Robert Cushman^[1]

Parents

Father	Thomas Couchman,   d. Yes, date unknown
Mother	Elinor Hubbard,   d. Yes, date unknown
Married	18 Jul 1568	Rolvenden, Kent, England, United Kingdom

Family 1

Wife 1	Sarah Reder,   b. Bef 17 Sep 1585, Lenham, Kent, England, United Kingdom ,   d. 11 Oct 1616, Leiden, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands  (Age > 31 years)  [1]
Married	31 Jul 1606	St Alphege, Canterbury, England, United Kingdom   [1]
Children	+ 1. Thomas Cushman,   b. Bef 8 Feb 1608, Canterbury, Kent, England, United Kingdom ,   d. 11 Dec 1691, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States  (Age > 83 years)

Family 2

Wife 2	Mary Clark,   d. Yes, date unknown  [2]
Married	5 Jun 1617	Leiden, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands   [2]

Other Personal Events

Baptism	9 Feb 1577	Rolvenden, Kent, England, United Kingdom   [2]
Family Search ID	LRGP-C89  [1]
Residence	1609	Leiden, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands   [2]
	In the great struggle for religious freedom, a group of "Separatists" or "Dissenters" residing in the north of England fled to Holland in 1609 to escape the prevailing persecutions of the Church and the Crown.
Occupation	From 1618 to 1625  [2]
	principal agent for the Mayflower Pilgrims
	Quoting from the "Genealogy fo Ethiel Cushman" In the great struggle for religious freedom, a group of "Separatists" or "Dissenters" residing in the north of England fled to Holland in 1609 to escape the prevailing persecutions of the Church and the Crown. Robert Cushman of Kent was among those who removed to Holland. After a few years residence in the Dutch city of Leyden, these Pilgrims realized that in course of time they would become merged with the Dutch and as a consequence their identity would thus become lost. They determined to establish a colony In the New World and delegated Robert Cushman and John Carver to return to England to negotiate with the Merchant Adventurers in London to settle in the colony which they were planting In Virginia. As principal agent of the Pilgrims, Robert Cushman made several trips to England and after long and difficult negotiation a patent was obtained. Permission was also obtained from King James to enjoy liberty of conscience in the New World. After surmounting many discouragements, a company of Pilgrims numbering 102 persons set sail In the Mayflower from Plymouth, England, for the unknown wilderness. After a long and arduous voyage they landed at Plymouth in New England in November, 1620. Organization of the venture that was to play so vital a role in the founding of a Nation was accomplished largely by the business sagacity and perseverance of Robert Cushman as business agent of the Pilgrims. Destiny, however, did not place him among the immortal passengers aboard the Mayflower, the vessel that was destined to become so famous. Nevertheless, he did come to the Plymouth Colony the following year aboard the Fortune, accompanied by his fourteen-year old son Thomas. He soon returned to London to report to the Merchant Adventurers regarding the state of affairs in the Colony. Expecting to return to Plymouth for permanent settlement, he left his son in care of the family of Governor Bradford. Business Interests of the Colony detained him in London for some time and while making preparations to return in a ship about to sail for Plymouth he died in January or February 1625.
_UID	05612C0F1D544688B9F06E9723108084C5C5

Event Map

Born - Bef 9 Feb 1577 - Rolvenden, Kent, England, United Kingdom  Baptism - 9 Feb 1577 - Rolvenden, Kent, England, United Kingdom  Married - 31 Jul 1606 - St Alphege, Canterbury, England, United Kingdom  Residence - 1609 - Leiden, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands  Married - 5 Jun 1617 - Leiden, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands  Died - Abt 6 May 1625 - Benenden, Kent, England, United Kingdom   = Link to Google Earth

Source Citations