Gypsies In New York 1904

Gypsy Camp Near Broadway and Two -Hundred- and -Eleventh Street Manhattan.

A real Gypsy camp in the heart of the second city of the world is a picturesque sight just now on the meadows between Broadway. Harlem river and two- hundred- and-eleventh streets, which would probably surprise any onenot familiar with the areas still remaining in their natural condition in upper Manhattan Island.

The camp consists of a dozen house wagons of various types, as many tents a couple of dozen horses tethered on the sloping meadow or grazing in the marsh, numerous dogs of indescribable breeds and fifty or more Gypsies of both sexes, ranging in age from infants in arms- or more strictly speaking infants on the ground to veterans of threescore years and ten.

The men and older women are as swarthy Arabs, but the middle aged women and children are fair barring freckles.

One or two of the families have been here for a couple of months and are sending their children to New York public schools.

The others have just arrived from Danbury, where they have been attending the Danbury fair. Information : This was a yearly exhibition in Danbury Connecticut it began in 1821 as an agricultural Fair it was usually held in October. It closed in 1981 by 1987 it had become a Mall .The mall, one of the largest in New England, opened on the former fairgrounds at the intersection of Interstate 84 and Route 7 in northern Fairfield County.I think its very likely my family apart going there to do business of fortune telling by the women, the men would have been involved in the Harness/ Trotting races, a competition for purse money for Horses bred to Trot or pace. Driven by a driver on a 2 wheel cart called a Sulky.

The other day there was great flurry in the camp when the Old Gypsy King & Queen joined the colony and were received with honours due to their exalted positions.

These Gypsies are from Devonshire England and arrived in America two or three months ago with their equipages, they are an intelligent company speak with a decided English accent and are most civil in their address adding “ Sir ” to almost every sentence. They dress in bright colours and their clothing displayed on the grass and bushes to dry on “ Wash day ” imparts a Kaleidoscopic aspect to the landscape. They make a living by trading horses and telling fortunes by palmistry and some of them are believed to possess no inconsiderable means.The Gypsy boys are interesting little chaps- alert bright and as inquisitive as a corkscrew. They wear curious jackets, the fronts of which are of plaid stuff and the sleeves and backs of buckskin, making them look as if they were in their waistcoats.They have their pets with them, One has a little Shetland pony which is tethered to a stake in the middle of the camp and nibbles grass contentedly.Another has a rabbit which hops in and out among the heaps of firewood that have been gathered for their campfires, another has a canary bird hanging in a cage at the front door of the house wagon. These house wagons which are sometimes used by English people who are not Gypsies for summer outings, are different from anything made in this country. They are wholly enclosed like a stage, but wider at the top than the bottom and open in front instead of behind, at the rear is a rack for the transportation of the canvas and other impediments. On the front of the vehicle on each side of the front door is a tier of little shelves or racks- a convient resting place for the canary bird cage and other light articles in fair weather, within on each side is a long seat, the side windows are neatly curtained and above them and on the further end are pictures and other household ornaments, the interior has an inviting air of snug comfort tempting to one fond of outdoor life. One or two families have a camp stove but most of them cook in true nomadic style slinging their kettles over the camp-fire from tripods. They have great admiration for America – having seen Danbury Connecticut- some parts of New Jersey and New York City and they are free to admit that New York is superior to Danbury. They wil therefore probably remain here for some time. These people are not the first English invaders to camp in this neighbourhood and they seem to know enough of American history to have a general notion of the fact, the secretary of the American Scenic & Historic Preservation Society, who has been making a series of excavations in this vicinity this summer told one of the campers yesterday that they were camping where Englishmen had camped in the American Revolution. Evidently more impressed with the general result of that war than familiar with the actual details of local events he replied “ Yes Sir; ' ere's where you licked 'em good Sir ” This was also a great rendezvous for the Indians long before the white man came; some of those modern campershave been interested spectators this summer of the excavations by Edward Hagaman Hall Reginald Pelham Bolton and W L Calver in the adjacent field which revealed evidences of the aboriginal campers probably three hundred years ago. About a dozen Indian shell pockets were explored by these archaeologists. In one of them Mr Calver recovered the fragments of an almost complete bowl. At the bottom of another shell pocket Mr Hall found the complete skeleton of an Indian dog- evidently placed there during the well known dog ceremonial of the aborigines.END OF ARTICLE*

I have realized the group of Gypsies this article refers too would be my family called BUCKLAND.

 THE SS TEUTONIC

In 1903 August 27th Plato Buckland the youngest son of Tenet & Kezia Buckland left England on the SS Teutonic from Liverpool to New York with his family :

Plato Buckland aged 33 b 1870 England

Prescella Buckland/Jeffries aged 36 b 1867 England

Sadie aged 11 b 1892 England

Elizabeth aged 10 b 1893 England

Mark aged 8 b 1895 England

Tenat aged 7 b 1896 England

Kezia aged 5 b 1898 England

Jennie aged 1 b 1902 England

Infant aged 0 b 1903 England

So this encampment mentioned on this article would have consisted of Plato Buckland Jnr & his family and his Uncle's

family also called Plato Buckley /Buckland his wife being Eliza Small and their own grown children and their families

so it would have been a large group

THE SS CARPATHIA

.

In 1904 the rest of the Buckland family, left England on the SS Carpathia from Liverpool to New York, the King & Queen they refer too would be TENET BUCKLAND & KEZIA JEFFS ( my Great- Great- Grand-Parents)

*Added information*

The SS Carpathia was made famous for in 1912 15th April, it went to the rescue of the ill-fated SS Titanic who hit an Ice-berg on its maiden voyage.*

My family in 1904 left on the 28th June from Liverpool arriving in New York on the 8th July , being a journey by sea of 10 days, which lathough might seem long in 1850 it took over 40days. This was to be for most of them their final journey to America, the elder men and wives died in America although their families & descendants have continued to live out their lives in various parts of the United states.

One of the Sons did return to England after this date being Thomas Buckland & his family. At present I don't know when or where he went .

Those who travelled across in 1904 were :

(1) Nelson Buckland aged 65 b 1839 - This is lato Buckland my Grt-Grt – Uncle, he sometimes used the surname Buckley

Horse-dealer & resident of Plymouth Devonshire.

He was brother of Tenet and his family were I would think the ones in this camp awaiting for them to return. It actually mentions he was going to see his wife Betsy Buckland ( Eliza Small) in New York and to visit Mrs Betsy Wells Farm near Dayton Ohio .He was last in the States in 1896 * Betsy Wells was the daughter of Tenet & Kezia, she married Nelson Wells.

(2) Nitron Buckland aged 73 b 1831- This is I believe is Tenet Buckland ( my Grt- Grt- Grand-father ) Horse-dealer going to see his daughter Mrs Betsy Wells In Dayton Ohio.

(3) Mary Buckland aged 72 b 1832 – I believe this is Tenet wife Kezia Jeffs- ( my Great-great Grand-mother)

Both these people on pas/ list were said by the Ship's doctor to be suffering from Senility and travelling with their 3 sons, Thomas, Henry, Moses. Between the family it says they had a total of $ 10.000 at that time it would be a great deal of money.

( 4) Henry Buckland aged 38 b 1866- Horse-dealer*This is Tenent 's Son and would be brother to Mrs Betsy Wells who he also listed as going to visit in America.

Harriet Buckland/Pinfold aged 39 b 1865- wife of Henry she was daughter of Robert Pinfold & Louise Smith

Betsey aged 4 b 1900 England

Esther Infant aged ) b 1903/4 England

( 5) Moses Buckland aged 32 b 1872- horse-dealer*This was Son of Tenet & Kezia Buckland visiting his sister Betsy Wells.

Jenny Buckland/Stanley aged 30 b 1872- wife of Moses and daughter of James Stanley & Unity Wells

Mark aged 8 b 1896 England

Nelson aged 7 b 1897 England

Henry aged 6 b 1898 England

( 6)Thos Buckland aged 40 b 1864 – Horse-dealer He states he is American , but I know he was born in England he has deformity of eyes impaired vision. He also is going to visit his sister Betsy Wells.

Fabre Buckland/Stanley aged 40 b 1864 also states born American but again English born daughter of Richard & Ellen Stanley, she was actually named Priscilla Stanley .

Carrie aged 22 b 1882 ( single)

Phyllis aged 17 b 1887 (single)

Francis ( M) aged 14 b 1890 ( single)

Thomas aged 7 b 1897 ( single)

Annie aged 0 b 1903/4

I have come to this conclusion many people ask why did my family travel several times before this back & forth to America, well they were Horse Dealers in the sense they sold and bought Horses, which in the early years they did so to sell to the American Army,,due to the fact they needed Horses not only to fight the Indians , but also many people who wanted to live in America in the early part of the 18th /19th century needing Horses to do work on farms and for getting about, before the auto-mobile became more popular. Also in 1880 we had the start of the Boer War again the English Army needed many Horses for their Calvary regiments and most likely the known best Horse Dealers would be used to find suitable Horses that being the Gypsies. Gypsies may not have had been thought of as the best people in the world suffering great persecution over the centuries, but when it came to Horse Flesh they were the best and for this reason I am sure my family would have been considered one of the families to know a good Horse. When my Great-Great-Grand-father took his family for the last time in 1904 to America, there was one who didn't go that being my Great- Grand -father their son Eldest Nelson Buckland, some of family have said although he went several times with family he didn't like America, I now think it was a different story, as they bought and sold Horses to both Armies USA & UK it would have needed someone to stay on the English soil to not only purchase Horses , but organise transportation of these animals, I know that Thomas Buckland his brother was known to travel to Ireland and buy Horses and I think at times they may have even gone to France to buy there as well. There is another possible reason after reading how immigrates were treated not only on the voyage but when they arrived, it makes me think maybe Great-grand-father did not wish to put his family again through this really hellish trip. My Great-Grand-father died in 1908 he lived his life in Kingsbridge Devonshire with his family, maybe if he had lived he would have returned yet again to America, but it wasn't to be, although then we have to think it was still a time of Wars, not only was the Boer War in its 2nd stage, by 1914 we had the beginning of the 1 WW and Nelson's Sons which were James & Moses ( James being my Grand-father & Moses my Great Uncle) Both joined the army to fight for England although both were actually born in America. I have not been able to get birth certificates to confirm this but it was not unusual for these nomadic people not to register births especially if they were moving from one country another as they did, on both their Army records these men give Baltimore & Philadelphia as places of birth. At this time travel would have been impossible especially to go to America or return to England and I think sadly this was when the family lost contact, unable to come home or for my Grand-father to return to his only living relations in USA. By the time the war had ended in 1918 my family then chose to live and stay within Kingsbridge Devonshire. Having now settled there with their own children, they still lived by the Gypsy way , but it was fast becoming much harder to survive , I know that making of Clothes pegs and fortune telling was still happening in my family and that lots of relations would meet up in the Fairs that travelled about England. Horses now were not in need due to the Auto-mobile and farmers had machinery to do the work of men. As for family in America by now the Elders of the family had passed away and their children had started to move apart to different states and it was just as difficult for them making a living over there. I think that by now the family had completely lost contact and sadly my own Grand-mother died in 1933 this was too much for my Grand-father he was devoted to his wife and found raising 9 children a very hard task , my own father was their last child born 1933, it was a month after this his mother passed away, his elder siblings were married and struggling to bring up their own children, most had started to live in Houses.My Grand-father lasted 5 years dying in 1938 after his wife and then my own father's family were split between other family members. My Father being a very young child was taken by his Aunt to live his life in Callington Cornwall, she had lost her own husband in the 1WW and raised her own 2 children and my father to adulthood. After the war as I have said there was not a need for Horses which had been this families lively-hood for many Years even a Century, the need then was for every-one in England to rebuild the country , so for work labouring became

their choice . My Grand-father was before he died working as a road builder/labour.