Name/Title
107th Bull Annual Picnic, Bull Story and GenealogyEntry/Object ID
000569Tags
William Bull and Sarah Wells Stone House AssociationScope and Content
Based on the provided newspaper clippings from The Citizen dated Wednesday, August 28, 1974, here is a summary of the article detailing the publication of the Bull family history and the annual family reunion:
The Publication of the Bull Family History
The Book: A 200-page book titled The Bull Family History and Genealogy was completed and made available for the first time. It took 178 years to officially compile and publish the family history.
The Creators: The book was originally compiled by the late Dolly Watkins Booth, with additional work by family historian Emma McWhorter, polishing by Ruth Heidgerd, and final reading by Philip Seaman. It was published by T. Emmett Henderson, an antiquarian book-dealer from Middletown.
Historical Background of the Family
William Bull & Sarah Wells: The lineage traces back to Sarah Wells, the first white woman in the Orange County region, and William Bull, an English stone mason who came to America as a bound laborer.
The Homestead: They married in 1718. William Bull built the historic, 252-year-old Bull Family Stone House in Hamptonburgh in 1722, which still stands.
Legacy: The couple had 12 children. At the time of Sarah's death in 1796, they had 98 grandchildren, 212 great-grandchildren, and 13 great-great-grandchildren. Today, the family counts more than 4,000 descendants in their association.
The 107th Annual Reunion
Event Details: About 350 family members attended the 107th annual Bull family picnic and meeting held at the historic stone homestead.
Notable Attendees:
The youngest attendee was two-month-old Jesse Booth.
The oldest attendee was 91-year-old Elizabeth Mapes.
Mrs. Mary Jean Kracht of Monterey, California, won the ribbon for traveling the farthest distance.
Featured Display: A wooden replica of the Bull stone house, built to scale as a bank by Charles Slaughter in 1936, was on display at the reunion. It was shown by teenagers Doreen Morse and her sister Tammy Morse, who are eighth-generation descendants.