Esther Bull

Prior to 1647, Ralph Allen, Jr. m. Esther Swift, dau. of William Swift and his 2nd wife Joan, bap. of record May 28, 1629 at St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey, Surrey, England. She married 2nd to Henry Bull

2) Children of Esther Bull (Swift, Allen) and Ralph Allen, Jr.

1. Jediah [Jedediah] Allen (b. Sandwich MA 3 Jan 1646[/7?] (born the third day of January one thousand six hundred and forty six), m. abt. 1668/9 Elizabeth Howland, d. 21 Jan 1711/2 at Shrewsbury NJ)
2. Esther Allen (b. Sandwich MA 8 Dec 1648, probably died young, NOT the Esther Allen who married Henry Bull 14:12mo:1664 or 14 Feb 1664/5, who was the widow of Ralph Allen, Jr.)
3. Experience Allen (b. Sandwich MA 14 Mar 1651[/2], probably died young)
4. Ephraim Allen (b. Sandwich MA 26 Mar 1656, probably died young).

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from The Two Ralph Allens of Sandwich, MA, in the 1600s Prepared June 27, 1997 © Richardson B. Allen e-mail

the wife of this Ralph Allen was Esther Swift, daughter of William and Joan Swift. They were married about 1645-1646 based on the date of birth of their first child, Jedediah.

in 1884 John O. Austin pointed out the marriage [14th of the 12th month 1664] of Esther Allen of Sandwich and Henry Bull of RI (4:134-6). Austin and all authors since have suggested that this Esther was the Hester Allen born in Sandwich in 1648. However, this results in an age difference of about 38 years between Henry and Hester, and the marriage would have taken place when Hester was only about 16 years old. An alternative explanation based on the suggested death about 1659 of Ralph, husband of Esther, is that the marriage was between Henry Bull and Esther widow of Ralph. This would result in Henry and Esther being much closer to each other in age, and is consistent with the widow Esther Allen being absent from Sandwich records after the death of her husband.

Note: Esther Swift, dau. of William Swift and his 2nd wife Joan, bap. of record May 28, 1629 at St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey, Surrey, England. She came to New England with her parents in circa 1634 and d. of record Mar. 26, 1676 at Newport, RI. She was twice married. Prior to 1647, Esther m. 1) Ralph Allen, Jr., b. at England and historically the s. of undetermined parents. Identified as a mason, Ralph is called Jr. in the Sandwich, Mass. town records to distinguish him from an older Ralph Allen of Sandwich, called Sr., latter the acknowledged s. of the immigrant George Allen of Sandwich, Mass. Ralph Allen, Jr. d. on the incomplete date of "ye 26 of ye...," as written in his son Jedediah's bible, but undoubtedly before Oct. 12, 1662 when Esther's mother made her will at Sandwich, Mass. Ralph Allen, Jr. and Esther Swift had four known children who are outlined in their father's memorial. Contrary to conflicting conclusions by professional genealogists, a careful review of the facts indicate the widow Esther (Swift) Allen, not her dau. Esther as sometimes claimed, m. 2) of record on Feb. 14, 1664/5 at Sandwich as his 2nd wife, Henry Bull of Newport, Rhode Island. There are no known children of this marriage. Henry Bull m. 1) an Elizabeth, by whom he had two known children, and 3) on Mar. 28, 1677 at Newport, RI as her 2nd husb., Ann Clayton, the widow of Gov. Nicholas Easton of Rhode Island. There were no children of this latter marriage with Henry Bull d. of record Jan. 22, 1693/4 and his widow Ann on Jan. 30, 1707/8, both at Newport, RI. The record of Esther's death and of Henry Bull and his 3rd wife Ann are per the records of the Rhode Island Monthly Meeting of Friends contained in the NEHGS' electronic version of Arnold's Vital Records of Rhode Island. It is unclear at the time of Esther's 1st husband Ralph Allen, Jr.'s death whether this Allen family were members of the Society of Friends at Sandwich, Mass. The early records of the Dartmouth, Falmouth, Sandwich and constituent meetings at Rhode Island, which formed the Rhode Island Yearly Meeting of Friends, were lost during the American Rev. War when the ship that was transporting them for safe keeping was sunk by the British. Although the records were subsequently recovered their length of time underwater prevented salvaging of the written content. In particular, there is no record of whether Esther (Swift)(Allen) Bull was or was not interred at a Friends burying ground at or near Newport, RI.