William Bushnell (1610 - 1683)

Born 3 Feb 1610 in Horsham, Sussex, England

Ancestors

Husband of Rebecca (Chapman) Bushnell — married before 1644 in Saybrook, Connecticut

Descendants

Died 12 Nov 1683 at age 73 in Saybrook, Connecticut

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William Bushnell migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

William Bushnell was christened 3 Feb 1610/11 at Horsham, Sussex, England to "Frauncis" Bushnell.^[1]

His exact immigration date is not known; his brothers Francis and Edmund came to New England in 1635 and his father Francis (Sr) came in 1639 so William most likely came in that time period.^[2]

Per Torrey in "New England Marriages to 1700" he married Rebecca, possibly surname Chapman by 1644 in Saybrook, Connecticut. Torrey's entry is this:

BUSHNELL, William (?1610, 1611-1683) & [Rebecca CHAPMAN?] (-1703); by 1644; Saybrook, CT^[3]

Whether her surname was actually Chapman is not absolutely proven; it is asserted without source in "The Chapman Family..." (under See Also section) that a "sister of Robert Chapman" married William Bushnell, but that book does not claim her to be named Rebecca.

The "Bushnell Genealogy" (Under See Also) claims that her name was Rebecca, again without source and notes that she was "said to be a sister of Robert Chapman". It also claims that the Bushnell family had an ancient document, now lost, which proved her identity.

William was listed as a sergeant of the Saybrook training band (military, not musical) in October 1661.^[4]

He died on November 12, 1683, in Saybrook, Connecticut, at the age of 73.^[5] Note that a Robert Chapman was involved in the administration of William's estate (see "Bushnell Family Genealogy" below) and 1710 probate paperwork at ancestry.com^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NRSP-Y2Q : 18 September 2020), William Bushnell, 1611.
2. ↑ Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volumes 1-6. Boston: New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 1996-2011.The Great Migration Vol 1. P. 508 $subscription
3. ↑ New England Marriages to 1700. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. Vol 1. p. 260
4. ↑ New Haven, CT: Families of Ancient New Haven. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as New Haven genealogical magazine. vols. I-VIII. Compiled by Donald Lines Jacobus. 8 vols. Rome, New York: Clarence D. Smith, 1923-1932. p. 971 $subscription
5. ↑ Nash, Sylvester. Records of Saybrook, CT., The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Mass., 1850) Vol. 4, Page 20
6. ↑ Connecticut, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999 for William Bushnell Hartford $subscription

See Also:

• The ancestry of Daniel Bushnell in the families of Bushnell, Boynton, Bronson, Buswell, Chandler, Cutler, Coleman, Cravitt, Eddy, Goldsmith, Griswold, Higgins, Homan, Huntley, Keyes, King, Lewis, Moore, Purrier, Reeve, Rogers, Simmons, Tillotson, Terry, Tuthill, Vail, Waite, Wells, Wines, Wolcott, and Youngs by Bartlett, J. Gardner (Joseph Gardner), 1872-1927 Publication: Boston, Massachusetts : Murray Printing Co., 1918 https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/325608
• Bushnell family genealogy : ancestry and posterity of Francis Bushnell, 1580-1646, of Horsham, England and Guilford, Connecticut, including genealogical notes of other Bushnell families, whose connections with this branch of the family tree have not been determined / compiled and written by George Eleazer Bushnell. 1873-1945. Publication date 1945 p. 34
• The Chapman Family: Or the Descendants of Robert Chapman, One of the First Settlers of Say-Brook, Conn., Etc. By William CHAPMAN (of New London, Conn.) Case, Tiffany & Company, 1854 - 413 pages p. 29