ANCESTRY

From the AncestryDNA project, Michael Bucknum is about 61% English-Dutch descent and 35% Irish descent. With traces of 1-2% Germanic and Swedish descent. Michael's paternal grandparents were Joseph Bucknum and Alice Ryan. Michael's maternal grandparents were Edgar Dockter and Mary Falkenberg, A review of the European Mathematical Society's literature archive called "zbMath" (ZentralBlatt Math) shows no Bucknums (except Michael Bucknum) and no Dockter's in the archive. "zbMath" shows about less than 10...and very minor...mathematician entries for the name "Falkenberg". By great contrast the name "Ryan" has over 100 entries, in zbMath, with a number of quite accomplished mathematician's of surname Ryan. Alice Ryan, or her parents, were from the County of Cork in the Southwestern corner of Ireland. Alice Ryan, my maternal grandmother, was where Michael Bucknum likely got his mathematician abilities from (the Ryan mathematics genetics). Alice Ryan met Joseph Bucknum probably in NYC...Alice Ryan lived in Brooklyn, NY for the years of her upbringing. Joseph Bucknum was from Trenton (born in 1882)...of English ancestry...descended from a long line of Bucknums in Trenton, NJ going back before 1830...and before that in Hartford, CT going back to before 1750. The Bucknum line was working class until after 1960, and were mainly ordinary people who nonetheless were soldiers in the Continental Army in the American Revolution (1776-1789) and in the Union Army during the Civil War (1860-1864). Michael Bucknum's maternal grandfather was Edgar Dockter. He probably was descended from Dutch settlers of Central Pennsylvania...and he was from an "Amish" or "Pennsylvania Dutch" background. He was a designer and maker of fine furniture. Michael Bucknum may have likely inherited his pronounced ability to design unique and important patterns (important from the perspective of chemistry) from Edgar Dockter. Michael Bucknum's maternal grandmother was named Mary Falkenberg...the Falkenberg name was originally either Swedish (there is a town on Sweden's south coast with the name Falkenberg) or it may have been Germanic in origin. In any case Mary Falkenberg was from NYC (had relatives in NYC) and she was likely mostly of English descent. Based upon the zbMath archive, as cited above, Michael Bucknum may have gotten some mathematician genes from the Falkenberg line as well. But the "Ryan" contribution to Michael Bucknum's ability to do mathematics was likely the most profound contribution.