CHRONOLOGY OF THE BUELL FAMILY Copyright © 1998 by . This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives. USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. _____________________________________________________________________ (page 1.) CHRONOLOGY OF THE BUELL FAMILY By John H. Buell (1940) No authentic early records of this family were kept as far as is known to any member living during the first half of the nineteenth century. However the family of Bonaparte Buell, whose members I knew for years, were familiar with the history of their direct ancestor, Richard Edgarton Buell I. Ella Buell Phillips, daughter of Bonaparte, often discussed with me the old traditions as she had received them from her father. Richard Edgarton Buell I was born in Vermont about 1765, and died near Batavia N.York in 1820. His parents whose sir name was Edgarton, were of Scotch ancestry and no other facts are available. At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, Richard I enlisted for service leaving his wife and two children, a boy and a girl at home. Whether he kept in touch with them during that long period is not known; but after the army was disbanded and Richard returned, he found that his wife had left for parts unknown and the whereabouts of his children also remained an unsolved mystery. The following year we find Richard making his way to the lower valley of the Connecticut River in search of work. He found employment in one of the settlements on a farm owned by a man by the name of Buell whose only child was a daughter to whom Richard was permitted to become romantically attached. A condition imposed by the father, in the event of marriage to his daughter was that Richard should abandon the name Edgarton and legally adopt his wife's name of Buell so that the estate might remain in the Buell name. There were three children born of this union, all boys. Richard II, my grandfather, was born in 1790, David in 1791, and Bonaparte in 1793. Richard II whom we now know as Richard Buell remained for some years in this locality, presumably upon the old homestead. Whether or not they (page 2.) prospered or what became of the wife's aged parents is not known. The boys, however, almost grew to manhood here, for Richard II was seventeen years old when they migrated to the westward. At this time (1807) a considerable movement had started in the migration of settlers to Central New York. The family came first to Jefferson County and thence to Genesee County near Batavia where they settled on a farm. This farm became the homestead, and the family remained here permanently until the death of Richard I in 1820, when Bonaparte, who now had a family came to be the occupant. In September 1814 Richard II, my grandfather, enlisted in a military Company located at Nelson in Madison County, N.Y. under the name of Richard B. Edgarton. No one knows why he took back his father's name. He had already trained in a Company of New York State Militia that had as yet not been called into service. When orders were finally issued, Captain Pearson, Commander of the Company who was a so-called "Federal" advised his men not to answer the call. Richard, however, decided to volunteer and was transferred to the 44th N. York Volunteers under a Colonel Farnum. The rest of the boys of the old Company refused to join. The new Company was marched first to Rome, N. York near the east end of Lake Ontario and thence to Sackett's Harbor where Richard remained until discharged on Dec. 15th, 1814. At this time Bonaparte Buell was still at home and David, the youngest, at age 17, had drifted away and had established a home near Penn Yann, N. York. He died at the early age of twenty-five years leaving a large family. The inscriptions on markers in the family lot in the Penn Yann Cemetery discloses that he had five daughters. I discovered the monument in 1930. It stands just about four rods N.E. of the "Elias Howe Memorial." After Richard return from the War of 1812, he was united in marriage to Eliza North and engaged in farming near Brockport, New York. In 1820 (page 3.) Richard 1st died, and Bonaparte having married Emeline North, a sister Or his brother's wife Eliza, arranged for the purchase of and took over the management of the old homestead. There were six children in Bonaparte 's family ----four girls and two boys. The girls----Flora, Mary, Emily and Ella ; the boys Charles and Leslie. Flora became Mrs. Wetmore and raised three children: Perry, Harry and Walter. Mary became Mrs. Whitman who raised three children: Harry, Walter and Hattie. Emily became Mrs. Lapp who also reared three: Ella, Abbie and Wilford. Ella became Mrs. Colonel Philo D. Phillips who never became blessed of children. Charles had three boys: Fred, Melvin and Clare and Leslie had no children. **** Richard II, my grandfather, and Eliza were the parents of John (1822), Jay (1824), Mary (1827), Horace (1830), Sarah (1834) and James (1836). In the spring of 1836, three days after the birth of James, (Mar. 2O, 1836) the mother died. In this terrible extremity a younger sister of the stricken mother, Irene North whom every one afterwards came to love and respect, came forward with motherly sympathy and assumed he care of the six motherless children. When three years had passed, (1839) Irene became the stepmother---but only in name for the none of the children could have received better care or more affection from a true parent; and none loved her less. This first hand information from James, Jay, George and sister Irene. In the autumn of 1839 Richard disposed of his holdings on the tow-path near Brockport and with the proceeds purchased of Michigan timber land in the Township of Thetford, Genesee County, where he with his young wife and six children moved into, a wilderness inhabited mostly by Indians (See Genesee County History--- middle page V) (page 4.) Richard and Bonaparte having married sisters, each having large families, and living in fairly close proximity in New York, always remained on the most cordial terms. The children being double cousins and much in each others company regarded one another almost like brothers and sisters. These intimacies continued for many years, two of Bonaparte's daughters now having married, settled in a nearby neighborhood to where Richard's family lived in Genesee County, Michigan and even their children's children kept alive these friendly "associations. (See * Page 6.). To return to the family of Richard II we have to record that after three hard years of pioneer existence - 1842, misfortune again dealt them a hard and sorrowful blow. While returning from a religious meeting in company with neighbors, the wife and daughter were thrown from a wagon when a team of horses ran away and were instantly killed. This happened in the autumn when katydids were filling the night with their monotonous and unwelcome sounds, and in after years on many occasions when James, my father, listened to these insects, he would describe in most vivid terms the terrible gloom and sorrow that this tragedy brought this unfortunate household. Three years later (1845) having assumed the role of both father and mother to the younger children. (The older boys were now nearly grown up, John being 22, Jay 20 and the youngest, James 8 years.) He now- embarked again on the sea of matrimony with a young woman of good family, cultured, and intelligent by the name of Marrie Harroun of Corfu, N.Y. There were four children born to them---George (1847), David (1848), Irene (1850) and Emily (1852). Thus when all the members of the family were at home there were ten children. The youngest girl, Emily lived to be only six years old and the mother followed her in death a few months later. The sister Irene remained with her father and the other children till twelve years old (beginning of Civil War) when her father permitted her to share the home (page 5.) of her mother's family back in Corfu, New York. She was treated as one of them, grew to womanhood, and was given a fair education under their guidance. After the death of Emily in 1857 and her mother in 1858, the father now 67 years old still maintained a united household in company with his grown and growing up children. ***** (Related to page 4) >From the large tract of land to which they had acquired title, the older boys Horace, John, James and Jay were each given a timber lot of 80 acres. Horace selected 80 acres in Forest Township, then a part of Lapeer County, but since made a part of Genesee County. Jay and James each 8O acres south of Buell Lake---James on east side of Section 10--- Jay on the west side of Section 11. During the Civil War Jay, who had a wife and three children did not enlist; and having taken over James' eighty acres proceeded to "lumber off" the two tracts and afterwards disposed of them. *** See middle of page III.) It was on Section 11 where the old Indian trail approached the two lakes from the west, where the Buell family on their trek into their future home site, first went into camp after leaving the Saginaw Trail. An incident occurred here which I have often heard my father recount. The camp was made on a ridge covered with maple forest and as a favorite hunting place for the Indians on their frequent trips to Pontiac where the Chippewa Tribe received their annuities from the government. While two of the larger boys were chasing one another thru the brush one of them broke through into a cache covered with small poles, brush and leaves. Underneath was found several hundred pounds of maple sugar which the Indians had recently stored there. The father whose Puritanic scruples were rather fixed spoke behind his 6 ft. 4 in. of stature, his authority was taken for granted by most everybody. The sugar was, of course, not allowed to be molested, the leaves and litter was carefully removed and the cache fully repaired. The following day having located the "Witness Marks" of the four section corners of the government survey, they were able to approach approximately (page 6.) their homestead site, which the father had chosen on the N.E. 1/4 of Section 23, while cruising his claims the previous fall. They proceeded from the N.W. corner stake of the section (23) and followed the blazed line eastward for one half a mile, and located their permanent camp. Here they cut logs and rolled up a good sized log house. However, they later discovered a mistake in their reckoning and that they had veered to the south somewhat and had built the house on the edge of Section 14. (Afterward the Walt Scott place.) They occupied this house till the spring following (1840) when they built another log house across the road and a little farther to the east on Section 23. This house, built in 1840 remained the only dwelling on the Buell homestead until 1914 when its last occupants moved out. (The old ruins are marked now; (1940)by the old cellar pit in a maze of grape vines. (The parent plant having for many years covered a large trellis which served as a summer kitchen.) After the passing of Richard II in 1875 the old homestead was acquired by his son George who remained in control until ( ) when it was sold to Milo Burlingame, a brother-in-law of the Buells. ****(See * on page 4.) During the early " 40's Richard II and the boys proceeded to clear the farm, build log outbuildings and cultivate the fields. They constructed two large log barns. One was on the edge of the slope five or six rods back from the section line where the highway was afterwards located. Under this was constructed a "bank basement", curbed up with stone on three sides and used for housing livestock. Another was built three or four rods further east and out near the highway. The last was made with a wide door on one side and a large fire-place in the east end. This was used exclusively by the Indians for many years on their frequent trips through the neighborhood. No drinking or profanity was ever permitted on the Buell premises and if the Indians held anything more fearsome than this law, it vas the command "March" when given by this stern old man, Richard II. He held his own grown sons to strict account, and they were thus a living example to the red man. James, my father, (page 7.) the youngest of the first four boys, was allowed to hunt and associate with the boys of the Chippewa tribe, and made the trip to Pontiac with them on frequent occasions, thus living in their camps for a considerable of time in the early 1850's. He learned to talk their language and also the Indian names and medicinal properties of many wild plants and herbs. Two of these Indian boy associates of my father "Old Pinch" and "Jim Kingfisher" lived years afterwards on the Indian reservation near "Old Taymouth". I have seen them often in conversation with my father on their basket peddling trips past our house. I remember about the year 1887 my father was suffering somewhat with an eye infection (granulated lids) and while and while walking on the streets in Mt Morris Village, met up with his old friend "Pinch". The old Indian turned down the affected lids and after a few grunts, came to the point by saying,--"Bad Skin", wait "Jimmy"--"me fix'em" ,"You Get Pint of Whisky". The old fellow kept the appointment, He had been to the swamp and had returned with a small bulb, like an "Indian Turnip. This he chewed to a fine pulp, and after having swallowed nearly the entire pint of whisky, mixed the pulp with that last mouthful and bound it on my father's eyes. The application was Just as effective as it was painful, and the eyes very shortly were as good as new. About 1910 "Old Pinch" was still alive but I have had no tidings of him since. Kingfisher died about 1900 but is still well remembered by many still living in 1940. He was a familiar figure in his day and distinguished himself by always wearing a silk "stove-pipe" hat for his head gear, when making trips outside the reservation.(These short digressions from the main text may appear now and then and are submitted merely as incidents without stated value.) Like most frontier settlements during the twenty year period before the Civil War social opportunities were somewhat limited in this "Henpeck" neighborhood ---the name given the four corners 1/2 mile east from the Buell Homestead. The children in turn attended the school at "the corners, and all acquired somewhat rudimental education. The father had enjoyed a much better chance (page 8.) in the East, and was therefore able to impart to his children rather more in the way of culture and basic knowledge than was to be found in the average home. The two older boys, John and Horace, when not engaged in other pursuits in the interest of the family spent much time in the woods hunting and trapping. John especially enjoyed the sport of coon-hunting. With gun and dog and equipped with a supply of "fat pine" torches many nights were thus spent.(Torches were used to shine the game in the tree tops, and also to insure against attack from wolves.) Jay, the third boy of the family was quite inclined to business pursuits and in a small way at first, embarked in lumbering---particularly in "shave shingles" which were a popular and readily merchantable small commodity. This was the beginning of an industry which made history in Michigan, especially in the Saginaw Valley.(Late 40's.) About the year 1850 a young lady, Emily Harroun by name and a younger sister of Marrie Harroun Buell, Richard's wife, arrived from New York State and paid the family an extended visit. Jay, whose business prospects at this time were much improved, was able to build and equip a small shingle mill for the manufacture of "shaved shingles". This mill was located on the west side of the road running north from the site of "Old Henpeck". Having formed a strong attachment for Miss Harroun, he successfully sought her in marriage, and near by this mill in 1850, set up his household. He enlarged his business gradually, put in an upright saw mill for cutting lumber and continued here for the next seven or eight years. ----NOTE----Richard, Jay's father and Marie Harroun bore two boys and two girls. Jay, the son, and Marie's sister Emily had two girls and one boy. As father and son were now brothers-in-law only, their descendants were therefore somewhat irregularly related.(See chart of Buell family.) James, my father, and the youngest boy of the first family, remained at home most of the time until 1856 when he began business on his own. Much of his time was spent in his brother's mill.(The mill shut down in winter (page 9.) during log cutting.) During the winter shut-down, he engaged in making "shave shingles" which were still in wide demand at prices much higher than sawed shingles. He was rather an expert with his "Fro" and "Shaving Knife" and the "Shaving Horse" he used had to be one of his own peculiar construction. He had a living-shanty and shop combined out in the woods, and whenever his product reached sufficient proportions he would transport it by team to Saginaw where a ready market at fancy prices was always waiting. After the death of Emily, the youngest of the last family, which occurred in 1857, the old homestead still served as a mecca for the older children. There were still at home, Irene, 8 years old, George 12, and David, 10, to assist the old folks in the conduct of the farm. The next few years were rather uneventful till the breaking out of the Civil War, when the three older boys John, Horace and James volunteered at the first call. John had a wife and a boy, Theodore, about a year old and Horace a wife and a little girl baby. The two girls of the first family, Mary and Sarah, were now both married; Mary to Bradford Goodale M.D. and Sarah to Henry Goodale M.D. Bradford and Mary were located at Genesee Village and Henry and Sarah at East Tawas where Dr. Henry had begun what was to be a life-long and successful practice. Let us now return to the three soldier boys. John was attached to the 5th Michigan Cavalry and went to the front immediately serving in the war of the Potomac. He was shot from his horse during a cavalry charge at the Battle of Gettysburg, July 3,1863.(Wm. Pailthorp of Mt Morris and Israel Hill of Davison witnessed his fall and death.) He left his little son, Theodore, at home and his wife Clarissa (Day) Buell (Homer Day's mother), who never remarried. Horace was mustered into the 25th Infantry, Damon Stewart-Captain, and served in the Cumberland section. Horace's last days proved rather pathetic. He had participated in a long forced march during a sleet storm having to lie out without shelter and along with sickness from such exposure he received a letter from home announcing the serious illness of his little girl. The (page 10.) Company had just drawm lots for furloughs and Horace's name was drawn from the "hat". This was only a momentary consolation, however, for the Captain Damon Stewart of Flint was said to have afterward juggled the furlough in his own behalf. This disappointment was so depressing to his already critical condition that he failed to rally and died at Glasgow, Kentucky, a few days later. His little daughter, to, failed to recover, and his grief stricken wife was left a lonely widow (Rose years afterwards, married Slocum Bran, a good man.) ******* GEORGE AND DAVID BUELL ********** In January 1865, Lincoln had again called for recruits for the army, and not withstanding the fact that two older brothers John and Horace had already been made martyrs to the cause, George and David, the latter only seventeen years old, decided to go to the front. On Feb. 27th of that year they enlisted for one year in the same Company and Regiment in which James had served since the beginning of the war (Co. M, 3rd Cavalry). Although without training they were sent immediately to the front, joining the Regiment now stationed in the lower Mississippi Valley. David was permanently injured during his first month of service while loading four bushel sacks of corn onto a river transport. He fell from the gang plank, wrenching his back so badly that spinal curvature resulted, and he was discharged from the hospital in St. Louis, Missouri in August of the same year (1865). George continued with the regiment, though a semi-invalid and was transferred along with it to San Antonio, Texas. Although sick and "run down" in health, by consent of his kindly officers he was permitted to occupy the quarters of his brother who was now a "Mess Seargent"; with his brother to nurse him and the extra care he continued with the regiment until discharged for disability on February 12, 1865--having been in the army at that time about a year. *********** JAMES BUELL ************* We now return to James (my father) whom we last mentioned as back in his Thetford home, having just enlisted for service in the Civil War. He enlisted as a private in Co. M, 3rd Cavalry. He was sent to Grand Rapids, Michigan for (page 11.) a month's preliminary training and thence to St. Louis, Missouri for active service. His first action was at "Island No. 10" in the Mississippi River where he assisted with his regiment in dredging the canal that permitted the Union gunboats to dodge around the "works" and continue down the river. He followed the Regiment in many scattered engagements --Memphis, Corinth, Inka and other places, and after Lee's surrender his regiment was transferred to courier duty at San Antonio and other Texas towns for almost a year forwarding messages to Custer's command farther best. He returned to his home in Michigan early in 1866, and although in poor health resulting from hardships in service, he again engaged in lumbering. He purchased the shingle mill of the mill complex of his brother Jay which during the war had been moved from "Henpeck" to a site on the south side of Section 30 in Vienna Township. On the 24th of October, 1866 he married Levina Tyler and took up their residence in a new house built just a few rods east of the mill.(Six rods west of 1/4 line, S. side of Section 30 and five rods H. of Town Line Road.) James continued his shingle business till August 1870 when a boiler explosion made it advisable to discontinue. The mill having been pretty badly wrecked was moved by its owner, Jay Buell, to Flushing where it was rebuilt at the east end of the dam where it was operated for a few years (1872--1876) and thence moved to Standish, Michigan. ( While at Flushing this mill stood on what was afterwards the Hart Mill site and now in 1940 the Consumer's Power House.) After the mill explosion James sold his shingle machines to his brother Jay and having come into possession of the 80 acres on which the mill was located, he made a deal for another 80 (Shepherd Lot) on S 1/2 of N.W.1/4 Section 5 Mt Morris Township and thereafter continued in farming. The family, James and Levina, continued to live in the house in which they had started house keeping, and on Nov. 7, 1871, their first child ,Mary, was born. (page 12.) In January (the 25th) 1873 the second child (John the writer of this record) was born. The period following that year of '73 was frought with considerable hard luck and and discouragement for these parents and their two young children. A scourage of scarlet fever for the two children, a long siege of sickness and a slow recovery for the mother necessitated heavy outlay in Doctor's bills and attendant expenses. In Feb. '75 James' father, Richard suddenly died at the age of 84 years. A chimney fire had threatened destruction of the home and not withstanding his great age, Richard climbed upon the roof and succeeded in putting the fire out. The day was extremely cold, his clothing became wet, and the exposure brought on pneumonia from which he failed to rally. George who had recently married now took over the homestead having purchased the several shares from the other heirs. James and his family continued to live on the "0ld Mill Place" on the Vienna side of Francis Road until the soring of 1876 when they moved onto a small place 3/4 mile west of the old mill site on Sec. 31, Vienna Twp. (E 1/2 of W 1/2 of SE 1/4). Here on this place were born four more children. The older children ,John and Mary, were 5 and 6 years old respectively when Maggie was born on July 12, 1878. Oliver was born June 20, 1880, Minnie on Jan 31st, 1883 and Richard III on April 30, 1885. All six children grew to maturity here and it was the last home of both parents. James died here on April 3, 1900 (age 64) and Levina on October 24th, 1907. Like the old Thetford homestead in the earlier period, the home of "Jim and Vine" as everyone knew them was a place of welcome to young and old. Although James had been a semi-invalid always since returning from the army in 1866, he always retained his genial demeanor and up to his death had found his greatest happiness when mingling with the younger set. Situated as they were, in poor circumstances for many years, they carried the burden well; and succeeded at least, in providing what in those days (page 13.) were considered clean, healthy and sufficient of food and clothing, and also of opportunities for normal phases of child development. This great task was accomplished by utmost frugality, self-denial and patient drudgery. The foundation of the family's living was obtained from the land, supplemented by such manual labor as necessary, an occasional day's work as could be procured by the father during those hard years, and limited to the capacity Or the man. *** FINIS dz