Name/Title
Bull Picnic The Goshen Democrat & Independent Republican of September 9, 1943Entry/Object ID
000496Tags
Bull PicnicScope and Content
Document Transcription: 496.jpg
76th ANNUAL BULL PICNIC
By ROBERT McL. JACKSON, Sec'y.
Reunions bring together those hav-
ing something in common, whether the
same place of origin, the same class
at college, the same calling or hobby.
Participation in a common danger is
a potent bond between men, as wit-
ness the Veterans of our various
wars; or experiencing together the
same unusual event, as illustrated by
the 1888 Blizzard Club. Even a com-
mon date may draw us together, as
for example, the October Brides and
Grooms. A common history is an illus-
tration on a wider scale. These com-
munities of interest generate forces
ranging from those latent in a jolly
evening with kindred spirits to that
necessary to the preservation of one's
country in time of war. For instance
who can doubt that the common mem-
ory of enemies repulsed ever since
1066 was a force which had much to
do with England's defeat of the would-
be invader in 1940-41?
So on a smaller scale, does a sense
of family background give the individual a feeling of continuity, of being
part of one of the oldest of human institutions. If one should be inclined
to question the worth to himself of
his family, let him think of how much
of pleasure and value he would have
been deprived if, for example, he had
been a foundling and knew nothing of
his own kin. A letter read to the
gathering after luncheon, is relevant
to these thoughts. It came to Miss
Dolly Booth from Mrs. Anna Fuller
Bennett of Cheshire, Mass., with data
concerning the writer's great nephew,
Roger Chamberlain, S. 1/c, U. S. S. S.
Brooklyn, care Fleet Postmaster, New
York City, now somewhere in the
Mediterranean. Mrs. Bennett is now
81 years of age and has come three
times to attend the picnic. The first
was in 1869, when a little girl with
her father. She writes:
"My memory of it is very vivid, as
we walked up from the Goshen station-not knowing
any better way to
get there. We were picked up by a
farmer's wagon on the last lap of that
hot, dusty walk and taken to the Stone
House-then kept by Mr. Ebenezer
Bull and his sister, Amy, where we
spent the night, tho too late for the
picnic.
"My next visit was some time in
the '90's when we were entertained at
the home of Amy, who had married,
tho I do not remember her married
name.
"My last visit to the Stone House
and picnic was when I came with Miss
Edith Shaw of Brooklyn, about 1940,
I think.
"Needless to say I should be so
glad to be with you but I probably
should not do much walking.
"The mention of that 'surrey with
fringe' thrilled me.
"Macaulay says: 'A people which
takes no pride in the noble achieve-
ments of its remote ancestry will
never achieve anything worthy to be
remembered by remote descendants.'
"This is certainly not true of the
Bull family.
"Yours cordially,
"ANNA FULLER BENNETT."
Of course family should not be over-
emphasized, but when one does so
there is apt to be someone to correct
the over-emphasis. For instance, the
Secretary recently in speaking to the
Postmaster deplored the fact that not
all of the family could receive their
picnic notice. The Postmaster re-
marked that they would doubtless
survive, although they might never be
same afterward.
This year's picnic was of course
handicapped by the gasoline shortage
and pleasure driving ban. Because
of this two haywagons were pressed
into service, one from Goshen and the
other Campbell Hall. About 175 peo-
ple came, or say half of the average
number.
At the annual business meeting,
Ernest M. Bull and Henry P. Bull
were elected managers to succeed
themselves, and Alfred Booth to suc-
ceed Charles W. Slaughter. The fol-
lowing officers were chosen: Henry
P. Bull, President; Hamlet S. Roe,
Vice-President; Ernest M. Bull, Treas-
urer, and Robert McLeod Jackson,
Secretary. Mrs. Pierson Booth was
named chairman of the Reception
Committee for 1944, and Bartow W.
Bull of the Picnic Committee.
...to oldest person
present and Diane Elizabeth Gregory,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Elmor Greg-
ory of Goshen, born April 2nd last,
was the youngest. Both received
hearty applause and a picture of Mrs.
Bull holding the baby was taken. Mrs.
Elizabeth Bull Greene, of Stony Ford,
was acclaimed as the only person who
had attended every picnic. Mrs. Jesse
N. Roe, of Riverside, California, had
come from the greatest distance. As
usual there were many first comers;
among them we may mention Mary
Eager and her husband, Lewis R.
Walker of Howell, Mich.; Mr. and
Mrs. Harry M. Connelly, of Astoria,
L. I., and their son and daughter; and
Mrs. Felicie Christie of Goshen and
her son and daughter.
Henry G. Parry, Jr., of Highland
Falls, N. Y., a sailor in the Navy, who
had been aboard a destroyer off Sicily
sunk by a dive-bomber in the attack
on that island, arrived just in time to
tell us something of his experience.
He was in the engine room when the
vessel was struck; it took six hours
for her to sink; meantime another ves-
sel took off the crew. The bomber
scored three direct hits on the de-
stroyer and two near misses. "Hank"
was uncertain whether or not the
bomber was shot down. He is just
20 years of age, and was embarrassed
by the resounding applause accorded
him.
Report was given of the citation of
two members of the family, viz: Capt.
David B. Decker, of Chicago, and Capt.
Edw. C. Hallock, of Westfield, N. J.
Capt. Decker was cited for services
performed on Guadalcanal while serv-
ing with a Marine aircraft group.
Capt. Hallock was awarded a Distin-
guished Flying Cross with Silver Star
and later Oak Leaf Clusters.
A letter from Ralph W. Stone, of
3115 No. Front Street, Harrisburg,
Pa., brought the first news of a mem-
ber of the family to die for his coun-
try in the present war. Mr. Stone's son,
Pfc. Samuel Bull Stone, whose mother
is the former Edna Bull of Middletown,
was killed in action in North Africa
on November 8, 1942. He lies in a
military cemetery in Algiers. Sam
volentered in April, 1941, graduated
as Bachelor of Arts at American Uni-
versity, Washington, D. C., in June,
1941, and was inducted in July, 1941.
His training was at Camp Croft, S. C.,
and Fort Bragg, N. C. His age was
25 years and three weeks at the time
of death.
Greetings were received from the
following members of the family who
were unable to be present:
Mrs. Anna Fuller Bennett, of Che-
shire, Mass.; The Misses Catherine
A. and Jane H. Bull, of Brooklyn, N.
Y.; Mr. and Mrs. Walter Bull and
family, of Buffalo, N. Y.; Miss Mar-
garet B. Bull, of Easton, Pa.; Mr. and
Mrs. Elric Endersby, of Princeton, N.
J.; Mrs. Helen Johnston Kyte, New
York City; Everett and Martha Mould,
of St. Petersburg, Fla.; Anne Hepburn
and John L. Smith, of Jamestown, N.
Y.; Miss Edith Whitney Shaw, of
Brooklyn, N. Y.; Mr. and Mrs. Carl
Stahlbrand, of Boston, Mass.; Miss
Marion O. Teed, of Montgomery; Miss
Emma A. Waterwall, of Houston, Tex.,
on behalf of herself and the Texas
cousins; Mrs. Ada Jordan Winch, of
San Jose, Calif.; Mr. and Mrs. Charles
Wisner, of Grand Forks, N. D.
Dolly W. Booth, of Campbell Hall,
the Family Genealogist, requested
that genealogical data be sent her.
Miss Booth's niece, Miss Dixie Anne
Booth of Warwick, was present with
her pony, Billie Burke and appurte-
nant cart. The children from about
three to ten years were queued up for
rides. We used to have an enter-
tainer for the children while the adults
were visiting, but of late years Dixie
Anne's pony and cart have proved
such a lure for the children that the
entertainer is no longer needed.
Below is a list of the marriages,
births and deaths in the family, which
have come to the knowledge of the
Secretary, since the picnic of 1942,
also the names of descendants or
husbands of descendants in the war
services not mentioned in last year's
account:
The business meeting, adjourned
after the singing of "Auld Lang Syne",
but many stayed on for a picnic sup-
per at the Stone House, where Mr. and
Mrs. Brown are such cordial hosts
that we delay our farewells as long
as possible.
MEMBERS OF WAR FORCES
Alton, Bill, T/Sgt., R177,927, 10th
Ord. Serv. Co., A.P.O. 947, care P.M.,
Seattle, Wash. (Served in World War
I, now at Nome, Alaska).
Baylis, Robert, Coast Guard.
Bernhard, Pvt. Geo. S., of Walden,
N. Y., 378th M.E.P.G. Corps, Eden
Idaho.
Bogert, Frederick Wessells, Lt. U.
S. A., Washington, D. C.
Boughner, Jackson L., of Arlington,
Va., Ens. U.S.N.R., U.S.S. "Dendola", Fleet Postoffice, New York, N.
Y. (Now at Portland, Me.).
Bull, Sgt. Floyd Lincoln, of Circleville, N. Y., 411 Bomb Sq., Gowen
Field, Boise, Ida.
Bull, Harold R., Major General of
Inf., U. S. A.
Bull, Corporal Homer Ramsdell, Jr.,
Hqs. Bty. Btn. 131st A.A.A. Bn., Ft.
Bliss, Texas.
Bull, Sara Wells, of Stony Ford, N.
Y., A.S.V.G., N.R.M.S., H306, Northampton, Mass.
Bull, William, of Newburgh, N. Y.,
Coast Guards.
Burnett, James Roberts, of Montgomery, N. Y., Aviation Naval Cadet.
Chamberlain, Roger, S1/c, U.S.S.
"Brooklyn", care Fleet Postmaster,
New York City, somewhere in Medi-
terranean.
Clarke, Lt. James Roe, U.S.A., Eng-
land.
Clinch, Peter, of Charlotte, Va., 2nd
Lt. Marine Air Force.
Cocks, Richard N., of Cornwall, N.
Y., A. S., U.S.N.R.
Cocks, Lt. Robert B., of Cornwall,
N. Y., Chico Army Flying School,
Chico, Calif.
Congleton, Jerome T., Jr., of Montclair, N. J., U.S.A., at Fort Sill, Okla.
Congleton, Richard J., of Montclair,
N. J., Capt., U.S.A., Amherst, Mass.
Conklin, Robert, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Edw. V. Conklin, of Beacon, N. Y., in
Australia.
Conklin, Walter J., II, of Chester, N.
Y., Annapolis.
Conklin, William Detrick, of Ches-
ter, N. Y., Naval Air Cadet.
Connelly, Eugene W., of Astoria, N.
Y., Lt., U.S.A.
Decker, Capt. David B., of Chicago,
Ill., Guadalcanal.
Dickerson, Tfc. Victor Russell, of
Thompson Ridge, N. Y., Service Battery, 220 Field Artillery Bn., A.S.N.
32004545, No. Fort Lewis, Wash.
Dill, Pvt. Stephen, of Goshen, N. Y.
Drew, Kenneth, of Model Farm, N.
B., Can., overseas.
Dunn, Alex., of Montgomery, N. Y.,
Sgt., Air Corps, England.
Earle, Donald B. ("Russell"), of
Walden, N. Y., Pvt., U.S.A.
Finley, Stephen H., of West Hazleton, Pa.,
Pvt. U.S.A., now at 115 Station Hospital, England. A.P.O. 461,
care Postmaster, New York, N. Y.
Gorse, Geo. Edward, of Meadow-
brook, N. Y., Aviation Cadet.
Granger, Evelyn Howell, Women's
Auxiliary Ferry Service. (Ferries
planes from factories).
Granger, Richard, U. S. Navy.
Hallock, Capt. Edw. C., U.S.A., Air
Corps, Squadron Navigation, now with
a Flying Fortress bombing group in
New Guinea theatre.
Hallock, Wm. H., of Matawan, N. J.,
Air Force, Technician in Aerial Photography.
Harlow, Chas. W., III, of Sidney, N.
Y., Pvt. No. 12,201,540-Co. C., 4th
Bn, 2nd Platoon, F Infantry, Intelligence Corps,
Camp Wheeler, Macon, Ga.
Hewitt, Foster, of Garnerville,
N. Y., U.S.A.
Howell, Randall Green, training for
Air Force, San Diego, Cal.
Hyland, Commander John J., Jr.,
U.S.N.
Kirby, Richard, of Santa Cruz, Cal.,
aboard U.S. transport in Pacific.
Knapp, Howard K., of Middletown,
N. Y., Sgt., U.S.A., San Diego, Cal.
Lord, Pfc. Irving, of Washingtonville, N. Y., U.S.A.
McBride, Sgt. Rowland G., of Camp-
bell Hall, N. Y., now at Camp Forest,
Tenn.
McMully, Levere K., of Campbell
Hall, N. Y., T/5 Cpl., Co. C., 748th
Rwy. Opr. Bn., Camp Jesse Turner,
Van Buren, Ark.
McNelece, Charles, of Goshen, N. Y.,
Pharmacist's Mate, 3rd. Cl., U.S.N.,
Chico, Cal.
Millett, Lt. Com. Henry Shirley, M.
D., Psychiatric Div., Great Lakes Naval
Station, Ill.
Morgan, Malcolm D., of San Fran-
cisco, Cal., U. S. Marine.
Nance, Alton Alonzo, Lt., U.S.N.,
now in Houston, Texas, on Staff Adm.
P. W. Foote.
Parry, Henry G., Jr., of Highland
Falls, N. Y., F1/c, U.S.N.
Presler, Lt. Donald J., M. D., Qm.
Dept., Schenectady, N. Y.
Quackenbush, Eugene Jessup, of
Middletown, N. Y., U.S.A.
Quackenbush, William Brewster, of
Middletown, N. Y., U.S.A.
Ringe, Capt. Chas. L., Jr., M. D., of
Teaneck, N. J., Lt. Col. U.S.A., 84th Inf.,
Teaneck, N. J., U.S.A., Washington,
D. C.
Ringlehan, Pfc., John (Jackie), of
Campbell Hall, N. Y., Air Corps, U.S.A.,
now at Scott Field, Ill., attending
radio school.
Ringlehan, Pfc. Paul, of Campbell
Hall, N. Y., Anti-Aircraft Division,
U.S.A., now at Fort Bliss, Texas.
Roe, Chester, of Chester, N. Y., Lt.
U. S. Marine Corps, now at Camp Le-
jeune.
Roe, Ruth Helene, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Seely Roe of Chester, N. Y.,
S2/c, Naval Air Technical Training
Center, Norman, Okla.
Rugar, Andrew, of Cornwall, N. Y.,
U.S.A., recently sent to England.
Seipel, Clarence E., Jr., of Gainesville, Texas,
Lt. Col. U.S.A., 84th Inf.,
now at Camp Howze, Texas.
Seipel, Pfc. Herbert T., U.S.A.,
C.A.C.T.R., Eng. Division, 32511506,
A.P.O. 826, New Orleans, La.
Senior, Wm. D., of Montgomery, N.
Y., 2nd Lt., U.S.A.
Shaw, Philip Roe of Chester, N. Y.,
aged 18, on U.S. destroyer.
Smith, Wesley P., of Painted Post,
N. Y., storekeeper, U.S.N., now at Nor-
folk, Va.
Stone, Samuel Bull, Pfc., Company
M., 39th Inf., U.S.A., killed in action
in North Africa, November 8, 1942.
Taylor, Pfc. John David, 32529485,
286 Signal Co., 1st Eng. Spec. Brig.,
A.P.O. 758, care Postmaster, New
York, N. Y., now in Sicily.
Thompson, Major T. Campbell, M.
D., Walter Reid Hospital, Washing-
ton, D. C.
Tobin, Phillip Van Velso*, 2nd Lieut.,
U.S.A. Air Force, Denver, Col.
Vanderoef, Kenneth Stanley, of
Bellmore, N. Y., Pfc., Signal Corps,
U.S.A.
Wells, Gertrude S., Ensign, a Wave
in U.S.N.R., Washington, D. C.
Whiting, Butler, Jr., of Deep River,
Conn., Navy Cadet.
Whiting, Edgar, of Deep River,
Conn., Boatswain's Mate, 1st Class.
Wilson, Ensign Susan Colston, of
Brooklyn, N. Y., formerly of Univer-
sity, Va.; Wave, U.S.N.R., now at
Naval Hospital, Seattle, Wash.
From The Goshen Democrat & In-
dependent Republican of September
9, 1943.