The Bullard Family helped found the city of Dedham , Mass. One William Bullard was a signer of the Dedham Covenant. The New England Bullards go back to names like, John, Robert, George, and William Bullard, who came there in 1630. John Bullard, along with other men formed the Savings Bank of Dedham. In 1694-95 Nathanel Bullard was commissioned to “see about” building a school house in Dedham, Mass.
The Bullard name is listed extensively among those who served in the Rev. War. from
Mass. Many of the Bullards who settled in the Southern States were those with large land grants due to their service. We found that early documents of the Bullard and Birch/Burch families migrated into South Carolina and into Elbert Co. Georgia. It seems these families followed a similar path of migration and eventually became our ancestors in Mississippi Co. Mo.
It’s been a struggle to find the ancestors of our mother, Alice Bullard Heatherly. She is the daughter of Charles who is the son of Henry Bullard.
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A cousin, Mattie Witt, gave us some information about Henry Bullard. She said, “His parents along with their children owned a mill somewhere on the Florida-Georgia line.” We were not experienced enough at interviewing to explore this with her, but later while traveling through the south we wondered if it was timber, sugar cane or cotton mill. We do know that to this day there is a small town just south of Atlanta, Ga. named Bullard.
Mattie continued, ” That Henry was married in Georgia , and had two children while he worked in the family mill. The legend is that he had a sister who was abused by her husband and Henry killed him while defending her. “Whether he is cleared or charged with this we do not know, but Mattie continued, ” Henry joined the confederate army and when he returned he had three children instead of two.” This seemed to be the time he left the area and came to Ky. where he married the young girl, Laura Clevendence, the daughter of a “wood-chopper” named, Jonathan Clevendence. It would be interesting to know if he ever divorced the wife in Georgia and also, what became of the two or three children—half brothers or sisters of Charles Bullard.
We know that Henry and Laura came to Mississippi Co. Mo. about 1878 and Laura died about three years later. Henry married again, Henrietta Hatley, on March 18th. 1890. Mattie said that when he died he was buried at Cache, Ill. which is just across the river from Mississippi Co. Mo. We found an old Cemetery on the river, most of the stones were tossed about and none bore his name.
Henry’s son, Charles Bullard, was a tenant farmer. They raised most of their food, but according to the grocery bills they bought substantial groceries from the store. They seemed to live well for that time. We could only speculate by the transaction of his business that he provided well for each day, but did not show evidence of growth in his estate.
Another item we found interesting in researching these families was the Bullard/Burch and Hagan families had intermarried in Ky. Many of the families were “devout” Catholics. That reminded us of a story Alice told that she heard about when her mother died. She said, “That Katie’s father almost lost his mind, because Katie converted to the Baptist faith on her death bed.” Of course this raises more questions. Alice, also said that Willy, the twin of Lilly, was buried in the Catholic cemetery in the children’s plot. We believe that each of the Charles Bullard children were probably baptized in the Catholic church and Alice stated once that had her mother lived they would probably have been raised Catholic.(Alice and Dewey were charter members of the Free Will Baptist Church in Exeter, Ca. Dewey and Albert were baptized the same day at Slick Rock near Three Rivers California and Alice was not baptized again)
Alice’s mother died when she was five and her twin brother, Albert drown in a pond at age 10. At age twelve, she became an orphan after Charles Bullard died from injuries suffered from a lightening strike. Her younger brother,Bob was taken into the home of his Aunt Mattie and Walter Johnson. They did not take Alice, but she was kept by the Cape family, who was the executor of the estate. As far as we can tell, he kept good records of the estate and its disbursement. All of the records are still at the Court house at Charleston, Mo. or on film at the Library. We did not look into Bob’s record, but believe that Mattie and Walter received money for his care, also. At the age of 14, Alice took the train alone from Charleston, Mo. to St. Louis where her older sisters were. By the age of 15 she was with her sister Lilly in Ava, Mo. and married to Dewey Heatherly in 1920.
How these events affected Alice, we can only guess, because only a qualified physiologist could answer that, but we do know that until the day she died, she expressed the words that, “Nobody wanted me.”
Alice is commended by her family as having kept their family together. She was a very positive person. I have often said if I were ask to join a group of people and put on an Island to survive, I would want to be with Alice. She would figure it out someway. She spent her time sewing, cooking and not uncommon to be humming an old gospel tune while she worked. She liked to read and could easily be persuaded to read a book that a child needed for a book report. She loved her children—most mothers do—-but she would often say they were the only family she ever had. She was a great country cook. Maybe that was because she raised her family in the 20s and 30s and it took imagination just to put what food they could find together for a meal. The hot rolls she made for the Star School in their community where her children attended school are still remembered by former students.
She spent her last days in Exeter, California where three of her five children lived. She is buried in the Exeter Memorial Cem.She is a great example of an “overcoming” attitude about life.
Descendants of Henry Bullard
1 Henry Bullard 1831 – 1924 b: 1831 in Georgia d: Abt. 1924 in Illnois
.. +Laura Clevenidence 1852 – 1884 b: 1852 in Pitts Point Ky , Pine Tavern Dist. m: 24 Apr 1866
in Shepherdville, Ky. Co. seat of Bullit Co. d: 21 Feb 1884 in Mississippi Co. Mo
…… 2 Charles Henry Bullard 1867 – 1917 b: 14 Sep 1867 in Bullit Co. KY. d: 21 Aug 1917
in Mississippi Co. Mo
………. +Francis Katherine Burch 1870 – 1910 b: 11 Mar 1870 m: 19 Aug 1894 in Mississippi Co. Mo d:01 Nov 1910 in Mississippi Co. Mo
…………… 3 Mary E. Bullard 1895 – b: 1895 in Mississippi Co. Mo
………………. +Samuel A. Duckworth 1878 – 1917 b: 21 May 1878 m: 21 Feb 1914 in Mississippi Co. Mo d: 28 Jan 1917
…………… 3 Dora C. Bullard 1896 – b: 1896
………………. +Arthur W. Lacquenment b: in Wyatt, Mo m: 06 May 1914 in Mississippi Co. Mo
………………….. 4 Oren Lacquenment
………………….. 4 Arthur Jr. Lacquenment
………………….. 4 Victor Lacquenment
………………….. 4 Myrtle Lacquenment
………………….. 4 Vada Lacquenment
………………….. 4 Delmar Lacquenment
………………….. 4 Bert Lacquenment
…………… 3 Ora Francis Bullard 1899 – b: 1899
………………. +William B. Birks b: in Henson, Mississippi Co. Mo. m: 17 Dec 1912 in Mississippi Co. Mo
………………….. 4 Willy Birks
………………….. 4 Margaret Birks
…………… *2nd Husband of Ora Francis Bullard:
………………. +George Bircham m: Aft. 1917
………………….. 4 Nellie Lee Bircham
…………… 3 Lilly A. Bullard 1901 – b: 1901 in Mississippi Co. Mo
………………. +Jack Chamberlin b: in Douglas Co.
Mo.
………………….. 4 Charles Chamberlin
………………….. 4 Edith Chamberlin
………………….. 4 Vanita Chamberlin
………………….. 4 Ressa Chamberlin
………………….. 4 Jackie Chamberlin
…………… 3 William Henry Bullard 1901 – 1901 b: 1901 in Mississippi Co. Mo d: 1901 in Mississippi Co. Mo
…………… 3 Leona A. Bullard 1904 – b: 1904 in Mississippi Co. Mo
………………. +Fred Bachman
………………….. 4 Bonita Bachman
…………… 3 Albert Joseph Bullard 1905 – 1915 b:21 Apr 1905 in Mississippi Co. Mo d 02 May 1915 in Mississippi Co. Mo
…………… 3 Alice Josephine Bullard 1905 – 1991 b:21 Apr 1905 in Mississippi Co. Mo d:28 Jul 1991 Tulare Co CA.
………………. +Dewey Heatherly 1900 – 1977 b: 28 Sep 1900 in Douglas Co. Mo m:
18 Dec 1920 in Douglas Co. Mo d: 07 Apr 1977 in Tulare Co. CA…………………… 4 Nedra Delores Heatherly 1921 – b: 1921 in Douglas Co. Mo
……………………… +Velta Jefferson b: in Douglas Co. Mo m: in Douglas Co. Mo
………………….. 4 Walter Heatherly 1924 – b: 12 Jan 1924 in Douglas Co. Mo
……………………… +Norma Jean Weaver m: 11 Sep 1947 in Mississippi Co. Mo
………………….. 4 Albert William Heatherly 1928 – b:02 Sep 1928 in White Water, Kansas
……………………… +Bettie Lou Swofford 1930 b: 12 Aug 1930 in Stone Co.Mo. m:11 Sep 1949 in Tulare Co.CA.
………………….. 4 Lawrence Eugene Heatherly 1930 – b: 17 Mar 1930 in Douglas Co. Mo
……………………… +Nadine Hodges b: in Douglas Co. Mo m: 11 Jul 1953 in Douglas Co. Mo
………………….. 4 Helen Jane Heatherly 1931 – b: 1931 in Douglas Co. Mo
……………………… +Drury James Hackworth m: 2 Aug 1949 in Exeter, California
…………… 3 Robert D. Bullard 1908 – 1991 b: 1908 in Mississippi Co. Mo d: 1991 in Columbia, Ill.
………………. +Helen – 1986 d: Apr 1986 in Columbia, Ill.
………………….. 4 Peggy Bullard
………………….. 4 Kathryn Bullard
…… *2nd Wife of Charles Henry Bullard:
………. +Hattie Martin m: 03 Jun 1916 in Mississippi Co. Mo
…… 2 Betty Bullard 1870 – b: Abt. 1870 in Bullit co. KY.
………. +Ben Anderson
…… 2 Mary Bullard 1873 – b: 1873
…… 2 Alonza Bullard 1875 – 1947 b: 06 Jul 1875 in Bullit Co. KY. d: 1947 in Mississippi Co. Mo
………. +Lida Madora Jackson 1883 – 1949 b: 1883 m: 19 Aug 1900 in Mississippi Co. Mo d: 1949 in Mississippi Co. Mo
…………… 3 Laura Bullard 1901 – b: 07 Sep 1901 in MIssissippi Co. Mo
………………. +?? Hornback
…………… 3 Mattie Bullard 1903 – 1988 b: 23 Mar 1903 d: 14 Apr 1988 in Charleston, Mo.
………………. +Curtis Witt 1889 – 1957 b: 13 Jul 1889 m: 21 Oct 1921 Mississippi Co. Mo. d 18 Apr 1957
………………….. 4 Orvil Witt 1944 – b: 09 Jun 1944
………………….. 4 Dorothy Virginia Witt 1925 – b: 04 Apr 1925
……………………… +Keith King
………………….. 4 Glen Curtis Witt 1926 – b: 04 Dec 1926
………………….. 4 Lonnie Dale Witt 1930 – b: 28 Sep 1930
………………….. 4 Leta Oneta Witt 1928 – b: 28 Dec 1928
……………………… +???Jollifff
………………….. 4 Wilbur Lee Witt 1940 – b: 28 Oct 1940
…………… 3 Clarence Bullard 1904 – b: 14 Dec 1904
………………….. 4 Floyd Bullard
…………… 3 Willie Bullard 1909 – b: 27 Jul 1909
………………. +Ed Badget
…… 2 Mattie Bullard 1879 – b: 1879
………. +Walter Johnson m:16 Nov 1897 in Mississippi Co. Mo
…………… 3 Thelma Johnson
………………. +?? Alvey
…… 2 John Bullard 1882 – b: Abt. 1882 in Missouri
*2nd Wife of Henry Bullard:
.. +Henritta Hatley 1858 – b: 1858 m: 18 Mar 1890 in Beach Ridge, Alexander Co.
Illinois
…… 2 William Bullard 1890 – b: 1890