A Family History
The Bulloch family roots trace to Scotland. The first James Bulloch in our story received a liberal Glasgow education and became a clergyman. Repressive measures by the English government against Scottish gentlemen led to the immigration of many to the colonies. James joined the immigrants and came to Carolina in 1728 where he was active in the government of the colony, became a merchant, and owned a plantation called Pon Pon. He met with Oglethorpe, received a royal land grant, and shortly thereafter moved to Georgia. His first wife was, Jean Stobo, daughter of Scottish Presbyterian missionaries. Their first son, Archibald Stobo Bulloch, was born in 1730.
After Jean’s death he married Anne Ferguson, a Carolina widow. With his third wife Ann Graham he acquired Mulberry Grove Plantation on the Savannah River and continued his life as a wealthy planter. In Carolina, James became active in Georgia politics and, as a member of the Provincial Congress in 1775, voted to cut all ties to the Crown of England. He raised a company of Patriots for protection of his Sea Island district.
James son, Archibald Bulloch followed his father to Georgia. Educated as a lawyer and planter, he married Mary DeVeaux in 1764 and they settled in Savannah. He was elected Speaker of the Royal Assembly of Georgia and President of the Provincial Congress.
In 1775 Archibald, the outspoken radical in the family, was elected President of the Executive Council and Commander–in-Chief of Georgia, and was recognized as a courageous and dynamic leader during the difficult time leading to the Revolutionary War. He was one of five men from Georgia to serve at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. (He arrived wearing homespun clothes to make the point that Georgia was boycotting English goods!) Archibald was instrumental in assuring that Georgia would be one of the first Signees of the Declaration. In Savannah he had the honor of doing the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. In February 1777 Archibald became suddenly ill and died of mysterious causes. He was buried in a vault with no inscription, only a carving of a snake in the shape of a circle.
While still in his teens the eldest of Archibald’s three sons, James Bulloch, became a captain in the Revolutionary cause, became active in the Georgia Troops and served during operations to repel hostile Indians. He married Ann Irvine. They were parents of three children, John, James Stephens (b. 1793), Jane, and Ann. (Jane later married John Dunwody, moved to Roswell, and built Phoenix Hall, later known as Mimosa Hall.)
Following family tradition, James Stephens Bulloch pursued many careers in his life in Savannah-the law, business ventures, political office, planting and the military. He served in the Georgia Militia during the War of 1812 earning the rank of Major, and later joined the Chatham Artillery with the rank of Lieutenant. For a time he served as a factor brokering goods including Sea Island cotton, rice, corn, etc. James was an investor in the steamship Savannah, an unsuccessful venture. In the 1820s he joined a law firm with John Dunwody.
The Stewarts, the Bullochs, the Elliotts and the Dunwodys all lived on plantations south of Savannah near Darien and Sunbury. Daniel Stewart's second marriage produced a daughter Martha, known as Patsy.
Unconfirmed family tradition tells that the young Martha Stewart refused an offer of marriage from James Stephens Bulloch.
In the fall of 1817, a letter from John Elliot to Daniel Stewart indicates his ardent desire to court young Martha. Anxious to marry, James proposed to Hester Elliott, and they were married on December 31, 1817.
On January 6, 1818 Martha Stewart married John, a widower 26 years her senior. Now, her former suitor was her step-son-in-law, and Martha had step-daughters ages 22, 23, 9, and 6. John Elliott was elected to the United States Senate in 1819. They made their home in Washington where Martha was considered an elegant, stylish and charming addition to society. The couple divided their time between Washington, his State Street Savannah home, and his plantation at Laurel View.
His term ended in 1825. John and Martha returned to Sunbury with three small children, Susan Ann (age 5), Georgia Amanda (3), and infant son, Charles William, who died after their return. Another son, Daniel, was born in 1827. Contracting dysentery after treating slaves with the disease, John Elliott died in 1827 at age 55. Martha, age 28, chose to raise her blended family in the elegant Elliott Savannah house. She was active in her community and was a manager of the Savannah Widow's Society. The death of her father further increased her wealth and holdings. James and Hester also lived in Savannah with one surviving son, James Dunwody, born in 1823. Hester developed "a painful and protracted illness." James listed their house first for rent, then for sale, and auctioned the house and furnishings less than a month before her death on February 21, 1831.
James and his son moved into the Elliott house with Martha and her family, and much of Savannah was shocked when after one year and three months, 39-year-old James married Martha, his stepmother-in-law (May 8, 1832). Their daughter Anna was born in 1833.
The summer of 1835 found the Bulloch family living in Hartford, Connecticut, where young James Dunwody Bulloch was to enter the Hartford Academy. The family stayed at Miss Oake's Boarding House on Hartford's Main Street, a prestigious address. There, on July 8, 1835, a daughter named Martha (Mittie) was born. The family remained in the North until shortly before their move to upcountry Georgia.
The discovery of gold in 1828 in upcountry Georgia brought enthusiastic adventurers seeking opportunity. Roswell King, sent by the Bank of Darien to check its gold mining efforts, explored the countryside and was favorably impressed with the possibilities for future development. Mr. King planned to use the energy of the creeks and rivers as a power source for a textile mill. After the Cherokee removal the land was sold in 40 acre plots. He purchased land and began construction of a cotton mill on Vickery Creek to be in operation by 1840. His son Barrington King and family arrived in 1838. Roswell and Barrington King invited friends and relatives from the Georgia coast to join them in their new frontier settlement, and offered them home sites. Among those accepting the offer of land were Major and Mrs. James S. Bulloch.
Several reasons may explain why the Bullochs accepted King's offer: an economic depression, the unhealthy climate of the coast, possible unsuccessful business dealings, and a lack of social acceptance of their marriage are among the possibilities. In addition to land, James was offered a position on the Board of Directors of the mill.
James and Martha left Savannah in the Spring of 1838 accompanied by six children and six slaves: "Daddy" Luke Moumar, the butler and handyman with "Maum" Charlotte, the housekeeper, "Daddy" Stephen," the coachman/groomsman, and "Maum" Rose, the cook. Their journey from the coast was a difficult one and many possessions were left behind; however, they packed their silver pieces, a mahogany dining room table seating thirty-six, and a four poster mahogany bed.
James and Martha selected a ten acre plot on the highest ridge in the town for their new home (today the property totals 16+ acres). They lived in an abandoned Cherokee farm house near present-day Martin's Landing while land was being cleared and the house constructed.
Willis Ball, a skilled builder from Connecticut, constructed many of the founders' homes in Roswell (including Bulloch Hall). He used Asher Benjamin's book of house plans for inspiration. Bulloch Hall is now recognized as one of the South's finest examples of true temple-form Greek revival architecture, and has been placed on the National Register of Historical Places.
Lumber for the house was cut from the virgin forest on the property. The wood was aged before being used. Longleaf, or heart-pine, is an extremely hard and durable wood. Two 54' beams in the attic give an indication of the size of the trees found when the family arrived.
Slaves and skilled craftsmen built the house using hand-sawn timbers put together with wooden pegs and hand-forged nails. Slaves made bricks from the red clay found on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. Bubbles in the glass identify many of the windows throughout the house as original.
Each of the rooms has a fireplace. The house is of the classic four-over-four design, with two shed rooms at the back for private use. An unusual feature is the ground level kitchen. Archaeological surveys indicate no evidence of a removed or summer kitchen on this site.
In 1838 construction of the mill was completed. Archibald and Ann Smith arrived in the area from St. Mary's, settling in the Lebanon area. John and Jane Dunwody moved to Roswell from Savannah.
Recollections of a Roswell visit by Catherine Elliott Sever, Martha's niece, indicate the Bulloch family was living in the house by November 1839. Catherine Elliott Sever wrote about her trip from New England to Roswell to visit Aunt Martha in "A Memory of the South." Her story includes descriptions of 19th century travel, life in the Hall, names and duties of slaves, stories of the Christmas celebration, and ending with a description of the arrival of flowers in February.
A house using the same floor plan was built on the adjoining property for James' sister, Jane, and her husband John Dunwody. The night of the housewarming, Dunwody Hall burned to the ground. It is thought that scaffolding left in a chimney ignited and caused the fire.
Charles Irvine was born in 1838 and died at the age of 2 in Roswell. His was the first burial in the Presbyterian Cemetery, now called Founder's Cemetery. Irvine Stephens was born in Bulloch Hall in 1842.
A time of significant change began for the family in 1848 with the death of Martha's daughter Georgia Amanda Elliott. In January, of 1849 her daughter Susan Ann Elliott married Hilborne West of Philadelphia. When Hilborne arrived for the ceremony he was accompanied by a young friend, Theodore Roosevelt. This was the first meeting of young Mittie and Theodore. The Wests' return to Philadelphia and and the unexpected February 18th death of James Stephens Bulloch (while teaching Sunday School at the Presbyterian Church) were events that helped lead to the eventual departure of the family from Roswell.
Cash flow difficulties in 1850 caused Martha to sell Bulloch Hall for $3,350 to a family friend, Archibald Howell, with the agreement that the family would be allowed to stay there. By 1855 the house is back in Martha's possession.
After Anna and Mittie complete their education at Miss Barnhamville's Academy in Columbia, SC, they travel to visit their sister Susan in Philadelphia. Mittie renews her acquaintance with Theodore Roosevelt in the spring of 1853. On May 8, 1853, Theodore wrote Martha requesting approval of the marriage. She replied in the affirmative on May 21st, approval is given by the Roosevelt family, and marriage plans are made.
On December 22nd, 1853, the happy couple chose to be married in the dining room of Bulloch Hall. Theodore's parents, the Cornelius VanShaack Roosevelts, arrive from New York, Dr. West and Susan arrived from Philadelphia, and Mittie's half-brother Daniel Stewart Elliott returned from a trip abroad. The week before the wedding Mittie's friends held "cake icing" parties. Other friends from the coast joined the Dunwodys, the Kings, the Smiths, and other Roswell friends for the evening wedding. Daddy William and other family slaves decorated the house with greenery and served the entire party a lavish meal.
Mittie and Theodore remained in Roswell for a week after the wedding and were entertained by friends and relatives before leaving for New York City. They lived with his parents for a short time while a house, a wedding gift from his parents, was under construction. The restored house, now known as the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace, is at 28 E. 20th Street, New York City.
Mittie and Thee became the parents of four children: Anna, called Bamie born in 1855, Theodore, called Teedie born in 1858, Elliott, called Ellie or Nell born in 1860, and Corinne, called Conie born in 1861.
Mrs. Bulloch rented her Roswell home to Tom King and his wife and left Roswell to travel north in 1856, never to return. She sold most of her furniture. She and two of her children, Anna and Irvine, spent time with her daughter Susan in Philadelphia. Irvine entered the University of Pennsylvania and Mrs. Bulloch and Anna moved on to live with Mittie and Thee in New York. They helped care for the children and Martha was the beloved "Grandmamma." Mittie, Martha and Anna told the children many stories of life in Bulloch Hall. Mittie had a gift for mimicry and adored telling stories she knew so well.
Tensions between the North and the South built and military orders began to arrive in Roswell in 1860 and drills began on the square.
After giving up his command of a United States mail steamer, James Dunwody Bulloch was called south when the war began. He was sent to Liverpool by Confederate Naval Secretary Stephen Mallory, as the primary procurement agent of getting supplies and armaments through the blockade. The CSS Florida, the CSS Alabama, and the CSS Shenandoah, were among the ships launched for the purpose of seizing United States merchant vessels.
James' half-brother, Irvine Stephens Bulloch, followed in his footsteps and served in the Confederate Navy. In 1862, he was assigned to the Alabama under the command of Captain Raphael Semmes. In 1864, the Alabama was sunk in Cherbourg Harbor by the USS Kearsarge. Irvine later served on the Shenandoah as sailing master. The Shenandoah was the last Confederate ship to learn of the end of the war.
The years of the Civil War were hard for the Bulloch women, living in the North and sympathetic to the South. Theodore Roosevelt hired a substitute to fight in the Union Army as his replacement. He served as an allotment commissioner for New York and spent many of the war years travelling with Union forces, persuading soldiers to send money from their pay home to their families. He was a friend of Abraham and Mary Lincoln, visiting them often in the White House. Sometimes when Theodore was away, Martha, Anna and Mittie made up packages of clothes, soap and necessities to be sent to Southern friends and family. Martha actively solicited monies from friends and acquaintances to purchase goods for Confederate prisoners held in deplorable conditions at Point Lookout and Fort Delaware.
Mrs. Bulloch's son from her first marriage, (Daniel) Stuart Elliott, died from tuberculosis after briefly serving in the Confederate army in the first year of the war. Communication between family members was difficult. Thirteen months after the death of his half-brother Stuart, Irvine had yet to learn of his loss.
War came to Roswell in 1864. Most families "refugeed" by the time the town was occupied by over 27,000 Union cavalry units under the command of Brig. General Kenner Garrard.
During the occupation, many of the large homes were used as headquarters and hospitals for troops and remained virtually undamaged. Theophile Roche, mill manager, was caring for Bulloch Hall in Mrs. King's absence. Troops were camped on the grounds of Bulloch Hall. It is likely that officers used the house, but we have no documentation to support the theory. The mills were burned; however, an Order of Protection was issued to insure that the owners and workers homes were not to be burned.
Mrs. Bulloch died in New York City in 1864, before the end of the war without knowing the outcome of the conflict or the fate of her sons.
Theodore Sr. died at age 46 in 1878. Mittie, sick only five days with typhoid fever, died at age 48 on February 14, 1884. Eleven hours later, Theodore's first wife, Alice, died of Bright's disease following the birth of her their daughter, Alice Lee. There was a double funeral in New York.
President Theodore Roosevelt visited Roswell in 1905 to see his mother's girlhood home. He rode the train called "The Dinky" from Chamblee. Many came out to cheer the popular President as the engineer slowly pulled the train through Dunwody. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, daughter of Mittie's son Elliott, visited Roswell and Bulloch Hall several times, driving up from "the Little White House" in Warm Springs, GA. Her husband Franklin Roosevelt visited the house once but did not leave his car.
After Jean’s death he married Anne Ferguson, a Carolina widow. With his third wife Ann Graham he acquired Mulberry Grove Plantation on the Savannah River and continued his life as a wealthy planter. In Carolina, James became active in Georgia politics and, as a member of the Provincial Congress in 1775, voted to cut all ties to the Crown of England. He raised a company of Patriots for protection of his Sea Island district.
James son, Archibald Bulloch followed his father to Georgia. Educated as a lawyer and planter, he married Mary DeVeaux in 1764 and they settled in Savannah. He was elected Speaker of the Royal Assembly of Georgia and President of the Provincial Congress.
In 1775 Archibald, the outspoken radical in the family, was elected President of the Executive Council and Commander–in-Chief of Georgia, and was recognized as a courageous and dynamic leader during the difficult time leading to the Revolutionary War. He was one of five men from Georgia to serve at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. (He arrived wearing homespun clothes to make the point that Georgia was boycotting English goods!) Archibald was instrumental in assuring that Georgia would be one of the first Signees of the Declaration. In Savannah he had the honor of doing the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. In February 1777 Archibald became suddenly ill and died of mysterious causes. He was buried in a vault with no inscription, only a carving of a snake in the shape of a circle.
While still in his teens the eldest of Archibald’s three sons, James Bulloch, became a captain in the Revolutionary cause, became active in the Georgia Troops and served during operations to repel hostile Indians. He married Ann Irvine. They were parents of three children, John, James Stephens (b. 1793), Jane, and Ann. (Jane later married John Dunwody, moved to Roswell, and built Phoenix Hall, later known as Mimosa Hall.)
Following family tradition, James Stephens Bulloch pursued many careers in his life in Savannah-the law, business ventures, political office, planting and the military. He served in the Georgia Militia during the War of 1812 earning the rank of Major, and later joined the Chatham Artillery with the rank of Lieutenant. For a time he served as a factor brokering goods including Sea Island cotton, rice, corn, etc. James was an investor in the steamship Savannah, an unsuccessful venture. In the 1820s he joined a law firm with John Dunwody.
The Stewarts, the Bullochs, the Elliotts and the Dunwodys all lived on plantations south of Savannah near Darien and Sunbury. Daniel Stewart's second marriage produced a daughter Martha, known as Patsy.
Unconfirmed family tradition tells that the young Martha Stewart refused an offer of marriage from James Stephens Bulloch.
In the fall of 1817, a letter from John Elliot to Daniel Stewart indicates his ardent desire to court young Martha. Anxious to marry, James proposed to Hester Elliott, and they were married on December 31, 1817.
On January 6, 1818 Martha Stewart married John, a widower 26 years her senior. Now, her former suitor was her step-son-in-law, and Martha had step-daughters ages 22, 23, 9, and 6. John Elliott was elected to the United States Senate in 1819. They made their home in Washington where Martha was considered an elegant, stylish and charming addition to society. The couple divided their time between Washington, his State Street Savannah home, and his plantation at Laurel View.
His term ended in 1825. John and Martha returned to Sunbury with three small children, Susan Ann (age 5), Georgia Amanda (3), and infant son, Charles William, who died after their return. Another son, Daniel, was born in 1827. Contracting dysentery after treating slaves with the disease, John Elliott died in 1827 at age 55. Martha, age 28, chose to raise her blended family in the elegant Elliott Savannah house. She was active in her community and was a manager of the Savannah Widow's Society. The death of her father further increased her wealth and holdings. James and Hester also lived in Savannah with one surviving son, James Dunwody, born in 1823. Hester developed "a painful and protracted illness." James listed their house first for rent, then for sale, and auctioned the house and furnishings less than a month before her death on February 21, 1831.
James and his son moved into the Elliott house with Martha and her family, and much of Savannah was shocked when after one year and three months, 39-year-old James married Martha, his stepmother-in-law (May 8, 1832). Their daughter Anna was born in 1833.
The summer of 1835 found the Bulloch family living in Hartford, Connecticut, where young James Dunwody Bulloch was to enter the Hartford Academy. The family stayed at Miss Oake's Boarding House on Hartford's Main Street, a prestigious address. There, on July 8, 1835, a daughter named Martha (Mittie) was born. The family remained in the North until shortly before their move to upcountry Georgia.
The discovery of gold in 1828 in upcountry Georgia brought enthusiastic adventurers seeking opportunity. Roswell King, sent by the Bank of Darien to check its gold mining efforts, explored the countryside and was favorably impressed with the possibilities for future development. Mr. King planned to use the energy of the creeks and rivers as a power source for a textile mill. After the Cherokee removal the land was sold in 40 acre plots. He purchased land and began construction of a cotton mill on Vickery Creek to be in operation by 1840. His son Barrington King and family arrived in 1838. Roswell and Barrington King invited friends and relatives from the Georgia coast to join them in their new frontier settlement, and offered them home sites. Among those accepting the offer of land were Major and Mrs. James S. Bulloch.
Several reasons may explain why the Bullochs accepted King's offer: an economic depression, the unhealthy climate of the coast, possible unsuccessful business dealings, and a lack of social acceptance of their marriage are among the possibilities. In addition to land, James was offered a position on the Board of Directors of the mill.
James and Martha left Savannah in the Spring of 1838 accompanied by six children and six slaves: "Daddy" Luke Moumar, the butler and handyman with "Maum" Charlotte, the housekeeper, "Daddy" Stephen," the coachman/groomsman, and "Maum" Rose, the cook. Their journey from the coast was a difficult one and many possessions were left behind; however, they packed their silver pieces, a mahogany dining room table seating thirty-six, and a four poster mahogany bed.
James and Martha selected a ten acre plot on the highest ridge in the town for their new home (today the property totals 16+ acres). They lived in an abandoned Cherokee farm house near present-day Martin's Landing while land was being cleared and the house constructed.
Willis Ball, a skilled builder from Connecticut, constructed many of the founders' homes in Roswell (including Bulloch Hall). He used Asher Benjamin's book of house plans for inspiration. Bulloch Hall is now recognized as one of the South's finest examples of true temple-form Greek revival architecture, and has been placed on the National Register of Historical Places.
Lumber for the house was cut from the virgin forest on the property. The wood was aged before being used. Longleaf, or heart-pine, is an extremely hard and durable wood. Two 54' beams in the attic give an indication of the size of the trees found when the family arrived.
Slaves and skilled craftsmen built the house using hand-sawn timbers put together with wooden pegs and hand-forged nails. Slaves made bricks from the red clay found on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. Bubbles in the glass identify many of the windows throughout the house as original.
Each of the rooms has a fireplace. The house is of the classic four-over-four design, with two shed rooms at the back for private use. An unusual feature is the ground level kitchen. Archaeological surveys indicate no evidence of a removed or summer kitchen on this site.
In 1838 construction of the mill was completed. Archibald and Ann Smith arrived in the area from St. Mary's, settling in the Lebanon area. John and Jane Dunwody moved to Roswell from Savannah.
Recollections of a Roswell visit by Catherine Elliott Sever, Martha's niece, indicate the Bulloch family was living in the house by November 1839. Catherine Elliott Sever wrote about her trip from New England to Roswell to visit Aunt Martha in "A Memory of the South." Her story includes descriptions of 19th century travel, life in the Hall, names and duties of slaves, stories of the Christmas celebration, and ending with a description of the arrival of flowers in February.
A house using the same floor plan was built on the adjoining property for James' sister, Jane, and her husband John Dunwody. The night of the housewarming, Dunwody Hall burned to the ground. It is thought that scaffolding left in a chimney ignited and caused the fire.
Charles Irvine was born in 1838 and died at the age of 2 in Roswell. His was the first burial in the Presbyterian Cemetery, now called Founder's Cemetery. Irvine Stephens was born in Bulloch Hall in 1842.
A time of significant change began for the family in 1848 with the death of Martha's daughter Georgia Amanda Elliott. In January, of 1849 her daughter Susan Ann Elliott married Hilborne West of Philadelphia. When Hilborne arrived for the ceremony he was accompanied by a young friend, Theodore Roosevelt. This was the first meeting of young Mittie and Theodore. The Wests' return to Philadelphia and and the unexpected February 18th death of James Stephens Bulloch (while teaching Sunday School at the Presbyterian Church) were events that helped lead to the eventual departure of the family from Roswell.
Cash flow difficulties in 1850 caused Martha to sell Bulloch Hall for $3,350 to a family friend, Archibald Howell, with the agreement that the family would be allowed to stay there. By 1855 the house is back in Martha's possession.
After Anna and Mittie complete their education at Miss Barnhamville's Academy in Columbia, SC, they travel to visit their sister Susan in Philadelphia. Mittie renews her acquaintance with Theodore Roosevelt in the spring of 1853. On May 8, 1853, Theodore wrote Martha requesting approval of the marriage. She replied in the affirmative on May 21st, approval is given by the Roosevelt family, and marriage plans are made.
On December 22nd, 1853, the happy couple chose to be married in the dining room of Bulloch Hall. Theodore's parents, the Cornelius VanShaack Roosevelts, arrive from New York, Dr. West and Susan arrived from Philadelphia, and Mittie's half-brother Daniel Stewart Elliott returned from a trip abroad. The week before the wedding Mittie's friends held "cake icing" parties. Other friends from the coast joined the Dunwodys, the Kings, the Smiths, and other Roswell friends for the evening wedding. Daddy William and other family slaves decorated the house with greenery and served the entire party a lavish meal.
Mittie and Theodore remained in Roswell for a week after the wedding and were entertained by friends and relatives before leaving for New York City. They lived with his parents for a short time while a house, a wedding gift from his parents, was under construction. The restored house, now known as the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace, is at 28 E. 20th Street, New York City.
Mittie and Thee became the parents of four children: Anna, called Bamie born in 1855, Theodore, called Teedie born in 1858, Elliott, called Ellie or Nell born in 1860, and Corinne, called Conie born in 1861.
Mrs. Bulloch rented her Roswell home to Tom King and his wife and left Roswell to travel north in 1856, never to return. She sold most of her furniture. She and two of her children, Anna and Irvine, spent time with her daughter Susan in Philadelphia. Irvine entered the University of Pennsylvania and Mrs. Bulloch and Anna moved on to live with Mittie and Thee in New York. They helped care for the children and Martha was the beloved "Grandmamma." Mittie, Martha and Anna told the children many stories of life in Bulloch Hall. Mittie had a gift for mimicry and adored telling stories she knew so well.
Tensions between the North and the South built and military orders began to arrive in Roswell in 1860 and drills began on the square.
After giving up his command of a United States mail steamer, James Dunwody Bulloch was called south when the war began. He was sent to Liverpool by Confederate Naval Secretary Stephen Mallory, as the primary procurement agent of getting supplies and armaments through the blockade. The CSS Florida, the CSS Alabama, and the CSS Shenandoah, were among the ships launched for the purpose of seizing United States merchant vessels.
James' half-brother, Irvine Stephens Bulloch, followed in his footsteps and served in the Confederate Navy. In 1862, he was assigned to the Alabama under the command of Captain Raphael Semmes. In 1864, the Alabama was sunk in Cherbourg Harbor by the USS Kearsarge. Irvine later served on the Shenandoah as sailing master. The Shenandoah was the last Confederate ship to learn of the end of the war.
The years of the Civil War were hard for the Bulloch women, living in the North and sympathetic to the South. Theodore Roosevelt hired a substitute to fight in the Union Army as his replacement. He served as an allotment commissioner for New York and spent many of the war years travelling with Union forces, persuading soldiers to send money from their pay home to their families. He was a friend of Abraham and Mary Lincoln, visiting them often in the White House. Sometimes when Theodore was away, Martha, Anna and Mittie made up packages of clothes, soap and necessities to be sent to Southern friends and family. Martha actively solicited monies from friends and acquaintances to purchase goods for Confederate prisoners held in deplorable conditions at Point Lookout and Fort Delaware.
Mrs. Bulloch's son from her first marriage, (Daniel) Stuart Elliott, died from tuberculosis after briefly serving in the Confederate army in the first year of the war. Communication between family members was difficult. Thirteen months after the death of his half-brother Stuart, Irvine had yet to learn of his loss.
War came to Roswell in 1864. Most families "refugeed" by the time the town was occupied by over 27,000 Union cavalry units under the command of Brig. General Kenner Garrard.
During the occupation, many of the large homes were used as headquarters and hospitals for troops and remained virtually undamaged. Theophile Roche, mill manager, was caring for Bulloch Hall in Mrs. King's absence. Troops were camped on the grounds of Bulloch Hall. It is likely that officers used the house, but we have no documentation to support the theory. The mills were burned; however, an Order of Protection was issued to insure that the owners and workers homes were not to be burned.
Mrs. Bulloch died in New York City in 1864, before the end of the war without knowing the outcome of the conflict or the fate of her sons.
Theodore Sr. died at age 46 in 1878. Mittie, sick only five days with typhoid fever, died at age 48 on February 14, 1884. Eleven hours later, Theodore's first wife, Alice, died of Bright's disease following the birth of her their daughter, Alice Lee. There was a double funeral in New York.
President Theodore Roosevelt visited Roswell in 1905 to see his mother's girlhood home. He rode the train called "The Dinky" from Chamblee. Many came out to cheer the popular President as the engineer slowly pulled the train through Dunwody. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, daughter of Mittie's son Elliott, visited Roswell and Bulloch Hall several times, driving up from "the Little White House" in Warm Springs, GA. Her husband Franklin Roosevelt visited the house once but did not leave his car.
Bulloch Hall is owned by the City of Roswell and operated by Friends of Bulloch, Inc., a GA 501(c)3 non-profit organization.