Robert Cushman (1578-1625) was one of the Pilgrim Fathers. He was born in the village of Rolvenden in Kent, England, and was baptized in the parish church there on February 9th, 1578. He spent part of his early life in Canterbury. He was one of a group of Pilgrims who fled to Holland because of differences with the official church over their practice of religion. From there, he later returned to England and arranged the purchase of the Mayflower for them to use in their voyage to America. He did not complete the trip aboard the Mayflower with the other Pilgrims, because their smaller sister ship experienced a disaster which threatened its survival. He left the Mayflower, which had not proceeded very far at that time, in order to involve himself in saving this vessel. Events January 31 - Battle of Gemblours - Spanish forces under Don John of Austria and Alexander Farnese defeat the Dutch. ... Events March 27 - Prince Charles Stuart becomes King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland. ... This article is about the colonists of North America. ... Rolvenden is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, England. ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population –mid-2004... February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events January 31 - Battle of Gemblours - Spanish forces under Don John of Austria and Alexander Farnese defeat the Dutch. ... Canterbury is a cathedral city in east Kent in South East England and is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primate of All England, head of the Church of England and of the worldwide Anglican Communion. ... Pilgrims Going to Church by George Henry Boughton (1867) The Pilgrims were a group of English religious separatists who sailed from Europe to North America in the early 17th century, in search of a home where they could freely practice their style of religion. ... Holland is a region in the central-western part of the Netherlands. ... A church building (or simply church) is a building used in Christian worship. ... Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor by William Halsall (1882) The Mayflower was the ship which transported the Pilgrims from Plymouth, England to North Virginia (which later became part of the United States of America) in 1620, leaving Plymouth on September 6 and dropping anchor near Cape Cod on November 11 (both... The Americas (sometimes referred to as America) is the area including the land mass located between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, generally divided into North America and South America. ...

His expertise in financial matters, which had been valuable in acquiring the Mayflower, was also valuable in arranging for needed repairs. Cushman sailed to Plymouth in the fall of 1621 on the ship Fortune, but returned shortly thereafter to England to promote the colony's interests. There he published an essay concerning the Lawfulness of Plantations, which was appended to Mourt's Relation. This document is of interest to modern scholars bcause of it's treatment of the economic reasons for emigration. Mourts Relation was written primarily by Edward Winslow, although William Bradford appears to have written most of the first section. ...

Unfortunately, before he could return to the New World, he succumbed to an outbreak of plague in London, in the spring of 1625; as a result, the site of his grave is unknown. The book Saints and Strangers by George F. Willison recounts his story. Yersinia pestis seen at 2000x magnification. ... Events March 27 - Prince Charles Stuart becomes King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland. ... Ancient unreadable gravestones mark the position of graves in the parish churchyard at Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, England A grave is a place where the body of a dead animal, generally human, is buried, often after a funeral. ... Saints and Strangers is a book by George F Willison published in 1945 by Reynal & Hitchcock, New York. ... George Findley Willison (1896-1972) was a writer and editor who specialized in American history. ...

His son Thomas Cushman (ca. 1607/08 - 91), who accompanied him on the Fortune, was raised in the family of Governor William Bradford, and served as Ruling Elder of the Plymouth church from 1649, till his death in 1691.

Robert Cushman was also an ancestor of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR redirects here. ...