Waterloo Memories (1929 - 1934)
In
1928, Homer and Mary Bullock and their four children, moved from Yates
County to a home on the south side of the Waterloo - Geneva Road
about a half mile west of downtown Waterloo. Homer had taken a
job as Manager of the Singer Sewing Machine store in Geneva.
Their children were Phillip (aged 12), Ruth (8), Robert (2), and
Calvin (1). Just east of the home was the home of Herman Brehm
who owned the Bullock rental property. I was born on September
18, 1929 in this home with Dr. W. Raymond Holmes in attendance.
The two photos of Rector cousins above were taken at the Bullock home in Waterloo in mid 1929.
The group is facing the Bullock home and the home of Herman Brehm
is in the background. The Waterloo - Geneva Road is to the left
of the group. Phil, Ruth, Bob and Cal are present in the photos; I wasn't born yet.
The photos above were taken in 2004. On the left is the Herman Brehm home and the Bullock rental home is on the right.
 The above Bing Maps Bird's Eye View is of the Brehm house and the house that the Bullock's rented from Herman Brehm in 1929.
In
1930, the Bullock's moved 16 River Road in downtown Waterloo south of
the canal. With the advent of the depression, Homer had
lost his job and the family was forced to move into less costly
housing. The owner, Mrs. Van Den Mark, also lived in the home and
occupied the upstairs while we had the lower floor; we may have used
one of the upstairs rooms. Note the location of the homes on
the U. S. Geologic
Survey map below.
The
2004 photo on the left is of 16 River Road. It appears that since we lived there an
addition has been added on the rear and the front porch enclosed. The photo on the right is of
Bob, Paul and Cal at the River Road home.
 The above Bing Maps Bird's Eye View is of the Van Den Mark place where the Bullock's lived from 1930 til 1934.
The
photo on the left is of Bob, Cal, Frank Swarthout, Paul, and Don
Swarthout near the River Road home. The photo on the right is of
Ethel Nelson and her brother. Ethel was a friend of Ruth and her
father ran a gas station on River Road.
The above photos of the Bullock family behind the River Road home were taken in 1934. Phil probably took the photos.
The
photo on the left is of Phil in his cap and gown when he graduated from
Waterloo High School in 1933. The 2003 photo in the center is of
Alex Bullock standing next to an arch that was part of the original high
school building.
When the old school was demolished to make room for the new
school, the arch was moved to a field next to the Brehm home. Phil remembered the arch in that location. It has now been returned to the grounds of the high school. The
Bullock's attended the Baptist church in Waterloo and on occasion they
attended a Baptist church in Seneca Falls. In 1934, they attended
a service in Seneca Falls where a visiting pastor gave a chalk talk.
At the end of the talk he awarded the art work to the youngest in
attendance; I was 4 or 5 at the time and was declared the winner.
The chalk picture signed "F. Rines '34", image on the left, is now hanging in my office.
PDB
November 2007
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