Page 260 - Cousins - Celebrities, Saints & Sinners

defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 associated Elizabeth with one of the greatest military victories in English
history.

As she grew older, Elizabeth became celebrated for her virginity. A cult grew around her which was celebrated
in the portraits, pageants, and literature of the day. Elizabeth's reign became known as the Elizabethan era.
The period is famous for the flourishing of English drama, led by playwrights such as William
Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, and for the seafaring prowess of English adventurers such as Francis
Drake. Some historians depict Elizabeth as a short-tempered, sometimes indecisive ruler, who enjoyed more
than her share of luck. Towards the end of her reign, a series of economic and military problems weakened her
popularity. Elizabeth is acknowledged as a charismatic performer and a dogged survivor in an era when
government was ramshackle and limited, and when monarchs in neighboring countries faced internal
problems that jeopardized their thrones. After the short reigns of her half-siblings, her 44 years on the throne
provided welcome stability for the kingdom and helped forge a sense of national identity.
Note: Family folklore passed down over the years had intimated a family relationship to Lady Anne Boleyn, the
second wife of Henry VIII, and the mother of Elizabeth Tudor, but this is the first “reputable” direct link I have
ever come across. My maternal grandmother, Edna Bulen is my link to the Bulen (spelling has changed over
the years) family. As my interest in genealogy developed several years ago, I came in contact with my father’s
first cousin, Robert O. Bulen, who was an experienced genealogist and the one who introduced me to most of
what I have subsequently learned about the Bulen’s. More recently, I connected with his son, my second
cousin, Mark P. Bulen, who has continued in his father’s genealogy footsteps. When I discovered the LDS
family tree that connected the Bulen’s to Anne Boleyn, I sent a copy to Mark and asked him for his thoughts.
This is his response…
While I have been thinking of this Boleyn-Bulen relationship just now, I looked this up on Wikipedia.org, and
this is what is printed there about George Boleyn (the purported brother of Ann Boleyn) -

“Less is known about George's personal life than about his celebrated court career, but what is known is that
he married Jane Parker sometime during 1525. They were certainly married by January 1526 because a note of
that date in Wolsey's hand confirms that an extra £20 a year had been awarded to "young Boleyn for him and
his wife to live on".

There has always been much speculation as to whether the marriage of George and Jane was happy but there
is no way to know for certain, as the state papers are virtually silent with regard to Jane. There is no mention
of the couple having any children, which as the brother-in-law and sister-in-law to the King of England, there
surely would have been had such a child existed. It had been thought that George Boleyn, dean of Lichfield
may have been their son; but it is more likely that he was a distant cousin. There is no record of the couple
having a child, and Jane makes no mention of a child for whom she is responsible when she wrote a begging
letter to Cromwell following George's death.

I often read the message boards that I can find at Ancestry or other such web sites, and there are constant
claims of relationships to Anne Boleyn, and the mega-serious family tree researchers are constantly lambasting
them for their claims. I think the claim I see most often is "I am a descendant of Anne Boleyn; my Grandma
told me, and it's the truth!!" Wrong on at least 2 levels.”
Soooo, I guess this means the jury is still out. I don’t know that this connection to the Tudor’s will ever be
validated, but until then we can keep the story alive as an interesting piece of family folklore…

References:
1. Relative Finder, associated with FamilySearch, and the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS)
2. Wikipedia.org
3. Learn more – 12 Surprising Facts About Queen Elizabeth 1
4. LDS Family Tree attached

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