My WDYTYR Episode - 1989 Bullock Family Reunion

I first learned about Uncle Andrew when I attended the Bullock Family Reunion held in Soul City, NC on Saturday, August 12, 1989, with my maternal grandmother and one of my sisters. One of Grandma’s first cousins told her about this reunion of Bullocks who were the family of their maternal grandfather, Andrew Bullock (1864-1915). My grandmother’s mother, Bell Bullock Johnson, and her cousin’s mother, Nancy Bullock Evans, were sisters.

I had never met any of these Bullock family members, but my grandmother knew some of them whom she had not seen in many years. Hugs and kisses filled the room of these joyful family members who were dressed in red and white reunion t-shirts.

A one page family history was distributed at this reunion which included the information below. The history was read aloud by Cousin Queen, one of the elders of the family at that time. Later I leaned that she and her sister Minnie had written this one page history. They were the nieces of my great great grandfather Andrew Bullock.

“How am I connected to this family?” I asked my grandmother and others at our table. The others included my grandmother’s cousin Sarah, the one who told her about the family reunion, Sarah’s father, Clarence, and his second wife. Cousin Sarah was the offspring of his first wife, Nancy.

On the back of the one page family history, I scribbled out a tree which outlined my connection to the Bullock family. During the conversation at the reunion, I learned that I was a descendant of Ottoway and Julia Bullock through their son Andrew. Later through research I would discover that Julia was Ottoway’s third wife and that I was a descendant of his first wife Mimmy.

I made a vow to myself to find out more about this family after I read this one page history at the reunion. I had no idea how to do this, but five years later in 1994, I began the process of learning how to trace my family history.

Since I began my family research in 1994, I have not only dug up info on my ancestors, but also on their siblings. Most of my great grandmother Bell’s nine siblings remained in NC during their adult lives, but three of them (Uncle Andrew and Aunts Mima and Chaney) migrated from NC to various cities.

I had heard my grandmother Emma mention a few of her mother’s siblings such as Aunts Chaney, Mollie, and Bessie. However, the 1989 reunion is the first time I learned the names of her maternal aunts and uncles, including Uncle Andrew. Later after I began my research in 1994, I would learn more details about the lives of this family branch and from time to time Uncle Andrew’s whereabouts in New York would spark my curiosity.

Stay tuned. . . Coming Up! – Professor Dru learns more about Uncle Andrew from Oral History.