Person:John Bucknam (2)

From the will of William Buckname, dated 1670, concerning his son John:

"Least J shold be supposed by Any, to be vnnatural or iniurious vnto my Son John as being my firstborne; J hereby declare the true grounds and iust Reasons of the Seueral gifts and Legacies, disposed vnto my wife and Children as hereafter Stated, And why no more, is Setled, or otherwise Stated, on my Son John though my firstborne. First because the Estate, whereby J purchased All my lands (And for that Allso by the improuement therof through the blessing of God on my Labours, J haue built my housing and brought vp my Children hithervnto, And haue in my measure been helpfull in Church, Town And Cuntry Affayres) Came vnto mee by my wife Sara, that now is, And from her Kinred, who in a Special Manner, intended it, for the benefit of her Children. 2^dly. by means of much weaknes of his mother my first wife, And Expences for him in his infancie, J was much run in debt, to sundry persons: the which were Allso payed out of this woman's portion. 3^dly 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 shold be 21 years old, So that J had no Seruice or help of his; to the raysing of my Estate. 4^thly he Allso with my Consent, Enioyeth A portion, from his Grandmother, in stead of the portion due to mee, in the right of his Mother, to About twentie pounds value."^[2]

John Bucknam was raised by his grandmother and no information about him is given in the History of Malden until King Philip's War, about which time he "lost the use of speech and apparently became of unsound mind". This condition cleared up: "Oct'r 30. [1696.] Mr Wigglesworth tells me that one John Bucknam of Malden, above 50 years old, has been perfectly dumb near 18 years, and now within about 3 weeks has his understanding and speech restored. He is much affected with the Goodness of God to him herein."^[3]

Birth records place a "John Buckman" in Boston as early as 1653 (mother Hannah had Hannah b. 1653, mother Ann (same person?) had Daniel b. 1660, mother Sarah had Mary in 1667 and Jeremiah in 1670^[4]), and 13 Jan 1673/4, "John buckman & sarah his wife of Boston" sell land in Boston to "samuell Townsend of Rumney Mash", and 27 May 1674 they sell the neighboring parcel to him.^[5] On 7 Sep 1676, a letter from Lt. Edward Crick, who was sent to Wells, Maine, with a party of men during King Philip's War, reports that "one John Buckman is soe ill I question whar he will Recouer".^[6] Is this the beginning of the "18 years" affliction? Savage hints these men could be the same, but there is not enough evidence to know for sure. Certainly, the John of Boston would have been born in the neighborhood of 1630 to be married and have a child by 1653. This is not unreasonable given a death date in 1705, nor with his potential father's estimated birth about 1602. But the later part of his life, as described in the History of Malden, has no hint of wife or children, which could help connect it to the early part found in the Boston records.

1. ↑ Corey, Deloraine P., Compiler. Births, Marriages and Deaths in the Town of Malden, Massachusetts, 1649-1850. (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Printed at the University Press for the City of Malden, 1903)
   333.

   Bucknam, Buckman
   [178] John, s. of William, June 14, 1705.

2. ↑ Corey, Deloraine Pendre. The history of Malden, Massachusetts, 1633-1785. (Malden: The author, 1899)
   pp. 392-395.

   Quoted in narrative.

3. ↑ Sewall, Samuel. Diary of Samuel Sewall: 1674-1729, Vol. 1, p. 436
4. ↑ Boston Births, Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths 1630-1699, (Vol. 9 of Record Commissioners Reports), p. 41, 73, 103, 113
5. ↑ Suffolk Deeds, Liber 9, Folio 9-11
6. ↑ Maine Historical Society. Documentary History of the State of Maine, Vol. 6, p. 122