Stained Glass Series: Mr. & Mrs. W.R. Cummings

This is the sixth in a series of historical articles about the church on Grindstone Island. Over the next few months, we will introduce the families who are commemorated in beautiful stained-glass windows. Their history will live on, and hopefully many islanders will help to ensure that the Church is rebuilt for future generations to visit and enjoy.

William R. and Ada “Addie” C. Rouse Cummings were honored with a window in the Grindstone Island Church in the mid 1930’s.

William, known as “Will,” was born in 1854 to Walter and Jane Farr Cummings on Grindstone Island, NY. His siblings were: Charles, Thomas, Harriet, Theresa, and Burton (both of whom died as infants). His father, Walter, was born in 1831 and died in 1919; his mother, Jane, was born in 1833 and died in 1909. Both are buried on Grindstone Island in the Lower Cemetery.

Addie was born in 1860 to Joseph Rouse and Margaret Pettet Rouse, possibly in Cape Vincent, NY.

Will and Addie were married on August 7, 1876, in Clayton, NY. They set up their Grindstone Island home on a farm located south of the church on Cross Island Road.

Will had several occupations during his lifetime, which included farmer, town councilman, and sailor on the Great Lakes.

Addie was a homemaker and after losing several young children, they adopted a daughter, Nellie Mae Cummings. Nellie grew up and married a man from Grindstone, Emmet Dodge (who was memorialized with a stained-glass window for his service to the island and church). Eventually, Emmet and Nellie inherited the Cummings property when her parents retired from farming. Will and Addie then moved to a smaller home located in the Village of Thurso on Grindstone Island, and eventually moved off the island to Clayton. The US Census in 1920 listed them living in a home in Clayton.

Stanley Norcom’s book Grindstone: An Island World Remembered, kindly references both Will and Addie. He describes Will as a prosperous farmer, who was heavy-set, good-looking, and dignified with an aristocratic mustache. Addie was described as a neat, stout woman with dark hair and eyes and milk-white skin dotted with freckles.

Addie died in 1924 and Will died in 1936. They were buried together in the Clayton Cemetery.

Will and Addie Cummings are perfect examples of the hard-working people who lived on the island and who dedicated their lives to the Grindstone Island community and to the island’s church.

By Cindy Rusho Hagemann

Cindy Rusho Hagemann was born in Alexandria Bay, NY, to Manley and Mary Lou Rusho – she is the third of their four daughters. In 1969 the family moved to Sanford, FL, where she grew up, but she was lucky enough to spend her summers on Grindstone Island with her grandparents. Cindy has been married to USN Commander (Ret) Jon Hagemann for 38 years and they have four grown children and three grandchildren. They live in the mountains of Tennessee on a hobby farm with alpacas, goats, pigs, dogs, and chickens. Cindy is a marketing professional and serves on the board of the Grindstone Island Church and is a committee member of the Grindstone Island Heritage Museum. Cindy helped her father, Manley Rusho, a long-time resident of Grindstone Island, write his many stories of growing up on Grindstone Island. We’re grateful to Cindy for encouraging her Dad to write these stories, to help him edit them, and to send them to us to publish.