Notizen zu dieser Person
"Little Home Histories of Belmont County" page 23 William "Black Bill" Bundy was born in 1819, the eighth child of afamily of eleven. His parents were William and Sarah Overman Bundy who cameover the mountains from Wayne County, North Carolina in a cart and settled inthis section of Belmont County. He was five years old when the "brickhouse" was built. The children loved to run up and down the inclined runways usedby the masons in constructing the (then) unusual house which is located onthe Barnesville-Bethesda road a mile west of Speidel and is familiarlyknown as the "Alden Lee Place". At the age of nine, his father died and he grew to manhood under the guidance and care of his pioneer mother. She taught him to hate the institution of slavery, and later he took an active part in thediscussions of the leading questions of the day. The formost of these were theabolition of slavery and he naturally became a conductor on the undergroundrailroad. It was his duty to take the passengers from the next man south andconduct them as far north as possible and get back by day break. The aged slavesand children rode in the wagon and the rest marched behind. It wasbecause of this experience that he became known as "Black Bill", althougth he wasquite dark complected, the name suited him. When he reached the age of 24, he married Prudence Wood. She died eighteen months later and left him an infant son. About the time ofhis marriage "Black Bill" built a story and a half house across the roadfrom his fathers famous brick house. It consisted of two ground floor roomsand two rooms upstairs. He had a windless well, outside Dutch oven and anoutside cave to accomadate the housewife. Three years later "Black Bill" married Asenath Doudna, and to themnine children were born. In 1860 a lean to kitchen was built on to thehouse and in 1868-69 the final addition was made by Samuel Williams. It isstill standing today as it was finished in 1869. In the early days, one toiled for the necessities of life. Soft soapwas made by leaching wood ashes. Cloth was made by spinning their ownflax, and carpets were made of woven rags. They had a maple sugar camp and alsoraised cane for molasses. They progressed from the sickle the combine, fromthe the tramping out of the grain to the threshing machine in theirgeneration. There was an interesting reason for enlarging the farm house to such proportions in 1868. "Black Bill" was very much interested in the"Drove Road" and its purpose. This road is only a tradition now, but itexisted for a very good reason. When the National road was built, it was surfacedwith hand crushed stones which were too sharp and rough to drive the herdsof sheep, cattle, mules and horses on from the middle west to the eastcoast and so the "Drove Road" was built. It entered Belmont County at PutneyRidge, winding east thru Barnesville, passing on south of Bethesda andBelmont to the Ohio River at the mouth of Grave Creek where the cattle could fordacross. "Black Bill" would give these drovers and their herds accomodationsfor the night as they passed thru, As many as 5000 head of sheep or 1000 headof cattle would be cared for in a few days. At one time four droversbrought 149 mules and hores thru. The mules were herded into the mule lot and the neighbor boys were hired to watch them while the drovers rested andslept. One night they played "hookey" and it took all the next day to roundthem up again. Always interested in public advancement and in the forefront ofaction, he was elected to represent Belmont County in the Ohio StateLegislature in 1875, although he was a Republican in a Democratic County. His wife Asenath, died 1888, after 42 years of happy family life. His son Clark Bundy and wife Rachel Crew Bundy, were living on the westcoast and asked him to come and live with them. Black Bill said "No" it is hardto transplant an old tree. In 1891 he sold his large farm to AllenBailey and it is still known by that title. He built a new house which is now ownedby the Belmont County Childrens Home, but is better known as the Wilford T.Hall farm. He lived there until his death in 1905 at which time he was inhis 86th year. William Bundy opened his farm home to every orphaned or aged relative that he had and sheltered close to 20 at some time in his life. Ofhis nine children, only Dillwyn C. Bundy of Tacoma, Ohio is living. He is my grandfather and is from him that I gained the facts for this history. Written by Bernita Bundy, Great Granddaughter of William Bundy
Karl-Heinz
Böttcher
