Cummington, Massachusetts
town in Massachusetts
Cummington is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 829 at the 2020 census, a decline from 872, tabulated in 2010. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Cummington was first settled in 1762 and officially incorporated in 1779. It was named after Colonel John Cumings, the original landholder.
The first Congregational Church minister was Reverend James Briggs of Norton, Massachusetts, a graduate of Yale College around 1775. Briggs was the son of Deacon James and Damaris (White) Briggs, and the husband of Anna Wiswall.
Several Revolutionary War patriots are buried in Cummington, including Nathaniel Holbrook, Seth Wilder Sr., and Seth Wilder Jr.
Noted poet and newspaper editor William Cullen Bryant was born in Cummington, and returned for many years to summer there. His house is now preserved and open to the public as the William Cullen Bryant Homestead.
The public source identifies “Cummington, Massachusetts” as town in Massachusetts. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Cummington, Massachusetts and town.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Cummington, Massachusetts”, the useful work is to connect “town in Massachusetts” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q919097. VIAF identifies the subject as 138363393. The Library of Congress control number is n79084090. Authority coordinates are 42.462, -72.894. 6 of 6 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 2010, 1762 and 1779.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Cummington, Massachusetts”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Cummington, Massachusetts primary sources, Cummington, Massachusetts archive and Cummington research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Cummington, Massachusetts”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Cummington, Massachusetts” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.