Reverend Thomas Buck (1777-1862)

Thomas Buck, the first son of Charles Buck II and Mary Richardson was born on Nov. 15, 1777 in Frederick County, Virginia.  Instead of assigning him a number, he is usually distinguished by calling him Reverend Thomas Buck or sometimes Thomas Buck, minor.  However, he is also referred to as the “Elder” or Thomas Buck VI in some references. Reverend Thomas Buck married Amelia Lee Dawson, daughter of James Dawson and Elizabeth Carter on October 19, 1801.  Amelia Lee Dawson was born on March 27, 1783, the daughter of Reverend James Dawson.  Reverend James Dawson was a co-worker of James Ireland, and like him, was imprisoned for preaching heresy.

The Reverend Thomas Buck was a “pioneer "Old School" Baptist minister of early Virginia.  He did not go along with his younger brother, William Calmes Buck, when the latter went into the "missionary" Baptist ministry, but the two never lost their close regard for each other.”

                                                              -- notes of H. N. Buck, 1965

Thomas Buck served as pastor to the Happy Creek Church, in Front Royal.  Elders James Ireland (a native of Scotland), William Marshall, and John Taylor were instrumental in the establishment of this church in 1783 with 64 members.  It was originally called Lower South River Church, because it was located near the south branch of the Shenandoah River.  

In the Federal Census of 1850, the Reverend Thomas Buck, age 73, identified his occupation as “Minister (O.S. Baptist)” meaning “Old School” as opposed to “Missionary”.  In the 1860 census, his occupation was “Preacher O.S.B”.  In early censuses, occupation was not recorded; however, the “Old School” ministers were not paid for their services so Thomas Buck was a farmer and apparently a good one.

Whereas his younger brother, William Calmes Buck, travelled widely and was an author and publisher, it appears that Thomas remained near Buckton and did not author any publications.  There is, however, there is a letter from his father as well as a letter from his uncle, Thomas Buck, to him.   

                              

Reverend Thomas Buck and Amelia Lee Dawson Buck had the following children:

• Annis C. Buck (1801-1827); married John Lovell Buck; died in Kentucky.
• Samuel Dawson Buck (1801-1863); married (1) his second cousin Martha Ann Buck, (2) married Miriam Guthrie; died in Kentucky.  He was a druggist.
• Mary R. Buck (1810-1846); married her second cousin Meredith Helm Jr. whose mother was Anne Buck (1775-1860).  Died in Virginia.
• John Gill Buck (1814-1862); married Elizabeth Ellen McKay; died in Virginia.  He remained in the old Buck homestead where he was a farmer.
• Thomas Calmes Buck (1817-1878); married Sarah Catherine Gatewood; died in Fulton County, Kentucky.  In 1860, he was a farmer in Missouri; in 1870 he was an “agt sewing machines” in Kentucky.

Reverend Thomas Buck died on December 10, 1862 at the age of 85 in Front Royal, Warren County, Virginia.  Amelia L. Dawson died on January 20, 1857 at the age of 73.They are buried in Buckton Cemetery, Virginia.

It appears that the original headstone for the Reverend Thomas Buck’s grave was damaged and replaced.  This must have happened before 1998 when I saw it.

Reverend Richard Bucke

The Reverend Richard Bucke was the second minister of the Jamestown colony having arrived there in May of 1610 and serving until his death about 1623. He is probably best remembered for performing the ceremony at the wedding of John Rolfe and Pocahontas. Reverend Bucke offered the opening prayers at the general assembly which convened in the church at Jamestown on July 30, 1619. He owned valuable property in and around Jamestown.

The Reverend Richard Bucke is probably not related to my family, the Buck Family of Virginia.

Although some references note that Richard Bucke was a graduate of Oxford, he is probably the Richard Bucke listed in the Alumni Cantabrigienses as being admitted at age eighteen to Caius College on April 26, 1600.

Richard Bucke married at least (and probably) twice. Although the names of his wives are given in a number of documents, it turns out that they are actually unknown.

Richard Bucke had five children: Elizabeth, Mara, Gershon, Benomi and Peleg. Elizabeth was born in England, the others in Virginia.

In June of 1609, Richard and his wife left Plymouth, Devon, England for Virginia on the Sea Venture. Apparently, their daughter, Elizabeth, remained in England. The Sea Venture was the flagship of a supply fleet of seven ships and two pinnaces under command of Admiral Sir George Somers. The fleet encountered a hurricane off the Azores on July 25th which scattered the ships. The Sea Venture was wrecked off the coast of Bermuda on July 28th; the other ships eventually struggled into Jamestown but the Sea Venture was presumed lost. Actually, everyone on board the Sea Venture survived the shipwreck but the bottom of the ship was torn out by a reef. It took nine months to build two pinnaces which they named the “Deliverence” and the “Patience”. Leaving two men behind to keep Bermuda as a new British colonial possession, they sailed for Jamestown in May, 1610. William Shakespeare’s drama, “The Tempest”, is based in part on the events in Bermuda. Possibly because of the connection between “The Tempest” and the voyage, the Reverend Richard Bucke is sometimes described as a close friend of Shakespeare.

About April 5, 1614, the Reverend Richard Bucke officiated at the wedding of John Rolfe and Pocahontas. John Rolfe had been previously married but the name of his first wife is not known. With his first wife, John Rolfe had a daughter, Bermuda, who was born in Bermuda and was christened by the Reverend Richard Bucke on February 21, 1610. Bermuda Rolfe is assumed to have died in Bermuda; her mother is assumed to have died shortly after the two ships reached Jamestown. The Reverend Richard Buck must have been a close friend of John Rolfe. In addition to the shipwreck, the christening of the baby Bermuda and the wedding to Pocahontas, Richard Bucke was a witness to the will of John Rolfe.

Reverend Bucke opened the first general assembly that ever met in Virginia saying that “it would please God to guard and sanctifie all our proceedings to his owne glory and the good of the Plantation.”

Richard Bucke died ca 1623, probably in Jamestown, Virginia. One assumption is that he was killed in the massacre of 1622; however, since he was not listed among the victims, another possibility is that he died later of injuries or complications. Of course, his death may not be related to the massacre in any way.

Apparently, the Bucke children had mental or physical disorders that resulted in their being incapable of managing their own affairs. Consequently, the Bucke land was the focus of several legal battles and is well documented.

In July, 1996, news releases by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA) indicated that the graves of the Reverend Richard Bucke, his wife and some of his family had been discovered near land believed to have been owned by him. This news initially created quite a bit of interest but it now appears to have been incorrect. It is more likely that the grave of the Reverend Richard Bucke is in the churchyard of the Jamestown chapel. The churchyard is intact although many gravesites are no longer identifiable. The site being studied is still identified by the APVA as the Reverend Richard Bucke site even though it is unlikely that the Reverend Richard Bucke lived there.