About Jon Booth
Posts by Jon Booth:
A Windmill and the Advent of Indoor Plumbing
The Olcott School (built 1905) is conspicuous in this photo that depicts eight men astride a 60-foot windmill, which they likely had just erected at 20 Olcott Avenue in Bernardsville, NJ. The slatted fanwheel and tail are just out of view at the top of the frame. Windmills like these, a common innovation across the
... Learn more156 South Finley, Basking Ridge
In 1870, Mary (Lewis) Goltra (1832-1896), a recent widow, built the house at 156 South Finley Avenue, Basking Ridge, NJ, perhaps with the assistance of her father-in-law, James P. Goltra. A farmer and local builder, James constructed the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church in the late 1860s. Eventually, the house was owned by Mary’s daughter, Margaret
... Learn moreTrapping Foxes in Basking Ridge
When my brother Stuart ‘Budge’ Booth (1939- 2002) was a kid in the early 1950s, he used to go across Maple Avenue and set traps over towards the Great Swamp. We lived on South Finley Avenue. In the morning before school he would check his traps, and if there was a fox caught, he would
... Learn more





My father, Cole Vanderbeek Nevius (born in 1916), and his siblings all attended this school! I’d love to know if…
Hi Duncan, During research, we were unable to find a full yearbook for 1942, only the Bernardian. THSSH would love…
I have my father's year book with this picture. If someone requests, I'll identify more of the members.
Hi Tara, we live in Spokane, WA, been to Alberta many times. My family line is: Johannes and Mariah Katrina…
I was in the 4th Grade, and Sister Mary Eugenia was my teacher. To say that we were all devastated,…