THE BULLARD FAMILY

GEORGE BULLARD [#970], b. England abt. 1607-8, d. Watertown, MA 14 Jan 1688-9,[8/61] m(1) Margaret ____, d. Watertown 8 Feb 1639-40,[8/7] m(2) abt. 1640 BEATRICE HALL, d. Dedham, MA 29 May 1652, m(3) Watertown 30 Apr 1655[8/18] widow Mary Marplehead.

485. Sarah Bullard b. ? ? ? d. ? ? ?	970. George Bullard b. c.1607-8 England d. 14 Jan 1688-9 Watertown, MA	1940. William Buller b. c.1562 England d. 1610 England	3880. Henry Buller c.1535-?
		1941. Grace Bignett b. ? d. 1630 England
	971. Beatrice Hall b. ? d. 29 May 1652 Dedham, MA

George Bullard was born in England, probably in the parish of Barnham, St. Martin, Suffolk about 1607 or 1608 (he deposed in 1658 as "age about fifty years"). The name of his first wife was Margaret, parentage not known. She died in Watertown Feb. 8, 163940 apparently at the birth of Mary. He married second about 1641, Beatrice Hall of Boston, parentage also unknown. She died in Dedham, MA on May 29, 1652. "Bettrice Hall, maidservant of Jacob Elliot" was admitted to the First Church of Boston on June 20, 1640. "Beatrice Hall, now wife of one George Bullard of Watertown", was dismissed to the church at Watertown on Nov. 17, 1644. He married third "the last of April" 1655, the widow Mary Marplehead who was alive in 1684.[5]

George was evidently already a member of the church, for he was admitted the Freeman's oath on May 13, 1641, a privilege accorded only to property owners who were church members. He had lands assigned to him at Watertown Farms which later became Weston.

In 1639 George was described as having a homestall of eight acres bounded west by John Knolls, east by Ester Pickram, south with the highway, and north by Maudlin and Anne Bullard.[6/1:39] He still had this land in the third inventory[6/1:126] but sold it soon after, on April 4, 1644, to Thomas Straight.[5] There was a Robert Bullard in town at the same time as George. He died June 29, 1639, age 40[8/1:7] and was thus the right age to be George's brother. Robert's widow Anne owned the land that abutted George's, adding further weight to a close relationship.

At a meeting of Watertown Selectmen on Dec. 23, 1684, it was ordered that "John Ball, son-in-law and Jonathan Bullard, son be notified of the necessity of help for father Bullard and his wife".[7/2:20] Mary is listed in the birth records as a daughter of George and Beatrice, b. Feb. 12, 163940, yet George's first wife Margaret is listed as having died four days before that.[8/1:7] I'm sure she didn't kill herself over an illegitimate child. Presumably Mary's mother was really Margaret, who died in childbirth, and obviously the dates are incorrect. This may be answered with the statistics being recorded some years after the events.

See the overseas ancestor section for the parentage of George Bullard. His mother was Grace Bignett who died in 1629-30. She left a will in which are given the names of her children. The names of her four sons disappear from the English records at about the same time they first appear in New England, which forms a most important link in the chain of connecting proof of their English home. Although no record has been found to determine the date of their sailing, it is believed they came to Massachusetts about 1635.[1/13]

REF: [1] Bullard and Allied Families - Edgar J. Bullard, 1930
     [2] The History of Watertown - Henry Bond, 1860 (pgs.148,732)
     [3] Pioneers of Massachusetts - Charles H. Pope, 1900
     [4] Genealogies of Maine and New Hampshire - Noyes, Libby, Davis
     [5] The Ancestry of Edward Wales Blake - Edith B. Sumner, 1948
         (pgs.61-62)
     [6] Records of Watertown (Lands, Grants, Possessions), 1894
     [7] Records of Watertown, 1894
     [8] Records of Watertown vol. 1 (Births, Marriages, Deaths First
         Book), 1894

Child (by Margaret):

1. Mary, b. Watertown, MA 12 Feb 1639-40[8/7]

Children(by Beatrice):

2. Jacob, b. Watertown 6 Apr 1642[8/10]
3. Sarah, m. Watertown, MA 17 Oct 1665 John Ball,
   b. Watertown, MA 1644, d. Watertown 8 May 1722
4. Jonathan, b. Watertown 12 Jul 1647,[8/13] m. Watertown  9 Dec
   1669[8/32] Hester Morse (dau. of Joseph Morse & Hester Peirce),
   b. Watertown 7 Mar 1645-6[8/12]
   Chil.:
   1) Hester, b. 13 Aug 1671, d. unm. 1 Feb 1713-4;
   2) Jonathan, b. 25 Dec 1672, d. 14 Sep 1719,
   m. Anna ____; 3) Hannah, b. 3 Feb 1674-5; 4) Joseph,
   d. 6 Aug 1722, m. widow of Thomas Spring, d. 6 Aug 1753
5. Johanna(?), m. Watertown 22 Mar 1680-1[8/49] Dennis Hedley
6. (maybe others)

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