# Benoni Buck > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Benoni_Buck > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Benoni_Buck.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benoni_Buck > Source revision: 1340916301 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American colonist with an intellecutal disability}} {{Infobox person | name = Benoni Buck | birth_name = | birth_date = 1616 | birth_place = [Jamestown, Virginia](/source/Jamestown%2C_Virginia) | death_date = 1639 (age 23) | death_place = Jamestown, Virginia | other_names = | occupation = | known_for = First person with a [intellectual disability](/source/intellectual_disability) in [British America](/source/British_America) | spouse = }} '''Benoni Buck''' (1616–1639) was a second-generation [colonist](/source/Settler) in [Jamestown, James City, Virginia](/source/Jamestown%2C_Virginia), and is notable as the first documented case of a person with an [intellectual disability](/source/intellectual_disability) in the [Colonial United States](/source/Colonial_history_of_the_United_States).{{Cite book |last1=Grizzard |first1=Frank E. |title=Jamestown Colony: a political, social, and cultural history |last2=Smith |first2=D. Boyd |date=2007 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-85109-637-4 |location=Santa Barbara, Calif.}} His life and legal battles over his guardianship provide significant insight into the early American legal and social treatment of individuals with [disabilities](/source/Disability). ==Early life== {{Unreferenced section|date=July 2024}} Buck was born as the sixth child to [Richard Buck (chaplain)](/source/Richard_Buck_(chaplain)) and Elizabeth Langley (Brown) Buck.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} His siblings were Elizabeth, Bridget, Mara, Gercian, and Peleg. Named [Benoni](/source/Benoni_(given_name)), which translates to "child of sorrow,"{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} he lived during a time when disabilities were poorly understood and often stigmatized.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} ==Guardianship and legal disputes== From 1624 to 1626, Thomas Alnutt held the guardianship of Buck, during which time Buck was likely under the care of Peter and Mary Langman, [indentured servants](/source/Indentured_servitude_in_British_America) to Alnutt.Bruce, P. A., & Stanard, W. G. (1893). Virginia Magazine of History and Biography (Online). Richmond: Virginia Historical Society. Newberry Library, LC: 2008236261.{{Full citation needed|date=July 2024}} His exact whereabouts often remained ambiguous, with records suggesting he might have lived in Neck-of-Land with the Kingsmills, Langmans, Harmers, Porters, or Burrows.{{cite journal |last1=Mallios |first1=S |date=1999 |title=Archaeological Excavations at 44JC568, The Reverend Richard Buck Site |url=https://core.tdar.org/project/6061/reverend-buck-44jc568 |journal=Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities}} In 1637, [Ambrose Harmer](/source/Ambrose_Harmer) controversially obtained guardianship by petitioning [King Charles](/source/King_Charles_the_Martyr) and the [Court of Wards and Liveries](/source/Court_of_Wards_and_Liveries), sidestepping local legal procedures. Despite lacking solid evidence or thorough examinations of Buck's condition, the petition was granted. Harmer stated Buck was "an [Idiot](/source/Idiot), {{Refn|group=Footnote|name=first| Note that the term "[idiot](/source/idiot)" is now considered [ableist](/source/Ableism), historically it was used both clinically and colloquially to refer to people with [intellectual and developmental disabilities](/source/Intellectual_disability).}} and in no way able to govern himself, or to manage that small estate left him".Hole, W. (Engraver). (1624). John Smith map [Engraving]. In J. Smith, The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles. Library of Virginia. This act was criticized, with later revelations of Harmar's mismanagement and exploitation of Buck's estate. In 1639, Virginia governor [John Harvey](/source/John_Harvey_(Virginia_governor)) noted that Harmar and his wife had long coveted the land, underlining the manipulative intent behind obtaining the guardianship. ==Death and legacy== Buck died in 1639 at the age of 23. His death was undocumented, and Harmar retained control over his portion of the Buck estate.{{Cite journal |date=1905 |title=Virginia in 1639. Harvey's Second Administration (Continued) |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4242705 |journal=The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=385–396 |jstor=4242705 |issn=0042-6636}} The guardianship battles surrounding Buck highlighted the colonial desire to accumulate wealth through the manipulation of legal and custodial systems, often at the expense of the vulnerable.{{Cite book |last=Tyler |first=Lyon Gardiner |url=http://archive.org/details/encyclopediavir06unkngoog |title=Encyclopedia of Virginia biography |date=1915 |publisher=New York, Lewis historical publishing company |others=University of Virginia}}{{Verify source|date=July 2024}} The legal and cultural handling of Buck’s case set a precedent for [guardianship](/source/Legal_guardian) laws, showcasing how legal systems could both protect and exploit individuals with [disabilities](/source/Disability).{{Cite journal |last=Neugebauer |first=Richard |date=1987-05-01 |title=Exploitation of the Insane in the New World: Benoni Buck, the First Reported Case of Mental Retardation in the American Colonies |url=https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1987.01800170105013 |journal=Archives of General Psychiatry |volume=44 |issue=5 |pages=481–483 |doi=10.1001/archpsyc.1987.01800170105013 |pmid=3555384 |issn=0003-990X|url-access=subscription }} His story, primarily known through third-party reports and lacking personal testimonies, remains a critical example of [early American legal practices](/source/Law_of_the_United_States) concerning individuals with [intellectual disabilities](/source/Intellectual_disability). ==References== {{reflist|30em}} ==Footnote== {{Reflist|group=Footnote}} Category:1616 births Category:1639 deaths Category:People from Jamestown, Virginia Category:People with intellectual disabilities Category:People from colonial Virginia Category:American people with disabilities Category:17th-century American people --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Benoni Buck](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benoni_Buck) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benoni_Buck?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.