1828-9 Nov 1869), James (30 May 1831-20 Jul 1919), Mary (date is unclear - d, 2 Oct 1903), Robert (26 Apr 1836-9 Aug 1879), Elias (12 Jun 1836-24 Mar 1828), Richard (6 Dec 1838-16 Dec 1861), John (1839-1929), William (died in infancy, date unknown), Rebecca (1 Sep 1843-2 Jun 1933), Ann (1846-1882), George G. (4 Nov 1847-8 Feb 1924), Thirza (20 Aug 1849-30 Sep 1862) and Thomas (9 May 1850-18 Dec 1933).

The Bucknell genealogy states that Mary, James (Jr.) and Elias immigrated to America in 1853. James would have been 22 and Elias 17 at this time and Mary may have been somewhere in between. Most of the remaining family supposedly joined them in 1855. Richard would have been 27, John 16, Rececca 12, Ann 9, George G. 8, Thirza 6, and Thomas 5. James would have been 55 and Rebecca 49. In 1856 the last 2 children joined the family in America, Robert 20 and Elizabeth 28.

James Jr. preceded his family to America by 2 years, leaving England after he was caught poaching. The fine was more than a ticket to America.

The family left England from Plymouth, Devonshire 12 Apr 1855 and were 35 days on the sea. They passed through “Quebec, Montryall, Toranto, Ameliton, Detroit, Chicago and Debuque" on their way to Winneshiek Co., IA. They took 929 acres of land in Bluffton Twp. from the land office in Dubuque. A sod house was constructed on the land (many years later it became a hog lot). James Bucknell was referred to as “Master" by neighbors and friends.

Rebecca died in Bluffton Twp. 4 Mar 1891 at age 85. James followed her in death 2 months later, 16 May 1891 at age 91. James and Rebecca are buried in Phelps Cemetery, Decorah, IA.

Elias Bucknell was born 12 Jun 1836 in England and may have been approximately the sixth of 13 children. He immigrated to America in 1853 at the age of 17 and settled in Bluffton Twp. Elias married twice. His first wife was Janet Noble and they had no children. Janet was buried in the old cemetery, at the southwest angle of Grove and Vernon streets in Decorah. It has been abandoned as a burying ground and most of the bodies have been removed. Her grave could not be found.

Elias married a second time to Jane Stokes 17 Mar 1861. Jane was born 4 Apr 1842 in Swansea, Wales (second source 10 Mar 1842) Jane was 19 and Elias 24 when they wed. Elias and Jane had 12 children: Clara and John S. (twins born 4 Jan 1864), Richard (4 Nov 1865-27 Jul 1938), Mary Jane (1867/8, “Dottie”, “Dot”), Desire (1869), Fanny (1872), Elizabeth (1874, “Ussy"), Elias (23 Oct 1876-Oct 1965, “Bud"), Arthur (date unknown, possibly 1878-1880), Maud (1882), Archie (Mar 1884), and Millie (Sep 1886). Their first 2 children, the twins John and Clara, were born in Minnesota and the rest of the children in Iowa. Elias and Jane resided in Bluffton, Winneshiek Co. during the years of their marriage with the exception of 10 years of residence in Floyd Co., IA.

One source reports that Jane came to America in 1845, at age 3, from Wales. She spent 9 years in Pennsylvania from 1845-1854. At age 12 she moved to Minnesota and later to Decorah. Another source says Jane received U.S. citizenship in 1843 when only a year old.

Jane died at age 68 20 Nov 1910 "Sunday morning at 10 o’clock after an illness of a little more than 3 days following a stroke of paralysis...the funeral was held at the home of Richard Bucknell, Rev. M. Willett officiating". Elias lived another 18 years, dying 24 Mar 1928. Both Elias and Jane are buried in Phelps Cemetery, Decorah.

Elias "Bud", named after his father and the eighth of 12 children, was born 23 Oct 1876 in Iowa. He was reared in Bluffton Twp. He married Flora Wise in Decorah 5 Feb 1896 in the home of his brother Richard. Bud and Flora had 2 childen, Vera May (May 1897-1993) and Florence Elizabeth (31 Oct 1899-Jan 1990).

Bud bought a barber shop in St. Paul, MN and learned the trade there. In 1893 he moved to Decorah and went to work in the barber shop of his brother Richard. The barbershop was located in the basement of a building referred to as Rumreich's Hardware in the 1940’s. He later bought the building and lived in an apartment on the second floor. In 1895 Bud set up business with his own barber shop. Water Street was unpaved at this time and had wooden sidewalks.

In 1896 Bud moved his shop to the site of Lange’s Jewelry as it was known in the 1940’s. After 8 years in this location he moved again in 1904 to his own building at 208 West Water Street where he ran the barbershop and a billiard parlor until World War I. All his 5 barbers were called into service and he abandoned the barbershop. The 1910 Federal census reports the Bucknells living at 601 River Street.

Bud was a barber in Decorah 35 years and served 15 years as deputy game warden for northeast Iowa, covering a territory reaching to Cedar Rapids and Lake Okiboji. Flora and Bud also operated a tourist camp on Hwy 52 for several years.

Bud loved to hunt and owned a variety of hunting dogs over the years. The Bucknell’s also had a lovely collection of dog figurines. Bud once had matching full length coonskin coats made for himself and Flora with the skins of the raccoons he himself had shot and a unique picture still exists of the Bucknell’s posing in their coats with the hunting dogs. One of their last dogs was Ike, named for Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Flora had a beautiful head of hair which fell to the floor and a little more. She wore it wound on top of her head but had a lovely portrait done at one time with her hair hanging down her back to the floor.

The Bucknell’s owned a cabin west of Decorah where their great-grandchildren enjoyed picnics, berrypicking, a spring where butter was stored in a wooden box and of course an outhouse, arrived at by climbing over a stile and walking through the cow pasture.

Bud died in 1965 and Flora 2 years later in 1967 after living the last several years with their daughter Florence. They were buried in Phelps Cemetery, Decorah.

Florence Elizabeth Bucknell was born 31 Oct 1899. She married Walter William Jewell 29 Nov 1917 in Iowa City, IA. Florence and Walter had 5 children: Catherine (6