Reverend Samuel Buell
Abraham G.D. Tuthill, 1798

Rev. Buell’s Windsor Armchair, circa 1780-1790

This brace-back Windsor armchair was once owned and liked by Rev. Buell and is the very chair Buell is depicted as sitting in while at work in his library in the 1785 Portrait of Reverend Samuel Buell.
From the Collection of the East Hampton Historical Society
Gift of Frances Gardiner Collins

East Hampton Star Photo,
October 24, 1935

Rev. Samuel Buell (1746-1798)

3RD MINISTER OF THE EAST HAMPTON CHURCH
1746-1798

The Reverend Samuel Buell was born in Coventry, Connecticut in 1716, educated at Yale University, and became pastor in in East Hampton in 1746. An early local intellectual leader and the only clergyman within 40 miles of East Hampton during the American Revolution. Rev. Buell served as minister of the village’s Presbyterian Church for 50 years.

Rev. Buell was an affluent resident of East Hampton. He owned property, slaves, livestock, and a home located on the corner of Buell Lane and Main Street (where the East Hampton Library now stands) filled with fine objects reflecting the latest fashions.

Samuel Buell married three times.  First, he married Jerusha Meacham (1714-1759) on October 12, 1746 in Coventry, Tolland Co., CT.  She was the daughter of Rev. Joseph Meacham and Ester Williams.  They had 4 children:  Abigail, Jerusha, Mehitable, and Hannah (1759-1759).   Second, in 1767 in East Hampton, NY he married a local girl, Mary Mulford (1736-1783).  Mary was the daughter of Elisha Mulford.  They had 2 children – Mary and Samuel ( ?-1787).  His third wife was Mary Miller, daughter of Jeremiah Miller of East Hampton, NY.  They were married in 1787 in East Hampton had had one child Jerusha. 

Together with several other wealthy residents, Rev. Buell created Clinton Academy in 1784-one of the first secondary schools to be opened in New York State and chartered by he Board of Regents after the war. The school was co-educational and accepted both young men and ladies, with students hailing from a broad range of locations such as Long Island, New York City, New jersey, Connecticut and as far away as the West Indies.

Rev. Buell died at the age of 82. He is buried in South End Cemetery, in East Hampton, overlooking Town Pond.

Rev. Buell’s Wig, circa 1750
Horsehair, human hair, cotton, silk

Reverend Buell’s Wig Box, circa 1750 Painted wood and leather

This continental oval-shaped box with painted floral decoration was used by Reverend Buell to store his white wig when not in use. Both the wig and storage case were passed down through many generations of the Hedges family in East Hampton until finally ending up preserved within the artifact collection of the East Hampton Historical Society around 1955. From the Collection of the East Hampton Historical Society
Gift of Ettie Hedges Pennypacker

Painted just weeks before his
death, this portrait of the Reverend Samuel Buell is one of the earliest known works by Long Island–born artist Abraham G.D. Tuthill (1777–1846)

Rev. Buell’s Table, circa 1780-1790
Mahogany, cherry & pine

This Pembroke table was used by Rev. Buell and is the exact table Buell is depicted as sitting at while at work in his library in the 1785 portrait of Reverend Samuel Buell. Is is distinguished by its small size and two drop leaves.Tables such as this were used for a variety of purposes in early America and were sometimes known as breakfast tables.
From the Collection of the East Hampton Historical Society
Gift of Rosalie Miller Swezy

Portrait of Samuel Buell (1716-1798), Oil on canvas, artist unknown, likely Connecticut River Valley, circa 1785
From the Collection of the East Hampton Historical Society

Rev, Buell’s wig is styled in the mode of the time that favored curly locks. As the only 18th century wig known to exist in the Unites States, Colonial Williamsburg became interested in Rev. Buell’s hairpiece in 1999. After 5 years of extensive study and microscopic analysis, trained wig makers determined that the inner section of the wig is made of white human hair while the outer curls consist of Chinese horsehair, with both attached to a cloth lining covered in silk. They also created replicas of the wig, one of which is displayed at Colonial Williamsburg’s wig maker shop.
From the Collection of the East Hampton Historical Society
Gift of Ettie Hedges Pennypacker

E.E. Eells, Rev. Career of Rev. Samuel Buell Here 1746-1798, East Hampton Star, East Hampton, NY (1935, July 11 & 18) p.2

Cummings, Mary, Rev. Samuel Buell was a Force in East Hampton for 52 Years, Patch, March 15, 2011, https://patch.com/new-york/easthampton/rev-samuel-buell-was-a-force-in-east-hampton-for-52-years

Meyer, Andrea, Library Item of the Week: Rev. Buell Makes the Most of a Loss, East Hampton Star, April 29, 2021, https://www.easthamptonstar.com/villages/2021429/library-item-week-rev-buell-makes-most-loss