Thomas Buckingham (abt. 1606 - 1657)

Born about 1606 in Minsden, Hertfordshire, England [uncertain]

Husband of Hannah (Unknown) Buckingham — married before 1632 in England

Descendants

Died 16 Jun 1657 at about age 51 in Boston, Massachusetts Colony

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Thomas Buckingham migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 47) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Uncertain Parents

The birth date and parents of Thomas Buckingham, the puritan settler are uncertain. Based on his association with the Rev. Peter Prudden, it is likely that he was the Thomas Buckingham that was christened on December 17, 1600 at Saint Pauls Walden, Hertford, England. Roger Buckingham is listed as father on the baptism record.^[1]

The assertion is supported in the 'History of the Colony of New Haven to its Absorption into Connecticut' by Edward Elias Atwater , Lucy M. Hewitt , Bessie E. Beach and Robert Atwater Smith on page 643 where it states that "it is possible that he was from the neighborhood of the home of the Rev. Peter Prudden"^[2][3]. This connection is further strengthened by the birth records of his children Hannah^[4] and Thomas^[5] in Missenden, Hertfordshire, England.

More research is necessary to confirm that Thomas was born in Hertford, England in 1600. Various online family trees and genealogies state that he was born in 1606 in Missenden to Thomas Buckingham and his wife Cicelie. No birth or christening records have been found to support this claim. ^[6]

Thomas Buckingham

Birth 1606 Minsden, Hertfordshire, England^[6]

Birth 1604 Attobough, Norfolk, England^[6]

Life in New England

Thomas was one of the company of two London merchants, Eaton and Hopkins. His associates Rev. Davenport and Rev. Prudden were also in the company that sailed from London on the "Hector and the ____ (maybe the Martin or the Dove) that arrived in Boston, Massachusetts on June 26, 1637 and on the 30th of March 1638. ^[7]

A year later they sailed to what is now New Haven and held their first religious service under an oak tree on Sunday, April 25, 1638, with the founding settlers of that community. ^[8][9] Thomas was one of the "seven pillars" of the church that was founded in 1639.^[10]

On August 22, 1639, The First Church of Christ in Milford was organized in New Haven by The Reverend Peter Prudden and a company of fifteen families.^[8]Thomas was listed under the head of "Names of Planters and Division of Land according to Estate and Heads in Families," in 1643 (Robert Charles Anderson has determined that this list dates from between 29 October 1640 and 22 November 1640) with four persons in his family and an estate of £60. (New Haven Town Records, Vol. 1, page 18)^[11][12]

Thomas was granted land and built a home on lot 36 where he raised his family. ^[7] This site was occupied by the Buckingham family from 1639, when the land was set out to Thomas Buckingham, until the late-19th century. Supposedly the frame and stack date from the 17th century, but this may not have been the first house on the site. ^[13] The Buckingham House (61 North Street) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. Here is what the home looks like today.

According to Louise Greene in her article in the Connecticut Magazine, the Milford men came in two bodies, those of 1639 and those of 1645. Most of them were from the English counties of Essex, Hereford and York. There were fifty-four heads of families or approximately two hundred settlers. Some came from New Haven, others from Wethersfield, following Rev. Peter Prudden who had ministered there between the formation of his own church at New Haven, August 22, 1639, and his ordination as pastor of the Milford church, April 18, 1640, after which Mr. Prudden took up his residence in Milford.^[14]

Thomas is named in the New Haven court records on February 5, 1639 for receiving 5 and a half bushels of Indian corn for corn destroyed by Mr. Wilks hogs.^[12]

Marriage and Family

Thomas married Hannah in England about 1632. Hannah's last name at birth is unknown.^[15]

Thomas and Hannah had children:

1. Hannah baptized on April 20, 1634 in Missenden, Hertford, England^[4]
2. Thomas baptized on May 26, 1636 in Missenden, Hertford, England^[5] Note: Chapman's book states that Daniel was the first born son. This baptism record shows that Thomas was the first born son. It is possible that he died young and a second son born in 1646 was also named Thomas. It is also possible that the transcription of the record was incorrect and the son's name was Daniel. Family Search only provides the index and not the image of the original baptism record.
3. Daniel b. 1637 Note: According to his death record Daniel died on May 12, 1712 in his 76th year which would place his birth in 1637.^[9][16]
4. Samuel baptized on June 13, 1641 in Milford, New Haven Colony.^[17][18]
5. Mary b. 1643 in Milford, New Haven Colony.^[19]
6. Thomas b. 1646 in Milford, New Haven Colony.^[20]

Hannah died before 1649 when Thomas married a second time to Ann Fowler.^[21]

Death

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.^[12][22]

Will

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 £484 3s 8d. Robert Treat and John Fletcher, appraisers, upon oath affirmed that "the appraisement was just according to their light."^[23][7]

Sources

1. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J3KJ-C2F : 11 February 2018, Thomas Buckingham, 27 Dec 1600); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 991,347.
2. ↑ "History of the Colony of New Haven to Its Absorption Into Connecticut : Edward Elias Atwater , Lucy M. Hewitt , Bessie E. Beach , Robert Atwater Smith. January 01, 1970. Accessed November 26, 2018. https://archive.org/details/historycolonyne00smitgoog/page/n10.
3. ↑ "Peter Prudden; a Story of His Life and New Haven and Milford, Conn. : Prudden, Lillian Eliza, 1852-1937. [from Old Catalog] : Accessed November 26, 2018. https://archive.org/details/peterpruddenstor00prud/page/8. Also on page 24.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V5GQ-D1G : 11 February 2018, Tho. Buckingham in entry for Hannah Buckingham, 20 Apr 1634); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 942.58 C4GA V. 2.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V5GQ-JBD : 11 February 2018, Thomas Buckingham in entry for Thomas Buckingham, 26 May 1636); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 942.58 C4GA V. 2. Name: Thomas Buckingham Event Type: Christening Event Date: 26 May 1636 Event Place: Missenden, Hertfordshire, England Event Place (Original): Missenden, Hertford, England Gender: Male Father's Name: Thomas Buckingham
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} Public Member Trees (Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Provo, UT, USA; 2006) Record for Thomas Buckingham & Samuel Buckingham
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} Chapman, Frederick. The Buckingham Family; or The Descendants of Thomas Buckingham, One of the First Settlers of Milford, Conn. (Case, Lockwood & Brainard, Hartford, Conn., 1872) Page 10
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} "Our History." Welcome to the First United Church of Christ in Milford, Connecticut |. Accessed May 23, 2018. http://www.firstchurchofmilford.org/website/publish/about/index.php?Our-History-10.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} Collections of the Connecticut Historical Society. Hartford, CT: Connecticut Historical Society, 1860. Vol. 3, pg. 305. Citing death of Daniel Buckingham on May 2, 1712 in his 76th year. [1]
10. ↑ Connecticut: Vital Records (The Barbour Collection), 1630-1870 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011.) From original typescripts, Lucius Barnes Barbour Collection, 1928.

    Name Thomas BUCKINGHAM

    Record 1639

    Location Milford, New Haven, Connecticut, United States

    Original Text Thomas, original member of First Church gathered at New Haven Aug 22, 1639

    Original Volume ES

    Original Page 57

    Volume Name Milford

    Page 36

    https://www.americanancestors.org/DB414/rd/12578/36/139528936

11. ↑ Barber, John Warner. Connecticut Historical Collections, Containing a General Collection of. Place of Publication Not Identified: British Library, Historic, 2011. pg. 159. Archive.org
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1 12.2} New-Haven Colony; New Haven (Conn.). “Records of the Colony and Plantation of New-Haven, from 1638 to 1649 : New-Haven Colony : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming.” Internet Archive. Hartford, Printed by Case, Tiffany and Company, January 1, 1970. https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyp00newh/page/28/mode/2up.
13. ↑ "Buckingham House." Quinnipiac River Historic District, New Haven City, New Haven County, New Haven CT, 06513. Accessed May 23, 2018. http://www.livingplaces.com/CT/New_Haven_County/Milford_City/Buckingham_House.html.
14. ↑ Greene, Louise. “The Connecticut Magazine : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming.” Internet Archive. Hartford, Conn. : [s.n.], January 1, 1899. (Vol. V. No. 3 March, 1899) https://archive.org/details/connecticutmagazv5p1hart/page/n189/mode/2up.
15. ↑ New England Marriages to 1700. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015.

    Name Thomas BUCKINGHAM

    Marriage 1632

    Location England

    Original Text BUCKINGHAM, Thomas1 (-1657, Boston) & 1/wf Hannah ____ (-1646); in Eng, by 1632; New Haven/Milford, CT {Milford VR; Buckingham (1920) 18; Sv. 1:284; Baldwin; Marks-Platt 17; TAG 13:200-1; LBDF&P ,247; Keeler-Wood 127; Reg. 95:168}

    Spouse Hannah UNIDENTIFIED

    Later Residences Milford, CT

    Volume Name Volume 1

    Page 233

    https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1568/rd/21174/233/426878918

16. ↑ "Connecticut Deaths and Burials, 1772-1934", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F7C7-56T : 16 January 2020), Daniel Buckingham, 1712.
17. ↑ North American Cemetery Transcriptions from NEHGS Manuscripts, 1642-1977. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2016.)

    Name Samuel BUCKINGHAM

    Baptism 6/13/1641

    Location Wilton, Fairfield, Connecticut, United States

    Original Text

    Father Thomas Buckingham

    Cemetery Name St. Matthew's Cemetery

    Volume Name CT, Fairfield: Wilton (Mss A 2777)

    Page 59

    https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1675/rd/53955/59/1424345904

18. ↑ "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V2SM-DMC : 7 January 2020), Samuel Buckingham, 1641.
19. ↑ "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V2S3-927 : 7 January 2020), Mary Buckingham, 1643.
20. ↑ "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V2SM-TM7 : 7 January 2020), Thomas Buckingham, 1646.
21. ↑ New England Marriages to 1700. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015.

    Name Thomas BUCKINGHAM

    Marriage 1649

    Location Milford, New Haven, Connecticut, United States

    Original Text BUCKINGHAM, Thomas1 (-1657, Boston) & 2/wf Ann [?FOWLER] (-1659/1662); aft 28 Jun 1646, bef 1649; Milford, CT {Milford VR 34; Buckingham (1920) 18; Merwin 82; Southworth 36; Keeler-Wood 127; Hale (1952) 782}

    Spouse Ann FOWLER

    Volume Name Volume 1

    Page 233

    https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1568/rd/21174/233/426878919

22. ↑ Connecticut: Vital Records (The Barbour Collection), 1630-1870 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011.) From original typescripts, Lucius Barnes Barbour Collection, 1928. citing Thomas BUCKINGHAM Death 1657; Milford, New Haven, Connecticut; Original Text: Tho[mas], d. [ ], 1657, at Boston. Original Volume: ES. Original Page: 238. Milford Page 36. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB414/r/139528783
23. ↑ Manwaring, Charles William. “A Digest of the Early Connecticut Probate Records : Manwaring, Charles William, 1829-1905 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming.” Internet Archive. Hartford, Conn., R. S. Peck & Co., January 1, 1970. https://archive.org/details/digestofearlycon00manw/page/70/mode/2up?q=Buckingham.

See also:

• The National Magazine A Journal Devoted to American History (The National History Company, New York, 1893) Vol. 19, Page 495
• History of the Colony of New Haven https://www.cga.ct.gov/hco/books/History_of_the_Colony_of_New_Haven.pdf
• The American Genealogist. New Haven, CT: D. L. Jacobus, 1937-. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - .) Donald Lines Jacobus (D.L.J.) "Axtell and Buckingham in English Records" pp 205-208.subscription
• Middletown, Connecticut Church Records 1
• MiTR 2
• Charles J. Hoadly. "Records of the Colony and Plantation of New Haven, 1638-1649" Hartford (1857-1858).Vol. 1, p. 28