Celebrating John Bulmer, one of our Pioneering Missionaries

John Bulmer was born 30 June 1833 and grew up in Monkwearmouth in County Durham. He is the son of Sarah Wilson who died 23 Dec 1838 in Southwick, Sunderland, and his father is Robert born 21 August 1797; baptised 19 July 1806 at St Peter's, Monkwearmouth, Sunderland; died 29 Oct 1841 in Monkwearmouth, Sunderland. So John was aged 5 when his mother died, and 8 when his father died. The first page has these pictures of St. Peter's Church, first founded in 674, and the door and bottom half of the tower is all that dates that far back. This page explains Monkwearmouth, where the Venerable Bede was born 673 AD, and lived before being sent to Yarrow. In the 1851 census of UK, John B was living with his uncle, William Bulmer, and wife Jane. Occupation given as Joiner/Cabinet Maker. He was a not residing in the Eggars (Eggers in census) household. However, census only records his abode on that day. This was discovered by and sent to me on Thu, 3 Aug 2006 And on Tue, 19 Dec 2006, Richard added At the moment I'm trying to chase up John's siblings on census information. Sadly, 3 had died by the time he emigrated. Eleanor & Mary both passed away in 1830, before John was even born. Elizabeth died 12 Dec 1851. Hope to trace father's namesake Robert. Elizabeth, I've managed to contact another of Rev John's descendants, Graeme Bulmer, He has provided further details of Rev John's siblings. Rev John, in his memoirs, speaks of brother Robert running off to sea and never being heard of again. I already knew that sister Elizabeth married William Pearson. I have marriage as 27 Mar 1848 at Tynemouth. She died in 1851. Graeme tells me that William was involved in some famous naval battles, but I haven't managed to trace details on the internet. Do you have any info on this? Here's a quote from the introduction to the above book: "This (the Eggers return to England in 1854) appears to have been a critical point in Bulmer's life. He wrote that: 'though the matter seemed to me a great calamity, yet on looking back I feel that it was a great blessing in disguise, as it seemed to bring about a great crisis in my life ... Mrs Eggers going away was in the Providence of God the losing of another tie which would have prevented me going into Mission work.' I'm sure you'll agree that these are the words of a mighty man of God. Humanly speaking, he had lost everything, but saw this as a special opportunity to serve the Lord he loved so dearly.

Here's a good story for you. Rev John Bulmer emigrated to land of Oz on the SS Emigrant, together with John Eggers and his family. I found this article that someone has written, using archive material from Oz. Also found a painting and photo.
Web addess for article: users.powernet.co.uk/flewin/stories/ausemi.htm Title: Flewin Family History Centre - Australia: The Emigrant.

The Emigrant painted about 1852

The Emigrant as a wreck, photo taken 1905

The Eggars family (found by searching using 'Eg*') and John Bulman does fit. The Emigrant came Jan 1853 with adults John Bulman, John Eggars and Caroline Eggars with children Anne Eggars, John Eggars, Margareth Eggars and infant Elizabeth Eggars.
Jane Elizabeth Eggers died at Collingwood aged 1 year, 1853 #3027, and was buried by the Methodist / Wesleyan church Melbourne, record number 1058.

John Bulmer was to become an exceptionally long-serving missionary.
John Harris in 'One Blood' page 164 writes -
Early in 1855 John Bulmer saw an advertisement for the public meeting at St Mark's Collingwood where Thomas Hill Goodwin reported his findings. John offered himself for the work, and after some discussion about his being Methodist and not Church of England, he was accepted.
Page 165 - The Society had been allowed the lease of a square-mile section of Rutherford and Crozier's property near the junction of the Darling and Murray Rivers in north west Victoria, containing a small billabong the Aborigines called Yelta. The nearby settlers were neighbourly, supporting the concept of the mission.
Page 217 - John faithfully served the Church of England in one of its key positions from 1855. The church owed Bulmer a great deal and in his seventieth year he was ordained a Church of England priest on 6 Jan 1903.
In 2004 he is described as being an experimental evangelist when others are cognitive evangelists more on the Calvinist ideas. And John was called a success because he did not push his Aboriginal friends to leave their traditional ways, while at the same time raising 10 children - their 11th died aged 14 months - as Christians

Page 167 - Goodwin and Bulmer took an immediate interest in learning the local language, although the Aborigines had already acquired some use of English. While most Aboriginal people came and went, one couple, Nanwitchero and his young wife, stayed and taught the missionaries about local languages and customs. Bulmer proved particularly adept, learning to speak Maraura fluently within six months, which gave him a high degree of acceptance.

John Bulmer was given permission to visit Melbourne January 1858 and married 1858 #246 to Marian Stocks, a school teacher interested in helping the mission school flourish. At the Annual Meeting held at St Paul's School Room on 27 Jan 1858 it was reported that the Government had sent a large quantity of stores. The missionaries sadly reported that during the time they had been at Yelta twelve adult Aborigines had died, and that the few babies born during this period had all died shortly after birth.

Illustrations - an 'old man Kangaroo takes a nap', 'at Yelta, looking across the river', and a 'spotted eremophylia', or emu bush, one of the local native flowering shrubs.

Marian Stocks, eldest of 11 children Mary Ann (Marian) Dutton wed Benjamin Stocks and the children were christened at Oldham Street Wesleyan, Manchester, Lancashire, 1823 and 1825. They may also have been married here. In 1827 the family changed to having the babies christened at Cathedral, Manchester, Lancashire, (The old Collegiate Church was elevated to Cathedral status in 1847) 11 Children 1. Marianne Stocks born 19 Oct 1822, chr 02 Feb 1823 at Oldham Street and chr 13 Jun 1827 at Cathedral 2. Sophia Stocks born 09 Oct 1824, chr 02 Jan 1825 at Oldham Street and chr 13 Jun 1827 at Cathedral 3. Louisa Dutton Stocks born 1827 chr 13 Jun 1827 wed in Victoria 1857 to David Rhys Morris 4. Benjamin William Stocks chr 25 May 1829 wed 25 Dec 1856 to Esther Andrews 5. Joseph Dutton Stocks chr 30 Jul 1830 wed in Victoria 1854 to Elizabeth Vassey 6. Sarah Selina Stocks chr 23 Aug 1833 7. Charles Henry Stocks chr 11 Jun 1835 died in Victoria 1854 aged 19 8. Edwin Arthur Stocks chr 08 Jul 1836 died or stayed in UK 9. Frederick Stocks chr 12 Oct 1838 wed in Victoria 1869 to Mary Stewart McDonald 10. Ernest Decimus Stocks chr 31 Jul 1840 11. Emily Stuart Stocks chr 24 Jun 1842 Louisa Stocks, Joseph and Frederick appear to have come to Victoria before their mother and six siblings also arrived. The Mooresfort came Jan 1854 with Mary Ann Stocks aged 52, and her children, Marian 30, Sophia Sarah 28, Benjamin William 25, Selina 21, Ernest Decimus 13 and Emily Stuart Stocks aged 11 from Manchester. John Bulmer wed Marian Stocks – first lady Missionary Teacher at Yelta John Bulmer, born 30 June 1833 at Monkwearmouth in Durham, wed Marian Stocks early in 1858 (reg number 1858 #246) Marian Stocks was christened 02 Feb 1823 daughter of Mary Ann Dutton and Benjamin Stocks, at Oldham Street Wesleyan, Manchester, Lancashire, and then christened with her next two sisters on 13 June 1827 at Cathedral, Manchester Marian taught Fred Wowinda, the first known Christian convert at Yelta While the adults helped the men with farming and building jobs, about 14 children were learning to sing hymns, to read, and other school lessons, followed by games and either helping Marian in her garden, or checking on the plants in their own garden. In a letter from Mrs Bulmer dated Yelta, 13 Dec 1858 she wrote: I had had fourteen with me for a long time, when suddenly all disappeared. There was a report we were going to take them to Adelaide. The children were later returned to us, after due assurances that they would not be removed. The Mission Report for 1860, shows that Thomas Hill Goodwin and John Bulmer built a windmill and developed a carefully designed mission area. They reported: A well fenced, spacious stock yard was enclosed on three sides by comfortable cottages for the Missionaries and the school children, the school-room and the store-room; other buildings were to the rear, amongst which was a hut used by the natives. Between the cottages and the steep bank of the river was a pleasant garden, well stocked with flowers and vegetables; and at a quarter mile distant on either side of the mission premises was a camp of blacks, whose mia-mias presented a substancial appearance, being thatched with reeds and perfectly seciure from the weather. Marian developed consuption, they retired to Melbourne in Dec 1860 and she died 14 Feb 1861 aged 37. Marian's mother appears to have lived at Collingwood with her unmarried daughters, and their care of Marian was not able to restore her to health. Marian's mother died early 1864, aged 63, daughter of Sarah and Joseph Dutton, by which time she had 11 grandchildren. In his Fifth Report, 1866, Thomas reports – Two young men have persevered so as to be able to read well and write a letter. … When questioned they generally give very satisfactory answers showing they have understood what they read. One, Mickey, has been absent working at a station forty miles away. Fred Wowinda has remained very constantly with us. I was pleased, when entering his hut a short time ago, to find him employed reading the Testament to a black from a neighbouring station. He shares our work with the windmill and irrigation in the garden, and the sheep. This photograph has been a Goodwin family treasure, we thank them for sharing it with us. It is believed to have been taken in 1866, and I think it shows Thomas Hill Goodwin sitting in one of the canoos with his dog, and Mrs Letitia Goodwin on the first verandah. Robert Holden may be the person on the ladder near the windmill. See my page on Thomas Hill Goodwin is planned to include enlargements of this photograph.

Mr Bulmer was succeeded by R W Holden who arrived at Yelta on 2 Feb 1861, and his arrival coincided with the arrival of a large number of Aborigines from the Lower Murray.

John Bulmer wed in 1862 to Caroline Blay, and they were commissioned to pioneer a mission to the Aborigines at Lake Tyers, on the Eastern Victorian coast. This was well received by the Aboriginal community and became the family's life work. These three splendid images were kindly provided by John Bulmer's grandson. 11 Children of Caroline 1. William Bulmer 1863 - 1899 aged 35 2. John Bulmer 1865 - 1945 aged 80 3. Robert Bulmer 1868 - 1944 aged 77 4. Richard Douglas Bulmer 1870 - 1892 aged 22 5. Frances Amy Bulmer 1872 - 1940 aged 67 6. Henry Bulmer 1873 - 1958 aged 84 7. Margt May Bulmer 1876 - 1937 aged 61, wed 1900 to J Bankim 8. Frank Tyers Bulmer 1878 - 1963 aged 84 9. Ethel Caroline Bulmer 1881 - 1960 aged 75, wed Davidson 10. Howard Decimus Bulmer 1883 - 1950 aged 66 11. Alfred James Bulmer 1886 lived 14 months