Name/Title
Independent Republican, Goshen, N. Y., Sept. 1, 1931 Bull PicnicEntry/Object ID
000471Tags
Bull PicnicScope and Content
BULL FAMILY PICNIC
A Resume Of The Annual Outing Of
Historic Orange County Family
[Column 1]
"The Stone House." These words
on a new sign at the entrance to the
private roadway guided the newcom-
ers to the Picnic last Wednesday.
There are signs and signs, but this
was a sign of distinction. On a light
olive-green background, was laid on
in gray raised woodwork a perspective
of the Stone House, at such an angle
as to show its southerly and westerly
faces, with their white-shaded windows
and the front door. The house, with
its steep roof done in fern green,
stands on a knoll of the same color.
Laid on yet another thickness, also
in fern green, is a tree against and
above the gray house. To the right
of the house and tree appear an ar-
row and the legend in laid on letters
of green. That thrill of pleasure
caused by the sight of anything of
beauty went through the beholder.
The sign was put up unannounced, but
anonymity could not be preserved for
an instant as there was only one per-
son who could have made it, Elliott
McClung, of Campbell Hall. It
seems that Mr. McClung had been
working on it at odd times as a
surprise for the 1931 Picnic. Well,
certainly, no more graceful nor ap-
propriate gift could have been made
to the Association.
Perhaps the idea sprang from the
mentioned desire of Mrs. Bull of the
Stone House to have the date of the
building of the house, 1722, hung above
the entrance to the front porch. Of
course she had gone to Mr. McClung
to make the figures and there they
hang now, a visible mark of Mrs. Bull's
continuance of her late husband's
thoughtful and fitting maintenance of
the house.
It had been thought that perhaps
the Picnic should not be held at the
Stone House this year as Mrs. Bull
had been seriously ill and could not
stand the strain of seeing many
people. However, it was her wish
that the Picnic be held on the lawn
as usual, where she could see her
guests through her window. This
was accordingly done and in the
hearts of all were affectionate thoughts
of her and hopes for a return to
strength. We are glad to be able to
report that Mrs. Bull got much pleas-
ure from the day and was stronger
afterwards.
The day, somewhat overcast, was
more enjoyable than it would have
been with a hot sun and many agreed
there never had been a better picnic.
The number of first attendants was
especially large. There was one
party of nine women and a little girl
who came in two cars from Deposit,
N. Y., which had a particular interest
as showing the persistence of family
tradition. The head of the party was
Mrs. Emily Bull Post Fortner of Wind-
sor, N. Y. She knew that her mother,
Hannah Bull, had been married in the
Stone House, but all touch with Orange County kindred had been lost.
They saw in a newspaper mention of
the Bull Picnic and decided to sally
forth to find it. Their men, busy with
their peach crops, could not come
along. So off they started not knowing just where the Stone House
might be, though aware of its general
direction. When they got beyond
Hancock they saw an old man who
they thought looked as though he
might know about the Bulls and so
they asked him. He had heard of the
Association and Picnic but could not
direct them. However they kept on
and "crossed a mountain" and finally
arrived. They were welcomed warmly
and we hope they will all come again.
Reference to the records in the
House compiled some years ago by
Mrs. Charles B. Howell, then of Camp-
bell Hall, now of Denver, has verified
the tradition. They show that the
Hannah Bull in question was a daughter of John Bull II, son of William and
Sarah's son, John. The record reads:
"Hannah m. Stephen Post; went to
Deposit." No dates are given and no
children of the marriage. Now we'll
hope to complete this line.
A similar incident was connected
with Miss Sarah A. Smith, of Central
Valley, N. Y., also a first comer. Miss
Smith did not know her line; but she
also had a tradition, which proved to
be the needed key. She knew that her
grand mother had been Eleanor Bull,
who had married Samuel Hallock; and
that a sister of Eleanor had married a
brother of Samuel Hallock-again tradition was verified for the record reads
that Ebenezer Bull, son of John I, had
two daughters who married Hallocks;
-his third child, Eleanor, and his
twelfth child, Elizabeth, who married
Josiah Hallock on May 4, 1820.
[Column 2]
Mrs. Howell's record is invaluable
and we hope that someone may feel
inclined to carry it on.
Then for the first time came the
Rev. and Mrs. E. Vicars Stevenson, of
Plainfield, N. J., and their son and
daughter. Mrs. Stevenson was Edith
Jordan, daughter of Annie Leeper
Jordan, of Newburgh. The latter was
also in attendance with her grand-
daughter, Joan Goodrich, of Newburgh,
a newcomer. Crosby Jordan Wilcox,
of Garrison, N. Y., and his sister, Corinne, were others of the Jordan kin
present for the first time.
Richard Ross Ketchum, sprung from
the Woodstock, N. B., Loyalist Capt.
Geo. Bull, had definitely learned of the
Picnic for the first time this year, al-
though his father had been in this
country 35 years. Richard had graduated from Harvard and been with
Macy's in New York three years or so.
He got the day off and we have a
feeling he will never miss another
Picnic if he can help it.
Robert B. Hill of Walden, a descend-
ant through Eleanor Bull and William
Weller, came for the first time, as
also did Mrs. Teed and her daughter,
of Montgomery; Dr. and Mrs. Currie,
of Plainfield, N. J., Mr. and Mrs. Robert Wright, of Ridgewood, N. J., and
the Misses May and Helen B. Switzer
from Michigan.
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wilson, of
Scarsdale, N. Y., introduced to the
Picnic their son's, three oldest boys
(including an Andrew IX) and their
granddaughter, Nancy Morgan, of Den-
ver.
Louis Thompson Brush, of Brooklyn,
had not attended before since his boy-
hood, and we believe Miss Lillian M.
Hawkins of Chicago, was in attend-
ance for the first time. There were
also probably many others present for
the first among the hundreds there.
Mrs. Phoebe Miller Edsall of War-
wick, N. Y., over 92 years of age,
whom no one would have taken for
over 80, was welcomed, we believe
for the first time, as were several of
her family, including Mr. and Mrs.
Denton Brome, of Rutherford, N. J.
The Rev. Edward Bull, of Walden,
N. Y., was a welcome visitor. His
family went from England to Australia
and is not descended from our William.
A blue ribbon and hearty applause
were given to the oldest person present, Mrs. Catherine Gardner, of
Middletown, in her 94th year.
Mr. W. Jesse Booth, of Ann Arbor,
Mich., now 87 years old, was driven
the 700 miles with his wife expressly
for the occasion. He and Mrs. Booth
are favorites and a ribbon was given
to him. The visitor from the greatest distance was Nancy Morgan, 11 years
old, from Denver, Colorado. She was
delighted with her blue ribbon and
afterwards informed her family that
she was the youngest prize Bull.
Greetings or wishes for a successful
picnic were received from Harry C.
Bull, a former member of the Board
of Managers, who could not be present.
Col. J. Jarvis Bull, of Woodstock,
N. B.; Andrew Sayer, of Smithtown,
N. B., Miss Rachel Ward Farrington,
of Lakewood, N. J., Miss Annie Clarke,
of Milton, N. Y., Mrs. Minnie Bull
Blandin, of Los Angeles, Calif., Miss
Clara M. Bull, of East Orange, N. J.,
and her sister, Dorothy, Miss Ruth
Bull Dickerson, of Thompson Ridge,
and Mrs. Mildred Philips Jones, of
Wilmington, Del. The customary greeting from Wm. Edgar Bull of Charles-
ton, S. C., was missed, but we are
glad to report its subsequent receipt.
A letter from Miss Marie Horton
Hurd, of Kansas City, Mo., was read,
asking for an account of the picnic,
"As we read same with a great deal
of interest way out here in 'Old Mizzouri'."
Three members of the Board of Man-
agers were elected, viz: Ernest M.
Bull, of Blooming Grove; Harry Bull,
of Hamptonburgh; and Amy Bull
Crist, of Montgomery.
The following were elected as the
Picnic Committee for 1932:
Bartow Wright Bull, Chairman
Wm. Bull, VII
Mark Roe
Wm. Bull Cocks
James A. McClung
Geo. Howard Crist
Philip Mapes Crist.
Those elected to the 1932 Reception
Committee, were: The Misses Jane
H. Bull and Dolly W. Booth, Mrs. Edna
Beakes Dickerson, Mr. and Mrs. Clarence H. Crist, Mr. and Mrs. Pierson
Booth and Mr. and Mrs. Charles W.
Slaughter.
The new Board of Managers met and
elected the following officers for the
ensuing year:
Hamlet S. Roe, President
Charles W. Thew, Vice President
[Column 3]
Ernest M. Bull, Treasurer
Robert McLeod Jackson, Secretary.
The following marriages, births and
deaths had come to the Secretary's
knowledge since the last Picnic:
Births
Nov. 1929-Mills, Virginia Conning,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Howard
Mills, of Middletown, N. Y., R. D. 2.
Dec. 1, 1929-Littlefield, Barbara
Ann, daughter of Dorothy Kernochan
and Meredith Littlefield, of Franklin,
Pa.
March 24, 1930-Dailey, Elizabeth,
daughter of Donna Fortner and John
Dailey, of Deposit, N. Y.
Aug. or Sept. 1930-DuBois, Estelle,
daughter of Estelle Thompson and
Wesley DuBois, of Washington, D. C.
About August, 1930-Arnold, Bettie,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Arnold, of Monroe, N. Y.
Oct. 27, 1930-Burnett, Margery Ann,
daughter of Katrina Eager and Clarence K. Burnett, of Montgomery, N. Y.
Nov. 21, 1930-Beyea, Karl Wetmore,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Karl W. Beyea, of
Smithtown, New Brunswick.
Dec. 8, 1930-Conklin, Mary Jean,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Roe
Conklin, Jr., of Chester, N. Y.
Dec. 15, 1930-Nave, John Anthony,
son of Genevieve Decker and Lieut.
William Nave, U. S. A., stationed at
San Antonio, Texas.
Jan. 24, 1931-Hill, Anne Elizabeth,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond
Hill, of Ridgewood, N. J.
Jan. 24, 1931-Christie, Cornelius
Wells, Jr., son of Mary Felicie Lally
and Cornelius Wells Christie, of Yonkers, N. Y.
Jan. 31, 1931-Alexander, James Oswald, son of Mr. and Mrs. George
Alexander, Lakeside, New Brunswick.
Feb. 1, 1931-Clarke, Carol, daughter of Arthur Harold Clarke and Alma
D. Clarke, of Milton, N. Y.
Feb. 6, 1931-Booth, Helen Rebecca,
daughter of Pierson Booth and Helen
Elizabeth Collier, of Warwick, N. Y.
Feb. 15, 1931-Schriver, Allison
Douglas, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold
Schriver, Smithtown, New Brunswick.
March, 1931-Cabeen, Samuel Kirk-
land, son of Hester Hawkins and Prof.
Charles K. Cabeen, of Easton, Pa.
April, or Nov., 1930-Lansing, Susan Dennis-
ton, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel
Bowne Lansing, of Garden City, N. Y.
May 26, 1931-Greer, Cecil Ford, son
of Mr. and Mrs. Reuben Greer, French
Village, New Brunswick, Canada.
June, 1931-Dailey, Joan, daughter
of Donna Fortner and John Dailey, of
Deposit, N. Y.
July 1, 1931-Bruyn, Douglas Robert,
son of Doris Ida Dickerson and Ray-
mond Bruyn, of Pine Bush, N. Y.
Aug. 15, 1931-Wilson, Stephen
Barkley, 4th son of Edith Rose and
Andrew Wilson, VII, of Scarsdale,
N. Y.
Marriages
Sept. 4, 1930-Smith, Bertha Vivian,
to Justy Ernest Arbo, both of Saint
John, New Brunswick.
Sept. 20, 1930-Bull, Henry Pierson,
of Hamptonburgh, N. Y., to Mary
Elizabeth Cocks, of Cornwall, N. Y.
Oct. 8, 1930-Beyea, Arthur Standish, to Ethel Tabor, both of Lakeside,
New Brunswick.
Oct. 30, 1930-Wheeler, William F.,
III, of Warwick, N. Y., to Wilma
Schubert, of Goshen, New York.
Jul. or Nov., 1930-Dickerson,
Doris Ida, of Thompson Ridge, N. Y.
to Raymond Bruyn, of Pine Bush,
N. Y.
Feb. 3, 1931-Smith, Bertha Mae,
daughter of Reuben Smith of Goshen,
N. Y., to Michael Paul Harter, of
Florida, N. Y.
Feb. 20, 1931-Slaughter, Dr. Geo.
Wellington of Kingston, N. Y., to
Adaline Whigam Sohms of Walden,
N. Y.
Feb. 22, 1931-Clarke, Glenn Curtiss,
of Milton, N. Y., to Ruth Evelyn
Sherwood, of New Paltz, N. Y.
April 26, 1931-Bull, Edward Myron,
of Montclair, N. J., to Frances Patten,
of New York City.
May 5, 1931-Mailler, Edward J., to
Louise O'Neal, both of Goshen, N. Y.
May 20, 1931-Smith, Victor E., of
Lakeside, to Anne Howe, of Norton,
New Brunswick.
May, 1931-Lamont, Gertrude, to
Charles Eskridge Saltzman, both of
Washington, D. C.
June, 1931-Knight, Charles E. to
Miss Tannery, both of Monroe, N. Y.
June 21, 1931-Taber, Robert Clarke,
of Poughkeepsie, N. Y., to Lois E.
Randall, of Highland, N. Y.
June 24, 1931-Roe, Mark W., of
Chester, N. Y., to Hester Sloan, of
Montgomery, N. Y.
Deaths
Sept. 24, 1930-Landon, Dr. Sey-
mour, late of St. George, S. I.
Dec. 10, 1930-Bull, W. Sheldon, of
Buffalo, N. Y., in his 78th year.
[Column 4]
Jan. 7, 1931-Beyea, Sarah Jane, of
Smith, N. B., daughter of the late
Richard & Sarah Beyea.
Jan. 12, 1931-Bull, Charles M., of
Peekskill, N. Y., aged 67 years.
Jan. 13, 1931-Walsh, Thomas Bull,
of San Diego, Calif.
Jan. 26, 1931-Wheeler, Matilda,
wife of William F. Wheeler, Sr., of
Warwick, N. Y.
Feb. 1, 1931-Beyea, James Henry,
of Lakeside, N. B.
Feb. 16, 1931-Bull, Anna Wells, of
Campbell Hall, N. Y., widow of Rich-
ard Bull, deceased. (b.1851)
Mar. 13, 1931-Hawkins, Anna Cur-
tis Brown, wife of Jonathan M. Haw-
kins, of Montgomery, N. Y.
Mar. 25, 1931-Bull, Tyler, of Mont-
clair, N. J., aged 73 years.
Mar., 1931-Cooper, Margaret, wid-
ow of William F. Cooper, of Minne-
apolis, Minn.
Apr. 4, 1931-Slaughter, Winona M.
Smith, wife of William Harrison
Slaughter, M. D., of Darien, Conn.
Apr. 20, 1931-Bull, James V., of
Easton, Pa., aged 80 years.
May 15, 1931-Bull, Benjamin W.,
of 610 Fifth Ave., Asbury Park, N. J.,
in his 74th year.
June 1, 1931-Hoffman, Miss Isabel,
of Bristol, Rhode Island.
June 11, 1931-Thompson, Abbie
Beattie, widow of Alexander Thomp-
son, of Thompson Ridge, N. Y., aged
77 years.
July 10, 1931-Kernochan, Louis,
of Thompson Ridge, N. Y.
July 12, 1931-Titus, Mrs. John F., of
Titusville, New Brunswick, Canada.
July 26, 1931-Craft, Anna Weeks,
of Glen Cove, N. Y.
July 28, 1931-Clarke, Katie Wes-
tervelt, wife of Alfred Booth Clarke,
of Milton, N. Y.
Aug. 25, 1931-Benedict, Miss Jes-
sie, of Warwick, N. Y.
One hundred and ninety-six births
have been announced since the cus-
tom began in 1922. Of these only
nine babies have borne the last name
of Bull.
Gifts other than those already re-
ferred to were as follows:
(1) From Mrs. W. Sheldon Bull,
of Buffalo, at the request of her late
husband, a copy of Eager's History of
Orange County in the original binding,
which had been subscribed for by
Daniel Bull, of Bullville.
(2) From George Eager, of Mont-
gomery, a book which had belonged
to William and Sarah Bull's son, Isaac,
printed in 1767, entitled "A New Geo-
graphical and Historical Grammar;
Wherein the Geographical is part truly
modern; and the present State of the
Kingdoms of the World is so Inter-
spersed, as to render the Study of
Geography both Entertaining and In-
structive."
(3) By Mrs. Waldo Dickerson, of
Thompson Ridge, a Bible printed in
1845, which had been belonged to Clarissa
Faulkner, a granddaughter of Cather-
ine Bull and James Faulkner.
(4) From Mrs. Caroline Bull
Knight, a framed picture of the Bull
Picnic of 1874.
(5) From Mrs. Bull, of the Stone
House, a new register for signatures
at the Picnics.
These gifts were greatly appreci-
ated.
A bunch of scouring reeds "such as
Sarah Wells used," left hanging on the
porch, was found after the Picnic. This
plant with its rasping stalks is
unknown to most people and Mrs. Bull
would be glad to know who left the
interesting reminder of the past.
The dancing under the management
of Amy Bull Crist, was hugely enjoy-
ed by the young people. This year
two swings were provided for the
children.
Old and young and all in between
had a thoroughly delightful time.
One wondered at the tremendous
force of the blood tie which makes
persons feel akin, though they may
have to go back seven or eight gen-
erations for the nearest common an-
cestor. Scientists say that if the force
in a drop of water could be utilized
great weights could be moved by it.
Perhaps the time will come when the
mysterious psychic force latent in the
tie of blood may be utilized toward
preventing war. Meantime the grow-
ing solidarity among great numbers
of our family is an interesting phe-
nomenon.
"Printed in Independent Republi-
can, Goshen, N. Y., Sept. 1, 1931. Each
year an account of the Picnic is
printed in this paper."