I became curious a while back upon discovering that the back of the base of the Soldier and Sailor Monument on the lawn of the Lawrence H. Cooke Sullivan County Court House (under the soldier's feet) an inscription says, "To Sullivan County in memory of her Heroes from Pluma A. Niven".

I wondered what this meant, in contrast to the larger inscriptions beneath that the monument was donated "1895, Erected by the Board of Supervisors of Sullivan County from the free offerings of the loyal citizens".

Who was Pluma A. Niven, I wondered, and why did she merit special note on the monument?

This column by Sullivan County Historian John Conway appears in today's edition (July 25, 2008) of The Sullivan County Democrat. This is the second of a two-part series in Sullivan Retrospect on the subject, the first of which appeared last week. I e-mailed Mr. Conway after reading last week's column. He incorporated information that I sent him into his follow-up piece. Mr. Conway has written about this subject in the past, including at least two past Retrospect columns.

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THE HIDDEN WOMAN MYSTERY ENDURES

By John Conway

July 25, 2008 - It has often been said, and written on occasion in this column, that few stories in Sullivan County’s history are as fascinating as that of the hidden woman of Monticello. Perhaps no one has been as fascinated by the saga as Tom Rue.

Rue, who has for years accumulated historical tidbits on his website, including a tantalizing quiz about local history that is currently running, and who was recently appointed the official historian for the Sullivan Masonic District, is a dogged researcher who has managed to put together more information on Melvin H. Couch and Adelaide Branch-- the key characters in Monticello’s hidden woman saga-- than anyone ever has, and intends to eventually publish a booklet about the affair.

Rue’s extensive research has helped to clarify the role that best-selling author Upton Sinclair played in Miss Branch’s life following the death of Couch just before Christmas in 1913, when her fifteen year long affair with the former district attorney became public and changed her life forever.

MONTICELLO – A forgotten Monticello graveyard has gotten a long-overdue cleanup. The Litts cemetery, on the boundary of Sleepy Hollow Apartments and Monticello High School, is the resting place of the remains of some of the area’s first European pioneers.

The stone of Daniel Litts lies flat on the ground, barely legible. He was christened 7 January 1772 in Shawangunk. Another stone memorializes Metje (Martha) Masten Litz of Wawarsing. They married 5 October 1795. She was christened 7 April 1776 in Shawangunk, making her 82 at her death. Their children were: Lea Litz, christened 26 January 1796; Johannis Litz, christened 6 August 1798, both in Wawarsing; and Isaac Litz, christened 11 February 1815 in Wurtsboro.

Under a headline of Wear Your Life Jacket: River Drownings Underscore Need For Simple Precaution, the front page of yesterday's Times Herald-Record pictures Commodore Richard Rhodes of the National Canoe Safety Patrol advocating the use of personal flotation devices (also known as life preservers) as he patrols the rapids at Skinners Falls on the Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River.

Twenty-one years ago (!), I wrote a "Profile" of Commodore Rhodes, a family friend at the time with his wife Mary, for The River Reporter. It's good to see he's still out there taking care of business. It's also good to see the NCSP getting some public credit.

Tragically, despite these efforts, today's news reports that the Upper Delaware claimed yet another life.

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Link

• Profile: Dick Rhodes The River Reporter
• more

Download a copy of the original survey of the Newburgh and Cochecton Turnpike, Liber 18 of Deeds, pp. 325-336, filed 13 June 1807 in the Ulster County Court House at Kingston by William A. Thompson, Esq., first Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, County of Ulster, State of New York. (11 pages, 16MB, Acrobat file). "The Breadth of Broadway" summary report to Village Attorney and short version given as public comment at the July 7th the Village of Monticello Board of Trustees meeting; relevant cases, and cover letter.

Click "Read More" for an historical summary and implications for planned Broadway renovations.

"It would be a double honor", I told newly installed District Deputy Grand Master John Wells when asked to assist him during his two-year term by serving a Historian for the Sullivan Masonic District.

John told me the last man to serve as Historian for the Sullivan District was Bert Feldman, late of Mongaup Valley. Bert published numerous articles on the subject of local history. He was also a friend and sponsored my initial application to become a Freemason in 1992.

Here are a few Sullivan County history links from a Masonic perspective:

• Former Victoria Hotel Holds Little-Known History For Monticello Freemasons, by Tom Rue, July 2007
  
  
• Early History of Freemasonry in Sullivan County by Alvin O. Benton (1942), which I scanned in its entirety several years ago. Full text can be downloaded in several formats.
  
  
• Articles on the history of Monticello Lodge #532, F&AM, chartered in 1862
  
  

OPINION

Would it be sensible to appoint a convicted felon as a municipal prosecutor, even if the felon were reformed, rehabilitated, repentant, and an otherwise all-around nice guy, or even the best attorney in town?

It would seem to me hard to argue that appointing a felon as a prosecutor is ever a good idea.

That is what the Monticello Village Board of Trustees voted to do last week. The real problem, as I see it, is that the Board wasn't informed, before being asked to vote, of the lawyer's felony history.

The board voted three to one (with one Trustee absent) to approve the appointment by Mayor Gordon Jenkins of Robert Gaiman as Deputy Village Attorney to prosecute alleged Building Code violators. Village Manager John Barbarite asked Mayor Jenkins to make the appointment and, without informing the Board of the attorney’s felony record, the Mayor did so. Mr. Barbarite and the attorney have been close friends for many years.

Even if not explicitly prohibited by statute, it would seem like common sense to think that an attorney who not long ago pled guilty to federal tax fraud might run into credibility problems as a prosecutor -- or even as a Notary Public, for that matter.

For example, imagine a hypothetical civil rights suit in which a conspiracy by a municipal manager and prosecutor might be alleged. Imagine that the Manager and attorney being accused of unlawfully plotting together to wrongfully prosecute building owners based, for example, on reasons of ethnic prejudice, political vendettas, or other private motivations.

It's been said that you can tell a lot about a community by observing how they treat the elderly, children and their cemeteries.

On the northern boundary of Sleepy Hollow Apartments, adjacent to athletic fields of Monticello High School, there sits a small abandoned cemetery. Located inside a dilapidated split rail fence are several graves, with at least two visible tombstones. One marks the final resting place of Daniel Litts. The stone has been knocked over and lies flat on the ground, its lettering is barely legible. Next to to it is an unmarked block which which may memorialize Danie's wife Metje (Martha), who reportedly died on November 4, 1859 in Forestburgh. Metje was christened 7 April 1776 in Shawangunk, Ulster County, making her 82 years old at the time of her death.

The tract on which Monticello High School and Sleepy Hollow Apartments are today situated, in the southwestern section of what is now the Village of Monticello, was once owned by Ezekiel I. Masten. A portion described as being "on the road from Mamakating Hollow to Kinnebrook" was granted by Johannes Masten and Magdalena (or Madleen) Swart, who was born about 1756, to their sons-in-law Daniel Litts and Evert Terwilliger who moved there in February 1797.

For Immediate Release
NEWS
Dated: February 22, 2008.

Privacy protection with respect to personal healthcare information is not a partisan issue, although in this instance it involves data demanded and maintained by the Board of Elections.

Writing as an advocate for the mentally and physically disabled residents of Sullivan County who are entitled to vote by Absentee Ballot, I am also concerned as a taxpayer that, if adequate safeguards are not in place, the County of Sullivan opens itself to civil liability to a large class of potential plaintiffs.