140 Years Ago - 1885

Mr. Porter’s first trip to Jeffersonville this week was a lengthy journey. He says he started from Liberty Wednesday morning and arrived there about 4 p.m. His delay was caused by shoveling snow banks all along the road.

Monday’s snowstorm was the severest we experienced this winter. Only two horses, hitched on light cutters were seen on the streets. There was no Liberty mail in Jeffersonville.

The New York Sun says that Mr. Earle of Brooklyn introduced a humorous petition in the Assembly, from some merry sportsmen of Kings County, who seem to be disappointed with deer hunting in Sullivan County. The petition urged that every deer in Sullivan County be provided with a bell that can be heard a mile away, that certified distilleries be established in the woods, and that asphalt pavements be laid in the runways to prevent the hunters from dying from exhaustion while chasing deer. That deer are scarce in Sullivan is a matter of fact, of course, said a noted hunter today, “but evidently those Kings County sportsmen are very green in the midst of Sullivan’s forests, from the fact that they nearly died from exhaustion while chasing a deer. But whether they were chasing a deer or a cat is a question unsolved.”

Theodore Brown, a New York fish dealer, was in a trance for fifty hours and was supposed to be dead. He woke up in his coffin before the time for the funeral.

130 Years Ago - 1895

One day last week, John Spielman of Youngsville brought to H. Himmelreich’s store an egg that measured 8 inches in length, 6 1/2 inches around and weighed a quarter of a pound.

The new road between Youngsville and Livingston Manor has proved a wonderful success, as is tested by the numerous teams that pass over it. The beauty of the road is that it does not drift. The roads to Youngsville via White Sulphur Springs and Shanly Pond have been several times impassable this winter while the new road has been in excellent shape. – Ensign.

Personal Notes: Some of the residents are badly in need of water. Wells are dry.

Teamsters are hauling lumber through here for Joe Norris’ new store building at Briscoe.

Will Lawrence has opened, temporarily, a paint shop in W.C. Brand’s store building and is polishing up wagons, etc.

Tinsmith Grishaber, in a couple of days this week, rebuilt and enlarged the work shop in the rear of his hardware store. He was assisted by Val Baum and Will Miller.

Charles Homer of the Eagle Hotel says he has burned 17 tons of coal so far this winter. Charlie’s guests certainly do not suffer from the cold.

The cavalry company which flourished at one time in this place, will be reorganized with Captain Frank Lober at the head. When the boys become thoroughly drilled no mob violence will be tolerated for a minute in this place.

A bill has been introduced in the Assembly making it necessary, after January 9, 1896, to procure marriage licenses at the county clerk’s at a fee of fifty cents each. More expense to frighten the young man out of his matrimonial intentions.

120 Years Ago - 1905

Fannie, wife of William C. Short, after a long and painful illness, died at her home near this village Friday, aged 40 years.

Gottlieb C. Huggler, 42, native of Youngsville, died in Williamsport, Pa., February 14. He conducted a shoe shop in Galeton. In 1898 he was married to Katie, daughter of Henry Luchs of Jeffersonville. He was brought up in the vicinity of Youngsville.

It is said in theatrical circles in New York that there is to be a new German theater erected on 14th Street and that the director will be Gustav Von Seyffertiz, who has been assistant manager and one of the most favorite actors of the Irving Place Theater. Mr. Von Seyffertiz is well known here, having spent many summers in Youngsville.

New arrivals: A daughter was born February 16 to Charles Creifeld and wife of Brooklyn. Mrs. Creifeld is a sister of Mrs. Philip Erdman, Mrs. Charles Schmidt and Mrs. Gus Schmidt of this place. A son was born on Sunday to Hugh Townsend and wife of Kenoza Lake. The latter was formerly Miss Gerken of Swiss Hill.

Henry Hoos, who runs a bakery wagon over here from Liberty, gave his farewell bachelor supper to a number of friends at the Eagle Hotel in Jeff last night. Mr. Hoos will be married to Miss Emma Neiger of Beechwoods.

The weather for the past couple of days has been spring-like, aside from the several feet of snow on the ground.

William Wilson of Sixteen, who is quite a hunter and dog-trainer, last week sold his bird dog to a city gentleman for $50.

110 Years Ago - 1915

Oscar S. Royce and wife of this place, who have been at Claryville since last December, caring for her parents, John Knight and wife, who are both ill, came here Monday to remove their furniture from the Bird house to Claryville where they will make their home. Oscar will have charge of the Knight farm, which is now owned by Robert Boettger, a wealthy man of Yonkers. Mr. Knight many years ago lived at Youngsville on the place now occupied by Wm. Menges.

It is said that a city party has secured an option on the Segar property at Briscoe, with the view of turning it into a club house and resort for sportsmen.

Philip Beiling and William Krom, street car conductors in New York, came home last week for a few days visit. Philip has fully recovered from an attack of scarlet fever.

The young horse of Butcher John Reyman started off from Joseph H. Moyer’s home on West End Avenue Satruday morning and was stopped in Goodman’s yard, where the wagon axle broke. Little Philip Homer rolled out of the meat wagon unhurt.

P. McDermott cracked a couple of ribs on his left side Monday in falling from a load of hay in the Williamson barn on Swiss Hill where he was helping his neighbor, Gus Neuberger. When the load was being drawn from the barn floor, Pat was thrown off by coming in contact with a beam.

Dr. Moss of Jamaica and Dr. Gain of Jeffersonville last night performed an operation for appendicitis on the 6-year-old daughter of butcher Wm. Wagner of Youngsville.

After an illness of some length, Mrs. Katherine Baer  died at her home on East Hill February 20, aged 69 years. Mrs. Baer was the widow of Henry Baer, a former shoemaker in Jeffersonville.

100 Years Ago - 1925

Philip Bietz left this morning for the Masonic Hospital at Utica where he will undergo an operation for the removal of a cataract from his left eye.

The firemen are getting lit up for their annual ball and supper tonight at the Grange Hall. That is, we mean to say, that they are lighting the fires for the hot “rosbiff” supper they are going to serve.

W.H. Lawrence, who bought the upper side hill from the Charles Scheidell farm in Jeffersonville, has sold the greater part of it to John S. Smith, who owns what is left of the Scheidell farm.

Kenoza Lake – George DeLap has been called to Oyster Bay on account of the illness of Mrs. DeLap, who went there recently to care for her daugher, Marion, who has been ill.

There was a rumor that our school was closed on account of measles. This is untrue. There are but few cases of measles and they are said to be of very mild form.

Miss Katherine Schaefer, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Schaefer, was given a surprise party at the Schaefer home on East Main Street Thursday night in honor of her birthday.

90 Years Ago - 1935

Miss Alethea I. Hess, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hess of Jeffersonville, has enrolled as a freshman in the College of Liberal Arts at Syracuse University. She is a 1935 graduate of Jeffersonville High School.

Supervisor and Mrs. Fred Schadt went on Tuesday to Syracuse where his son, Williard, was graduated from the State College of Forestry at Syracuse University.

Frank Hess, on the North Branch road, has bought the John Wagner property on West End Avenue, Jeff, of Mrs. Florence Fulton of Kenoza Lake.

Mrs. Katherine Graff, aged 81, died February 14, at her home in Montgomery, Orange County. She was born at Youngsville May 31, 1853, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Noll. She was married in 1875 to the late Frederick Graff of the Town of Callicoon, who died in 1932.

80 Years Ago - 1945

Word has been received from Pvt. Carl Henke, written February 16, that he met his brother, Lieut. Joe Henke, in Holland where they are both stationed. Carl is with a tank outfit and Joe is with the Signal Corps of the 9th Army. The brothers had hoped to have a meeting in France but were unsuccessful. Carl says he was so surprised to see his brother that he was speechless.

Pvt. Ralph Hull is home on furlough from Hawaii. Ralph was at Pearl Harbor when the Japs attacked there and this is his first trip home.

The ice from many miles of the Delaware River moved last Tuesday evening and became lodged in a 6-mile stretch of the river between Pine Tree Eddy, between Callicoon and Cochecton, and White House Curve, west of Callicoon. When the ice stopped moving, the water backed up rapidly, flooding several Callicoon cellars. A short section of lwoer Main Street was under water but comparatively little damage was done. The Charles G. Curtis Co., whose nurseries are along the Delaware in Damascus Township west of Callicoon, was the heaviest sufferer with many ornamental trees damaged when the ice moved over the nursery flats. Water in the cellar of Carl’s recapping plant flooded the boiler and oil burner and the plant could not resume operation until today. The water level here Tuesday was the highest in more than 40 years.

Mr. and Mrs. Franklyn Hahn of Callicoon are the parents of a baby boy born Wednesday, February 29, at the Callicoon Hospital.

Fire this morning destroyed the L.G. Gebhart building at Narrowsburg. Housed in the building was the large dry goods store of Clair Tegeler of Damascus, Knapp’s Barber Shop, a vacant store formerly occupied by the late John Gabel and the apartments of Mrs. Annie Bishop, Mrs. Fred Brush and a Mr. Mills on the third floor and Mr. and Mrs. Willis Hector on the second floor.

Pvt. Norman Olson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Russell Olson of Lake Huntington, was slightly injured in action in Germany, February 12. He is in a hospital in France.

Paul Yonchik, who spent his boyhood with Mrs. M. Bamily in Lake Huntington, a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, is on an island north of New Guinea.

Pvt. Raymond Oestrich, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gustave Oestrich, Long Eddy, reported missing in action in France on January 17, is now reported to have been killed in action on that date. He was married to the former Edna Neer, who lives in Liberty.

Mrs. Warren Miller of North Branch visited two wounded flyers at Halloran Hospital, Staten Island, who had been on the “Mary Jane” plane with her husband, Lieut. Warren K. Miller, now a prisoner of war in Germany. They reported Warren in good health when they left him January 3. The Millers have an infant son who Warren is anxious to see.

70 Years Ago - 1955

Henry Buddenhagen, 72, died of a heart attack at his home on February 21. He was the husband of Lena Zimmerman Buddenhagen, school teacher.

Kenneth K. Anderson, 48, former operator of a garage in Damascus, Pa., died as the result of injuries sustained in an auto accident at Kirkwood twelve days prior to February 21. He was born in Pine Mill, the son of Walter and Estella Kellam Anderson.

Mr. and Mrs. Otto Zetzman were guests of honor at a surprise party on the occasion of their 35th wedding anniversary, held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Hermann.

John Wagner of Callicoon will open his restaurant, formerly George’s in Callicoon, on March 5. The restaurant was established by the late Charles Starck and subsequently operated by Dan Pelton prior to purchase by Hattie and Walter George in 1930.

At the Callicoon Hospital, it was a son to Mr. and Mrs. Norman Warring of Callicoon on February 16; a son, Thursday, to Mr. and Mrs. John Muir of North Branch; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Donald Milk of Long Eddy; a son to Mr. and Mrs. John Stifles of Lord’s Valley, Pa., on Thursday.

Paul W. Ohman, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ellis Ohman of Liberty, will be graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy at King’s Point on February 25.

One hundred seventy-five attended the county service clubs’ Brotherhood dinner Monday evening at the Paddock Restaurant in Monticello.

Abe Schwartz, who sold the Ford and Lincoln-Mercury car agencies at Liberty February 11, is one of the oldest auto dealers in Sullivan County in years of service. He sold his first car in the first World War, when he was 16 years old. (Gernet Howland of Liberty is believed to be the oldest car dealer in the county.) “Boom” had a used car agency at Livingston Manor and eventually teamed up with Ford in 1944 at Liberty. He disclosed that he plans to have another used car agency. However, details were not available.

60 Years Ago - 1965

Jerry L. Prottas of Woodridge, a Fallsburg Central High School student, came within 13 points of the highest score of 288 in the state in the Regents Scholarship examinations. Students placing in the examinations from other schools were: Fallsburg, 9; Liberty, 6; Tri-Valley and Delaware Valley, three each; and Livingston Manor and Roscoe, two each. The other schools each had one. The four others in the top in the county, with their scores, were: Mark G. Beytin, South Fallsburg, 272; Ronald Aqua, Monticello, 271; Leslie J. Gildersleeve, Liberty, and Leah Winner, Monticello, each with 269.

A daughter was born Tuesday to Mr. and Mrs. F. Alvin Tonjes, Callicoon, RD 2.

A surprise stork shower was given to Roberta Gieger by Joan Houck and Harriet McCauslan at the latter’s home on Saturday evening, February 20. Many lovely and useful gifts were received for the twins, Robert and Joy Margaret.

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Emil Vollmers Sr. of Cochecton who celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary at their home.

Miss Kay Loughrey of Jeffersonville and John Danchak Jr. of Lake Huntington were married February 27 at the Fosterdale Methodist Church.

50 years ago - 1975

Next Wednesday evening will see the full Board of Education of the Delaware Valley Central School District on hand at DVCS to answer the public’s questions at an open hearing which will start at 8 p.m., March 5, and will air the advisability of purchasing three mobile classrooms to ease congestion in the Elementary  School. A public vote will follow on March 12.

A variety shower will be held for Jean Litzenbauer Price on March 2 in the basement of the Abrahamsville Methodist Church. Those attending are asked to bring a copy of their favorite recipe.

In a major move to boost the fortunes of harness racing in the state of Florida, Frederick L. Vanenneo, chairman of board and president of Pompano Park, announced the appointment of Allen J. Finkelson as Director of Public Relations and Publicity at the Pompano Beach-based track effective April 1. Mr. Finkelson has served the Monticello Raceway since its inception in 1958 and has acted as pubic relations, publicity and promotion head of the Catskill oval as well as directing its Party Night Division. He has been hailed by his contemporaries as one of the most imaginative and dynamic forces in his field.

Price-Rite Boat & Camper Sales of Youngsville has been named the factory authorized dealer for Coachmen Industries, Inc., of Middlebury, Ind., the nation’s largest full-line manufacturer of recreational vehicles and related products.

40 Years Ago - 1985

It was thought that a short in a fan caused the Wednesday morning blaze at the Sherwood Egg Farms in Galilee, Pa., according to firemen who responded to the call. Several hundred chickens were lost in the fire which was brought under control by firefighters from the Equinunk, Callicoon and Cochecton fire companies. Don Sherwood, owner of the farm, had no comment to make about the fire or the loss sustained by his company. It was later determined that a rash of arsonist fires had plagued the Galilee area over a span of 11 hours. The first fire was at the Orchard Rock Cottages, the second at a barn belonging to Amos Rutledge, and the third at the old Sutliff house, before the fire at the Sherwood farm. Police report no suspects at the present time.

Monticello revenged last year’s loss in the Section 9 Boys Alpine championship by taking their fourth crown in the past six years on Wednesday at Hunter Mountain. Qualifying for a trip to the intersectional meet to be held at Whiteface Mountain, Lake Placid, on March 4-5 were Randy Jackson, Erik Rosen and Jeremiah Rosen, John Rauch and Anthony Rhulen.

30 Years Ago - 1995

Patricia Wood, LPN of Port Jervis, was named the January employee of the month at the Seelig Division of Catskill Regional Medical Center in Harris.

The Sullivan County Planning Board  selected Patricia Pomeroy of Roscoe as chairperson  and Gerald Euker of Callicoon as vice-chair at its annual election recently. Pomeroy and Euker have been on the planning board since it was reconstituted in 1992 and charged with developing a County Master Plan.

Susan Nosek, daughter of Joseph and Mary Nosek of Youngsville, and Dennis Peters, son of Donald and Betty Peters of Callicoon, were united in marriage on October 8, 1994, at St. Francis R.C. Church in Youngsville.

Kevin and Melissa Murphy of Youngsville announce the birth of their second son, Adam, on February 12, 1995, at the Horton Medical Hospital in Middletown. He joins a brother, Christopher, at home. Maternal grandparents are Norm and Lorraine Niemann of Ferndale. Paternal grandparents are Tom and Pam Murphy of Callicoon. Paternal great-grandmothers are Margaret Murphy of Callicoon and Esther Neumann of Fort Myers, Fla.

20 Years Ago - 2005

Sullivan Materials won’t be reopening its Fosterdale plant this season and the business’ restructuring will have a ripple effect on road projects planned in half the county’s towns this summer. Local highway departments are worried about a summer of shipping in blacktop from across the county, which will drive costs up.

Diane Hanson and Michael Haynes, both of New York City, were united in marriage on November 23, 2004, in a ceremony performed at the Yale Club of New York City. The bride is the daughter of Arlene and Bob Hanson of Wapiti, Wyo. and the granddaughter of the late Syndney and Edith Wahl Peters formerly of Callicoon, and Margaret H. Hanson of Connecticut and Florida and the late Maurice F. Hanson. The groom is the son of Diane Haynes Greene of Edison, N.J., and Boca Raton, Fla., and the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. John Labbancz.

Miss Jessica Price, daughter of Randy and Jean Price of Damascus, Pa., and Casey Laffey, son of Jeffry and Susan Laffey of Naples, Fla., were united in marriage on August 7, 2004, in Hawley, Pa.

A daughter, Isabella Dolla DuBois, was born January 7, 2005 to Scott and Danielle Fiorille DuBois. She is the granddaughter of Darlene and Joe Fiorille of Jeffersonville and Donna and Gregory DuBois of Cochecton.

10 Years Ago - 2014

Robert Benmosche, a Brooklyn-born Monticello resident who became one of the most respected corporate CEOs in modern times, passed away Friday after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 70. To much of the world, he was known as a leader capable of turning around deeply struggling insurance firms, including MetLife and AIG. After various jobs in Sullivan County, Benmosche left for upstate Alfred University, where he garnered a bachelor’s in math (and ultimately became a board member). He also served with the U.S. Army in Korea during the Vietnam War. 

Town of Delaware Councilmember and Historian Cindy Herbert hopes to see the Hamlet of Callicoon earn a National Register Historic District nomination later this year. She applied for a Preserve NY Grant to hire consultant Neil Larson of Larson Fisher Associates, Inc. for preparing a National Register Nomination Form for a potential historic district in Callicoon. The town was awarded the grant on September 5, 2014 and Larson Fisher Associates will have the National Register Nomination Form completed by June 30, 2015. The Town of Delaware was one of 15 applicants in 12 counties around the state selected to share $100,000 in funding.