Sunday, December 9, 2018

William Calmes Buck: Acrostic


(Continuing posts about William Calmes Buck)


William Calmes Buck was known for his ability to compose an acrostic.  An acrostic is a form of writing in which the first letter of each line spells out a message when read vertically.  Here is an example, written in his own hand for his future mother-in-law, Mrs. Miriam Buck Field.






The vertical message of the acrostic is “Thomas M Field” reading down from the first line and then reading up from the last line.  Wm. C. Buck has cleverly interchanged “I” and “j” in order to use “Jesus” as a first word in the upwardly read portion of the message.  His acrostic is also a poem.

Isabella Miriam Buck Field and her husband Willis Field had a son named Thomas born in 1816 but who died in 1823.  In 1825, they had another son whom they also named Thomas but gave him the middle name of McClanahan.  Thomas M. Field married Susan Mary Higbee in 1850.  He was a farmer and raised horses in Kentucky where he served in the State Legislature.  He died in 1908.

William Calmes Buck married the daughter of Willis Field and Isabella Miriam Buck, Isabella Miriam Field, on June 30, 1829.


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