The Town of Callicoon was formed in 1842; taken from the town of Liberty. The Village of Jeffersonville was incorporated in 1924.
One of the earliest settlers was James Cannon, who moved here circa 1830 from Delaware County with his wife, Polly Baird, and children (he appears in the 1840 federal census in the town of Liberty.) When the town of Callicoon was formed, James Cannon was one of the commissioners of schools, the records of which can be viewed in the Town Clerk's office in Jeffersonville, NY. Another notable resident from the early years is Jacob D. Schermerhorn, who encouraged many Dutch and German-speaking immigrants to settle in the area. He built the first hotel at Jeffersonville, and was postmaster at North Branch in the late 1850's. The book, Schermerhorn Genealogy and Family Chronicles, by Richard Schermerhorn Jr. (1914, Tobias Wright, New York) tells more about Jacob's ancestors and descendents. Many stories of the German-speaking community and customs have been recorded by the former Town Historian, Charles Hicks, and are in the Sullivan County Archives in Hurleyville, NY, including programs which were displayed for the town's centennial celebration in 1942. Callicoon township contains these villages and hamlets:
Callicoon Center
Town Clerk:Vacant
Town of Callicoon |