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Descendants of Thomas Buckingham

Generation No. 1

1. THOMAS¹ BUCKINGHAM was born Abt 1620 in Buckinghamshire, England, and died 1657 in Boston, Massachusetts¹. He married (1) HANNAH in England². He married (2) ANN FOWLER ? Bef 1649 in Milford, Connecticut³.

Notes
Thomas Buckingham, the puritan settler, and ancestor of all the American Buckinghams, was one of the company to which Eaton and Hopkins, two London merchants, and the two ministers Davenport and Prudden belong. They sailed from London in the two ships the Hector and the ______. They arrived at Boston, Massachusetts 26 June 1637, and on the 30th of March 1638, this company sailed for Quinnipack, now New Haven, Connecticut, where they arrived in about a fortnight, or in April, 1638. Here we find the name of Thomas Buckingham under the head of " Name of Planters and Division of Land according to Estate and Heads in Families," from which it appears that he had four persons in his family, and estate of Ł60 (or his interest in the enterprise,) and in the first division, he received thirteen acres of upland, two and one-half on the neck and five of meadow, and in the second division twenty acres, and his yearly rate for land 10s, 2d. (Vide New Haven Town Records, vol. 1, page 18 of the copy.) His house lot was in what is called "Mr. Gregson's quarter," or the square included between Chapel and Crown, and Church and College Streets. George Street has since been cut through the quarter, running parallel with Chapel and Crown, and there are circumstances that render it probable the house stood on, or near what is now the corner of College and George Streets. If so, it was the lot on which Dr. Lyman Beecher was born. (Vide book of the New Haven Jurisdiction begun in 1652.) The aforesaid land is referred to as "Goodman Buckingham's land that was," in 1683 and, with the barn, inventoried at Ł35. And in 1700 it is referred to as "that one lot which was Mr. Buckingham's." The title to this property is easily traced. In 1653, January 3rd, Thomas Buckingham of Milford, deeds to Jeremiah Whitnell his house and house lot in New Haven. In 1653, March 7th, Jeremiah Whitnell deeds to Thomas Micthell "house and house lot bought of Thomas Buckingham." And in 1659 Thomas Mitchell wills his property to his wife and daughter Elizabeth Mitchell.
In 1682 Jeremiah Whitnell wills it to Phillip Alcock and wife, and April 23rd, 1700, Phillip Alcock, baker of Wethersfield, deeds to John Alcock, (his son) "for fulfillment of the will of my deceased father and mother-in-law, Jeremiah and Elizabeth Whitnell, that one lot which was Mr. Buckingham's, and part of the lot which was Mr. Welch's square up with Mr. Buckingham's"
The only other mention of the name found on the New haven Records while he remained there, is the following: February 5th, 1639. "Mr. Wilke is ordered to pay Thomas Buckingham 5 bushels and an half of Indian corn destroyed by Mr. Wilke's hogs." (p. 18)
Thomas Buckingham removed to Milford, Connecticut in the autumn of 1639. He was one of the company of which Mr. Peter Prudden was the pastor who first settled that town. The church was organized at New Haven, August 22nd, 1639, and Thomas Buckingham was one of the seven pillars of which it was composed. The church records of Milford commence as follows:

MILFORD.

"The church of Christ at Milford was first gathered at New Haven, upon August 22nd, 1639. The persons first joining in the foundation were those names are next under mentioned: Peter Prudden, William Fowler, Edmund Tapp, Zachariah Whitman, John Atwood, Thomas Buckingham, Thomas Welch." The following marginal notes also appear on the church records. "John Atwood died in England, July, 1654. Edmund Tapp died at New Haven 1643. Mr. Prudden died, July, 1656. Thomas Buckingham died at Boston, 1657. William Fowler died in 1660. Mr. Whitman died April 25, 1666. Thomas Welch died August 12, 1681."

His name stands the fifth on the list of Free Planters, bearing date 29 November 1639. His house lot, containing three areas, was a little above the Second congregational meeting house, to the right, and on the corner where the old Bryan house now stands, (1849) and is still in possession of his descendants on the mother's side.
In volume 1, page 4 of Milford Town Records, is "Division of land among the several planters in rate of 4s per area assessed upon it, 22 November, and 6 December 1643. Thomas Buckingham, home lot 3 acres, upland 17 ˝, meadow, 8. Page 11, 18 May 1646. "This court doth give Thomas Buckingham a piece of meadow land that layeth at the end of the fence, against Bush plain."
From the records of the colony it appears, '24 February 1657, Robert Treat and Thomas Buckingham were the Deputies to the General Court."
From the note on the margin of the Church Record opposite his name, it appears that he died in Boston, in the fall of 1657, "where he had gone," says one, "on business;" "where he went," says another, "for the church to seek for them a pastor." that his particular business was to find a pastor for the church was more than probable, as Mr. Prudden had died the year previous, and the church was without a pastor at the time. He appears to have made his will before taking his journey, which bears date 19 September 1657. The following notice of his will is found in the records of the colony: '28 May 1659. At a court of magistrates held at New Haven for the Jurisdiction, the last will and testament of Thomas Buckingham, late of Milford, deceased, was presented, made the 19th September 1657. Subscribed by Mr. William Leet, and by him witnessed to be the will and mind of the deceased."
"Also an inventory of the estate of Thomas Buckingham was presented attested, upon oath, before the court at Milford, by Ann Buckingham, the widow of the deceased, that it was a true inventory of all the estate and goods of her late husband, to the best of her knowledge, which amounted to Ł484 3s 8d. Robert Treat and John Fletcher, appraisers, upon oath affirmed that "the appraisment was just according to their light."

Children of Thomas Buckingham and Hannah are:

2.	i.	HANNAH² BUCKINGHAM, b. 1632, England; d. 1684, Milford, New Haven, Connecticut.
3.	ii.	DANIEL BUCKINGHAM, b. 1636, England; d. 02 May 1712, Milford, Connecticut.
4.	iii.	SAMUEL BUCKINGHAM, b. 13 June 1640; d. 17 March 1699/00.
	iv.	MARY BUCKINGHAM, b. 27 March 1643.
5.	v.	THOMAS BUCKINGHAM, b. Abt 1646, Milford, Connecticut; d. 01 April 1709, Saybrook, Middlesex County, Connecticut.

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