Delaware County NY Genealogy and History Site

First off I would like to thank the following people for all the support they have given me in my on-going restoration of Houghtaling Hollow Cemetery. Betsy Clark, (Meredith Town clerk) Bernice Telian (Delaware County Historian) Roy Palmer (of Houghtaling Hollow road) The Meredith Town Board (for voting on me as the Caretaker of Houghtaling Hollow Cemetery) and of course Joyce for allowing me a place to share some history and my work at Houghtaling Hollow Cemetery.

A few years back my father and I were talking about a cemetery that contained Houghtalings, somewhere in Delaware County, named Houghtaling Hollow. We had never been there before but knew through family history and letters that is existed. My cousin Grace Hotaling Talada had tried to locate it many years ago. She actually stood at the corner of Houghtaling Hollow Rd and Monkey Run Rd (where the cemetery is located) back in the 1990's. "It was pouring rain and I couldn't tell or see where the cemetery was" she wrote. Little did she know she was looking directly at the cemetery but because of years of growth and neglect, was unable to even see where the cemetery was. The effort was abandoned until my father told me of this place, then the hunt was on!

My dad and I decided to take a drive and try and find the cemetery ourselves. Our hunt was made easy. Because of the relentless drive of a wonderful Historian named Bernice Telian and her never ending efforts to find and preserve history and cemeteries throughout Delaware County, work had already begun. All the growth and trees that had overrun Houghtaling Hollow cemetery had been cut away and cleared, revealing a broken, battered and long forgotten old family cemetery. This is what my dad and I found when we drove up to it. Though elated we had finally "found" what others in my family had been trying to locate for years. We were saddened by all the broken stones and damage which is common in many old cemeteries lost in time. As we walked the grounds and saw all the Houghtalings of our past, the decision was an easy one to make. "Dad, I said, I'm going to restore this place and bring it back to life out of pride and respect for our family heritage". "A fine idea" he said... and so it began.

My last name is spelled Hotaling. My original last name spelling was Houghtaling. There may be many of you who never knew this. It is important for those who study this line of Houghtaling history to know about this change. I am, as are my ancestors of Houghtaling Hollow, directly descended from Mathys Coenradtsen Houghtaling. Records in Albany NY, and from books written, document that Mathys C. Houghtaling came over to America from the Almshouse for boys and girls in the Netherlands, to the New World, to "increase the population of New Netherlands". It is believed that Mathys never had a surname in Holland, but was exposed to the surname Houghtaling after appearing in court in 1668. There he was brought before the Judge Jan Willemson Houghtaling (the two men were not related according to history records.) Mathys was brought before the Judge for declaring "Damn the King"! and "Devil fetch the King"! "while chopping wood on a Sunday morning. There are places on the web that have said to have found Mathys' parent's names back in Holland but this cannot hold true if he assumed that surname only after being in court here in America in 1668. In my family's genealogy the name Houghtaling remained unchanged for 233 years, until 1900. James (Jemiah) Houghtaling, (1795 - 1871) my GGG grandfather who is buried at Houghtaling Hollow, had a son Robert. Robert is my GG grandfather. According to census records, Robert changed the spelling from Houghtaling to Hotaling in 1900. Robert lived from 1821 to 1908 and is buried in Hartwick NY (as Robert Hotaling). Why he did this we do not know. According to stories passed down through time in my family this caused a huge argument with his one son Leroy. Leroy didn't approve of the name change and moved away and (we believe) changed in it back to Houghtaling. Roberts other son, Orra Hotaling , my Great Grandfather(1866 - 1934) who is buried in Standing Stone Pennsylvania, accepted the name change and it has stayed that way in my family line since then.

The last person buried at Houghtaling Hollow was Henry Houghtaling (1803-1893). The first was Athildred Hanson (1787 - 1825). Eventually families move on and in many cases cemeteries are left to fend for themselves. Without help, nature will win every time. When I first looked over the cemetery, there were 10 stones down. The following winter, 4 more were toppled. Harriett Houghtaling's stone had a corner broken off at the bottom, Ann Eliza Houghtaling's was half buried in the ground, her base stone broken. According to a 1930's list there were 2 others that were buried here. I couldn't even locate 'John & Mary Crawford'. I began to clean each stone carefully and prepared them to be raised into place once again. Using a combination of mortar, concrete and vinyl concrete, I soon had almost every stone secure and in place. The Hansons' (Athildred and Peter) headstones are up against trees down in the lower right corner of the cemetery. I'd like to know at least approximately, where they are buried before I secure their stones in place. There is equipment that can be used to locate burials and will be done in the future. The Stone Wall is a work in progress as is the removal of stumps. I wrecked 2 weed wackers and 1 lawn mower in 2003! All of this work has been done by me, using my own money, so sometimes progress is slow. But as time goes on, and each task is completed, Houghtaling Hollow Cemetery will be a place of respect and beauty. A reminder of days gone by, a reflection of the past where our forefathers rest now, to be maintained by us for future generations. For it is our past, which has brought us our future.... and we owe them this much, don't we?

There has been a few things discovered here and a few mysteries we may never find out. There are 3 field stones with initials on them. Two of them are "JH." and "PH " ...These 2 stones are located between James and Henry Houghtaling, sons of my GGGG Grandfather Johannes Houghtaling (aka John). He settled his family at Houghtaling Hollow. Here he had a mill. It has been documented that Johannes is "undoubtedly" the "John Houghtelin" who was a member of Captain Christopher Miller's company, Morris Graham's Division of the First Regiment, Dutchess County Militia, during the Revolutionary War. Johannes lived from 1763 to 1844. I have been unable to locate solid proof as to where he is buried. I'm also unsure if they have the right "John" who fought in the War. Could this be Johannes and his Wife Polly buried here at Houghtaling Hollow? Someday we will have to find out to be sure and if he is a Revolutionary soldier, he will receive the proper recognition. Bernice Telian would definitely see to that! There also is a field stone here marked "CH". This one is located near Henry Jackson Houghtaling and his wife Harriett. As of this writing I am unsure who this is, or even if the stone is in the right location in the cemetery. Again, there is equipment that can locate burials in the ground and we may someday know where this stone belongs. Two pieces of equipment that can be used are a Cesium Vapor Magnatometer and a Ground Imaging Radar unit. I'd like to borrow these if anyone has them!

Besides the named headstones of the Houghtalings, Crawfords, Hansons and Dorcas Couse, (who by the way lived to be almost 106 years old! - 1777-1882), there are at least 30 unmarked stones at the cemetery, maybe more. These may have been children who died early. With equipment I will be able to find out if these are actual burials.

Last year Roy Palmer and I discovered John and Mary Crawford's headstones buried in the ground and in near perfect condition. These will be put in place this year (2004).

These pictures were taken in the Summer and Fall of 2002. There wasn't much left standing and some of those that were standing would eventually fall over during the following winter. The headstones were blackened and barely readable. All of this would soon be repaired.

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