The Centennial Congregational Souvenir, 1799–1899, was a very helpful resource on the townspeople who lived in the 19th century in what became the Town of Highland. I thought some of my Halfway Brook readers would enjoy seeing familiar names from the Halfway Brook books. The booklet also contained a history of the area and the church. I’ll upload those pages on another post. As usual you can click the image to make it larger.
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As I have time, I am going through my major collection of photos, postcards, and documents for the Town of Highland, Sullivan County, New York.
This postcard and the next post with two views of the old Barryville Mill were in the collection of Aida Austin which my mother shared with me. The three cards are among my many favorites.
Here are a few excerpts from “Aida Austin’s 1881 Diary” which mention Ridley’s, which had advertised their fall opening in the 1880 “New York Times” News article at the end of this post.
Wednesday, January 19, 1881
I went out this afternoon. Called at Mrs. Braisted…She was just going out so she went with me to Ridley’s and Brumel’s. It was after five when I got home…
Tuesday, March 8, 1881
I took Little Archie out for a walk. Then I went to Ridley’s.
Tuesday, March 15, 1881
Lil and I went to Ridley’s this afternoon and changed her veil.
Monday, April 18
…This afternoon. I went to Ridley’s…and after tea I went over again to go out with Maria.
Wednesday, May 4, 1881
I went to Ridley’s this forenoon. Took the children and got their shoes.
Tuesday, May 10
I took Tommy out this afternoon. We got some ice cream first, then we went to Ridley’s and then to Mrs. Braisted’s. We stayed to tea.
Thursday, June 9
…It has rained all the afternoon. I went to Ridley’s. I got Net’s baby’s pictures for her.
My great-uncle Lon Austin (brother to Aida) never married. He loved Nell (Helena) Gillespie who lived in Brooklyn (221-14th Street). Lon may have met Nell when he visited his New York City Austin cousins or when he worked at the Car Stables at 839 Nostrand Ave., Brooklyn.
Nell was the daughter of a well-to-do merchant who had met with financial loss. Another man, a Mr. Smith, also called on (1880s for dated) Nell (the family thought he was calling on her sister—Lon knew better). Nell loved Lon, but married Mr. Smith out of a sense of duty to her father’s request.
In the following letter, Lon’s cousin Ida Austin Brown sent Helena’s obit with her letter of condolence.
Letters Helena (Nell) and Lon exchanged in the 1880s can be read in “Echo Hill and Mountain Grove.” Lon’s poignant story is on p. 200.
Page 2 of the letter click: Continue reading
In Aida Austin’s 1881 Diary, she mentioned Ridley’s when she was living with her cousins in New York City. This is the first of two 1880 articles on Ridley’s that I found.
“Uncle Willie rescued us in that big truck when our old car (the car in the garage shot, me thinks) broke down at Poor Richards bar/restaurant on Rt. 6. Going over the Hawks Nest in that big truck made me think we would go over the edge for certain!
“Yes, c’est moi in the photo. I remember the day the picture was taken, thinking that was a neat dog, but never saw him (?) before or after.”—JMeyer.
