Bullen - Ann Boleyn

[Mofamily]

I wonder if anyone has a theory of how this could be.

My gg grandfather George Bullen b: 1853 Stow Bedon, Norfolk moved to the North East to work in the mines together with other members of his family.  His father was Simon b: 1767 and his mother Mary Faux b: 1779, his mother probably being Elizabeth b: 1745.

However, since I was a child I've been told we were related to Anne Boleyn, but bearing in mind they seem to be of humble means, could they be related to Anne Boleyn or is this just too far fetched and my family are making up stories.

Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated and any information to take the family further back would also be appreciated.

Mo

[Redroger]

Though i have no direct information, I would think it is certainly possible there is a connection, for at least the following  reasons: 1) Many families have rich and poor branches who for some reason have fallen on hard times. 2) In the case of the Bullen or Boleyn family I seem to recall that Anne's father was attainted traitor by Henry VIII after her execution, if I am right then the family would lose all its land and property to the crown.3) Your ancestors come from the right part of England. What I would do is research the Boleyn family on the internet as far forwards as possible, and then research my own family back as far as possible, who knows the two might meet.

[clairelouise]

If you go to this web site
 www.doun.org/transcritpions/surnames  you will be able to trace your family history there and there are some Bullens/Boleyn

[Maggie1895]

I'm sure one of the things that the rather grand Howard family (his in-laws) always held against Thomas Boleyn or Bullen was that he came from very humble stock - in Norfolk.

He was extremely upwardly mobile (the yuppie of his day) but I'm sure I read his grandfather  or gr. or gr.gr. grandfather was an Ag Lab (happens in the best families)

I don't think its impossible at all, Mo.   Why not?    A country family in Norfolk probably had a lot of children, and will have spread branches all over in the intervening centuries.      If you ever did trace it all you might find you were the xx cousin, xxx times removed.

The trick is going to be proving it!     Precisely because Thomas Bullen came from quite humble stock you are searching parish records back and hoping that there are no breaks.    He's not a 'gateway ancestor' - that would be Anne's mother's side.   

I think Roger's advice is the best way to do it - find out what you can about Thomas Bullen and his family, and at the same time track yours back.   You never know, do you?  Good luck, and please do keep telling us what you find, and post here when you hit brick walls - the people here are the best and most generous help you'll get anywhere.

p.s. are the dates you posted correct?  If your great grandfather George was born in 1853, Simon and Mary would have been in their 70s and 80s when he was born.  Is there a generation missing?

[Maggie1895]

1861 census:

Stow Bedon, Norfolk
George Bullen, age 8 

Parents:
Henry age 40, Ag Lab
Sarah, age 40
Children:
Daniel 14, Charles 11, John 10, George, then Benjamin 5, Eliza 3

then Henry's mother, Mary, age 82.  Could she be your Mary Faux, George's grandmother not his mother?    The poor lady is described as an 'out door' pauper.

the best thing is that the whole family, including Mary, was born in Stow Bedon so if you track them back through the 1851 and 1841 census you may pick up Henry's father (? possibly your Simon) and from there hope that they all used the church for baptisms, marriages and burials, and that the parish records are still intact.

[Maggie1895]

Henry Bullen
Baptised Stoke Bedon, 21 May 1820
Parents:
Simon and Mary Bullen

Henry had an elder brother: James, baptised 31 July 1815.
There are some records coming up for more than one Mary Faux, or Mary Fawkes, in Norfolk, but that wouldn't be the Bullen side anyway.   I can't see a birth for Simon coming up instantly I'm afraid,

So far, so good - you just missed Henry.    Only just over 300 years to go...

[Maggie1895]

1841 census:

Stoke Bedon, Norfolk
Simon Bullen, 74 Ag Lab, born Norfolk
Mary, his wife, age 62
Henry (transcribed as Henery) is 20
Robert 5 (not sure whose son he is)
- and your bonus in this one is Elizabeth Faux, age 86.

Mo, in all seriousness this is really good.   OK, there was one generation missing but everything your family told you about Simon, Mary, and Elizabeth has turned out to be correct.     That bodes very well for the rest of the story.   Word of warning though - there is another family of Bullens, headed by James Bullen on the same census sheet.    This is a small area and the Bullens look to be a big family who have probably been there a lot of generations.

Even if you are able to go back that far and link your line to that of Thomas, you will probably find you are one of many many distant relatives in a very widespread clan.

That doesn't mean it won't be brilliant fun finding out!

[Mofamily]

Thanks everyone for your input.

I did in fact have Henry James Bullen Bapt 21.5.1820 St Botolphs Church and Sarah Peck b: 1820 Middlesex as George's parents, but got over excited when doing the post and mentioned his grandparents instead.  Sorry 

However, this Elizabeth Faux aged 86 is a new one.  I had come across an Elizabeth, but thought it may have been Simon's mother not Mary's but just left it as a "possible".

Henry James Bullen b: 1820 did have a brother called James b: 1815.  James and his family moved to the North East as well before my g g grandad and his brother's did.

Thanks for the website address clairelouise, but I couldn't understand what I was looking at.  Clicked on the Bullen surname and it said not found!!  What is this site?  Looked a bit strange.  Or is that me.

Thanks Mo

[clairelouise]

Hi if you go onto the site and go to surnames and then click on the letter the surname begins with, then scroll down until you find the surname your looking for.