Martin Buck

Martin Buck (1689-1743) was born in Germany, perhaps in the Palatine.  He was widowed, remarried, naturalized, and became a land owner in Beekman Patent.

Martin’s father Paul Buck was born in Doretz, Germany and his mother is unknown.

On November 12, 1708, Martin Buck married Elizabeth Becker in Kirchberg, Germany.  Harsh conditions prevailed in the area.  A year and a half later, they headed for the American Colonies to a new life.  Martin’s name appears on the Second Ship List of 1710 of Palatine Refugees arriving by sea from London to New York on June 30, 1710.

The list is made up of the second half (62 names) of the June 30, 1710 subsistence list along with any who appear to have been part of their household.  Margretha Schmid’s name appear immediately following Martin on this list where one might expect to see Elizabeth’s name.  The lists showed 2 persons over 10 years of age and 2 persons under 10.  An October 4, 1710 entry
shows Maria Gertrud Hamin and Martin Buck.  The family was reduced to 2
persons over 10 yrs and 1 person under 10 on December 31, 1710 and remained that size until September 13, 1712 when the household returned to 2 persons over 10 and 2 persons under 10 years old.

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The experience of Early Palatine families in New York can be found here.

By the autumn of 1712 Governor Hunter could no longer afford the expense of taking care of the Palatine and they were left to fend for themselves, still in debt to the crown.  Disgusted, they left for the land along the Schoharie Creek, which they claimed had been promised to them by Queen Anne. The life of Palatine refugees was difficult with  promises not kept.

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While thousand of Palatines traveled by sea to the Colonies,  only a small percentage are recorded over time. Martin Buck‘s name has remained in historical records for over three hundred years.  There are  several different spellings but it is the person, now known as Martin Buck:

• Martin Buck’s name appears on a list of Palatine Heads of Families From Governor Hunter’s Ration Lists June 1710 to September 1714.

• • Marte Bok, metselaer was mentioned in 1712-13.
  • Marte Bock on the 1718 Palatine Debt List (Livingston Debt Lists).
  • Both Martin Boeck and Carel Neiher aka Carl Neher (1675-1733) were naturalized on September 8 or 9, 1715.  Respectively, they are my sixth and fifth great grandfathers.
  • Martin Buch with Nicolaus Hamen’s widow and 2 children was at Quunsberg circa 1716/7.
  • Marttyn Bock made his first appearance in the Dutchess County rolls in the North Ward in 1717-8 and  he was listed there until 1729-30 when he was recorded in the Middle Ward.  Carel Naher was a constable in the North Ward in 1721, and an overseer of ye King’s Highway there in 1729, according to Dutchess County Supervisor’s Records.
  • In 1735-6, Martin appeared in the South Ward for the first time and then in 1739-40 at Beekmans.

After Martin’s wife Elizabeth died, Martin married widow Maria Gertrud Schmidt.   Maria Gertrud Schmidt was born about 1686 in Germany.   Her parents may have been Anthony Schmidt (1664 – 1711) and Margaretha Eringer (1668 –  ) who were born in Weilburg, Limburg-Weilburg, Hessen, Germany.   Her first husband was Nicholas Hamm.  According to The Hamm Family History:

Sometime during the Spring of the year 1709 several of the Hamms living in the Alzey area of the German Rhineland Palatinate boarded a boat for a four to six week passage down the Rhine River to the sea. Their destination, the city of Rotterdam, thence to England. There was, they had been told, the opportunity to migrate on to America.  In this group were the following:

Nicolaus Hamm, his wife Maria Gertraud and their two children
Peter Hamm, his wife and one child
Conrad Hamm, probably single, in his early twenties
Caspar Hamm, a teenager

…Somewhere along their emigration route Nicolaus Hamm died, leaving his widow Gertaud and their two children fatherless.  She soon remarried to a Palantine named Martin Buch (Buck).  (In those days necessity dictated that a widow or a widower remarried quickly for the very sake of the survival of their families.]

The threshold of a new life in the Colonies was unpredictable, resulting in the widower Martin Buck and widow Maria Gertrud marrying and having children together.  The dates are of baptisms and all were in Kingston, Ulster, NY except where noted.

According to Doherty, “the location of [Martin Buck’s] farm was noted on a deed of 30 April 1869 as located on great lot number 8, consisting of 160 acres which was granted by Col. Henry Beekman to Martin Buck for three lives on 1 May 1740.”  The words “three lives” are striking.  Humans exchanged for land?  If so, how does a refugee who suffered so much come to terms with his role in slavery?

For a history of settlers of Beekman Patent in the 18th century, see here.

Martin Buck & Lot 8 Beekman Patent

Martin Buck’s widow made her appearance in 1743/4, according to Dutchess County Tax Lists.

Martin Buck and Maria Gertrude Schmidt died about the same time about 1743 in Beekman, Dutchess, New York.  There were my sixth great grandparents.

Resources

An Historical & Genealogical Study of all 18th Century Inhabitants of the Patent by Frank J. Doherty, Chapter 99 The Buck Families

The Hamm Family History

Palatine Heads of Families From Governor Hunter’s Ration Lists  June, 1710 to September, 1714

The Book of Names Especially Relating to The Early Palatines and the First Settlers in the
Mohawk Valley Compiled and Arranged by Lou D. MacWethy, Published by The Enterprise and News, St. Johnsville, NY., 1933

The Palatine Families of New York by Henry Z Jones