FOURTH GENERATION

14. William Henry CUSHMAN ⁽⁷⁹⁾⁽¹⁴⁾⁽⁸⁰⁾⁽⁸¹⁾ (photo) (more photos) was born on 19 Nov 1834 in New Bedford, Bristol Co., MA.⁽⁸²⁾ [Richard Cushman states that William was "born in the year 1820."] He died on 7 Jan 1911 in Chrome, Glenn Co., CA. [Some family material has date of death as 6 Jan 1911, however official death certificate recorded in Willows, CA, gives date of death as 7 Jan. Cause of death on certificate was "Lobar pneumonia."] He was buried on 9 Jun 1911 in Crematorium, Oakland, Alameda Co., CA. He was cremated in Oakland, Alameda Co., CA. The 1850 census indicates that, as a 16 year old, he was living in Dartmouth, MA, with a Sherman family (possibly the parents of Allen who was married to William's older sister Maria). (Hubbard letter, 1999)
    "It is presumed that he was brought up in an agrarian Economic position because he pursued this occupation throughout his life. In 1861 (or 1863), he married Harriet Robinson and on the same day, departed from New Bedford, Massachusetts by ship to California. The ship, by way of ("Cape Horn" crossed out, "Panama" inserted), docked at San Francisco. Here he lived for a short time until his brother arrived to accompany him up the Sacramento River. They made their home at ("Willows" crossed out, "Chrome" inserted), California. Here they made their living by planting orchards and raising sheep and goats. He was listed in the 1870 census as a "sheep raiser" in Stoney Creek township." (Richard Cushman) "Grandpa Cushman," as the family story is recalled by Doris Carter, was very poor when a child and had to work in the woolen mills in MA. He worked under the looms trimming clippings. One cold day he was wearing a scarf which got caught in the machinery and nearly choked him to death. He was around 8 years old at the time. After he married he brought his new wife out to CA where they homesteaded near his brother who had settled at Chrome earlier. He often wore a black cap to keep his head warm as he was bald. He was described as a "nice, gentle man." According to a paper written by his great granddaughter, Claire Wheeler Johnson, William was listed as a farmer in the 1850 census. (Actually he was listed as a "sheep raiser" in the 1870 census and as a "farmer" in the 1900 census.) He and his new wife "took a steamer from the east coast to Panama where they reported riding a mule part of the way." They then traveled to San Francisco and up the Sacramento River to the town of Tehama which was the northern port at the time. His brother, Lysander, met them there and took them by horse drawn wagon to their new home in Glenn County.
    His obituary in The Willows Review, 13 Jan 1911, stated that he was "one of the pioneer residents of the western part of Glenn county," and further that he "died at his home near Millsaps post-office last Saturday morning after a short illness. His death was entirely unexpected and came as a surprise and shock to his friends and relatives. For many years Mr. Cushman has been living in the western part of the county on his farm next to Chrome mountain. He has always taken an active part in the life of his community and was highly respected by all who knew him." Another unidentified obituary indicated that "Mr. and Mrs. Cushman visited their daughter, Mrs. J.W. Birch, in Orland Christmas week and it seems that the trip home by way of Willows and Elk Creek was rather severe on Mr. Cushman and he contracted a severe cold. This developed into pneumonia, which after a brief illness caused his death Saturday morning about three o'clock. Mrs. Birch and a brother, accompanied by Dr. Goldman, arrived at the bedside during the night, but it was too late to be of any assistance. The body was taken to Oakland for cremation according to a wish expressed by the deceased."
    According to copies of his homestead papers dated 1882 (furnished by Bonnie Hubbard) he homesteaded 160 acres with the following legal description: south east quarter of Section 31,Township 22 north, Range 6 west, Mt. Diablo Meridian. In these documents he stated the following: "I purchased house on land and established my actual residence on land 10 April 1865. Have house of 7 rooms, barn, well, orchard, sheds, corrals & fencing. Value $2000.00." He further indicated that he cultivated 80 acres and raised crops of grain each season. The final official homestead grant certificate was dated 20 Nov 1882. The 1878 - Appeal Directory for Colusa Co. listed him as a farmer with 452 acres.
    He had the unhappy task of serving on the jury in the Colusa Co. trial of Ho An Hueng (called Hong Di) in June of 1887. Written up in some California history books as part of the anti-Chinese campaign of the late 1800's, this jury declared Hong Di guilty of murdering a white woman but contrary to public sentiment of the time sentenced him only to life imprisonment. However Hong Di was taken and hanged by a mob and the jury was widely criticized for not giving him the death penalty.
    He was married to Harriet (L.?) Stratton ROBINSON on 10 Mar 1863 in Bristol, Hartford Co., CT. [Have copy of Marriage License & Intention of Marriage.]

15. Harriet (L.?) Stratton ROBINSON ⁽¹⁴⁾⁽²⁷⁾⁽¹⁵⁾⁽⁸³⁾⁽³⁶⁾⁽⁴³⁾ (photo) (more photos) was born on 27 Aug 1839 in Bristol, Hartford Co., CT. [Listed as age 28 in 1860 census which would place birth year closer to 1834; 1870 census lists age as 30 which would agree more with the 1839 year of birth. Official death certificate on file in Willows, CA, gives birth year as 27 Aug 1839 and death at age 95 years 1 month 21 days.] She died on 18 Oct 1934 in Orland, Glenn Co., CA. [Cause of death listed on the official death certificate was "Softening of the brain" with other contributory causes of importance being "Arteroscloris" (sic).]

She was buried on 19 Oct 1934 in Oakland, Alameda Co., CA. One family source gives a middle initial of "L" but most sources refer to her as Harriet S. or Harriet Stratton. She is listed in CT 1860 Census as living with parents. She was from Connecticut and at age 23 she is indicated on her marriage license as "of Bristol." Family lore indicates that because she lived in CT, where the winters were cold and she was described as always being "delicate" -- she had to get out of that climate or she "would go into TB." While she came to CA with her new husband to homestead she had to be "very careful" with her health and "had an easy life because she was delicate." She did, however, bear and raise 4 children and lived to the age of 95. (Doris Carter Tape) She has been described as being "a very stiff formal prudish woman." (Claire 1991) She reportedly told family members that she rode a mule across the Isthmus of Panama when coming to California. When she and husband arrived from the east and traveled up the Sacramento River to Tehama, her husband's brother, Lysander, met them to take them by wagon to their new home in Chrome. It was a long and dusty trip. On the way, the countryside was dotted with small wooden shacks. As told by Lysander, Harriet stated she "would never live in a place like that." Her new brother-in-law replied, "That's just where you're going to live." She reportedly taught for a short time in the Floyd School, which is now located under the Black Butte Reservoir west of Orland. Cousin Holly Spurlock further adds that this school site was a long way from the Cushman home place, so "they may have stayed with Lysander before they got the home place (as) Lysander's place was much closer to the Floyd School. During her later years she lived in a "nice little cottage" across the street from the Birch home in Orland. Later, when her mental condition deteriorated, she was moved into the Birch home. She reportedly dressed up and said that she was "waiting for Henry Peck." Apparently Henry Peck was a beau from her youth. Quoting from a letter from Claire Johnson: "Henry Peck was a real person, 1 yr. older than Grandma & very well to do. Did they have a spat or did he marry & she married on the rebound? We'll never know but the 1860 census states she was a hoop skirt maker. She had several brothers and sisters. The oldest died at 46 of arsenic poisoning; she was a dress maker." She was listed in the Bristol, CT, 1860 census as a "Hoopskirt Maker."
An unidentified obituary from a family scrapbook provided in a letter dated 24 Mar 1999 from Bonnie Cushman Hubbard reads as follows: "Mrs. Harriet S. Cushman, Glenn county's oldest resident, died this morning at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Wesley Birch, on West Colusa street, after an illness extending over the past ten months. Mrs. Cushman at the time of her death was ninety-five years of age, and had been a continuous resident of the county for sixty-two years. Born in Connecticut, August 27, 1839, Mrs. Cushman came to California in 1872 on her wedding trip, her husband being W. L. Cushman. They came direst to Glenn county and settled on a ranch in the Chrome country where they lived to the time of the death of Mr. Cushman, 23 years ago. Since that time Mrs. Cushman made her home in Orland in later years living with her daughter. Mrs. Cushman was taken ill last January and since that time has been an invalid. Mrs. Cushman is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Mary (sic) E. Birch of Orland and Mrs. Helen E. Luce of the foothill country, and two sons, W. L. Cushman Jr. of Dixon and L. R. Cushman of Millsap, a number of grandchildren and several great grandchildren."
Children were:

7 i. May Evelyn CUSHMAN.
ii. Wilfred Lysander CUSHMAN⁽⁸⁴⁾ (photo) was born on 23 Sep 1870 in (near) Chrome, Glenn Co., CA. He died on 4 Feb 1943 in Dixon, CA. He was buried in Dixon, CA.

"He made his living from the land. In 1898, he took a wife, Lovey Ford, and was by her the father of four children. Their names are Glenn Ford, Bonnie Arabelle, Ellsworth Wilfred, and Crystal Violet. All four children are alive today. Ford Cushman, my uncle, is a practicing surgeon at St. Joseph's Hospital in San Francisco. Belle, my aunt married William Tutt and now resides in Dixon, California. Crystal, my other aunt, married Leland Wallace and lives in Maxwell, California. Each one now has his own family. ... Ellsworth, son of Wilfred, is my father. He was born in 1908, in Colusa, California. When he was a young boy, the family moved (around 1910) to the Silveyville area (northwest of Dixon) and then (around 1917) to the present Cushman ranch near Dixon, California. In 1940, he married Norma Peabody and was by her the father of Barbara and myself. We live in Dixon, California, on the ranch previously owned by Wilfred Cushman." (Richard Cushman)
Material from a family scrapbook provided in a letter dated 24 Mar 1999 from Bonnie Cushman Hubbard indicated that in Sep 1890, at the age of 20, Wilfred was admitted to the Stockton Business College and Normal Institute for "instruction in the Business Course."

iii. Helen Emily CUSHMAN⁽¹⁵⁾⁽⁸⁵⁾ (photo) was born on 11 Jun 1873 in Chrome, Glenn Co., CA. She died on 23 Aug 1961. She was buried in Newville Cemetery, Glenn Co., CA.

"Aunt Helen was in love with the itinerant preacher that used to stay with Grandma Wheeler when he was in the area... Grandma Cushman wouldn't let Aunt Helen and he marry because 'he wasn't worth much,' so she married Ike Luce who was a successful farmer. I can remember her coming in to go to Eastern Star meetings all dressed up." (Claire) Married Ike Luce ... lived in Chrome.
"Grandma Luce had 21 grandchildren. Marvin S. Ellis the oldest and I'm the oldest granddaughter." - Helen Ellis Holmes
iv. Lester "Yank" Robinson CUSHMAN⁽⁸⁶⁾⁽⁸⁷⁾⁽⁸⁸⁾⁽⁸⁹⁾ (photo) was born on 11 Apr 1878 in Chrome, Glenn Co., CA. (Born on the home ranch in Chrome.) He died on 10 Oct 1958 in Mendocino State Hospital, Talmage, CA. He was buried in Millsap Cemetery, Chrome, Glenn Co., CA.

    Stayed on the home place in Chrome and raised a large family. Married Hattie Roden who's parents had a little store in Chrome. According to his son, Howard, he picked up a New England accent from his father and this is where the nickname "Yank" came from. (Howard)
    "My grandad was a hard worker & the neighbors all liked him & respected him. He had a dairy & sold cream when I was little. He also raised grain & alfalfa & had a almond orchard, always had a beautiful big garden. He was a good hunter & after he retired he used to come up to the mountains when my Dad (Ed Henderson) was packing hunters into the Yola Bolly's & get his deer. He was beginning to show signs of Alzheimer's the last trip up there but he walked from camp & killed 2 bucks the first morning he got there & was really happy with himself. They didn't call it Alzheimer's then but my Mother was diagnosed with it and they were much the same in their last years." (Anita)
    Lester had sheep camps in the mountains and killed about 150 deer per year for the hides. (Bonnie Grant)
    "Lester and Hattie spent most of their married life on the ranch where he was born and raised. They raised their five children there. Lester raised sheep and in the summer drove them up to Cushman Lake and stayed with them all summer. When (his son) Clyde was old enough to go along, Lester would tie him on the horse so that if he fell asleep he wouldn't fall off as it was a long journey. Cushman Lake is over by Bald Mountain in Mendocino Co. ... Nellie (his daughter-in-law) says that Lester was an excellent hunter and would bring home plenty of venison for the family and neighbors as well. In 1931 they rented the ranch out and lived in Lake county. They stayed there for a few years and then moved back to the ranch where they lived until his health got bad and he then sold the ranch to his son Clyde. They moved to Willows where he worked for the Fish and Game Dept. tending the bird farm. He later took a job as janitor for the Willows Hotel. When his health gave out he retired at home. He spent his last few years in Glenn General Hospital, Willows, and in the Mendocino State Hospital where he passed away at the age of 80 years and 6 mo. He is buried at the Millsap Cemetery out of Chrome in Glenn Co." (Carol)

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