Person:Henry Bull (3)

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Henry Bull (1610–1694) was an early colonial Governor of Rhode Island, serving for two separate terms, one before and one after the tenure of Edmund Andros under the Dominion of New England. Sailing from England as a young man, Bull first settled in Roxbury in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, but soon became a follower of the dissident ministers John Wheelwright and Anne Hutchinson, and was excommunicated from the Roxbury church. With many other followers of Hutchinson, he signed the Portsmouth Compact, and settled on Aquidneck Island in the Narragansett Bay. Within a year of arriving there, he and others followed William Coddington to the south end of the island where they established the town of Newport.

Bull was a corporal and sergeant on the island, and kept the prison for the colony. He also built a house shortly after his arrival that continued to stand in Newport for nearly three centuries, until destroyed by fire. Late in life, Bull became active in the service of the colony, fulfilling roles as commissioner, deputy, and assistant. In 1685, during a chaotic period in Rhode Island's history when the colony was being accused of irregularities, and its charter was being threatened under a new King, the 75-year-old Henry Bull stepped into the office of governor, serving for a year. Soon after he left office, Edmund Andros was appointed royal governor of all the New England colonies, remaining in this position for three years, until another change in England's monarchy resulted in Rhode Island's return to its former charter. Uncertainty prevailed in the colony, and two other individuals refused to serve as governor, until Bull, as an octogenarian, once again assumed the governorship in 1690, returning Rhode Island to its previous form of government under its charter.

Considered to be as fearless as he was honest, Bull was elected to the highest position in the gift of the colony, despite the fact that he could not sign his name (he used a mark for his signature in the Portsmouth Compact). He became a Quaker after his arrival in the Rhode Island colony, and, following a long life, was buried in the Coddington Cemetery in Newport where several other Quaker governors of the colony were also interred.

1.   Bullock, J. Russell. Incidents in the life and times of Stukeley Westcote: with some of his descendants. (Bristol, R.I.?: unknown, 1888).

   Govenor of the Colony- 1685-1690. Came to Boston from Wales in 1636 & soon moved to island of Aquidneck (Rhode Island) , of which he was one of the original proprietors.

2.   Austin, John Osborne. The Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island. (Orig. 1887; Reprinted 1969 Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing).

   Henry sailed in ship "James" from London on July 17, 1635, his age being entered as twenty five years. In 1636, he and his wife Elizabeth joined the church at Roxbury and on May 17, 1637, he became freeman. November 20, 1637. he and others, were warned to deliver up all guns, pistols swords, powder, shot, etc, because "the opinions and revelations of Mr. Wheelwright and Mrs. Hutchinson have seduced and led into dangerous error many of the people here in New England."

3. ↑ Rhode Island Friends Records, in Arnold, James N. Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1636–1850: First series, births, marriages and deaths. A family register for the people. (Narragansett Hist. Publ. Co., 1891)
   91.

   BULL, Henry, aged 84 years, Newport, Jan. 22, 1693-4, last of the first settlers.

Founders of Portsmouth, Rhode Island

On March 7, 1638, a group of religious dissenters signed the Portsmouth Compact. They had been disarmed by leaders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. William Coddington, Anne Hutchinson, and John Clarke conferred with Roger Williams in Providence, who suggested that they buy land from the Native Americans on Aquidneck Island. They formed the settlement of Pocasset, later Portsmouth, on Aquidneck, later called Rhode Island. Portsmouth and Newport later united with Providence and Warwick in 1654 as the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Text of the Compact: The 7th Day of the First Month, 1638. We whose names are underwritten do hereby solemnly in the presence of Jehovah incorporate ourselves into a Bodie Politick and as He shall help, will submit our persons, lives and estates unto our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and to all those perfect and most absolute laws of His given in His Holy Word of truth, to be guided and judged thereby. Signers: William Coddington - John Clarke - William Hutchinson, Jr. [husband of Anne Hutchinson]- John Coggeshall - William Aspinwall - Samuel Wilbore - John Porter - John Sanford - Edward Hutchinson, Jr. Esq. - Thomas Savage - William Dyre [husband of Boston martyr Mary Dyer] - William Freeborne - Philip Sherman - John Walker - Richard Carder - William Baulston - Edward Hutchinson, Sr. - Henry Bull - Randall Holden Current Location: Newport County, Rhode Island   Parent Towns: Boston   Daughter Towns: Newport

Founders of Newport, Rhode Island

Newport was founded in 1639. Its eight founders and first officers left Portsmouth, Rhode Island after a political fallout with Anne Hutchinson and her followers. As part of the agreement, William Coddington and his followers took control of the southern side of the island. They were soon joined by Nicholas Easton, who had recently been expelled from Massachusetts for holding heretical beliefs. The settlement soon grew to be the largest of the four original towns of Rhode Island. Many of the first colonists in Newport quickly became Baptists, and in 1640 the second Baptist congregation in Rhode Island was formed under the leadership of John Clarke. Portsmouth and Newport later united with Providence and Warwick in 1654 as the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Original Founders: Nicholas Easton - William Coddington - John Clarke - John Coggeshall - William Brenton - Jeremy Clark - Thomas Hazard - Henry Bull Current Location: Newport County, Rhode Island   Parent Towns: Portsmouth   Daughter Towns: