Miller on the Connecticut Coast — Francis Bushnell

B. before 8 Jan 1609 in (probably) Horsham, Sussex, England¹
M. (1) 27 Jun 1631 in Horsham, Sussex, England²
Wife: Mary Grombridge
M. (2) before 1660 in (probably) Guilford, Connecticut³
Wife: Grace Wells
D. 4 Dec 1681 in Saybrook, Connecticut⁴

When New England colonists formed their first settlements, it was essential to have a grist mill for grinding their grain. Along with a mill, each community needed someone with the skill to run it, and Francis Bushnell was such a man.

Francis came from the town of Horsham in Sussex, England, baptized at the church there on January 8, 1609.¹ He was the second oldest child of Francis Bushnell and Ferris Quenelll; they would have eight more children, but Francis’ mother died while delivering her last child in February 1628.⁵ On June 27, 1631, Francis married Mary Grombridge,² and over the next couple of years, they had two daughters, one of whom one died young.

The year 1635 was a turning point in the lives of the Bushnell family, with Francis and his four surviving brothers each moving to New England.⁵ It’s easy to imagine they came to this decision together, joining the Puritan migration that left England in large numbers during that decade. Francis, along with wife Mary and 1-year-old Elizabeth, sailed aboard the Planter, which left in April.⁴ Two of his brothers were on the same ship, including Richard, who was about age 14; it’s believed that both became part of Francis’ household when they got settled in the colony.⁵ The other two brothers arrived on different ships.⁵

Records show that Francis first lived in Salem,⁵ and during this time, he and his wife had two more daughters. On February 8, 1637, Francis was granted 24 acres of land at a place outside of Salem called Muddy River.⁵ He was said to be a carpenter, a valuable skill for living in a wilderness because a man often had to build his own house. His time in Massachusetts lasted just a couple of years, and after Francis’ father migrated to the coastal Connecticut town of Guilford, he moved his family there as well.⁵ By about 1647, four more children were born, completing the family.⁵ (There are no birth or baptism records of the children born in New England, and what is shown in the list below is a rough estimate of their birth years.)

When the man who operated Guilford’s mill died in May 1648, Francis was asked to take his place.⁶ The survival of an early colonial town depended on the crops they could grow, so a mill was a vital part of the community. Powered by rushing water in a stream that emptied into the Atlantic, the Guilford mill turned corn into cornmeal, a staple in the New England diet. Francis accepted the role of miller on the condition he could be exempted from militia duty, and the town leaders agreed to it.⁵ He was nearly 40-years-old at this time.

How a grain mill works.

Francis lived in Guilford for about another dozen years. He never became a freeman, which meant he failed to take an oath of loyalty to the town; his name was on a list of eight Guilford men without that status.⁶ In the fall of 1648, his wife Mary was taken to court over letting their hogs get into a neighbor’s property and causing considerable damage.⁵ She died sometime in the next 12 years, and Francis married a second wife named Grace Wells.³ In 1658, he was appointed by the Connecticut General Court to inspect a mill and dam in New Haven, and report if there needed to be any repairs.⁵ The General Court received his findings on February 28th, and noted that they would take his advice on suggested improvements.

Not long after that date, Francis moved to the nearby town of Saybrook, located at the mouth of the Connecticut River, where he had acquired 200 acres about a decade earlier.⁵ Francis was said to have built the first corn mill on Oyster River, and afterwards he was given a farm in return for keeping the mill for the people of Saybrook.⁶ He was said to be one of the leaders in Saybrook, and a deacon in the church.⁷ Most New England communities sought to formalize land ownership with the indigenous people who considered it theirs. On a document dated July 4, 1665, the leader of the Mohegan tribe confirmed a huge grant of land to Saybrook; he referred to the six men who signed it as “my loving friends,” one of whom was Francis.⁵

At some point, Francis likely retired as miller. He spent the rest of his years in Saybrook, and died there on December 4, 1681.⁴ Francis was a direct ancestor of a signer of the U.S. constitution, William Samuel Johnson, and of billionaire Warren Buffet.⁸

Children (all by Mary Grombridge):
1. Mary Bushnell — B. before 20 Apr 1632, Horsham, Sussex, England;⁹ D. before 17 Jun 1634, Horsham, Sussex, England¹⁰

2. Elizabeth Bushnell — B. before 2 Feb 1634, Horsham, Sussex, England;¹¹ D. 26 Apr 1672, Guilford, Connecticut;¹² M. William Johnson (~1630-1702), 2 Jul 1651, Guilford, Connecticut⁵

3. Martha Bushnell — B. about 1637, (probably) Salem, Massachusetts;⁵ D. (possibly) about 1705, Connecticut;¹³ M. Jonathan Smith (1635-1711), 1 Jan 1664, Connecticut⁵

4. Sarah Bushnell — B. about 1639, (probably) Salem, Massachusetts;⁵ D. before 14 Jan 1689;⁵ M. Joseph Ingham (?-1710), 20 Jun 1655, Connecticut⁵

5. John Bushnell — B. about 1641, (probably) Guilford, Connecticut;⁵ D. Jun 1686, Saybrook, Connecticut;¹⁴ M. Sarah Scranton (1645-1695), 15 May 1665, Connecticut¹⁵

6. Mary Bushnell — B. about 1643, (probably) Guilford, Connecticut;⁵ D. about 1727, Connecticut;⁵ M. Samuel Jones (?-1704), 1666, Guilford, Connecticut⁵

7. Hannah Bushnell — B. about 1645, (probably) Guilford, Connecticut;⁵ M. Stephen Hosmer (1645-1693), about 1668, Connecticut⁵

8. Samuel Bushnell — B. about 1647, (probably) Connecticut;⁵ D. 14 Dec 1699, Saybrook, Connecticut;⁵ M. (1) (probably) Susannah (?-1683), Connecticut;⁵ (2) Ruth Sanford (1659-?), 17 Apr 1684, Connecticut⁵

Sources:
1    Christening of Francis Bushnell, England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975, FamilySearch.org  
2    Marriage of Francis Bushnell and Mary Grombridge, England, Sussex, Parish Registers, FamilySearch.org  
3    New England Marriages Prior to 1700, page 125, Clarence Almon Torrey, 1985
4    The Great Migration, Robert Charles Anderson, 1999, page 511 

5    Bushnell Family Genealogy, George Eleazer Bushnell, 1954, pages 25-32  
6    The history of Guilford, Connecticut, from its first settlement in 1639, Ralph Dunning Smith,
7    Manual of the Congregational Church of Old Saybrook, Conn., Charles A. Kirtland, 1888
8    Famous Kin (website)  
9    Christening of Mary Bushnell, Sussex, England, Parish Registers, (1538-1910), FamilySearch.org  
10  Burial of Mary Bushnell, Sussex, England, Parish Registers, (1538-1910), FamilySearch.org
11  Christening of Elizabeth Bushnell, Sussex, England, Parish Registers, (1538-1910), FamilySearch.org 
12  Find-a-Grave listing for Elizabeth (Bushnell) Johnson  
13  WikiTree listing for Martha Bushnell  
14  Find-a-Grave listing for John Bushnell  
15  A Genealogical Register of the Descendants of John Scranton of Guilford, Conn., 1855, page 16