Francis Bushnell
Francis Bushnell was born about 1580, by the 1945 Bushnell genealogy, which says he came from Thatcham in Berkshire. He first appears at Horsham, in Sussex, on 13 May 1605. On that day he married Ferris Quenell in the parish church of St Mary the Virgin. For the next twenty seven years he, his children or his grandchildren appear in the Horsham register. Then the name disappears from it for about forty years.
He was a craftsman. In the churchwardens' accounts for 1610/11, "Frauncis Bushnell" was paid five shillings "for cullering the funt," that is, for painting the font. He was a churchwarden himself in 1626/7. The same year the parish drew up a seating plan for the church. In it was "a Seate under the new gallary stayers for Pharis Bushnell, the wife of Frauncis Bushnell, to belong to him and his heirs for ever." The Bushnell genealogy quotes these entries from the Sussex Record Society's printed Horsham register of 1915.
Eleven children were baptised to him and Ferris at Horsham. The eldest, Edmund, was baptised in April 1606 by the Bushnell genealogy. Then came Francis in January 1608/9, William in February 1610/11, Steephen in 1612/13, Joane in 1615, Thomas in 1617, Mary at Christmas 1618, Rebeca in 1621, Richard in April 1623, Sara in 1625 and Elizabeth in March 1627/8. Thomas lived two weeks. Steephen died at twelve.
Ferris was buried on 10 March 1627/8, the same day as the infant Elizabeth. The Bushnell genealogy says she died in childbirth. On 2 June 1629 Francis married Joane Kinward at Horsham. She was buried there on 21 June 1631.
In 1635 his five surviving sons left for New England. Four years later he followed with his two unmarried daughters, Sarah and Rebecca. They sailed in the St. John with the Rev. Henry Whitfield's company. After about ten days at sea the company drew up a covenant, later called the Guilford or Plantation Covenant. Francis Bushnell's name appears third. The ninth name is the Rev. John Hoadley's, who married his daughter Sarah. The company landed at Fair Haven, in what became New Haven, between 10 and 15 July 1639. Two months later its leaders signed the deed for Menunkatuck, bought from the Quinnipiac. They named it Guilford, after the Surrey town some of them came from.
He took a home lot of about three and a half acres at the north east corner of what are now Fair and Broad Streets, which the Bushnell genealogy calls one of the choice locations. He does not seem to have been active in the colony's affairs. His son Francis took the lot next to him on Fair Street, and the Rev. John Hoadley had a lot on Broad Street. Francis Bushnell died at Guilford in 1646. His will was attested by the Rev. Henry Whitfield, the first minister, and by William Leete. It was proved at a session of the Plantation Court on 13 October 1646, the first will proved at Guilford.
His children spread along the coast. William became a lieutenant at Saybrook, and Richard died at Norwalk in 1659 or 1660. Rebecca married John Lord, a son of Thomas Lord of Hartford, and died at Guilford by February 1646/7. John Hoadley went back to England in 1653 and became chaplain to Cromwell's garrison at Edinburgh Castle, and Sarah followed with their children in 1655. Their grandson Benjamin Hoadly became a bishop of the Church of England.
Sources
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Cite: Heirology, "Francis Bushnell (1580-1646)", https://heirology.com/ancestors/francis-bushnell-1580-1646-96193c.