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According to the markings on the back of the picture,the
girl on his lap is Lois Hamilton Davis and the one standing is Gladys Hamiliton
Richards. Contributed by Dick Murphy and Mary Ellen Bullock Murphy Cromer |
John Wesley was united in marriage February 2, 1852 to Elizabeth Amanda Leverton. She was born July 25, 1833, the eldest daughter of Arthur and Margaret (Turpin) Leverton. Amanda had eight brothers and sisters; Mary (Leverton) Mason, Jennie (Leverton) Dorah, Baynard, Arthur (Budda), Anthony, Marion, Willis W. and Margaret who died in infancy. Arthur Leverton's mother, Amanda's grandmother was a Whiteley.
The Leverton's were members of the Religious Society of Friends. Amanda's father, Arthur Leverton, was active in the Underground Railroad prior to the Civil War. As a result of these pursuits, and for the preservation of his own life, he was forced to leave his home, family, and possessions in Maryland. The story goes, that during the night January 14, 1858, he was hidden under a bunch of hay in a spring wagon and taken to a friend's home. Here he was given a railroad ticket and a horse which he rode to another town. He hid out near the depot until the train left town, then he jumped from his horse to the train and was bound for the West. He was in Indianapolis for some time then went to Milton, Indiana. After a while he sent for his family and they established a home and reared their children in Milton.
The Turpins were a wealthy and aristocratic family. They owned a cotton plantation and enjoyed the luxuries of colonial living. They have been characterized as being refined and reserved. Their major investments were in slaves and with the abolishment of slavery, lost their wealth.
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| THOMAS BROOME BULLOCK, | JOHN WESLEY BULLOCK |
John Wesley and Amanda resided on a small plantation on the east shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Dorchester County near Federalsburg, Maryland. Other cities mentioned through the years were Denton, Salisbury, and Easton, the latter the site of the Friends Meeting House. There were five children born in Maryland, namely, Charles Emerson, August 8, 1853; Ruth Hannah, June 30, 1855; Nebraska Turpin, February 14,1858; Arthur Leverton, January 27, 1860; and Thomas Walter, March 15, 1862.
The living conditions of the Bullock family must have been less than average, monitorial speaking, for John Wesley was a poor man. However there was a colored "Ole uncle" and"Mammy" (whose names we were unable to learn) who were there devoted attendants and helped with tasks of the day. Some of the cooking was done outside in large kettles and the water for all household use and the laundry was heated outside. They gathered oysters from the bay and took them home in baskets to shuck them. He had a team of mules a few cows and hogs and may have raised a little cotton. Early in life John Wesley suffered a broken arm that never healed properly and it never grew to a normal size. He didn't see action in the Civil War, but could recall many disturbing incidents near their home.
On December 8, 1863, one hundred years ago, John Wesley , Amanda, and their five children left Maryland and migrated to Indiana, bringing with them $100 worth of baggage. They settled in Fayette County near Bentonville on the Austin Claypool farm. It must have been a great day of expectancy for them; in search of new opportunities in the West and to be reunited with Amanda's family in Milton. However it was also a time of many problems and adjustments to face the challenge of the full responsibility they had solely assumed. It has been said that Amanda had never even so much as laid out her own clothes or dressed herself until after they left Maryland. She had depended wholly on her "mammy" for such services. During their residency in Fayette County their son Thomas Walter died August 24, 1864 and three children were born, Mary Althea Vernon, July 23, 1864; Lena Wesley, October 4, 1866; and Oliver Marion, December 25, 1869.
In 1871 or 1872 the family moved to Delaware County on another Claypool farm of 400 acres adjoining the east city limits of Muncie, Indiana. The older boys drove the cattle along the tow path following the canal through Milton and Cambridge City, then cross country to Muncie. The rest of the family rode in one end of a chartered box-car that was loaded with their tools and other possessions in the opposite end.
Mr. Claypool was a race horse fancier and livestock breeder. His stables at Alameda Place housed 32 head of horses including the Hambletonian and Electioneer lineage, the best in Indiana at that time. Alameda Place was a 48 acre tract that is now Riverside addition in Muncie. On his farm he had a registered herd of 9 Jersey cattle and a flock of 18 registered Shropshire sheep selected from the best imported strains. The stately two story brick house that was the Bullock home approximately fourteen years, has been remodeled into a one story modern type house. It is located on the northeast corner of State Road 32, East and Bennett Road. During their residency here two children were born, Laura Margaret, August 8, 1872 and Frank Baynard, March 26, 1875. The two older children Charles and Ruth were married. They left the Claypool farm and moved to the Frank Smith farm south of the Mount Tabor Methodist Church and Cemetery. In 1888 they moved to the Huffman farm southeast of Muncie and North of the New Bethel Methodist Church. Here Oliver, Frank , and their father operated a small dairy and delivered their produce in Muncie. They dipped the milk out of their containers into the utensils furnished by the housewives. While they lived here three of their children, Nebraska, Arthur, and Laura were married.
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| THOMAS BROOME BULLOCK, | JOHN WESLEY BULLOCK |
After Amanda's death May 7, 1898, Althea, Lena, Oliver, Frank and their father moved to the Hanna farm east of Selma. Frank was married February 22, 1899 and Oliver December 3, 1902. Soon after Oliver's marriage Lena, Althea and their father moved into a four room house he had purchased on E. Sixth Street, (now Highland Avenue) in Whitely. He lived in retirement here until his death April 11, 1908. Althea and Lena lived together in the little house until Lena's death December 21, 1909, then it was sold. Althea boarded with Mrs. Bell on East Jackson Street and with Mrs. Garret on North Vine Street in Muncie.
John Wesley and Amanda were members of the Religious Society of Friends or the Quaker Church and endowed their children with the birthright in the Quaker Church. They were a devout and devoted couple and lived daily by the precepts of their faith. Six days a week they were busy in their vocations, but Sunday was indeed a day of worship, meditation, and rest. To have swept up a few crumbs or mended a torn garment on the Sabbath was almost sacrilegious. An ample supply of food was cooked on Saturday to provide for their needs on Sunday and other chores were attended to accordingly. Their family was schooled in the lessons of thrift for they were brought up in the habit of making economic use of their resources. The fruits of their toil provided the food for the table and a comfortable living. They were well fed and clothed. Not only did the women make their own clothes, but they were skilled in tailoring the men's suits. It has been interesting to note how the early teachings of these pious, zealous parents have been instilled in the lives of their children and grandchildren even to the present generation.
In Delaware County they affiliated with the Friends Church in Muncie. Together they rode in their carriage to Church whenever possible. Amanda and the children were dressed in their Sunday best and John Wesley in his stiff white shirt without a tie, the Quaker attire. He followed this lifelong habit of church going, whether he rode in a carriage, or walked, or took a street car. Often he walked from his home in Whitely to the Friends Church uptown, taking the street car only when the walk was too much of an effort or because of inclement weather.
Those who can recall, remember Amanda, or Grandma Bullock, as a wisp of a lady, quiet and gentle but in her acquisitions. She was the disciplinarian in their household. Her house was clean and in order. The tall cherry chest, the white dotted swiss ruffled curtains, a neat stack of magazines and Grandma seated in her low rocker by the window with the open Bible in her lap was a quaint and homey setting for those who visited her. She was a Bible scholar and could often quote long passages of scripture from memory. She always presided at the table quietly and with reservation.
John Wesley was tall of stature and wore a flowing white beard that was always well groomed. His heart was full of kindness. He called his wife "Honey" and his ardent wish was to fulfill her every desire. His neighbors and friends knew him as a man worthy of highest esteem. He played horse with the grandchildren, sang folk songs as he trotted them on his knees and paid heed to their fantastic inclinations. The colored people in his neighborhood had great respect for him. Young and old greeted him on his daily walks with a, "Good morning, Mr. Bullock," and the inflection of their voices denoted the warm feeling toward him. It has been said that he was a friend of everyone and everyone was his friend. His brother-in-law, Willis Leverton , once said, "No man ever walked the earth that was as good as John Wesley Bullock, he was the best man that ever lived."
It is impossible to evaluate truly the ideals of the lives of these gentle people. Their devotion to Christian living, friendly persuasion and humility toward God and fellow man, has been transmitted in the lives of all their descendants. To them has been given a heritage of loving kindness, charity, and understanding.
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| THOMAS BROOME BULLOCK, | JOHN WESLEY BULLOCK |
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