Inquiry

John:

Thanks for the information, I would love to put the picture up on our website! About all I know is that Bucknam Creek is near St. Johns in New Brunswick and that is were they were supposed to have built the ships by damming the creek and breaching the dam to float out the ships.

According to "A Bucknam/Buckman Geneology¹" by Ann Theopold Chaplin, Gateway Press Inc., Baltimore 1988, Samuel Bucknam was a shipbuilder, born in Falmouth Maine November 19, 1773, and moved to Pennfield, New Brunswick in 1825. He claimed to have built 11 vessels and owned one. He had a son Ezra, which was born at Columbia, Maine in 1806 , and I am desended from his older brother Barnabas.

Uncle Ezra was a successful shipwight, having left home for New York City at the age of 14. He invented and built the screw docks at Winter Street and later moved them to the new docks at South Street, where he carried on buisness until 1867, retired and left the buisness to his son and nephew. He also was the US Government Inspector of Harbors and Docks. His son was also named Ezra, but lived only to the age of 9.

CHB
chb@bucknam.com
http://www.bucknam.com/~chb/index.html

EZRA BUCKNAM (Samuel, William, Samuel, Joses. William) was born at Columbia, Washington County, Maine in 1806. He died at Haiti. Santa Domingo In 1870

Ezra married JANE HUME. Jane, the daughter of William and Eleanor (Ralston) Hume, was born 9 July 1813 and she died in January of 1891 (New York Times, 28 Feb 1892, p. 16).

Ezra was a successful shipwright. Family records say "he left home at age fourteen for New York. Invented and built the screw docks on Winter Street in New York City. Subsequently removed them to the new waterfront on South Street and then carried on the business of shlpwrlght until 1867 when he retired in favor of his son and nephew. Was the United States Government Inspector of Harbors and Docks and as such executed many important commissions before. during and subsequent to the war."The 1850 U.S Census for Ward 7 of New York city lists him as a Shipwright with an property value of $14,000 (M432. Roll 540, p. 388).

Charles H. Bucknam -

John Bubier passed us your information on Ezra Bucknam operating screw docks at New York City. This could well be our man. Why we would end up with the photo is beyond me, but maybe a New York Bucknam sent it to a Maine Bucknam. I guess the next step is to go to NYC directories, and see if the Bucknam shipwright establishment was ever located at 245 something Street.

Could you send me via postal service photocopies of the information you have on Ezra? Send me your postal address, too, so I can mail you a print of the photograph. We lack the technology to send it to you any other way.

I look forward to hearing from you.

- Sincerely,
Nathan R. Lipfert, Library Director
Maine Maritime Museum
243 Washington Street
Bath, Maine 04530
U.S.A.
(207)443-1316, fax (207)443-1665
e-mail: maritime@bathmaine.com