Captain William Bull Tavern

The Captain William Bull Tavern.

This piece of history owes its life to the kindness and support of Lee Cook, the staff of the Litchfield Historical Society, Litchfield, Town Clerk, Lisa Losee.and the staff of the Litchfield Probate Court. I am thankful for the records preserved by the Litchfield Historical Society and the dedicated Town Clerks over the past 3 centuries I am thankful for the records that have been saved and preserved and the people responsible for enabling windows of the past to be opened. March 31, 2014, Daniel Keefe

The early history of the dwelling traditionally identified as the “Captain William Bull Tavern” begins with Isaac and Eunice Bull’s purchase of 58 high acres of land on the Litchfield Farmington Road in 1756 from Stephen Rossetter for L 112 and ends with the sale of the farm to George Buell in 18292, a story in which William Bull occupies center stage for 9 of the 73 years. The middle years cover the period from 1829 to 1923 the time of the Buell, Candee, Griswold and Vandewater families. The late years begin in 1923 with the rescuing of the dwelling by Frederick Fussenich and the years as Toll Gate Inn and will take the tale to 2014 A sampling of published material on the Captain William Bull Tavern follows.

1. National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form, 1978, prepared by David F. Ransom “Although it’s original owner is not known”

2. Country Life, September 1925 by Harriet

   	 “The Colonial history of the old hostelry is well established, for it is known to have been built in
    	 1745 by Isaac Bull, who died in 1789 and was thereafter occupied by his son William Bull, as a
   	  Tavern.  It was familiarly known throughout the countryside as the Half Way House or
     	Captain Bull’s Tavern.”

3. Litchfield Enquirer November 14, 1984, An article by Beth Fleckenstein

“The red house, built in 1745 used to be Captain Bull’s Tavern.  In 1789 Captain Bull turned the
 House, located then on the East Litchfield Road into a travelers’ way station.”
“In the years following the Revolution one Captain William Bull, a veteran of Fort Ticonderoga2a   turned well to do farmer, took possession of a fine old mansion house on what was then a principal route between the capital cities Hartford, Boston and Albany, just outside the pretty and prosperous village of Litchfield”.

4. The Toll Gate Hill Inn & Restaurant Brochure of 1993 reads,

    	 “In the National Register of Historic Places, Toll Gate Inn is referred to as the “Captain
              William Bull Tavern”. Built in 1745, the mansion house on Captain Bull’s farm was. In 1789,
              a way station for travelers in its original location on the Old East Litchfield Road which was 
             the main route between Hartford and Litchfield in the late 1700s and early 1800s. 
             There  travelers could stop for refreshment or lodging”

According to the above underlined quotes, The Tavern or dwelling: 1. Was built in 1745 by unknown persons or Isaac Bull who died in 1789 2. Was thereafter occupied by his son William Bull, as a Tavern. 3. Was turned, into a travelers’ way station known as the” Half Way House” by Captain Bull in 1789.

Research Summary

1. A dwelling was first built on the site by Isaac Bull following his1756 purchase of 58 acres of land from Stephen Rossetter. The family was still living in Harwinton a year later when their 9th child, Susannah was born on March 20,17573 suggesting a construction date of 1757-1760 2. Isaac Bull is identified as a teacher in “The Diary of Elihu Hubbard Smith” & “The Descendants of Thomas Bull.”20a, 22 3. In 1775-6 the home was host to a Boarding School conducted by Isaac.Bull4 4. In the 1780s, three sons of Isaac & Eunice died in their 40s leaving widows with young families 5. Isaac recognized their deaths with endowments to their children in his will also recognizing daughter Ursula’s separation from her husband, Thomas Phillips5 6. Following the death of Isaac, Widow Eunice leased her dower .to William Bull, not a son of Isaac but, a son of Isaac’s cousin, Caleb Bull of Hartford6. 7. William did not own the property in 1789. His purchase did not occur until 17917 8. William owned the property for 8 years significantly expanding the farm and altering the dwelling before dying in 1799; 19 land transactions are recorded between 1790-97 9. Between 1791 and 1799, the years of William’s ownership a) The value of the dwelling increased dramatically b) William’s wife Mary Hall Bull died in 1790 shortly after William purchased the Tracy home on North Street and before he purchased the Tavern Property c) Ursula, a daughter of Isaac & Eunice divorced her first husband Col. Thomas Phillips d) William and Ursula were married as evidenced by William’s Will and Elihu Hubbard Smith’s Diary8 10 In 1797 sold the North Street home to Elizabeth Lewis for $750.008a 11 William died in 1799. His will:9 Identifies Ursula as his wife and heir and instructs her to maintain his agreement to care for Eunice. Identifies some of the family living with them at the time, including children of Ursula’s brother, George and a daughter of his deceased brother Frederick. 10. Ursula is listed on the 1800 and 1810 census as owner of the property. The two census show seven and nine people living at the farm10 11. In 1813 Ursula and her 3rd husband Gamaliel Painter, living in Vermont, leased the Tavern property for 10 years to Billie Turner for $150 dollars a year11 12. Ursula Bull Philips Painter died in 1824 13. The Bull heirs & executors sold the farm/Tavern/Inn to George S. Buell in 182912 14. Between 1829 and 1829 George Buell and his father Jonathan are listed as co-owners on the Litchfield Grand Lists13 Of Note. a) Executor for estate of Isaac was Uriah Tracy, State Senator, ardent Federalist and husband of Susannah daughter of Isaac and Eunice Bull b) Sally Tracy, daughter of Uriah and Susannah Tracy, married James Gould of the Reeve Law School c) Isaac & Eunice’s first daughter, Eunice, was married to William Stanton, Col. in Sheldon’s Horse d) Isaac & Eunice first son, Isaac was successful physician in Wallingford. e) Four sons of Isaac & Eunice, Roger, Caleb, George and Aaron, died between the ages of 39 & 44

In researching the “Captain William Bull Tavern”, it was easier to tease out the story of the Bull family from the Historical Society Archives, family and Town records than uncovering facts about the Tavern. The enduring tradition that the Bull homestead functioned as an Inn or Tavern does not help us with the specific questions of when and for how long the farm also served as a Way Stop on the Litchfield-Harwinton Turnpike.

The Beginning The traditionally named “Captain William Bull Tavern”, now located on Route 202 and known as Toll Gate Inn, originally stood on the north side crest of the East Litchfield Road just east of the intersection with Buell Road. Originally laid out as a highway 20 rods (330 feet) wide, and early known as the Farmington Road and later as the Litchfield Harwinton Turnpike, it was the artery connecting Litchfield with the older towns of Farmington and Hartford. The site, halfway between the junction of the Waterbury and Litchfield Turnpikes and Litchfield Center, would have been a convenient rest stop for both horses and travelers after the steep and demanding climb from the Waterbury River crossing13a.

In 1921 Henry Vanderwater, owner of the historic farm built a new home approximately 100 feet west of the original dwelling before selling the old Tavern/Inn to F. W. Fuessenich in 1923 The Vandewater home, at 195 East Litchfield Road is now the property of Palmer Marrin

The early Isaac Bull farm was first a 60 acre piece on “Chestnut Hill” granted to Edward Phelps one of the initial proprietors of the Town of Litchfield.14 In 1731-32 Phelps sold the grant, now described as 62 acres on both sides of the Farmington Road, to Thomas Treadway.15 Between 1734 and 1743 the land passed from Treadway to David Baldwin, to David Baldwin Jr and as 50 acres in 1743 to Samuel Slate.16 The first mention of a dwelling on the acreage occurs in 1744 when Slate sold 3½ acres to Nathaniel Lyons describing the piece as part “of land whereon I now live”.17 Slate regains the acreage 4 months later suggesting a mortgage was involved. In 1747 Slate sold 1 acre and a dwelling to David Baldwin.18 This 1 acre and dwelling can be followed through 8 owners between 1747 and 1772 gradually expanded to 7 ½ acres when Edward Phelps acquired the land and dwelling from Nathaniel Hosford in 1773.19 This dwelling may be the home that appears on the 1854 map of Litchfield as owned by Widow Peck. The remaining land, without a dwelling, was sold by Slate to Stephen Rossetter in 1748 as 58 acres and then to Isaac Bull in 1756.20 No dwelling or other buildings are mentioned in these transactions. The tradition that the Bull Tavern dates to the 1745 may owe its origin to the house and 3½ acres that was sold by Slate to Lyons before the remaining land was sold to Isaac Bull. The following biography of Isaac Bull is from, “Descendants of Captain Thomas Bull20a “Isaac was born in Jamaica Long Island on October 9, 1714. On March 22 1732 he chose his brother Daniel of Hartford as his guardian. He moved from Windsor to Harwinton in 1738. According to C. A. Bull, Isaac was a teacher. On September 2, 1739 he was chosen to collect rates for the meeting house. Between 1740 and 1750 Isaac Bull and Thomas Bull are listed among the heads of families in Harwinton. On December 3, 1750 Isaac was a member of the committee to hire a new school master for the school at Harwinton.”

In 1756, Isaac & Eunice Gillett Bull and their 8 children were living in Harwinton where they were married in 1738 and where, in 1751, Isaac, along with other residents of Harwinton, signed petition to make Litchfield the county seat. The family did not immediately relocate to Litchfield as their 9th and last child, Susannah, was born in Harwinton on March 20, 1757, suggesting that the land was waiting for the birth of the Bull Tavern.

The family, at the Harwinton birth of Susannah in 1757 included: Isaac age 42 and Eunice age 40

   	Eunice, age 18		Ursula, age 9

Isaac, age 16 George, age 7 Roger, age14 Asa, age 5 Caleb, age 12 Aaron, age 2

Sons, Isaac, Roger and Caleb were old enough to provide significant assistance in developing a new farm and it is reasonable to conclude that a home was built and occupied not long after Susannah’s 1757 birth. Town records reveal only 2 land transactions involving Isaac during the generation between 1757 and 1781 years when the children were growing up, marrying and starting families of their own. In 1777 Isaac purchased a combined 4+ acres from neighbors Alexander McNeil and Zebulon Taylor.21 In 1775-56 Isaac was operating a Boarding School at the farm. Elihu Hubbard Smith in his Diary recalls his brief attendance there:

	1776

“I read well & had begun to write. While the School Committee was in search of a teacher, I was sent to a Boarding School about two miles & a half from my father’s. The instructor was an elderly man, near sixty, & the father of Mrs. Tracy. He was farmer: a man fond of children; diligent in instructing them; of quick passions, great sensibility, & rigidly religious. The school consisted of about twenty children- boys & girls-who all lodged and ate in his house. I slept alone below; the others, upstairs. I remained but nine days, at Mr. Bull’s when a master was procured in town & I returned. But these nine days were full of entertainment, in spite of one or two altercations with my instructor. Mr. Bull was a great admirer of Dr. Watts. Of course, all his poems for children (& pretty poems they are)-were to be learnt by heart. Here to, I formed my first attachment; for every boy had his sweetheart; & mine was a very pretty granddaughter of the Master. After school, we were sometimes employed in making hay: sometimes in bring home the cows, or driving them to pasture; and sometimes we were allowed to ramble in search of strawberries. In all these affairs, as we were all together, we had many frolics.”22

Smith also writes of Susan Bull Tracy that: “I went to school to Miss Susan Bull—now Mrs. Trac . . .I was a particular favorite often admitted to sit on her lap, receive her caresses & she uncommonly beautiful & engaging” “She tells me that she first taught me the alphabet”23

By 1781 seven of the nine Bull children were married with young families when on September 9, son George purchased one acre of the farm from his father.24

George, 31 and Ruth Catlin Bull were the parents of 3 children and the deed notes that the acre begins “west of George’s dwelling”25 telling us that the home had been built before Isaac transferred title to the land. Five days later George sold the land and dwelling to Samuel Sheldon. Who six months later, in March of 1782, sold the land and dwelling to the Isaac’s youngest son, Aaron.26 The land and house remains with Aaron for ten years before he sold the property to William Bull in 1792,27 moving his family to Rocky Hill where, at the age of 42 he died in 1797 becoming the 4th of Isaac’s sons to leave a widow with young children

The 1780s are years of tragedy for the Bulls. Three of Isaac and Eunice’s sons, Roger, Caleb and George died during that time leaving widows with 15 children

     On May 24, 1783 Roger died at the age of 40, leaving 3 children between the ages 
     of 13 and 2.
      On January 30, 1788 Caleb died at the age of 44,  leaving 6 children between the ages 
     of 20 and 10
     On August 13, 1789 George died at the age of 39 leaving 6 children between the ages 
     of 17 and 2  

Two months following George’s death Isaac died on October 7, 1789. Eunice and the widowed daughters-in-law faced daunting challenges in providing for the families and maintaining the farm.

      The wording of Isaac’s Will dated January 13th, 1788, 21 months before his death, indicates an awareness that, even though Caleb and George were still living, they were seen as gravely ill 

Referring in his will to sons Roger,(who had died in 1783), Caleb (who died 17 days after Isaac’s will was written) and George (who died 20 months later in 1789) the Will reads:28 1. “To the heirs of my son Roger, late deceased, 30 pounds to be equally divided between them” 2. “To the children of my son Caleb as follow.viz To Howel Bull 10 pounds & to each of the other children , that is Polly, George & Billy & the twins five pounds each.” 3. “To Uriah Tracy(executor) 30 pounds lawful money to the sole use and benefit of the children of my son George, Susannah, Hulda, William & Eunice to be equally divided among them to be kept by him said Tracy & used for them as he shall judge proper until they are of age or shall marry and then if any remains to be paid over to them respectively”.

The will also contains bequests to sons Isaac, Asa and Aaron and daughters Eunice, and Susannah. To “My daughter Eunice, now wife of William Stanton, 15 pounds” To “My son Isaac 35 pounds To” My son Asa 30 pounds” To “My son Aaron 30 pounds” Daughter Ursula ‘s bequest was placed in the hands of, executor, Uriah Tracy, To “Uriah Tracy, ten pounds to be taken unto his hands & used solely for the benefit of my Daughter Ursula, and if any or the whole remains not used for her the said Ursula, when a separation takes place between her & her present husband, then to be at her command and disposition”

Ursula appears to be in the process of divorce from Thomas Phillips. To date no record of the divorce has been found but Ursula is able to marry her 3rd cousin William sometime between 1791 and 1798.36,40

Isaac Bull’s Estate29 of 1789 totaling 288.5.1 pounds does not suggest a Mansion House with the value of 2 pieces of land, 18 and 14 acres, approaching the value of the dwelling Inventory House value L 60.0.0 18 acres value L 56.5.0 12 acres value L 25.0.0 Lot on which house & barn stand, 14+ Acres L 58.0.0 Barn & Cow house value L 26.0.0 13 acres value L19.0.0 Personal Estate L 43.10.1

1790 Census lists Widow Eunice and a total of 5 people living at the farm, all females

Enter, cousin, William Bull of Hartford.

William Bull of Hartford, by family tradition, a Captain in the Revolutionary War, and the children of Isaac and Eunice shared a Great grandfather in Joseph Bull of Hartford.

In “The Descendants of Captain Thomas Bull of Hartford”, the following details of William’s life before his arrival in Litchfield in 179030 are found.

“Born in Hartford on August 22, 1748, known as ‘Beau Bill’, he was a bondsman for letter of Marque ships of the Revolution: Brigantine ‘Middletown’ in 1779, schooner ‘Wessell’ in 1782, sloop ‘Restoration’ in 1781`, galley ‘Ranger’ and schooner ‘Fair Play ’in 1782. An original member of the Governor’s Foot Guard in 1771, he was a councilman

at the first town meeting in Hartford as an incorporated city in 1784; elected alderman 

June 28, 1784; appointed to see to the repair of the fire engine. William and George(his brother dk) were selling fire stoves in 1784 and advertising /Franklin stoves in 1787.”

On June 29, 1790, eight months after Isaac’s death, Uriah Tracy, son-in-law of Isaac, sold his home on North Street, located just south of Benjamin Tallmadge, to William for L 250.31 A year later, Tracy, acting as executor for the Bull estate sold the Bull farm and buildings to William for L 200,with the dower rights of Eunice guaranteed.32 The many claims to be settled against the estate of Isaac, totaling L 211, included debts of L 34 to Uriah Tracy, L to William Bull, L31 to George M. Bull and L 42 to Julius Deming.33

William’s wife, Mary Hart Bull, died in Saybrook, Connecticut on October 14, 1790, four months after the purchase of the home on North Street. Now a widower at 43 William and Ursula, a divorcee of 42, were married sometime between 1792 and 1798.34 Both were without children of their own but we can see from his will that at the time of his death in 1799 they were caring for children of Ursula’s brother George and his brother Frederick.35 .

	During the 1790s The Bull’s appear frequently in Elihu Hubbard Smith’s Diary.

Although he often notes stopping at Captain Bull’s on his way to and from Litchfield., the word Tavern or Inn never appears. March –October 1798

       “Reached Capt. Bull’s at half past three.  He was not at home but all rest of family was.
       Mrs. B & Mrs. T. are sisters.  They have made a convenient almost elegant mansion of 
      the old farm house in which I once received some of my infantile lessons.  
      Mrs. B looks 10 years younger than before this marriage.”36 
										

Ursula Bull Phillips is now Mrs. Bull (Mrs. B.). The passage also suggests that at least Susannah Bull Tracy (M. T.) and her children may have been living at the farm/tavern. It is worth noting that her husband, Uriah, As a Congressman and Senator from 1793 until his death in 1807 spent much of his time in Washington.

This diary entry tells us that major improvements in the “Mansion” had been made by the family A few months’ later Smith comments of William’s health,

       Wednesday June 20, 1798
       Visited with Miss Pierce & Miss Sally Pierce.  We drank tea with the rest of our family. 
	        Capt. Bull & his wife from Chestnut Hill were there (he looks unwell.)37.

His time as Tavern owner and caretaker is brief ending after eight years with his death a year later in 1799 at the age of 51 leaving lifetime use of the property to “wife” Ursula. 38

In the 8 years between 1791 and 1799 William expanded the Bull farm from the 58 acres left by Isaac to165 acres and from 1 dwelling to 2, after purchasing the George/Arron Bull house in 1792.40 He clearly came to Litchfield with sufficient wealth to invest in the farm and Tavern. Not only did he invest in land but the Land records show him lending money to area farmers secured by mortgages on their property

The inventory for his estate lists; Mansion House valued at $1400.00 Old house valued at $55.00 130 acres valued at $3250.00 19 acre parcel valued at $475.00 12 acre parcel valued at $72.00

4 acre parcel valued at $48.00

Garrett Barn valued at $160.00 New Barn valued at $100.0039

If the pound values of Isaac Bulls Inventory of 1789 are converted to dollars based on the exchange rate in 1789 and compared with the dollar values in the 1790 inventory of William Bull’s estate we have the following comparison. The exchange rate in both years was one pound = 4.55 dollars

	`	Isaac Bull Estate 1789       			William Bull Estate 1790

Dwelling $270.00 $1400.00 & ½ acre 18 acres $257.00 $ 475.00 12 acres $56.60 $ 72.00 Personal property $197.11 $2383.51

The apparent increase in the value of the “Mansion House” between 1789 and 1799, when compared to the change in land value, support the conclusion of a major renovation for the dwelling or the construction of a new building. My guess would be that the increase in value marks the birth of the Tavern in 1791-92 soon after William purchased the farm

William’s will40 written on October 5, 1799. eleven days before his death is shown below 1. “To Ursula my wife a) The use and improvement of all my lands and buildings lying and being in the town of Litchfield for and during the full term of her natural life b) Also I give to my said wife the use and improvement of two horses, one yoke of oxen, six cows, c) 20 sheep and necessary farming tools and utensils to be set out to her by my executors d) Also all my household furniture, for and during the term aforesaid upon these conditions 1.That the above mentioned articles of stock, farming tools and household furniture be

  kept up and in good tenantable repair by my said wife during said term, and 

2.Secondly that she, my said wife support and maintain out of the profits of the estate

  that now given her, her aged mother, Mrs.  Eunice Bull, and in every particular fulfill 
 the Covenants contained in my bond to said Eunice for her support during her life”.

d) And it is my will that after any Debts, Charges and the Legacies mentioned in this Instrument are paid, that all the rest and residue of my estate be sold and turned into money and the e) same placed at interest at the discretion of my executors and that the net sum of interest be annually collected by them and paid over to my said wife for her use during the term of her natural life.”

2. To Susanna Bull, daughter of George M. Bull, who now lives with me,” $150.00 to be paid to her one year after my decease.

3. To William Bull, son of George M. Bull, “who now lives with me” $600.00 to be paid to him if he arrives to the age of 21 years which sum is in lieu of all debts or demands of every kind which said William can have against my estate and in case he shall make any claim as aforesaid he is to be paid out of the money devised to him as above and provided also that he continue to live with my said wife and conduct himself to her satisfaction & approbation until he acquires the age of 21 years”.

4. “To Clarissa Bull, daughter of my brother Frederick, deceased, who now lives with me, the sum of $300.00 to be paid to her if she arrives to the age of 21years or at the day of her marriage, which shall first happen, this in lieu of monies I now have of said Clarissa in my hands, but in case that my wife should judge it most for the benefit of said Clarissa to have her reside at some other place than with her then it is my will that my Executors retain in their hands the sum of forty dollars annually out of the interest of the monies placed on interest as before directed, and the same applied toward the support of said Clarissa annually until she shall be entitled to receive her legacy as above.”

5. “To Howell Bull, late of Litchfield, indebted to me for $300.which debt, in case it can be collected and secured shall be kept and paid over by my Executors to William Bull, son of the said Howell, if he shall attain the age of 21 years. If it collected to be saved and given to his son William at the age of 21.”

6. “All the rest and residue and remainder of my estate both real and personal I give and bequeath unto by two brothers James Bull and Thomas Bull, whom I make and appoint Executors to this my last Will and Testament with full confidence that they will settle my estate according to this my Will, and that they will dispose of the residue and remainder that may remain in their hands among our brothers and sisters and their children as they shall judge shall be most in need of the same. This is to be done according to their best discretion”.

Isaac” widow, Eunice, retained lifetime use and survived William by 9 years living on the farm until her death 1808 at the age of 91 having experienced the loss 5 of her 6 sons and at least 6 grandchildren. Only her first son Isaac Jr, a Doctor in Wallingford, out lived his mother dying in 1824. She is buried in East Cemetery.

The Census figures and Grand Lists for 1800 and 1810 Census list the property under Ursula with a total of nine people living on the farm in 1800 and seven in 1810. The Litchfield property listed include oxen, heifers and cows, horses, silver and gold watch, 9 fireplaces and silver plate which shrinks for 40 in 1800 to 12 in 1805, suggesting a less active Way Stop.

1800 Census Ursula Bull Free White Persons - Males 16-25 1 Free White Persons - Females under 10 1 Free White Persons – Females 16 thru 25 2 Free White Persons Females 26-44 1 Free White Persons Females 45 and over 2 (Ursula & Eunice?) Number of all other Free Persons 2 (colored) Number of Household members 9

In 1813 Ursula is no longer living in Litchfield having married her 3rd husband Gamaliel Painter, between 1810 & 181241 and moved to Middlebury Vermont. Litchfield Land Records record the leasing of the property for 10 years to Billie Turner for $150 a year.42 Gameliel Painter was a founder of the town of Middlebury Vermont donating $10,000 to help Middlebury College begin its history. He also left a large part of his estate to the college including his cane to which each graduate, until this day, receives a replica of at graduation.43

The answer to the questions 1. Who built the original dwelling? 2. When did it first function as a Way Stop or Tavern/Inn? 3. How many years did it function as a Way Stop or Tavern/Inn?

Are not easily extracted from available records 1. That no house stood on the site before 1757, is supported by the land records of Litchfield and the Harwinton birth records, showing Susannah as born in that town in 1757. A date for the building of the first dwelling of 1757-60 is comfortable. 2. A firm date for when the dwelling first served as a “Way Stop”, ”Tavern” or “Public House” is elusive a) A document in the Litchfield Historical Society listing Public Houses 1762-1784

           does not contain the “Bull Tavern” but does list the Archibald McNeil house located 

at the corner of East Litchfield and Clark Roads(now part of the Wisdom House property). b) Elihu Hubbard Smith, in his Diary recalls its use as a the Boarding School conducted by Isaac Bull in 1776 ” sent to a Boarding School about two miles & a half from my father’s. The instructor was an elderly man, near sixty, & the father of Mrs. Tracy. He was farmer . . . I remained but nine days, at Mr. Bull’s c) Smith, also describes the Bull home in 1798 noting the

          change in the dwelling since William’s purchase of the property in 1791
          “ Reached Capt. Bull’s at half past three. He was not at home but all rest of family was.
       Mrs. B & Mrs. T. are sisters. They have made a convenient almost elegant mansion of 
      	       the old farm 

d) The increase in value of the house between 1789 and 1799 as seen on the Inventory of William’s estate also suggests a major renovation following his purchase of the property in 1791 and its use as a Way Stop in 1797-8 is confirmed in Smith’s Diary e) Does the Way Stop date to the time of Isaac & Eunice Bull? Did it serve as a Boarding House and Way Stop alternately or simultaneously? Did the Tavern follow the Boarding House? Was the Tavern born with the modifications made to the dwelling by William Bull following his purchase in 1791? f) Did the Way Stop, Inn/Tavern end with Bille Turner’s lease or George S. Buell death?

The answers to questions listed in (e) and (f) remain topics for debate. A professional evaluation of the structure of the present Toll Gate Inn would be helpful.

Ursula Bull Phillips, Bull painter died in 1824 in Canada.44

The property continued as the William Bull estate until 1828 when Russell and Clarissa Bull petitioned the Hartford Superior County Court to execute the remaining trusts stated in the Will of William Bull. Jonathan Buell and Pinchas Lord, two neighbors on Buell & Marsh Roads, acting as Court appointed Trustees sold the farm to Frederick G. Bull for $3000.00 on May 13, 1828.45

Frederick Bull, then in 1829, sold the property to George S. Buell, a son of Jonathan for $3150.00 with a three year mortgage held by his father, Jonathan and neighbor Phinchas Lord.46 The Litchfield Grand Lists for the years 1830 through 1835 show George S. and Jonathan Buell as joint owners of the Bull Farm and Tavern property with George S. Buell being sole owner in 1840-1842. George S. died on July 26, 1842 at the age of 37 leaving a widow, Ruth Ann Hawley Buel and three children; Dwight age 8, Martha Ann age 7 and George Burton age 4.

  	The inventory of his estate does not enable a conclusion that the home was still in use as a Tavern or Inn.47

The estate was insolvent with debts of $5,706 and assets of $1342.49 Jonathan, George’s father, Jonathan held a due mortgage of $4,363.5148 on the farm requiring the sale to Anson Candee in 1843. Only $277.00 of property was protected for the widow and children.

Grand List 1830-1835 Jonathan & George own 2 dwellings 1840 George 1 dwelling 180 acres 1842 George heirs 1 dwelling and 180 acres

Transition 1843 George Buell Administrators to Anson Candee 9/19/1843 V 47 p59-60 1867 Candee, John to Griswold, Henry & Sophia 4/1/1867 V 63 p 385 1900 Griswold, Darius to Perkins, Orlando, 2/28/1900, V, 77p151 1910 Perkins, Wiillis to Nicolas, August 4/26/1910, V 83 p 154 1914 Nicolas, August to Hoppe, Frederick, 11/14/1914 V 83 p 50 1915 Hoppe, Frederick to Vandewater, Henry 4/14/1915 V 83p528

The Middle Years

Will be added to this entry at a later date. — D.K.

<ref>Footnotes to date 1. Litchfield Land Records(LLR) V.4 p.583, March 25, 1756 2. LLR V33 p 646, August 15, 1829 2a Record of Connecticut Men in the War of the Revolution, by Authority of the General Assembly

       (Hartford: 1889), I: 31

3. Town of Harwinton birth records 4. The Diary of Elihu Hubbard Smith 1771-1798, edited by James E. Cronin, American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, Pa. 1973, page 19 5. Litchfield Probate Court Records, V. 5 p.96-97, 194-196 6. LLR V. 13 p. 368-9, August 2, 1791 7. LLR V. 15 p. 68, May 10, 1791 8. The Diary of Elihu Hubbard Smith, 8a LLR V. 17 p 415 9. Litchfield Probate Court Records, V. 6 p. 388-390 10. Litchfield Grand Lists, Town Clerks Office 11. Attachment 1 Ursula Painter to Billie Turner 12. LLR V33 p 646, August 15, 1829 13. Litchfield Grand Lists, Town Clerks Office 13a The Present East Litchfield Road was first known as the Farmington Road and in the 1790s as the Litchfield

      Harwinton Turnpike.  The Old Route 8 was the Waterbury Turnpike and the present Naugatuck River was 
     called the Waterbury River.

14. LLR V. 1 p.73r 15. LLR V. 2 p.59 16. LLR V. 2 p.322, V.2 p.59, V. 23p.4 17. LLR V. 4 p. 111 18. LLR V. 4 p.245 19. LLR V. 8 p. 89 20. LLR V. 4 p. 583 20a Descendants of Captain Thomas Bull 1610-1684 Original Proprietor of Hartford Connecticut,

      Virginia B. Pope and Louise B. Todd, October 20, 1939, page25

21. LLR V. 11 p. 227, V11 p. 228 22. The Diary of Elihu Hubbard Smith, page 22 23. The Diary of Elihu Hubbard Smith, page 19 24. LLR V. 11 p. 202 25. LLR V. 10 p. 134, 26. LLR V. 10 p. 185 27. LLR V. 15 p. 275 28. Litchfield Probate Court Records, V. 5 p. 96-97, 194-196 29. Litchfield Probate Court Records, V. 5 p. 112-113 30. Descendants of Captain Thomas Bull 1610-1684 Original Proprietor of Hartford Connecticut, Virginia B. Pope and Louise B. Todd, October 20, 1939, page 53 31. LLR V.14 p. 460 32. LLR V. 15 p. 68, V. 13 p. 368-369 33. Litchfield Probate Court Records, V. 5 p.147-148 34. The Litchfield Grand Lists for 1810 has Ursula Bull as a resident and owner of the Tavern property. The 1811 Grand List is missing but the 1812 Grand List has the owner as, non-resident Ursula Painter. 35. Litchfield Probate Court Records, V.6 p. 388-390 36. The Diary of Elihu Hubbard Smith, pgs. 88, 451, 454 37. The Diary of Elihu Hubbard Smith, page 450 38. Litchfield Probate Court Records, V.6 p. 388-390 39. Litchfield Probate Court Records, V.6 p. 413-414 40. Litchfield Probate Court Records, V.6 p.388-390 41. Ancestry Web site 42. Litchfield Grand Lists1800-1810, Town Clerk’s Office & Attachment 1 (Lease-Painter to Turner) 43. Litchfield Grand Lists,1810 & 1812, Town Clerk’s Office 44. Town of Middlebury Vermont Web Site 45. Descendants of Captain Thomas Bull 1610-1684 Original Proprietor of Hartford Connecticut, Virginia B. Pope and Louise B. Todd, October 20, 1939 46. LLR V. 33 p. 646 & V. 37 p. 321, V 37 p. 399 47. Litchfield Probate Court Records, V.19 p.379-381 48. LLR V.47 p. 59-60