Daniel Bucklin

Maritime ship captain and Revolutionary War privateer for the Colony of Rhode Island

Daniel Bucklin Capt.[1] was born on 5 Dec 1731 in Rehoboth, Massachusetts.[2] He was christened on 14 May 1732. Daniel was the grandson of the union of the Bucklin and Sabin families, joining the two major landowners on the East and West sides of the Pawtucket Falls. The great-grandson of the Sabin who started the industrial revolution in American, and the great-grandson of the Bucklin who founded the huge (for those days) land holdings of the Rehoboth/Pawtucket Bucklins, Daniel started life in Rehoboth with the advantage of relative wealth and good social standing.

Grave of Capt. Daniel Bucklin in North Cemetary, Providence

A map of Providence in 1770 shows Daniel had a commercial ship wharf and warehouse by that time. He lived in Providence, Rhode Island at least by 1770 and until at least 1798.[3] He died in Pawtucket, North Providence, Rhode Island on 3 May 1805 .[5] He was buried in 1805 in North Burial Ground, Providence, Rhode Island.[1,6,7] He had a will, made in 1805 before he died, which is found in Wills, Providence City Hall[8]. See Source Note 18, below, for possible further research regarding religion of Daniel Bucklin.

A photo of the untended grave of Daniel, with top of the headstone broken and set to the side is above. His grave in Providence's North Burial Ground suffers from lack of maintenance. The above photo of Daniel's grave was taken by a Society researcher in June 2000. who noted the top of the headstone is broken from weathering and set to the side. Other portions of the headstone were missing. The only part of the headstone that is still readable says:"...seventy fourth .... of his age. An Honest Man is the Noblest Work of God ". Fortunately earlier transcribers of the cemetery headstones had recorded the location of Daniel's grave and had recorded that this stone was inscribed "Capt Daniel Bucklin. Born in Rehoboth. Died May 7th 1805 in the seventy fourth year of his age. An Honest Man is the Noblest Work of God."

Daniel Bucklin was known socially by the title of Captain, because of his occupation as a ship captain. During the Revolutionary War, he was a privateer capturing English ships.[4] He was referred to as an experienced ship commander in his obituary. That experience was the result of activities such as that noted in the newspaper, below.

Providence Journal, issue of July 23, 1776.

"Capt. Daniel Bucklin of the privateer Montgomery of this port has returned from a cruise during which he took three valuable-prizes, also two other vessels in company with a privateer from Salem. One of the prize ships was a scow of 180 tons having on board 119 hogsheads, 137 tierces and 20 barrels of sugar, 6 hogsheads of rum, etc. Also found aboard this vessel was a letter from a planter at Tortola to a friend in Liverpool from which the following is extracted: "If this unhappy dispute between Great Britain and America should be brought to a conclusion, and they be once more united, there will be an opening for the sale of rum, though to the windward the price keeps up, I hear, to 2s, 6d per gallon, owing to the government contracting with Mr. Blackburn for 100,000 gallons for the troops in America." Captain Bucklin s prizes will be sold at auction in Providence at an early date. The Tortola planter's letter, needless to say, will not reach its Liverpool destination."

This cruise resulted in a legal battle, when the " a privateer from Salem," took one of the "also two other vessells" to Boston and claimed the capture for himself only. Daniel appeared in court in Massachusetts and finally appealed to Congress! Read more about the court proceedings.

Today, privateers usually are regarded as a veterans of the Revolutionary War, because of the military benefit of their navy services to the United States.

The 1790 US Census lists in Providence a Daniel Bucklin as head of a household of 6 males over 16, 1 male under 16 and 3 females. This may or may not be this Daniel, but we put this note here to indicate the course of some possible future investigation.

Our society's on-site research into old manuscripts at the Rhode Island Historical Society brought to modern attention some old maps that show, among other things, that Daniel Bucklin owned a warehouse and wharf, in Providence, of the sort used by ship captains who brought back merchandise to be sold in Providence. Because of Captain Daniel's merchant activities, it seems reasonably certain that additional on-site research in Providence would produce more facts about this privateer ship owner and captain of the Revolutionary War.

Capt. Daniel Bucklin and Elizabeth Carpenter were married on 31 Oct 1754 in Rehoboth, Rhode Island. [9,10] Elizabeth Carpenter was born about 1733. (She is reference number Buck106.) She died on 8 Nov 1781 . She was buried in North Burial Ground, Providence, Rhode Island.[11]

iii. Daniel Bucklin was born on 11 Sep 1761. He died UNKNOWN . He is reference number Buck604.

iv. Jabez Bucklin, born on 27 Aug 1764, Providence, Rhode Island12; married Mary Bishop, on 15 Apr 1787, Rehoboth, Rhode Island; died in Sep 1800, Providence, Rhode Island13. He is reference number Buck105.

v. George Bucklin was born on 3 Mar 1767. He died before 1880 . He is reference number Buck605.

vii. John C. Bucklin was born on 20 Sep 1776. He died UNKNOWN . He is reference number Buck607.

Daniel Bucklin Capt. and Martha Comstock were married UNKNOWN. Martha Comstock[1] (daughter of Samuel Comstock) was born on 7 Mar 1743/44.[14] She was born in 1744.[1] She died on 8 Dec 1802 . She was buried in North Burial Ground, Providence, Rhode Island.[1,7,11] She is reference number Buck613.

We continue the story of this interesting family descended from Captain Daniel Bucklin, on additional pages.