Lathrop Bullene, born in Hannibal, Oswego County, New York on July 7, 1826, married Susan Ferris Read around 1847. Read had been born in Bedford, Westchester County, New York on February 15, 1830, the daugther of Aaron F. and Phebe (Ferris) Read, who had been born in Connecticut in 1799.

In 1857, Lathrop and Susan Bullene moved their family to Lawrence, Kansas Territory, where Bullene opened a mercantile store with his brother-in-law Fred Read. They also brought Susan's mother Phebe with them. The Bullenes had five children: William Lathrop, Kate (Bullene) Gay, Susie A. (Bullene) Devereux, Gertrude, and Herbert Brockway.

The Bullene store was burned in William Quantrill's raid of Lawrence in August 1863. The family home was spared, allegedly because of Phebe Read's ill health. Lathrop Bullene served as a private in the 3rd Kansas Militia Infantry Regiment during the Civil War and was later a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, GAR Washington Post 12. He later rebuilt his store.

Bullene hired Arthur Dunham (A.D.) Weaver to work in his store in 1883. Soon thereafter, Weaver married Bullene's daughter Gertrude A. Later, when Bullene's health began failing, he sold the store to his son-in-law, and the store was relocated to 9th and Massachusetts Streets in downtown Lawrence and renamed as Weavers, which continues to operate as a department store in Lawrence.

Arthur and Gertrude Weaver had one son, Arthur Bullene (A.B.) Weaver. Lathrop Bullene died on April 7, 1915, his wife Susan the following year on June 27, 1916. They were buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Lawrence.

[Information retrieved from findagrave.com and collection materials.]