BULLIS FAMILY IN MACEDON

This week we thought of the Bullis family's arrival in Macedon around this time of year in 1837, and we  read again an account of their settlement here.  Although this document is unsigned and undated, a reference in the fifth paragraph leads us to believe that Nettie Bullis was the author. This account answers some of our questions about the Bullis family history and, as often happens, raises many others. However, we thought you'd be interested in this account and therefore selected it as this week's posting.


"The Bullis farm is located about 1/2 miles north of Route 31 at 1727 Canandaigua Road in the town of Macedon, New York.

"Charles H. Bullis and Eleanor Rogers Bullis (my great, great grandparents) with two children, Abraham R. and Amy, left Manchester, Vermont Nov. 13, 1837, to settle in a new country. They took a canalboat at Troy, but decided to stop at Macedon to visit a sister of Eleanor's, Amy Woodruff. Their intention was to settle at Marietta, Ohio, but they took the advice of Charles' brothers, three had settled at Hamburg, NY, and remained in Macedon.

"On April 1, 1839 they bought 59 and a fraction acres for $2,631.64 from George G. and Lydia Smith. The only change in the size of the farm is about 10 acres taken from the north end for the Canal and Railroad.

"They started to build the cobblestone house in 1839 from stones picked up on the farm. They lived in a small wooden structure that was moved up from the back of the farm; a building apparently used while Clinton's Ditch was being dug. There were a few houses and a dock by the "Ditch" a short distance over the line to the west on an adjoining farm. The story and a half frame part of our house was built at that time and the small structure was attached at the back and became "the woodshed." The cobblestone house was struck by lightning while being built and lightning rods were put up and are still attached to the house.  The corners of the house are of interest being made of Brick instead of stone.

"Two barns were built at the time, one south of the house, the original to which an addition was made later is still standing; its large hand-hewn timbers are noteworthy; the other which was built back of the house was struck by lightning and burned to the ground on Sept 22, 1968.

"The final porch was built by my father Abram R. Bullis, with the help of my mother, brother & myself (a family project) in the Fall of 1910 and replaced the original small front stoop with its well worn side benches and floor. Soon thereafter the leaking wood shingle roof on the cobblestone part was replaced with a metal roof, this too, was a family project.

"The large Canadian Balsam tree in the front yard was struck by lightning on  ___________ and about 35 feet broke from the top during a heavy storm on _____________

"The apple orchard north of the house, long since gone, contained many of the old time favorites such as Winesap, Jonathan, Face-pippen, Seekno further, Tallman Sweet, Baldwin & Greening."


(If you have information to add to or enhance the above, please let us hear from you.)

REMEMBERING AGAIN THOSE WHO SERVED

This week, we again remember and sincerely thank all the men and women who have served and are serving in our Armed Forces.

And we suggest that you look at our November 12, 2009 post, which lists some Bullis family members who served their country through military service beginning in 1675.  The most well-known of those members is John Lapham Bullis, who proved himself militarily in the Civil and Spanish American wars as well as on the American frontier.

A LETTER FROM THE PAST

Last week we posted one of Charlie Bullis's school writing exercises. This week we came across a letter written to Mr. Bullis by one of his associates eighty-two years ago. We found this bit of bargaining and assessor talk quite interesting, and hope you do as well.

"Mr. Charles Bullis, Macedon NY
Farmington NY November 16' 1928

Dear Mr. Bullis,

If after you have your inventory you will sell me back that Compass I will give you the same as Abram gave me for it. I find that we assessors have got to get the boundrys and acreage for a number of strips over in the big Swamp here so the county Treasurer can sell them by next spring for taxes, there dont seem to be any owner for a number of them. This Swamp extends across the town east and west and about a half mile wide, and quite soft, I find I cant do anything with a pocket Compass and I dont like to borrow; one can be ever so careful accidents sometimes happen, I have 217 acres of my own in a number of parcels and it would be qite useful to me; if this meets your favor please send me a card,

very truly yours
E.J. Gardner, Macedon NY"

Do you know the location of the "big Swamp" referred to in this note? If so, please let us know.

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.)