150 Years Ago -  1873

Mr. A.P. Childs, formerly of the Record, has charge of the Youngsville District School. This seminary is classed among the best around here and the District is to be congratulated to have obtained the services of Mr. Childs.

Wood is still very cheap around here, the poorest citizen need not suffer for lack of fuel. Twenty cents is the sum charged per cord in the woods. The purchaser provides the entire labor.

James Hardenburgh has just filled a large order for butcher blocks which he has shipped to New York.

140 Years Ago - 1883

The house and lot of Charley Scheidell, just across the town line, at the lower end of the village, was recently sold to Philip Erdman Jr., for a consideration of $600.

The bridal party called on us last Thursday afternoon and a pleasant party they were. The bride was Miss Mary Wizeman of Beechwoods and the groom was Martin Hermann. The knot was tied by the Rev. F.H. Bernhardt at the Presbyterian parsonage in Jeffersonville but a short time before the visit.

George Wahl of Fremont and Helen Sander of Youngsville were married at the Presbyterian parsonage.

Sullivan County has three female postmistresses: Sallie C. Beardslee of Claryville, Elizabeth Story of Fosterdale and Mary C. Wallace of Narrowsburg.

130 Years Ago - 1893

Three indictments were found against Mrs. Halliday for the murder of her husband and the two McQuillan women. Her trial will probably not come off until spring.

Felix Donohue and Miss Josie Smith of Livingston Manor were married at St. Mary’s Church at Ellenville on September 19.

Thomas LeRoy of Parksville has been engaged to teach the North Branch School. Miss Carol Stephenson will teach the Bethel School.

Samuel Dusinberry has sold his farm on Chestnut Ridge to Mrs. Mary Schmidt of Youngsville who will move on the property next spring and build a fine residence.

The annual target match of the Callicoon Schuetzen Verein was held on Monday. Prizes went to John Bohl, $8, first prize; Edward Hahn, $4, second prize; Adam Newman, $3, third prize; Casper Girard, $2, second prize; and $1 to John Brey for fifth prize.

Joseph Roger Jr. of Highview, Sullivan County, manufacturer of drum and banjo heads and other goods along that line, is an exhibitor at the World’s Fair, a case of his goods being in the Liberal Arts and Manufacturing Building. Mr. Rogers expects to be a premium winner, and has good reason, for the quality of his goods cannot be surpassed.

Joseph Frey of Youngsville is erecting a new and commodious house. Joe expects to keep summer boarders. Charles Portz and George Weyrauch are doing the work.

Through the invitation of Rev. Henry Hansman, the annual convention of the German Presbyterian ministers and elders of the East was held in the Jeffersonville Presbyterian Church on Monday and Tuesday, September 25 and 26. All returned to their homes on Wednesday excepting Revs. Seibert, Nordt and Wolff who remained behind to do some fishing.

120 Years Ago - 1903

Dr. Willet Kidd, the game protector, brought John Mattison of Bethel into Supreme Court before Justice Cochrane for using a net for catching fish in Black Lake. The defendant admitted he used a net but was using it on a private lake with the owner’s permission. The court brought in a verdict of $60.

The County of Sullivan brought action against former County Treasurer Charles S. Starr and Albert M. Fulton and Wm. A. Foster, his bondsmen, to recover a loan of $500 from a trust fund made by Starr in 1886 when he was county treasurer on property belonging to Howard Tilliston of Mongaup Valley.

A fine cow of Charles Scheidell has been missing for a couple of weeks or more. A thorough search has failed to find her and it is suspected she left at the end of a rope.

Andrew Bengel of Liberty, accompanied by Frank Gregory, went through towns Tuesday looking up a clue to his horse stolen from the pasture one night a couple of weeks ago. A man leading a horse stopped at Wesley Cochran’s below Falls Mills and had breakfast the morning following the theft and it is said he sold the horse at Callicoon Depot.

Last week Charles Quick and Henry Kratz of North Branch dug up from the cemetery at that place the bones of Jacob Lawrence who was buried 41 years ago. The remains were taken to Delhi to be reinterred near Delhi where his wife was buried three years ago.

Jacob Lawrence enlisted in the Civil War. On his return home from war 41 years ago, he was followed by an unknown man and was murdered while walking from the station at Callicoon Depot at night. The murderer struck him over the head with a heavy piece of iron and he died without recovering consciousness. The murderer was never detected. The marks were still visible on the skull when dug up.

110 Years Ago - 1913

The Eagle Hotel closed on October 1 for the first time in the history of the hotel. Thomas J. Conklin, who bought the hotel of Charles Homer, closed down Tuesday night at the end of the license year and the hotel will be closed for the winter. The closing of the old and well established hotel is looked upon as a loss to the village of Jeffersonville.

The appeal of former Police Lieutenant Charles Becker and the four gunmen for the sentence of death for the murder of Herman Rosenthal will be argued before the Court of Appeals on October 13 providing the impeachment trial of Governor Suzer is concluded by that time.

Henry F. Pfeiffer of Beechwoods took some oysters home from Callicoon last week and while eating them found a pearl in them worth $100. Mrs. Pfeiffer is having the pearl set in a ring.

At Alfred Fitzpatrick’s auction September 24, an encyclopedia worth $25 was sold for 25¢. Harry Mathern was the bidder.

The large boarding house of Fred Knack at Buck Brook was destroyed by fire last Friday night.

George H. Lynch, news editor of the Liberty Register, has gone to Cornell University to study law, and A.L. Kirk of Port Jervis has taken his place on the Register.

The project of a new road from the county highway at Falls Mills to the Fosterdale road is again being agitated. The Town of Delaware has so far opposed the road because of the cost of a bridge across the Callicoon Creek.

The charge of misdemeanor against Oscar Eggler for blowing an auto horn and scaring the Segar team in Liberty a few weeks ago was heard before Justice Grant and postponed owing to absence of witnesses to October 18. Mr. Segar sued to recover $200 for personal injuries.

100 Years Ago - 1923

The Jewish Society here has torn down the old Methodist Church building, which they bought and has moved the lumber to the lot off Jefferson Avenue where the foundation for a synagogue will be commenced in a few days. At the recent holiday celebration, the society raised $400 toward a new building.

Millington Frances Rose of Kenoza Lake and Charles Hoffman of Hancock were married at the Presbyterian parsonage on  Wednesday, September 12. Mr. Hoffman is employed by the Livingston Manor Electric Co.

Foreign born members of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows have lost their prolonged fight to permit lodges to conduct ritualistic work in the language of their countries. The plan was defeated at the all-day business session of the Sovereign Grand Lodge in Cincinnati Friday.

Livingston Manor had another of its interesting school meetings the other evening. The purpose of the meeting was for voting on the purchase of some three and one-half acres of land owned by Attorney E.H. Bouton. The vote was 14 in favor and 223 against.

Monroe R. Wright was named chairman, Louis DuBois, president of the Board of Education, announced the presence of Mr. Sears of the Grounds and Buildings Division of the State Education Department and made the motion that Mr. Sears be allowed to speak. The chairman denied Mr. Sears the privilege, maintaining that he was neither a taxpayer nor a resident and that he was decidedly out of his sphere. Mr. Sears insisted on the privilege of addressing the meeting and was told by the chairman that if he persisted he would call the authorities and have him escorted outside. Sergeant Hopkins and another trooper were present to maintain order.

90 Years Ago - 1933

John Lowe, well known Hortonville building contractor, was  found drowned in a small brook at White Sulphur Springs. Mr. Lowe had been engaged to build a barn for Fenelon Hill. He had failed to show up for work on Thursday and a search was begun for him. His car was found parked on the Swan Lake road and his body was found a short distance away, face down in the brook in only about two feet of water. Coroner J. C. Gain gave the cause of death as accidental.

The chicken house of Charles Reum, near Kenoza Lake, was raided one night recently and 500 pullets stolen. It is reported that the coops of Byrd Long, Arthur Krantz and Frank Fulton, all in the same neighborhood, had also been visited.

Legal trouble is developing over the settling of the estate of the late Dr. Schonger.

Last Friday while Carl, the 3-year-old son of Dr. and Mrs. Arch Freer, was playing around Roth Steam Laundry with his 4-year-old brother, James, he fell into a concrete vat, into which the wash water is discharged from the laundry. There was about four feet of wash water in the vat. John Smith, working nearby, was attracted by the cries of little Jimmie, learned of the accident and fished little Carl out after he appeared on the surface. The boy was taken home and was soon alright again. A few months ago he fell from a ladder and broke a leg.

A total of 784 cases are listed on the calendar of the Supreme Court presided over by Justice Ellis J. Staley at the opening of court next Monday.

Clement Aply, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Aply, has passed the examination for the U.S. Navy and expects to be sent to Newport, R.I.

80 Years Ago - 1943

St. George’s parish this year celebrates the centenary of its organization. The members are busy making preparations for a monstrous celebration.

Last Saturday a crowd of friends gathered at the Huff homestead on the Briscoe Road and serenaded Leonard Huff and his bride, Regina Kehrley, who were married the Sunday before.

Corporal Arthur Poley has been transferred from Fort Ord, Calif., to Alaska.

Dr.  John C. Johnston of Livingston Manor was awarded an observers medal at Mitchell Field. Dr. Johnston was chosen to represent New York State at the speakers’ table.

Adam Bernhardt, for years employed by Elliott Moran, ice and coal dealer, has had his preliminary examination and will leave for the Army October 18.

Michael Antosh, who has been inventory man for the Victory Chain, has resigned his position to take work in a city defense plant.

The marriage of Birtie Downs Michaels, a graduate of Middletown State Hospital School of Nursing, to Francis A. Hanofee of the Army Air Corps, was revealed by an announcement received by Mr. Hanofee’s mother. The marriage took place on August 20, 1941, in Milford, Pa.

The Poppy-Cramer bungalow at Kenoza Lake, built by J.M. Delancy some years ago, was sold last week by M.H. Fick of the Tegeler Agency to Arthur Muller.

The sale of the Lake Jeffersonville Hotel property was made by the Tegeler Agency in which Mr. and Mrs. Frank Larocco sold to Gus Corey, restaurateur of Liberty.

70 Years Ago - 1953

Mrs. Betty Schuler of Callicoon Center has taken over the management of the Central School cafeteria in Jeff, taking the place of Mrs. Libby  Huth who resigned.

Libby Manzo boxes Walter Johnson of New York City in the six-round semi-final bout Friday, October 2, at the St. Nicholas Arena, in New York City.

Tuesday morning a new Hudson Jet was delivered to the Jeffersonville Central School for use in the Driver Education course. Mr. Erwin Baker, school principal, accepted the auto from Augie Lott, the local dealer.

Wilfred V. Hurley of Valhalla and Veronica B. Weissman of Jeffersonville were united in marriage in a double-ring ceremony at 10:30 a.m. with a Nuptial Mass by Father Edward McGuire, pastor of St. George’s R.C. Church, on September 26.

Dr. and Mrs. Edward Miller returned last Wednesday night following a 1,500 mile trip through the eastern part of the United States, visiting New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York State.

The Breakstone Bros. Inc. Creamery gave the help in the Youngsville plant a steak dinner at the Hotel Jefferson. There were 46 in attendance at the dinner.

Mrs. Vincent Mullally returned to her home with her new baby on Sunday.

60 Years Ago - 1963

Miss Judith Ann Schrumpf, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Schrumpf of Callicoon Center, graduated from St. Clare’s Hospital September 14. She has accepted a position and will remain at St. Clare’s Hospital.

Bernard Weiss, chairman of the board of trustees, spoke at the dedication ceremonies of the new Sullivan County Community College. The nine trustees and officials of the State University and members of the clergy were seated on the platform: Trustees Mortimer Michaels of Fallsburg, Luis deHoyos of Monticello, Fred Starck of Callicoon, Max Rubenzahl of Neversink, Miles Ellison of Liberty, James W. Burbank of Narrowsburg, Ronald M. Albee of Roscoe, and Harold Gold of Fallsburg; Dr. Richard K. Greenfield, president of SCCC and Dr. Kenneth Doran, Associate Executive Dean for two-year colleges of the State University; and clergymen Rabbi Israel Lebendiger of Liberty and Rev. Newton B. Ford of Callicoon.

U.S. Army Specialist Four Arthur W. Rittershausen, son of Mr. and Mrs. Theo. G. Rittershausen, Center St., Jeffersonville, with other members of the 62nd Medical Group, participated in Exercise LION VERT in Central Europe. LION VERT, a NATO command post exercise, was designed to practice communications and staff procedure among the allied forces defending Central Europe. Rittershausen is a pharmacy specialist in the group’s 15th Evacuation Hospital near Munchweier Germany.

Jean Fulton Hoffman, formerly of Kenoza Lake, was graduated from Kingston School of Nursing September 20 and has taken employment as a nurse at the Kingston Hospital.

50 Years Ago - 1973

Eileen Pollack and Eric Seiler, both seniors at Liberty Central School, have been named 1974 National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists.

The winners of the Western Sullivan Softball League for the second year in a row were George’s Colonial Inn from Jeffersonville. This team originally started over ten years ago and each year is sponsored by George Redington. Bill Niemann, Jim Hammett and George Abplanalp are three of the original still  playing.

Miss JoAnn Patricia Bury of Roscoe became the bride of William R. Ficke on September 15 at a garden wedding held at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Bury of Antrim Lodge.

Bobby Conklin of Eldred won the greased pig contest at last Saturday’s Hunting and Fishing Day in Livingston Manor

40 Years Ago - 1983

The Sheraton Inn in Scranton, Pa., recently purchased 57 acres located on the opposite side of Route 17B from the racetrack through Monticello realtor Joan Pepper. Joseph  Darlack, owner of the Sheraton hotel, confirmed Thursday that he plans to build a 300-unit motor inn with construction beginning in the spring.

On October 2, Andy Karadontes will be racing for the New York State Flat Track Motorcycle Championship. Can he defend his title?

Officials of the Island Glen Care Center, Inc., have submitted a revised application for a 160-bed health facility in the Town of Bethel. According to Brendon Burke, vice president of the architectural firm Mayo, Lynch and Associates of Hoboken, N.J., and a Certificate of Need that basically says there is a need in Sullivan County for the construction of a new nursing facility and is the most important factor facing the $7.2 million building project at this time.

30 Years Ago - 1993

Five new teachers began working at the Delaware Valley Central School in September. They are Patricia Ruggles, home and careers; Cheryl Harder,  secondary math; John Buchman, English; Cecelia Hopkins, special education; and Sheri Abram, business education. 

With Toby Frank on the keyboard  and Al Payson doing vocals, $1,300 was raised to underwrite the cost of new healthcare equipment at Community General Hospital of Sullivan County at the 3rd annual Dinah Weitz Fund Raising Luncheon held August 22.

The audience is encouraged to wear ‘40s clothes at the presentation of “Sentimental Journey” at the Tusten Theater in Narrowsburg on October 2. Bill and Melissa Thomas will be the featured guess artists in the musical revue. The program includes music of the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s and includes such songs as “In The Mood” and “Don’t Sit Under The Apple Tree” as well as songs by George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Fats Waller and Duke Ellington.

The 1931 Model A Sport Coupe, owned by Tom and Lil Sarchino of Grahamsville, and the 1931 Model A, owned by Milton Lindsley of Jeffersonville, were among the antique cars on display at the Water Wheel Junction in Livingston Manor for the quilt, craft and antique show on Saturday.

20 Years Ago - 2003

Lee Hermann finds it easy to recollect history. She types it up every Monday. The Callicoon resident’s “Down the Decades” column is widely considered one of the best parts of each Tuesday’s Sullivan County Democrat. The page-long column chronicles 130 years of local history from the perspective of several now-defunct newspapers, of which the Democrat owns the archives. Hermann and a host of other history preservers were honored Sunday at the Central House in Beach Lake, Pa. as part of the Upper Delaware  Heritage Alliance’s annual meeting.

Four of a party of eight hikers from New York City became lost Saturday in a wild area estimated by authorities to cover about 10,000 acres in the Town of Highland. Forest Ranger Rob Morse of the DEC and Rich McKean, chief of the Highland Lake Fire Department, as well as volunteers from Bloomingburg, Jeffersonville, Rock Hill, Smallwood/Mongaup Valley and Yulan fire departments combed the woods into the wee hours of the morning. Two of the hikers found their own way out of the tangled woods around midnight. After talking to them, said DEC Forest Ranger Luke Evans, a search area was established using a USGS topo map. The remaining pair of hikers was found nearby the Chris Lake Dam. The fact that heavy rain lashed the region on Saturday complicated the search and raised concerns about exposure and hypothermia. Emergency medical services were provided at the scene by American Legion Ambulance of Highland Lake. Assisting the search were law enforcement agencies including the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department, the New York State Police, and constables from Highland and Lumberland. The two day effort involved approximately 150 searchers.

Thelma Hoffman from Fremont Center celebrated her 95th birthday Saturday, August 30 with her family. Thelma’s daughter Kay and family from North Carolina drove in for the occasion. Thelma is mother to the Fremont Center postmaster, Ida Rosenberger and the newly retired Delaware Valley School nurse Marsha Bauer.

Youngsville correspondent for the Democrat, Agnes Spielmann, celebrated her 91st birthday on September 25 with family and friends.

10 Years Ago - 2013

Hundreds of marchers joined hundreds of spectators to create a thousand-strong crowd at Saturday’s 85th Annual Sullivan County Volunteer Firefighters’ Association Parade. Virtually every fire department was represented at the event, this year held in Narrowsburg.

Mable MacKechnie Mackey Fox was born on September 12, 1913 in Pond Eddy,  to Edith B. and Russell S. MacKechnie. Mable was schooled in a one-room schoolhouse in Pond Eddy. Along with her husband Joe Mackey, she owned and operated The Hollywood Bar and Grill on Pike Street in Port Jervis and then the Time Out in Sparrowbush. After her husband’s death, Mable married Joe Fox and they became houseparents for troubled children in Otisville. Longevity runs in Mable’s family. Her father, Russell S. lived until the age of 98. Helping Mable celebrate was  brother Russell W. MacKechnie, a spry 89-year-old who spends time between Highland Lake and Scottsdale, AZ.