The Bullock Family Legacy Chronicles is a special collection of family roots, notes, and the Manchild life experiences of native son Princeray. The Family Legacy Notes explore a Black family’s struggle from Africa, the Middle Passage, and Human Bondage to Conditional Freedom in America. Human bondage was an especially painful and terrifying spiritual chapter in the family’s psyche, an elder described the ancestors of human bondage as to have lived in a chillingly propound sacred state of disassociation in “The Other World”.
We would not be here to celebrate life without the magnificence of their strength and spirit during this harrowing period in history. The ancestors flourished under the most extraordinary inhumane and periling circumstances in human history. They endured separation & isolation, murder, rape, wars, fathom, terrorism, and disease to spread their seeds of destiny. There has never been a national conscience or interest to reunite, reconstruct, or pay reparations to Black families destroyed and torn apart by the savagery of American Human Bondage.
Very little governmental resources, if any at all, have been committed to aid Black families in their quest to reunite and reconstruct the spiritual links to their African and American past. It remains a heroic task of the dying traditional family historians/genealogist. American Black Genealogy has been practically ignored and disregarded as an art of its own sufficient uniqueness to certify its own genealogist. As a science and art form, due to the ravages of Human Bondage and destruction of Black family groups, Black Genealogy has to play a duel role in reuniting, and reconstructing our spiritual and ancestral lineages and past primarily through the bold interpretation of family folklore, records, censuses and public records, if any. The Black Genealogist, whether self appointed or not, trained or certified must begin the record our roots and folklore for future generations.
This site is dedicated to our ancestors. It is a testament of sacrifice, genius, strength, heroism, hope, and spiritual faith. This site is also and especially dedicated to my late father, Rayford Bullock, who suffered quietly in agony & humiliation. His story is testament of a monumental and classic human betrayal, and breach of faith at the hands of his beloved country. This site is also dedicated to my uncle Julius Bullock that inspired me at every moment to keep the flame burning to unite our family and my dearly departed brother, Anthony Bullock, which commanded that I bring color and life to my ancestors and call forth their names into the 21st Century.
The Saga of Big John and Ellen Bullock
Because of Slavery, most Black families lack sufficient folklore or records to work from in family roots genealogical research. It is extremely important to our research to identify, locate and record the immediate ancestral post-antebellum origins of our pre Civil War freedmen ancestors. We primarily work from census records and family folklore to determine, identify, track the roots of our families, and reunite long lost immediate and extended family members of freedmen. At the abolition of slavery, we can find some freedmen remaining at the site of bondage as tenant-farmers living with her immediate family alongside in-laws and former enslavers. However in many cases, freedmen were justified and often sometimes forced to leave their places of bondage and servitude without a trace.
John & Ellen Bullock, the grand elders of the nuclear post slavery Bullock Family, were my great-great grandparents. They were born into, and survived “THE OTHER WORLD”, American’s Peculiar Institution of Slavery. In 1870, we are fortunate to find John, forty (40) years old, born around 1829-1830, Ellen, thirty-six (36), born around 1834-35) in Marion County, Mississippi raising a family. John & Ellen had to have been strong, and remarkably resourceful individuals to keep most of their slavery era family intact. They not only survived the savagery of slavery, they conquered the wind, rain, cold and disease that ravaged our ancestors during this classical historical period. I call John, “BIG JOHN.”
In 1860, the slave schedules show a thirty (30) year old male living which is believed to be Big John subjected on a farm in Marion County, Mississippi, belonging to wealthy plantation owner, Hugh (Hubert) Bullock. The slave schedules did not list the names, first or last, for our ancestors. It just listed the age and gender.
There is further and more convincing evidence suggesting that John had been subjected to bondage on the plantation of Hugh Bullock. In 1880, Big John Bullock was living next door to Jesse Leonard Bullock. Jesse, age 36, was the youngest son of Hugh Bullock.
Consider this further evidence that Big John Bullock was in fact associated to Hugh Bullock. In 1870, Big John Bullock was found living next door to plantation owner, Hosea (Hosey) Davis (Davies), age seventy (70). Hosea was a wealthy and respected early pioneer of Marion/Pike County. Hosea was a close relative of Rhoda Davis Bullock, mother of Hugh Bullock. Hosea must have passed between 1870-1880, because in 1880 Jesse Leonard is living at Hosea’s farm. Jesse Leonard must have inherited the farm as a surviving grandson of Hosea.
From around 1818 thru 1826, Joel Bullock, Hugh’s father, Rhoda and Hosea, Sr. emigrated from North Carolina to the wildiness of Mississippi. They along with Luke Conerly, Newton Cowart, Stephen and John Regan founded an early settlement around Waterholes Church, just outside the line formed by the creation of Pike County.
Ellen and Big John Bullock had to have been trusted, respected, and essential links to the Bullock and Davis families. Little is known of Ellen, John’s thirty-six (36) year old wife. Hugh Bullock’s 1860 slave schedules did not record a twenty-six (26) female on the plantation, so we may assume she and the kids were in bondage at an adjacent plantation, possibly the Ranklin Plantation.
In 1870, Hosea Davis, Jr. was found living next door to his father, and Big John and Ellen. At home appearing to be living with Ellen and John was a white child, seven (7) year old William Bashmon. William was believed associated with Hosea, Sr., possibly a grandson. The census taker would usually take the liberty to place a white child with his or her relatives nevertheless found in the home of freedmen. In the opinion of an experienced Black genealogist, she found this situation most usual and extraordinary for its time and place to have a white child living in open with former freedmen. It suggested that John and Ellen were in fact people of “high responsibility.”
In 1870, Big John & Ellen was living with slavery era children Bynum, age 18, born 1852, Joseph, age 16, born 1854, and Jake, age 14, born 1856, Angeline, age 14, born 1859, and post-slavery children James, age 4, born 1866, and Nisa, age 2, born 1868. For reasons exactly not fully understood at this time, the nuclear post slavery Bullock Family tended to name children after immediate relatives, which cause some confusion. For example, John’s son, James, born, 1866, I initially misidentified him as the husband of my great grandmother, Liddie (Lydia) Brister/Bullock, when in fact it was Big John’s grandson, James (Jim) Bullock, born 1876, that was married to Liddle. There was yet another James Bullock. This James, the Elder, had been the brother of Big John Bullock.
In 1870, James Bullock, the elder, was found living next door to Hugh Bullock. James was listed at 38, with his wife Gatsy, age 32, Lidie Ann, age 16, Pearl, age 11, Burrell, above, age 9, Caroline, age 6, Emile, age 2, and Angus, below, age 11 months. Also next door to James was Judy Youngblood, age 55 (born 1815), Moses, age 85 (born 1765), and Crary (Caroline) Youngblood, age 60 (born 1810). Judy appeared to have two slavery era sons, James, age 18 (born 1852) and Berry, age 16 (born 1854). Also listed as living with the family were slavery era freedmen Julie, age 30 (born 1840), Clovina, age 23 (born 1857), Jane, age 25 (born 1855), Lacey, age 10 (born 1860), Rose, age 11 (born 1859), and post slavery Monroe, age 2 (born 1868).
The families, and descendants of the elders James Bullock (born 1840), and Big John had traditionally shared and maintained such close ties which suggest that they were brothers. In fact, both James and BigJohn had been closely associated with Hugh Bullock. John and James appear to have been trusted, essential and important associates of Hugh and his extended family.
In 1929, James, the elder’s mother and father was recorded to have been Moses Bullock and Caroline Moses identified by census records as Moses and Caroline Youngblood. In 1880, Moses and Caroline were found near both James and Big John. Moses listed age was 100, Caroline was 80 years old. Close to Moses and Caroline were slavery era freedmen Amos Youngblood, age 52, Judy 55, and Jake Youngblood, age 30. All of them including the elders Big John and James appeared to be working as farm hands or sharecroppers on the plantation of Hugh Bullock. After the abolition of slavery, freedmen were free to select surnames. Some, if not most chose the last enslaver’s surname. Moses chose Youngblood. James and Big John chose Bullock.
The Bullock and Youngblood plantations were contiguous. By the 1850 slave schedule, Ben Youngblood had subjected a Black male, age 65, probably and most likely Moses. Hugh Bullock subjected a Black female, age 50, most probably Caroline. It was not unlikely or unusual for pre Civil War/Abolition married couples and their children to live on different plantations.
What is important about Moses and Caroline are that their ordeals record the first stage of classic African forced immigration to the eastern seaboard of Chesapeake Bay, Virginia. Moses recorded in 1880 that he and his parents were born in Virginia in the 1700’s.
Caroline record that she was born in North Carolina sometime around 1800, and her parents were born in Virginia. Her birth in North Carolina represent the second classic migration during the 1780-90’s that forced thousands of Africans and their descendants from Virginia, and the eastern seaboard into uncultivated and virgin wildiness areas of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.
Moses, Caroline, and Julia, sister of Caroline or daughter of Moses, born about 1820 in North Carolina, were part of the third classic forced migration during the 1800’s when again thousands of African and their descendants were forced into Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana to clear and cultivate the land to make COTTON KING.
Elders Big John and James also appeared to have been related to Jack Bullock (born 1832). In 1880, Jack stated that he was married, but was not listed with wife on the census. Jack was living with his son and wife, Bynum (born 1852), Jane (born 1855). Their children were Nora, age 7 (born 1873-74), Angie (Angeline), age 5 (born 1875), and Lucinda, age 4 months (born 1880).Big John, James and Jack were the some of the backbone that tamed the rivers, hills and wildiness of virgin Mississippi.
In 1870, Bynum was living with Big John as his oldest son. Additionally, James, the elder, and (Jim) James,Big John’s son hereinafter referred to as Jim, the younger, were always close. Jim, the younger, was the third son of Big John, born 1866.
In 1870, Ellen’s race was recorded as Black, but the legend that their son Jake had long black hair like an Indian suggest that Ellen more likely than Big John may have been in fact Native American mixed. Jake was a legendary notorious rich dark chocolate “Ladies Man” that may have resembled something like out of Sidney Poitier’s Hollywood movie, “The Long Ships.”
By 1880, Big John’s sons, Joseph and Jake, moved on to raise their own families in Pike County. Ellen must have passed sometime between 1870 and 1880, because in 1880, Big John was found married and living with Mary Davis, age 40, born 1840 in Mississippi. Mary most likely had been related to the Hosea Davis and his plantation.
Big John passed sometime between 1890-1900 leaving sons, Joseph, Jake, James, Franklin, William (Will), Richeous, and Lucious. Folklore around Walthall County referred to them as the somewhat infamous and notorious,” Bullock Boys.” At one time, the Infamous Bullock Boys may have populated half of the Black population of Walthall, Pike and Marion Counties. Of course, I can’t confirm that.
In 1910, James, the Elder, was dwelling with his niece, Angeline Bullock, age 26 (born 1884-85). Recall, the same children names reoccurs over and over again in the post bondage nuclear Bullock Family, which also give us important clues. This Angeline appears to have been Jake’s daughter, which confirm that James and Big John, the Elders were in fact brothers. Angeline, John’s daughter, born 1859, and her descendents, and Byrum Bullock‘s daughter Angeline, born 1875, after 1880 remain lost.
Gwendolyn McGowan (The McGowen Family) has excellent resources and pictures for two of James, the elder’s sons that married into the McGowan family in Walthall County, Mississippi. In fact, my grandfather, John Bullock (br. 1895) Ida McGowen (br. 1898) and another estranged son of the Notorious Jake Bullock below.
Sam Bullock-Quinn (br. 1893), also married (Ethel McGowen, br. 1896) Ida’s sister, from one of the McGowan-McGowen Families of Walthall County.
Email me for questions, suggestions, resources and references! rayfordbullock@yahoo.com
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