120 Years Ago - 1900

Mrs. Carrie Thayer, daughter of Philip Hook of Fremont, died at her home in Binghamton, March 23, with typhoid fever.

Ezra E. Signor of Livingston Manor died of typhoid pneumonia April 3, aged 46 years. He removed here from Colchester, Delaware County, about a year ago. His wife and six children survive. Interment was made in Downsville.

Adam Schwartz died of dropsy at his home in Callicoon April 2, aged 70 years, and was buried at that place April 3. He had been ill for two months. Mr. Schwartz was a native of Germany.

The house of Richard Wood of White Sulphur Springs was burned Saturday afternoon at about 3:30 o'clock. Nothing to speak of except the organ was saved from the building.

George Kinbeck of Scranton, son-in-law of Valentine Schmidt of Jeffersonville and well-known here, recently purchased the Hotel Rudolph in Scranton for $45,000. Mr. Kinbeck has been in the hotel and saloon business for many years.

Among the delegates elected last Tuesday to the Republican State Convention in New York on April 17 were A.P. DuBois of Livingston Manor, E.R. Dusinberry of Liberty and Henry Krenrich of Jeffersonville. Rufus C. Maltby of Jeffersonville was made chairman of the convention.

A petition is being circulated in Kenoza Lake to raise subscriptions of $700 toward extending the Liberty and Jeffersonville trolley to the lake. The trolley company has made application to the village of Liberty for a franchise for a street car line through the streets of that village.

The summer school at Roscoe, conducted by Principal E.A. Puller for the past two years, will be held again this coming summer. C.J. Dann, principal of the Liberty High School, will assist Mr. Puller.

110 Years Ago - 1910

Yager and Grishaber ran their auto stage to Kenoza Lake Sunday at 25¢ fare.

Miss Clara Dorrer is running Mrs. Goubelmann's branch millinery store at North Branch for a month.

M.H. Wright of Livingston Manor, County Highway Superintendent, was in town on business yesterday.

John Beck is having his old store building partitioned into two store rooms for renting purposes. His son, Arthur, talks of running a bakery store there this summer.

Dr. Davis has bought a Pierce 4 cylinder, 7 horsepower motorcycle to help him get around to his patients. The doctor will also keep his horses.

The Western Sullivan Telephone Company is running extra wires from here to Lake Huntington and will abolish the central station at that place, handling the business there with party lines from here. The company will soon start the construction of two lines over the Beechwoods. One line will start from Cook's Creamery in Hortonville, running over the upper and lower Beechwoods to Henry Bauernfeind's. The other is to start in at the Halfway House between here and Kenoza Lake and run up past John Miller's to Andrew Glassel's and thence across to Joseph Layman's.

Walter Travis and Lydia Krum of Liberty were married at the Presbyterian parsonage there on March 26.

Hankins — E. Graby has sold one of his gray horses to Charles Dycker of North Branch, and M. Clancy has sold his colt to F.A. Baudendistel... P. Wagner loaded a car of cows for B. Young Monday.

Callicoon — There are over a hundred men employed in the construction of St. Joseph's college at Callicoon, which is being greatly enlarged.

A mass meeting was held at Rock Hill last week to favor the building of a state road from Monticello to the Orange County line. Another meeting in the same interest is called at Wurtsboro April 21. It is a wise movement and we hope it will succeed... Richard Beebe has sold his farm at Maplewood to New York parties for $5000, possession given May 1.

100 Years Ago - 1920

Mrs. W.P. Coventry died within 3 hours of a paralytic stroke on Saturday morning. Before that she appeared in good health. Mrs. Coventry was in her 64th year, having been born at Shandelee July 13, 1856, the eldest child of Philip Faubel and Margaret Myers, both deceased. She moved with her parents to the farm just north of Jeffersonville where she was united in marriage in 1879 with Warren P. Coventry, farmer and school teacher. After living a while on the farm on Sixteen, they moved to the village of Jeffersonville where Mr. Coventry engaged in turn in teaching school, the mercantile business and the soda business. They then went to Kenoza Lake where they built and ran the hotel now owned by Richard Schoaf. After a spell at lumbering in Pennsylvania, Mr. Coventry started a soda water business at Roscoe, then going to Stamford, N.Y., then to Putman, Conn., and about four years ago, returning to Jeffersonville. First they occupied the Faubel farm and then purchased a part of the Schmidt property in the Dela­ware section of the village. Surviving besides the husband are three daughters and two sisters, Wilhelmina, wife of Henry C. Wagner of Port Jervis, and Clara, wife of Edward Mall of Jeffersonville.

Mrs. W.H. Lawrence this week sold her property at the corner of the Beechwoods Road in Dela­ware to Jacob Lahm, who, with his wife, recently came here from Union Hill and have been living with their daughter, Mrs. Charles Scheidell.

Mrs. Caroline Royce on Thursday sold her small house and lot on upper Maple Avenue to Wm. Baer of East Hill for $1500. Mr. Baer recently sold his farm on the hill to George Abplanalp of Youngs­­ville.

Howard Laymon of Hurd and Miss Bessie Wood of Bethel were married at White Lake Monday.

90 Years Ago - 1930

The taking of the federal census began yesterday. The enumerators of this town are Mrs. Lawrence Hauschild of Jeffersonville, Andrew Schoonmaker of Youngsville and Orville Lentz of Callicoon Center.

County Judge Bernhard Weiss will address the next meeting of the Jeff PTA on “Good Will and Better Understanding.” Molly Cohen, a student in Mrs. Ada VanKeuren's room, will give a reading. The entertainment will include Hawaiian music by the Griffin brothers. Both are school teachers.

The annual Sullivan County Fair, which last year was recorded as the best in the county's history, will be held this year in Monticello the last three days of August and the first of September. Edison D. Knapp of Bloomingburg, was chosen the general superintendent to succeed Joseph Englemann of Monticello. Mrs. A.M. Scribner of Monticello was re-elected superintendent of the women's department… The annual Jeffersonian Dinner, given by the Democrats of Sullivan County, will be held again this year at the Flagler Hotel in Fallsburg on Thursday evening, April 27. Nearly 600 were present last year, the largest attendance at any banquet ever held in Sullivan County. The dinner will be limited to 450 this year.

The old tin roof on the residence of John T. Townsend in White Sulphur Springs is just being covered by Mr. Townsend with shingles. The old roof has been in constant use now for at least 50 years, and only now is giving way to a covering of “new fashioned” shingles. The Town­send residence is one of the first homes built in White Sulphur. At the time this tin roof was put on, the house was owned by Stephen Stanton. He employed Daniel Sander Sr., tin-smith of Youngs­ville, and the father of Jacob Sander, and the late Daniel Sander who put the roof on the house. The tin was in sheets and was soldered together, covering the entire house. Mr. Townsend purchased the property some 20 years ago from Mrs. Mary Hardenburgh.

Paul Beck, Liberty Sport, who was arrested by State Police last week on charges of possessing a gambling machine, has demanded a jury trial, which is set for next Saturday before Justice Sprague in Liberty. Arthur Schaefer and family of New York spent the weekend here.

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Laufersweiler returned to their home here on Monday after having spent five months with their son, John, in Monticello.

Two hundred reservations have been made for the banquet of the Associated Gas and Electric Company employees at the Lake Jefferson Hotel this evening. There will be a Long Island duckling dinner. Dancing and cards will follow. Bernie's Orchestra will play.

80 Years Ago - 1940

Mrs. Edward Wormuth, age 57, of Narrowsburg, is in the Horton Hospital, Middletown, where she will undergo an operation today for intestinal obstruction. She is the mother of Ralph Wormuth who married Miss Dorothy Kohler of Jeffersonville. The latter couple had planned to move to Jeffersonville to occupy the old Duttweiler farm on Swiss Hill, but those plans have now been deferred.

It is reported that Clarence E. Vance, formerly employed on the farms of Leo Hick and Miss Lillian Eger, near Youngsville, has inherited a 120-acre farm and $9000 from an aunt in Chester, Orange County, where he is now located.

More than a hundred prominent businessmen were present at Thursday night's meeting at Monticello when Joseph Grubs, county seat banker, was elected president of the newly organized Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce. Five vice-presidents were chosen on the basis of one for three townships: Dr. Stephen W. Wells for Rockland, Liberty and Neversink; Hans Howard, chairman of the county Board of Supervisors, for Tusten, Cochecton and Bethel; Charles Golembe for Thompson, Fallsburg and Mamakating; Edwin C. Hermann for Delaware, Callicoon and Fremont; and Walter A. Schwartz for Lumberland, Forestburgh and Highland. The treasurer is W.H. Peters of Roscoe.

Lawrence H. Cooke announced that he has opened an office for the practice of law in the Masonic Building at Monticello. Mr. Cooke is the younger son of Hon. Judge and Mrs. George L. Cooke of Monticello and one of the more promising young lawyers in Sullivan County.

District Attorney William Deckelman, Sheriff Harry Borden and State Trooper Braisted, who left last week for Los Angeles to get Irving Cohen, on of five indicted by a Sullivan County grand jury for gangster murders in this county in the last several years, are now on their way East with their prisoner, who was a bit player in the Hollywood movies. One of the five indicted, Albert Tannenbaum, was brought from the city to Sullivan County Jail at Monticello last week.

The steam cylinder on the locomotive of an Erie freight train exploded while moving westward through Narrowsburg Sunday morning. The head of the cylinder flew into the rear of the home of Fred Homel, scattering splinters of the wooden building about. The Homel home stands within 50 feet of the Erie tracks.

Mr. and Mrs. Philip Schaefer of Beechwoods and Mrs. Paul Gaebel and son, Milton, of Youngsville, drove to Seacliff, L.I., Saturday to see uncle Philip P. Justine who fell out of bed about six weeks ago and broke his hip.

Mr. and Mrs. Emil Peters of Livingston Manor have announced the engagement of their daughter, Lillian, to Ronald Ebert of that village.

70 Years Ago - 1950

Assemblyman James G. Lyons of Monticello was among agricultural leaders named on a farm labor committee to support Democratic candidates in the fall election. The effort is to win upstate farm votes away from the Republican party.

Mr. Sam Rudolph, who spent the winter in Miami, returned home yesterday.

Mr. and Mrs. Harold Wohltjen will spend the weekend with her grandfather, former Supreme Court Justice Joseph Rosch, who is now chief counsel for the Delaware & Hudson Railway Co. at Albany.

The George Schumacher family returned to their home in Fresh Meadows, Flushing, after vacationing in Florida.

Among those who have been drawn in an extra panel of trial jurors are Mamie Young, Mildred Budd and Michael Dolgas of Livingston Manor; Edwin Wilfert of Jeffersonville; Walter Neer of Long Eddy; and Otto Hesselman of Narrowsburg.

The census got under way last week.

James W. Burbank, Sullivan County historian for the past two and one-half years, is recovering from a stroke he suffered in his home on March 27.

Charles S. Hick of Jeffersonville and Alvin O. Benton of Monticello will present papers on aspects of Sullivan County history at a meeting of the county historical society on May 17th.

Richard W. Schrumpf was elected fire chief of the Callicoon Center Volunteer Fire Dept. at the annual meeting on March 28. Also elected were Robert Knack, assistant chief; C. Krantz, first lieutenant; and Howard Myers, second lieutenant.

Lou Modersohn has started excavating and will build a bungalow on his lot at Kenoza Lake.

60 Years Ago - 1960

Came April 1st last Friday and it was no fooling for Steve Hoffmann. For the first time in 42 years, Steve was no longer an employee of the First National Bank of Jeffersonville. He had retired the previous day, March 31st, having done more than his share in the growth and well-being of the institution whose present building was built 4 years before. Steve became connected with it in 1918. Steve took some good-natured joshing Friday morning, which saw four bank examiners pacing the lawn in front of the bank at 7:30 Friday morning, a “significant event” since Steve was last seen leaving the bank Thursday afternoon, carrying a suitcase. Looked pretty suspicious said the boys at the Friday morning kaffeeklatch at Ted's counter, but Steve just laughed and so did everybody else.

Victor Napolitano, 10-year-old twin son of Mr. and Mrs. Vito Napolitano of Old Route 17, Fern­dale, was tragically drowned at about 5:30 Wednesday afternoon while trying to make shore on an ice-covered pond in a construction pit near his home.

Clarence J. Kurtz of Jeffersonville died on March 30 of a coronary ailment at the age of 69.

George Brustman fell off the fire truck while responding to a fire call at the Hy Frank poultry farm in North Branch last week. He was attempting to climb on while the truck was pulling out of the Jeff firehouse, missed and was almost hit by a wheel. He was first taken to Dr. Miller's and then to Liberty-Loomis Hospital where he is under observation and treatment.

Real estate appraisal was the topic of discussion at the fifth session for assessors at the Monticello Court House. Some 130 attended the meeting over which Mr. Kaplan presided… Patrick A. O'Connor, 73, a retired New York City policeman, died Tuesday morning at his Mongaup Valley home. He formerly served as court officer in Monticello… John Bullock was elected to his 35th year as Loch Sheldrake Fire Chief at the annual meeting held April 4… The hiring of patrolmen for the lakes of Sullivan County is stirring considerable controversy in the Board of Supervisors, which is now deadlocked at seven to seven on the matter… A Sullivan County man really has made good. He is former State Police Inspector Robert Denman who last week was raised to one of the four top posts in the New York State Police organization. He has been appointed a deputy superintendent in charge of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

50 years ago - 1970

Anita Allees, 11, died Sunday, April 5, as the result of injuries sustained when she was hit by a car as she rode her bicycle near the Holiday Inn in Liberty. She is the daughter of Edward A. and Catherine E. Kuhn Allees.

Some 2,000 attended the State Democratic Committee meeting at Grossinger's last week. Former UN Ambassador Arthur Goldberg was nominated as candidate for Governor.

Carl's Motor Sales has been commended by the Automobile Club of New York for continued participation in the High School Driver Education Program at the Delaware Valley Central School.

Miss Barbara Beemer became the bride of Douglas R. Waag at St. Joseph's Seminary, Callicoon, March 21.

A daughter was born at the Callicoon Hospital on Thursday to Mr. and Mrs. Alfonso Williamson of Callicoon.

Miss Susan M. Stark and David E. Koberlein were united in marriage on April 4 at the Fosterdale Methodist Church.

Mrs. Harold Royce and Mrs. William Luckey of Kenoza Lake are busy taking census in the Kenoza Lake area.

The Henry Doschers of North Branch have had a nice Christmas tree on their front porch since that holiday. Betty Flynn surprised them this week by converting it into an Easter tree. The Doschers entertained at an Easter brunch.

40 Years Ago - 1980

Mary Helen Stabbert and John E. Hope-Ross were wed Saturday, March 29, at the United Methodist Church in Callicoon by Rev. James Moore in a double-ring ceremony. A reception was held at the Eldred Preserve.

Mayor Louis Harmon, as his first official act, proclaimed the week of April 20-26 as “Founder's Week” in honor of the 150th birthday of Monticello. In establishing “Founder's Week,” Mayor Harmon noted that Monticello officially came into being as a village on April 20, 1930, and that its first ordinance created Broadway as a thoroughfare to run one-half mile east, and one-half mile west of the County Courthouse.

The 1980 canoeing season on the Delaware River will officially open on April 12, providing the temperature of the water has reached 42 degrees. A new element - the National Canoe Safety Patrol - was represented at a meeting of the Delaware River Canoe Livery Association held at Scully's Restaurant in Sparrow Bush (as spelled before it was changed to one word) Tuesday night, with Mr. Chris Neilsen of Long Valley, NJ, announcing that his organization this year will be intensifying the efforts which it began on the Upper Delaware last year.

As of Friday, 70 percent of Sullivan County's questionnaires had been mailed back in contrast to 65 percent of Ulster and 61 percent of Orange county's forms. The national average of returns has been 53.45 percent, according to census officials, who said they hope to have achieved an 80 percent return by April 15th.

An Australian Shepherd puppy whose breeder is Mrs. Ralph H. Williams of Long Eddy, won Best of Breed on Palm Sunday at Orlando, Fla., when shown by his new owner, Mrs. Jean Jameson of Clermont, Fla.

MK3 Robert C. White Jr. has returned to Wilmington, N.C., as 3rd Class Petty officer following a tour to Antarctica aboard the Coast Guard cutter “Northwind.” The 26,000 mile voyage included port calls at New Zealand, Australia, Fiji Islands and Cuba. He is now on leave at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert White of Cochecton. On June 15, the Northwind will embark for Greenland on its Arctic East summer deployment.

30 Years Ago - 1990

During a special meeting held Wednesday night, the Eldred Central School Board approved a resolution allowing absentee ballots in school district elections.

Dr. George Hahn of Jeffersonville was the recipient of the DeWitt Clinton Award at the Liberty Masonic Lodge on Wednesday. Dr. Hahn's son, Kurt, and Mason Thomas Warren bestowed the award during a ceremony attended by lodge members and Dr. Hahn's family and friends in recognition of his outstanding community service.

The symbol of memory for 59 volunteer firemen from 23 Sullivan County Volunteer Firemen's Association Rev. Harlan P. Nyhof gave the memorial address.

Robert Theadore was elected president of the North Branch Fire Department at Thursday night's meeting. Paul Brockner is vice president, Bob Chaffee is secretary and Kevin Zieres is the chief. Gary Gabriel was taken in as a new member.

At the age of 10, Anthony Riente of Liberty can already do something with a basketball better than all the starters for the perennial NCAA powerhouse Syracuse University. He can shoot free throws. As representative of Liberty Council 4768, he recently won the Knights of Columbus Hoop Shoot, sinking 21 of 25 free throws. For the past three years, Anthony has participated in the hoop shoot, even going all the way to the national competition.

20 Years Ago - 2000

The news raced through Sullivan County like a prairie wildfire late Thursday afternoon: the federal government had finally approved the St. Regis Mohawk casino at Monticello Raceway. By Friday morning, the news crews from New York City, Albany and other locations were busy arranging appointments with local officials so the story could appear on television. In most cases, they had to ask how to get to Monticello and how long it would take.

Ann Weinberg was given the Service to Children Award for her work as director of the Sullivan County Youth Bureau, at the Sullivan County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) award ceremony held Thursday at the county government center. At the same ceremony, the Honorable Mark M. Meddaugh was presented the Light of Hope Award. The Sullivan County Family Court Judge, Meddaugh was instrumental in forming the local CASA program five years ago.

Rebecca Young of Cochecton and her sisters, Danielle Young and Jennifer Young, have all attained high honors. They are the daughters of Bernard Young and the late Cheryl Lynn Young. Rebecca earned the status of Class of 2001 Honor Scholar at Elmira College. She also holds a Valedictorian Scholarship and is a Harry S. Truman Scholarship nominee for graduate school. She is a senator for Amnesty International and a member of the Education Club, SCOPE, Big Events and the Red Cross Club. She serves as a volunteer at an adult home and majors in English and Secondary Education. Jennifer is a student at the State University of New York at New Paltz and was named to the Dean's List for the Fall 1999 semester. Seaman Danielle Young graduated December 2, 1999, from Navy Boot Camp at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill. She is stationed at Deck Division LST 1194, USS Lamoune County, at Virginia Beach, Va.

10 Years Ago - 2010

The Munson Diner gets a new owners and a new life. After being moved from Hell's Kitchen in New York City to Liberty in 2005, two other owners tried to make a go of it but the diner quietly closed in 2009. Mark Moore, the diner's new owner and chef has a wealth of experience in the restaurant business as well as co-owner Pete Agosto, who cooked at Kutsher's for 23 years.

Sullivan County BOCES Dawn Boyes , cafeteria manager at BOCES earned the prestigious title of School Nutrition Specialist from the New York School Nutrition Association. This title is part of a lengthy credential program that is given by the School Nutrition Association. There are only 1,500 individuals in the U.S. that have earned this title and only 42 in New York.

Private First Class William Hussey, 20, from Liberty, son of William and Linda Hussey, was promoted to Lance Corporal on April 1 at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan. Hussey is a construction wiremen with the G-6 section for the 1st Marine Logistics Group Forward.

Navy Airman Jessica M. Hinton and her command, USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) homeported in Norfolk, VA, recently earned the honor to fly the Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS) and Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist (EAWS) pennants. Hinton is a 2007 graduate of Monticello High School and joined the Navy in October of 2009. She is the daughter of Corlethia M. and James A. Hinton of Monticello.