CUMMINGS, Thomas Deacon

Notes:

Thomas was one of the proprietors of the town of Dunstable, New Hampshire, and had a tract of land measuring 1-1/2 miles by 40 rods, east of Hills Meadow (now in Hudson, New Hampshire). Deacon Thomas Cummings was an early settler of Dunstable. Jan. 3, 1712. He was among several persons to whom William Brattle deeded some 2000 acres. In 1718. He owned 125 acres of the Brattle Farm in that town. He was a carpenter by trade. He was elected deacon of the church. He lived perhaps in the southern part of the old town of Dunstable, as his son joined in 1733 in a remonstrance against the location of the meeting house in the northern part of the town, near the old site. He was buried at the cemetery near what is now called Little's station, which is north of the Massachusetts state line. The inscription reads: "Here lyes the body of Deacon Thomas Cummings, aged 64 y. 17 d. Deceased Jan 20, 1722-3."
Thomas was in Boston for several years, for whom William Mumford, stone-cutter, became surety, July 19, 1694. Two children's births are on record there to Thomas and Priscilla. During the Indian disturbances, many of the inhabitants of Dunstable were obliged to find refuge elsewhere. In 1696, two-thirds of the settlers had fled, and in 1699 only 20 heads of families remained.

Thomas married WARNER, Pricilla 19 Dec 1688. Pricilla (daughter of WARNER, John and SYMONDS, Pricilla) was born 25 Sep 1666, Ipswich, Essex County, Massachusetts; died Aft 1725. [Group Sheet]

Mary — FARWELL, Oliver Lieutenant. Oliver was born 1691; died 5 Sep 1724, Naticook, New Hampshire. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

From "The Cummings Memorial, A Genealogical History of the Descendants ofIsaac Cummings, An E arly Settler of Topsfield, Massachusetts", compiledby Rev. George Mooar, New York, 1903:

Deacon Jonathan Cummings . . He settled in what is Merrimac, New Hampshire, on afarm known later as th e Wm. McKeen place. It was then in the bounds ofNaticook (Litchfield), which included the ea st and west sides of theriver, but is was set Merrimac in 1746. He was selectman in Litchfie ldin 1744; moderator of the first town meeting in Merrimac and selectmanthere, 1748-49-51 ; member of the Merrimac Church at it formation in1771; elected deacon, Nov. 2, 1772.

A Susanna Cummings married March 26, 1778, Capt. Thomas Barnes, whosefirst wife Rachel died 1 771. He died 1805. Was this Jonathan'sdaughter, or his son Joseph's widow?

From A.O. Cummins:

He bought about 6000 acres of land in Merrimac about two miles west ofThornton's Ferry, and t here settled. Sold a part but kept a large farmbordering on Naticook pond. Very good land b ut considerably uneven. Hewas one of the founders of the church in Merrimac, and one of th e firsttwo deacons. Was a leading man in the affairs of the town, and a deaconmany years. T he births of his children are recorded in the old Dunstablerecords. (This was when Merrima c was a part of Dunstable.)

Jonathan was the 'kinsman of Lovewell's 3rd Expedition who was toaccompany his kinsman, Willi am Cummings home.

From NEGHR, Vol. 63, July 1909, page 296, within an article aboutLovewell's Men on the 3r d & final expedition, by Ezra Scollay Stearns,A.M., of Fitchburg, MA:

"WILLIAM CUMMINGS, son if John & Elizabeth (Kinsley) Cummings . ..enlisted from Dunstable, an d it is stated by Symmes that on the outwardmarch at Contoocook he became disabled by a woun d previously received,and was sent home in care of a kinsman. . . .

"JONATHAN CUMMINGS, son of Dea. Thomas and Priscilla (Warner) Cummings .. . enlisted from Dun stable. On the outward march, 'when they came asfar as Coontoocook' Jonathan Cummings was de tailed to assist his kinsmanWilliam Cummings to his home. They were cousins, and were the on lyrepresentatives of the Cummings family who were grantees of Suncook. . .. The misstatemen t of Judge Potter that Josiah Cummings was the soldierwho was sent home with his kinsman Will iam Cummings is repeated in theCummings genealogies. In an official list of sixty-two men wh o served inthe second expedition under Capt. Lovewell, but did not serve in thethird expediti on, is found the name of Josiah Cummings. This list wasprepared by a committee of the Genera l Court. (See Massachusetts.Archives, Vol. 72, p. 367) On account of service in the seconde xpedition he was a grantee of Voluutown, now Petersham. Josiah Cummingswas a son of Abraha m and Sarah (Wright) Cummings. . . He was a cousin ofJonathan and of William Cummings."

Jonathan married BLANCHARD, Elizabeth Abt 1726. Elizabeth was born 19/19 Jan 1704/1705; died 28 May 1774, Hillsboro County, New Hampshire. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Ephraim settled on land in the south easterly part of what is now Hudson (Nottingham West), on land that had been laid out to his father and grandfather as part of their share of the proprietary lands of the town of Dunstable more than 40 years earlier.

Ephraim's home was located on the south side of Bush Hill at the bottom of a long descent on the south side of the present highway. It seems likely that Ephraim settled there about the time of his marriage in 1732.

The incorporation of the town of Nottingham took place in 1770. He was one of the prominent early citizens of the town.

He was moderator of annual town meetings in 1762 and 1763, and was a member of the board of selectmen in 1756, 57, 62, 63 and 1766, he was a delegate to the General Court of New Hampshire, in 1760.

We find no record of the death of Ephraim or of that of his wife Elizabeth. He died about March 9, 1771, according to the diary of Nathaniel Merrill, who made Ephraim's coffin, and he gave the date of Ephraim's funeral as March 11, 1771.
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Recorded information regarding Ephraim:
1. His name appears on the tax list of Nottingham West,1733. ( History of Hudson, N.H., p. 95 )

2. In 1737 he received 2 pounds for providing breakfast at the ordination of Rev. Nathaniel Merrill.

3. He and Elizabeth sold land in1740.

4. Oct. 29, 1746 Warrant issued for Ephriam Cummings and Robert Evans to appraise the estate of Phineas Spaulding. He signed the inventory on Nov. 7, 1746. (Probate Records Of The Province Of new Hampshire Volume 3 1741-1749 • New Hampshire Wills • 1746 ).

Ephraim married BUTLER, Elizabeth 1732, Nottingham West, New Hampshire. Elizabeth (daughter of BUTLER, John Deacon and WILSON, Elizabeth) was born 4 Sep 1704, Woburn, Middlesex County, Massachusetts; died Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet]

Peter married RICHARDSON, Sarah 22 Nov 1763. [Group Sheet]

Peter married HAGGET, Abigail 20 Mar 1780, Andover, Essex County, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet]

Sarah married PAGE, Samuel 30 Mar 1758, Nottingham West (Hudson), New Hampshire. Samuel (son of PAGE, Abraham Capt. and WORTHEN, Judith) was born 30 Dec 1729, Haverhill, Essex County, Massachusetts; died 6 Dec 1821, Swanzey, Cheshire County, New Hampshire. [Group Sheet]

David — BUTTERFIELD, Elizabeth. Elizabeth was born 1742; died 28 Jun 1793, Nottingham West, Hillsboro County, New Hampshire. [Group Sheet]

Elizabeth — HAZELTON, Nathaniel. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

From Mooar:

He lived in Hudson, New Hampshire, but after the birth, apparently, of the first twochildren, removed t o Swanzey, New Hampshire where the remaining children wereregistered. Mrs. Cummings was the daughter o f Rev. Nathaniel Merrill,the first settled minister of Hudson, who was settled Nov. 30, 1737 , andcontinued till his death in 1796. Mr. Cummings lived on the farm onwhich, in 1889, Mr . Benjamin Read was living. He may be the EphraimCummings who, from Keene and vicinity, wa s a soldier at Ticonderoga, June29, 1777, and the next month at Bennington.

Ephraim married MERRILL, Betty Bradstreet 8 Sep 1768. Betty was born 6 Sep 1741, Nottingham West, New Hampshire; died 23 Apr 1801. [Group Sheet]

Hannah married CUMMINGS, Joseph 1768. Joseph was born 15 Oct 1742, Nottingham West, Hillsboro County, New Hampshire; died Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet]

Priscilla — LUND, Jonathan Jr. [Group Sheet]

Sarah married MATTHEWS, Ephraim 16 Apr 1782. Ephraim was born , Keene, New Hampshire. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Source 1 : Thetford Vital Records Vol. 2, page 28

All children s births are recorded here except for the oldest child.
Child : Abraham's death recorded April 3, 1803
Father : Abraham died at the age of 38 on November 28, 1799

Abraham married BELDING, Charlotte 26 Nov 1786. (daughter of BELDING, Samuel) [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Ephraim lived in the house of Alonzo Ballou across from the Old Page homestead in Swanzey, New Hampshire. He had a Daughter who married Bela Child of Thetford, Vermont.

Ephraim married BELDING, Sarah 6 May 1788. Sarah was born Abt 1767; died 21 Mar 1847, Swanzey, Cheshire County, New Hampshire. [Group Sheet]

Elizabeth married HAZELTINE, Solomon 5 Jul 1787. [Group Sheet]

Polly married APPLIN, Thomas 24 Nov 1794. Thomas was born 1763; died 1840. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Shortly after his 17th birthday Samuel and Isabel were married in Swanzey, New Hampshire.
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Samuel bought land in Thetford, Orange County, Vermont about 6 years later. First on September 16, 1794, then October 1, 1794 and finally on July 10, 1796 next to his brother Abraham & his wife Charlotte. Samuel's brother Ephraim had a daughter that married into a Thetford family.
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The 1800 finds Samuel living in Thetford, Orange Co., Vermont as follows;
Page Saml.
Males:
3, age 0<10
1, age 26-44
Females
1, age 0<10
1, age 26-44
Note Samuel's sister-in-law Charlotte Page was just a few doors down with her family.
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The 1810 finds Samuel living in Thetford, Orange Co., Vermont as follows;
Sam'l Padge
Males:
1, age 10-15
2, age 15-25
1, age 45<
Females
1, age 10-15
1, age 15-25
1, age 45<
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There was a Samuel Page on the 1820 Russell, St. Lawrence Co., New York census.
Males:
3, age 0-10
2, age 16-26
1, age 45 and over
Females:
1, age 0-10
1, age 10-16
1, age 26-45
1, age 45 and over
and, 3 persons engaged in commerce.
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Samuel's family moved to the Canton, St. Lawrence Co., New York area and he was shown as living in Canton near his son Asa and half brother Isaac, in the 1830 Census. The census was recorded as follows;
Samuel Paige
Males:
2, age 15<20
1, age 20<30
1, age 30<40
1, age 50<60 (Samuel)
Females:
1, age 15<20
2, age 20<30
1, age 50<60
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The 1840 census shows Samuel Paige and family as follows:
Males:
1, age 5-9
1, age 60-69
Females:
1 age 20-29
1 age 30-39
1 age 60-69
Total: 5,
3 of whom are engaged in manufacturing and trades (more than likely brick making).
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Samuel died of consumption, January 31, 1846 (ae 74 yrs 7 mos 21 days) and was buried at Brick Chapel Cemetery, Canton, New York. His obituary, printed on Feb. 10, 1846 by the "St. Lawrence Co., Newspaper" stated that he was a native of New Hampshire and that he had resided in St. Lawrence Co. for the last 28 years. This statement indicates the family probably moved to St. Lawrence Co., New York in about 1818.

Samuel married FOLLETT, Isabel 15 Jul 1788, Swanzey, Cheshire County, New Hampshire. Isabel (daughter of FOLLETT, Joseph and WHIPPLE, Sibel) was born 16 Nov 1770, Cumberland, Providence County, Rhode Island; died 28 Jul 1851, Canton, Saint Lawrence, New York, Unites States. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Ezekiel was a prominent farmer on the Old Page homestead at the north end of Swanzey, New Hampshire. He was a Major in the NH Militia and served in the War of 1812.

Ezekiel married THOMPSON, Olive 14 Apr 1802, Swanzey, Cheshire County, New Hampshire. Olive was born 17 Jul 1781, Swanzey, Cheshire County, New Hampshire; died 19 Aug 1868, Swanzey, Cheshire County, New Hampshire. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

David was a machinist and lived at Factory Village, New Hampshire.

David — JACKSON, Lucy. Lucy was born , Guilford, New Hampshire. [Group Sheet]