Thomasina Buffington
I have scanned Ralph Buffington's letter to me of January 17, 1990 which contained information about Thomasina Buffington who married a Quaintance. From what I can learn his book on the Buffington family was not finished and may never be finished or published. His letter follows: [Note: my address is no longer 131 Church Street. It is now 311 Duke Road #9, Lexington, KY 40502].
Ralph M. Buffington
THE BUFFINGTON FAMILY HISTORY FOUNDATION, INC.
Route 1, Box 1450
Pendergrass, Georgia 3056717 January 1990
Hon. William A. LaBach
Attorney at Law
131 Church Street
Lexington, Kentucky 40507
Dear Cousin Bill:
It is good to hear from you. I believe another LaBach of the Kentucky Experiment Station wrote Gilbert Cope ( perhaps the greatest American genealogist ) about 1902 ( from memory as to date) about his Buffington descent. I wondered if I would ever locate anyone from his Line.
We are very busy now trying to process over 25,000 pages of material on the Buffington Family for Volume II, The Buffington Family and America. I will try to answer your questions from Memory.
Thomas Buffington married Ruth Cope. Nine children were born of this marriage and Ruth died in 1728. Their youngest son, William, was a school boy in 1739 when his father died. Miss Elizabeth Kieffer, a descendant of your Benjamin said that boys stopped going to school at sixteen in Colonial Pennsylvania- the receipt "for his schooling
this year and last," was signed by John Morse in October 1739, and the original receipt is in the Buffington-Marshall Papers at The Chester County Historical Society's Library in West Chester, Pa..
After Ruth Cope's death Thomas Buffington married Ann Matthews and there were no children to this union.
I believe Thomas Buffington was born circa 1681 as he received land in 1702 (as he would have been 21 at that time..I believe he then married about 1705 Ruth Cope and that their first child was Thomas Buffington, Junior. .who spent part of his youth with his parents on the 500 acre tract in Honey Brook or Nantmeal given Thomas, Sr. by his
father, Richard Buffington- the emigrant. This is on the border of Berks County.. I believe he married a girl of German extraction and fathered several children; Benjamin in 1730, Thomasina - who married a Quaintance and others.. I have found several references to "Benjamin was reared by his grandfather in Berks, County, Pa.." No definite
proof of this..Later the Hoffman Family from Berks moved to Lykens Valley,Pa.. and several of the girls married sons of Benjamin and Mercy Frissell Buffington...
Meanwhile, Benjamin had lived in Chester County.. He married Mercy at Old Swedes Church, Wilmington, Delaware 29 November 1755. Later they lived in Lancaster County, then to the beloved Lykens Valley after danger of Indian attacks were no longer feared.
Ann Buffington married Henry Mayer (various spellings used) and had a daughter Rose . . Lil Fager from Thomas Buffington, son of Benjamin..said in a letter "Aunt Rose Mayer is mother of that famous Professor Agassiz who teaches at Harvard. It seems Rose Mayer married a Swiss Minister and went to Switzerland.. George W. Buffington (Line of Benjamin and 2nd wife, Mrs Catherine Deibler nee...? through David Buffington) is one of the greatest authorities on Japanese languages and speaks French, German and other languages, came to my aid and wrote the authorities in the Canton where Agassiz was born and learned that his mother, Rose Mayer, was not our Rose Mayer.. Thus- I missed another distinguished entrant in the "B" book.
All the material you have on your Line from Benjamin will be deeply appreciated. We do not want to leave anyone out. Your Father may have some interesting stories there.. Some genealogist have created or spliced Lines to create interesting backgrounds that pleased their supposed descendants.
I am from Thomas Buffington, Junior and second wife, his cousin, Mary Harlan, who came South. Thomas Buffington, Jr. died in April 1768 on Turkey Creek, Edgefield District, South Carolina.
Enclosed is a 1989 Progress Report.. on our progress as a non-profit corporation..
On 7 February 1990 I will be 83.. so-there is little time to wait in getting me Family Data, also- pray that I live to complete this History/Genealogy.
With my best to you and yours, always in all ways,
I am, sincerely
/s/ Ralph M. Buffington
Ralph M. Buffington
P.S. Bill Brock of your area, was a fellow student in Architecture for one year.. about 1927/28 at Georgia Tech, if he lives, give him my best regards..
My niece, Nancy ( Mrs, Frank B. Moore ) and Frank were great friends of the former Governor of Kentucky and he usually invited them for the Kentucky Derby. Frank was President Carter's Liaison with the Congress, and is now Vice-President of Waste Management (for Governmental Affairs )..
P.S.2 The Buffington Family in America sold out in 1971.