Cummings of Oxford County, Maine
Our Cummings family begins in Oxford County, Maine with the marriage of Earl Orlando Cummings & Nellie Frances Silver on September 4, 1915.1 The picture to the right is a photo of Nellie Frances, and below is Earl O. After their marriage, she and Earl remained in the Oxford County area, where many of their descendants continue to live.
Even during the 1800’s, when so many were lured away from New England with dreams of free land, adventure, and gold, our ancestors stayed put. Why did they choose to remain? Perhaps this question will be answered as the Cummings story unfolds.
Family tradition identifies Isaac Cummings, who lived in Topsfield, Massachusetts in the 1600s, as the progenitor of our Cummings family. Unfortunately, this relationship has not yet been proven. This will be the focus of most of the research presented here in the following months.
I hope it will not be years.
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Footnotes
1 This date was supplied by their daughter and family record keeper, Ruth Sorofman. She would not have been present for this event, but it was the wedding date recognized by her parents.
A letter home: Albert J. Silver to his sister, Nellie Cummings, 1918
I found this photocopy of a letter written by Albert J. Silver to his sister, Nellie Cummings, in the archival collection of Ruth (Cummings) Sorofman. I don’t know the location of the original letter, if it even exists. I believe … Continue reading →
Social distancing works – the grumpiest survive
I keep reading old newspapers to learn how our ancestors dealt with their 1918 pandemic, the Spanish Flu. Here is a telling story from the October 22, 1918 edition of the Paris, Oxford County, Maine newspaper, the Oxford Democrat, which … Continue reading →
Remembering April Birthdays
Remembering their birthdays4Family-History Birthdays Remembering April Birthdays Mary Ellen (Button) Gass and Charles W. Silver were both born in April. Mary Ellen was born 150 years ago this month and Charles W. Silver was born 185 years ago. From the … Continue reading →
Remembering Nellie F. (Silver) Cummings
The first and only time I ever visited with Nellie Cummings, I was late.
Continue reading →Nellie Silver, Albert “Peter” Silver, and Helen Clark – about 1906
Albert “Pete” Silver and his sisters, Nellie Silver (far left) and Helen Clark (middle), were photographed in the South Rumford barn yard of Wallace and Mary Clark, their parents. It must have been chilly enough for sweaters as … Continue reading →
“To My Well Beloved Wife” — Samuel Silver to Jemima Kimball in 1770
This Valentine’s Day post honors Samuel Silver and Jemima Kimball, who were married on this day, just 685 years ago. They are 7th great-grandparents to my children and their many cousins in our 4Family Cummings line. According to the Amesbury, … Continue reading →
Earl O. Cummings, Sr. – circa 1960
Honoring Our Great-GrandparentsGreat-Grandparents Lorum Elmer Jackson and Leah Meeks: First Generation David, Ida & Harold Sorofman Birth Record of Earl O. Cummings (1894-1972) Earl O. Cummings, Sr. – circa 1960When my husband described his grandfather, Earl O. Cummings, this is … Continue reading →
Calvin Cummings: His Civil War Gravestone, Alexandria (Virginia) National Cemetery
Calvin Cummings died on 1 Sep 1864 in a Civil War hospital of illness, not a wound, and was then buried on the same day in the military cemetery in Alexandria, Virginia. He served as a private in Company … Continue reading →
Birth Record of Earl O. Cummings (1894-1972)
Honoring Our Great-GrandparentsGreat-Grandparents Lorum Elmer Jackson and Leah Meeks: First Generation David, Ida & Harold Sorofman Birth Record of Earl O. Cummings (1894-1972) Earl O. Cummings, Sr. – circa 1960I know very little about Earl O. Cummings, my husband’s maternal … Continue reading →
Veteran’s Day Honor Roll
4Family Military ServiceVeteran’s Day Honor RollIn war or peace time. On the front lines and in supportive rolls. Thank You All For Your Service. Included are direct-line ancestors & their sons and/or gandsons as well as a few others, whom … Continue reading →