Bound Volumes

210 YEARS AGO
Education – Mr. Bond offers his services to the
inhabitants of Otsego Village to give Lessons in a new and fashionable style of Dancing. Mr. B. proposes to give his first Lesson on Friday Evening next, at Stephen Fitch’s Hall in said village, where he solicits the patronage of the Parents and Guardians of Young Masters and Misses who may wish to encourage this accomplishment. Satisfactory references will be given by applying to Mr. Isaac Williams. Terms Three Dollars, to be paid at the close of the School.
November 23, 1811

160 YEARS AGO
Otsego Regiment – The Cherry Valley Gazette states that nearly 500 men are now enrolled, and two companies are expected to join the Regiment this week. Most of the men went into barracks on Wednesday of last week. The ladies of Cherry Valley raised $70 at a Fair on Friday last to aid in furnishing the Otsego Regiment with articles essential to their comfort. Whatever may be done hereafter for soldiers not in hospitals, by the people of this County, should be done for this regiment, or the Otsegians in other regiments.
November 29, 1861

135 YEARS AGO
The Freeman’s Journal will be enlarged to the extent of giving a column and a half more reading matter each issue, in a few weeks, as soon as we use up the paper now on hand. This will involve an additional expense of at least $100 a year; but we are now crowded for space, although we decline a large amount of advertising offered us. We believe our readers will appreciate the enlargement and our design to keep the old Journal in the very first rank of enterprising county weeklies; and most of them doubtless prefer to pay $2 for a family journal that is printed on the best quality of paper, from type wholly set especially for it, and that is made really worth the money, than to have a $1.50 paper of smaller size, printed on poor paper with cheap ink, and most of the room given up to advertisers.
November 27, 1886

85 YEARS AGO
The third annual meeting of the Native Sons of Cooperstown was held at Sherry’s Restaurant, Thursday, November 19. There were 24 members of the organization present for the occasion. Hostess for the event was Mrs. George H. White, widow of the organization’s founder and first president. After the meal, at the request of Claude L. Hotaling, the members of the organization stood and bowed their heads in a moment of silent tribute to the memory of the four members who had passed on since the last meeting.

Those men were, in addition to George H. White, Arthur B. Cooper, Michael P. Kraham, and Henry K. Ball.
November 25, 1936

35 YEARS AGO
“I wonder how far my balloon will travel?” was a question many of the second and third grade students were asking on Thursday, November 20, as they launched helium-filled balloons as part of the Great American Smokeout. Balloons donated by the American Cancer Society carried each student’s own, original anti-smoking slogan on an attached tag as they wafted skyward. In
addition to the attached slogan, each tag bore the name and address of the student to encourage finders to respond to the students and inform them of the distance their message had traveled.
November 26, 1986

20 YEARS AGO
“Reflections,” a sample of photography by Cooperstown resident Donna Shean, is on display in the Key Bank showcase gallery until November 30. Shean seldom sells her photographs — she gives them away. Her only compensation came in 1981, when she was a stringer for the Syracuse Herald American during her senior year at St. Lawrence University. Shean took her first photography class in 1990 while pregnant with her son Jacob. Mike Pikarsky taught the course at Cooperstown Central School and Shean credits Manfred Weidemann of Pioneer Photo with selling Shean her first single lens reflex camera.
November 23, 2001