(Americus Brown is my 1st cousin 3X removed in the Bullen family.)
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| Americus Brown photo courtesy SHansen on Findagrave.com website |
His parents John and Mary (Bullen) Brown wished to give their first-born child a more memorable name when he arrived on 2 April 1859 in West Bend, Wisconsin. Not another John Brown or James Brown or Peter Brown for him! One sister Mary Elizabeth "Lizzy" Brown completed the family group. Only Americus had a name that really stood out. By 1880 the family had moved to the small town of Coloma in Waushara County, WI; Americus was a clerk in the railway depot there.
Americus means "home ruler" or "work ruler". Nothing in what can be learned of his history would lead one to believe that he personified his name. His photograph seems to show a gentle unassuming soul.
Following his marriage to Isabelle Spaulding three days after his 26th birthday, the young couple moved in with his wife's parents. Isabel had been a teacher and also helped her father with his store and post office located in the same building as their home. That is where they were all found in the 1900 and 1910 U.S. censuses for Waushara County. Americus was a laborer. Ten years later, they were still living with his widowed father-in-law; Americus was employed as a carpenter in the home-building industry. Two sons and a daughter had joined the family and all lived under the grandparents' roof.
Isabel died in 1926. In the 1930 census, for a short while Americus was finally living on his own and presumably the one and only "home ruler". He was still working as a carpenter at age 71 and living in the southwest part of Coloma Town.
During the 1930s, newspaper articles detail his visits to stay with his sons when he was ill and offer clues to his deep involvement with the Odd Fellows organization. In 1932, he went to winter at the Odd Fellows home and seems to have stayed there for his remaining years.
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| 622 Grignon Street, Green Bay, WI from Google Earth Street View |
It was at this stage of his life that he was approached by some cousins asking for his input into their compilation of the Bullen family history. This was his response to them as quoted in the Source Book for the Bullen Family by Nelson and Dunlop:
622 Grignon St., Green Bay, WI
Oct. 19, 1935
Dear Cousin Eva,
I was greatly surprised to get a letter from you this A.M. I never knew much of this Bullen family and Mother's brothers and sisters. My father's oldest sister married a Alphous Bullen; Mother was a cousin of hers. In 1860 they lived at Lake City, Minn. They had two girls and a boy, Alida and Alitha and William. Mother said she was a cousin of hers of the John Bullen family.
Mother was born in Hannibal, N.Y. Her mother was Jane Murdy. Her grandmother and she who was her mother came west from N.Y. and settled in northern Illinois with their people. Her grandfather came later as he was a breeder of fine horses -- bringing some blooded stock. When he to where they were he wanted to see farther west so he hitched up a team and started out. It was the last seen or heard of him. It was always supposed he was killed by the Indians for his team.
Your grandfather David Bullen married Jane Murdy for his wife. Their children were Winslow, Mortimore, David and William, Jane, Mary and Sarah. I only knew but one of John Bullen's children. That was Alpheus. He married Eliza, father's oldest sister. I know nothing of the doings at Kenosha.
Who was this Sylvia? You mention my sister? Her husband's name was Nate Baldwin; her second husband was Joe Janotte. She has one daughter, Mary Madden at Minocque, one in Wausau, Flora Miller, one in Rhonelander, Cyntha, two in Chicago, Reba and one other, three boys in Chicago, Louis, William, Eugene, one boy at Fox Lake, Edgar.
If I live to see the second day of April I will be 77.
It's hard for me to write. Perhaps I am not going to help you much.
If there is anything more than I can help you at let me know. I never hear from any of the Bullens; don't know where they are. Did you want the diagram?.
Your cousin, (Signed) Americus
It was the second paragraph that I have examined most closely over the years as it has posed almost the only information available about my maternal line ancestor Jane Murdy. Thank you for that, Americus!
Americus died a couple of years later at the age of 79 and is buried with his wife at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Coloma, WI.
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| Photo courtesy Steve Seim of Findagrave.com |
Some Resources:
Nelson, M. and Dunlop, R., Compilers, Source Book for the Bullen Family; Privately printed in the 1930s, p67
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