Adventurous Relatives in Our Past: Learning about Charlotte Saunders Cushman

Charlotte Cushman by William Page, 1853. National Portrait Gallery.

Waterford's calm serenity of this Memorial Day weekend could fool a new resident into thinking things are always this way! But regional historians know there's always another controversy or change brewing, because that's what "family" and "community" engage with.

A few months ago, I (Beth Kanell) was working on an assignment unrelated to Waterford history when I spotted the name Charlotte Saunders Cushman. Cushman is a Waterford name, so I stopped to look her up. It was a delight to discover she is a "relative" of Allen Hill, who gave the Waterford Historical Society a baking peel from the Streeter Tavern of long-vanished Upper Waterford; Charlotte was the 3-greats granddaughter of Thomas Cushman 1608-1691, who in turn was the great-great-grandfather of Soule Cushman (I) (1748-1795).

[For genealogy buffs: Charlotte Saunders Cushman 1816-1876, dau. of Elkanah Cushman 1769-1841 and Mary Saunders Cushman 1793-1865;  then Elkanah Cushman 1741-1776 and Mary Lathrop 1739-1792; then Elkanah Cushman 1706-1742 and Lydia Bradford 1719-1756; then Elkanah Cushman 1678-1715 and Hester Barnes 1682-1770; then Elkanah Cushman 1651-1727 and Elizabeth Cole 1657-1682; then Thomas Cushman 1608-1691 and Mary Allerton 1616-1699; and at last "Pilgrim" Robert Cushman 1577-1625 and Sarah Reder.]

In her time, Charlotte Cushman, a highly esteemed actress, often made the news and gossip publications. Not only was she extraordinary on stage, but she was an ardent feminist who chose her own lifestyle. When the New England Historical Society posted an article on her, they called her a "Cross-Dressing Tragedienne of the 19th Century." 

Cross-dressing wasn't new -- every Shakespearean play required it -- but Charlotte Cushman took her adventurous role into her own life. For the surprising story of the woman pictured so demurely in her portrait above, click here! As the saying goes, "There's nothing new under the sun." But don't we ever have time rediscovering that!

If you are a Waterford Cushman descendant, I hope you'll leave a message here to let us know whether Charlotte's story surprised you. 

For more Cushman material on this blog, click here. And to browse the blog (there's a white search box at the top left, click this: https://waterford-vt-history.blogspot.com.

NOTE: Here is a basic "backbone" tree of the Cushman family of Waterford, including Mr. Hill:

Cushman (first portion)

 

Thomas Cushman (1608-1691, b. Canterbury, England; d Plymouth MA) mar. Mary Allerton (1616-1699)

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Thomas Cushman (b Plymouth MA) 1637-1726 mar. Ruth Howland 1637-1726 (or 1646-79)

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Robert Cushman (1664-1757) mar. Persis Lewis (1671-1744)

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Joshua Cushman (1707-1764) mar. Mary Soule (1711-1750)

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Soule Cushman (I) (1748-1795) mar. Thankful Delano (1757-1814)

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Soule Cushman (II) (b. Littleton NH 1792) mar. Esther Hendrick (1799-1879) (Soule may have died “after 1850” in “Canada East”)

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Ezra Hendrick Cushman (1825-1888; his 1863 Civil War draft registration credits him to Concord VT) mar. Katherine Penelope Poppy Leavitt (her 2nd marriage; 1830-1904); they lived on the farm at the mouth of Chandler Brook

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Kate (Katherine Ellen) Cushman (1861-1964) (great-grandmother of Allen Hill, donor of Streeter Tavern baking peel) mar. George Morse (1853-1928), eldest child of John Morse (1805-1877) and Harriett Temple (1832-1876), who lived just over the line in Concord, VT

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Katherine Lyle Morse (1889-1981) mar. Allen Frank Hill (1882-1955); they lived in Littleton NH (Allen Hill’s grandmother)

Seasonal Desserts Take the Stage at Waterford Historical Society's Rhubarb Festival

Rhubarb used to be called "pie plant" in New England -- and today's cooks combine it with strawberries, or lemon juice, or butter and brown sugar, turning it into seasonal desserts that tickle the tastebuds.

Get your rhubarb treats the easy way by pre-ordering them from the Waterford Historical Society! They will be wrapped and ready for pick-up, safely and simply, on Saturday June 19 from 11 to 2, at White Birch Farm (aka the Begin Place), next to the junction of Routes 18 and 93.

Orders should be received by June 7 for the bakers to get busy; here's an order form for this delicious funraiser!

Discovering the History of YOUR House: Tip Sheet

Ever wondered about your own or a neighbor's "house history"? Did you know how to start figuring it out? The Waterford Historical Society presents how! 

House historian Lise Moran will describe her own discovery of the history of Linda and Ed Mitchell's house (6888 Route 18) and placing the house on the state register of historic places, this Wednesday May 19 at 6 pm, via Zoom. (If you didn't get the Zoom link via email from WHS, watch for it on Facebook or contact Helen or Beth.)

To get us all equipped to become house investigators, here is Lise's own Tip Sheet -- a revelation of where she looked, and where the story of your own house is waiting for you!

Where to Go to Research Your Historic House- May 19, 2021  

Waterford Historical Society

 

 Town Office vault in Lower Waterford –

 

 Deed research to form a chain backwards in time

 Hovey Lot and Range map of Waterford with original grantors (1820)

   

State of Vermont Division of Historic Resources – Montpelier, VT -

 

 Historic Sites & Structures Survey to request a copy

 Google aerial photography of your property

 

Vermont Historical Society, 60 Washington St. Barre, VT  (802) – 479-8500

 

County Atlas of Caledonia, Vermont.  New York:  F.W. Beers and Co, 1875.

H.F. Walling Map of Caledonia, County, VT.  New York:  Baker and Tilden, 1858.

Child, Hamilton.  Gazetteer of Caledonia and Essex Counties, VT 1764-1887

Hemenway, Abby Maria, editor. Vermont Quarterly Gazetteer, A Historical Magazine Caledonia County, No.  LV, October 1862.

Collection of old postcards, letters, articles, catalogued by town

 

Davies Memorial Library in Lower Waterford –

 

Goss, David Philip.  Abel Goss of Lower Waterford   (family genealogy)

C.E. Harris.  A Vermont Village.

Hopper, Gordon E.  Upper Waterford.    A Village Lost to Progress.

An Informal History of Waterford, Vermont    (Bicentennial Historical Committee 1976).

Yearly Town Reports of Waterford

 

General Research Books for documenting an Historic House -

 

Congdon, Herbert Wheaton.  Old Vermont Houses, 1946.

Light, Sally.  House Histories:  A Guide to Tracing the Genealogy of Your Home, 1989.

McAlester, Virginia Savage.  A Field Guide to American Houses,   2013.

Garvin, James.  A Building History of Northern New England, 2001.

Blake, Harrison.  The View from Vermont,   2006

Williams, Henry Lionel and Ottalie K.Williams.  Old American Houses, 1957.

  

Additional Sources   (family relationships and locations) –

 

United States Census Records -  www.census.gov 

1790 to present, after 1850 the head of the household is mentioned

Bird’s Eye Maps 

Aerial photography the United States Geological Survey maps

Cemetery records or gravestones ----find a grave

www.ancestry.com

Church records of the Congregational Church of Waterford, VT

 

Lise G. Moran    P.O. Box 97    Whitefield, NH  03598            lisemoran@yahoo.com

(772)  631-3458