Person:Isaac Bull (7)

Isaac Bull moved from his home village of Jamestown on Conanicut Island to the mainland Rhode Island community of South Kingston, probably upon marrying Rebecca Browning who lived there. Her paternal ancestors, the Wilbore and Browning families, had both come to Rhode Island about the mid 1600's from eastern England.

Isaac and Rebecca must have lived in Litchfield, Connecticut for a short time as their first child was born there in 1732. Then they pushed further west by about 30 miles to Dover in Dutchess County, New York, located in the southeastern part of the state between the Hudson River and Connecticut. There, the remainder of their 11 children were born after 1736.

Their lives were periodically threatened by the French and Indian wars which produced not only some notable battles in the region but many raids on isolated communities, as well. The French, who controlled northern New York, were joined by the Algonkian Indians; the English, who held the south, were supported by the Iroquois. A treaty finally ended the fighting with England as the victor, allowing a short interrignum of peace until the American Revolution began a dozen years later.

During this period, the colonies were making substantial progress toward providing for their diverse needs. Among the accomplishments: the first successful ironwords was built at Saugus, Massachusetts, a glassmaking plant was started in Mannheim, Pennsylvania, chocolate was first made in America at Dorchester, Massachusetts, the first medical school in the colonies was established at the College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine), and Benjamin Franklin invented the first bifocal spectacles.

As the country began to prosper economically, the colonists at the mid-century began to take an interest in cultural matters. Concerts and plays were offered frequently, especially in the population centers. Performances of the MERCHANT OF VENICE and others were often seen in such places as Williamsburg, Philadelphia, Boston and New York. As many do today, Isaac and Rebecca Bull may have traveled improving roads the 60 miles to New York to shop and take in a performance while there.

Two of their children apparently married siblings of the Smith family of Manchester, Vermont; their daughter Mary wed John Smith and son Thomas married Martha Smith.

Isaac and Rebecca lived a full life, he for 81 years, she for 80. Taken from: A Family History, by Donovan Faust, 1997 manuscript, page 34.

In 1747 Issac was listed on the Beekman rent book as being on a two hundred acre farm which is presently Freedom Park on Skidmore Road in the town of LaGrange. There is some question whether he ever farmed that area, because he seems to have taken over the mill in Verbank by that time. This mill was located at a fall in the water in Verbank village and had been first erected by George Ellsworth about 1740. In a lease description of May 1st, 1747, it is noted that Issac "Boll" (Bull) was on the eastern side of the leased farm. This mill was both a saw and grist mill and was probably one of the best in the County because of the water supply. On September 13th, 1757 Issac purchased one hundred acres from Zebulon and Elizabeth Ross, which was in lot 41 of Oblong. The deed noted that Issac was a miller and that the land bounded the (10 mile) river. He paid 150 pounds for the land. In 1756 he had applied to the Conneticut General Assembly for permission to build a saw mill or iron works. After the mill was finished he was given permission to build a house on the highway. Both Washington and Chastellux commented on the fires that lit up the skies from Bull's forge. His mill and iron works were mentioned in the road descriptions in the Beekman Patent dated April 2nd, 1761 and June 24th, 1763. From "Ancestors of Graeme Norman & Majorie Miller", 11/2000.

History of Oblong Meeting

In 1731, the Colony of Connecticut ceded to the Colony of New York a two mile wide strip of land known as The Oblong, which ran from the vicinity of Ridgefield to its northern boundary. Quakers quickly settled in this area and, in 1740, requested permission from Purchase Meeting to establish a meeting and build a meeting house. This was granted and in 1742 a meeting house was built, directly across from the present building. In 1744 the groups at Oblong and Nine Partners became a monthly meeting. By 1763 the building was too small for the rapidly growing membership and a petition was sent to the Quarterly Meeting for a new brick building 45 feet long and 35 feet wide. When consent arrived from the Yearly Meeting, the specifications read: "for a framed house of timber, the dimensions to be 45 feet long, 40 feet wide and 15 feet stud to admit of galleries." All meetings of the Yearly Meeting were to assist in raising the necessary funds for its erection. The new meeting house was built in 1764, on the north side of the road, and still stands. In 1800, Oblong Monthly Meeting was transferred from Purchase to Nine Partners Quarter. After the Separation in 1828, Hicksite Friends continued to use the present building while Orthodox Friends held services in a building adjoining the northwest corner of the property. Membership declined in the latter part of the century and, in 1885, the Hicksite Meeting was laid down. The Orthodox Meeting remained active for at least another ten years, but was not formally laid down until 1921. In 1936, title to the building and property was transferred to the Historical Society of Quaker Hill and Vicinity. Since then, there have been occasional quarterly meetings held in the old building and Yearly Meeting Friends gather there each summer. In 1767 the Oblong Meeting raised the question whether it was "consistent with the Christian spirit to hold a person in slavery at all?" After much discussi! on throughout the Yearly Meeting, it was decided in 1776 that meetings would not accept financial contributions nor receive services from any Friends holding slaves. Records show that the last slave owned by a member of Oblong was freed in 1777. A portion of Washington's Continental Army was encamped on the hills nearby, during the fall of 1778 and winter of 1779. The meeting house was used as a hospital for the soldiers, although there is no mention of this in the Meeting minutes. Some of the soldiers are buried south of the road.

"Mary's brother Nathan Closson, had migrated to Dutchess County, so this may have influenced the six young Bull brothers to go west and eventually settle there. They had large families which later helped to colonize the wilderness of other parts of New York in the north and west. Some went to Vermont, the southern part of which was New York at that time. During and following the Revolutionary War, some of their descendants went up to Quebec, and some eventually migrated westerly across Canada." From "Descendants of Josiah Bull Jr."

(Source unknown:) Isaac went to Connecticut, purchased 10 acres and set up an iron works on the east side of the Housatonic river. He built a covered bridge known as "Bull's Bridge". The bridge is still standing and in use.

From Connecticut State Library, a Pamphlet reads: "...Isaac, of Dover, New York who was granted permission in 1756 to build a sawmill, gristmill and iron works on the east bank of the Housatonic river just below the falls. The construction was completed with the help of his sons: John, who was then 24, Jacob, 21, Thomas, 19 and Abraham, 16. In 1759, they began their 'Mansion House' on the west side of the river at Ten Mile Falls, obtaining the necessary materials from the woodlands which they purchased from their Indian neighbor, Chicken Wallips, or Warrups."

DATA - Al Birney. "One record states that we do not know where Isaac's children were born after his oldest son, John. There are no records until a land transaction in Dover, N.Y. in 1756. Family legend strongly points to the fact that part of the time was passed on Long Island and New York City where the Bulls had holdings of property in New York City where Astor Hotel later stood and that the loss of the property was caused by duplicity or ineptitude of their lawyer, Aaron Burr. Some of the children may have been born in N.Y. City or they may have been born in Dutchess County before the date of Isaac's land purchase in Dover. Rebecca, Isaac's wife, was a licenced midwife - a sort of country doctor where doctors were very few and she was noted as such all over that section of the country. She visited her patients riding on a big horse and wearing a red broadcloth cloak. She was intrepid, capable of great endurance, and exhibited the sturdy qualities which later Bull women have been noted for and which they may have inherited from her. The Browning were people of wealth and importance. Isaac left Rhode Island some time between the births of his first two children (1732-1735). First he went to Greenwich (Horseheads) Conn. about 1734 and thence to Oblong, Dutchess Co., N.Y., probably to take advantage of the newly opened territory. He was on the tax list in Beekman in 1756. Isaac Bull of Oblong purchased of Zebulon Ross of Beekman Precinct for 150 lbs. on Sept. 13, 1757 a farm in the Oblong in the town of Dover, bordering on the Conn. Colony line on the Ten Mile River very close to the Housatonic River. He was listed among the heads of families in 1760 at Oblong Monthly Meeting. In 1761, Isaac Bull was (temporarily) dropped from Quaker Hill Meeting because of questionable business dealings. Isaac, Abraham and Thomas (all brothers) had an account at Merritt's store on Quaker hill. We have no reason to believe that Isaac and most of his family were Tories. They were Quakers, friends of peace, adverse to war. Some of the Bull Family (a large one) - for Isaac had a number of brothers -- openly espoused the British cause and went to Canada. Others were accused of favoring the British soldiery, but Isaac was not accused of disloyalty to the Colonies.

In 1757, Isaac petitioned the Conn. Assembly for permission to buy land on the west bank of the Housatonic River from the Indians, which was granted. Isaac went to Kent, Conn. (close to N.Y. state line) about 1759 and bought about ten acres of land in May 1759 from an Indian named Warrup on which the Bull Iron Words was built. The hamlet which sprang up about the iron words and mills -- run by water power -- and later connected with the N.Y. side ws known as Bull's Bridge. His son, Jacob, later took over the management -- and maybe ownership of it. Isaac sold an interest in the forge and furnace, but retained control. Isaac also built a saw mill on the grant known as 'Fairweather' for which he paid 30 lbs. to the town of Kent. The Kent, Conn. Town Board in legal meeting gave him control of the water rights on the Housatonic River throughout the Fairweather Purchase. Here he put up a sawmill, grist mill, iron forge and furnace -- the first in Western Conn. It was here that Isaac and his sons, Thomas and John (or Johnathan) were engaged for many years. As owners and part owners of the mills and furnaces, they must have been well-to-do for the times.

When the furnace was operating full blast, Jacob employed as many as 200 men for hauling ore, cutting wood for charcoal, freighting the iron to Poughkeepsie, working in the mill, etc. The pig iron produced was hauled by teams to Poughkeepsie to be shipped down the Hudson to New York. The trip took two days. On the way back, the wagons were loaded with iron ore at Quaker Hill where the ore was mined. As many as twenty 2 or 4 horse teams loaded up at Quaker Hill. From there, the ore was brought to the furnaces at Bulls Bridge. The Bulls Iron Works was later known as the Monitor Iron Works as during the Civil War, Jacob made the steel for the warship 'Monitor' as it was the best steel available at the time. Now nothing remains to show the location of those once prosperous mills and furnaces but a few bits of wall and heaps of rubble. They have long since gone to ruin: but in their day, they did a big business."

The dates of death of Isaac and Rebecca have not been preserved. Records show that Rebecca Bull appeared as a customer at the Dunkin store at Dover Plains (vicinity of the furnaces) between 1789 and 1790. This would indicate Isaac's death before 1789. Since Rebecca was not listed in the census of 1790, we can surmise her death at about that time. They must have been buried in Kent or Bull's Bridge. Both of these cemeteries have been disturbed by the hand of modern progress. The cemetery in Kent is now the main street and the only monument is one dedicated to the soldiers. Marriage Notes: Married at South Kingston, R.I. by Daniel Coggeshell, Justice. Contributor unknown. "Early Clintonville (and Grove City)",(OH) "and the Bull and Smith families". On page 10 there is reference to "Thomas Bull's" (Jr.) "oldest daughter, Cloe, first married Isaac Brevoort, but he was drowned in the Olentangy (Wetstone) River shortly after coming to Clinton Township in 1814..." According to various interviews by Bull descendants, "Isaac is buried in the rear of 247 Kenworth Rd." (Reference: interview with Fanny Spurgeon Bell in 1960) "She also said that buried close to him was Thomas Bull, Sr. (Thomas Bull's father). She said her grandfather (Jason) drove to New York State 'the year of the Yellow Fever was so bad down along the Ohio River' (winter of 1821-23) and brought Thomas Bull, SR. back to Columbus'."

"The father was in his mid 80's when this occurred as he was born in 1737. His first wife, Martha, had died in Manchester center, VT. in 1810 and Thomas Bull, Sr. then married Abigail Hovey in 1816 at age 79." From MaryLu McClure, 10/03.

1. ↑ A. Donovan Faust (Foust). A Family History: The Ancestors of Thomas Wilson Faust. (1997).
2. ↑ Frank J, Doherty. The Settlers of the Beekman Patent, Volume 2, Dutchess County, New York.. (18th Century Settlers in the Patent).
3. ↑ Quaker Births, Oblong Monthly Meeting, Dutchess Co., NY, US Gen Net.
   pages 33-36.
4. ↑ The First Book of Friends Records for Dutches(s) County from 1745. (Page 170).
5. ↑ James N. Arnold. Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1636- 1850, Births, Marriages, & Deaths.. (Page 40).
6. ↑ South Kingston, RI, Town Hall- Births, Marriages, Deaths, Volumn I
   page 44.

   Livestock earmark registered March 9th, 1738

7. ↑ Mary Lynch Young. Descendants of Josiah Bull Jr., of Dutchess County, New York. (Gateway Press, Baltimore, MD, 1992).
8. ↑ Francelia Johnson. From the Family Files of Blanch Bull Jack, 12/2002.
9. ↑ Jamestown Births and Deaths, in Arnold, James N. Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1636–1850: First series, births, marriages and deaths. A family register for the people. (Narragansett Hist. Publ. Co., 1891)
   17.

   BULL, Isaac, of John and Mary, b. July 22, 1708.