130 Years Ago - 1894

The water works fever has struck Jeffersonville for fair, and the prospects now are that we will have such a system soon though on a small scale.

School teachers are engaged as follows in this part of the county: Hortonville, Howard Pintler of White Lake; District 10, Callicoon, Miss Linda Walker of North Branch; Quick District, Mark Anderson of Hankins; North Branch School, Miss Flynn of Parksville; Wahl District in Fremont, Miss Bertha H. Gaebel; Petersburg District, Miss Hattie Peters; Centerville School, George J. Anderson of Hankins; Youngsville School, H.L. Goubelman of Fremont Center.

Laurel Lodge of Cochecton Center had the pleasure of entertaining the County Lodge on Friday of this week. There were over 100 Good Templars present from all over the county.

Adam Kramer sold his house and lot below North Branch to Mrs. Philip Gorr of Beechwoods.

The first deer of the season was shot at Indian Field near White Lake by John Hannen, a hunter in that region.

Handkase will soon be one of the products of the Jeffersonville Creamery. That’s the stuff!

Personal Notes: Mrs. Lawrence went to the city Tuesday to buy fall millinery goods.

Stephen Eggler, a former Jeffersonville resident, now of Galeton, Pa., is calling on old acquaintances here this week.

John Fitzgerald of Albany is spending his vacation at his old home at Youngsville. John is a special officer on the Delaware-Hudson Railroad.

Thomas O’Meara died at his home near Kenoza Lake last Friday, aged 60 years.

120 Years Ago - 1904

A special train from the west composed of eight cars of 2,300 angora goats for C.B. Ward’s DeBruce ranch arrived in Livingston Manor last week.

A Roosevelt and Fairbanks Club has been organized at Roscoe, with William Hone as president.

Personal Notes: E.A. Brand has bought the building lot of Charles Wagner on the lower side of the former’s residence.

William Bollenbach is putting in a large water wheel and otherwise improving his gristmill. Bill is always busy at improvements.

The extra summer mail between here and Kenoza Lake will stop tomorrow and the Sunday mail service from Callicoon Depot is also off.

Simon Knell has moved his household goods from Roland Hauschild’s on East Hill to John Beck’s farm at the lower end of this village.

Michael Scott has sold his farm near this village to a Mr. Huter of Brooklyn, who will take possession shortly.

Thursday and Friday mornings were cold ones with severe frosts.

North Branch: A son was born September 22 to Edward A. Schmidt and wife, formerly Miss Agnes Peters.

The large pumpkin on which Charles Kratz took the prize at the fair Monday weighed 85 lbs. and was bought for a dollar by George Eller of Hortonville, who will send it to the city.

Tony Steiger has closed his confectionery store here, and will leave this week for Easton, Pa., where he will practice his profession as an optician.

Kenoza Lake: Peter Theiss, our bustling blacksmith, is again remodeling his house.

110 Years Ago - 1914

William Deckelman of Obernburg earned a state teacher’s certificate in the August examination. William is the son of the late John Deckelman of Obernburg and has taught school for the past three years and is now studying law at Albany Law School. During the school year 1913-14, while teaching at Hankins, he earned 53 academic counts in the time he had at his command outside of school hours.

A very happy wedding took place at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Merklin in Callicoon Center on Tuesday evening, September 6, when their daughter, Sadie Wilhelmina, was united in marriage with Henry Huss of Newark in the presence of near relatives and friends. Rev. J.E. Straub officiated.

Miss Anna Scheidell is expected home this week from Chicago where she went a few weeks ago in the Centerville Union School, which has eight teachers.

Policeman James Lendrum and wife of Brooklyn are stopping at Charles P. Scheuer’s in the Beechwoods. Mrs. Lendrum formerly conducted the Jeffersonville House cafe in this village. He has been a policeman for the past 19 years and is now recovering from injuries sustained in stopping a runaway some time ago.

Harry Mathern of Kenoza Lake had traded the Detroiter car he got from J.L. Bush of Callicoon to C.G. Yager for a Buick car. Mr. Yager has traded the Detroiter to Fred Mathern for a $250 building lot on the John Mages farm and $200 in cash.

100 Years Ago - 1924

The Clarke Water & Power Company, which has in hand the construction of a power dam and lake in Jeffersonville, has been requested to enter into negotiations for furnishing power to operate a silk mill by parties in that business.

The continuous rains of Monday and Tuesday swelled the Callicoon Creek in Jeff to the highest point in about 20 years and overflowed the banks of the creek at different points inundating the highways and surrounding land.

Charles M. Peterson of Jeffersonville, on Saturday at Albany, took the examination there for appointment as inspector in the Motor Vehicle Bureau to enforce the new motor vehicle law along the highways of the state. Out of 120 who took the examination that day, only 14 passed and Charlie was one of them.

Real Estate Deals: The Emma Hembdt property in Delaware has been sold by Ike Berkman to Max Peaceman, who has been summering with his family at J. Lipofskys on Swiss Hill. Benj. Yaeger, garageman of Jeff, has bought of Wm. P. Young a lot from the Divine property at the O&W trestle on Chestnut St., Liberty, where Mr. Yaeger will erect a large tank on the railroad siding for gasoline. Peter Schmidt, truckman of Callicoon Center, has bought the house and 70 acres of Philip Leins in that village, which was formerly a part of the Thuman property and was bought by Mr. Leins of the late John Breiner about 20 years ago. F. Steinhauer, former hotel proprietor, has sold his new house in Callicoon Center to Lois Banuat of New Jersey, a native of the Center.

Vernon Howland and Joseph Henke of Callicoon and Leonard Hartmann of Cochecton have gone to Cornell University. All three are graduates of the Callicoon High School.

William Dauch has sold his butcher business in Roscoe to George Schaefer of that place, who is a son of the late Henry Schaefer of Jeffersonville. The new owner has had long experience in this line.

90 Years Ago - 1934

The state road force finished up the resurfacing of the state highway through Jeff this week and are now engaged in cutting out a couple of curves east of the village.

Elizabeth Lowe, wife of William Sator of Fremont Center, died on September 5, at Horton Hospital in Middletown.

Miss Frances Deckelman, aged 75, died September 20 at Long Branch, N.J. Miss Deckelman was the eldest child of John Deckelman and Theresa Gerst and was born at Obernburg. District Attorney William Deckelman of this place is a nephew of the deceased.

Nick Gasko, aged 51, hotelkeeper at Lake Huntington, died Monday morning, September 24.

Miss Marguerite Kartner of Simpson, Pa., and Otto Kron Jr. of Callicoon were married September 10. Theodore Ritterhausen of Youngsville and Miss Muriel Erskine of Brooklyn were married in that city September 26; Frederick Robisch of Beechwoods, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Robisch, and Miss Elizabeth McLoughlin of Fosterdale, were married in New York last week.

80 Years Ago - 1944

The Jeffersonian summer boarding house operated by the late Mr. and Mrs. John H. Glassel, on East Main Street, was sold this week to John and Margaret Frost of Richmond Hill.

Fire did considerable damage to the residence and business building of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin F. Kelley on lower Main St., Callicoon, September 25. Also damaged with smoke and water was Freda’s Dry Goods Store.

Mrs. Mary Bernhardt of Jeffersonville received word last week that her son, Fred A., single and aged 46, had been killed on September 13 when a trailer truck left the highway and crashed into the office of the Hick’s Lumber company at West Lebanon, Columbia County, where he was seated at a desk eating his lunch.

Miss Scharma Jean Freer, eldest daughter of Dr. and Mrs. George H. Freer, and Richard Howard Yaun, son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Yaun, both of Liberty, were married at the home of the bride on September 21.

Palmer A. Worden, 74, who had been ailing from a heart affliction for several years, died September 23 at the Liberty Hospital.

70 Years Ago - 1954

St. George’s Roman Catholic Church was the setting last Saturday morning for the marriage of Miss Dorothy Mae Steinhauer, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Steinhauer of Callicoon Center, to Francis Erlwein, son of Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Erlwein, also of Callicoon Center.

Fire of undetermined origin caused minor damage to the 117-year-old Dutch Reformed Church of Woodbourne last Wednesday afternoon.

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Kurzweil of Beechwoods announce the engagement of their daughter, Ruth, to Thaddeus “Ted” J. Manouse of Callicoon.

Jeffersonville firemen brought  $25 home as a second prize in the pumping contest at the Sullivan County Firemen’s annual parade held in Liberty.

Miss Jane Willis of Fosterdale spent last Friday and Saturday at the home of Mary Margaret Tegeler. The girls had a grand time during the short visit.

60 Years Ago - 1964

Two new music teachers joined the staff of the Jeffersonville-Youngsville Central School, namely Robert Kundreskas and Glenn Wooddell.

Roger B. Ebert, aviation electronics technician airman, USN, son of Mr. and Mrs. John W. Ebert of North Branch, graduated September 4 from Aviation Electronics Technical Navigation School at the Naval Air Training Center, Memphis, Tenn.

Second Lieut. Richard P. Bihler, son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Bihler of Kenoza Lake, has been awarded U.S. Air Force silver pilot wings upon graduation from flying training school at Loughlin AFB, Tex.

The United Church of Roscoe will celebrate twenty-five years since the Methodist Church of Rockland and the Congregational Church of Roscoe made a formal decision to remain a combined congregation this coming Sunday, September 27.

Mrs. Thelma Wehner of Callicoon Center, chairman of the coupon collection committee for the American Legion Auxiliary, won an award at the state convention in August for having turned in the largest amount of coupons for Sullivan County.

ADV.– Roller skating at Hermann Hall, Callicoon, Sunday afternoon, Wednesday evening adult’s night; Friday and Saturday evening. Skating instruction Monday evening.

Mrs. Amanda Stewart of North Branch accompanied her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Howard Stewart, to Syracuse on Friday to attend the graduation of her grandson, Craig Stewart, who graduated from Simmons School of Mortuary Science.

50 years ago - 1974

The United Methodist Church of Grahamsville was the scene of the wedding of Randi Jo Zanetti, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Zanetti, to Olympio Matos Jr. of South Ozone Park. They will live in Oneonta where the bridegroom is in his last year of college.

Two Sullivan County men were survivors of an Eastern Airlines crash while landing at Charlotte, N.C., which claimed the lives of 69 persons. They are both Naval Lieutenants and serve aboard nuclear submarines yet never before had met. They are Lt. Royal F. Hendrix III, 32, son of Roscoe Postmaster Felix Hendrix Jr., and Lt. Robert Burnham, 38, son of Mr. and Mrs. Garfield Burnham of Liberty. Lt. Burnham, who did not know Hendrix before the crash, commented, “It’s a hell of a way to meet your neighbors.” Both are stationed at Charleston, S.C., Hendrix on the submarine Lewis and Clark and Burnham on the Theodore Roosevelt.

Mr. and Mrs. William Rieger Jr. of Narrowsburg announce the birth of a daughter, Joanna, born September 16, in Hershey, Pa.

John and Doris Cortese of Narrowsburg celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with about 60 friends and relatives gathered at their home on Sunday, September 8.

40 Years Ago - 1984

Robert Ostrander, alleged burglar of the Callicoon United National Bank on August 22, was identified when New York State Police prepared a still photo from moving pictures taken by the bank’s cameras.

Undaunted by overcast skies and cool temperatures, hundreds of firemen proudly marched in step along side the best and the shiniest fire apparatus in the 58th Annual Sullivan County Firemen’s Parade held Saturday afternoon in Liberty. Over 36 fire departments from Sullivan County, the New York City metropolitan area, upstate New York and adjoining counties participated. Free hot dogs and soda were distributed at the Liberty High School following the parade.

In a drawing of Periwinkle Products, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Leshner of Monticello won a mid-week vacation at Kutsher’s Country Club. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Barasch of Monticello and Pompano Beach, Fla., won a mid-week vacation at Grossinger’s and Mary Carter Paints of Newburgh won the third prize of mid-week accommodations at a choice of eight hotels.

St. Francis Church in Youngsville is making plans for a 75th anniversary celebration on September 30. Mass at 2 p.m. will be followed by dinner at Menges Lake Side in Shandelee.

The Catskill Art Society will celebrate the Fall Festival of the Arts Season with a colorful stained glass show by Anne Maus of Callicoon. A reception will take place on September 23 at the Sullivan County Museum, Art & Cultural Center in Hurleyville. The exhibition will be on view until October 10. Mrs. Maus is a graduate of Athens Technical Institute in Athens, Greece. Among her noted works is the main ceiling fixture in Tracey’s Restaurant, Little Ferry, N.J.

The controversy over commemorating the Woodstock Music Festival with an historic marker escalated late Wednesday night when several residents confronted the Bethel Town Board about their reluctance to vote on the issue. A petition of eleven names was presented to the board at the beginning of their meeting. Twenty-six petitions containing about 250 names were previously submitted to the board on September 6th. At that time the board gave no indication of whether it would vote on the issue. Supervisor George Neuhaus did indicate that the matter may be discussed at a later time, but only if all members of the board were present. 

30 Years Ago - 1994

A new cafe/art gallery, Arts ‘n Flours, featuring seasonal California style cuisine, will have its grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony this Saturday in Rock Hill. They will serve breakfast and lunch only, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., seven days a week, so as to “not cut into other local restaurants’ business,” says co-owner Susan Lane.

The 100-year-old school bell of the old Mountaindale school, in a preservation effort, has been moved to the campus of the Benjamin Cosor Elementary School in Fallsburg.

A Pizza Hut will be coming soon to Monticello at Fraser Ave. and Broadway. It is the second one in Sullivan County, the other being located in Liberty.

A straw vote is scheduled at the Roscoe Central School on September 21 to determine if there is interest in a merger of the Roscoe Central School and Livingston Manor Central School.

The United Methodist Church of Monticello will celebrate its 150th anniversary this weekend. Rev. Rosemary Smith serves the pulpit of the church.

Both the Jeff-Youngsville boys and the Tri-Valley girls registered solid team efforts at Saturday’s Shaker Invitational at Albany. With four runners placing in the top 25, the Jeff Trojans finished third behind Class A powerhouse Guildersleeve. Tri-Valley had four runners finish in the top 13 as it finished a close second in back of Class A Liverpool.

20 Years Ago - 2004

The Callicoon Creek overflowed its banks Saturday morning, flooding parts of Callicoon (including the Democrat’s offices) and threatening to take the Creamery Road bridge with it. Hurricane Ivan caused much destruction this past weekend as floodwaters overwhelmed the region, with staggering amounts of property damage. A mudslide in Long Eddy deposited a stand of young saplings right in the middle of Route 97, as if they’d been planted there. A report that a dog was swept down the Delaware River tied to his kennel was repeated over and over by several who saw the poor pup.

Amanda Lynn Bogert and Ty Roger Ebert were married September 3, 2004 in the Gazebo at The Old Schoolhouse Inn and Restaurant in Downsville. The bride is the daughter of Leslie and Dian Bogert of Jeffersonville. The groom is the son of Roger Ebert of North Branch and the late Carolyn Sue Ebert. After a honeymoon trip to the Thousand Islands, the newlyweds are currently residing in Lake Huntington.

Richard and Sharma Yaun were married on September 21, 1944 at 11 Hope Street in Liberty. On August 14, 2004 they celebrated 60 years of marriage at the residence of Daniel and Hazel Yaun in Liberty. Family members journeyed from as far away as Pueblo, Colo., Clermont, Fla., and Eureka, Ill. to enjoy the festivities, which included blueberry picking, clambake/chicken barbecue, church services, and the Yaun Family Golf Championship which was won by Radford Yaun with a 69.

Liberty junior Pranali Trivedi defeated Fallsburg freshman Bianca Rappaport 6-2, 6-4 in the top-seeded tennis match Wednesday afternoon in Liberty.

At the recent Youth Outdoor Expo in Grahamsville, the top three fishermen were crowned at the event with a special prize. The top three were: Mason Loyin Koop who caught the largest brook trout, Chris Bair who caught the largest rainbow, and Lucas Price who caught the largest Palamino-Golden Rainbow fish. The winners received a free fish mounting courtesy of Fernando Neves Taxidermy of Bethel and the Sullivan County Chapter of National Wild Turkey Federation.

10 Years Ago - 2014

The Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs of Sullivan County hosted its 18th annual Youth Outdoor Expo at the Grahamsville Fairgrounds. More than 150 youth and supervising adults braved the day to participate in a day of hands on activities. The Trout pool was again one of the highlights of the day with 150 trout  from the Beaverkill Trout Hatchery.

Town of Forestburgh Town Clerk Joanne K. Nagoda recently attended the Cornell Municipal Clerks Institute (CMCI)  at Cornell University in Ithaca, where she earned certification by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks. 

The New York State Giant Pumpkin Growers Association held one of its seasonal weigh-offs at last Sunday’s Farm Fest-themed Harvest Festival at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension. Twenty pumpkin-growers competed  which yielded a record-breaking pumpkin in the field pumpkin class. Karl Haist of Clarence Center broke the previous New York State Record of 155 lbs with his pumpkin that weighed in at 157.5 lbs. Haist also won the contest in the Giant Pumpkin class with his gourd weighing in at 1,490 pounds.