OUR BIG BONFIRE

In autumn, we think about carving pumpkins, raking leaves, and building bonfires. Charlie Bullis obviously appreciated a good bonfire, judging from this account of one he and his dad built one springtime.

OUR BIG BONFIRE

Last spring on a beautiful afternoon my father and I went out into one of the back meadows to burn a long row of brush that had been cut down two years before from a hedge that extended the whole length of a large field. There were six or eight large heaps of brush connected by weeds and small brush. We ignited the brushrow on the north end and as the wind blew from the north it burned along very well shooting up tongues of flame and clouds of curling smoke as the flames leaped from twig to twig consuming the works of nature of several summers and roaring as it gave off its rays of stored up heat.

We wonder what father and son may have talked about that day as they watched the fire "consuming the works of nature" to make way for new life. Perhaps they didn't talk...but simply stood side by side and marveled at the efficiency and beauty of the process.

Charlie Bullis's teacher wrote "Good" on the back of the paper. We agree with her. Good description. Good experience. Good memory.

CONTRASTS: THEN AND NOW

We met this week with two women who had recently visited San Antonio and John Lapham Bullis's former home. (The latter is now a bed and breakfast named Bullis House Inn.) As they described the house's 14-foot ceilings, the elegant plaster medallions, marble fireplaces, rich oak floors and stairways that are a part of the 11,000 square-foot structure, we thought of the modest home here in Macedon where he grew up and the contrast between the two.

General Bullis's early life with his family here in Macedon and that of a successful military man also indicate a wide contrast. The records we have indicate that  John Lapham was known simply as "one of those Bullis boys" in his hometown. That quickly changed when he entered the army at age 20, served in the Civil War, and rose from private to captain in three years. Then came his life on the Texas frontier, leading the group known at that time as the Seminole Scouts in a successful war against hostile Indians.  General Bullis received national attention and recognition as a result of his frontier military accomplishments, something that no one in his home town likely ever envisioned.

As we continue our work on General Bullis's timeline, we are finding other contrasts that cause us to stop and ponder, trying to reconcile the "then" with the "now."  As we learn more about this great man, we'll share it will you. And if you'd like to know more about any of the family members or the Bullis book collection, we invite you to make arrangements to meet one of our volunteers in the Bullis Room.

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.

"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."

NETTIE BULLIS

This week volunteers wrote a script for an actress who will portray Nettie Bullis in next Friday's Historic Palmyra's Famous Cemetery Walk. We struggled with this task, knowing that Nettie Bullis shied away from being the center of attention during her lifetime.  However, we thought it was a good opportunity to share some of the Bullis family's principles of living and their accomplishments.

There are two walks next Friday, beginning at 6:30 PM and 7:45 PM. For a $7 admission fee, you can listen to a dozen cemetery residents tell you of their lives and deaths.

If you are unable to attend, you can read the Nettie Bullis script on this blog next week.

(For more information about the walk, call 315-597-6981.)

TIME LINES

Volunteers logged in many hours over the last nine months, doing a variety of tasks and working on a number of projects. Now some of us have committed ourselves to organizing Bullis family history by making time lines for each family member who lived in Macedon.  We will be looking for documentation of births, deaths, marriages, career accomplishments,  and personal milestones.

We are currently focusing on John Lapham Bullis, both his personal life and military career, and we will post our progress on this blog from time to time.  If anyone has any information on John Lapham Bullis that they would assist us in this effort, we'd greatly appreciate receiving it.