1880 Obituary excerpts courtesy of Find A Grave contributor, Anne Cady
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Myron Cushman was born in Vermont, and moved to Jefferson County NY in 1824. He trained to be a tailor and in 1840 moved north and settled in Gouverneur. before finally setting in Gouverneur moved to Gouverneur from Jefferson County. He was famous for casting the first and only abolition vote in Gouverneur in the first election with that ticket on the ballot. He was one of the directors and operators of the underground railroad for runaway slaves, and he was host to the runaway slaves and to the abolitionist lecturers for many years. His house on Rock Island Street in Gouverneur is the best documented stop for the underground railroad in St. Lawrence county. He married Miss Susan Waid, granddaughter of Isaac Waid, one of the first settlers of Gouverneur. Together they had nine children, three of whom died young.
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Gouverneur Herald - January 29, 1880
Myron Cushman was born in Rupert, Bennington county, Vermont, and died in Gouverneur, Jan 22nd, 1880 in the 68th year f his age. He was one of a family of sixteen children and with his father settled in the town of Ellisburg, Jefferson county, in his twelfth year. He learned the tailor's trade in his boyhood and it was his occupation ever after.
For the last forty years he has reside in Gouverneur, and was always a prominent man, owing to his decided convictions with he fearlessly expressed on all suitable occasions and maintained with a commendable consistency to the end. He was blessed with the faculty of fully comprehending the great evils of slavery and rum. He felt that the one was as directly opposed to a healthy life and liberty of the nation, as the other was to the physical an moral happiness of a people. He has received the heartfelt and grateful blessings of many a poor, way-worn slave for food and clothing gladly bestowed and for helping them on the road to liberty. But the consciousness of having done right was a full compensation for his labor and free will offerings to the poor. The sneers of "law abiding" people, who would throw anti-slavery presses into rivers and give the property of emancipationists to the flames, murder editors because they maintained that all men were entitled to their freedom, had no intimidating effect upon him. The infamous Fugitive Slave Law, with its pains and penalties was no terror to him. As it stood across the path of duty, which led to the equal rights of all, he spurned it with contempt, bravely choosing to obey the laws of God at risk of suffering the cruel punishments of human enactments. He is entitled to the honor of casting the first abolition vote in the town of Gouverneur, and he lived many years after the shackle had fallen from the limbs of every slave, which was an answer to his oft-repeated prayer. In 1861 he took up arms for the defense of the country and was made a lieutenant. A severe sickness compelled him to return home after about one year of service, and he never fully recovered from the effects of that disease. He filled many town offices with fidelity and honor, and his frequent election showed that he discharged his duties acceptably to his *. All who knew Myron Cushman unite in paying him the highest tribute that it is possible to bestow upon a human being - that he was a conscientious, high mined, honest man.
__________________________________________________________
Myron Cushman was born in Vermont, and moved to Jefferson County NY in 1824. He trained to be a tailor and in 1840 moved north and settled in Gouverneur. before finally setting in Gouverneur moved to Gouverneur from Jefferson County. He was famous for casting the first and only abolition vote in Gouverneur in the first election with that ticket on the ballot. He was one of the directors and operators of the underground railroad for runaway slaves, and he was host to the runaway slaves and to the abolitionist lecturers for many years. His house on Rock Island Street in Gouverneur is the best documented stop for the underground railroad in St. Lawrence county. He married Miss Susan Waid, granddaughter of Isaac Waid, one of the first settlers of Gouverneur. Together they had nine children, three of whom died young.
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Gouverneur Herald - January 29, 1880
Myron Cushman was born in Rupert, Bennington county, Vermont, and died in Gouverneur, Jan 22nd, 1880 in the 68th year f his age. He was one of a family of sixteen children and with his father settled in the town of Ellisburg, Jefferson county, in his twelfth year. He learned the tailor's trade in his boyhood and it was his occupation ever after.
For the last forty years he has reside in Gouverneur, and was always a prominent man, owing to his decided convictions with he fearlessly expressed on all suitable occasions and maintained with a commendable consistency to the end. He was blessed with the faculty of fully comprehending the great evils of slavery and rum. He felt that the one was as directly opposed to a healthy life and liberty of the nation, as the other was to the physical an moral happiness of a people. He has received the heartfelt and grateful blessings of many a poor, way-worn slave for food and clothing gladly bestowed and for helping them on the road to liberty. But the consciousness of having done right was a full compensation for his labor and free will offerings to the poor. The sneers of "law abiding" people, who would throw anti-slavery presses into rivers and give the property of emancipationists to the flames, murder editors because they maintained that all men were entitled to their freedom, had no intimidating effect upon him. The infamous Fugitive Slave Law, with its pains and penalties was no terror to him. As it stood across the path of duty, which led to the equal rights of all, he spurned it with contempt, bravely choosing to obey the laws of God at risk of suffering the cruel punishments of human enactments. He is entitled to the honor of casting the first abolition vote in the town of Gouverneur, and he lived many years after the shackle had fallen from the limbs of every slave, which was an answer to his oft-repeated prayer. In 1861 he took up arms for the defense of the country and was made a lieutenant. A severe sickness compelled him to return home after about one year of service, and he never fully recovered from the effects of that disease. He filled many town offices with fidelity and honor, and his frequent election showed that he discharged his duties acceptably to his *. All who knew Myron Cushman unite in paying him the highest tribute that it is possible to bestow upon a human being - that he was a conscientious, high mined, honest man.
1880 Obituary excerpts courtesy of Find A Grave contributor, Anne Cady
__________________________________________________________
Myron Cushman was born in Vermont, and moved to Jefferson County NY in 1824. He trained to be a tailor and in 1840 moved north and settled in Gouverneur. before finally setting in Gouverneur moved to Gouverneur from Jefferson County. He was famous for casting the first and only abolition vote in Gouverneur in the first election with that ticket on the ballot. He was one of the directors and operators of the underground railroad for runaway slaves, and he was host to the runaway slaves and to the abolitionist lecturers for many years. His house on Rock Island Street in Gouverneur is the best documented stop for the underground railroad in St. Lawrence county. He married Miss Susan Waid, granddaughter of Isaac Waid, one of the first settlers of Gouverneur. Together they had nine children, three of whom died young.
_________________________________________________________
Gouverneur Herald - January 29, 1880
Myron Cushman was born in Rupert, Bennington county, Vermont, and died in Gouverneur, Jan 22nd, 1880 in the 68th year f his age. He was one of a family of sixteen children and with his father settled in the town of Ellisburg, Jefferson county, in his twelfth year. He learned the tailor's trade in his boyhood and it was his occupation ever after.
For the last forty years he has reside in Gouverneur, and was always a prominent man, owing to his decided convictions with he fearlessly expressed on all suitable occasions and maintained with a commendable consistency to the end. He was blessed with the faculty of fully comprehending the great evils of slavery and rum. He felt that the one was as directly opposed to a healthy life and liberty of the nation, as the other was to the physical an moral happiness of a people. He has received the heartfelt and grateful blessings of many a poor, way-worn slave for food and clothing gladly bestowed and for helping them on the road to liberty. But the consciousness of having done right was a full compensation for his labor and free will offerings to the poor. The sneers of "law abiding" people, who would throw anti-slavery presses into rivers and give the property of emancipationists to the flames, murder editors because they maintained that all men were entitled to their freedom, had no intimidating effect upon him. The infamous Fugitive Slave Law, with its pains and penalties was no terror to him. As it stood across the path of duty, which led to the equal rights of all, he spurned it with contempt, bravely choosing to obey the laws of God at risk of suffering the cruel punishments of human enactments. He is entitled to the honor of casting the first abolition vote in the town of Gouverneur, and he lived many years after the shackle had fallen from the limbs of every slave, which was an answer to his oft-repeated prayer. In 1861 he took up arms for the defense of the country and was made a lieutenant. A severe sickness compelled him to return home after about one year of service, and he never fully recovered from the effects of that disease. He filled many town offices with fidelity and honor, and his frequent election showed that he discharged his duties acceptably to his *. All who knew Myron Cushman unite in paying him the highest tribute that it is possible to bestow upon a human being - that he was a conscientious, high mined, honest man.
__________________________________________________________
Myron Cushman was born in Vermont, and moved to Jefferson County NY in 1824. He trained to be a tailor and in 1840 moved north and settled in Gouverneur. before finally setting in Gouverneur moved to Gouverneur from Jefferson County. He was famous for casting the first and only abolition vote in Gouverneur in the first election with that ticket on the ballot. He was one of the directors and operators of the underground railroad for runaway slaves, and he was host to the runaway slaves and to the abolitionist lecturers for many years. His house on Rock Island Street in Gouverneur is the best documented stop for the underground railroad in St. Lawrence county. He married Miss Susan Waid, granddaughter of Isaac Waid, one of the first settlers of Gouverneur. Together they had nine children, three of whom died young.
_________________________________________________________
Gouverneur Herald - January 29, 1880
Myron Cushman was born in Rupert, Bennington county, Vermont, and died in Gouverneur, Jan 22nd, 1880 in the 68th year f his age. He was one of a family of sixteen children and with his father settled in the town of Ellisburg, Jefferson county, in his twelfth year. He learned the tailor's trade in his boyhood and it was his occupation ever after.
For the last forty years he has reside in Gouverneur, and was always a prominent man, owing to his decided convictions with he fearlessly expressed on all suitable occasions and maintained with a commendable consistency to the end. He was blessed with the faculty of fully comprehending the great evils of slavery and rum. He felt that the one was as directly opposed to a healthy life and liberty of the nation, as the other was to the physical an moral happiness of a people. He has received the heartfelt and grateful blessings of many a poor, way-worn slave for food and clothing gladly bestowed and for helping them on the road to liberty. But the consciousness of having done right was a full compensation for his labor and free will offerings to the poor. The sneers of "law abiding" people, who would throw anti-slavery presses into rivers and give the property of emancipationists to the flames, murder editors because they maintained that all men were entitled to their freedom, had no intimidating effect upon him. The infamous Fugitive Slave Law, with its pains and penalties was no terror to him. As it stood across the path of duty, which led to the equal rights of all, he spurned it with contempt, bravely choosing to obey the laws of God at risk of suffering the cruel punishments of human enactments. He is entitled to the honor of casting the first abolition vote in the town of Gouverneur, and he lived many years after the shackle had fallen from the limbs of every slave, which was an answer to his oft-repeated prayer. In 1861 he took up arms for the defense of the country and was made a lieutenant. A severe sickness compelled him to return home after about one year of service, and he never fully recovered from the effects of that disease. He filled many town offices with fidelity and honor, and his frequent election showed that he discharged his duties acceptably to his *. All who knew Myron Cushman unite in paying him the highest tribute that it is possible to bestow upon a human being - that he was a conscientious, high mined, honest man.
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