Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of William Bucknam of Chelsea

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Descendants of William Bucknam of Chelsea

Generation No. 1

1. WILLIAM¹ BUCKNAM was born Abt. 1602 in England (Source: "History of New Ipswich, New Hampshire" 1735 - 1914 Chandler and Lee With Genealogy Records of the Principal Families.), and died 28 Mar 1679 in Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts (Source: Middlesex Co. Probate, 1st series.). He married (1) SARAH WILKINSON (Source: "The Winthrop Fleet of 1630" Charles Edwards Banks, Boston 1930, p 97.) Bet. 1630 - 1634, daughter of JOHN WILKINSON and PRUDENCE WILKINSON. She was born Abt. 1618 in England, and died Abt. 1639 in Possibly Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts. He married (2) SARAH KNOWER Abt. 1640 in Probably Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts, daughter of THOMAS KNOWER and ELIZABETH KNOWER. She was born 1622 in St Clements, Eastcheap, London, England (Source: Family Tree Maker website of Diane Ellen Isaacson--Descendents of Thomas Knower, http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/i/s/a/Diane-E-Isaacson/GENE1-0001.html.), and died Aft. 1679 in Probably Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts.

Notes for WILLIAM BUCKNAM:
"Came to America in the Abigail, one of the fleet of 11 ships with 900 emigrants, lead by John Winthrop, Puritan leader, who became Gov. of Mass and founder of Boston, both of the women whom he afterward married, coming in the same fleet, with their parents, although John Wilkinson is believed to have died during the voyage. In June 1630 The Puritans landed at Salem. m(1st) Prudence Wilkinson, dau., of John and Prudence Wilkinson. She died after a short time leaving one son."---(From "History of New Ipswich, New Hampshire" 1735 - 1914 Chandler and Lee With Genealogy Records of the Principal Families)

It's also hinted at that William was from the London area and possibly had a brother named John who married 31 December 1616 at St. Faith London and was a member of the Merchant Tailor’s Guild.

Also an intriguing email: Sent: Sunday, May 30, 2004 10:05 PM "My name is Steve Bucknam. I'm a descendent of John Buckman thoruogh the last son Jeremiah (1670-1747) his son Joseph (1700-1774), then Edwards(1741-1813), George(1786-1843), Charles Wetherbee(1819-1890), Darwin Alton(1867-1936), Charles Stephen Sr(1910-). I've been tryingg for several years to find John's lineage in England and believe I may have found something recently. I found the will of a Thomas Buckenham (Bucknam) who had two younger, sons named William and John. The will was written in 1623 and was posted with the Archdeaconry of Suffolk County. I found the link on Ancestry.com. I believe that William was born aournd 1602 and that John is a younger brother probably born circa 1610. They lived in Debenham near Ipswitch in Sufflolk County."

"William Bucknam lived for a time near the entrance to Woodlawn Cemetery. He bought land in what is now Chelsea, Mass in 1632 and the Mystic Side 1647 and in Charleston, now Everett, in Nov, 1664. There is a "Bucknam Street" which runs southerly from Belmont Street, parallel with Main St. near home of Dean Converse. Here most of the children were born. He seemed to be an unusually prosperous carpenter in 1660. In that year he reconstructed the old Knower house. In 1667 when he made his Will, he refers to many things that were then modern and only the prosperous could have. He died 16 Mar 1678/9 full of years, and full of respect of his neighbors, and townsmen. He was buried with his wife Sarah, in the old "Bell Rock Cemetery", and the graves of many of their descendants can be seen there. He was a devout and sincere Christian, and instilled the fear of God into the hearts of all his family, taught all his children to read and write, which could not be said of all of MaIden's citizens of even a later date. Old records show that he was prominent in the Town Affairs, his judgment often sought, and his decision being regarded as final."---(From an article written to be read and printed in connection with an organization called "National Society of Puritan Descendants", 5 Dec. 1898)

William arrived in the country a single man as may be ascertained from the court deposition taken 16 DEC 1662 when Robert Lincoln stated, "I have known him, ever since he came into the Country both single man and married man." One of the early residents of Charlestown, William is recorded as having property within the town limits in 1638. The Charlestown Land Records show where he possessed one dwelling house with a garden plot, butting northeast upon the streetway, and bounded on the southeast by Edward Carrington. In 1649 he purchased from Francis Willoughby 20 acres on the Mystic side. The following year he purchased further land and meadows. On 2 April 1661, together with George Knower, he bought a forty acre and a fifteen acre lot of land at Malden from Capt. Edward Johnson and his wife, Susan. Sarah and William are buried in "The Old Yard [Bell Rock Cemetery] " in Malden.

***He immigrated in 1630 in Gov. Craddock's Fleet. He was a joiner. He was brought to build the Craddock house, which is still standing as a museum, in Medford, Mass [Note: It seems that this is not now and may never have been a museum, it stands as a private residence on Riverside Avenue, Medford, Masachusetts, the oldest house in the United States]. He settled in Rumney Marsh (now Chelsea), then later in Malden, both in Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. He settled in Malden in 1647 and on what is now Bucknam Street in Malden (annexed to Everett) in 1649.
His will was made June 3, 1667, with a codicil February 5, 1678, and proved June 17, 1679. He mentions his first born son John, his wife Sarah that is now, and his first wife, John's mother. John was taken by his grandmother and served her as an apprentice till he as 21. He had a portion from his grandmother instead of the portion due me in right of his mother, amounting to 20. He gave his wife Sarah his dwelling; names his son Joseph, her eldest son; his son William, and my brother George "Knore". Son John to have 5. My other children, viz.: Edward, Samuel, Mercie, Sara and Mehitable, 10 each. To son Samuel, being weakly, 10. To daughter Elizabeth 10s., having given her her portion at marriage. Wife Sarah to be sole executrix. Mr. Joseph Hills and Capt. John Wayte to be overseers. (Middlesex C., Probate #3406) He built a house in Bucknam's Lane (now Bucknam Street, Everett) before 1675; demolished in 1875.***-----From "Decendents of Thomas Knower" by Diane Ellen Isaacson www.familytreemaker.com/users/i/s/a/Diane-E-Isaacson.

Directory of the Ancestral Heads of New England Families 1620-1700 lists the following: Buckman, William came from Ipswich (England) to Salem, Mass., 1632; removed to Chelsea, Mass., and was, in 1664, at Malden, Mass. Bucknam, William located at what is now Malden, Mass., 1647.

The Everett Historical Society published a pamphlet Feb. 5 1981 entitled 'The Bucknam- Swan House' by Julia Rich Hogan (available at the Parlin Memorial Library in Everett, Mass.) Bucknam Street in Everett is a very historic street. It was the location of the first permanant settlement here, not including the settlement made by Indians. Known originally as Bucknam's Lane, it was simply a country lane which led to a house first known as the Bucknam house and later as the Swan house. It also led to the Bucknam farm, a large piece of property in the area of the present- day Wall, Stuart, Dean, Andrew, Swan, and Kinsman Streets. The farm's boundary on the west was where Wall and Tappan Streets now run; on the north, where Hancock Street is; on the east, Swan Street, and on the south, Bucknam Street. It contained at least twenty-four acres, and probably more. None of the streets that now line this area were in existence at the time of this settlement.
William Bucknam is believed to have been the first permanent settler in this area. His family arrived in the colony in 1630. He was born in England in 1602 and was twenty-eight years of age when he arrived on these shores. He became a freeman of Charlestown in 1647. It is important in determining where William Bucknam lived to remember that the area that is now Everett was part of Charlestown until 1726, when half of the area that is now Everett was annexed to Malden, including the area where the Bucknam farm was located. William Bucknam's son Joseph was one of the petitioners for annexation to Malden. In 1760, thirty families lived on this land that had been made part of Malden.
William Bucknam boasted in his will that he had purchased all of the parcels of land which comprised his farm (meaning that they had not been granted free to him). This land was part of the Freat Lot of Francis Willoughby. It was not, however, upon the Willoughby land that William, a carpenter, built his homestead. The Willoughby land acquired by William consisted of twenty acres. William purchased an additional four acres, probably from Francis Atwood, Esq., who had a large grant "this side of the Mystic River" given to him by the Crown, and it was on this four-acre plot that William built his homestead, according to his will.
This homestead was occupied by William's descendants for one hundred years. The timbers, hewn with an axe, were oak. The cellar was cobblestone. The house was lined between the studdings with large hand-made bricks of clay. Immense oak timbers spanned the entire breadth of the house. Every nail was of iron wrought by hammer and nail. William's grandson, Lieutenant Samuel Bucknam, built an addition to the original house, enclosing the original house in the northwest corner of the new structure. This structure was a two-story mansion-type house with an ell on the east. There was an ornamental chimney on top. About 1825 layers of birch bark were found on the roof between the boards and the moss-covered shingles.
The house was demolished in 1875, still in a state of good preservation, and by 1893 only a remnant of the original house remained. The date established for the erection of the original house by some historians is 1630. The first extant deed is dated 1649. It would seem, therefore, that the house was built between 1630 and 1649.
There were several brooks of running water on the estate. A great quantity of clam shells, probably left by Indians, was dug up on the property. Such names as "Lower Orchard", "Upper Orchard", "Baiting Ground", "Pasture Land", Gravel Pit", "Meadow Land", and "Button Wood" were associated with the estate, and it was in the general area of what was then known as Johnson's Playne.
At the time the house was demolished there was a road from the house to the main street which was bordered by a stone wall (from which wall the present Wall Street is said to have derived its name). To the right of the house at the time of its demolition there still stood an old pear tree which had been brought over from England in 1630 and which bore fruit for 225 years, until 1855. A few years before 1875 the tree was struck by lightning and the trunk split. Around 1872 or 1873 fresh branches started to grow, and in 1874 blossoms once again appeared on the tree.
The Bucknam farm was a slave farm. In the days of slavery it was one of the largest slave farms in the northeast. It is said, however, that slaves in New England were looked upon more as companions than as bond-servants. At that time there were other slave farms in what is now Everett. The Blaney family, for example, had a slave farm, as did other settlers. The story is told that many times old Captain Bucknam marched down the road from his house at the head of his band of Negro slaves that had been captured from the Spanish and French. There is no explanation for his title of "Captain". No date is given and therefore it is impossible to determine to which Bucknam it referred. In 1796 Benjamin Bucknam, great-grandson of William Bucknam, owned a slave named Samson. In 1693 William Bucknam, son of the first William, freed his slave William Shan.
According to an article in the MALDEN MIRROR of August 14, 1855, the last two slaves who lived on the Bucknam estate were called Pomp and Samp, but they rejected those names. The article also says that Pomp and Seser were fiddlers at a country frolic in 1777. A verse in the posession of the Swan family in 1899 confirms that these two took part in the frolic. The verse reads:
there were five cobblers made a frolic // as one was taken with the collick // the fiddlers name was Pomp or Seser // and dauid (they?) danced with a mop squeser (squeezer?)
William Bucknam drew his will on June 3, 1667, with a codicil on February 5, 1678 (Cambridge Registry of Probate, Book 3406 First Series). Here is the will and codicil of William Bucknam:
IN THE NAME OF GOD, through his Assistance; And According to his Will; As I Trust; I William Bucknam of Maldon in the Countie of Midlsex; Considering my Age, And decays of natural strength, And not knowing how Soone or Sudden, my Change may Come, And now through Mercie, sound in Mind and Memory; doe Make and Ordayn this my last Will And Testament, in Manner As hereafter is Expressed. First I comit my Soule to God that gave it through the Alone righteousnes of Jesus Christ, my Onely Savioure. My Body, to the Earth, from whence it was taken, to be decently buried by my Executrix hereafter Named; And After my funeral Charges, and just debts satisfied, my Will; And Mind is; that All my Estate, both real and personal whatsoever, be disposed And Setled in Maner Following; (which before I proceed to the distribucon of, Least I shold be supposed by Any, to be unnatural or injurious unto my Son John as being my firstborne, I hereby declare, the true grounds and just Reasons for the Several gifts and legacies, disposed unto my wife and Children, as hereafter Stated, And why no more is Setled or otherwise Stated, on my Son, John, though my first-born. First because the Estate, wherby I purchased All my lands: (And for that Allso by the improvement thereof through the blessing of God on my labours, I have built my housing and brought up my Children hitherunto, And have in my measure been helpfull, in Church, Town and Country Affayres.) Came unto mee by my wife Sara, that is now, And from her Kinred, who in A special Maner, intended it, for the benefit of her Children. 2dly. by means of much weaknes of his mother my first wife, And Expenses for him in his infancie, I was much run in debt, to sundry persons; the which were allso payed out of this woomans porcon. 3dly this my Son John, was After by his Grandmother taken from mee before he Came to Abilitie, to doe Any thing for mee, And on her desire bound As Apprentice to her till he should be 21 years and, So that I had no Service or help of his; to the raysing of my Estate. 4thly he Allso with my Consent, Enjoyeth A right of his Mother, to about twentie pounds value; Theis things thus premised) I give and bequeth, unot my beloved wife Sara Bucknam, my dwellinghouse and outhouses, with the foure Acres of Land on which the housing standeth, Allso the twentie Acre Lott; somtime mr Francis Willoughbes. the five Acre Lott by the old housplatt, And All my Meadow ground, the have And Injoy ot her own use, till Six Months After my decease: And At the End of the Six Months Aforesayd, my Will is: that my wife resigne of yeild up one half part of the Sayd twentie Acre Lott:, half the Sayd five Acre Lott; and half the Meadow ground, unto my Sone Jose her Eldest Son, to be thenceforth Enjoyed And Im proved by him or his Assignes to his own use and benefit: My foresayd house, housing; the foure Acres of Land it standeth on And the other half part of the foresayd divided land and Meadow, I give and bequeath unto my Sayd wife, during her natural [torn] After her decease, My Will and Mind is, that All my foresayd, housing, lands And Meadow grounds, with their Appurtenances, shall be; And remayn; to my Sayd Son Jose, And the Heirs Male of his body lawfully begotten; And for want of Such Issue, to my Son William; his Heirs And Assignes for ever he paying to the Children of my Son Jose if Any shall be; ten pounds A peece, within twelve months After their Fathers decease And to his widow if then living the Sum of fourtie pounds: All my Land partable betwixt my brother George Knore and myself, purchased of Capt. Edward Jonson and others, Conteyning fiftiefive Acres in the whole; I give unto my Son William, his Heirs And Assignes For Ever, to be, by him injoyed at his Age of twentie one years Compleate; To my Son John Bucknam I give five pounds, to be payd in twelve Months next After my decease. To my other Children: Namely Edward, Samuel, Mercie; Sara And Mehetabel I Give ten pounds A peece, to be payd them respectively; the Sons at twentie one, years; the Daughters at Eighteeen years of Age Compleate; Allso I give my Son Samuel, being A weakly Child, toward his Educacon ten pounds. To my daughter Elizabeth, (to whom I have given a porcon in Marriage.) I give, ten Shillings to buie her A Bible. The Lands first As Above disposed to my Son Jose; Namely on half part of the twentie Acre Lott, half the five Acre Lott, And half the Meadow, at the End of Six Months After my decease I Give unto him my Sayd Son Jose, his Heirs And Assignes For Ever. And in Case my Son William, shall die before he come to the possession of the Land, or houses bequeathed him, my Will And Mind is that my Son Edward shall Succeed him therin As Heire therunto. And if Any of my Children Namely Edward; Samuel, Mercie; Sara; or Mehetabel shall die before their receipt, or respective times of the Legacies Given them, My Will is, that Such Legacie be Apporconed Equally Among the Survivours of them. And my Will is; that my Son John be payd at my house in Catle and Corne of either of them at price Currant by my Executrix; And the Legacies to Edward; Samuel, Mercie; Sara And Mehetabel my Will is, that they be payd One half by my wife, And the other half by my Son Jose. All the rest of my Estate, not formerly hereby disposed of; I Give to my Beloved wife Sara Bucknam, to whom and whose Christian Care; under God, I Comit the Educacon of my Children, And I doe Make and Constitute her, the Sole Executrix of this my last Will and Testament; And for the better performance therof, I Make my beloved friends mr Joseph Hills and Capt. John Wayte my Overseers; And if Any Difference of Difficultie, shall Arise, about the true understanding of this my will or anything therin Conteined, I wholly Submit the Same to be determined by my Sayd overseers or the Survivour of them, for whose Care and payne therin, due recompence shall be Made, by my Executrix. IN WITNES of All the premises And perticulers Aforemenconed, I the Sayd William Bucknam; have hearunto Set my hand And Seale the Third day of the fourth Month Called June, One thousand Six hundred Sixtie Seaven. Signed Sealed Declared in the presence of us: Tho. Danforth, John Wayte, William Bucknam. [seal] [Written on the bottom of the document: "See the agreement in the Margin of the Deed of gift relating hereunto: Dated the Six of August 1670;] [Codicil, written on back of the will:] I William Bucknam within name being sound in my understanding and memory doo upon moving make this alteration and addition to my last will and Testament on the other side whereon therin I did give my daughter Mehitabal ten pounds and my daughter Elizabeth ten shillings I doo make void and null both those gifts: -- instead therof my wish is and I hereby give unto my sd daughter Mehetabal all my household goods except one flock bed. And to my duaghter Elizabeth I doo give ten pounds. And unto my Sonne Edward's portion therin given my will is and I doo hereby give to him ten pounds more. And my will is that my Sonne Jose shall pay my sonnes Edward and Samuel and my daughters those portions -- within a year after my decease and their other half within a year after my wife's decease. And in case my wife dye before me then my sonne Jose to pay the one hafl of sd legacys within a year after my decease and the other half within two years after my decease and sayd legacies to be paid in good mechantable corne and neat cattle. only my daughter Mehetable's portion to be pd her after myne and my wife's decease. In witness whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and seale this fifthe day of February one thousand six hundred Seaventy eight. In presence of John Wayte, Josn Sprague. Signed William X Bucknam.

More About WILLIAM BUCKNAM:
Burial: Unknown, The Old Yard - Bell Rock Cemetery, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts

More About WILLIAM BUCKNAM and SARAH WILKINSON:
Marriage: Bet. 1630 - 1634

Notes for SARAH KNOWER:
Sarah Knower came over as a servant of Rev. Joseph Glover (Hence the family name "Joseph"). Joseph Glover's will mentions William Bucknam. Sarah and William are buried in "The Old Yard " in Malden.

Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, vol. II, pg. 262; "Glover, Joseph, rector, it is said, of Sutton, in Surry, made contract 7 June 1638, with Stephen Day of Cambridge, England to come over with with children and servants in the 'John of London', at expense of Glover, his design being to set up a printing press here; he died on the passage and his widow married Henry Dunster, after the first President of Harvard College. His eldest son Roger was a captain killed in the civil war at Edinburg, it is said; John, above mentioned is the only other son; but three daughters were fixed in our country; Elizabeth, wife of Adam Winthrop, who died early; Sarah, wife of Deane Winthrop; and Priscilla, wife of John Appleton. Sometimes he is called Jesse, but by President Quincy and many others, Joseph - the stranger name prevails. Of course, he had no claim to be inserted in these pages, as an inhabitant of New England where he never came, but eminently are his righteous intentions to be honored in his relationship to our country by his children's marriages and his own death on the ocean would make ommission inexcusable."

More About SARAH KNOWER:
Burial: Unknown, The Old Yard - Bell Rock Cemetery, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts

More About WILLIAM BUCKNAM and SARAH KNOWER:
Marriage: Abt. 1640, Probably Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts

Child of WILLIAM BUCKNAM and SARAH WILKINSON is:

JOHN² BUCKNAM, b. Abt. 1635, Possibly Chelsea, Middlesex, Massachusetts; d. 14 Jun 1705, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts (Source: Births, Marriages and Deaths in The Town of Malden, Massachusetts 1649-1850, p 333.).

Children of WILLIAM BUCKNAM and SARAH KNOWER are:

2.	ii.	JOSEPH² BUCKNAM, b. 03 Jul 1641, Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts; d. 24 Aug 1694, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts.
3.	iii.	ELIZABETH BUCKNAM, b. 1644, Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts; d. 18 Jul 1726, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts.
	iv.	MERCIE BUCKNAM, b. 14 Feb 1647/48, Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts (Source: "A Bucknam/Buckman Genealogy" Anne Theopold Chaplin, Gateway Press, Baltimore, 1988, p 6.); d. Aft. 1693; m. BENJAMIN WEBB, 07 Dec 1669, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts (Source: "A Bucknam/Buckman Genealogy" Anne Theopold Chaplin, Gateway Press, Baltimore, 1988, p 6.); b. Abt. 1643, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts; d. Unknown.

More About BENJAMIN WEBB and MERCIE BUCKNAM:
Marriage: 07 Dec 1669, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts (Source: "A Bucknam/Buckman Genealogy" Anne Theopold Chaplin, Gateway Press, Baltimore, 1988, p 6.)

4.	v.		SARAH BUCKNAM, b. Jul 1650, Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts; d. Aft. 1693.
	vi.		WILLIAM BUCKNAM, b. Jun 1652, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts (Source: "A Bucknam/Buckman Genealogy" Anne Theopold Chaplin, Gateway Press, Baltimore, 1988, p 7.); d. 17 Sep 1693, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts (Source: "A Bucknam/Buckman Genealogy" Anne Theopold Chaplin, Gateway Press, Baltimore, 1988, p 7.); m. HANNAH WAITE, 11 Oct 1676, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts; b. 09 Sep 1656, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts; d. 07 Jun 1732.

Notes for WILLIAM BUCKNAM:
Buried in Bell Rock Cemetery, and on his gravestone is this inscription: "Here lyes ye body of William Bucknam, aged 41 years, died September ye 17, 1693."

More About WILLIAM BUCKNAM:
Burial: Unknown, Old Burying Ground, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts

More About WILLIAM BUCKNAM and HANNAH WAITE:
Marriage: 11 Oct 1676, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts

5.	vii.		MEHITABLE BUCKNAM, b. Aug 1654, Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts; d. 17 Sep 1734, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts.
	viii.		EDWARD BUCKNAM, b. Sep 1657, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts (Source: "A Bucknam/Buckman Genealogy" Anne Theopold Chaplin, Gateway Press, Baltimore, 1988, p 7.); d. 1679, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts; m. ELIZABETH ESTWICK, 1678; d. Unknown.

More About EDWARD BUCKNAM and ELIZABETH ESTWICK:
Marriage: 1678

	ix.		SAMUEL BUCKNAM, b. 02 Aug 1658, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts (Source: IGI.); d. 13 Sep 1658, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts (Source: "A Bucknam/Buckman Genealogy" Anne Theopold Chaplin, Gateway Press, Baltimore, 1988, p 7.).
6.	x.		SAMUEL BUCKNAM, b. Feb 1659/60, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts; d. 08 Oct 1747, Tewksbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts.

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