Monticello Crossroads Coalition has its Winter Carnival on February 11, one of the features will be a horse race down Broadway. Three horses and drivers from Monticello Raceway will participate. Other events will include an exhibition by the Sullivan County Community College Generals basketball team, music, ice sculpting and hayrides.

Supreme Court Justice Robert C. Williams administered the oath of office to Jake Gunther (D-98th District) as he began his second term in the New York State Assembly.

Eileen Bernitt of Long Eddy has been appointed postmistress at Roscoe. She is the wife of Kenneth Bernitt.

The National Park Service held a special open house on January 31 at the home of the late Zane Grey in Lackawaxen, Pa., to celebrate the anniversary of the birthday of the renowned author who was born in Zanesville, Ohio, on January 31, 1872. He resided in the home from 1905 to 1918 where he wrote one of his most famous western novels, “Riders of the Purple Sage.” Grey and his wife, Dottie, are buried near their beloved Lackawaxen home.

In a feature, “It Just So Happened,” by Kern in the January 31, 1995, issue of the Democrat, it says, “In Maine, it’s against the law to walk through the streets with your shoelaces untied.” 

20 Years Ago - 2005

Hundreds of children and their families attended the second annual Winterfest on Saturday, held at Morningside Park in the Town of Fallsburg.

Although the 46th annual Livingston Manor Rotary Ice Carnival had to be postponed twice due to winter storms, hundred of people turned out over the weekend to attend the popular event.

Garry C. Myers III of Columbus, Ohio, chief executive of Highlights for Children Inc., died unexpectedly on January 26, 2005, in Columbus at the age of 59. He was the grandson of Garry Cleveland Myers, PhD, and Caroline Clark Myers, who founded the magazine in 1946. He was also the early model for Gallant, the much-loved brother in the popular Highlights feature, “Goofus and Gallant.”

The children at Liberty Elementary School whipped up 575 Valentine’s Day cards to be distributed to local veterans who served their beloved country in times of peace and war. Also making cards were members of Daisy Girl Scout Troop 604 of Liberty.

The Liberty Community Development Corporation (CDC) officially came into existence on January 20. It is a non-profit, community-run corporation dedicated to improving the quality of life for residents and businesses in the Town and Village of Liberty.

Kristi Walls of Youngsville and Ronald Hewlett III of Liberty announce their engagement. A June 2008 wedding is planned … Debra and John Miller of Livingston Manor announce the engagement of their daughter, Nicole, to Michael Park, son of Carol and Edward Park of Roscoe. An August 2005 wedding is planned.… Christy Whitfield and Patrick Barnicle, both 1st Lieutenants with the 173 Airborne Brigade, U.S. Army, were recently married. They both will be assigned to Afghanistan within the next several months.

10 Years Ago - 2015

The Town of Neversink, Tri-Valley Central School District and Sullivan County have just cemented a major deal with New York City that will lower its tax bills on properties including the 6,000-acre Neversink Reservoir. It comes with a $2 million refund to the city from the town, county and school, but the settlement is being hailed as a win-win for all. The school’s payout of $1,263,304.83, said Tri-Valley Superintendent Tom Palmer, “is by far the largest” settlement the district has ever made with a taxpayer, but it’s also “a lot less than the potential it could have been.” Indeed, the district had set aside around $8 million in a tax certiorari reserve fund over the eight years the city was pursuing a reduction. Neversink Supervisor Mark McCarthy thinks it could have been in the millions for his town, too, which instead is refunding the city $308,032.42. A key question concerned how much the Neversink Dam should be valued. Considering it was built more than 60 years ago when rules and environmental mitigation were far less strict, city and local officials debated whether it had depreciated or appreciated in value since then.

Kaday, Nyasia, Jennifer, Lesvi and Gisselle are only in their teens, but they already know what they want to do in life – they want to teach. As five Fallsburg High School students among the 20 enrolled in a unique mentoring program called Today’s Students Tomorrow’s Teachers (TSTT), they are very likely to see their dreams boosted into reality. Chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, TSTT is a nationally recognized program that recruits and mentors minority and low-income high school students who are interested in teaching careers. Significantly, the program eventually pays half the college tuition costs of participating students and links the then-college graduates with teaching jobs in partnering school districts.