ABRAHAM R. BULLIS, III

Pages 6 & 7, Susan Crowley's document:

Abraham R. Bullis, III

     "Old Abe" Bullis is part legend and part reality in the history of Macedon. A boy of unusual academic talent, he alternately amazed and amused the rural community with his brilliance and wit. One day the principal and math instructor had filled the blackboard with a long problem in arithmetic. Suddenly from the back seat, Abraham (probably out of boredom) threw an apple, slightly rotten, right into the center of the problem. Abraham, considered a mathematical genius, became a licensed surveyor and contributed many articles to various technical and mathematical publications throughout the United States.

     Education was important to the early families of Macedon. Dr. Cyrus Jennings, a prominent Macedon physician, admired the photogenic memory Abe Bulls. The two would entertain themselves by testing Abe's memory on many evenings, thoroughly enjoying the activity. When Dr. Jennings' young son, Charles, was puzzled by a particularly difficult math problem, Abe was delighted to help him out. The University of Rochester professor Charles turned these problems in to would always ask the same question, "Did Abe Bullis teach you to do it this way?" His mathematical prowess was well known and recognized.

     Abraham R. Bullis, III was also a talented engineer. The bridge tale is one which was circulated and repeated for many years by proud Macedonians. It seems that a bridge was being built over the canal and some unseen problem prevented its successful completion. The baffled engineers were about to give up when someone suggested that Abe Bullis be asked to take a look at the bridge. Abe looked and studied the construction briefly and then pointed to the place where the problem existed. The workers were able to correct the error and the bridge was completed without further delay.

     Abraham R. Bullis, III and his wife, Josephine Breese lived in the Bullis House with their two children, Charles and Nettie. These children became the next and last Bullis' to occupy their great-grandfather's house.

ABRAHAM R. BULLIS, M.D.

Pages 6 & 7, Susan Crowley's document:

"Perhaps because of declining health, Charles Bullis deeded the farm to his physician son, Abraham, in 1863. Dr. Bullis graduated from the Geneva Medical School, which soon afterward became noted for graduating America's first woman physician, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell. Abraham Bullis was touched by the fame of an even  more aggressive feminist. His cousin was women's suffrage leader, Susan B. Anthony. In later years his own granddaughter would become a leader in the corporate world. Dr. Abraham Bullis married Lydia Lapham, a member of one of Macedon's founding families. The oldest of their seven children, John Lapham Bullis, became renowned as a military man, fighting in the Civil War, and going on to become a legendary Indian fighter.

     John Lapham Bullis, son of A.R. and Lydia Bullis, was born in New York state on

     April 17, 1841 and was educated at Macedon Center and Lima, New York. On

     August 8, 1862 he enlisted in the 126th New York Volunteer Infantry; in 1864 he

     was captain of the 118th Infantry. He served on the Texas border during 1865 and 

     1866 and entered the regular army in 1867. The greater part of his military career

     was spent in Indian warfare in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. He gained national

     recognition for his work with the Seminole scouts along the Rio Grande, and the 

     Texas Legislature adopted a resolution thanking him for his service against the

     Indians and other enemies of the frontier .. President Theodore Roosevelt approved his

     appointment as brigadier general on April 13, 1905 ... He lived in San Antonio from his

     retirement until his death on May 26, 1911. Camp Bullis was named in his honor.

Dr. Bullis was a popular and dedicated physician adding the teaching of anatomy at the academically fine Macedon Academy to his list of accomplishments. Charles H. Bullis and his son Dr. Abraham Bullis both died in 1866, within a month of each other. The cobblestone house was bequeathed to Abraham's son, Abraham R. Bullis, III."

THE BULLIS HOUSE

Volunteers continue to review Bullis Room documents and process them according to subject. This task is proving to be more time consuming than originally planned. One reason for the additional processing time is the temptation to pause in the process, in order to read through these fascinating old papers.

Recently, a  documents titled "Bullis House: Home of a Notable Family"  caused this volunteer to put aside the sorting task to read Susan E. Crowley account oft the original Bullis home on Canandaigua Road in Macedon.  Here is the beginning of the story of a house that was (and still is) a true home.

Photo courtesy of Marshall Handfield

Page 1:

"Bullis House: Home of a Notable Family

     For more than four decades, from the 1940's until the 1980's, people glanced briefly or not at all at the old cobblestone house on Canandaigua Road in Macedon, its simple yet elegant lines all but hidden from view by the towering trees and tangled vines surrounding it. Only in spring and summer did those who passed hesitate to better observe the tulips, daffodils, and masses of oriental poppies which flooded the yard. There always seemed to be a widespread peace over the house and fields, a quiet testimony, as it were, to the pioneer farmer, physician, mathematical genius, botanist, and corporate leader who were among the inhabitants of the Bullis House throughout a time period of 144 years."

Page 2 & 3:

"Charles H. Bullis

     In 1837, a depression threatened the economy of Vermont and the migration of farmers in search of more fertile fields was facilitated by the Champlain and Erie Canals which provided easy transportation to the West. Charles Bullis and his family were among the pioneers who made the decision to "go West", doing so in 1838. Leaving their farm in Manchester, Vermont, they supposedly started for Ohio, interrupting their trip to visit Charles' sister in Macedon. The rolling hills and fertile land of western Wayne County apparently appealed to the Vermont farmer for he abandoned plans to go further west when he purchased a fifty-nine acre farm adjacent to the Erie Canal from Charles and Lydia Smith for $2,631.64.

     In addition to the rich fields, Charles Bullis' farm was ideally located approximately one half mile from the Erie Canal and one half mile from the Main east-west road.

     The immediate housing need for the Bullis family was solved by moving a wooden structure, most likely a shanty type building, to the site where the house was to be built. The west wall of the cobblestone house shows evidence that the wooden rear section of the house was built first and the family lived there while the stone portion was being constructed. Charles' wife Ellen and his three children Abraham, Emma, and Kelcy were kept busy gathering stones into piles for the masons. Some of those piles of stones and also bricks are still in evidence on the property and many of them were used in the 1983 restoration process."

Page 4 & 5:

"The Construction

     It took three years to construct the Bullis House, started in 1839. The architectural plan was much the same as the wooden rural homes of Vermont. It is supposed that Charles Bullis was satisfied with the type of house he had left behind and was pleased to reproduce it, this time in stone for his family.

    The two story cobblestone house is federal style, constructed of irregular, rough and moderate sized (2" to 4" diameter) cobblestones. The pattern of the horizontal mortar is v-shaped with pyramids cut off at the bottom in the raised vertical mortar.

     A unique feature of the Bullis House is the brick which was used to make the quoins, the lintel over the front door, and the trim around the windows. Masons most often used stone quoins at the corners of the buildings. Later, brick and wood pilaster were introduced as quoin materials. The unusual color of the bricks used on the Bullis House is puzzling. The particular pink shade is not found in any other building in the area. It has been suggested that the bricks may have been made on site which would help explain the generous piles left on the property.

     The cobblestone portion of the Bullis House consisted of four large rooms and four smaller rooms, while the wooden addition had four rooms. A fireplace in the dining room and one in the bedroom directly above were a simple style again reminiscent of the New England style hearths. The chimney on the north end of the house accommodated these fireplaces while the chimney on the south end of the house was purely ornament.

    All of the ornamentation found on the woodwork, mantels, and stairway was hand carved by the Bullis'. While the work was uncomplicated, it is a reminder of a time when personal pride had a part in the building of a home. The delicate fineness of the cherry wood stair railing and newels is particularly unique in its perfect and graceful lines. This style continues in the plain door surrounds and baseboards, combining to give a broad, sweeping cleanliness to the interior of the house.

     The house suggests that simplicity and economy were a part of the Bullis family's taste and lifestyle. Whether by necessity or choice this simplicity remains as a tribute to the original owners of the Bullis House."

Pages 1 through 5 of Susan Crowley's record of the Bullis House cover the early history. In the next several posts, the account covers Bullis family occupants of the house, down through the ages, and their influence on the family home.