Mark Sullivan has given us the story of another Revolutionary War veteran, John Hoagland, who was also the progenitor of the Hoagland family in Gilboa. Following this article is a new article in Amy Sternstein’s series on local inventors. George C. Shaler was an inventor with several patents to his record, but he was also a successful politician (hard to do when you are a Democrat in a Republican district), and a successful local businessman with a retail outlet called The Racket Store.
We have the final installment of LaVerne Hubbard’s roster of Gilboa Military Personnel—please make sure that all your family and friends are listed—followed by the story of two additional Civil War veterans, Edgar L. Hitchcock and Jacob V. Palmer. Their records are similar: they were born in the village of Gilboa, subsequently fought in the Civil War, and lived their lives separately in Pennsylvania. Their contribution came to light serendipitously in the Commemorative Biographical Record of NE Pennsylvania Including Counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike, and Monroe published by the J. H. Beers & Co., 1900.
Lee Hudson was surprised by the number of patent medicines advertised in the Gilboa Monitor and also by the graphical nature of the advertisements. In scratching this inch, she uncovered information about patent medicines (especially Pe-ru-na) and also the economics and practicality of boilerplates and ready-print pages in supporting weekly newspapers and Gilboa’s Monitor.
The last story in this issue is very personal to me: last spring, I informed the board of the Gilboa Historical Society that after 10 years I would be stepping down as publisher of the Quarterly. The highlights of this story are my plans for the future:
- The pro’s and con’s of creating a new entity out of northern Delaware, western Greene, and southern Schoharie counties still exist and appeal to me.
- I am not abandoning local history—instead, I will use a broader definition of “local” using a model of an expanded Harrison County.
- We will continue to gather Quarterly-like articles, photos, etc., and lay them out at HarrisonCountyNY.org
- Then, any nonprofit historical society or library can access them, and freely repurpose the material to create their own publications. Hopefully, we will have mini-Quarterlies springing up in this tri-county area.
Finally, thank you for the past ten years. Together we have met new people, exchanged ideas, and created and saved about 1400 pages of historical documentation. Especially gratifying feedback have been letters from Florida, Texas, or Southern California saying that an article reminded them of youth spent in the Catskills and have caused at least two readers to write memoirs that in turn renewed other people’s memories and experiences.
We also have had letters from newcomers to the area, who thanked us because the Quarterly made them feel like they really belonged here and provided them with a community memory; and descendants from early families have credited Quarterly articles with increasing their own knowledge of northern Catskills history.
Thank you!
Gerry