140 years ago - 1881

A girl with $50,000 has a very good figure.

Constables attending a court now get $2 a day instead of $1.25 under a new act of the Legislature.

The Jeffersonville Rifle Association will hold a target shooting match at Eagle Hall on March 8.

Ten thousand hoops are being made and shipped from Liberty.

On town meeting day, Adam Pintler, a well-known citizen of Bethel, while on his way to the polls, was knocked down and run over by a team belonging to Supervisor Royce. He was not seriously hurt.

Returns indicate that the Board of Supervisors will consist of 7 Democrats, 6 Republicans, and 2 Greenbackers. They are Joshua P. Royce, Bethel, R; Frederick Hessinger, Callicoon, D; Dewitt Knapp, Cochecton, R; Charles F. Starck, Delaware, D; James Simpson, Fallsburgh, D; Andrew Campbell, Forestburgh, D; Seward W. Miles, Fremont, R: Oliver Calkins, Mamakating, R: Elias Champlin, Liberty, G; Gordon C. Grant, Neversink, D; Jay Davidson, Rockland, G; Charles T. Kilbourne, Thompson, R; and George W. Rockwell, Tusten, D.

Men's heavy winter suits and overcoats are priced from $5 up at the new clothing store in Callicoon Depot, owned by John H. Wolf.

There are indications that a strong temperance movement will be instituted in Liberty during the coming year.

All classes of businessmen, by a recent Post Office decision, are allowed to send bills through the post office for one cent each if they have printed headings. All written bills are subject to letter postage of three cents.

Philip Bernhardt of the Beechwoods is the owner of a litter of eight pigs, every one of them having six feet.

130 years ago - 1891

Robert Moulthrop died at his home at Kenoza Lake on March 9. He was 85 years of age.

The new house D.B. Scriber is building is nearly completed.

A crazy tailor has been arrested at Hudson. He paraded the streets with his hat and coat decorated with pieces of grape vine, and threatened to set fire to a building.

Senator Richardson has secured the passage by the Senate of a bill making it lawful to remove the horns of vicious cattle thus making it impossible for anyone to claim that to dehorn bulls or ugly cows is a violation of the law to prevent cruelty to animals.

The Ontario and Western earned $196,279 in February. This is an increase of $51,252 over the earnings for the corresponding month of last year.

Bluebirds and robins were seen in this vicinity on Monday.

The Erie Railroad at Port Jervis, which was destroyed by fire recently, will be rebuilt immediately.

With this issue of the Sullivan County Record, the editor, H.J. Weyrauch, after eight years, will retire as its editor and publisher. Mr. Weyrauch has sold the paper to William Lieb. Mr. Lieb served his apprenticeship in this office and is perfectly familiar with all the duties of this office. After serving his apprenticeship he has for several years held a good position on the New York Observer and other offices in that city.

120 years ago - 1901

Liveryman John von Bergen has sold his entire equipment at the Western Hotel stables to John Gorr. Mr. von Bergen will move to his newly acquired property in Jeffersonville.

George J. Yager of Jeffersonville sold his store building at Hankins to Stengel and Persbacker. The price was about $2,000.

Miss Henrietta Schadt left Monday to spend several weeks in Scranton visiting relatives.

A telegram received by Mrs. John Gempler of Kenoza Lake announced that her oldest son, John, was drowned on March 12 at Arlington, W.Va.

Jacob Huth has sold his farm between Callicoon and Jeffersonville to Michael Yager of Livingston Manor.

George Misner of Neversink and Agnes Greenfield of Butler were married.

John Casper of East Hill will move into John Huff's house in this village on April 1 and will work the latter's farm this coming summer.

A daughter was born on March 10 to Mr. and Mrs. J. Puerschner of Kenoza Lake.

Miss Bessie Kemp of Callicoon Depot is attending Wood's Business College in Newark.

Rev. D.D. Linsley, who intended to move to White Sulphur Springs, will remain here in Jeffersonville for another year.

Edward Huggler, who has been located in Scranton, will move to this place to take possession of his farm at the lower end of town.

Every indication points to the building of the Fallsburg, Monticello and White Lake Trolley Road.

Many new buildings will be built at Kauneonga this spring including one new bowling alley, two drug stores and a restaurant.

110 years ago - 1911

Within ten thousand dollars of the $50,000 capital stock of the proposed new national bank in Liberty have been subscribed for now and the shares are selling at $5 above par.

A daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. William Metzger of New York City on Washington's birthday. Mr. Metzger is a former Beechwoods boy.

Mr. and Mrs. Webster Kohler of Middletown, formerly of Jeffersonville, are the parents of a son, born March 2nd.

Mrs. George Bezolds was re-elected president of the Frauen Verein at a meeting held in Youngsville this week.

Mr. and Mrs. F.E. Peters of Briscoe are the parents of a son born on March 1st.

The Hon. A.B. Parks is thinking of locating in Jeffersonville to practice law.

A surprise party was given to Roland Henry of Lake Huntington on his twelfth birthday.

Albert Eggler is employed in the sawmill belonging to Fred Robertson of White Sulphur Springs.

Supervisor J.H. Curtis and S.E. Wenzel of Callicoon were up this way looking after “rights-of-way” for the completion of “The Man from Home” at the Masonic Hall Friday night.

100 years ago - 1921

Frank Laufersweiler returned home from Miami, Fla., where he spent two months with his son, John, and family.

Florist Ed Brand has quite a display of potted flowers in his shop, which is a pleasant reminder of the Eastertide.

William Bernhardt, the barber, has bought the building lot of E.F. Homer on the burned district for $2000 and has already begun the erection of a business place and residence.

Plans are formulating for the opening of new streets in the Village of Jeffersonville. The streets are to be on the lands of the late Charles Scheidell, now owned by the Gute estate.

Lillian Hoffman celebrated her third birthday at a party at the Mansion House.

Jacob Maslow has sold his Falls Mills House to Morris Perelstein of New York for $16,250.

The 40-acre farm and boarding house of Fred Trachsel below this village was sold to Jacob Rush.

Six teachers have accepted contracts for the coming year. They are: E.V. McDermott, principal; Miss Marcella V. Devlin, languages; Miss Martha O'Brien, English and History; Miss Marie Wilfert, Fifth and Sixth grades; Miss Edith Glendening, Third and Fourth; and Miss Gertrude E. Goodman, First and Second Grades.

Chester G. Yager has sold his sawmill outfit located in the Bardenstein woods on Sixteen to Henry Stalker.

Miss Rose Hick and Miss Lillian Reinheimer of Youngs­ville are in St. Francis Hospital, New York City, having their appendix removed.

The old mill dam in Callicoon Center gave way after a heavy rain and there was high water at that place for some time.

90 years ago - 1931

Miss Mildred G. Raum of Kenoza Lake and Raymond T. Johnson of New York were married on March 4th in New York City.

Russell W. Peters, who sold the Charles Dycker farm near North Branch to Floyd Mootz, has purchased the Graby brothers' farm in Pleasant Valley, near Petersburg.

Lawrence Milk has purchased the Newman meat market in Callicoon.

Mr. and Mrs. P.C. Menges of Youngsville lost their home by fire on Sunday.

About 50 relatives and friends of Mrs. Philip Hill of White Sulphur Springs gave her a surprise birthday party at her home on Saturday.

Doris Joyner of White Sulphur Springs is confined to her home with chicken pox.

Miss Nellie Barringer slipped on the ice near her home in White Sulphur Springs and broke her arm.

80 years ago - 1941

Louis Baum of Kenoza Lake has been called in the military draft. John Bernhardt also of Kenoza Lake has been examined for the draft and will probably be called soon.

Edwin J. Duttweiler has sold about 130 acres of the homestead of his father, Jacob Duttweiler, on Swiss Hill to William Nestel.

About 100 members and friends of the Jeffersonville and Youngs­ville Presbyterian churches gathered at the church rooms in a reception to their new supply pastor, Lewis E. Raymond and family.

The saw and planing mill of the Narrowsburg Lumber Co. at Narrowsburg was destroyed by fire last week.

Edward James Knise, aged 67, of Callicoon Center, died March 8th at his home.

Miss Dorothy Schmidt of North Branch, who graduated from a dental school in Newark, is now employed by a dentist on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Between eleven and twelve inches of snow fell here over the weekend.

Mr. and Mrs. Wilson Grant of White Sulphur Springs entertained the members of the cast of the comedy “The Night Owl.”

There was a fire in John Smith's Maple Grove House on Sunday which the Jeff fire department quickly extinguished.

70 years ago - 1951

There will be a three-way fight for Mayor in Liberty. Morris Rattner, real estate broker, who lost in the Democratic caucus on February 26th, has filed an independent petition. Clifford Poley is the Democratic candidate, and Stuart Farrand, the Republican. The Democrats are running Hy­man Heller and Leonard Baumann for trustees, and Val Hemmer for police justice. Republican nominees are Theo­dore Labourser and Reuben Sabloff for trustees and the incumbent William Carrigan for police justice.

The first game of the section 9 playoffs will be in the Jeffersonville gymnasium on March 10th between Roscoe, the Western Sullivan League champions, and Tuxedo, Class D. defending champions from Orange County. The second place teams will meet in the second game between Narrowsburg and Montgomery.

Robert Hartman Jr. has been installed as master of the newly organized Fosterdale Junior Grange. Other officers include Dorothea Baylis, overseer; Doris Anna Gettel, lecturer; Alexander Sattler, chaplain; and Patricia DuBois, secretary. Also Russell Gloor, gatekeeper; Ruth Reinshagen, Helene Hartmann and Ann McMahon as graces; Patricia Morgan, lady assistant stewart; Jean McAdam, flag bearer; and Mrs. Alexander Sattler, matron. Mary Wells, treasurer-elect, of White Lake, was unable to attend because of illness.

On March 1st, an 8 lb. 6 oz. daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Mullally of Jeffersonville at the Callicoon Hospital. They will call her Colleen.

60 years ago - 1961

Fred W. Seibert, 64, Justice of the Peace of the Town of Callicoon, passed away on February 10th. He was former Village Clerk in Jeffersonville.

Work on the new Victory Store in Jeffersonville and the 136-car parking lot was started this week. Contractor for the work is Alex Zaczek of Deposit.

PFC John P. Bult, son of Rev. and Mrs. Peter Bult, North Branch, participated in Exercise Winter Shield II at the Gafenwohr-Hohenfels training area in Germany recently.

Monticello Raceway will run 81 nights of racing and two matinees for the 1961 season.

Robert Williams, assistant district attorney of Sullivan County, was the speaker at the monthly meeting of the Jeffersonville PTA.

The second Past Presidents' Dinner of the Sullivan County Volunteer Firemen's Association has been set for March 16 at the Concord Hotel in Kiamesha Lake.

Legionnaires of the Emmett Turner Post, Jeffersonville, will participate in the 42nd anniversary of the American Legion March 15-17.

Representatives of the Route 17B Association met Thursday with officials in Albany and Assemblyman Hyman Mintz to request that the state reconstruct Route 17B from White Lake to Route 97. The start of construction in 1963 appeared probable as a result of the conference.

At its regular meeting Monday, March 6, the Town Board of the Town of Callicoon named Walter L. Clark to fill the unexpired term of Fred Siebert who died recently.

August Neumann, 84, a lifelong resident of the area, died at his home in Callicoon on March 3. He was a 50-year member of the Callicoon Fire Department.

Opposition to the proposed route of the Quickway, reconstructed Route 17, from the Delaware County line to Deckertown, came into the open at a public hearing on March 7. Much of the opposition came from sportsmen.

Lester Long, longtime Sullivan County dairy farmer leader from Callicoon, has been re-elected president of the Sullivan County Cooperative Dairy Assn. of Jeffersonville.

Matty Corey and Helen Mitchell, both of Liberty, took top honors in the Sullivan County VFW Bowling Tournament.

Wednesday, March 22, voters of the Delaware Valley Central School District will go to the polls to decide on whether or not they wish to authorize a $295,000 bond issue to construct an addition on the school on Route 97.

A flight over the area to assess the condition of the deer population in critical portions of the area showed that the deer are not “yarded” too badly, but they are still in danger from dogs.

50 years ago - 1971

Mr. and Mrs. Tilson Cade, who operated Cade's Store in Callicoon the past several years, have sold the business to Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Miller. The store handles all kinds of dry goods.

Henry G. Paul of Jeffersonville, District Superintendent of Schools of the Sole Supervisory District of Sullivan County, announced his retirement effective March 15.

Mr. and Mrs. Paul F. Long of Callicoon have announced the engagement of their daughter, Kathleen, to John Eschenberg, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Eschenberg Sr., also of Callicoon.

Irving Shapiro of Liberty was elected president of the board of trustees of Community General Hospital of Sullivan County at the annual meeting of the board on February 24. He succeeds Gordon Winarick, an executive of the Concord Hotel, who served the past two years.

Mr. and Mrs. William LaBarr of Liberty were given a surprise 25th wedding anniversary party on Saturday night at the home of Liberty Town Justice and Mrs. Kenneth Fiske. They were married March 2, 1946.

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Hess of Hortonville announce the engagement of their daughter, Deborah, to Daniel Darder, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Darder of Long Eddy. An August wedding is planned.

40 years ago - 1981

J.C. Johnson, author of more than 200 songs, including “Empty Bed Blues,” which Leonard Bernstein called “the perfect blues piece, the greatest ever written,” died in Manhattan Friday, February 27, at the age of 84. He was a revered elder statesman of jazz and a sometime resident of Wurtsboro.

Fire in the Amoco Garage in Hankins was caused when Willis Johnson, the operator of the garage, spilled gasoline from a gas tank he was draining on to a hot drop light which was sitting on the floor. The gasoline broke the light and the fire began which completely destroyed the building. A house nearby was protected by the firemen and was not damaged.

The Liberty Indians downed Marlboro 68-56 on Friday to win the Mid-Hudson Athletic Conference championship. The Indians have a 22-0 winning streak this year - a school record. Floyd Emery is the team coach.

The county population for 1980 stands at 64,950, up by nearly 12,000 over 1970.

Gov. Hugh Carey has appointed Dr. Alan R. Fried of Livingston Manor to the Upper Delaware Citizens Advisory Council (CAC). Dr. Fried has a long history of concern with sporting, recreation and environmental concerns in the area. He is founding president of the Beamox Chapter of Trout Unlimited and vice president of Catskill Waters and a member of the Governor's Reservoir Release Task Force.

Marguerite M. Mauer, language teacher, was honored by the Liberty PTA for 42 years of dedicated services when they presented her with the “Founders Day” award.

Mrs. Anna Grund of Cochecton Center was the guest of honor at a special 90th birthday party on March 1. Thirty-two members of her family were present with the exception of a brother, Paul Grund, who resides in Florida.

30 years ago - 1991

The new Sullivan County Adult Care Center in Liberty should be full to capacity by the first part of April, Joan Howard, County Commissioner of Health, said last week. The $10 million skilled nursing facility has room for 160 inpatients and at least 30 day-care patients.

Longtime Rock Hill Postmaster Audrey Olmstead was guest of honor at a surprise retirement party held Saturday night at Bernie's Holiday Restaurant in Rock Hill. The post office had 48 boxholders when Mrs. Olmstead began working there 29 years and 15 days ago and today it has more than 1,000. Mrs. Olmstead and her husband, Edwin, are looking forward to spending more time at their home in Florida. Officer in Charge at the Rock Hill Post Office will be William Gloor of the Liberty Post Office.

ITT Job Training Services, Inc., has been awarded nearly $10.3 million for the operations of the Delaware Valley Job Corps Center in Callicoon. The Center, located at the site of the former St. Joseph's Seraphic Seminary, has a current enrollment of 325.

John M. Werner, vice president, has been named to manage Norstar Bank of Upstate New York's Private Banking for the Hudson Valley region. He will be responsible for expanding private banking in the region. Werner is married to the former Kathy Stabbert of Callicoon. He and his wife and their two children, Elizabeth and Michael, reside in Kingston.

Jim Yonchik, son of Paul and Norma Yonchik of Hortonville, has accepted a position as director of Accounting Services at Professional Consulting Services, home-based in Chicago, Ill. In his position, he will oversee the accounting operations of medical and dental offices in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin to improve and implement comp­uter automation.

The Monticello girls basketball team captured the Orange County League Championship Trophy with a victory over Valley Central of 63-43.

More than 1,600 deer skins have been collected by the Monticello Elks to be used by hospitalized veterans to create arts and crafts items. The skins will be taken to a tannery in Gloversville to make them ready for use.

The snow-covered trails at the Holiday Mountain Ski Center in Bridgeville were filled with 76 athletes taking part in the New York State Winter Special Olympics recently. Other winter olympics were hosted at the Nevele and Fallsview Hotels.

The good news in Cochecton is that the county plans to raise the railroad bridge in that town to an acceptable height and straighten the sharp turn on County Road 114 this year. With a clearance of less than 11 feet the present bridge blocks heavy truck traffic through the community.

20 Years Ago - 2001

A popular figure in the Town of Callicoon and Sullivan County politics, John “Jack” Ellmauer, 69, of Youngsville, succumbed to a heart attack in the state of Florida on Monday, March 5. Ellmauer was first appointed to the Town Board in Callicoon in 1970 to replace his father, George, who had passed away. He won election to the post at the next election, a position he would hold for three decades.

As the Northeast braces for the fury of the forecasted classic Nor'easter which is currently dumping snow on the area, DPW crews and emergency services personnel say they're ready. County Manager Dan Briggs was on the job at 7 a.m. Monday making sure that, despite the projected two to three feet of snow, vital services were operating smoothly. Sullivan County Democrat Advertising Coordinator Jean Price knew just how to cope with the major winter storm - get to work in Callicoon via snowmobile!

A devastating apartment fire kept firefighters at bay for over four hours and left two families and one college student homeless on Friday in Hurleyville. Karl Spoerri, a student at SCCC, and the Budd and McGuire families lost everything in the fire.

Eldred's girls basketball team won the Section IX Class D championship after Sunday's title game at West Point, defeating Roscoe in overtime, 57-43, to claim the title.

10 Years Ago - 2011

The Highland and Lumberland Committees on Energy and the Environment hosted a forum about the legal rights municipalities have in regulating drilling for natural gas. About 160 people turned out to listen to the two expert speakers, Helen Slottje, managing attorney of the Community Environmental Defense Council in Ithaca, and Ben Price, project director of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund in Carlisle, PA. John Conway, Sullivan County Historian moderated the two-hour presentation, opening with comments that the county is in real danger, needing protection from huge industrialization. He read out the questions submitted by the audience.

Joe Milk of Roscoe was named the 2011 King of the Ice and was presented with a trophy and put on the official crown and robe for winning the Sullivan County Conservation Club's 26th annual King of the Ice Contest on White Lake, Kauneonga Lake. Milk won for pulling in a 25 1/2-inch pickerel which weighed 74 ounces for a total score of 99.5 points.

Once again, the Ellenville Blue Devils and Tri-Valley Lady Bears are the Section IX Class B indoor track champions. Held at the Gillis Fieldhouse at West Point, Ellenville captured the boys' championship for the fourth straight year and Tri-Valley won for the second consecutive year. In the boys' team rankings, Ellenville scored 132 points, while T-V placed second with 65 points. In the girls' team rankings, Tri-Valley recorded 113 points to win its fifth championship in the last six years. Sullivan West placed second with 78 points.