Introduction to our pages on Colonial History

The Joseph Bucklin Society spends as much time and effort and money on researching and educating regarding American colonial history as it does on Bucklin family history. Our efforts are directed toward the period of 1600 to 1799. It was during that period that much of the American character was formed.

Not only was the character of an "American" formed, the framework of society and government was formed in this period.. 

"During ...[the era of 1636 to 1790] major legal themes included the development of a body of internal law for the governance of a New World frontier commonwealth; the relationship between the colony and the mother country and the delineation of their respective powers; the establishment of intercolonial relations; the Americanization of the common law and its gradual replacement by local statute; the adjustment to the laws of trade and commerce under the mercantilist system, the formulation of the federal theory of empire and its corollary, dual sovereignty; the establishment of independence; the creation of a federal union under a national constitution..." [Conley 1998, at 9 - 10].

We aim at colonial history; we do not aim only at Bucklin family history.  It is true that it was during this period that the Bucklin family flourished and had important local roles.  When William Bucklin arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, he was in the time period (1600 to 1799) of Massachusetts on which we focus. When the successive generations of Joseph the 1st, Joseph the 2nd, Joseph the 3rd, Joseph the 4th and Joseph the 5th were working as carpenters, farmers, and merchants, acquiring land and being appointed to grand juries, the records were sufficient so that we can peek into not only their lives but also the lives of the people that lived in the 17th and 18th centuries. Hence, studying about the Bucklin family of the time is also a study of American Colonial History.

The first generations of Bucklins were in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. But the Bucklin family always included people who moved to new frontiers. When New York became available Bucklins went there. When the area that became Maine was cleared of the French, Bucklins went there. When the Erie Canal was opened to make it easy to go westward to new lands, an enterprising Bucklin had already gone into the wilderness, armed with a commission to be a Justice of the Peace from the President of the United States, to greet the new arrivals and sell them land.

The American Revolution was in fact a value system revolution to the English and the Old World countries.  The values and political philosophy owed much to the revolutionary thinking of Englishmen before the English Civil War.  The foundations of American values were laid by the Englishmen who left for New England before the English Civil War.  Here in the American colonies the social and political system was rooted in mavericks, innovation, risk-taking, impatience,  vigorous intellectual arguments, a desire to move upward socially and economically, and great value placed on actual constructive work by mind and body.

Probably the rich tradition of the Bucklin family of upholding one's personal beliefs and the liberties of free persons was an important part of the reason why many Bucklins served in the Revolutionary Army. No doubt the fact that Joseph Bucklin stood a good chance of hanging for his shooting of the English navy ship captain (formally declared by a joint opinion of the English Attorney General and Solicitor General to be "treason") was further impetus. When the Civil War came, Bucklins responded. A Medal of Honor of a Bucklin shines. But equally significant of the family tradition of upholding liberty are the Bucklin officer and the Bucklin first sergeant who volunteered to lead "Colored Troops" of the northern army when to do so was thought to be the way to dead end a military career. And so again, you can study Bucklins and learn American history; or you can study American History and run into Bucklins.

You can choose to go to:

• (1) American History of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the Rhode Island and Providence Plantations Colony, in the period 1600--- 1799 (including history of the places Bucklins settled in that time frame and
• (2) English History of England in the same time period (with particular reference to the Dorset area), and
• (3) Gaspee Affair (with particular reference to the legal and political background) and the period of the early American Revolution (with particular reference to Massachusetts and Rhode Island).

For this website, to limit the number of web pages we have to maintain, we have kept the pages to those that are of primary interest to persons interested in both Bucklin family and American history. Thus we have, for example, pages on:

Rhode Island geopolitics of 1600 to 1799.

What were pirates and privateers of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New York.

A note to keep you straight on Pawtucket, Pawtuxet, and variations thereof.

Lots about the William Bucklin property in Pawtucket.

The left side of the pages will have links that move you around further. For example, on this page, if you go "up" you will get to the "History Division" page that shows the links on the left side to send you to either the American History page (where you are now) or the English History page.

Although colonists came from many countries to the New World colonies, a combination of events propelled the culture and traditions of England to the forefront in the colonies. For example, with the settlement and early ship harbor of New York, the Dutch had a chance to stamp their culture on the new world. The surrender of the city to the English recognized that England, not Holland, ruled the seas between New York and Holland. The Dutch of New York adopted the English language and customs of the ruler of the commerce of New York. The French, after losing Quebec, receded to parts outside of what would become the original 13 states of the United States. The Spanish likewise, were outside the commercial area that became the original United States. And the Hanoverian line of the English kings that ruled England when the United States were born did not encourage German settlers to set up German areas in the colonies of the New World.

 Links to cooperating societies

Leonard Bucklin (with musket and white shirt above) is available for recreations of Capt. Joseph Bucklin IV explaining the Gaspee attack and pre-revolutionary events in Rhode Island. Use the Contact Us button, in the left margin, to receive more information.