Cushing Family Notes

Matthew Cushing (1589-1660) of Hingham, Plymouth Co., Mass.

Ancestors and descendants of Matthew Cushing chr. 2 May 1589 at Hardingham, Norfolk, England; died 30 Sep 1660 at Hingham, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts; buried Old Ship Cemetery, Hingham, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts; married 5 Aug 1613 at Hingham, Norfolk, England to Nazareth Pitcher (1586-1682). Primary source for this family is The Genealogy of the Cushing Family, an account of the ancestors and descendants of Matthew Cushing, who came to america in 1638; Cushing, James S.; Montreal; 1905.

Matthew was son of Peter Cushing (abt 1562-1615) and Susan Hawes (abt1563-1641). Various publications take the line back to William Cushing b. circa 1378 and his son Thomas Cushing b. 1399 Hardingham, Norfolk,, England. Yet other publications take the Cushing line from William to his father or grandfather Galdrius Cusyn to Hrolf Nefja. I have not seen any source citations.

Ancestor connection: Elizabeth Cushing b. 18 JUL 1733; d. 1817; m. William King Sr. b. 24 Oct 1724 Worcester,,MA; d. 8 Nov 1793 Brattleboro,,VT. She dau. of Ebenezer Cushing (1710-1792) and Elizabeth Daniels.

From The Genealogy of the Cushing Family, an account of the ancestors and descendants of Matthew Cushing, who came to america in 1638; Cushing, James S.; Montreal; 1905:

Matthew Cushing, son of Peter Cushing married Nazareth Pitcher, daughter of Henry Pitcher, of the famous family of Admiral Pitcher of England. For the first fifty years of his life he lived in Hardingham and Hingham, Norfolk County, England, until 1638, when with his wife and five children, and his wife's sister (Widow Francis Riecroft, who died a few weeks after their arrival). He embarked in the ship "Diligent" of Ipswich, 350 tons, John Martin, master, which sailed from Gravesend, 26 April 1638, with 133 passengers, among whom was Robert Peck, M.A., Rector of the parish of Hingham, England. The immediate occasion of their departure seems to have been trouble in ecclesiastical matters. Their rector, doubtless with the sympathy and aid of most of those constituting the emigrating party, had pulled down the rails of chancel and altar, and leveled the latter a foot below the church, as it remains to this day. Being prosecuted by Bishop Wren, he left the Kingdom, together with his friends - who sold their estates at half their real value. The party, having landed at Boston Massachusetts, 10 August 1638, immediately proceeded to their destination, Hingham, Massachusetts, so named after the name of the former home of the Cushing family in England. At a town meeting held in 1638, a house lot of five acres, first below Pear Tree Hill, on Bachelor (Main) St., was given to Matthew Cushing, and it continued in the possession of the family until 1887. He was early engaged in the public affairs of the town, became a deacon in Rev. Hobart's church, and was the progenitor of many eminent descendants. It is now a pretty well established fact that, with the exception of a few families who have come to this country during the past century, all the persons bearing the surname of Cushing in the United States and Canada are his direct lineal descendants. His will, which was a verbal one, was written after his decease by his children, who, under date of 15 Nov., 1660, pray that Daniel Cushing, Esq., their oldest brother, may be appointed administrator of their father's estate. In his will all the children except Deborah, who married May 1648, Matthew Briggs, are named as living; and the share to his son-in-law was large.

Passengers:

Rev. Robert Peck, Mrs. Peck, Anne Peck, Joseph Peck, Joseph Peck, Mrs.
......Peck,
Edward Gillman, Mrs. Mary Gilman, Edward Gilman, Moses Gilman, Lydia
Gilman, Sarah Gilman, John Gilman,
John Folsom, Mrs. Mary Folsom, John Folsom,
Mrs. Christian Chamberlain, Henry Chamberlain, Mrs. .......Chamberlain,
.... Chamberlain, ....Chamberlain,
Stephen Gates, Mrs. Anne Gates, Elizabeth Gates, Mary Gates,
George Knights, Mrs.......Knights, ....Knights,
Thomas Cooper, Mrs. Cooper, ....Cooper, ....Cooper,
Francis James, Mrs. Elizabeth James,
Matthew Hawke, Mrs. Margaret Hawke,
Matthew Cushing, Mrs. Nazareth Cushing, Daniel Cushing, Jeremiah Cushing,
Matthew Cushing, John Cushing, Deborah Cushing,
Tohn Tufts,
Robert Skoulding,
Elizabeth Sayer, Mary Sayer,
John Fearing,
Philip James, Mrs. Jane James, ....James, ....James, ....James, ....James,

Stephen Paine, Mrs. Rose Paine, ....Paine, ....Paine, ....Paine,
....Paine,
John Sutton, Mrs. Elizabeth Sutton, Hannah Sutton, John Sutton, Jr.,
Nathaniel Sutton, Elizabeth Sutton,
Mrs. Joan Lincoln, Stephen Lincoln, Mrs. ....Lincoln, Stephen Lincoln,
Jr.,
Samuel Packer, Mrs. Elizabeth Packer, ....Packer,
Henry Smith, Mrs. Judith Smith, John Smith, Henry Smith, Daniel Smith,
Judith Smith, Elizabeth Smith,
Bozoun Allen, Mrs. Anne Allen,
William Ripley, Mrs. ....Ripley, Mary Ripley, John Ripley, Abraham Ripley,
Sarah Ripley,
Thomas Sucklin,
Richard Baxter,
William Pitts,
Edward Mitchell,
James Buck,
John Morfield,
Thomas Lincoln,
Jeremiah Moore,
and about 20 servants.

From Planters of the Commonwealth; C.E. Banks; Boston; 1930:

Upon the lot now occupied by Dr. Robbins at the foot of Pear-tree Hill, a few rods north of his residence, Matthew Cushing, who died in 1660 at seventy-one years of age, the progenitor, probably, of all the families of that name in the United States, had established the home which remained uninterruptedly in the family until 1887; and here still lived his wife, who died subsequently to the war, aged ninety-six, his son Daniel, then and until his death town clerk, and one of the wealthy men of the period, and Matthew a grandson, afterwards lieutenant and captain. Not far away Matthew Cushing senior's daughter Deborah lived with her husband, Matthias Briggs, while on the opposite side of the street, at what is now the Keeshan place, Daniel the younger, a weaver by trade, established a home and reared a large family. The Cushings were shopkeepers in addition to their other occupations, and probably the little end shop built onto the dwelling on either side of the street contained articles of sale and barter,--produce and pelts and West India goods and ammunition. We may suppose that these small centres of trade, together with the tannery in the immediate vicinity, gave quite a little air of business to the neighborhood,--forming indeed the primitive exchange of the period.

MATTHEW, Hingham 1638, from Hingham in Norfolk County. Son of Peter, born in 1588, the year of the Spanish Armada, married 5 August 1613, Nazareth Pitcher, had, as by register of old Hingham appears, Daniel, baptized 20 April 1619; Jeremiah, 1 January 1621; Matthew, 5 April 1623; Deborah, 17 February 1625; and John, whose baptism is, I believe, omitted and I have heard, that it was in a neighboring parish; came in the Diligent, embarked at Gravesend, 26 April and landed at Boston 10 August 1638, with that wife and those children He is the ancestor of all the myriads of this name in New England and thence indefinitely spread; and died 30 December 1660. His widow died 1681, aged 95, as is said. Her sister widow Frances Ricroft came in the same voyage, but died in few weeks after arriving. In his will all the children except Deborah, who married May 1648, Matthew Briggs, are named as living; and the share to this son-in-law was large.

Primary sources:

• The Genealogy of the Cushing Family, an account of the ancestors and descendants of Matthew Cushing, who came to america in 1638; Cushing, James S.; Montreal; 1905. In January 2011, I found the scanned copy available for free download in various formats:
  Genealogy of the Cushing Family ... @ archive.org - main page:
  • Genealogy of the Cushing Family ... @ archive.org - pdf version direct download
  • Genealogy of the Cushing Family ... @ archive.org - text version direct download
  • Genealogy of the Cushing Family ... @ archive.org - epub version direct download

• The History of the Town of Hingham, Massachusetts: the Genealogies, George Lincoln, Town of Hingham, 1893, 1982 reprint of Vol 2 & 3. (have not seen.) January 2011: downloadable copies online TBA

• Cushing, Barbara Cushing Walker; October, 1996. (have not seen.)

• Scituate Genealogy - David Payne-Joyce Web site. A most excellent site with a wealth of information, focus on Scituate families. Family of Col. John Cushing Esq. (1662-1738) & Sarah Hawke Information about various Cushing line, but focus on Mathew Cushing and Nazareth Pitcher, descendants and ancestors. Original website was www geocities com/wrcushing/index.html : "Genealogy of the Cushing Family" - Geocities . As of October 22, 2009, all Geocities websites closed. Following appears to be the updated replacement: "Genealogy of the Cushing Family" - @ Rootsweb Free Pages

• "Janny's Home Page" - Jan Johnson As of January 2011 - site not found.

• Scott & Kathryn (Leedom) Ives Genealogy Home Page

  Takes the Cushing line all the way from Ebenezer (1710-1792) through William Cushing (1377/8-) through Galdrius Cusyn to Hrolf Nefja. As of January 2011 - site not found.

• See also online History of Hingham Massachusetts 1893 Has surname index with HUGE number of references to Cushing surname. Cushing is a separate file in the genealogy/family history section. As of January 2011 - site not found.

• Menserve Family which shows Daniel Cushing b. 23JUL1648 Hingham, MA; d. 5 May 1716; m. Elizabeth Thaxter; whose line is likely related but connection not shown. As of January 2011 - site not found.

Secondary sources:

• The Forebears of George Oscar King (1842-1917); Norman Thomas King Newton; 1978.