110 Years Ago - 1910

The funeral of County Judge and Surrogate John P. Roosa, who died at his home in Monticello February 22, was held on Friday. The burial services were conducted by Monticello Lodge of Freemasons of which he was a member. Many people of prominence from all parts of the county were present to pay their respects. Judge Roosa was born in Bethel 48 years ago, a son of John P. Roosa, a merchant, and Hannah Calkin. He received his education in Princeton University and Columbia Law School, and was admitted to the bar in 1884, locating in Monticello for the practice of law. In 1889, he was elected Special County Judge; in 1895 and 1898, District Attorney; and in 1909 County Judge and Surrogate. Active in politics, he was Republican County Chairman for many years.

Charles Scheidell, the most extensive farmer in this section, died at his home in Jeffersonville at 11 o'clock last night, aged nearly 65 years. He had been ailing from kidney trouble for a couple of years.

F. Eugene Wood, native of Bris­coe, who rose to prominence as an educator, died in his home in New York City last week, at the age of 50. He was a son of the late Isaiah Wood, an early settler of the Town of Bethel. Starting in as a school teacher, he became principal of the Liberty Normal Institute and later held a high position as an educator in the west. He then conducted business colleges in different cities in Pennsylvania and for some years past in New York City. He was a brother of Stephen I. Wood, a former principal of the Jeffersonville School who had also been conducting business schools in Scranton and Williamsport.

Louisa J. Dreher, wife of Wm. Mauer, a native of Jeffersonville where she was born nearly 54 years ago, and daughter of Jacob Dreher, died at her home in Roscoe, February 23, after ailing for years. Burial took place at Roscoe, February 26. She is survived by her husband and four children.

Miss Clara Dorrer has returned home from Callicoon, where she was filling the position of central telephone operator for several weeks. Her father, Philip Dorrer, is ill.

Chas Homer and John Huff returned yesterday from three days of fishing at Chestnut Ridge Pond in Bethel. Among the catch were two pickerel weighing 7 pounds.

Dr. Archibald has traded his two black horses to David Stephenson of Bethel, for a fast roader, which, with his auto, will fill the doctor's livery needs.

This has been a poor winter for horseshoers, as little or no sharpening has been needed.

100 Years Ago - 1920

As a result of the decision of Judge Nichols of the Supreme Court in favor of the Livingston heir in his suit to establish his claim to the land comprising much of the village of Livingston Manor, the property owners of that village are now receiving requests to settle with the heir for the land they occupy, large sums are being demanded. The decision in this case affects at least one half of the property owners of Livingston Manor, a good share of the village being built on the Livingston estate, a tract of land formerly owned by the first settler, Dr. Livingston, who, in his will, made in 1852, decreed that the property should never leave the Livingston family, and should always remain intact.

Under the will, the doctor left the life use of the Livingston Manor tract to a nephew, Charles O. Livingston. At the latter's death, it was to pass to his eldest son. At the death of his father, Charles O. Livingston came into possession of the property and in 1871, he sold the property to Medad T. Morss for about $5500. Morss received a warranty deed. In 1873, Charles Victor Livingston, the present plaintiff and son of Charles O. Livingston, was born. He claims the will precluded his father from selling the property and that his claim is valid.

When Charles O. Livingston sold the 200-acre tract to Medad T. Morss for $5500, the best farms in that section could be bought for $2500 or less. Now, of course, property values in the Manor are very greatly increased.

A doll making plant will shortly be opened in the Zimmerman building in Callicoon to be conducted by Rudolph Swerfarger of New York City, who at one time resided on the Huff place in Jeffersonville.

Mr. and Mrs. Howard M. Smith of Jeffersonville will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary on March 14th.

A son, Robert William, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Conrad Ruppert of Top Notch Farm, RFD 1, Middletown, on February 19th, their fourth child. They were former residents of this community.

A son was born to Mr. and Mrs. Lester J. Hust of Jeff RFD 1 on March 1st.

90 Years Ago - 1930

Long Eddy, on the Delaware River, in the town of Fremont, experienced a destructive fire last Saturday night when three buildings in the center of the village were destroyed, with most of the contents, a loss of about $20,000. The buildings that were destroyed were the Empire Theatre, building owned by Harvey English, a tenement connected with it owned by F.W. English, and the two-story hotel of Sam Kaplan.

F.H. Nichols of Liberty, distributor of Hudson and Essex cars in this section, was through here Tuesday making a mileage test with the new Challenger Essex. The test is being made this week throughout the state.

The annual village election will be held at the firehouse on Tuesday, March 18, from 5 to 9 p.m. One trustee is to be elected in place of William Knell whose term expires. The annual report of the village treasurer is published elsewhere in this paper (The Sullivan County Record). The budget of the trustees is placed at $4,105, with a tax rate of 47 cents and 9 mills on each $100 valuation.

John Portz and family are moving to Cooks Falls where Mr. Portz will run a farm, all stocked and equipped, which has been turned over to him by his brother-in-law.

Postmaster and Mrs. John R. Baldwin and sons of Livingston Manor came over here Sunday to see the talking picture, “Madame X.” Raymond Hackett, a prominent member of the cast, is a nephew of Mrs. Baldwin.

Charles A. Newman, for many years Erie agent at Callicoon, died at his home in New York City on Monday, March 3, at the age of 85 years. He was a veteran of the Civil War and military honors were given him at the grave by Emmett Turner Post of the American Legion, Delaware Lodge No. 561, F.&A.M., of Callicoon held a committal service. He served as Master of the Lodge twice.

80 Years Ago - 1940

The worst ice storm in the memory of our inhabitants struck here last Saturday night, following an all-day drizzling rain which froze everything it hit. Electric and telephone lines were smashed down and the services went off. Jeffersonville was affected much less than most other sections in the county. By noon Monday, telephone and electric service was restored, but in the meanwhile homes with oil burners and coal stokers were without heat. Youngsville, White Sulphur Springs, and part of Liberty were without current until Wednesday. Narrowsburg and Cochecton also suffered greatly from the storm and service has not yet been completely restored there, as is also the case in Kenoza Lake.

Miss Hannah Edwards, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Edwards of White Sulphur Springs, and Lynford Prince, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Prince of Liberty, were married at the Liberty Presbyterian Church February 25.

Elmer Ostrum and John Wehner of this place have had a good winter's job demolishing the old brick schoolhouse in Roscoe.

Mrs. Marie Duttweiler of Jeffersonville has issued invitations for the marriage of her daughter, Frieda Ebner, RN, to Rev. John J. Kelley, a Methodist minister at the Gospel Mission in Brooklyn, on March 25.

The Haeling Hotel at Hortonville has been leased by Mrs. Henry Haeling to Kenneth Bernhardt, Callicoon barber, who will soon move his shop there. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Bernhardt of Jeffersonville. Mrs. Bernhardt will run the hotel, for which a liquor license has been taken out.

70 Years Ago - 1950

The Monticello Fire Department is planning a 75th anniversary celebration sometime in the spring. Organized on March 8, 1875, with 82 charter members, the company then consisted of the Neptune Engine and Mountain Hose Company.

Fire, which for a time threatened the heart of Monticello, virtually destroyed two warehouses of the Wyde Lumber & Supply Co., Sixteen Jefferson St., Monticello, Monday night with a loss estimated at $20,000.

Miss Muriel June Ranft, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Earl Ranft of Jersey City, was recently crowned Carnival Queen at the Knox School mid-winter carnival, held on the campus at Cooperstown. Mr. Ranft is a native of Jeffersonville and is in the trucking business in New Jersey. He owns a fine hunting lodge on the Cherokee Preserve in Bethel.

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Luchs left by train Saturday for Fort Pierce, Fla., where they expect to spend a month.

Of an extra panel of jurors drawn for a criminal calendar of the County Court, are the following: James Garling Obernburg; Joseph Abel, Jeffersonville; John L. Blandis, Cochecton: Ralph H. Bryan, Jacob Menges, both of Youngsville; William F. Merklin, John Burniewicz, and Arnold Hedeen of Callicoon Center; Anna Schuster and Clarence Davis, both of Callicoon; and Clarence Cook of Hortonville.

A $175,000 mortgage for a loan has been given by Sullivan County Highway Products to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. The company has plants at Summitville, Swan Lake and Liberty and distributes blacktop, sand, stone and gravel. Plans for expansion are being made, according to Clifford Poley, its president.

Two firemen were overcome by smoke in an estimated $75,000 fire which destroyed Reber's Restaurant near Barryville Wednesday morning. Five fire companies fought the blaze for six hours. The two story building housing the restaurant was destroyed and ten occupants had to flee in their night clothes. The building was 60x75 feet. The owner is Herman Reber who bought it from Frederick J. Clouse four years ago.

Mrs. Victor Kuvelka, aged 74, of Shandelee, died on February 22. She was born in Austria and had lived in Shandelee with her husband for 28 years.

Miss Ondee Odette, who lived at the Easton home in Roscoe the past several years, married Joseph A. Katalik of Ashley, Pa., on Saturday, February 4. Miss Odette, who is only 3 feet 10 inches tall, had been on the theatrical stage with a traveling Ziegfeld Follies troupe before retiring and coming to Roscoe. Mr. Katalik is 4 feet 6 inches tall. The newlyweds will make their home in New Orleans, La., where the groom is employed as a jobber by a wax seal company.

Merton J. Furgeson, fireman, USN, of Rock Valley, as a crew member of the USS Missouri, was most active in assisting in the salvage operations undertaken to refloat the battleship when she went aground in Chesapeake Bay on a training mission.

60 Years Ago - 1960

Dr. Frank C. Frisbie, a physician for over 60 years, died February 26, at the age of 90. His death was sudden and he had attended patients until a few days before his passing. He resided in Equinunk, Pa.

A.P. Davis, former Monticello resident, celebrated his 101st birthday in Binghamton on Saturday. He was a photographer for the Erie Railroad for a long time.

A young man, Neil Calkin, 22, of White Sulphur Springs, has been named the new game protector for Western Sullivan County, replacing Marcus Hinkley of Narrowsburg, who retired after 28 years of service.

All kinds of reasons have been given for the trouble with Jeff village water. But finally, at least one contributing factor to the problem was found, when it was discovered that beavers are busy at the house they have built at the reservoir. Consultation with Conservation Dept. officials confirmed the fact that this can make all kinds of trouble with a water supply.

One of our best local farmers came panting into the office Wednesday morning to declare that he had seen the sight of all sights at this time of the year, under these weather conditions. He had spied a woodchuck sitting happily on a four foot pile of snow on Swiss Hill, a most unusual sight at this time.

Sterling Forest Gardens, a new 125-acre floral showpiece near Tuxedo, will fly 300 robins from Georgia to be sure of having the songbird on hand when the Gardens officially open to the public on May 1st. There will be about 1.2 million tulips on display.

Mrs. Raymond Kautz of the Beechwoods was the recipient of many beautiful gifts at a baby shower given her at Pippo's in Hortonville on Thursday night, February 11.

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Clark on the birth of a daughter last Saturday morning.

A major problem confronts the owners of Cimarron, Sullivan County's newest summer attraction. It is the task of transporting a replica of a Mississippi River steamboat from Texas to the tract of land just off the East Monticello exit of Route 17 Quickway.

50 years ago - 1970

Spec. 4 John F. Mootz, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Mootz, Callicoon Center, was graduated from the automobile tune-up course February 16 as part of Program Transition at Ft. Riley, Kans.… Spec. 4 David R. Stalker, son of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Stalker of Callicoon RD2, received the Air Medal near Tay Ninh, Vietnam, for meritorious service while participating in serial flight in support of ground operations. He also holds the Bronze Star Medal.

Mr. and Mrs. William Girard of Youngsville have announced the engagement of their daughter, Diane, to James, son of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Hess of Jeffersonville.… Mr. and Mrs. Edson J. Tegeler have announced the engagement of their daughter, Mary Margaret, to Richard M. Kawicwicz of Stamford, Conn. An August wedding is planned.

Gordon Chilson of Abrahams­ville was guest of honor at the Blue and Gold Dinner of Scout Pack 112, Callicoon, on February 28. He was honored for his forty years of scouting. For many years he was connected with the National Boy Scout organization and since his retirement has worked with local scouts.

A total of 20 black bears were shot in Sullivan County during the 1969 big game season. A total of 687, a record, were shot in the state.

Mr. and Mrs. Robert V. Hunt of Margaretville are parents of a son, Paul Blake, born February 13. Mr. and Mrs. Earl Fulton of Kenoza Lake and Mrs. J. Vance Hunt of Hawley, Pa., are the proud grandparents.

Esther Manor Hotel, founded by the late Philip and Dora Goldstein in 1904, was sold to a new corporation Weight Watchers Resorts and Spas, Inc. of Monticello, for a reported more than half million dollars.

A daughter was born Tuesday to Mr. and Mrs. Philip Gottschalk of Hankins.

40 Years Ago - 1980

The Physical Services Committee of the Sullivan County Board of Supervisors tabled a proposal to replace 80 windows in the Sullivan County Courthouse. It would cost $91,000 to replace the windows, which are said to waste 35 percent of the building's energy consumption.

The Delaware Valley Eagle Cheerleaders participated in the Intersectional Cheerleading Champ­ionships last Sunday at the Orange County Community College in Middletown. Delaware Valley took four awards: First place in junior varsity and varsity competitions, first in the junior varsity individual competition and received a second place award in the varsity individual category.

Two prominent Monticello-area septuagenarians — community activist Max Perelmutter and Monsignor Frederick J. Frey, for 25 years pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church at St. Joseph's in Forestburgh — died during the past week. Mr. Perelmutter was 77, a retired area hotel owner, founder and president of the Monticello Senior Citizens Club from 1975 through 1978, a member of the NAACP, and a member since 1977 of the Monticello Housing Authority. Msgr. Frey, 78, ordained as a priest in 1928, was well-known through all of Sullivan County. In 1978, he was the recipient of the St. George Medal of the Boy Scouts of America.

The Special Olympics games will be held March 8 at the Big Vanilla Ski Area near Woodridge. More than 500 competitors from across New York State will participate.

Shawn Lauferswiler of White Lake outdid himself with some superb skiing on Tuesday, February 26, at Holiday Mtn. in Rock Hill by winning the Section 9 boys overall championship. The win was made special by being accomplished on Shawn's 15th birthday.

30 Years Ago - 1990

A big, new idea will be tried when the Grahamsville's Little World's Fair opens for the 11th time on Friday, August 17. Admissions will be reduced by half and, after paying their $1.50 to get in, children of all ages can buy a pay-one-price unlimited ticket to midway rides for just $8. The fair started out as a one-day event and now covers three days with special designation for a Friday Family Day and a Senior Citizens Day.

The proposition for building a $13.6 million building and renovation project at the Jeffersonville School building was presented by the Jeffersonville-Youngsville Central School Board over the last week in four public meetings in an effort to inform the public about the proposition and to show current conditions in the school district.

Announcement of the engagement and impending June 2 wedding of Michael Stauch, son of Roger and Betty Stauch of Callicoon, and Donna Schmidt, daughter of Ronald and Betty Schmidt of Kenosha, Wisc., has been made by the engaged couple's parents.

The Delaware Valley Eagles upended the Tuxedo Tornadoes, 63-52, in a game played at the Sullivan County community College court in a post season Section IX Class D basketball tournament… The Roscoe Lady Blue Devils won their first-ever Section IX Class D championship Saturday at the Sullivan County Community College in Loch Sheldrake to win themselves a trip to the state finals, holding off third-seeded S.S. Seward, 57-48.

Laura Bitter was honored at a retirement dinner at the Concord Hotel Friday. She retired as home economics program leader for the Cornell Cooperative Extension with 20 years of dedicated service to the organization.

Champion Tobe's Return of the Jedi, a purebred Akita, was judged best in show Saturday afternoon at the Monticello Kennel Club's 12th annual All Breed Dog Show. More than 7,750 dogs competed in the show.

20 Years Ago - 2000

Board members of the Sullivan West Central School District voted unanimously Thursday night to direct architects to design a 134,000-square-foot building to house several hundred 9-12th graders in Lake Huntington. The 9-0 vote gave the green light to architect Mark Lippi and his staff of the Hillier Group to begin creating three conceptual designs of the high school.

Some local dairy farmers are reeling under the impact of an 80 cents hike in milk shipping charges. County farmers noted they were paying 25 cents per hundredweight to ship their milk up until February 17. Now, that cost is $1.05 per hundredweight, probably due to an increase in fuel costs.

Christine Weissman, 17-year-old daughter of Jim and Evelyn Weissmann of Callicoon Center, was chosen as the Sullivan County Dairy Princess last June 11. At the 37th annual NYS Dairy Princess Pageant on February 23, Weissmann was chosen the 2nd Alternate New York State Dairy Princess for this year.

The Liberty Fire Department Hose and Truck Company No. 2 kicked off its 100th anniversary celebration Saturday.

Becky Ahart wanted only one birthday gift Sunday. “Whenever anyone asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I told them I wanted a Section IX title,” said Ahart, who is the coach of the Roscoe Lady Blue Devils basketball team. And her team went out and got that birthday present for her. The Lady Blue Devils blitzed Western Sullivan League rival Livingston Manor 47-22 in the Section IX ­- Class D championship game in Christl Arena at West Point Sunday afternoon. Roscoe, which two weeks ago clinched its first WSL title since 1976, last claimed the Section IX crown in 1990.

10 Years Ago - 2010

The Boys and Girls Club of Sullivan County held a “Celebrity Dinner” at Bernie's Holiday Restaurant and raised $10,500 for its activities. The idea was to have the county's well-known people to act as waiters.

The 26th birthday Private First Class Jason Kropat of White Lake would have celebrated was instead a commemoration of a life of honor cut short by the war in Afghanistan. Family and friends gathered deep inside the Evergreen Cemetery in Bethel to release 26 balloons in Kropat's memory. With Kropat's sister Kimberly listening, Senator John Bonacic called the fallen soldier a courageous hero. “He will never be forgotten. He is an American hero who made the ultimate sacrifice.” For that sacrifice, the Senator handed the rare New York State Liberty Award medal to Kimberly and her family.

“Fireman for Life” Earle Poley of North Branch, passed away at the age of 95. A lifelong area resident he joined the North Branch Fire Department in 1928, a mere 18 years after its founding. Poley's 82 years as an active member of the North Branch Fire Department spans the decades from horse-drawn bucket brigades to today's well-trained and well-equipped firefighters and sophisticated apparatus. Poley, an ex-chief and ex-commissioner was one of the “stars” when the department celebrated its 100th anniversary.