Frederick Albert Bulman seems to have been a somewhat complex man. There are many aspects to his story. He certainly was proud of his military service. This may have been because of his strong identification with the military experience of his father, Jeremiah Delos Bulman, who served in the Civil War with his brothers and cousins.
FAB is seen here with his two youngest sons (Edwin on the right and Archie on the left, circa 1925 according to the back) in his Spanish American War tunic. The boys are regularly seen dressed as bugle boys in a variety of pictures with FAB. This tunic was an item of fascination for me as a teenager.
By way of background, FAB died on 9 October 1962 and was buried in the Olympic Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Tumwater, Washington. His eldest son, Eugene V. Bulman, would die somewhat more than ten years later on 26 November 1972. "Speed" was also buried in the same cemetery. FAB's youngest son, Archie, had died in Deer Lodge County, Montana on 17 January 1961 nearly ninety years after his father was born (26 January 1871).
I believe it was either the Halloween of 1971 or 1972 that I accompanied my siblings and cousins on a Trick or Treat excursion. We walked through a Portland, Oregon suburb where my mother's sister and her husband lived at the time. Being a "very old" teenager, I had not wanted to dress up in the "normal" kit. Instead, I had brought the tunic and hat with me to wear. With all the medals, it was a big hit with everyone. I have no idea what has become of the tunic and medals since then. I graduated from Burns Union High School in the spring of 1973 and headed off to university after fighting forest fires for a second season in the surrounding national forests during the summer.
Here is a picture of FAB in that same outfit towards the end of his life. I am not sure how old he was at the time. However, he was an energetic and peripatetic man throughout his life. A final photo can be found at the end of this post.
Below is a story of how he celebrated his seventy-fifth year. It was passed on to me by a family historian connected to the Bulmans by marriage and highlights the importance of the serendipitous sharing of information. The story also provides an indication of the ground that I am going to have to cover to tell something of the story of the lives of FAB and Lena, as well as their children, etc. I'm not sure exactly which paper it is in as I have not been able to find an original. However, it certainly was located in Waukesha, where FAB was born. It must have been printed in 1946 some two years after the death of his son Edwin J. Bulman during the war (see posts for March 2009):
SPANISH WAR VET, 75, CROSSES THREE MOUNTAIN RANGES ON HIS 1920 CYCLE
Fred Bulman Visits in Waukesha
WAUKESHA, July 14, (Special) - Fred A. Bulman was having the time of his 75 years when he stopped in Waukesha for several days before resuming his 3,000 mile motorcycle trip from Olympia, Wash., to Flint, Mich. The leathery faced veteran who crossed three mountain ranges on a bucking 1920 motorcycle stopped to visit relatives here before proceeding to Flint, where he plans to see his son. The fact that he will soon be 76 was no deterrent to his 6,000 mile round trip. "I haven't had as much fun since I was a kid," Bulman said, "and this gives me a chance to get some fresh air, also take in the Spanish War Veterans National Convention in Milwaukee next month."
Visits With Cousin He visited here with a cousin, Miss Ida Cohen. He will return in two weeks for the convetion and Milwaukee's Centurama. Bulman was born near Brookfield Junction in Waukesha County. He spent his youth in Eau Claire and worked as an engineer in Janesville and Superior. He also worked in Michigan, homesteaded in Montana and finally settled in Washington about 1930. Despite his years Bulman's crew cut brown hair shows no sign of gray and he holds his 160 pound frame erect. Except for the grayish fuzz about the [face].
Started June 18 The veteran's 21 day expedition started June 18. Cruising at about 25 miles an hour and covering an average of 200 miles a day, he traveled through Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota and into Wisconsin. He pushed his cycle over the Snoqualmie Pass in Washington at 3,000 feet, through the famous Lookout Pass in the Bitterroot Mountain Range of Idaho at 4,700 feet, and over the ominous Continental Divide in the Rockies at 6,300 feet. He saw a "twister" heading his way in Montana, so he back tracked three miles and spent the night in Bozeman. The cycle sidecar carries clothing and camping equipment which enabled Bulman to spend half his nights under the stars. He by-passed tourist cabins whenever the night was clear because the hardly old man says, "I'm just crazy about fresh air." The trip has been leisurely because Bulman dislikes "burning up" the roads. (His old cycle does a top speed of 35 miles an hour.) He spent two days with a son at Puyall[up], Wash.; three days fishing with his grand children in Missoula, Mont.; three days with a nephew at Wibaux, Mont.; and several days with Cousins Herman and Rube Siewerts, on their Eau Claire farm. Bulman's bike is a weird affair with a 1920 frame, a 1914 crank case, a 1925 cylinder, a bicycle speedometer and the carburettor from a Model T Ford.
This last photo was probably taken just before his death. The date on the left side of the photo says August 1963. This may be the date that the photo was developed. The data I have from the cemetery states that he died in October 1962 as I have it above. However, this data may be in error. Unfortunately, I don't have time now to try to investigate and this will have to be left for another time.
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