Name/Title
Bull Family LegacyEntry/Object ID
000567Tags
William Bull and Sarah Wells Stone House AssociationScope and Content
The Bull Family and Their Legacy
The Book: A massive, 1,046-page genealogical record tracking over 4,000 descendants of the Bull family, offering a detailed microcosm of American history.
The Founders: William Bull (believed to have been born in Wolverhampton, England in 1689) and Sarah Wells, who married in August 1718 and had 12 children. Hamptonburgh, New York, was named after William's original home.
The Homestead: The "Stone House" in Hamptonburgh, New York, featuring two-foot-thick solid masonry walls, was started by William in 1722 and finished in 1739.
Annual Reunions: The family has a deep sense of permanence, holding massive annual picnics/reunions for over 134 years. At the time of Sarah's death at age 102, there were already more than 300 survivors.
Snippets of Family History
The article highlights several colorful anecdotes and historical vignettes about individual family members featured in the book:
Phineas Rumsey: A man who escaped British custody during the Revolutionary War by using a wooden key he carved himself while locked up in Kingston.
James Hervey Bull: Known for the high quality of his "whiskey distilling," he later gave up the practice after becoming deeply concerned about the toll alcoholism was taking on men and families.
John Johnston: A preacher who came to Newburgh in 1807 and served for over 30 years, notably helping to welcome the town's athletic families.
Edwin B. Winans: Left for California during the gold rush, later moved to Michigan where his wife successfully hid money in her dress, and eventually became a congressman and the Governor of Michigan (1891–1893).
Norman Keith Bull: A soldier who won medals of honor in World War I but "would not talk about them."
Julia Booth Lawson: Entered the Orange County Home for Aged Women and, after unexpectedly receiving money from family, took a trip to Paris and London.
Conclusion
The reviewer praises the book as a "labor of love" that captures the raw, human condition of an American family surviving through generations of stress, war, and change, calling it one of the greatest publishing triumphs of the area.