Descendants of Reuben Bisbee and Lydia Cushman

First Generation

1. Reuben Bisbee, son of Reuben Bisbee and Eunice Jackson, was born on 27 Jul 1776 in Plymouth County, MA,^{¹^,2^,3^,4^,5^,6^,7^,8^,9} died on 12 Sep 1865 in Lebanon, Madison, NY^{¹⁰^,11} at age 89, and was buried in Lebanon Village Cemetery, Lebanon, Madison, NY.^¹⁰

Reuben married Lydia Cushman on 10 Oct 1797 in Kingston, Plymouth, MA,¹².^,13 daughter of Ebenezer Cushman and Susannah Holmes. Lydia was born on 25 Sep 1775 in Kingston, Plymouth, MA,^{¹^,2^,3^,4^,5^,6^,7^,13^,14^,15^,16^,17} died on 4 Sep 1856 in Lebanon, Madison, NY^¹⁸ at age 80, and was buried in Lebanon Village Cemetery, Lebanon, Madison, NY.^¹⁸

No direct evidence of Reuben's parentage has been found, but his parents are thought to be Reuben Bisbee (son of Elijah of Plympton) and Eunice Jackson (daughter of Nathaniel Jackson of Middleboro). The evidence is scant and circumstantial, and consists of the following:

1) Reuben Bisbee (son of Elijah) and Reuben Bisbee Jr. were both "of Kingston" at the time of their marriages. These are the only two Reuben Bisbees known to have been in Plymouth County at those times. It should be remembered that the title "Jr." did not always mean a father-son relationship--it was sometimes used to distinguish between a younger and older man of the same name living in the same vicinity.

2) Our Reuben Bisbee was born the year following the marriage of the older Reuben Bisbee and Eunice Jackson House. An exhaustive study of the census fails to find any other family in Plymouth County that could reasonably have been Reuben's parents. Those families were either in the wrong generation or had other children during the same year that our Reuben was born.

3) The names given to some of our Reuben's children suggest the connection: Reuben, Joseph and Elijah were all names of children born to Elijah and Eleanor Pierce Bisbee, and not commonly found in other Bisbee lines.

There is a story passed down by Reuben's eldest daughter Sophia to her grandson, Lee Kibbe. Lee was very interested in his family's genealogy and was known far and wide as a man who hated liars; presumably, his account of his grandmother's story is accurate. "Reuben Bisbe, Sr., was a sailor fisher on New England. Went out for a two week voyage, got shipwrecked, was picked up by African Pirates, being a good sailor helped them with their plundering and running their ship and faired well till he got foot on English soil, then goodby pirates, worked his way home. Gone over two years: never went to sea again." Sophia after she was 90 would tell of sitting on her mother's bed watch(ing) for her father's ship, until they give up that he was lost. --"Lee G. Kibbe, The Man and The Mill," by Hope S. Klee, 1965, College Paper, New York State University, Cortland, N. Y.

In a followup conversation with the Author (Hope Stanton Klee), she recalled more of the story: While Reuben was missing and given up for dead, another person was courting Lydia. When Reuben returned, Lydia did not recognize him.

Reuben's second son Joseph was born in 1803, and his next child was not born until in 1806. If the story is true, he was probably shipwrecked in 1803.

In 1800, Reuben and Lydia were living in Pembroke, Massachusetts. Sometime later, they moved to New York State, possibly Jefferson County. In 1815 they settled in the Town of Smithfield in Madison County, New York. There they were members of the First Baptist Church at New Stockbridge, and they owned property in the Town of Lebanon, about 18 miles to the south. In 1816 they were present at the founding of the First Baptist Church of Lebanon. According to the census, The whole family moved from Smithfield to Lebanon about 1824.

Mrs. H. L. Hammond in her 1872 book, "History of Madison County, State of New York" (pages 558-9) writes, "It is remarkable with what facility and rapidity the land in Lebanon was settled. We have before us a map drawn by Silas Seymour, Surveyor, in 1815, which locates the lots, and every farmer then living on them. ...In the south border of the quarter and of the town (Lebanon) were Joseph and Reuben Bisby...." Silas Seymour's original map appears to no longer exist, but land records show that the area referenced by Mrs. Hammond was indeed Bisbee Hollow. Note that in 1815 Reuben Bisbee's sons, Reuben and Joseph Bisbee, were only 14 and 12 years old, respectively, and presumably too young to own property.

Reuben was active in the affairs of his church. From the minutes of the First Baptist Church of Lebanon, we learn that he made visits to faltering Brothers and Sisters, provided recommendations about excommunications and letters of dismissal, contributed to the Church's annual minutes, and pledged firewood to the Church and to the Elder. In 1839 Reuben Bisbee was exempted for the time being from paying into the Church treasury. A few months later he was among those appointed trustees of the "Singing School." The possibility must be noted that some or all of these records actually pertain to Reuben's son, Reuben, Jr.

After Lydia died in 1856, Reuben continued to live on his farm with son Elijah, Elijah's wife Calista, and their six children. According to the census, Reuben owned 212 acres of improved land and 20 unimproved acres with a total value of $5240. He had three horses, six milk cows, five other cattle and one swine having a total value of $396. He produced wheat, oats, Irish potatoes, butter, hay and maple sugar. During his final days in 1865 Reuben lived in the village of Lebanon with his son Hiram.

In his Last Will & Testament (Madison County Probate File No. 2621), made March 6, 1865, Reuben Bisbee bequeaths to his daughters, Sophia Kibbe, Lydia Reynolds and Louisa Damond (sic), and to his sons Reuben Bisbe and Hiram Bisbe, and appoints his grandson, James M. Bisbee, executor.

The village of Lebanon, once known locally as Toad Hollow*, is surrounded by lush, rolling farm land. In Reuben's time it was heavily treed and much of it remains so. No doubt, if left alone, the countryside would soon return to forest. Coming into the village from the north, the road descends a long hill, passing the well-maintained Lebanon Village Cemetery on the right. Lydia and Reuben are buried there, side-by-side, near their son Hiram. Although no Bisbees remain in Lebanon today (1998), the road to their former property is still signed, "Bisbee Hollow Road."

*James H. Smith, History of Chenango and Madison Counties, D. Mason & Co, Syracuse, 1880.

CUSHMAN FAMILY
1. Robert m. (1) Sarah Reder; b. England, 1578
2. Thomas m. Mary Allerton; b. England, @1608
3. Thomas m. (1) Ruth Howland; b. Plymouth, Mass., 1637
4. Robert m. (1) Persis Lewis; b. @1665
5. Jonathan m. Susanna Benson; b. Plymouth, Mass., 1712
6. Ebenezer m. (1) Susanna Holmes; b. 1747/48
7. Lydia m. Reuben Bisbee; b. Kingston, Mass., 1775

HOLMES FAMILY
1. John m. Mercy Ford; b.
2. Josiah m. Ruth __________; b. 1716
3. Susannah m. Ebenezer Cushman; b. 1750
4. Lydia Cushman m. Reuben Bisbee; b. Kingston, Mass., 1775

Children from this marriage were:

+ 2 F i. Sophia Bisbee was born on 21 Nov 1797 in Plymouth County, MA,^{¹^,2^,3^,19^,20^,21^,22^,23^,24^,25^,26} was christened on 19 May 1838 in Lebanon, Madison, NY,^²⁷ died on 12 Dec 1889 in Cortland County, NY^{²⁸^,29} at age 92, and was buried in Potter Hill Cemetery, Taylor, Cortland, NY.^²⁹

+ 3 M ii. Reuben Bisbee was born on 24 Jan 1801 in <Plymouth County, MA>,^{¹^,3^,19^,20^,30^,31^,32^,33^,34^,35} died on 21 Mar 1883 in <Crawford County, PA>^³⁶ at age 82, and was buried in Shreve Ridge Cemetery, Crawford County, PA.^³⁶

+ 4 M iii. Joseph Cushman Bisbee ³⁷ was born on 5 Jun 1803 in <Plymouth County, MA>,^{¹^,3^,19^,38^,39^,40^,41^,42^,43} died on 24 Dec 1873 in Amity twp, Erie, PA^{⁴⁴^,45^,46} at age 70, and was buried in Wattsburg Cemetery, Wattsburg, Erie, PA.^⁴⁶

+ 5 M iv. Hiram Bisbee was born on 4 Jul 1806 in <Plymouth County, MA>,^{¹^,3^,4^,9^,19^,20^,47^,48^,49^,50^,51^,52^,53} was christened on 19 May 1838 in Lebanon, Madison, NY, died on 15 Apr 1889 in Madison County, NY^{¹^,54^,55} at age 82, and was buried in Lebanon Village Cemetery, Lebanon, Madison, NY.^⁵⁵

6 M v. Ebenezer Bisbee was born on 2 Aug 1808^{¹^,19} and died on 12 Oct 1818 in Madison County, NY^{¹^,19} at age 10.

Family records indicate that Ebenezer drowned at age 10.

+ 7 F vi. Lydia Bisbee was born on 26 Jun 1811 in NY State^{¹^,3^,19^,20^,56^,57^,58^,59^,60} and died after 1880.

+ 8 M vii. Elijah Bisbee was born on 24 Aug 1813 in NY State,^{¹^,3^,4^,5^,7^,8^,19^,61^,62^,63^,64^,65} was christened on 19 May 1833 in Lebanon, Madison, NY, died on 21 Mar 1879 in <West Windsor, Eaton, MI>^{⁶⁶^,67} at age 65, and was buried in Earlville Cemetery, Earlville, Madison, NY.^⁶⁶

+ 9 F viii. Betsy Louisa Bisbee was born on 30 Jan 1818 in Madison County, NY^{¹^,3^,4^,19^,20^,68^,69^,70^,71} and was christened on 19 May 1833 in Lebanon, Madison, NY.