The Cummings were early settlers of Topsfield and continued to reside in Topsfield and surrounding towns for many generations.
Some early references to the Cummings family in Topsfield historical records include:
- 1652: Isaac Cummings (1600/01-1677) of Watertown purchased 150 acres of land from Samuel Symonds.
- 1659 (Nov. 27): Isaac Cummings Jr. marries Mary Andrews. He raises his family in Topsfield and they reside on the land originally purchased from Samuel Symonds (later known as the Hobbs-Bell farm).
- 1677: Isaac Cummings’ last will and testament : his land is left to sons John (1630-1700) and Isaac (1633-1721).
- 1722: The majority of Isaac Jr.’s farmland is left to his son John (1666-1722), who is married to Susannah Towne.
Some locations in Topsfield of relevance to the Cummings family include:
- East Street (north side), just shy of the Ipswich town line, near Howlett Brook: former site of the home of Isaac Cummings (ca. 1663) and the Hobbs/Bell properties.
- Cummings Burying Ground, 83 Asbury Street. Over 100 members of the Cummings, Smith and Lamson families were buried here, but very few stones remain. Also located at this site is a two-story house built for Capt. Joseph and Thomas Cummings in 1778-79.
- 123 Asbury Street: two-story home built for Capt. William Cummings in 1823-24.
- South Side Cemetery, Rowley Bridge Road. Includes several Cummings family plots with graves dating back as early as 1741 (Annar Cummings).
- Pine Grove Cemetery, 8 Haverhill Road. Burial place for a smaller number of Cummings family members, including Capt. William Cummings.
References / Further Reading
Bond, C. L.
Houses and Buildings of Topsfield, Massachusetts: An up-date of "The houses and buildings of Topsfield, Massachusetts 1902" by J. H. Towne. Topsfield, Mass. : Topsfield Historical Society, 1989.
View in the Library CatalogCummins, Albert Oren.
Cummings genealogy : Isaac Cummings, 1601-1677 of Ipswich in 1638 and some of his descendants
Mooar, George (compiler). The Cummings memorial: a genealogical history of the descendants of Isaac Cummings, an early settler of Topsfield, Massachusetts. New York: B.F. Cummings, 1903.
Available online: https://archive.org/details/cummingsmemorial00inmooa
“Isaac Cummings of Topsfield, Mass., and some of his descendents.” The historical collections of the Topsfield Historical Society, (Vol. 5), p. 1-39. Topsfield, Mass. : Topsfield Historical Society.
Available online: https://archive.org/details/historicalcollec05unse
“Cummings Burying Ground inscriptions,” copied by George Warren Towne. The historical collections of the Topsfield Historical Society, (Vol. 5), p. 131. Topsfield, Mass. : Topsfield Historical Society.
Available online: https://archive.org/stream/historicalcollec05unse#page/130/mode/2up
External Links
Isaac Cummings Family Association - established in 1996.
Image from Volume 5 of the Historical Collections of the Topsfield Historical Society (facing p. 9).
Contents
Topsfield Times: A Community and Local History Resource
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