"1627. At a public Court held on the 22d of May, it is considered by the whole company, that the cattle which were the company's, to wit, the cows and the goats should be equally divided by lot to all persons of the same company." The cattle and goats were, therefore, divided into twelve lots, and thirteen persons appointed to each lot. The eleventh lot fell to Gov. Bradford and those with him, among whom was Thomas Cushman, then in the 20th year of his age. "To this lot fell an heifer of the last year, which was of the great white back cow that was brought over in the Ann,1 and two she goats." Jan. 1, 1633. These following were admitted into the freedom of the society, viz: Mr. William Collins, Thomas Willett, John Cooke and Thomas Cushman." He was then twenty-five or twenty-six years of age. July 1, 1634. "At a generall Court holden before the Governor and Councill, Thomas Cushman plantife agaynst John Combe, Gent. defendant, being cast and adiudged to pay the sayd summe of ten pounds to the plaintife or his Assigns at or before the first of Aug. or else to deliver to him a sufficient cow cafe weaned or weanable."2 1635. Thomas Cushman first served as a Juryman. About the year 1635 or 36 he m. Mary Allerton, the third child of Isaac Allerton, who came over in the Mayflower in 1620.3 (See appendix A. for a full biographical notice of Isaac Allerton and his family.) In that matrimonial relation they lived together the long period of fifty-five years: she surviving him nearly ten years. In 1637 there was granted "to Thomas Cushman the remaynder of the marsh before the house he liveth in wch Mrs. Fuller doth not vse and the little pcell at the wading place on the other side Joanes River." It is supposed that he removed to Jones The first cattle imported from England were "a bull and three heifers," by Edward Winslow, in 1624. Plymouth Colony Records; Court Order 3, vol. 1. From Thomas and his wife Mary and their descendants, have come all the Cushmans in the United States, except those mentioned in Appendix E. They are, therefore, of full blood Puritan stock; both their paternal and maternal ancestors having been among the Pilgrims who settled at Plymouth. River (now Kingston) about this time, which was not long after he was married, and that there he lived and died. 1645, he purchased "Prence's farm" at Jones River (now "Rocky Nook," in Kingston,) by exchanging land at Sowams1 for it, for £75. It was first owned by his father-in-law, Isaac Allerton. The exact locality of his house is now pointed out, and a spring of water near it has for many years received the cognomen of "the Elder's Spring," from Elder Thomas Cushman, whose house stood near it. It is located in that part of Kingston now called "Rocky Nook," about fifty rods northerly from the present traveled highway, on the border of the marsh. A description and the boundaries of the land as given in the early Colony Records, show, beyond a doubt, that the tradition respecting that spring and the location of the Elder's House, must be correct. Men and things have changed in the course of two hundred years: yet the topography of that vicinity remains the same. The Elder's Spring" is often visited by antiquarians, and by those who have sprung from the stock of the Pilgrims, and who venerate their deeds. The writer of this has drank from that pure spring, where his venerable ancestor allayed his thirst in days of yore; and he hopes he has thus become inspired with something of the Pilgrim's faith, and a fearless determination, to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience and judgment;" and in the strong and emphatic language of another,2 "has sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." In 1649, the office of Ruling Elder of the Church at Plymouth, having become vacant by the death of the venerable Elder Brewster, Thomas Cushman was appointed to that office and continued in it to his death, a period of over forty-three years. He was ordained to that office by appropriate ceremonies and religious services, on Friday the 6th of April, 1649. In order to show the importance of the office of Ruling Elder, that was held for so long a period by our worthy ancestor, we give, from Prince's Chronology, the following summary of the 1 On Naragansett Bay in Rhode Island. Thomas Jefferson's letter to Dr. Rush, dated at Monticello, Virginia, Sept. 23, 1800. religious tenets of the Plymothean Fathers, so far as they relate to Church government: "They maintained that every Christian congregation ought to be governed by its own laws, without depending on the jurisdiction of Bishops, or being subject to the authority of Synods, Presbyteries, or any ecclesiastical assembly whatever. They maintained that the inspired scriptures only contain the true religion, and that every man has the right of judging for himself and worshipping according to his apprehension of the meaning of them. "Their officers were PASTORS or teaching Elders, who have the power of overseeing and teaching, and of administering the sacraments, &c. "2d, RULING ELDERS who are to help the Pastor in ruling and overseeing. "3d, DEACONS who are to take care of the treasury of the Church; distribute to the needy and minister at the Lord's Table." We thus see that Thomas Cushman held a highly responsible and important office in the hierarchy of the Plymouth Colony. April 4, 1654. Mrs. Sarah Jenny' of Plymouth, by her Will, gave "To Elder Cushman the Bible which was my daughter Susannah's." From an "Account of the Church of Christ in Plymouth, by John Cotton, Esq., a member, published in 1760," we take the following statement of the duties and character of Elder Thomas Cushman: "About four or five years after Mr. Brewster's death, (he d. Tuesday, 16 April, 1644,) the Church chose Mr. Thomas Cushman as his successor in the office of Ruling Elder, son of that servant of Christ, Mr. Robert Cushman, who had been their chief agent in transacting all their affairs in England, both before and after their leaving of Holland, till the year 1625. And this his son, inheriting the same spirit and being completely qualified, with gifts and graces, proved a great blessing to the Church; assisting Mr. Rayner not only in ruling, catechising and visiting, but also in public teaching, as Mr. Brewster had done before him it being the professed principle of this Church in their first formation to choose none for governing Elders, but such as 1 The wife of John Jenny, who came over in the ship Ann, in 1623. He was a member of Rev. Mr. Robinson's Church, at Leyden. * Pastor of the Church at Plymouth. are able to teach;" which abilities (as Mr. Robinson observes in one of his letters) other reformed churches did not require of their Ruling Elders." Extract from a Deed of land: "Two acres of marsh meadow bee it more or lesse lying before the house and land of the Elder Cushman at Joaneses Rieuer next vnto a pcell of meadow which was Phineas Prats."1 March 29, 1653. Ousamequin (Massasoit) and his oldest son Wamsitto convey by deed a tract of land in Rehoboth to Thomas Prence, Thomas Cushman and others, for which they pay the sum of thirty-five pounds sterling. This is another evidence of the justice of our fathers. They showed their faith by their works. "About the year 1650 to 1660 the Quakers proved very troublesome to the Church and subverted many. The Lord was pleased to bless the endeavors of their faithful Elder, Mr. Cushman, in concurrence with several of the abler brethren, to prevent the efficacy of error and delusion; and (though destitute of a Pastor) the body of the Church were upheld in their integrity and in a constant opposition to their pernicious tenets. And we desire, say the records, that the good providence of God herein. may never be forgotten, but that the Lord may have all the praise and glory thereof; for how easily might these wolves in sheep's clothing have ruined this poor flock of Christ, if the Lord had not interposed by his almighty power and goodness; improving this our good elder as a special instrument in this worthy work, both by teaching the will of God every Lord's day, for a considerable time, plainly, powerfully and profitably; and seconding the same by a blameless life and conversation." "After Rev. Mr. Rayner left, the worship of God was carried on by their Elder, Mr. Cushman, assisted by some of the brethren: insomuch that not one Sabbath passed without two public meetings."2 Elder Cushman, having been raised and educated in the family of Gov. Bradford, was ever his intimate and confidential friend. He was, therefore, the principal witness to his Will, which was proved at Plymouth, June 3, 1657. The Governor's estate was also inventoried by Thomas Cushman. June 30, 1669. Mr. John Cotton, Jr., son of the famous 1 Plymouth Records. * Cotton's Account of Plymouth Church. Rev. John Cotton, Pastor of the first Church in Boston, was ordained as Pastor of the first Church in Plymouth. "Elder Thomas Cushman gave the charge and the aged Mr. John Howland (whose daughter had married his son, Thomas Cushman, Jr.) was appointed by the Church to join in imposition of hands."1 "The Ruling Elder (Cushman) with the new Pastor, made it their first special work to pass through the whole town, from family to family to enquire into the state of souls." The following is a fac-simile of the signatures of Elder Cushman and of his minister, Rev. Mr. Cotton, written in the year 1782. John Cotton Pasturez The first volume of the records of the first Church at Plymouth, contains the following notice of Elder Cushman's death: "1691. It pleased God to seize upon our good Elder, Mr. Thomas Cushman, by sickness, and in this year to take him from us. He was chosen and ordained Elder of this Church, April 6, 1649; he was neere 43 yeares in his office, his sicknesse lasted about eleven weeks; he had bin a rich blessing to this church. scores of yeares, he was grave, sober, holy and temperate, very studious and solicitous for the peace and prosperity of the church and to prevent and heale all breaches: He dyed, December 11, neare the end of the 84th yeare of his life; December 16: was kept as a day of humiliation for his death, the Pastor prayed and preached. Mr. Arnold and the Pastor's 2 sons asisted in prayer; much of God's presence went away from this church when this blessed Pillar was removed." 'It was for a time the practice in Congregational ordinations for laymen to bear a part in the solemnities, by laying on of hands. Dr. Elliott in his Biographical Dictionary, gives us the following anecdote: When Israel Chauncy, son of the President, was ordained minister of Stratford, Conn., in 1665, one of the lay brothers, in laying on hands, forgot to take off his mitten, and this was ridiculed by the Episcopalians by styling it the leather mitten ordination. - Dr. Thacher's History of Plymouth. |