A Historical Artifact from The New England Colonies
Handmade by the Wife of Yale Founder 
Rev. Thomas Buckingham

The Buckingham Connection

Rev. Thomas Buckingham (1646-1709) was the youngest child of the Puritan settlers, Thomas Buckingham (c.1606-1657) and his wife Hannah Hawkins B. (1606/9-1646), who arrived from England in 1637. They were original settlers of Milford, Connecticut in 1639.

The Yale Connection

Made by Hester Hosmer Buckingham (1641-1702) before her marriage to Yale founder Rev. Thomas Buckingham (1646-1709). The quilt was in her trousseau chest when they married in 1666. Thomas was one of the seven men who founded the Collegiate School of Connecticut at Saybrook in 1701, which later was named Yale College (now Yale University in New Haven, CT). With little fanfare the first commencement ceremony was held in their home.

What It Is Not

A history and age so unique, one of the world's leading quilt appraisers and experts in old American quilts officially recommends that this textile be appraised as a Historical Artifact rather than as a "Quilt".