ELIZABETH OLMSTEAD BULLIS
I have written several detailed articles about the sons of Jabez
and Miriam Husse Olmstead, namely Aaron, Jabez Jr. and Job. Bill Samland has
written about another son, Richard. Gideon and Jeremiah remain to be tackled.
There are only two known daughters of Jabez and Miriam – Elizabeth Bullis and
Abigail Case.
In this article I will share
the information I have gathered on Elizabeth. It is far from complete, but I
have learned that no family line is ever finished. I can almost guarantee that
after writing a life history on any one ancestor, a flood of new information
will shortly follow. This is not a complaint, as I always am excited to learn
any new details.
I am not convinced of the
accuracy of information from other sources on the background of Elizabeth
Olmstead’s husband, Daniel Bullis, so will not even attempt to share it.
However, Elizabeth, after settling with her family in Burritt’s Rapids, Ontario
was well documented, especially in the very early census records (1802-45). Her
age was surprisingly consistent, suggesting that she was born around 1764. Her
parents were still living in the Alford/ West Stockbridge area of Berkshire
County, MA at the time of her birth. I found records of the Bullis family
living in West Stockbridge as well, so it is likely that Elizabeth married
before her parents moved to Hebron, Washington County, NY in the 1780’s. There
is some controversy as to whether or not she was married just once or twice. A
recently published six-volume Bullis book written by Howard Bullis claims she
was first the wife of William Bullis. After his death around 1800, she then
married his brother Daniel. I have not yet managed to get my hands on that book
so do not know the source of this frustrating detail. On my own, I have not
found any credible evidence whatsoever that she was married to anyone other
than Daniel. Here are the records that I do have on Daniel and William and some
will shed light on my conclusion about Elizabeth’s marriage:
In
the Revolutionary War a William Bullis, Pittsfield, MA was drafted from the
Berkshire County Militia, Capt. Belding’s Co., to march under Col. Benjamin
Simonds, but he failed to join the regiment. A William Bullis and a Daniel
Bullis served in the Albany Co. Militia, 9th Reg. There is no proof
that these are the Bullis men in question, but it seems likely that the William
in Berkshire County was probably the right one.
Daniel
Bullis was enumerated in the 1790 Hebron, Washington County, NY census
immediately next to Jabez Olmstead (father of Elizabeth). Daniel appeared to
have a probable wife and daughter, and 4 sons under 16. This is a fairly
accurate description of the Bullis family listed on the 1802 Burritt’s Rapids
census. No William Bullis is enumerated in the 1790 census in Washington
County, NY. In fact, there was only one William Bullis in the entire US that
year, living in Canaan, Columbia County, NY. Two people were enumerated in this
household (one male and one female); not a likely possibility as there should
have been about 6 children if he was the husband of Elizabeth.
1.
Daniel Bullis signed the
1792 Lowering petition for land in Canada, along with members of the Jabez
Olmstead family. William and Bridget Bullis signed also. The petition, filed in
Pawlet, VT was denied.
2.
Daniel’s property on the
Cooper patent of 1794 in Hebron, Washington County, NY adjoins that of Jabez
Olmstead SR and Jabez Olmstead JR. William Bullis also had property in the
Cooper Patent, but not adjoining the Olmstead’s.
3.
There are early Ontario land
records for Daniel, but not William.
4.
An 1820’s (exact year
undecipherable) document for the transfer of Lot 1, Con. 1 in Oxford Twp. names
John Bullis (oldest son of Elizabeth) as heir of Daniel. Since Elizabeth was
still alive at the time it is not likely that John would have been heir unless
his father was Daniel Bullis.
When Elizabeth’s brother
Richard arrived in Burritt’s Rapids, Ontario in 1796, it appears that the
Bullis family came at or near the same time. The “Historical Sketch of the
County of Carleton” by C. Bond states that William Bullis and Richard Olmstead
arrived in Marlborough Twp. in 1796, and that they were brothers-in-law, from
the Mohawk valley of NY, settling on lots 19 and 20 in the first concession. It
is possible that this statement might have been the source of Howard Bullis
reaching the conclusion that Elizabeth’s first husband was William. However, I
have only found land records for Daniel Bullis, and none for William. The first
actual record that I have of this family was the 1802 Marlborough Twp.
(Burritt’s Rapids) census listing Daniel 38, Elizabeth 38, John 20, Jeremiah
18, Jabez 17, Polly 15, Richard H. 15, Julia 14, Hannah 12, William 8, Daniel
6, Gideon 4, Elizabeth 3, and Miriam 1. I also have a copy of the lease that
Daniel signed on August 27, 1802 for Lot 1, Con. 1 in Oxford Twp. (Burritt’s
Rapids is divided between Marlborough Twp. and Oxford Twp.). In 1803 they were
living in Marlborough, 1804-1807 in Oxford, 1813, 1815, 1817 and 1819 in
Marlborough. Daniel died before April 1807, as Elizabeth is alone with her
children in that year. Elizabeth last appears in 1845 in Oxford and I have not
found her in the 1851 census so assume she had died by then. Surprisingly, she
must have had some measure of education as in 1838 she wrote and signed two
letters in regards to the Bullis property in Oxford Twp. in which she
identifies herself as the widow of Daniel. Her children were:
1.
John – b. 1782 US, m.
1805 Keziah Seelye, a widow with 3 children. An interesting 1802 Marlborough
Twp. grant states that Keziah (of Elizabethtown, Ont.) was the widow of Shubel
Seelye and the daughter of Joseph Seelye, UEL. She was granted lot 19 in the
front (1st Con). This is the same lot that Daniel Bullis settled on
in 1796! Her father was a lawyer. In 1815 John Bullis sold the front of lot 19
Marlborough to his Uncle Richard Olmstead and in 1838 to cousin Rufus Olmstead.
His wife Keziah is named in both and identified as the widow of Shubel. The Howard Bullis books give further
information that John was married to a Rebecca Dinmore in 1818 and also to a
Mary. The Rebecca marriage isn’t likely as he was married to Keziah at the
time, and I have no record of Mary. In 1851 John was a widower and in 1861 was
living with his son Peter in Escott Twp. Children:
Elizabeth
1805
Mercy
1805
Peter
1819-1880, m. Margaret McDonald, children: Benson, Eliza, Charlotte, Edward and
John.
Marinus
1820-1909, m. 1848 Nancy Kellison, 1887 Frances Coons, children: William Mercer
and 2 others.
Jacob
1820-1920
Daniel
1823, m. Lucinda
John
1829-1887, m. Matilda Niblock
Jeremiah
1830, m. Irenie, children: DeForest, Mary, Nathaniel, Jane, Franklin.
Edgar
1833, m.?, children: George Edgar
2.
Jeremiah – 1784, died by
1851, m. Sophia Palmer. According to the “Palmer Families in America” (Vol. 1),
two Palmer sisters married Bullis men- Sophia to Jeremiah Bullis and Mary to
Jabez Bullis. By the 1813 Marlborough census Jeremiah had a wife, two male
children, and two female children, not identified by name. However in the 1815
census, Jeremiah only had a 2-year-old son Jabez. Jeremiah’s widow, Sophia of
Farmersville, remarried in 1853 to a William White. In the 1870 census she was
living in Atlantic, Cass County, Iowa with Harley and Parmelia Bullis Soper. In
1880 she is identified in their household as “grandmother”. This makes me
wonder if Permelia has been incorrectly identified as a daughter of Jabez and
Mary, rather than Jeremiah and Sophia. She is buried with the Soper’s and the
name Sophia White is inscribed on the tombstone. Children:
Jabez
1813
3.
Jabez – 2 May 1785 – 23
July 1853, m. Mary Palmer. The obit for Rev. Jabez Bullis says he was born in
Hebron, VT (should be NY), came to Canada with his parents in 1801, was married
by Esquire Wright in 1805, and lived in Farmersville. He was licensed to preach
in 1826 and ordained in 1839 (Methodist Episcopal). His wife died in 1858. He
was also known as Toby Bullis. Children:
Priscilla
1807-1846, m. 1828 Jeremiah Cornell, children: Seth, Ordelia, Harmonious.
Ruby
1812-1855, m. Holmes Purdy Clow, children: Diantha, Holmes Bidwell, Permelia.
Alzina
1813, m. 1833 Alvah Orton
Parmelia
1814-1897, m. 1835 Harley Soper, children: Cora, Maria, Adeline, Leonard,
Arretta, Holmes, Loren.
Jeremiah
1815- 1894, m. 1835 Eunice Sandford, children: Otis, Hiram, Charles, Olive,
Jabez, William, Sheldon, John, Sarah.
Jennie 1815
Polly
1818- 1892, m. David O. Clow, m. 1882 Henry Lane
Peter
1819- 1871, m. 1841 Alice Deming, m. 1857 Cynthia McCrea, children: Alzina,
Elinor, Priscilla, James, Justis, Hiram.
Mary
1821- 1846, m 1828 Jeremiah Cornell, children: Seth, Ordelia, Harmonious.
Hannah
1822- 1895
Jabez
1823, m. 1847 the widow Anna Godkin Beach
4.
Richard – 1786, m.
Jeanette Fickler. In the 1850 census they were living in Oswego, NY. Children:
Richard
W. 1815
James
1818
Guy 1827
Rogers K.
1829
Curtis
1832- 1897
Helen 1834
William
1839
Sarah
1843
5.
Mary (Polly)- 1787, m.
Jonathan Fisher and had children:
Elizabeth
1806
Richard
1810
Daniel B.
1813
6.
Julia – 1788
7.
Hannah – 1792
8.
William – 1794. “Carleton
Saga” by H. and O. Walker states that he died at home after contracting disease
while in Prescott, serving in the War of 1812-1815. He married Diana Smith
Fuller, and had a child:
Moriah
Bullis 1815.
9.
Daniel – 1796, m. Hannah
Kelsey, children:
Edward
1817
Daniel 1821, m. Adaline
Samuel
1821
Rufus
1822,
Sarah
1823 - 1888, m. 1846 John Cross, children: George, John, Molicia, Sarah.
John 1826
Jabez B.
1827- 1893, a tanner in Jefferson Co. NY, served in Civil War, m. Margaret,
children: Adaline, Lewis, Susannah, Dawson.
Philip
1829
Caroline
1834- 1899, m. 1854 John Wilkinson, children: Wm., Jane, Cyrene, Frances, John,
Harrison, Caroline, Charlotte, Mildred, Samuel, Noble.
Lucinda
1835, m. H.A. Floyd
Mahalie
Maria 1843, m. 1863 Charles Cummings
10.
Gideon – 1798- 13 March
1864. Lived in Marlborough and Oxford Twps. with or near his mother through at
least 1828 and is mentioned in her 1838 land inquiry letter. In 1845 he was in
Yonge Twp. He left Ontario probably after the death of his mother and was in
the 1850 census in Macomb County, MI. In 1860 he was with his daughter
Elizabeth Barker in Delaware County, IA. He served in Civil War, Pvt. Co. A, 37th
Reg., IA, Graybeard Div. (Iowa was the only state that had a unique military
unit known as the Graybeard Reg., composed of men over 50, many in their 70’s
and 80’s, too old to serve in combat. They were given duties of escorting
trains, guarding railroads, and guarding 160,000 prisoners. Two graybeards were
killed when a supply train was fired on near Memphis, but the rest got the
train through.). He married Elizabeth, Lucy Clafin in 1823, and Adeline.
Children:
Elizabeth M. 1838-1907, m. 1854 James Barker, children:
Ruggles Smith 1837, served in Civil War, m. 1856 Mercy
Reynolds, 1864 Mary Bohn, children:
George, Frances.
James 1840
Tunis 1842, served in Civil War, m. Mary, children: Rosie,
John, Molly.
Patty 1844
Socrates 1846,
served in Civil War
11. Elizabeth –
1799, ? m. Ransom Buck.
12. Miriam –
1801
13. Samuel -
1802