Who was Dr. Gershom Bulkeley in The Witch of Blackbird Pond?

is a childrens novel
written by . It was published in 1958 but is set in late 17th-century New England.

The Reverend Gersholm Bulkeley was a real-life 17th-century figure who was born in
Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1635. He was a physician as well as a Christian minister. He was
also a graduate of Harvard University, receiving his bachelor's degree in 1655 and his master's
degree in 1658.

Reverend Bulkeley appears in The Witch of Blackbird
Pond as the tutor of John Holbrook. He specializes in both medicine and theology.
Bulkeley was a royalist, unlike most of the other major characters in the story. But, political
views are put aside when his medical skills are used to help those in need. Despite being
described by Matthew Wood as a hypocrite and a whited sepulcher!, he still helps to save the
life of Matthews daughter, Mercy.