Untangling the Multiple Marshall Bullards of Indiana
Research note by Wesley Johnston, begun 20 Aug 2022, last updated 21 Aug 2022
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/27355561/person/212404558979/media/373d69ca-9ea1-4c61-966e-43fa28f02ba4
There were at least three different men named Marshall Bullard born 1911-1913 in Indidana. All three lived in Columbus in Bartholomew County. This research note lays out the records to disambiguate these Marshall Bullards.
Key Facts
One key fact is that one of them was born 22 Dec 1912 in Decatur County, Indiana (per his 1940 WWII draft registration). One (Marshall Grant Bullard) was born 4 Sep 1911 at Columbus (per his Terre Haute death certificate https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/60716/images/44494_351152-02046). The other (Marshall Wilson Bullard) was born 11 Feb 1913 (per his death certificate and obituary).
Another key fact is that the 11 Feb 1913 Marshall married in 1931 and remained married for the rest of his life and had one daughter. The 22 Dec 1912 Marshall married in 1939 and divorced in 1940 and had one son.
Details
Marshall Grant Bullard was born 4 Sep 1911 at Columbus, son of James Bullard and Velma Cavender. He was in the military in WWII. He lived in Indianapolis and died 14 Oct 1967 at Terre Haute. When he died, he was divorced. He was a laborer. The informant on his death certificate was David Bullard of Indianapolis.
Marshall Wilson Bullard was born 11 Feb 1913 was born in Milford (probably the one in Decatur County), Indiana to Charles and Ada Bullard, per his obituary ("The Republic", Columbus, Indiana, Wed. 25 Oct 1978 https://images.findagrave.com/photos/2018/1/65129555_63f15ea7-0894-45b1-ae44-8cb311d055a2.jpeg ). He married Mae Burton 9 Dec 1931 in Franklin,Indiana. He worked for the Cummins Engine Company for 28 years before his 25 Oct 1978 death at Bartholomew County Hospital. His final residence was 1516 Laurel in Columbus. He was survived by his wife Mae and a daughter Mrs. Geneva Beatty of 2430 Charleston in Columbus. He was survived by three brothers Roscoe and Russell (both of Shelbyville) and Raymond (of San Pierre) and two sisters Lillian Baumann and Cecilia Penn (both of Anaheim, CA). One brother and one sister died before Marshall.
The Marshall Bullard who was born 22 Dec 1912 at Decatur County, Indiana. He was a bus driver in the 1940 census, living as a lodger at 1104 Pearl Street in Columbus. I do not yet know who his parents were. He married Gladys (nee Clark) Hughes Roberts 5 Sep 1939 at Bedford, Indiana, in Lawrence County. Their divorce was the subject of a brief artice in the 27 Nov 1940 (page 1) article of "The Evening Republican" of Columbus, Indiana. The 1940 census shows him as a lodger at 1104 Pearl Street ( https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2442/images/M-T0627-01026-00194 ). Gladys is shown at 319 Sycamore with her daughter Kay Hughes, her mother Minnie Clark and her sister Dorothy Clark ( https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2442/images/M-T0627-01026-00267 ). The census was taken in April, and their son was born in June so that their son does not appear in the census. (The 1950 census shows both son Richard Bullard and Kay Hughes living with Gladys, with Gladys' mother Minnie living with them.) Both Marshall and Gladys are shown as M (married) but with it crossed out by D (divorced). So, they were separated and in process of divorce that was not finalized until November.
Conflicting Facts
It all looks pretty straightforward. Marshall Grant Bullard clearly is not the same as the other two.
And the other two appear to be completely different men. Marhsall Wilson Bullard (1913) was married to Mae Burton in 1931 for the rest of his life and had only a daughter. Marshall Bullard (1912) married Gladys Clark in 1939 and thus could not be the same man who was then married to Mae Burton.
But then there is the record that makes things complicated: tha 1939 marriage record of Marshall and Gladys. The image of the record is on FamilySearch at https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GPXX-R1F?cc=1410397&wc=Q8SH-553. It shows that the Marshall who married Gladys was (a) never previously married and (b) his parents were Charles Bullard and Ida Dallens.
What is even more of a conflict is that the Indiana marriage collection on FamilySearch has no record of a marriage of any Bullard to any Burton on any date, in clear conflict with the 1978 obituary.
And in even more of a conflict, the marriage records show the 1921 Shelby County marriage of Maude May Johnson with Roscoe Bullard of Shelbyville, son of Charles Bullard and Ada Dottle (image at https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-8BLN-97KF?cc=1410397&wc=Q83F-4GJ) which does conform with a brother named Roscoe in the 1978 obituary. But the birthplaces of Charles and Ada (who is deceased in both marriage records) differ from the other marriage record.
There are some other marriage records that can only be viewed at a Family History Library or affiliate. But the only marriage records that I find for Charles and Ada are in Shelby County in 1899, where she is shown as Ada REARIDIN. (Images at (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-LBLJ-6KR?cc=1410397&wc=Q83F-4RF and at https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9BLF-96F3?cc=1410397&wc=Q83F-4VY).
Conclusions
At this point, I find no way to reconcile the records. The obituary is very specific. But it shows a man born on a different date and married in 1931 for the rest of his life with only a daughter surviving him. And that does not fit at all with a man married in 1939 and divorced in 1940 and the father of a son.