SULLIVAN COUNTY RECORD
\
M o re A b o u t M r. K ru s a ,
P i o n e e r in T h is C o m m u n it y
C am e F ro m H anover,
— H is H an dicraft S till
in H om e H e B u ilt on
H ill—H ef P receded H ie
S w iss S ettlers.
G erm any
V isib le
S w iss
E arly
By C harles S. H ick
Tow n H istorian.
My neighbor, C harles W ilfert,
called over our line fence la st
T h u rsd ay a fte r he had read the
cu rre n t issue of th e Record, th a t
m y article on th e K ru sa papers in­
te re sted him because he had long
know n w here K rusa, the em igrant,
h ad settled in th e tow n of Del­
aw are. I t w as on th e fa rm now
owned by O scar E g g ler on Swiss
Hill. The Menek E g g ler m entioned
in th ese papers w as his g ran d ­
fa th e r and lived on th e place la t­
e r owned by his fa th e r W olfgang
W ilfert and recently owned by
H enry M iller and now also, prop­
e rty of O scar E ggler. This Menck
E ggler, so C harles W ilfert tells me,
owned th e fa rm K ru sa settled on
before him. The records do not
a g re e w ith th is b u t th is is ex­
plained by th e possibility th a t E g ­
g ler had purchased th e property on
a contract, built a house on it but
had not received a deed because
h e had not com pleted his paym ents.
B efore he received a deed he got
th e opportunity to sell his in te r­
ests a t an advantage to K ru sa who
received a deed fro m th e original
owner, John H u n ter of New Ro­
chelle, w ho w as one of th e m apy
ab sen t land ow ners who ventured
his m oney in land he had never
seen hoping fo r big profits.
The em igrant K rusa had left be­
hind him recollections th a t would
indicate quite a bit about his personality and character. He w as a
deeply -religious m an.
I t is re ­
ported of him th a t the original
house on his Swiss Hill fa rm
(probably a lo gcabin) w as de­
stroyed by fire. His response to
liis neighbors expression’ of sym ­
p ath y on his loss w as: “The Lord
giveth and th e Lord ta k e th aw ay.”
K ru sa w as a skilled mechanic.
T hough he becam e the tow n of
Callicoon’s first g rist miller, it is
quite evident th a t h e w as trained
as a cabinet m aker.
This com­
bined with a n a tu ra l genius fo r
finding
ways
to
do things
made
him a m iller. I arrive a t m y be­
lief th a t he w as train ed as a cabi­
n e t m ak er by th e fact, as Charles
W ilfert relates it to me, th a t he
erected a new house on his lands
to tak e th e place of th e one de­
stroyed by fire. The doors in this
house w ere constructed by him and
th is construction won th e adm ira­
tion of Mr. W ilfert, w ho is com­
p eten t in this p articu lar field.
T hese doors m u st have been fine
exam ples of th e cabinet m ak er’s
skill a n d a r t to win th e adm iration
o f a craftsm an such 'a s C harles
W ilfert. One special featu re of
th ese doors th a t Mr. W ilfert ad­
m ired w as a n oval shaped glass
h e had fitted in th e panel of each
door. T his w as window glass and
K ru sa w as able to cu t an oval
shaped pane w ith th e crude tools
in his possession. This w as no
easy fe a t fo r an ordinary carpen­
te r of a hundred years, o r nearly
so, ago.
^
A nother fa c t "that substantiates
th e belief h e w as a cabinet m ak ­
e r by tra d e w as th e fa c t th a t he
h ad partitioned a p a rt of his barn
off as a shop. The spaces between
th e tim bers in th is shop w as filled
in w ith bricks m ade a t hom e out
o f n ativ e clay. T hese had not been
fired. The late A. A. N euberger
b ro u g h t sim ilar clay bricks m ade
by his grandfather, E m il N euber­
ger, fo r th e w alls of th e N euber­
g e r hom e to th e exhibit a t th e
Tow n of Callicoon Centennial Cel­
ebration.
Still an o th er proof th a t K ru sa
w as a cabinet m ak er is found in
h is la st w ill and testam en t w here
h e m akes th e bequest as follows:
“I give an d bequeath to m y son
H en ry of W illiam sburg, N. Y., all
m y carp en ter tools and all tim ber
an d lu m b er suitable fo r cabinet
m a k e r’s o r carp en ter’s use'”
In an account w ritten o u t by
K ru sa h e show s th a t he settled a n
account w ith M enk E g g ler by an
ag reem en t to build h im fo u r w in­
dows w ith glass fo r th e su m still
ow ing E ggler.
One th in g th a t com es ou t in th is
stu d y is th a t th e tw o properties
involved, both now owned by O scar
JEFFERSONVILLE, N. Y.
HALLOW EEN—OCTOBER 31.
t
Eggler, w ere am ong the very first
settled in th is section. Today they
seem rem ote and difficult to reach.
I t w as th e place th a t becam e the
W ilfert hom e th a t had "one tim e
been th e hom e of John B latter, a
Swiss em ig ran t who moved from
here to Scranton w here th e fam ily
still lives. Before B latter it^ had
tw o ow ners, also Sw itzers—one
nam ed G uggerm an and th e o th er
John A ppert.
App'ert w as a p er­
sonal friend' in E urope of Victor
Hofer, who often paid A ppert visits
to his Swiss H ill hom e and in
com pany w ith o th er landsm en m et
in a sum m er house on th e A ppert
fa rm to sing th e ir Swiss songs.
These singing fe sts w ere a com­
mon affair on th is A ppert hom e­
stead and fro m w hat I can learn
did no t need th e stim ulus of batzi
w asser. T hese m en san g fo r th e
m ere love of singing.
C harles W ilfert can rem em ber
one verse of one of these songs as
his fa th e r rem em bered it. I t was
recited to m e in th e Swiss dialect
b u t I cannot recall it verbatim . I
cannot understand th e Swiss well
enough and even if I did 1 w ouldn’t
know how to w rite it down h ere so
my
readers
could
understand
it. My recollection of th e th o u g h t
is th a t as th ey sang fro m w here
they sa t they could look out over
all th e w orld—they could look one
w ay down th e Rhone and th e other
w ay down th e Rhine. The place of
w hich th ey san g m u st have been
located in high up in th e Alps in
Sw itzerland a t a point w here they
could look dowft both riv er valleys
—th e Rhone and th e Rhine. I a s­
sum e all th e songs these m en sang
w ere Swiss songs. M any of them
containing yodels.
These early Swiss settlers loved
to sing. Beside th e ir singing fes­
tivals they had shooting m atches.
Such shooting m atches w ere re g ­
ularly held around Jeffersonville
until about fifty years ago. M any
Swiss settlers brought w ith them
to A m erica som e of th e finest ta r ­
get rifles. All muzzle loaders, of
course. M any a re gayly decorated
w ith gold leaf inlays and other
decorations w hich m u st rep resen t
a g re a t am ount of delicate w ork­
m anship w orth larg e sum s of m on­
ey. Invariably these rifles had
h a ir triggers. M ike E ggler, who
recently passed aw ay a t a ripe old
age, w as an active p articip an t in
these shooting m atches and in a
g re a t num ber of th e m atches car­
ried aw ay th e first prize, which
w as a ra m sheep. I had a long
talk one day w ith Mr. E ggler and
he told m e m uch about these shoot­
ing m atches. I rem em ber th a t he
told m e he n ev er took hom e his
prize b u t sold it to th e butcher on
th e spot. T hese shooting m atches
w ere prom oted by an organization
called a Schuetzen-Verein, th a t had
officers, paid m em berships, etc.
T hough K ru sa settled am ong the
Swiss on Swiss Hill, h e w as not
Swiss. H is p assp o rt (found am ong
th e old papers) show s him as com­
ing fro m th e city of H anover, G er­
m any.
States Buy Bonds The states invested $1,500,000,000
of surplus funds, in governm ent
bonds during 1943 and decreased
their gross indebtedness by nearly
$1,000,000,000. Altogether, a reduc­
tion of 17.5 p er cent in the over-all
gross debts of the states has been
m ade since 1940.
D er F u e h re r is said to have
bought fo u r .P ersian ru g s in F ran ce
fo r th e su m of $700,000. P robably
g ettin g read y ’f o r th e rugg-ed. road
m a t he will be compelled to fol­
low soon.
THE NATIONAL WhR FUND
asks you to give generously fo
YOUR COMMUNITY
WAR FUND
-don't h i thorn dawn NOWl
PAGE THREE
THURSDAY, OCT. 26, 1944.
Walter A. Schwarz, Candidate for County Clerk,
Amply Qualified to Succeed J. Bruce Lindsley,
the Retiring Veteran County Clerk.
W riters and historians fo r the
m ost p a rt agree th a t hallow een and
th e custom s and practices of th e
day had tljeir beginning w ith the
m ystic rites and cerem onies of the
Druids, a good m any centuries be­
fo re th e C hristian era. Added to
th e custom s and practices of the
D ruids a r e a nu m b er com ing down
W alter has rendered valuable
service
to all departm ents of tow n
fro m th e R om ans and th e ir festival
county governm ent.
H is
of Pom ona, who presided over th e and
thorough
know
ledge
of
th
e
ir
re ­
harvests. To these a re also added
quirem
ents
and
detail,
experienced
Scotch custom s and rites, some
u rin g eig h t active y ears as a m em ­
fro m Irelan d and som e from E n g ­ bd er
of th e B oard of Supervisors, in
land. W hen th e fam ilies of th e rep resen tin g th e Tow n of Lum berOld W orld cam e to A m erica they land, qualifies him w ith m any
b ro u g h t th e hallow een custom s credits.
*
The m any duties ofv a County
w ith them . M ost of these have
since been m odernized or discarded C lerk req u ire not only executive
alto g eth er and a new se t of cus­ ability b u t also a genial and prom pt
tom s reg ard in g th e observance of service to th e p atro n s of th e office;
d w ith a level headed pleasing
th e day have come into being. H al­ an
personality such as W alt possesses,
loween has lost its m ystic signifi­ th e voters will m ake no m istake in
cance and in this country, a t least, selecting him fo r th e ir County
'm erely furnishes an occasion fo r Clerk.
p arties and festivities in w hich
H e is capable, honest, efficient
adaptations of th e old beliefs are an d u n tirin g in his efforts to do a
resorted to as a m eans of en ter­ good job. H e is liberal, alw ays out
tainm ent. As in th e old days, a to prom ote things to b e tte r th e
good m any of th e cerem onies have county in w hich w e live. He is
fro m any political tie-strings,
to do w ith m eans by which young ifree
and does n o t have to ta k e orders
people m ay discover their, tru e lov­ fro m an y political boss. Possessed
ers. W itches as a p a rt of h al­ of a lo t of intelligence, he comes
W alter A . Schw arz.
loween
accessories
have been fro m one of th e fine fam ilies of
handed dow n from th e earliest 'S ullivan County. H e w as born in
tim es. I t w as th e belief th a t N ew Y ork City, A pril 27, 1898, and county. H is w ork in connection
w itches w ere a t large on halloween, is a m em ber of th e L u th eran w ith th e dedication of R oute 97
long be rem em bered by those
fre e to w ork th e ir evil w orks. church, also of E lks Lodge No. 645. will
who took part.
H
e
attended
school
34
y
ears
ago
These w itches appeared in various (in Glen Spey) u nder th e efficient
H is m any contacts w ith th e De­
form s, th e m ost com mon m odern teaching of E dw ard F. R yan, now p artm en t of Public W orks in Al­
type being th e old w om an who of th e law firm of R yan & Cooke bany and B ingham ton still are kept
rides th ro u g h th e sky on a broom. of Monticello. Like his teacher, he up, due to th e friends he has made.
The black cat is of D ruidic origin. has m ade progress to a h igher ele­ H e^is a gentlem an, fo r gentlem an­
liness is an o th er of his attrib u tes,
The cat to th e D ruids w as a sacred vation in life and to success.
W alter is a good business m an, | and jovial, his im portant w ork is
anim al. I t w as a belief am ong
and
resides a t th e Schw arz hom e­ never too pressing to give th e
D ruids th a t cats had once been h u ­
friendly greeting, w hich he regis­
m an beings who had been changed stead farm , w here he w as raised te rs w hen you m eet him.
m early boyhood. H is p aren ts
into cats as punishm ent fo r evil fro
W IN W ITH W ALTER and pile
settled in th e Tow n of Lum berdeeds. T he jack-o-lantern comes land 34 y ears ago.
up a nice m ajo rity vote fo r him on
from Ireland. According to th e
D uring th e y ears 1938-39 he w as Election Day. P ull down lever
story, a stin g y m an nam ed Jack chairm an of th e C ounty H ighw ay 11-B to vote fo r a m an who is m ost
w as b arred from heaven because Com m ittee, and he m ade a record capable of being -th e n ex t County
of his stinginess and forbidden to of acquiring m ore th a n $900,000.00 Clerk, to succeed th e retirin g v et­
en ter hell because of his practical fro m th e sta te in new construction eran, county clerk, J. B ruce Linds­
jokes on th e devil; so he w as con­ of sta te roads and a bridge fo r this ley.
dem ned to w alk th e earth w ith his
lan tern until Judgm ent Day.
13JU.
The fellow who is the life of the
p a rty is som etim es the death of
bsiness th e next day.
(By Sullivan C ounty R epublican
Com m ittee)
VS
y \
d& Hoyos
Replies to Alfange
S upporters of Roosevelt fo r a
fo u rth te rm a re “scared stiff” over
th e prospects on Election Day, Luis
de Hoyos, R epublican county ch air­
m an, said Monday, re to rtin g to a
personal a tta c k m ade on him d u r­
ing a L iberal P a rty rally Sunday
n ig h t in th e ’ W oodridge H igh
School auditorium w here D ean A l­
fange,
A m erican
L abor P a rty
candidate fo r G overnor in 1942, w as
chief speaker.
“A lfange
adm itted ju s t how
scared th ey are,” de Hoyos said,
“w hen h e w arned his audience—a
very sm all one—th a t N ew York,
N ew Jersey, P ennsylvania and Illi­
nois a re close, and w hen he told
his h e a re rs th a t unless th e y g et
o u t an d w ork N ew Y ork S tate w ill
go fo r Dewey. I t is a little late
fo r A lfange, w ho only a sh o rt tim e
ago w as tied up w ith a p a rty th a t
em braced Com m unists, to tr y t a
salvage N ew Y ork S tate fo r Roose­
velt. I understand th a t a t th e
W oodridge ra lly h e said h e ‘shud­
dered’ over th e th o u g h ts of a Dew­
ey victory. Well, h e had b e tte r
s ta rt shaking, fo r Dewey is going to
win ju s t a s decisively as h e de­
feated A lfange tw o y ears ago fo r
th e G overnorship. A nd o u r whole
local ticket is going in w ith him !”
W hile A lfange w as disturbed
over th e Roosevelt prospects, he
w asn’t visibly concerned, de Hoyos
said, over th e fa c t th a t th e W ood­
ridge rally w as on a Sunday. “I
alw ays* th o u g h t,” de Hoyos said,
“th a t Sunday w as a day calling
fo r a certain religious, not political
respect. B ut ap p aren tly th e day
doesn’t m ean th a t to A lfange o r
th e
D em ocratic candidates who
tu rn ed o u t to a m an to s it on th e
ro stru m and to speak th e ir pieces,
including a n a tta c k on me. T hose
candidates w ere Sheriff H a rry Bor­
den, Jam es G. Lyons,. W alter A.
Schw arz and Irv in g B ershader. And
over in K iam esha, also on Sunday,
w as an o th er g ath erin g of o u r po­
litical opponents. W hile I am no t
ru n n in g fo r office, I suppose I
should feel flattered th a t I a m m en­
tioned. B u t fro m w h at I know
about th e re a l candidates, I can a s ­
su re th e D em o erats-'th at th e y al­
read y have enough on th e ir' hands
w ithout devoting an y atten tio n to
me. »»
C eJU tvrf'l
M JO M s
B
IP
Wm
O
N
D
A
B
IL
IT
Y
to boss y o u r w o r k ?
“ I ’m r e a lly d o n e u p a t t h e e n d o f th e d a y . T o o t i r e d t o d o
a n y th in g e ls e b u t r e a d t h e e v e n in g p a p e r a n d g o t o b e d .
M a y b e J i m ’s r i g h t — I l e t m y h o u s e w o r k b o s s m e a r o u n d .
" W h y d o n ’t y o u p l a n y o u r w o r k ? ” h e ’l l a s k . " I f h e ’s s a id
t h a t o n c e , h e ’s s a id i t a h u n d r e d tim e s .
“ I t o o k h im s e r io u s ly to d a y a n d I ’v e g o t a -p lan . W h e n t h i s
w a r ’s o v e r , p a r t o f m in e a n d J i m ’s s ta c k o f W a r B o n d s — o u r
B O N D A B IL IT Y -—is g o i n g t o b u y m e m o r e k i tc h e n e a s e a n d
c o m f o r t t h a n I ’v e e v e r k n o w n b e fo re .
" I ’m n o a r c h i te c t b u t I ’v e w o r k e d i n m y k itc h e n l o n g
e n o u g h t o k q o w w h a t I w a n t. C o m p a c t b u t r o o m y . . . S p a c e t o
m o v e a r o u n d i n e a s e a n d c o m f o r t . . . B r ig h tly l ig h t e d a n d c o o l
t o o . I t ’s g o i n g t o b e t h e l a s t w o r d i n u tility a n d c o n v e n ie n c e .
" I ’m g o i n g t o h a v e a l l t h e n e w a n d i m p r o v e d a u to m a tic
a p p lia n c e s a v a ila b le - . . . E v e ry th in g p la c e d .in l i t t l e w o r k
c y c le s . . . E v e ry th in g h a n d y f o r p r e p a r i n g ,t h e m e n u , c o o k in g
t h e m e a l a n d w a s h in g t h e d is h e s . J u s t t o t h i n k o f n o m o r e
d is h p a n s i s h e a v e n ly .
" A n d f o r m y m o n e y t h e r e ’l l b e n o m o r e r u n n i n g u p a n d
d o w n s ta ir s t o a b a s e m e n t la u n d r y . O f f i n o n e c o r n e r i n th e
k i tc h e n I ’l l h a v e s p a c e f o r c lo th e s h a m p e r s , o u t o f s i g h t a n d
t o p p e d w i t h s o r t i n g p a n e ls
. . A u to m a tic h o t w a te r a n d
p i p e d r i g h t i n t o a n a u to m a tic w a s h e r . . . S te p s a w a y w ill b e
t h e d r i e r ( n o m o r e c lo th e s lin e s ) a n d t h e i r o n e r .
" T h a t ’l l b e t h e d a y . F r o m t h e n o n I ’l l b o s s t h e w o r k in s te a d
o f l e t t in g i t b o s s m e .”
★
★
*
a
A fte r V ic to r y a n e w e r a w i l l d a w n i n th e jo y o f liv in g ; N e w
a n d im p r o v e d a p p lia n c e s i n e v e ry r o o m . M o r e o f t h e d r u d g e r y
o f h o u s e k e e p in g b a n is h e d fo re v e r.
R i g h t n o w i s d i e tim e t o p l a n f o r t h a t d a y ; A c c u m u la te a
s iz a b le n u m b e r o f W a r B o n d s . Y o u r s p e n d i n g p o w e r a f te r
V ic to r y — y o u r B o n d a b ility .
B o n d a b ility — k e e p t h a t w o r d u p p e r m o s t i n y o u r m in d ; I n ­
s te a d o f " H i n e i g h b o r ” o r " W h a t ’s t h e g o o d w o r d ? ” sa y
" H o w ’s Y o u r B o n d a b ility ? ”
R e m e m b e r , t h o u g h , y o u r B o n d a b ility n e v e r ,w i l l b e e n o u g h
u n t i l y o u ’v e b o u g h t e n o u g h B o n d s t o b u y E V E R Y T H I N G
y o u w a n t. B u ild u p y o u r B o n d a b ility ; ; : T O D A Y !
New York State
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