Some of the data is not 100% clear but I can definitely trace the Buck name back to William Buck born in 1864 in Cambridge UK. It seems that his father was William Warren Buck (1834-1869) and mother Martha Newborn but that’s a bit less certain.
William (the 1864 one) was baptized in Cambridge on 16 November 1865. It seems he had 3 siblings
• Richard (1857 – 1902)
• Harriet Ann (1867 - ?)
• Harry (1870 - ?)
By the time that William was 7, the 1871 census shows his father has died and his mother is listed as a French Polisher, his Grandfather as a shoemaker and his older brother as an errand boy. William and Harriet are noted as scholars.
Other occupations in the street included
• Photographer
• Laundress
• Publican
• Milkman
• Bootmaker
• Coal Merchant
Ten years later the census looks like Richard has left home, Harriet is a domestic servant and William is now also a French Polisher.
Occupations in their street now include
• Bootmaker
• Nurse
• Painter
• School Mistress
• Decorator
The next confirmation I have is his marriage in Melbourne in 1885.
My best efforts have found a William Buck as a seaman arriving in Sydney in June 1884…could be him??
His sister is confirmed as staying in Cambridge, marrying Charles Johnson (another French Polisher) and having 9 children. One became a print compositor, one a hotel cook and another a watchmaker.
The next adventure begins with his married life to Anna Maria Daykin.