His maternal great grandfather John Jackson of Louisa County, Virginia, was a private in the Continental Army, served until the war's end, and ultimately received a federal pension.

[3] A possibly related David M. Pulliam operated an auction house with Hector Davis on Franklin Street, and sold enslaved people.

In April 1862, Pulliam enlisted as a private in a light artillery company formed from southern Virginia and North Carolina volunteers by S. Taylor Martin.

He used his mathematical abilities and became an agent for the Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia, initially assessing wartime claims in Norfolk and Petersburg.

He was survived by his son, and a distant relative at the time, Willis C. Pulliam represented Chesterfield and Powhatan Counties and the city of Manchester, Virginia (before its annexation by Richmond).