RALPH E. BUCKNAM ATTORNEY AT LAW P.O. BOX 2151 HALEITE, LONG ISLAND. NY 11743 PHONE (516) 549-0956 November 5, 1987 Ms. Sue Rodwell 60 Berners Street Ipswitch, Suffolk, IP1 3LU England Dear Sue: Recently I travelled to Salem, Massachusetts and also to Malden where I found information in the local libraries which might help in tracing our progenitor, William Bucknam, back to England. He was a carpenter and apparently sailed from London in about April of 1629 on one of five ships chartered by the Massachusetts Bay Company. These ships were: Talbot (300 ton) sailed Apr. 25, 1629 - 100 passengers George Bonaventure (300 tons) sailed Apr. 1, 1629 - 52 passengers Lions Whelp (120 tons) sailed April 25, 1629 - 40 passengers Four Sisters (300 tons) -other information not available. Mayflower (not THE Mayflower) - II II II They arrived in Salem, Mass. in June 1629. Rev. Francis Higginson was one of the moving spirits in organizing the project. Other organizers were a Rev. Skelton and a Mr. Humphrey. There is apparently a report in the Massachusetts Bay Colony Records, Vol. 1, pages 383-385. It is now quite evident that he came from the vicinity of Maldon (Malden) in Essex County. He ultimately was one of the founders of Malden, Mass. (1649). In the HISTORY OF MALDEN (Mass.) I found the following note: "In its present aspect, Malden (Eng.) retains many of the features which were familiar to that little band of pilgrims,who, about thefirst of April, 1628 sailed down the river in an Ipswich Hye'(17). "Out of this ancient Maldon came in 1638 Joseph Hills, a woolen-draper and with him or a little later John Wayte. In the same year and in the same month of April came Thomas Ruck ... sailing to new England where he arrived in July in a ship named the 'Castle'." The footnote (17) indicates that the "Ipswich Hye", a small sloop-rigged vessel used for carrying passengers and goods along the sea coast, set out from Malden. In later years our William Bucknam was closely associated with Joseph Hills in Malden, so he could have come over in 1628. There was also at least one ship which arrived in 1630, and I find one suggestion that he arrived then. Do you have a contact in Maldon, England who might look into this? I am enclosing extra copies of this letter since you might also be able to get useful information from London. Many thanks for your help. Please simply charge me at your hourly rate as in the past. Sincerely, Ralph E. Bucknam