tomrue 6 April 2009

At the reorganizational meeting of the Village of Monticello Board of Trustees held on Monday, April 6, 2009, a relatively minor item of business was the appointment of Tom Rue as Village Historian. The last time a Village Historian was named was 2004, in an appointment made by then Village Manager Richard Sush. To the best of my knowledge, based on a review of minutes, the Village Historian position appears to have been vacant since 2005.

The next day I posted a Certified letter to the last gentleman known to occupy this position, and hand-delivered a copy to the Village Clerk. I cited the New York State Art and Cultural Affairs Law §57.09, which requires of local historians:

“He or she shall make an annual report, in the month of January, to the local appointing officer or officers and to the state historian of the work which has been accomplished during the preceding year. He or she shall, upon retirement or removal from office, turn over to the local county, city, town or village authorities, or to his or her successor in office, if one has been then appointed, all materials gathered during his or her incumbency and all correspondence relating thereto.”

I have not yet received a reply. I do not intend to pursue this request, except to note that if no reply is received, I will presume with all due respect to my predecessor, that it will appear he did nothing during his year as Village Historian, which is the only logical explanation for the absence of any materials gathered or any correspondence during his incumbency. If materials or correspondence are received hereafter, I will be sure to post an update to this article.

On the night of my appointment, I reported to the Board of Trustees:

  1. First, on progress with clean-up and restoration of the abandoned Litts family cemetery adjacent to Sleepy Hollow Apartments, in cooperation with Town of Thompson Highway Superintendent Rich Benjamin, and an ongoing search for living descendants of persons buried there as requested by a principal of the corporation which recently purchased Sleepy Hollow Apartments in order to invite them to take part in an eventual planned "grand re-opening" ceremony; and
     
  2. Second, I acknowledged the service to the community of Village employee and resident Alvin Dumas who has participated as a member of the Sullivan County Bicentennial Steering Committee, explaining that I am unable to attend these meetings because of work obligations. I asked the Board and Mr. Dumas in a letter, to kindly keep me informed of bicentennial activities as they may involve the Village of Monticello, promising to give him credit for work that he does.

I have begun compiling a list of links to transcriptions of local cemeteries that are available on the web, while attempting to make additional such records accessible to the public without charge. Other local history articles and documents that I have compiled over the years over the years are also hosted on my server.

Interested readers are also also pointed to the archive of Sullivan Retrospective articles by Sullivan County Historian John Conway, published regularly in The Sullivan County Democrat. I also plan to continue to publish occasional articles, on the web and/or in print, as well as offering periodic reports to Village officials and others related to local history, resources, and public education on such matters.

I signed the Oath Book today (April 13, 2009) in the presence of Village Manager Zachary Kelson and Clerk Edith Schop.

Public historical inquiries may be sent either by e-mail (quickest), to PO Box 706, Monticello, NY 12701 (moderate speed), or c/o Village Hall, 2 Pleasant Street, Monticello, NY 12701 (allow for possible delay). I will do my best to respond in a timely manner, including offering referrals to appropriate officials, agencies, or private researchers when indicated. Keep in mind, when making such requests for assistance or information, that the Village Historian is unpaid and has no public budget. If requesting a reply by mail, please include a post-paid pre-addressed return envelope.

Requests for public documents, including those of an historical nature, made pursuant to the NYS Freedom of Information Law should be addressed to the Village Clerk who is the person primarily responsible under the Monticello Village Code for complying with that section of the Public Officers Law.

While I make every effort to keep information that I post on this and other websites entirely accurate, mistakes can arise. If you discover any errors or important omissions, please e-mail me, including any evidence or references to support the correction you are proposing. I will be grateful for the opportunity to correct any mistakes that are brought to light.

On a personal note, with respect to matters involving local Freemasonry, I am also the county-wide Historian for the Sullivan Masonic District, of which the Right Worshipful John P. Wells is the District Deputy Grand Master. I am a past Master of Monticello Lodge #532, F&AM (2000-2002) and currently the lodge's Chaplain under Worshipful Master Bucky Laufersweiler.

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