gov henry bull & descendants

8/14/2019 Gov Henry Bull & Descendants

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GOV. ggTCY. BULLAHD HIS DESCENDANTS

Extract from the Bhode"IslandHistorical Magazxne,JulyA^v. 5,p.12-17

fcpt copy of volumePhoto-offset c o^ >. r a r vn Newberry ^ ? " [ sChicago, Illinoxs


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G O V . H E N R Y B U L L A N D H I S D E S C E N D A N T S ./^YfjR. Jo hn 0 . A us t in , in h is in t er es t in g c on t r ibu t ion\ W t o t he G eneal og ica l N o t e s of t he N ew por t H i s to r ic a lM aga zine , Ja n . 1884, vol , 4 , p . 185, m akes know n the fac tth a t Go v. H e n ry Bu l l m arr ied a second wife in Sa nd w ich ,M ass . , in 1664, and draw s the inference th a t K en ry B ul l ,J r . ( so n of th e Governor , an d fa ther of th e th i r d H en ryB ul l , a f t e rwards A t to rne y Genera l of the co lony) was ason of t h is secon d wife, a n d not of t h e first wife, as comm only supposed . T h i s suppos i t ion wou ld , as M r . A us t inrem arks , r em ove the impro bab i l i ty of the common be l i e fth a t Gov . B ul l ' s tw o sons, J i r e t h and H en ry , were bornof th e same wife tw en ty year s a p a r t ; bu t i t enc ou nte r sst i l l g re at er diff icul ties, as can easily be sho wn b y a l i t t lea t t en t io n to da tes . A s I hav e for some t ime susp ectedth a t this secon d son of th e G ov erno r never in fa ct exis ted,I wi l l g ive m y reaso ns for de pa r t ing f rom the comm on ac-'count , sus ta ine d as i t i s by the h igh auth or i ty of the la teM ajor H e n ry B ul l in h is fami ly mem oirs .

F i r s t , th en , as to th e da te of th e second m arr iage . M r .A us t in ca ll s a t t e n t io n to the d i sc repancy be tw een th e 'da teg iven fo r th i s by the Sandwich Records , " fou r teen th dayof 12 th m o. 16 64 ," and t h a t of th e f irs t wife 's de ath inthe Po r ts m ou th Records , " fi rs t day of the e ighth m on th ,1 6 6 5 . " M aga zine , p . 1 3 4 ) . One or th e o ther of theseda tes i s c l ea rly wro ng . M r . A us t in suspec ts the l a t t e r ;b u t as he show s th a t E s th er A l len , the second wife, wa s


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G-ov. H e n ry B u l l an d h is D escen dan ts . 13b o m D ec . 8 , 164 8 (M a g . p . 13 5) , and wo uld there fore beju s t s i x t ee n ye ar s o ld in D ec . 166 4, i t seems more probab le t h a t th e m is ta ke is in the l a t t e r d a te , and tha t the mar r i ag e too k p lace in 1665 o r 1666 . Ev en the n the b r idew as yo u ng en ou gh to fo rm a m ark ed con t ras t to he r hus band, who was then about f i f ty-f ive or f i f ty-six years of age.

B u t , a f ter a l l , th e da te i s im m ate r ia l to th e present inqu i ry , s ince no au thor i ty o r even surmise , f ixes the dea thof E l iz ab et h , th e firs t wife , ear l ie r th an 16 63 . Bu t H en ryB a l l , t h e f a th e r of th e A t to rn ey Ge nera l , d i ed in 1690 ,ag ed ab ou t 32 ye ar s , and m us t the re fore ha ve been borna b o u t 16 58 . I f he wa s th e son of Gov ernor Bu l l he m us th a v e be en a lso th e firs t w ife ' s s o n ; ind ee d the secondw i f e , E s t h e r A l l a n , w as , by M r . A u s t i n ' s ow n s how ing ,on ly ab ou t t e n yea r s h i s sen io r . T h e age of E l i zabe thB u ll , th e first wife, is n o w h er e given , so far as I kn ow ,b u t h e r son J i r e th ( a f t e rw ard the famous Cap ta in Bu l l ofK i n g ' s P r o v i nc e , o r N a r r a ga ns e t t ) w as bo r a i n 1637, andth e re i s no t ru s tw or th y ev idenc e tha t she ever ha d ano ther ch i ld , un less th i s Henry Bul l , J r . , o r Henry Bul l o fK ing s to n , born ab ou t 1658 , wa s such . Th i s o f course , i siu th e n a t u re of th ing s , poss ib le , tho ug h improbab le . Th ela te M ajor B u ll , in his family m em oirs , s tat es i t as a fact ,a n d u nd ou bte d ly be l i eved h im to be a you nge r son of theGovernor,* a t th e sam e t im e he expresses reg re t a th a v in g be en ab le to lea rn so l it tle of " th is in teres t ingm em b e r" o f th e family . W h y d id no t the t i t l e which hehim sel f g ive s h im , H e n ry B ul l of King s ton, lead h im tosu spe c t t h a t h e w as a son of J i r e th and no t of J i r e th ' sfa the r? W h y w as he n o t s t ruc k w i th the curious fac tth a t b o th th e sons of Go vern or B ul l shou ld have l ef tNewpor t iu the i r fa ther ' s l i fe t ime, and whi le he was s t i l la n im po r ta n t an d in f luen t ia l m em ber of th e communi ty ,an d e s t ab l i s hed t hem s e l ve s i n t he K i ng ' s P r ov i nce ? F r oma n ex am ina t ion of h i s o r ig ina l m anusc r ip t , I am inc l ined


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14 . Gov. H en ry B u ll and his Bescendaj i ts.to th in k t h a t these que s t ions d id occur to h im, and t ha t a tone t im e he supposed He nr y to be the son of J i r e th , bu taf terwards changed his mind, for reasons tha t must a lwaysrem ain bu r ied , wi th so m uc h else of va luable informat ionas to th e ear ly h is tory of R ho de Is la nd , iu h is hono redg r a v e .

M y reaso ns for sup po sing th a t his first impressions onthis subjec t w ere correc t, an d th a t J i re th B ul l w as , in fac t,the Governor ' s only son, a re drawn in par t f rom mater ia lsno t k n o w n in Major B ul l ' s l ife t ime. I wi l l not a t te m pt ,how ever , to d iscr im inate the m he re , bu t s ta te as brief ly aspossible th e facts th a t are now establ ished , an d the n m yinferences f rom the m .

(1 . ) I t i s c lear ly pro ve d by deed s and other fami lypap ers th a t J i r e t h Bull ( so u of Go vernor Bu l l , born 1637,died before 168 5) had four sons , J i re th , H en ry , Ep hra imand Ez ek ie l , a ll l iv ing a t th e i r fa ther ' s dea th , an d w he nJi r e th , J r . , by deed da ted D ec . 6 , 168 5, re leased to h isthree bro thers h is in te res t in the i r fa ther ' s lauds iu K ing 'sPro vin ce , "provided th a t I or my h ei rs enjoy m y G randfa the r ' s , H e n ry Bul l ' s Fa rm e, af ter h is decea se , adjo in ingto m y farme in N ew po r t . " I am no t able , w he re I nowam w ri t ing , to d e term ine pos i t ive ly w ha t was the n th erule of inh er i ta nc e to lan d in Rh ode Is lan d, bu t i t i s notable th a t t h is J i r e th , J r . , as o ldes t son of an o ldes t ( i fnot only) sou, was the Governor ' s he i r -a t - law by the common law of En gla nd . T h e Go vernor , how ever , was s t i l l. l iving.

Of these four sons of J i r e th Bu l l , t h re e Ji re th , J r . ,Ezek ie l an d Ep hra im app ear o f ten in deeds , & c , a f t e r1690, bu t H en ry nev er a f te r th a t da te . W he th er the re isany pos i t ive reco rd of, or reference to, his de at h , I ca nn otfrom recol lec t ion s a y ; (viz . , w he th er an y th at ident if ieshim as the son of J i re th } b u t I am confident tha t the re isno t race of h im as l iv ing la te r tha n 1 690.


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1 6 1 6 3 1 8Gov. H en ry B u l l an d h i s Descendan t s . 15

( 2 . ) H en r y B u l l , t h i r d o f t h e nam e , bo m 1687,died 1774, A t t o rn e y G ene ra l of th e colony in 1727, wa sone of th e bes t kn ow n m em be rs of th e fami ly , and w eha ve fac ts w el l es tabl i shed in re g a rd to h im from w hichw e m ay reason safe ly . H e w a s th e son of a H eu ry B ul lwh o d ied in 1690 , age d ab ou t 32 y ea r s . H e was b roug htu p in N ew po r t un de r the ch ar ge of an a un t , Mary Cog- gesh a l l , a nd in 1700 h i s m ot he r , th e w idow (of H en ry )A nn Bu l l , w ro te f rom Kin gs ton to th i s au n t abou t h im ale t t e r wh ich i s s t i l l pres erv ed, an d w hic h i s addressed tos i s t e r Cogg esha l l . Th i s M ary ( B u l l ) Coggesha ll and herb r o t h e r H en r y appe a r in t he m o d e r n genea log i e s as ch il d r en of G ov e r no r B u l l . T h a t H e n r y w as t he A t t o r ne yG en era l ' s fa ther as above s t a t ed , i s bey on d a l l co nt roversy .B u t I know of no d i rec t proof th a t he was th e son, ra th ert h an t he g r ands o n , of G ov e r no r H e n r y B u l l ; and s o f aras I know, the re i s no con temporary record , proof, or allus ion of an y ki nd show ing t h e ex is ten ce of such a son ofG ov . B ul l , excep t th e mere in fe ren ce th a t th i s f a the r oft he A t t o r n ey G ene r a l w as on e . B u t w h en w e com pared a t e s , and no t i ce the rem ark ab le co inc idence in every re corded fac t handed down to us in re la t ion to the two suppose d l ives , th e m ore pro ba ble infe ren ce seems to be tha tt he t w o a r e m e r e l y dup l i ca t e s , an d t ha t H en r y B u l l , ofGo v . H en ry , i s a mere m yth , p r od uc ed by severing theJFa ther of th e A t to rn ey G e n er a l , from the son of J i r e th ,w he n bo th were , in f ac t, one a n d t h e same per son .

(3 . ) T h e w i l l of Go vern or Bu l l (d . Fe b . 22 , 1693-4) isun for tun a te ly no t ex ta n t , o r i t w ou ld uo doub t have saveda l l con t roversy on th i s po in t . W e have , however , theoversee r ' s accou n t of the es t a t e , r en de red in 1706 , Noch i ld of th e Go verno r i s m e n t io n ed in i t ; t he g randch i l d re n nam ed in one i t em as l iv in g a re J i r e th , Ezek ie l, an dE p hr a i m , and t h e ch i ld r en o f H en r y , dec ' d . B y ano t heren t r y w e l e a r n t h a t t h e ch i l d r en of H e n r y B u l l o i N a r r a -


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16 Gov. H en ry B ul l and h is Descendants .ga nse t t ta ke one-fif th of th e money in the overseer ' s h an ds , 3 1 , w hile 1 2 4 is charged in one sum to J i reh , Ep hra im ,an d Ez ekie l B u l l and M ary C oggesha l l . I t wi l l be seent h a t th es e four ta ke four-fifths, one-fifth each , w hile th ech i ld ren of H en ry tak e one-fifth be tw ee n the m . W eknow from o ther sources tha t the re were two, i f no t th ree ,ch i ld ren o f H en ry then l iv ing . H a d they been g rand ch i ld re n of th e Governor , by a son H en ry , they w ou ldhave t ak en amo ng them one-half, w hile the \ch i ldre n ofJ i re th above nam ed wo u ld have t ake n the o the r half. T h edi s tr ib ut io n ac tua l ly m ade seems conclus ive of the factth a t th e on ly H eu ry B u l l kn ow n among the Gove rno r ' schi ldren or grandchildren was one of the la t ter c lass , andth a t h is sha re w as tha t of a g ran dch i ld , d iv ided am onghis chi ld ren , h e him self being dead . I t wil l be no t icedalso th a t th is acco unt f ixes th e posi t ion of Ma ry Co ggesha l l as a g randchi ld and no t a daughte r o f the Governor .S h e m us t , the re fore , have b ee n the da ug hte r e i ther of J i re th o r of ( t h e m yth ica l ) H en ry 2d ; b u t if the la t te r ,she wo uld be s iste r to H en ry , 3d , the A t tor ne y Ge nera l ,whe reas we know tha t she was h i s aun t .

T h e foregoing s ta te m en t of t he case has been m ade a lm os t en t i re ly f rom mem ory , a t a d is tance of m ore th an atho us an d m i les f rom a l l th e o r ig ina l docu m ents , and w i thc n ly a few ha s ty m em oranda of m y own, made long ago ,to refer t o ; s t i l l I bel ieve i t to be sub stan t ia l ly corr ect .I n a m a tt e r of th is k ind, conclus ive proof is no t easy. I tis w it h g re at d iffidence th at I de pa rt from the acce ptedbelief in suc h a m atte r . T h e evidence is a lmost en t ire lyc i rc um stan t ia l . One s ing le , wel l au th en t ic a ted fac t,show ing th e ex is tence of a son of Go v. B ul l nam ed H en ry ,w ou ld ove r th ro w i t a l l. B u t un t i l such a fac t appears , Ica nn ot b u t th in k the s ingu lar coincidence of al l the c ircu m sta nc es no w know n, w arra n ts us in doub t ing i t , and


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Gov. H en ry B ul l an d h i s Descendan t s . 17iu s ta t ing the genealogy in the shape iu which, for grea terc learne ss , I ap pe nd i t here :

G o v . H e n r y B u l I * = E l i z a b e t hb - En gla nd , 1610, I m ar r i ed 1636 (? )cam e to K. L , 1637,d. 1694. J i r e h B u l l =b . 1637, d. Jbef ore 1685. fi i i i r

J i r e h . . H e n r y = E z e ki e l. E p h r a i m . M a r y = C o gg es ha ll .b . 1658 Id .1690

H e n r y , A n n . E p h r a i m .b . 1 6 8 7 ,d. 1774.H is 2d wife , p rob ab ly Es the r , m ar . 1665-6. 3d wife , A nn , m ar . 1677.

St , Lo ui s , M o. M arch. 30, 1884. W . G . H . * * -

A t th e be g in n in g and dur ing the war of 1812 , Cap t . W .C . G r ee ne , of N e w p or t , com m an ded gunbo a t N o . 48 ,w h i c h cons t i t u t ed a po r t ion o f ou r nav y a t t ha t t i m e . T hefol lowing abs t rac t f rom his log-book shows the date whenth e f i rs t ca pt ur e of a B r i t i sh arm ed vesse l was made, orr a t he r w he n t h a t c ap t u r ed ve s se l w as b r ough t i n to N ew p o r t :

"N ew po rt, E . I ., Monday, D ec. 7, 1812. Fresh breeze andflying clouds. A t 2 P . M ., arrived H is M ajesty's ship Macedonian,38 guns, prize to the U. S. Ship United States."- * -

T h e office of A t t o rn e y G en era l for th e colony of Rh odeI s l an d w as c r ea t e d M ay , 1650 , w h en W i ll iam D y r e w ase le c te d to fi ll th e office.


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N E W P O R T T O W N R EC O R DS .C O N T R I B U T E D B Y H . E . T U R N E R , M . D . , 3ST3W PO RT, R . I .

Continued from page 257, H e. 4. Vo l. 4, Ke-nrport H isto rica l M agazine.

May 13, 1709.Jan. 17, 1712.Dec. 23, 1715.Oct. 24, 1711.Dec. , 1713.Oct. 22, 1710.Feb. 19, 1715.Sept. 19, 1719.Sept. 24, 1721.Aug. 4, 1723.Aug. 27, 1725.June 8, 1727.April 14, 1729.

, 1730.Dec . [27 ,1732]?Ju n e 6, 1735.M arch 1, 1712.Oct. 3, 17 13 .M arch 1, 1716.

twins.

B I R T H S .W right, Elizabeth of Jo hn & Abigail

Abigail,GideonTabithaWard, Thomas of Richard and MaryMa ry?A m m yElizabethIsabelHannahJ ohnSamuel,MercyMargaretRichard?H e n r y ?Elizabeth,W eaver, Elizab eth of John and .AliceThomasJulia

gov henry bull & descendants

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