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Hull History
Nearly 200 years ago, Warren and Polly Hull traveled from Killingworth,
Connecticut through New York State and decided to settle and build their
permanent home on the old Batavia Road in the town of Clarence. This location is
now known as 5976 Genesee Street in the Town of Lancaster.
A visit to the Hull Family Home & Farmstead will take you back in time to hear
the many stories that can be told about the house, the family and the historic
events that took place in the early 19th century. You can return time and again
to observe the progress of the restoration of this landmark, which was placed on
the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.
You can click your way through these stories on our website – in 21st century
fashion – or you can visit us and learn the stories from first-person
interpreters and through interactive experiences – in 19th century fashion! We
hope to see you soon!
The Hull House is the oldest stone dwelling in Erie County, New York. Built
c.1810 by Warren Hull for his wife, Polly, and their children, the federal
style dwelling was built into a hill so that, from the street, two stories are
apparent. From the back, however, the basement level is accessible. Throughout
the house, one can find the original woodwork in flooring, doorways, windows,
window seats, stairways, banisters and fireplace mantels and jambs.
The main floor of the house consists of an entrance hallway with a common room
(kitchen), pantry and back hallway on the right and the parlor and sitting room
on the left. The original fireplaces in the parlor and the sitting room are
still in place, while the larger common room fireplace will be restored.
The second story includes the Hulls’ master bedchamber and the boys’ bedchamber
on the left and the girls’ bedroom, the north bedchamber, on the right. The
original fireplaces in all these rooms are still intact. A small room at the
top of the staircase may have been an office for Mr. Hull or a bedchamber for
hired help.
In the attic, one can see the 40-foot hand-hewn timber that serves as the main
beam under the gabled roof. The four chimneys have been restored along with the
oval windows facing east and west.
In the basement stands the foundation of the large kitchen hearth which will be
rebuilt on the main floor. The original cistern is under the basement floor, and
this collected rainwater for household use. The most unique feature, however, is
the original beehive oven which is in such good condition that it will be used
for demonstration purposes in the near future.
Warren Hull (born 1762, died 1838) married Polly Gillett (b. 1765, d. 1834)
in 1783 in Killingworth, Connecticut. Prior to his marriage, Warren served in
the Revolutionary War with his father, Peter.
Before settling in Western New York, Warren and Polly lived in Otsego County,
Madison County, Ontario County and Livingston County. Their family grew as they
moved westward; when they purchased their property from the Holland Land Company
in 1804, they already had ten children. Following are the names and years of
birth and death of each of their 12 children:
It is difficult to imagine how this family survived in this virtual wilderness
in 1804. Warren and Polly appear to have been intelligent and well-educated, and
they were obviously able to take advantage of whatever resources were available
to them. They worked their farm and were able to take grain and wood to nearby
mills. It is safe to assume that Polly taught her children until the nearest
schoolhouse was built on the corner of Gunnville Road.
After the death of Warren and Polly, their daughter Polly Hull Lewis lived in
the family home; she had six children and had been widowed in 1830. Rebecca
married a man named William Tyler, who bought land adjoining the Hull property.
James married Betsy Crosby, and they settled in Fredonia/Chautauqua area with
their five children where he was a newspaper publisher. Anna Hull Tyler had one
child and was widowed; and Maria Hull married Ezra Sheldon, whose family owned
land east of the Hull property. Edmund Hull married Eliza Garrett, had six
children, and was a lawyer who represented Erie County as a legislator in
Albany.
Justus Hull, a brick maker, married Harriet Bivens, had seven children and lived
in Buffalo. Sophia married Eber Howe, a printer/publisher; they moved to Ohio
where they demonstrated their commitment to the abolitionist movement. Miranda
Hull married her sister Vilera’s widower, William Conley, after Vilera’s death
in 1835; she raised her own son and Vilera’s two children on property across the
road from the Hull house. Vilera is buried in the family cemetery with her
parents.
Minerva Hull died at age 26, unmarried and childless, while Aurilla married
twice and had seven children in all. Aurilla, with her second husband, Robert
Wheelock, purchased the Hull house from her sister, Polly, in1849. Several
Wheelock family members are buried in the Hull Family Cemetery.
Most of the Hull children lived and died in the Lancaster area. However, their
offspring were part of the westward movement, and many of them settled in Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
When we examine the lineage of Warren Hull, we find that he is descended from
the immigrant, George Hull, who came to the colonies from England in the early
1630’s. Warren and his father served the country as soldiers during the
Revolutionary War. Soon after Warren had settled in Western New York, the War of
1812 was fought in and around the area. In 1825, the Erie Canal was completed,
drastically changing the economy across New York State. The abolitionist
movement and the Civil War engaged Hull family members in the middle of the
century.
While Hull family members were part of these dramatic historic events, they also
contributed to their communities in more ordinary ways as farmers, teachers,
attorneys, printers, artists, business owners and church and government leaders.
All of these events and contributions are part of the Hull Family stories, which
are imparted to visitors in a variety of events and programs at the site.
The vision for the future at the Hull Family Home & Farmstead is ambitious
but critically important to preserving the house and the stories of the family
and the culture and events of the 19th century in Western New York. In order to
help children and families, students and researchers, history buffs and tourists
to understand the present, we want to help them appreciate the past.
Physical restoration of the home began in 2005 with the stabilization of the
structure and continued in 2006 with the replacement of the roof and chimneys.
The restoration of the six existing fireplaces and the leveling of the dining
room floor are taking place in early 2007. Original twelve-over-twelve paned
windows will replace present windows, and partitions will be removed or added to
return the structure to the original federal plan. The common room (kitchen)
fireplace will be rebuilt in the tradition of the era.
The removal of the 20th century additions in the two-level barn has taken place,
and the original floor plan for the barn will be reconstructed. A historic
landscape architect, who will determine where outbuildings should be rebuilt, is
examining the property. Eventually the property will include a working farm and
livestock barn.
The family cemetery at the north end of the property has been marked off in a
grid-like pattern to identify the locations of the family members buried there.
A state-of-the-art education center will eventually be built so that visitors
can explore the past in a variety of ways.
In the meantime, visitors are always welcome to return again and again to
observe the progress of the restoration.
