To be notified when this book is out of production and has been released to the public, visit the book's page on the website of arcadiapublishing.com and under where it says, "This product is not yet published. The on sale date is 11/01/2010, click the link that says, "Notify Me When This Book Is Available."

A short time after the release, working together with Arcadia's marketing department, book-signings will be scheduled, the first of which will be held at one of Broadway's businesses, with signings and "Monticello picture nights" (where you are invited to help identify people shown in unlabeled photos) to be announced here and on the book's Facebook page. Visit said page to view some vintage photos of Monticello.

Reply To A Letter Purporting To Be From The Village Manager

On October 6, 1896 the Sullivan County Ladies Monument Association, Inc. unveiled a major landmark for a small at a prominent entry to Monticello's Broadway, at the corner Jefferson Street. Its purpose was "to perpetuate the memory of the soldiers and sailors who fought to preserve the Union," and funds were collected from private donors throughout Sullivan County.

In 1918 the organization met again and added a second panel recognizing the men and women lost in the World War. In 1942, a plaque was placed on a boulder in the corner which was known as "Memorial Park" remembering Jack C. Stapleton, a Fireman First Class in the U.S. Navy was placed by the Mayor's Civic Advisory Committee of Women.

In the spring of 1972, to make way for the widening of Jefferson Street, the statue was relocated to its present more obscure small park, a half block to the east. According to a news account headlined "Monumental Task!", the work was done by Sullivan County Monument Works, under the supervision of, proprietor Irv Feinstein.

Shortly thereafter, a boulder bearing a brass plaque memorializing World War 2 veteran Ralph Stapleton was also moved from the corner of Jefferson Street to its present site.

January 21, 2010
By Tom Rue
At the reorganizational meeting of the Village of Monticello Board of Trustees held on Monday, April 6, 2009, I was appointed Village Historian by the Village Manager. The last time a Village Historian was named was 2004, in an appointment made by then Village Manager Richard Sush.. The day after my appointment I posted a Certified letter to the last gentleman known to occupy this position, and hand-delivered a copy to the Village Clerk. I cited the New York State Art and Cultural Affairs Law §57.09, which requires of all local historians:

“He or she shall make an annual report, in the month of January, to the local appointing officer or officers and to the state historian of the work which has been accomplished during the preceding year. He or she shall, upon retirement or removal from office, turn over to the local county, city, town or village authorities, or to his or her successor in office, if one has been then appointed, all materials gathered during his or her incumbency and all correspondence relating thereto.”

The Town of Thompson, Capelli Enterprises, Inc.; and Thunder 102 Radio provided a country western concert, playing to an estimated 1,000 people in the grandstands of the Mighty M Racino (aka Monticello Racetrack) for Sullivan County's bicentennial bash.

The musical event feature country-western musical lin-up including Iron Cowboy, Somerville Brothers, and Cowboy Crush.

If you are related to this family, please contact Monticello Village Historian Tom Rue.

Daniel LITTS was born in 1771 (chr. 7 January 1772 in Shawangunk). His wife, Metje (Martha) MASTEN Litts, was chr. 7 April 1776 in Shawangunk. Married 5 October 1795, Metje LITTS was 82 at her death, and Daniel 86. Children (aka "LITZ") were:

• Lea LITTS, chr. 26 January 1796 in Wawarsing;
• Johannis LITTS, chr. 6 August 1798 in Wawarsing;
  
• Cornelius LITTS, b. circa 1803;

• Benjamin LITTS, b. circa 1804; and
• Isaac LITTS, chr. 11 February 1815 in Wurtsboro.

Related Stories:

Pioneer Cemetery In Monticello Rescued, July 21, 2008

Related story: Who Cares About An Old Cemetery?, March 31, 2008

A Long-Lived Family The New York Times, November 7, 1886

Children of Johannes Masten & Magdelena Swart posting on Dutch-Colonies-L

Loder and related families from New England and New York posting on WorldConnect

Gedcom from familysearch.org

At the reorganizational meeting of the Village of Monticello Board of Trustees held on Monday, April 6, 2009, a relatively minor item of business was the appointment of Tom Rue as Village Historian. The last time a Village Historian was named was 2004, in an appointment made by then Village Manager Richard Sush. To the best of my knowledge, based on a review of minutes, the Village Historian position appears to have been been vacant since 2005.

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.