18 Tuesday Aug 2026
Posted in 20th Century, Color Slides, Farming
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While sweating in record heat or choking on wildfire smoke, please enjoy this image of Greig Farm in Red Hook taken by my grandfather, John Losee in December of 1951. I scanned it recently while working to collect images for my next book (that I’ve been “working on” for I think 15+ years?).
07 Wednesday Jul 2021
Posted in 20th Century, Books
I’m wrapping up the 1903 Jackson Corners Signature Quilt book hopefully by the end of the year.
I’m also working on a small booklet about the Red Hook Methodist Cemetery on Cherry St., TBA
And since 2012 I’ve had The Illustrated Life & Times of John Losee of Upper Red Hook on the backburner.
Once the Jackson Corners book is in my hands, I’ll pick the Losee book back up.
Happy Birthday, Grampa!
16 Sunday Dec 2012
Posted in 20th Century, Genealogy
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“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
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.
13 Monday Aug 2012
Posted in 20th Century, Genealogy
Tags
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.
27 Tuesday Mar 2012
Posted in 20th Century, Apple Farming, Color Slides
Tags
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!
20 Tuesday Mar 2012
Posted 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.
12 Monday Dec 2011
Posted in 20th Century
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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.
02 Friday Dec 2011
Posted 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.
01 Thursday Dec 2011
Posted in 20th Century, Apple Farming, Color Slides
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“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.
30 Wednesday Nov 2011
Posted in 20th Century, Apple Farming, Color Slides
“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!
