Bucklins who served in the Revolutionary War.

The section of our website regarding service of Bucklins in the Revolutionary War is hopefully going to be expanded when we receive a contribution of a few hundred dollars.  We have much information, but no money or volunteers to finish the research and put it into electronic form (e.g., a Word document or into a RootsMagic file), and then have our webmaster format it and put it into the website.

Massachusetts Soldiers in the War of the Revolution.

This is a list of some of the Massachusetts Bucklins who were soldiers.  This is not a complete listing of all the Massachusetts Bucklins who were soldiers, it does not include sailors. It does not include sailors or officers of privateers.

During the Revolutionary War the town of Rehoboth was in Massachusetts, and so this list does not necessarily include Bucklins who lived "outside of the Massachusetts Bay Colony" in the Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

However, some of those who lived in Providence seemed to have been regarded as Massachusetts soldiers because of their connection to Rehoboth. On the other hand,

The "London" and the "Prince" shown below as Bucklins in this list were probably slaves held by Joseph Bucklin 4th and enlisted at the consent or direction of their master.  Joseph  Bucklin 4th, of course, had a good reason to have the war fought vigorously, because his son, Joseph Bucklin 5th, who fired the shot in the Gaspee attack of 1772, still was the subject of a 1000 English pound reward posted by King George for anyone giving information that would get Joseph Bucklin 5th into English hands!

It was considered appropriate to get someone else to serve as a soldier or to pay a standard amount to a fund to pay for soldiers, instead of serving yourself, when the town was called upon to produce a specified number of soldiers.  Thus for example, Prince, a skilled ship's blockmaker, might have been enlisted to serve for some relative of Joseph Bucklin 4th instead of that relative paying money or serving himself.  More likely, however, in the case of Joseph Bucklin 4th, who was relatively wealthy, it was a matter of contributing manpower for the Revolution, so that it might go we... 

If a man's wife was expecting a child, or if there was some other socially acceptable reason, it was socially  and legally acceptable to pay the amount "fined for non-service" instead of serving an enlistment.  Thus the William Bucklin shown at the end of this list may have been the 22 year old son of the privateer captain Daniel Bucklin, and William had a pregnant wife, or William may simply have been off to see privateering with his father, who was successful in capturing a number of English ships.

Bucklin, Benjamin. Private, Capt. Simeon Cole*s Co., Col. Dean*s regt.; service from March 6, 1781, 10 days; company raised for 40 days service at Rhode Island, but discharged March 15, 1781, by order of Maj. Gen. Lincoln. Volume 2, page 755

Bucklin, Comfort. Private, Capt. Nathaniel Carpenter*s Co., Col. Thomas Carpenter*s regt.; service, 1 mo. 5 days, from July 20, 1777; marched from Rehoboth to Bristol and Providence, RI. Volume 2, page 755

Bucklin, Darius, Adams. Private, Capt. Samuel Low*s co., Col. Benjamin Simonds*s (Berkshire Co.) regt.; enlisted Oct. 13, 1780; discharged Oct. 21, 1780; service, 9 days; marched to the Northward by order of Gen. Fellows on an alarm; also, Capt. Levi Brown*s co., Cot. Asa Barnes*s (Berkshire Co.) regt.; enlisted Oct. 30, 1781; discharged Nov. 7, 1781; service, 9 days; company detached and marched to join Gen. Stark at Saratoga on an alarm. Volume 2, page 755

Bucklin, George. List of men mustered in Worcester Co.; Capt. Cutler*s Co., Cot. Wade*s regt.; mustered June 8 [year not given]. Volume 2, page 755

Bucklin, James, Rehoboth. Ensign, Capt. John Perry*s co. of Minute-men, which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775; service to April 27, 1775, 8 days; also, Capt. Perry*s co., Col. Timothy Walker*s

(Bristol Co.) regt.; muster roll dated Aug. 1, 1775; enlisted April 28, 1775; service, 3 mos. I week, 4 days; reported commissioned May 24, 1775; also, company return dated Oct. 6, 1775. Volume 2, page 755

Bucklin, Jeremiah. Private, Capt. Ezra Whipple*s co., Col. Benjamin Simonds*s (Berkshire Co.) regt.; enlisted Oct. 14, 1780; discharged Oct. 19, 1780; service, 5 days; marched to Castleton by order of Gen. Fellows on an alarm. Volume 2, page 755

Bucklin, Jeremiah. Private, Capt. Ezra Whipple*s co., Col. Benjamin Simonds*s (Berkshire Co.) regt.; enlisted Oct. 14, 1780; discharged Oct. 19, 1780; service, 5 days; marched to Castleton by order of Gen. Fellows on an alarm. Volume 2, page 755

Bucklin, London, Providence, R. I. (also given Attleborough and Northampton. Descriptive list of enlisted men dated May 21, 1781; Capt. Watson*s Co., 3d Mass. regt.; age, 21 (also given 18 and 23) yrs.; stature, 5 ft. 3 (also given 5 ft. 4) in.; complexion, black; hair, black; eyes, black; occupation, blockmaker (also given laborer); residence, Providence (also given Attleborough and Northampton); enlisted for town of Attteborough; enlisted April 3 (also given March 3), 1781; enlistment, 3 years; reported ordered to be delivered to Cot. William Shepard at Springfield; also, Private, Capt. James *s (4th) co., Cot. Michael Jackson*s (3d) regt.; muster roll for Aug. and Sept., 1783; term of service unexpired, 6 mos. 6 days. Volume 2 page 756.

[Note: the occupation of block maker and the residence of Providence are significant.  Capt. Joseph Bucklin 4th had a slave who was a block maker. This was part of Capt. Bucklins ship block and tackle business, and the refitting of ships at his wharf in Providence.  So London Bucklin may have been the black slave of Joseph Bucklin 4th. Capt Bucklin also had a slave named "Prince" whose work Capt. Bucklin used in the refitting of ships, and for whose work the Captain charged  at a rate for highly skilled carpenters. See note on "Prince Bucklin," below]

Bucklin, Nathan, Wells. Private, Capt. Joshua Bragdon*s co., Cot. James *s (30th) regt.; company return [probably Aug., 1775]; enlisted May 3, 1775. [See Nathan Butland.] Volume 2 page 756

Bucklin, Nathaniel, Rehoboth (probably). Private, Capt. Nathaniel Carpenter*s Co., Col. John Hathaway*s regt.; service, 23 days. from April 21, 1777, at Tiverton, R. I. Volume 2 page 756

Bucklin, Oliver, Rehoboth (probably). Private, Capt. Nathaniel Carpenter*s company., Col. Simeon Cary*s regt., Gen. John Fellows*s brigade; list of men who served for 5 mos. at White Plains and New York; dismissed Dec. 1, 1776; also, Capt. Nathaniel Carpenter*s co., Cot. John Hathaway*s regt.; service, 23 days, from April 21, 1777, at Tiverton, R. I.; also, list of men who were drafted to serve for 3 mos. guarding shores at Rhode Island dated Dec. 29, 1777. Volume 2, page 756

Bucklin, Prince. Private, Capt. John Holden*s (2d) co., Col. Christopher Greene*s (1st Rhode Island) battalion; muster roll for July, 1779, dated Camp at East Greenwich; enlistment, during war; reported absent by leave. Volume 2, page 756. 

[Note: Capt. Joseph Bucklin 4th had a slave named "Prince" who did skilled ship repair work for the Captain.  So Prince Bucklin may have been a black slave of Capt. Bucklin.  See also the note for London Bucklin, above. If Prince Bucklin left the army "absent by leave" after two years of service, that would be about the time that London Bucklin's term of army service started, which suggests a substitution of soldiers by the Captain.]

Bucklin, Rufus, Rehoboth. Private, Capt. John Perry*s co., Cot. Timothy Walker*s (22d) regt.; muster roll dated Aug. 1, 1775; enlisted May 1, 1775; service, 3 mos. 1 week, 1 day; also, company return dated Oct. 6, 1775; also, order for bounty coat or its equivalent in money dated Camp at Roxbury, Oct. 26, 1775. Volume 2, page 756