Cushman (Y-DNA)

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Status summary

Completed as of September 29, 2020:

  • Recruiting direct male-line Cushman descendants for further SNP testing - anyone interested in submitting their DNA for testing should contact Raymond T. Wing (email: wing.genealogist AT gmail DOT com)


Still to do as of August 29, 2020

  • NGS/WGS test multiple Y-DNA descendants of Thomas Cushman to firmly place family clade as well as test descendants to discover any subclades unique to descendants lines


Biography

English Ancestry

An April 1914 NEHG Register article[1] documents the English ancestry of Thomas Cushman. The article starts with the will of John Crocheman, who apparently had no surviving children as he failed to list any in his will. The will does mention "Johane Crocheman my sister" and "my brother Thomas Crocheman" was his executor and residual beneficiary.

While not in the Register article, a website[2] states the Cranbrook, Kent parish register has the burial of Thomas Crouchman 14 Jun 1567. This website states his wife was possibly named Joan[3] and they may have had a daughter Anne as well as a son Thomas.

Going back to the Register article, the next generation was Thomas Cowchman/Couchman who originally lived in Hawkhurst, Kent, but was living in Rolveden, Kent in 1578, aged 40 years. This Thomas married Rolvenden, 18 Jul 1568, to Eleanor Hubbarde as well as Thomas' will, dated "Rolvinden" 10 Feb 1585/6 and proved 12 May 1586.

Robert Couchman aliasCushman married twice, first to Sara Reder at St Alphege parish church, Canterbury, 11 Jul 1606. She died in Leiden, Holland, and was buried on 11 Oct 1616.

First Generation

(Elder) Thomas Cushman was baptized at St. Andrew, Canterbury, Kent on 8 Feb 1607/8, son of (Deacon) Robert Cushman and Sara Reder. His father was the first of his family to spell his name "Cushman" as Robert was the son of Thomas "Couchman". The family soon moved to Holland to join the English Separatist movement there. Thomas and his father emigrated to New Plimouth in 1621 aboard the Fortune.


Second Generation

References

  1. New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 68 pp. 181-85 "Genealogical Research in England: Cushman" by Elizabeth French
  2. Cushmansite.com
  3. but it may simply be this is the "Johane Crocheman" mentioned in the will of John Crocheman above.

DNA results

Previous Y-DNA testing

The Cushman, Couchman surname DNA Project currently lists eight individuals as "Probable Descendants of Robert Cushman, of Kent"[1] All of the testers have only done Y-STR 37 testing to date. FTDNA predicts the family falls under R1b-M269. Plugging in the modal value for the family into the Nevgen Haplogroup Predictor[2] gives a prediction of: R1b DF27>ZZ12>ZZ41 with a 73.3% probability.[3]

Further needed testing

We need additional direct male-line descendants of Thomas Cushman to WGS/NGS test to both confirm the lineage as well as to refine the haplogroup further and delineate descendant clades.


  1. but the STR results appear to have far too wide of a spread (ie some have a GD of 10-12 at 37 markers) for them all to be descendants of Robert Cushman. It is much more likely only five or six of these eight individuals are actual Y-DNA descendants of Robert Cushman.
  2. Not set for ANY specific haplogroup, since we are only dealing with 37 STR markers
  3. The next highest prediction was R1b L21>DF13>CTS1751>Z17966 at 5%, but a 16% chance of it falling into a "unsupported clade".

Summary of findings

References & External Links

wikipedia article on Thomas Cushman

Cushmansite.com Cushman English Ancestry

New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 68 pp. 181-85 "Genealogical Research in England: Cushman" by Elizabeth French

Mayflower Quarterly, Sep 2013, pp. 226- "Robert Cushman, Mayflower Pilgrim in Canterbury 1596-1607" by Robert C. Cushman and Michael R. Paulick

Cushman, Joseph Augustine, The First Seven Generations of the Cushman Family in New England, 1964, (Bridgewater or Sharon), MA. Dorr's Print Shop