Francis Bushnell, of Thatcham

Disputed Child

It had previously been thought that Francis was Francis Bushnell (abt.1580-bef.1646) the emigrant to America, as based on Bushnell Family Genealogy.[1]. However, based on more recent research by Patricia Metsch in 2007,[2] and Legacy Family History, Inc (LFH) in 2022,[3] which both cited "Parish Register of Thatcham, Berkshire, 1250-1992"[4] shows both researchers coming to the same conclusion, as cited by Metsch from the parish records: "Ffrancis the sonne of Ffrancis Busshnell was baptized the xvth [15th] daye of June [1598]." If Francis the emigrant was having children as early as 1606, he could not have been the son of Francis (d. 1625) as he would have only been about 8.

Biography

019. Francis Bushnell, Yeoman of Thatcham, co. Berks, will dated 15 Aug. 1625, prov. 15 Mar. 1625/6, will filed Archd. Berks, no wife mentioned; bequests to eldest son Nicholas his best brass pot and his bay mare; to son Ralph £40; and he engaged his two piddles in Thatcham, called Pococks and Greenfields, for the same; to son Francis three tenements in Thatcham, called Baalls for 20 years, he paying yearly 20s to his brother Nicholas; to Margery Bushnell, dau. of Richard Bushnell 2s and to the rest of his God-children 12s each; to Thatcham ch. 10 groats (3s 4d), and to the poor there 20s.

Resid. Leg. and Exec. his son Francis,

Overseers; Mr. John Winchcombe, Esq. of Henwicke, John Powell, Yeoman of Thatcham, Richard Bushnell, Innholder; and Robert Humphries, Innholder, to each of whom he gave 5s,

Wit; John Powles, William Waller, and Robert Humfry "to the handing over of this will of Francis Bushnell, by reason of ye contagion and infection of his disease."

Inv; taken 2 Jan. 1625/6 by Rob. Bushnell, Ric. Cove, Wm. Knight, Edw. Coxe, and Ric. Dobson,

Prov; 15 Mar. 1625/6 by the Exec.

Children, 4, named in will:

041. i. Joan (not named in will of her father, but was mentioned in will of her grandfather Nicholas as under age in 1591).
042. ii. Nicholas (eldest son),
043. iii. Ralph,
1*. iv. Francis, who rem. to Horsham, Sussex Co., and later to America, where he settled in Guilford, Conn. [sic: Disproved. That was a different Francis Bushnell]

-- From the Bushnell Family Genealogy compiled by George Eleazer Bushnell, revised and maintained by Irving E. Bushnell Jr. at http://www.bushnellfam.com

GEDCOM Note

Francis Bushnell BIRTH unknown Thatcham, West Berkshire Unitary Authority, Berkshire, England DEATH 15 Aug 1625 Thatcham, West Berkshire Unitary Authority, Berkshire, England

parents Nicholas Bushnell unknown–1593 Elizabeth Bushnell

FRANCIS BUSHNELL, a Yeoman of Thatcham, was born about 1549 of Berkshire, England, to Nicholas Bushnell (1523-1593) and Elizabeth Unknown. He married Margery Francis about 1575, of Thatcham.

Francis Bushnell’s will was dated 15 August 1625, proved 15 March 1626. No wife mentioned. Bequests to eldest son, Nicholas, his best brass pot and his bay mare; to son Ralph £40; and he engaged his two piddles in Thatcham, called Pococks and Greenfields, for the same; to son Francis three tenements in Thatcham, called Baalls for 20 years, he paying yearly 20s to his brother Nicholas; to Margery Bushnell, daughter of Richard Bushnell 2s and to the rest of his God-children 12s each; to Thatcham ch. 10 groats (3s 4d) , and to the poor there 20s. Exec. His son Francis. Overseer: John Winchcombe, Esq. (mentioned “Wit: John Powles, William Waller, and Robert Humfry “to the handing over of this will of Francis Bushnell, by reason of ye contagion and infection of his disease.”

Francis Bushnell died 15 August 1625, Thatcham, Berkshire, England, at age 74.

MARGERY FRANCIS was born about 1553, of Thatcham, Berkshire, England, to unknown parents. She married Francis Bushnell about 1575, of Thatcham.

Margery died about 1630, in Thatcham, Berkshire, England, at about age 77.

Children of Francis and Margery Bushnell:

1. Joan Bushnell, b. 1570, Thatcham; (not named in will of her father, but was mentioned in will of her grandfather Nicholas as under age in 1591.)
2. Nicholas Bushnell (eldest son); b. 1572, Thatcham.
3. Ralph Bushnell, b. 1578, Thatcham.
4..
5. John Bushnell, b. 1576, Sulham; d. Oct 1642, Sulham, England.
6. Christopher Bushnell, b. 1578, Sulham; d. 24 Sep 1645.
7. Joan Bushnell, b. 1582, Thatcham; md. unknown 1605; d. 15 Aug 1625.
8. Margery Bushnell, b. 1582, Thatcham.
9. Thomas Bushnell, b. 1584, Thatcham.

This section applies to a different Francis Bushnell:

Francis Bushnell II was born in about 17 Apr 1587, of Thatcham, Berkshire, England, to Francis Bushnell (1549-1625) and Margery Francis (1553-1630.) Francis married (1) Ferris Quenell, daughter of Henry Quenell and Beatrice Carter, on 13 May 1605, in Horsham, Sussex, England. Ferris died 10 March 1627, in Horsham. Ferris died after the birth of her last child. (2) Joanne Kinward, 2 June 1629, in England. Joanne died in 1631 (no children.) [He removed from Thatcham, Berkshire] [sic: no evidence] , to Horsham, Sussex, and later to America, where he settled in Guilford, Connecticut. Francis Bushnell died 13 October 1646, in Guilford, New Haven, Connecticut, at about age 59

(Source: Bushnell Family Genealogy, by George E. Bushnell, Nashville, Tennessee, 1945.)

Notes

BUSHNELL FAMILY GENEALOGY

CT.gov
https://www.cga.ct.gov › hco › books › Bushne...
PDF
is a faithful record of the Bushnell family, more complete than anyone could ... Matthew Grant Rec. in Some Early Records and Documents of Town of Windsor,.

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
Nashville, Tennessee
1945

Bushnell Genealogy 1
The sudden and untimely death of the family historian, George Eleazer Bushnell, of
Nashville, Tennessee, who devoted so many years to the completion of this work, necessitated
a complete change in its publication plans and we were required to start anew without
familiarity with his painstaking work and vast acquaintance amongst the members of the
family.

His manuscript, while well arranged, was not yet ready for printing. It has therefore been
copied, recopied and edited, However, despite every effort, prepublication funds have not
been secured to produce the kind of a book we desire and which Mr. Bushnell's painstaking
work deserves. His material is too valuable to be lost in some library's manuscript collection. It
is a faithful record of the Bushnell family, more complete than anyone could have anticipated.

Time is running out and we have reluctantly decided to make the best use of available
funds by producing the "book" by a process of photographic reproduction of the typewritten
pages of the revised and edited manuscript. The only deviation from the original consists in
slight rearrangement, minor corrections, additional indexing and numbering. We are proud to
thus assist in the compiler's labor of love.

We are most grateful to those prepublication subscribers listed below, whose faith and
patience helped make George Eleazer Bushnell's book thus available to the Bushnell Family.

George E. Bushnell, Genealogist
Venice, California

Added to Geni by Janet Milburn (Francis Bushnell, I is my/our 12th great grandfather).