The Importance of a System: Collecting and Collating

Let me give you an example of the importance of systematic collection and collation of your information.

I have a Defenders Certificate for Jeremiah D. Bulman of C Company 24th Wisconsin Infantry showing service in the Union Army from July 29 1863 until 4 August 1865. It is signed by Captain C. or G. Baumbaugh (spelling?) and Lieutenant W. Hurlong (spelling?). It will become clear a little later that it is likely that some clerk filled in and signed the forms.

I also have Certificate of Service to the State of Wisconsin dated 8 July 1901. It states that Jarimias Bullman was a Corporal in the 2nd Battery Light Artillery Volunteers. He enrolled on 16 September 1861 at Milwaukee, Wisconsin for a term of three years and was mustered into service on 1 October 1861 at Racine, Wisconsin. He was discharged 18 December 1861 at Racine, Wisconsin at the age of 26.

In the obituary for Jeremiah (Jere) D. Bulman, he is listed as serving in Company C, 24th Wisconsin.

OLD SOLDIER FOUND DEAD

Jere Bullman, Town of Washington 

Jere Bullman was found dead this morning at his home in the town of Washinton near Nine-Mile Creek. Dr. Bailey of Eau Claire was called to ascertain the cause of death and found the cause heart failure and that death occurred about 4 o'clock this morning.

Mr. Bulman [sic] was about 67 years old. He was a veteran of Company C, 24th Wisconsin. 

He leaves a widow and several sons and daughters.
 

In the American Civil War Soldiers database, a Jarimia Bullman is listed under the same dates as having Distinguished Service and that he was promoted to Full Corporal. He was living in Washington Township and has surviving relatives that fit our family.

The Civil War Service Records list a Jerry Bullman, Company C, 24 Wisconsin Infantry, Private on enlistment and discharge in the Union Army. There is a note: Bollman Jerry. This note is important. 

In the Wisconsin Census for 1890 under Wisconsin Veterans Schedule, the database lists a Jerrymiah D. Bolman of Eau Claire County, Enumeration District 139 Washington Township. There is also a listing for Jerry Bolman in the same County, ED and Township. Both are on page 2.

When you actually locate and sight the actual Schedule on page 2 of SD 5, ED 139, you find that a Bolman Jerrymiah D. and Bolman Jerry are listed for the correct units and dates as the certificates having the same house and family number. This is the same person according to the records who is listed under the Altoona Post-Office Address. Under disabilities incurred, "Lungs" is noted for both entries.

So, why did change units? He may have fallen ill in the Wisconsin winter. He is listed in the Second Battery, Light Artillery muster sheet (where he is listed as Bullman, Jarimia) as having been Discharged.

In the Wisconsin Volunteers (War of the Rebellion 1861-1865) which was compiled under the direction of the Adjutants General during the years 1895-1999 and published by the State of Wisconsin in 1914, Bulman, Jerry D. is listed as a Private in Company C of 24th Wisconsin. A Bulman, Henry, (likely brother) is listed as a Corporal in Company A of 28th Infantry. Bulman, Nathaniel, (another brother) is listed as Private in Company A 28th Wisconsin. Their cousins (likely) are listed as Bulman, Erwin C., a Private in Company C of the 38th Infantry and Bulman, Grisel, a Private in Company G 36th Infantry. (Pages 129-130)

In the Company A roster for the Twenty-Eighth Regiment Infantry, on page 367*, are listed Bulman, Henry, Pewaukee, Aug. 11, '62, Corp.; M.O. (mustered out of the regiment) Aug. 23, '65. There is also Bulman, Nathaniel, New Berlin, Aug. 11, '62, Last reported. sick in Wisconsin, Dec. 20, '62. (I have to find my notice in the files about his being listed in State documents as a potential deserter after the war).

On page 262*, for the Roster of Company C of 24th Wisconsin, we have Captain (later major) Carl Von Baumbach and Captain Charles Hartung (2nd Lieutenant). Bullman, Jerry, New Berlin, Aug. 4, '62, Absent sick at M.O. of Regt. 

(*Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865, Volume II. Compiled by the Authority of the Legislature, Under the Direction of Jeremiah M. Rusk, Governor, and Chandler P. Chapman, Adjutant General, Madison, Wisconsin, 1886).

The vast majority of the men on the roster listed Milwaukee as their residence. Of the seven officers, only one, Hartung (Two Rivers) did not list his residence as Milwaukee. In fact, the 24th was known as the Milwaukee or German regiment. How did Jerry get in this regiment from New Berlin and why did his brothers join the 28th which seems to be mustered from around Brookfield, Waukesha, etc.?

I am still looking. But, I should mention a brief synopsis of the 24th can be found in Chapter 32 of the Military History of Wisconsin (pages 720-733).

The Importance of a System and Comments

One of the things that I have been working on over the past few years is creating a system for gathering and collating information. I guess I got pretty focused on the first aspect. I am trying to improve on the second. It is actually less exciting in the first instance. Yet, it can be almost, if not more important than the first aspect in working of family histories.

The third aspect slowed almost to a complete stop. That is reporting on what you find so that others can benefit. One thing that has helped me to get back to doing the third aspect is comments from viewers of this blog, or on the various message boards (more likely at the moment). There have been a number of comments on this blog and message boards that have forced me to work through my materials to think things through.

Also, people commenting and asking questions often leads to someone providing further information. So, thank you to those who have been commenting. Please keep doing so.

Speaking of articles and newspaper notes

The last post got me thinking of some of the other bits and pieces that I have for the Bulman family. They are just stray items that tell us something. It is difficult to know just what. I thought I might share them in case people can connect the dots.

In January 1861, in what I presume was the Waukesha Freeman, is a list of letters "Remaining in the Post Office at Waukesha, January 1st, 1861." One of the folks listed was: Bulman, Patrick. We know from other sources that Patrick was also known as Peter in the family. This is the name by which he was remembered by Frederick A. Bulman, his grandson who was born a few years after Patrick was killed.

There are some other notes in the Freeman for the family. On 12 August 1869, there is a notice under "Transfers of Real Estate." Here a Philip Maurer transfers to Jeremiah D. Bullman (Frederick A. Bulman's father) 1/4 acre on section 29, Brookfield, for $60. Now, Jeremiah's father-in-law was Philip Mayer. Could this be yet another variant of the last name? It might be useful to look through the records with this spelling as it would be from the land records.

On 14 April 1870, in the same paper, Jeremiah Bullman purchases from John Schneider 1/4 acre on sec 29, Brookfield, for $230. Land prices are rising! Or, did the father-in-law "give" away some land?

There is another notice in the Waukesha Freeman of 3 April 1873 for Jeremiah Bullman for 1/4 acre whose description is listed in Vol. 40, Page 445, C.R. Sec. 29, 1/4 acre. This is for Brookfield, Town 7, Range 20.

These little pieces of information can probably help us to pinpoint fairly accurately where the family farms where in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Patrick, or Peter, had been killed in a train wreck before the land transfers. Did Jeremiah inherit the farm? Where were the other sons?

Fred, Edwin and Archie Bulman

A cousin (a descendant of Percy H. Bulman) has very graciously forwarded two newspaper clippings featuring of some of the Bulman 'boys'. I am in the middle of reviewing articles for another line of the family. But, I think that it would be good to get these up on the blog for others to enjoy.

The first has to do with Fred's motorcycle trip which was mentioned in the blog some time ago. But, here is another version of the story.

Here is some confirmation of the talents of Erwin and Archie. They were not just pictoral ornaments. They could actually play their instruments.

The Reverend Joseph L. Ray 1810-1884

Like Melchizedek, we do not know Joseph's parents. It's not that we have not tried. It is difficult to find information about him. We do know that he married Elizabeth Rugh on Christmas Eve of 1839. He died on Thanksgiving of 1884. He had been born on 10 June 1810. This was just ten short years after the Act of Union and millions of the Irish were already beginning to flee the country. Joseph would do so by his late teens or early twenties.

We know all of this from an important source. It is an obituary written by his son-in-law, the Reverend John Ralph. He married Rose whose sister, Susan Elizabeth, married my great, great grandfather Charles C. Pritchard. Their daughters, Rose and Minnie, married two Morrow brothers. Minnie married my great grandfather, Patrick Henry Morrow. They had three sons, Victor, Wallace and Gordon. Gordon was my mother's father.

This is all rather dense and will require unpacking through time. It is a very interesting story. For instance, Charles Pritchard and his family were tailors. His father Joseph was from Wales originally; but, he moved to Westminster, London. There his life followed the vagaries of the tailoring trade. In 2011, we had lunch in a pub that the family probably would have frequented as tailors ensured that they had their wet lunch each day! They were within bow shot of Buckingham Palace and most likely helped to make the vestments for Westminster Cathedral. They lived and worked near the main shops supplying these items.

More to tell later. I am attaching a photo of the obituary which should be able to be readable when downloaded and expanded. I'll use it over the next little while to tell the story of the family. So, if you have difficulty reading, be patient and the details will follow. We can trace Elizabeth Rugh's family back quite a ways and it is a robust tale.

Too Optimistic, But Never Too Late

I was too optimistic in the last post. You can see that things didn't get going as planned. We have collected a great deal of new material about the family. However, work commitments kept me preoccupied. They have not really relaxed much. However, a number of people have been in contact with me about family information over the last two years. I sense the need to keep moving forward. It is probably time to get some material up on my mother's side. I think I'll start with the Reverend Joseph L. Ray of Ardstraw, County Tyrone, Ireland. That line and its relations should keep things interesting for a time.

Keep me in mind Edith!

After the fallow years comes the rich harvest

This blog has been fallow for a couple of years. Part of this had to do with the need to complete a doctorate. There were other heavy demands on my time with research and other responsibilities related to work. Also, I spent a fair amount of time seeking more information on the Bulman line and on other lines in the family tree. Over the next few months, much of this new research will be shared on this blog. The work will be slow and steady. We will also be traveling as a family during the northern hemisphere autumn to gather more data and photographs to share on the blog. In fact, we plan to trace the route of the Bulman migration from Ballston Centre near Schenectady, New York through to Puyallup, Washington.