MONEY MANAGEMENT AND THE BULLIS FAMILY

We've referred to the Bullis family's New England frugality in several of our posts on this site. Nettie and Charlie Bullis both accumulated impressive estates through this frugality and by investing their money wisely. There is an anecdotal record that Charlie Bullis lost all his investments in the October, 1929 stock market crash. However, it's also noted that he got back into the market and recovered his losses.

To recoup his investments, perhaps Mr. Bullis consulted several investment books that are on the shelves here in the Bullis Room. These titles include:

1. How to Invest for Income and Profit During 1930-1931 by Edgar T. Brainerd (New York: Ticker Publishing Co., 1930). This volume has the signature "Charles R. Bullis, Jan. 2, 1931."

2. The New Technique of Uncovering Security Bargains by John Du Rand (New York: Ticker Publishing Co., 1928). The inside front cover bears the initial "C" in what appears to be Charlie Bullis's handwriting.

3. The Evaluation of Common Stocks by Arnold Bernhard (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1959)

4. Investments: Principles and Practices by Douglas Hamilton Bellemore (New York: B.C. Forbes and Sons Pub. Co., 1953)

Perhaps you might find some useful information in one of these books. We would be glad to get them off the shelf so you could browse through them, just as Nettie and Charlie may have once done. Hope to see you in the Bullis Room soon.

HOW TO MAKE A BOW AND ARROW

Bow hunting season is now in full force here in western New York, and when we recently read the following essay by "Charles R. Bullis, Second yr. English, September 25, 1906," we thought it an appropriate time to share with you the fifteen-year-old's idea of "How to make a Bow and Arrow."

"I am now about to describe the manufacture of the bow and arrow the weapon upon which the Indians and many other nations depend to procure the food supply and which played such an important part in the history of the English our ancestors, or rather to tell how they may bee constructed from local material and used as a pleasant out door sport.

"Yew and Lancewood are undoubtebly the best wood for bow but osage orange, white ash, hickory, apple tree and cedar all of which grow in this locality will make very good bows. The wood should be winter cut and well seasoned and the bow should be made from that part of the tree where the heart wood joins the sap wood. There were many kinds of bows used by different tribes some of horn, some of bone some of wood backed with sinew and some compound but I will tell how an effective bow might be made with a moderate expenditure of labor.

"The bow should be made of straight grained wood with a straight part in the middle while the ends should be shaved down evenly untill they are of the proper strength. The Indians used sinew for the bow string but braided linen will do just as well. The indians oiled their bows to protect them from moisture as well as to render them more elastic, a fact which may be used to advantage by people owning bows.

"The arrows may be made of well seasoned white pine, cedar, ash or hickory split out of straight grained pieces and planed round and smooth. The Indians used bone or siliceous stone to make the arrow heads but hoop iron is better or the arrows ends may be hardened in a fire. The arrows should have half of three wing feathers (all left or all right) fastened lengthwise at the back end of the arrow to make them go straight unless the head is extry heavy which would answer the same purpose. The notch in the back end of the arrow is called the nock and it may be easily made with a saw.

"When the glue dries that has been used in fastening the feathers there will be a good outfit from which much ammusement may be had shooting at sparrows and targets."

We don't know whether Charlie Bullis ever made his own bow and arrow, but his directions earned a "good" comment from his teacher (along with numerous spelling corrections). As readers, we also give him a "good" because we gained a greater appreciation for our ancestors skills and abilities to produce useful tools with native materials.

BULLIS CATS

Recently, we pulled from the shelf Walter Chandoha's Book of Kittens and Cats (New York: Bramhill, 1963). As we admired this visual account of feline friends, we remembered Charlie Bullis's written account of the cats in his family's life.

Mr. Bullis's essay is titled "A Biography of Snipy." Although it is undated, we conclude that he wrote it as a student since the first six pages each bear a list of words in the margins that appear to be spelling words. Here is the beginning of that essay:

"About as far back as I can remember we had no cat untill Papa brought a kitten from Uncle Steves. Nettie and I called her Papa Cat.

"After a while Papa Cat had three kittens. Nettie called one of them hers and I called one mine and mama claimed the other and named her Babins. Mama also called Nettie's cat Tomy. Tomy disappeared in about a year and my cat was kill by Cristy our cow. Papa Nettie and I went walking over the cow pasture to get strawberries and my pussy went with us. When we came to the well Papa watered the cows and my kittie rooled up against Cristys hind leg and Cristy stomped on my cat and hurt her so she died and that gave her the name of Cowkill but Babins lived a long, hard, useful life and did not die till about Sept. first 1903. Cowkill was the first cat I can remember."

Later on, Mr. Bullis wrote:

"...(Snipy) was Netties cat. One morning Snipy came in lame in the left hip we thought that Reeds dog had hurt him and that evening mama sat by the stand sewing and holding lame Snipy in her lap and Netty made a little paper book and made a picture of mama holding Snipy and sewing by the stand. Nettie keeps that little book choice now."

Cats have been a part of the human experience for ages. Mr. Chandoha's photos and text emphasize the importance of that relationship. Charlie Bullis's visual description of his mother holding an ailing Snipy while his sister sketched a picture of the two illustrates the degree to which that relationship can develop.

Please plan to stop by the Bullis Room and let us show you Kittens and Cats and "A Biography of Snipy." We're confident that you'll enjoy both.

...AND A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL

This popular catchphrase of the last century sums up the Bullis Room Open House on Sunday afternoon. Close to 50 people came to look through the rare books, taste the simple refreshments, and talk with our special guest.

One of our volunteers convincingly played the role of Nettie Bullis. In her flat straw hat, low-heeled shoes, open-weave gloves, and simple dress, she primly greeted guests, talked about the Bullis collection, and shared stories of her past. Her portrayal prompted guests to share their own memories of the Bullis family and the 1900s.

The refreshments also triggered thoughts of bygone days: bologna salad sandwiches (Miss Bullis sometimes ate bologna sandwiches her for supper), plain cookies, apple juice, water, and those dainty pastel-colored after-dinner mints that regularly showed up on reception tables in the last century.

Guests had two learning opportunities during the evening: first, a demonstration of how we repair some of the books in the collection; second, an exhibit presented by a representation of the Buffalo Soldiers of Rochester, showing photos and video of General John Lapham Bullis's experiences with the Seminole-Negro Indian Scouts.

Volunteers spent four months planning and preparing for this event. We put a great deal of effort into keeping it simple, leaving us to conclude that simplicity is not always easy. We selected stationary with a small-lined black and maroon border for the invitations, used regular stamps for the mailing, and hand-delivered as many as possible. We chose a milk glass vase reminiscent of Miss Bullis's own collection to hold a small bouquet of flowers as a centerpiece on the reception table. And in the spirit of simplicity as well as the "waste not, want not" philosophy of the Bullis family, we did not cut the crusts off the bologna salad sandwiches. In fact, we even used the two heels of the loaf.

We like to think that Nettie Bullis would have approved of all this. And that she, too, would have had a good time.

BULLIS ROOM OPEN HOUSE

Nettie Bullis, 1917

Today is the 30th anniversary of Nettie Bullis's death in 1979. She was born on March 23, 1893, and lived a full life for 86 years.

This coming Sunday, October 4, we will commemorate her life with an Open House in the Bullis Room, from 4 to 6 PM. We hope you will come to:

Meet our very special "surprise" hostess

View some of the wonderful illustrated treasures in the Bullis Collection

See a demonstration of Bullis book repair

Learn more about General John Lapham Bullis and the

amazing Seminole-Negro Indian Scouts he commanded

Sample refreshments which Miss Bullis might have served at home

Take home a special bookmark

Share your own memories of the Bullis Family or the Bullis House