Name/Title
Sept 2, 1924 " The Independent Republican" 57th Bull PicnicEntry/Object ID
000450Tags
Bull PicnicScope and Content
BULL FAMILY PICNIC
Was Held at Old "Stone House" in Hamptonburgh August 27th
(From The Independent Republican, September 2, 1924)
The 57th picnic was held on Wednesday at the "Stone House" in Hamptonburgh, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ebenezer Bull, who had everything in order and were on hand to welcome the very first comers.
It seemed as though the picnic could never have been held on a lovelier day and it is certain that never before were the picnickers thrilled with the arrival of two of their number in an aeroplane. Messrs. "Ted" Hallock, of Washingtonville, and Henry Bull, of Hamptonburgh, came in the former’s airship. It was first interesting to see by the graceful maneuvers of the plane as it appeared from a distance and then swept low over the grounds circling in search of a safe descent, which it found in a field at some little distance. Many of the young people hastened over for a closer examination. The venturesome Miss Amy Bull was seated in the machine for a flight but a bit of extra weight unwise in the pilot’s judgment and Miss Amy Bull's flight was postponed to the near future.
The first arrivals of the morning were a crowd of young men in their work clothes bringing tables and chairs. Among them were "Jack" Thew "Bill" Conklin, "Hank" Bull, "Pier" Booth and "Charley" Johnson all to reappear later more festive-like. Next on the scene were Miss Edna Bull, of Blooming Grove and Mrs. Minnie Dickson, of Middletown, members of the Reception Committee who were joined later by Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Booth and Mrs. Harry Bull.
The reception committee is a comparatively new feature of the picnics but the success with which all comers are made to feel at home from the moment of their arrival insures its permanence.
Among the very early arrivals were Mrs. Margaret Coulter Jackson, of "Hill-Hold" and Miss Rachel Ward Parrington, of Lakewood, N. J., who came with her, Mrs. Sarah Bull Dickerson and her son, Frank, of Thompson Ridge, and two of her granddaughters, the Misses Dorothy Kernochan, of Saranac Lake and Elizabeth Couser, of Montgomery, but soon the cars came too fast to be kept track of.
Every year someone comes from a long distance and this year was no exception; Leon E. Woolsey was on from Phoenix, Arizona, and Mrs. Clara Bull Cox who was born and raised in Newburgh, but whose married life has been spent in the south, came from Corinth, Miss., with her granddaughter, Miss Helen Collier, who had never been north before. Mrs. Cox has attended but one Bull Picnic in her life and that was over 30 years ago, but the calls of kin and old association were so strong that she from her home made a flying trip to be present with the picnic as its most important feature. Mrs. Cox's brother, Howard W. Connelly of Brooklyn, accompanied her.
Major Raymond C. Bull, U. S. A., retired, and his wife, drove from Bethlehem, Penna., as did Col. Thomas Durland Landon, from Bordentown, N. J., who was seen with his cousins, the Misses Fanny and Jessie Benedict, of Warwick; Dr. and Mrs. S. L. Landon, and Frederick Coonly, came from Staten Island, as did Mrs. Amelia Bur- land Coonley, from the Catskills; Mr. and Mrs. Fred H. Bull and Mr. and Mrs. Emerson O. Ellsworth and daughter, came up from Mamaroneck; E. Norman Bull from White Plains, and Miss Bessie Y. Bull and Mrs. Julia Bull Davis from Harrison.
The family was well represented from Hackensack by Mrs. J. Pell Zabriskie, Mr. and Mrs. Jesse F. Zabriskie and Cornelia Hawkins Andrews. Eu- gene M. Bull and his son, Walter, with the latter's wife came from New York; Isaac S. Bull came from Binghamton. Mrs. Murray M. Hunter from Milwaukee, and her sisters, Mrs. C. H. L. Taylor and Miss Mary Duryea, and also Miss Emily Taylor and Miss Hilda, from the same place.
As always many had come for the first time, among them were two of the nieces of the late Prot. Richard H. Bull who was one of the prime movers of the picnic in its inception. They were Mrs. James H. Woodruff (Sarah Bull), of Brooklyn, with whom was her daughter, Miss Helen, and Mrs. Charles F. Smith (Mary J. Bull), of West Haven, Conn., accompanied by her daughter, Miss Maude S. Smith. In this same group of newcomers were a great nephew of Prof. Bull, Benj. W. Bull and his wife, of Elizabeth, N. J.
The Rev. Clarence Archibald Bull, rec- tor of the Church of the Holy Comforter at Poughkeepsie, accompanied by others of the family, was present for the first time, having come down from the Adirondacks for the day.
The treasurer Ernest M. Bull, of Blooming Grove, is another great-nephew of Prof. Richard Bull. He was ac- companied by his wife and three daughters. It was interesting to see so representative a group of Prof. Bull's kin near present after so many years. The register which contains the names of the attendants beginning with those at the second picnic, held in 1869, is a "large book presented for the purpose" by Prof. Bull.
In this connection, in seeing Mrs. John R. Sparrow, who drove up from Ridgewood, N. J., with her little daughter, Joyce, one recalled it was her grandfather, D. Kerr Bull, who delivered the address at the first picnic in 1868.
To mention first comers again there were Mr. and Mrs. William Ritchie, of Bridgeport, Conn., who came over from Sharon, Conn., where they were summering. William L. Whitaker was present for the first time with five of his children, who are descendants through their late mother, Lizzie McBride, the younger. Mrs. J. D. Birmingham, a daughter of the late Frank Bull, of Passaic, was also present for the first time with her husband and children, also her sister, Mrs. Lawrence Knapp, from South Orange with her husband.
After grace by the Rev. Clarence A. Bull, luncheon was enjoyed. At the treasurer's suggestion Dairymer's League ice cream was sold, greatly to the convenience of the picnickers. However it was apparent that the very effective ice cream committee in charge of Wm. Roe Conklin, Jr., necessarily was called upon to render much more service than that and it is inadvisable to continue this innovation unless a stranger can be en- gaged to attend to the work.
After luncheon the business meet- ing was held under the presidency of Harry Bull, of Hamptonburgh in the unavoidable absence of President Charles M. Bull, of Poughkeepsie. Mr. Ebenezer Bull read "a few lines of welcome at the close" on the part of himself and Mrs. Bull. Ernest M. Bull, the treasurer, delivered his re- port. Robert McLeod Jackson, the secretary, reported that there were 622 members of the Association: 23 junior members; 8 honorary members; that 27 members had died; and 19 deceased members of the family were recalled. The memory of Russell Wellman Moore, deceased, of New York City, by courtesy of the trustees of Princeton University, his residuary legatee, and $50 by bequest of Miss Susanna Haines, late of Honesdale, Pa. The greater part of the burden of preparing the secretary's report had been borne by Mrs. Margaret Dill Hallagan, of Campbell Hall and New York.
The following births, marriages and deaths were announced:
The property committee consisting of Hamlet S. Roe and Harry Bull reported very considerable work done on the private roadway to the "Stone House." The road had been widened and built up, Messrs. Chas. W. and John G. Thew, Wm. R. Conklin, Jr., Wm. Bull, VII, Bartow W. Bull and Jesse Booth and the committee did the work.
Greetings were received from Wm. Edgar Bull, of Charleston, S. C., Mrs. C. Phillips and daughter, Miss Padgett, of Boise, Idaho; Mr. and Mrs. John B. Dolsen, of Palestine, Tex.; Geo. Bull Milliken and daughter, Miss Beatrice, of Gelatt, Pa.; Mrs. Anna Fuller Bennett, of Cheshire, Mass.; Mrs. C. H. L. Taylor and her sisters, Mrs. C. H. L. Perkins, of Woodstock, N. B.; and Mrs. Josephine Bull-Shaw, of Toronto, Canada.
Too late for announcement at the picnic were received letters of best wishes from Irving S. Bull and family, formerly of Westchester county, but now of Winston-Salem, N. C., and from Ruth Bull Dickerson, of Thompson Ridge. Miss Dickerson has been travelling in Europe since March and wrote from Bull Hotel, Cambridge, England. She had a splendid trip, having for instance spent 5 weeks in Florence. She was to sail for New York from Liverpool on August 30.
Two gifts to the Association were announced: one a silver dessert spoon engraved with a sheaf of wheat, was presented by Nathan J. White, of Hamptonburgh. The spoon was a beautiful thing in itself, but of special interest to the family as it had belonged to Daniel Bull, of Bullville. Mr. White made the gift in memory of his mother, Mary Bull White. The other gift was a handsomely bound volume to be kept as a record of gifts to the Association. Robert O. Thompson, an honorary member and the donor of many of the Association’s valued possessions, had given this very useful book.
The picnic committee of last year was re-elected consisting of Bartow Wright Bull, chairman; John G. Thew, Henry Bull, Wm. Bull, VII, Charles Johnson, Dolly Watkins Booth, Mary Hallock, Wm. R. Conklin, Jr., Mark Roe and Mr. and Mrs. Geo. W. Ackerly. Owing to the increased duties of this committee there were added to it the Misses Amy Bull, Margaret Roe, and Dorothy Bull of Poughkeepsie, and Mrs. Martha Thew Hallock.
A reception committee was elected consisting of Miss Jane H. Bull, of Brooklyn, Mrs. Edna Beakes Dickerson, of Middletown, Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Booth, of Campbell Hall, and Mrs. Harry Bull.
The three managers whose terms were expiring were re-elected for three years, viz: Charles M. Bull, of Poughkeepsie; Charles W. Slaughter, of Babylon; Robert McLeod Jackson, of Hamptonburgh.
The following resolution was passed concerning the death of Mr. Walsh, of Philadelphia:
"This Association expresses its profound sense of loss in the death of Stevenson Hockley Walsh, until voted much time and energy to gathering and collating genealogical data of this family and who, with unfailing courtesy freely placed his time and knowledge at the service of all who sought information from him.
Mr. Walsh was a staunch supporter of the work involved in acquiring the 'Stone House,' and also a genial member of our gatherings whose presence will be greatly missed.
The Secretary is instructed to spread this minute on the records of the association and to send a copy of it to Mrs. Walsh with the expression of the sincere sympathy of the members of the Association in her husband's death."
Wm. Rutledge Bull, of Bridgeport, Conn., and Col. Landon, of Borden- town, N. J., addressed the gathering, the latter aroused enthusiasm by his appeal to bring out the vote this fall.
Frederick Coonley, of Staten Island moved that the future a little monument be given the member coming the greatest distance to the picnic, or that if sufficient funds were available for a cup a ribbon be substituted, and his motion was enthusiastically carried.
The financial situation was laid be- fore the meeting and showed that the $12,500 required to purchase the "Stone House" property had all been raised and paid in, except for a balance of $700 which still remained as a debt on the mortgage. The treasurer had a balance of something over $700 in the treasury and proposed to reduce the mortgage by at least $300.
As an endowment should gradually be provided to enable the Association to face the indefinite future with confidence, the Board of Managers recommended to the Association what is in effect a private insurance program viz: that all members of the family should provide some gift for the Association in their wills, or by codicil. It was announced that two of the managers had already made such provision and that all others had given their assurance that they would do so. Also that 5 others had already made wills or codicils in accordance with the proposed plan. Many present expressed a desire for further information on the subject, which was left with the family for consideration throughout the Charles W. Thew was added to the property committee for the coming year. After the election of the managers the Board held an organization meeting and elected Harry C. Bull, of Goshen, president; Lillian Bull, of Chester, vice-president; Ernest M. Bull, treasurer and Robert McLeod Jackson, secretary.
It is estimated that about 400 were present.