Jeanette Aurelia Bullis was born 120 years ago today. This is a special day for those of us who admire and respect her, a day to remember her generosity to her community that continues through her scholarships and grants.
This year we also remember that Nettie Bullis's generosity was a result of her New England frugality and her business acumen. Although she never heard the term that's currently being tossed around, Nettie Bullis began "leaning in" more than a century ago. And she continued in that manner throughout her life.
Nettie Bullis was truly a woman ahead of her time. The results of her actions speak louder than words. We can only again say, "Thank you, Nettie Bullis, for being you."
These two links will give you more detail about Miss Bullis's life and accomplishments:
http://www.palmaccsd.org/community.cfm?subpage=357790
http://bullisbookchronicles.blogspot.com/2009/03/nettie-bullis.html
Showing posts with label New England Frugality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New England Frugality. Show all posts
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Friday, October 15, 2010
NETTIE BULLIS
If Nettie Bullis could speak to us from her grave in the Village of Palmyra Cemetery, what would be her message? Here is our version of what she might say to the people on this year's cemetery walk:
"I am new to the walk this year because some of my friends thought I should be included. I feel somewhat uncomfortable with all of this attention. I've always shied away from that sort of thing.
"I am new to the walk this year because some of my friends thought I should be included. I feel somewhat uncomfortable with all of this attention. I've always shied away from that sort of thing.
"However, since you’ve all come here this evening and paid your entrance fee, it is appropriate that I offer you some information about myself and my family so that you will get your money’s worth. My family always lived by the principle of getting your money’s worth and never wasting anything. When my great-grandfather Charles H. Bullis and his family moved from Vermont to Macedon in 1837, they brought with them the New England frugality that they had always lived by, and that way of living was handed down from generation to generation.
"A second principle my family lived by was life-long education. When my brother Charlie and I were growing up, my father insisted that our toys were things we could learn something from. He got this idea from his father who was a local doctor and who greatly valued education. After my father graduated from Cornell in the early 1880s with degrees in mathematics and civil engineering, he continued his education by collecting and reading science, math, engineering, and medical books.
"In fact, you can see many of these books today at Macedon Public Library. They have a special room there—they even named it for my family—and it houses the remaining books from our collection. My father and grandfather would be very pleased about that. And of course there is a significant number of books on horticulture that belonged to my brother Charlie. But that’s another subject.
"Honest, hard work was a third principle of the Bullises. The first Bullises in Macedon built the cobblestone house that served as a home to three generations of the family. It is where my brother Charlie and I grew up, and it still stands today on Canandaigua Road. By the way, every year in May Charlie’s poppies bloom in the front yard and make a wonderful display for several weeks.
"Hard work was never a stranger to me. In my earlier years, I did chores around our place, and when I was older I accompanied my father on many of his surveying jobs, taking notes that he used in his engineering drawings. After high school graduation in 1911, I attended Cornell University for a while and then taught school in Marion. Following that, I took a position as bookkeeper at Gleason Works in Rochester. While at Gleasons, I was fortunate to have several opportunities for advancement and was serving as Assistant Secretary of Gleason Works when I retired.
"It was not my intention to be a wealthy woman, but I did accumulate a tidy sum through careful planning, saving, wise investments, and my New England frugality. When I wrote my will, I was pleased to be able to benefit a number of individuals and organizations here in Wayne County.
"As you can see from my headstone I lived for 86 years, from March 23, 1893 to October 1, 1979. Most of my life was spent in Macedon, but upon my death I took up residence here in Palmyra in my family's plot. It's a quiet, peaceful place to spend eternity, and I greatly enjoy the company.
"Well, I feel I've taken enough of your time this evening. Thank you for stopping by and giving me your kind attention. I must say that I've enjoyed our time together. So much, in fact, that I hope I'm invited to do this again next year."
Thursday, April 9, 2009
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.
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.
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