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Hold'er Newt

~ Old Northern Dutchess Life

Hold'er Newt

Category Archives: 20th Century

Signature Quilt – Flowers Only

04 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by SKH in 20th Century, Fiber Arts

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jackson corners, quilt, signature quilt

Of the 42 panels of the unfinished 1903 Northern Dutchess signature quilt in my possession, 14 panels do not have embroidered names, only embroidered flowers. Some have the ghosts of names once written in ink now lost forever.
Below is a gallery of those panels, showing flowers that may have been worked by the same woman as they are all worked in outline stitch for the most part and show a consistent skill-level. The designs, however vary greatly from an elegant calla lily to an amorphous cluster of what could be called flowers. I like to think that they let a young girl draw some of them.
I’m not sure if the women who made this quilt would have had a book or magazine or something similar, or if they just used existing images from wallpaper or other sources as a reference for the designs.
This 1892 quilt from Ohio has similar designs to the 1903 unfinished quilt, but is entirely done in redwork. Part of me is glad to not find anything like the 1903 quilt online because it makes it special, but is also frustrating to not be able to better define it.

White, yellow and grey lily in outline and seed stitch. No names.
Bird with banner on stump in red, brown, black and two yellow and green colors, worked in outline and split stem stitch. Faded inked names.
Grape leaf? in yellow outline stitch. No names.

Pansy or violet with butterfly in white and yellow outline stitch. No names.
Three flowers in white and yellow outline stitch. No names.
Small white flowers with yellow stems and white ribbons in outline stitch. No names.

Three tulips with ribbon in yellow and white outline stitch. No names.
Crudely designed flowers in white and yellow outline stitch. No names.
Calla lily in red and green shiny thread worked in outline stitch. Many faded inked names.

Crude tulip design, same as panel 4-3 in red, pink and white outline stitch. No names.
Five thistles in white and yellow outline stitch. No names.
Three flowers, the same design as panel 2-6, in red, pink and white outline stitch with some wear. Many faded inked names.

Flower and buds in white, yellow and black outline and seed stitch. No names
Three violet design in yellow and black outline stitch. No names.

Hinky Dinky Indeed!

08 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by SKH in 20th Century, WWI

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Losee, Ron Losee, WWI

I just had a great conversation on the phone with my 93 year old cousin. This was part of that conversation after I mentioned I have my grandfather’s drawings from when he was a kid of the allies fighting the Kaiser.

R: I remember a terrible naughty song… Maybe I shouldn’t…

S: PLEASE DO!

R: (Laughing) Scotch marine went over the top, parlez-vous, Scotch marine went over the top, parlez-vous, Scotch marine went over the top because he heard a penny drop, hinky dinky parlez-vous. (laughs). First marines went over the top, parlez-vous, First marines went over the top, parlez-vous, First marine went over the top to shoot the hairs off the Kaiser’s c*ck, hinky dinky parlez-vous! (laughs harder) Ok, one more. Mademoiselle from Armentiers, parlez-vous, Mademoiselle from Armentiers, parlez-vous, Mademoiselle from Armentiers hasn’t been screwed in forty years, hinky dinky parlez-vous!!

Below are three choice pics from said collection of children’s drawings.

Good For you, Darn Germans!
Ze Bomb
Kaiser in Hell

Trip to Saranac Lake, 1920

16 Sunday Dec 2012

Posted by SKH in 20th Century, Genealogy

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1920s, John Losee, Losee, saranac lake

“A Trip to the Adirondack Mountains”

John Losee, English I, Sept. 29, 1920

We had some relations living in the Adirondack Mountains who invited us to spend a few weeks with them. We decided to go. We went to Barrytown about six o’clock and took a train. The ride lasted all day and when we arrived Saranac Lake my uncle was there and he took us to his house. Saranac Lakes is not on the Saranac lakes but on Lake Flower. There is not very good swimming places in Lake Flower so we planned a picnic to another lake called Pine Pond.

Larry Losee, Irene Fraleigh, and John Losee at Saranac Lake c. 1918

Larry Losee, Irene Fraleigh, and John Losee at Saranac Lake c. 1918

To get there we had to go through several lakes and walk about one mile. It was a beautiful lake but had a poor beach. It went out about three feet and then dropped off quite steeply. We had a fine time except that I being used to a long beach ran in the water and went out a little too far and went under. We went from the lake and found our friends at the place we left our boat and we had a picnic in the woods. Then we went home.

Another day we went in a motor boat that carried passengers and had a nice trip through the lakes. We went to the movies several times.

“Poor conclusion” is written in red at the bottom.

John Losee of Red Hook

13 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by SKH in 20th Century, Genealogy

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books, John Losee, Losee, red hook, rutgers, The Illustrated Life & Times of John Losee of Red Hook

Recently, my aunt Jan was cleaning and discovered a box that had belonged to my grandmother Clara Losee full of Losee genealogy notes, original source documents and the most precious thing I have found so far: “My Story” as written by my grandfather, John Losee.

When I started doing research and going through what I had, my mother said that this short autobiography existed but I couldn’t find it. We feared it to be lost.

It is 65 pages typed single space and is pretty comprehensive and surprisingly interesting for a story about a man who was born and died in Red Hook.

After scanning the document and converting it to text I am now editing the conversion (some of it came out greeked) and at about halfway through I realized I have a photograph for just about every detail he describes. Some of the images in the collection now make sense in context of the story. Just a few days ago I decided I should make a book…

The working title is “The Illustrated Life & Times of John Losee of Red Hook”. What I have envisioned sounds like a lengthy and daunting process, but I think it’s too good to pass up. The above snapshot is indeed of Grampa Losee c. 1933 lying on a rail road track with a lantern by his head.

Here’s one of the more eyebrow-raising excerpts from the manuscript about goofing around while attending Rutgers (1925-1929):

He was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment and came back with his hand and face bandaged. He was treated to free drinks at a local speak-easy for the next two weeks while the bandages were on. Here ended the bomb making. Much later I learned that the New York State Conservation Department experimented with the mixture to fire trapping nets for bird-banding but abandoned it because it was too sensitive to detonation!

The c.1925 chemical burn victim above was his roommate Phil, who I now know is the same Phil who was setting decoys on the Hudson in 1940 in this favorite image. If you blew your roommate up in your dorm room today, you’d be booted out of school and his family would sue you out of existence. Not only did Grampa complete his degree at Rutgers, the roommate became his hunting partner! Sort of makes me pine for a less litigious time.

Smudge Pots

27 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by SKH in 20th Century, Apple Farming, Color Slides

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apples, farming, John Losee, kodachrome, Losee, photography, red hook, upper red hook

It’s already 30 degrees and heading down to the high teens tonight. This is normally not a problem for our local fruit growers, like my cousins in Red Hook, but due to the freakishly warm weather earlier in the month, the trees have begun to bloom already. It’s only one night, but it could be devastating to the fruit crop.

In the past, orchards in danger were sometimes protected by smudge pots, as my grandfather did for his apples in the 40s. You can read more on what smudge pots were here at Wikipedia.

"Burning Smudge Pots", May 10th 1947 by John Losee

From the looks of them, they were most certainly DIY and not exactly safe…

"Smudge Pot Steam Explosion" May 10th, 1947 by John Losee

I hope the blooms make it through this frosty night!

Aunt Fanny Telephoning

20 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by SKH in 20th Century, Genealogy

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Fraleigh, John Losee, kodachrome, Losee, photography, red hook

“Aunt Fanny Telephoning” by John Losee, December 25th, 1940

Pictured are Rosalie Fraleigh Losee on the left and Fanny Keyes Elmore Fraleigh on the telephone, probably at Rose Hill Farm in Red Hook, but possibly at the Thomas/Losee house in Upper Red Hook. My guess is Rose Hill, because there is a lot of paperwork in the secretary behind Fanny. Rosalie’s husband Dr. Harvey Losee had been dead for nine years when this photo was taken so I imagine that the farm would have generated the papers, not a widow in a house by herself.

Red Cross Lawn Fete

12 Monday Dec 2011

Posted by SKH in 20th Century

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John Losee, Losee, photography, red cross, rock city

Poughkeepsie Eagle-News, Tuesday, August 13, 1918

“Rock City:  Some of this place attended the lawn fete at Hoffman Inn Thursday evening. Friday Evening the Red Cross Society met at t he home of Mrs. Henrietta Morehouse. A very pleasant evening was spent and officers for the  new year elected.” – Old Fulton Post Cards

Unknown boy on left with John and Lawrence Losee, August 8th 1918 at the Lawn Fete

I don’t recall how I made the connection between the Lawn Fete and the Red Cross, but I’m pretty sure that the back of the image was marked Red Cross 1918 or something similar.

Blithewood

02 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by SKH in 20th Century, Color Slides

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annandale, bard, blithewood, John Losee, kodachrome, photography, red hook

“Zabriskie Mansion” November 23rd, 1942 by John Losee

This photo was taken of the mansion in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY while it still belonged to the family and before it was used by Bard College.  I was confused at first because the name Zabriskie didn’t ring any bells and I thought that Grampa must have taken this picture from his beloved Cruger’s Island (just North of Bard) and mistook this for Ulster County. Then I googled “Zabriskie mansion” and the light went on.

“In 1899 Captain Andrew C. Zabriskie, a cattle breeder, numismatist, and antiquarian, purchased the estate and retained Francis Hoppin, an alumnus of the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, to design a manor house and garden. Hoppin produced a house in an eclectic, grand style, blending architectural and decorative elements from centuries of English mansion design with the latest turn-of-the-century technology. Captain Zabriskie’s son donated the estate to Bard College in 1951.” – Levy Institute/Bard College

  Click here for Google maps to see exactly where it is.

“Cider Sign”

01 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by SKH in 20th Century, Apple Farming, Color Slides

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apples, John Losee, kodachrome, photography, red hook

“Cider Sign” September 19th, 1941 by John Losee

The image directly before this one is labeled “Denino’s Cider Mill”. Whether this sign is for part of Denino’s operations or not is uncertain. I’ve googled but come up empty handed as to exactly where this was, but judging by the other images on the roll, it could not have been far from Red Hook, NY.

Grampa would take his culls (apples that had some defect found after picking and could not be sold as-is) to be processed into cider. See the earlier post “Picking Kings” showing a pick up truck loaded with drops and Grampa’s dog, Amos in the driver’s seat.

“Catskills at Sunrise”

30 Wednesday Nov 2011

Posted by SKH in 20th Century, Apple Farming, Color Slides

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John Losee, kodachrome, photography, upper red hook

November Series

“Catskills at Sunrise” November 22nd, 1942 by John Losee

This image was most likely taken in or around Red Hook, NY. If so, there are a good deal more houses in this view today than there were in 1942.

Good-bye, November!

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