THE BREESE FAMILY IN MACEDON

The Bullis family was  connected to Macedon’s Breese family through Nettie and Charlie’s mother, Josephine Breese Bullis, who was born in 1861.

To date, we have found only scant information about this family. Again, we consulted the Pioneers of Macedon, and on page 34 found a reference to an Anthony Breese who purchased property and later built a brick house on that site. From the text preceding this information, we infer that this was in the early 1800s. Then on page 49 of this same book, it states that an Arthur Breese was an early purchaser of land in Macedon in the time frame of the late 1700s to very early 1800s. One more Breese reference appears on page 173 of the Pioneers of Macedon, noting that Henry J. Breese served as Macedon supervisor from 1888-89.  Therefore, it appears to us that this family was established and respected in the community. 

We would greatly appreciate any information you could share with us about the Breese family and how Josephine Breese and Abraham Bullis  met and joined these two families.

LAPHAM-PORTER FAMILIES

In 1837, when the Charles H. Bullis family arrived in Macedon, the Laphams had called this area home for almost 50 years. Thus when Charles and Eleanor Bullis’s son Abraham married Lydia Porter Lapham, he married into a well-established family. Perhaps two established families, for Lydia’s middle name (Porter) indicates that she was a member of another long-term Macedon family.

According to Pioneers of Macedon (p. 32, 33), “William Porter came from Cunningham (Massachuettts) in 1793. It is supposed that he came on horseback. He located on what has since been known as the ‘Porter farm,’ which extended from the four corners to Delano’s Lane. He married Lydia Claghorn of Williamsburg, Mass., who was born in 1780, and came to the township in 1796 with her aunt, Mrs. David Warner, who was formerly Mrs. David White.”

We’ve been unable to determine if the Lydia Porter Lapham was a descendant of William Porter and Lydia Claghorn Porter. However, one of their daughter’s (Salome) married John Lapham and it is possible that Lydia Porter was their child. (We’ll continue to research that.)

Whether William Porter was actually connected to the Bullises, his life in Macedon makes for a great story. And we’ll share some of it with you next week.

NEW ENGLAND FRUGALITY

"USE IT UP, WEAR IT OUT, MAKE IT DO, OR DO WITHOUT.

Western New Yorkers who witnessed the Bullis Family's frugality assumed that it came from their Vermont roots. Whatever the primary source may have been, Nettie and Charlie learned this lifestyle at their father's knee because Abraham Bullis spent his money only on the very necessities of living.

Abraham's children received new clothing only when their old clothes were worn out. Toys were a rarity in the Bullis home, and Abraham never allowed his children to play games unless the games taught them something. He wanted them to think for themselves and be creative. Obviously, he accomplished his child-rearing goals because Nettie and Charlie were known for their independent, creative thinking. And they both followed their father's conservative lifestyle.

Nettie and Charlie both maintained simple diets during their lives. Charlie's favorite food was dry cereal and peanut butter/brown-sugar sandwiches while Nettie, it is recorded, routinely stopped by a grocery store on her evening trip home from work to buy two slices of bologna, sometimes bread, and a pint bottle of milk for her supper. Charlie also made the rounds of Rochester bakeries for stale breads, which he soaked in warm water to make edible.

Both dressed quite simply, making-do with the same clothing year after year. Nettie's style of dress was businesslike and always neat, but with few changes over the years.

Charlie was into recycling long before anyone else knew the word. He used dry cereal boxes to make filing cases for his business papers and made-do with only one light for his illumination in the nighttime hours. To conserve heat, he sat directly over the heat register in a chair fashioned out of a large cardboard box, with a light bulb for additional heat.

We may smile and roll our eyes at the idea of some of these frugal behaviors. However, today as we raise concerns about our carbon footprints and worsening global economy, perhaps we would be wise to take another look at some of Charlie's and Nettie's frugal ways.