Even though the parents of Ambrose Bull have not been determined conclusively, the following information seems to indicate a connection that warrants consideration. Barbara Horton and her sister, Ruth Houghton, researched the early Virginia records and found several transactions that seem to be related to the Bull family. The following is from their letter to the Bull Cousins dated 24 Dec 1990: "We think (and can't prove) that Ambrose's parents were Robert and Rachel Bull. Robert Bull received a gift deed for 150 acres of land on Reedy Creek in Brunswick County, VA on 26 Sep 1753, from his father Thomas Bull. (This is in Deed Book 5, p. 456, and we believe Robert was the eldest son and that the gift deed was given when he came of age.) "We next caught up with Thomas Bull when he settled -- directly after leaving Brunswick County -- in Halifax County, North Carolina. We found in the NC Archives his land grant, and also grants to his two sons, Thomas and Henry. (We also found that James Hogan, the Revolutionary War hero, was a neighbor of the family in Halifax County.) "Thomas Bull's will was filed in Halifax County Inferior Court April 1763. In it, he mentions his wife, Susannah, his daughters Susannah and Ann, his sons Thomas and Henry, his son-in-law Thomas Bates, and his daughter-in-law Rachel, and her heir, who received a bequest of 5 shillings." The following will supplement and strengthen the above relationship. Robert and Rachel Bull sold the 150 acres in Brunswick County, Virginia on 27 Dec 1757 to Ambrose Harwell and on the same day, Thomas sold the remainder of the tract (99 acres) to Lemuel Harwell. This is the last entry found about Robert Bull. The coincidence of the name Ambrose caused further research. Reviewing the wills of both Ambrose Harwell and Lemuel Harwell in 1802 and 1805 in Iredell County, North Carolina failed to find any mention of the name Rachel. This is not conclusive, but it seems that Rachel was not a Harwell, but may have been related in some way. Apparently, the sale of the Virginia lands were the prelude to moving to Halifax County, North Carolina. The first land grant records show that the first grant in Halifax County was made in 1755 to John Alsobroke, who is mentioned later as a witness to the will of Thomas Bull. He may have been the one who encouraged the Bulls to come to Halifax. There were only a few grants in Halifax before Thomas Bull, Jr. had a survey don 13 Feb 1761, patented 13 Aug 1761; Thomas Bull had a survey done 14 Nov 1761, patented 10 Jan 1762. In the same vicinity James Hogan, the Revolutionary War hero, had a survey done 6 May 1762, patented 25 Jun 1762. One of the chain carriers for the survey was Thomas Bull. Thomas Bull, Sr. signed his will 22 May 1762 and it was filed in April 1763. He left legacies as shown above. No mention was made to Robert, but he did include his "daughter-in-law Rachel, and her heir." This indicates that Robert died between 27 Dec 1757, when he sold the 150 acres, and 22 May 1762, when Thomas signed his will. Thomas' son, Henry, also obtained land in Halifax County, but soon after moved to Johnston County, North Carolina. His first grant was in 1766 and his last in 1782. He was survived by two sons, William and Barnaby Bull. Our Ambrose Bull seems to fit the proper time frame for being the son of Robert and Rachel Bull. If the land gift on 26 Sep 1753 was for his twenty-first birthday, then, he probably married within a couple of years either way from that date. We know he was married in 1757, when he sold the land, and was deceased before 1762. Thomas's will mentioned only one heir for Rachel (who was Robert's widow). This "heir" is the person we feel was our Ambrose. In her application for a pension, Elizabeth Bull, Ambrose's widow, stated that she was born in April 1755 and married in Craven County, North Carolina in 1777. A date of birth for Ambrose would likely be circa 1755, or a few months earlier. His wife listed his place of birth as being Craven County, NC, but from the above it seems that he was born in Brunswick County, Virginia. His first record that has been found is for land acquired by deed in that county in 1783. Elizabeth's pension application stated that they were married in Craven County in 1777, and we know that James Hogan Bull was born in that county in 1780. (We have speculated about the date of birth of Janet, and have assumed that she was the oldest child, principally based on the date of marriage, and assuming that a child was born prior to 1780.) Ambrose resided during the American Revolution in Craven County, NC. He volunteered in or about the month of March 1779 as a private soldier and served in a Company commanded by Captain Roach. He left the service at the end of six months, the term for which he volunteered. His company was attached to a Regiment commanded by Colonel Johnson and marched from Craven County in NC to some point in SC. (From pension application by Elizabeth Bull, widow of Ambrose, from Pike County, GA, dated 4 Jul 1836 -- filed under Ambrous Bull, Revolutionary Soldier.) For those wanting to use him as a supplemental line in DAR, they should check National No. 475621 (Miss Nina Pepper) and National No. 461419 (Mrs. Alice Harris Harrelson, Charleston, MS).