Archives West Finding Aid

Herschel Bullen Sr. was born January 10, 1840 in Mercer, Maine to Newell and Clarissa Judkins Atkinson Bullen. In 1846 the Bullen family set sail on the Brooklyn for San Francisco, California, and upon landing, traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah to join Latter-day Saints pioneers. In 1858 Hershel's father died, leaving Herschel responsible for the family's financial needs. In 1861 the Bullen family relocated to the developing settlement that later became Richmond, Utah. During the 1860s, Hershel became involved with Richmond's "Dramatic Circle," a group of theatricals that often traveled throughout Cache Valley performing such acts as "Ten Nights in a Bar Room."

On March 28, 1868 Herschel married Lydia Malinda Knapp, a Welsh immigrant, in Farmington, Utah. They had one child, Lorenzo, before they separated/divorced in the spring of 1870. During that same spring, on February 8, 1870, Hershel married Emma Boston Gibbs in Salt Lake City, Utah. They later had two children, Herschel Jr. and Nellie. Tragedy struck the family on October 1, 1873 when Emma died. Three years later, on October 1, 1876 Herschel married again, this time to Mary Josephine Whittle in Logan, Utah. Together they had seven children; Roy, Pearl, Cyrus, Emma, Asa, Bryant, and Edith.

During the 1870s, Herschel found work freighting goods between Utah and Montana. Since railroad construction was increasing in the West, Herschel formed a partnership with Samuel A. Hendricks and operated a railroad grading company, often working contracts throughout the western United States. Herschel also acquired and maintained a large farm in Cache Valley where he raised crops and livestock. By the 1890s, Herschel became involved in land speculation and the Republican Party, serving as a member of the State Board of Land Commissioners from 1900 to 1910. Herschel Bullen Sr. died on June 27, 1910 in Richmond.

Source:

Bair, Amos, W. History of Richmond, Utah, The Richmond Bicentennial Committee, 1976 (this book can be found at USU Special Collections & Archives under the call number: 979.27 R415).