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August 21, 2022
Dear Rick,
I just wanted to write to thank you for all of your research into the Bushong Family. Hans John Bushong IV is my ancestor. My grand-aunt had done some research tracing back five generations, but thanks to your research, I could go all the way back to Hans. Thank you so much. Words can’t describe how special it felt to see the signature of my ancestor on the oath of allegiance.
I did my master’s in German literature, so please let me know if you come across any old documents in German that you would like translating (I can also read the old German Sütterlin). I’m located in Maryland and am currently doing my Ph.D.
Kind regards,
Danni White
Hello Danni,
Thank you for your comment. I am glad you found the Bushong United helpful! I understand that feeling of looking through old documents and having your family name come into focus.
You mentioned your grand aunt's Bushong genealogy. From what you said, she is already in the Bushong Tree. What was her name? And her married name? (Margaret Bushong and Peter Stern)
Your German Literature M.A. degree and generous offer to translate old Boschung/Bushong documents could be very valuable and helpful for the entire Bushong family. Thank you! Is your Ph. D. course of study in German literature as well? (International Relations)
I have looked at so many church records and documents in old German script. Virtually every one starts undecipherable and a mystery. Not understanding German, the old scribbling is incredibly difficult to read and I can only do so by rote, letter by letter.
I understand if you have limited time while doing your Ph.D., but when possible, could you look through the church records from Switzerland about Boschung, collected on Bushong United
here?
Several have a question mark by them over name spellings or subject.
Also attached is a page from a church record in 1717, with a note to the side mentioning April 1733. Can you read it, and why was Hans Boschung mentioned?
Thanks again,
Rick Bushong
May 22, 2022
to Bushong United
Dear Rick,
I am a collector of 19th century photographs and a wetplate photographer myself.
Recently I acquired a beautiful set of 6 daguerreotypes (sold on eBay) all related to the Bushong family.
Not only is it rare that people on old daguerreotype portraits can be identified, but in addition, this set came in a series of multiple portraits covering three generations of one and the same family. Yet what stood out to me most, was the fact that the history of the Bushong family is so extensively documented on your website, including other photographs confirming their identities.
Attached are a couple of pictures of the daguerreotypes I acquired : feel free to use them. If needed I can try to make better quality photos of these daguerreotypes.
Kind regards,
Kris Defour
Hi Kris,
Thank you for taking the time to email me and for the copies of the Bushong Dags from the eBay offerings! Your copies are much better than I could have extracted from the eBay copies. I was mentally preparing to try and correct the perspectives on the various photos, and it is always difficult to correct the compound angles used to copy them. Also thank you for offering them for the Bushong United website.
I watched the auction with great interest and congratulate you on the purchase and for attempting to keep the grouping together! If they weren't such distant relations, I would have bought them myself. I have seen dozens of photos sold off from this branch of the Bushong family and there is obviously a disconnect in the familial chain of custody, somewhere along the line.
I can confirm that five of the images are Identified correctly. I informed Daren, the former owner, that Mary Taylor Valentine was misidentified as Lydia Bushong and that others in the auction were misidentified too. He demurred on correcting them and I wasn't aware he had corrected Mary's auction listing. Some Ambrotypes in this group were also misidentified which, he neglected to correct.
I am sorry to report the one Dag of "Abraham Rakstraw and Lydia Bushong Rakstraw" is also incorrect. I do not know who they are, but they are not Rakestraw/Bushong. I have identified photos in the Bushong United Photo Album with which you can confirm this. (now identified as . Elwood H. Paxson, 1811-1858, and Elizabeth Moore White Paxson.)
I've identified the person who put names to them, and she was Helen Ferguson Bushong, 1909-1989, wife of Henry Rakestraw Bushong. He was Henry Bushong and Esther Valentine Bushong's great-grandson. I think Helen did a pretty good job identifying them overall since she had never met any of these people.
As to the five identified photos, they are the finest images I have come across from this branch of the family! Until now, except for a Dag of Henry's son, Jacob, all the rest are CDVs. So they are nowhere as sharp as a Daguerreotype! Having been a professional photographer and photofinisher back in the silver halide days, I very much appreciate the clarity of a Dag which is the finest medium ever made for photography! And the expertise of this photographer is on full display with movement-free subjects, perfectly lighted, and exposed photos! They are simply beautiful!
I'm not sure if you noticed, but I already had the photo of Mary Taylor Valentine. It's in the photo album on Henry and Esther's photo page. Only mine was a CDV copy of your original Dag. It is nice to get a copy of the original since mine is two more generations (film and print) removed from the original.
Lastly, I'm sure you spotted that these Bushongs are famous as Underground Railroad operators, and these photos, probably taken in the 1850s are when the railroad was at its peak. Henry was also very close to the action in the Christiana Incident in 1851. Before he died, Henry's son, Jacob, corresponded with Robert Clemen Smedley, who recorded some of their exploits in his book: “History of the Underground Railroad in Chester and the Neighboring Counties of Pennsylvania,” I have a chapter written about their experiences, that will be in my book, based on among others, what Mr. Smedley had in his book.
If in the future, you decide to sell these photos, I would be happy to help promote them to Bushong descendants on Bushong United, if you'll let me know.
Thanks again.
Rick Bushong
July 19, 2020,
to Bushong United
Hello,
Thank you very much for all the information that you have provided in the The 1732 Immigrants Voyage article!
Although I am not a descendant of a Bushong, my 7th great grandfather Hans Jurg Rohrbach was on the John and William ship in 1732. My question is, were can I find a copy of the ships manifest? Or of the oath pages? I have found the minuets of the provincial council, however the book I founds just seems to be a re-print because it was printed in the 1800s. I see on your website that you have a picture or a scan of the manifest, and also a page of the oath pages? Is there a place I could go to get complete copies of original documents from the John and William 1732 sailing?
What I learned from you will greatly help me in my research.
Thank you!
Kurtis J. Rohrbach
Hello Kurtis,
Thank you for your comment and I'm glad you enjoyed the Pink "John and William" story. I had ancestors from two families for a total of five family members on the boat, (Boschung and Shook).
I know of only three documents from the voyage. The manifest, which was shown, was photocopied by a friend of mine, in the Lancaster archives. The other two called List B which is the Oath of allegiance and List C, which is the Oath of Abjuration, I assume are also still in the archives. But List B and C have been reproduced in the Pennsylvania German Pioneers, Volume 2; The Facsimiles, by Ralph Beaver Strassburger. Norristown, Pennsylvania: Published 1934 . The Pink "John and William" documents begin on book page 94 (digital page 124).
It is available for viewing or download, here
The facsimiles in Mr. Strassburger's book are excellent, with one exception, to keep them large enough to read, the documents were split between pages, and are a little difficult to extract and correctly stitch together. However, I have published List B, in an article here...
here
As you might see in the article above, I have theorized that with two of my ancestors, Johann Nicholas Boschung and his wife, Magdalena disappearing after arrival, they presumably died from the Influenza Pandemic of 1732-1733. It was raging in the new world. The boat, though deadly, was obviously free of the virus, but once passengers disembarked, they could have easily been exposed. So it could be food for thought if any of your family "disappeared" after landing?
All the best,
Rick Bushong
July 5, 2020
to Bushong United
Good morning,
I stumbled upon your site when I googled the Bushong name. My family has always believed that our family came from France and as you have pointed out, that's not the case.
A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a website called Familysearch.org. there I discovered my family tree going all the way back to my 10 times great grandfather, Michael Studer Boschung. It is amazing to see. I just wanted to thank you for all that you do.
Anthony Bushong Sr.
Hello Anthony,
Thank you for your comment and compliments. It's always nice to hear from another Bushong. Which immigrant line are you descended from, Hans Bushong IV or Johann Nicholas Bushong? (reply: Nicholas Bushong - the Kentucky Branch) Nicholas having a son with the first name of Anthony, you having the same name would make it interesting.
Here is a link to my WorldConnect line on RootsWeb.com...
here
Their "new" search engine is not very accurate, but with a look up and down the search's return, you can usually find who you're looking for. Aside from the search part, it is probably the most accurate Bushong tree you will find. However, the online tree doesn't show persons born after 1930 and still living....
I currently have four living Anthony Bushong's listed in the tree, born between 1932 and 1971 and interestingly, three were born between 1969 and 1971. Would you be one of these? From Texas, Indiana, California,or New York? (Indiana)
While I have you, can you please keep an eye out for any old Bushong photographs? I'm always looking to expand the photo album.
By the way, I will eventually be publishing the Bushong history in book form, so look for it too.
Thanks again,
Rick Bushong
April 27, 2020
to Bushong United
I believe you are a distant Cousin of mine.
I am descend from Esther Valentine Bushong who married John Gilbert. Their son Joseph Harding Gilbert is my Great, Great Grandfather . My Grandfather Rodney Yonkers Gilbert restored the Bart Meeting House with 100 of his friends including Henry and Lydia Rakestraw Bushong of Quarryville. I have been compiling a booklet with Suzy Wilson Brody for the 200th Anniversary of Bart Meeting. I would like to be able to use photographs from the Bushong United Site. Any monies involved would go back into Bart. Please let me know how we could make this work.
Cloey
Hello Cloey,
Yes you absolutely may use the photos from Bushong United for your 200th Anniversary booklet and celebration of the Barts Meeting House. Two things are all I request: Credit to the Bushong United Website and if room, the web address and second: on the off chance you discuss Bushong heritage, that you do not repeat the myth that they were of French descent. This myth is still so prevalent that people say/print it without thinking so it must not be repeated. The Bushongs were Pennsylvania Dutch. (reply: I will not repeat the myth. I am finding on my father's side of the family lots of tall tales if not outright myths!)
But alas Cloey we are not related.... but possibly shirttail relatives. However Esther Valentine Gilbert Bushong's son Gilbert is of course a half cousin to you. Gilbert's descendants are fully part of your line. But weren't the photos of Harding and Hanna and your great grandfather, John fun? Had you seen them before? Also, there's also one of Esther's mother, Mary Taylor Valentine, too.
Anyway, best of luck with your book, and the 200th anniversary of the meeting house. If I can be of any further service, don't hesitate to ask.
Rick Bushong
February 29, 2020
to Bushong United
Hi Rick
Sara Bushong from Alabama gave me your link.
I have Bushongs in my family. They are from Hans line.
I share a picture with you for the site. It is of my Great Grandmother, L.Dorra (Bushong) Harrold. Her father was John Bushong, and her mother was Lavina (Williamson) Bushong. She married Eli Harrold. They had one child, my Grandmother , Hattie Bushong (Harrold) Smith. Both Eli and L.Dorra died of TB before my Grandmother was 18 months old. The Bushong and Harrold families in my family were from the Fairfield and Columbiana, Ohio areas.
Thank you,
Charles Smith
Hello Charles,
I was delighted to receive a copy of your beautiful photo of your ancestor, Dorra Bushong Harrold! Thank you for sharing! Also you are to be commended. The original is in beautiful condition and the scan of it was excellent. You should see the sad condition and poor scans that are all that remain of so many Bushong ancestor's images, some taking hours of processing just to get them to an acceptable level.
As it happens, I am in the middle of working with a new batch of Bushong photos for the Photo Album, so I was able to process and publish Dora's photo and put it in the Bushong United Photo Album right away. It is now there and may be seen when you're interested.
Dorra's dress is perhaps one of the most beautiful dresses that I've seen in Bushong photos. Her family must have been somewhat affluent to have afforded such a lovely dress.
If you come across more or Eli's photo there is a spot reserved for them in the photo album.... snapshots, too.
Thank you again,
Rick Bushong
August 4, 2018
To Bushong United
Absolutely outstanding article about the John & William (my ancestor Paul Derst was aboard). Incredible research. I have read extensively regarding my early 18th century Pennsylvania German immigrants and I gathered more pertinent information from your article than from any other single source.
One slight spelling correction in the article: verses should have been spelled versus
Mittelberger stated his crossing took around 15 weeks, but the "Osgood" arrived Sept. 29, 1750, verses his, October 10th...
Stephen Prince
Hello Stephen,
Thanks for the comment to Bushong United. I'm glad to hear the The 1732 Immigrants Voyage article was helpful.
I had two different immigrant families on the Pink "John and William," Boschung and Shook. What else can we say, those Pennsylvanian Dutch were a tough and determined bunch.
But thank you for pointing out the typo! I think I can safely say I would never ever have spotted that one.
Sincerely,
Rick
January 30, 2018
Hello,
First, I wanted to thank you for all of your research as it helped me in my own research. I am related to the Bushong's through Mary Bushong (1806-1855), who married Lawson Elsea/Elsa/Elszey. She was the grand-daughter of Johann Anton Andreas Bushong, who came over on the John & William.
My question for you is regarding Hans Bushong (born 1600) and Anna Annelter. You listed their place of marriage and Han's death as Oberwil, Bern, Switzerland. I am working on understanding the physical locations where my ancestors lived, especially when they are from places that I have not physically visited. When I looked up the location of Oberwil, Bern I found two different locations in Switzerland, one called Oberwil bei Buren and the other Oberwil im Simmental. Oberwil im Simmental is much closer to Han's birthplace of Boltigen and therefore more likely the correct location.
I was wondering if you had any insight into this and knew which location was correct?
Thanks, Rebecca
Hello Rebecca,
Thank you for your comment and the compliment.
It's good to hear from a descendent of Jacob and Jane (mnu) Bushong. In fact, you're the first from their branch that I've been in contact with.
Your question though, about Hans(I) in the Bushong United Tree, is valid and needs to be addressed. Hans Boschung's (I) husband of Anna Anneler place of death in the tree was listed as "<Oberwil, Bern, Switzerland>" and this is indeed, an incomplete address, since there are two Oberwil's. The correct name, as you surmised, for his place of death, is "<Oberwil, Bern, im Simmental, Switzerland>" or slightly shortened, "<Oberwil, Bern, i.S., Switzerland>"
Also please allow me to point out that in the Bushong United Tree, the use of brackets, "<" and ">", means that this information is assumed. In this case, since Hans lived in Oberwil,
it is assumed that he died there.
It has been corrected in the tree, but because of RootsWebs, where the tree is hosted, is currently not allowing updates, the online tree won't be corrected/updated for a month or two when they get it fixed.
Thanks again,
Rick
November 29, 2017
Dear Rick,
While I am not a member of the Bushong family, I want to thank you for your wonderful site. I found it when researching our Weisel family history. It happens that George Michael and Susanna Weisel and their seven children were also passengers on the 1732 voyage of the Pink "John and William” from Rotterdam to Philadelphia. They came from a similar background, Reformed in religion, an earlier generation migrating first to the Palatinate, though originally from Upper Hesse. Susanna was also said to come from a French Huguenot family that sought refuge in the Palatinate.
It was wonderful to have such a full description of the whole process, from the Palatinate to Rotterdam, and then across the ocean. I might mention one anomaly in the ship's manifest: only the father and eldest son, and the mother and two eldest daughters were listed, leaving four children (aged 2-12) unaccounted for in the passenger count. I understand such omissions were quite common.
Thanks again for your prodigious effort.
Virginia Weisel Dike
Hello Virginia,
Thank you for your comment and the compliment. I'm so glad you enjoyed the Pink "John and William" article. It was such a horrible yet amazing adventure that our ancestors lived through. Did you also find the article, Immigrating to Pennsylvania by Leonard Melchior? He was an actual voyager on the Pink "John & William"? Available on Bushong United, click here.
I have two branches that came over on the "John and William", of course Bushong, but also Shook. By the way, another Weisel descendant, from the voyage, has seen the article and sent in a comment, too (below).
 However, I have to tell you how delighted I am you mentioned the "anomaly in the ship's manifest", bringing up the fact, that the Weisel family was not completely counted on the passenger manifest. For this, you deserve a "Tip of the hat", because I find this very interesting. The passenger manifest lists 169 passengers, these were the paying passengers, each representing a fare to be collected. Just as mentioned in the article, seven mutineer's names were omitted from the manifest, so would've children under five, since they traveled for free. This had completely missed my attention, and I'd given no consideration to the younger children. Yet it seems that might be the case in the Weisel family, at least for some of the children.
On the manifest, besides Michael Wysel and his wife Susannah it lists children, Fridrich Wisel, Ablonia Wysel, Barbara Wysel, but as you pointed out, four children are not listed. From existing genealogies submitted at RootsWeb.com, they are Michael, Jacob, Christina, and George, all born in Germany. Two of the children, Christine and George, are listed as being born after 1727, and they would not be on the manifest. Then from funerary records, you sent, son Michael was born in 1720 and was about twelve while Jacob was about 8 years in 1732. Of course, we can only speculate why they weren't counted and maybe they were just missed? Or perhaps, after such a voyage, they were so sick and pitiful, that whoever did the counting just couldn't bring themselves to count them? In other words, he didn't have the heart to charge them?
Regardless, if these four children were not counted on the manifest, then it is likely there were other young passengers on the Pink "John and William". How many more could there be? Just how much more overcrowded was the ship, from what had been imagined?
I will work to incorporate this new information into the Pink "John and William" article, thanks again for pointing it out.
Sincerely,
Rick
November 21, 2017
Rick,
Thank you for the article on my Uncle Kearney Bushong.
Very nice,
Fraya Bushong Weiss
Hi Fraya,
You're very welcome!
Your uncle was a patriot and finding all the photos of his squadron and blimp was fun!
Rick
October 9, 2017
Your Frontiersman and the Lady story is a well-crafted tale, worthy of a magazine.
But I found it by searching for better images of the 1860 Ross County (Ohio) map. Where did you get your photo of the Franklin Township (map)? I'm researching families in northeastern Twin Township, and have either good-quality redraws or bad-quality photos.
And since I accessed your Comments page, you have a good illustration of the correct way to sharpen a quill. Where did you find that?
Thanks!
Kevin Coleman
INTREPID HERITAGE SERVICES
"Presenting 450,000,000 years of South Central Ohio heritage"
Chillicothe OH
Hi Kevin,
Thank you so much for the compliment about John and Jenette's article. John Bushong and his wife led full and interesting lives, and we're lucky to have so many records from so long ago. It really helped create a rich narrative for them.
The map you're enquiring about is available as a scan at the Library of Congress. They have large files of their maps and they are very detailed.
For a full copy and detailed map of Ross County Ohio map, click here.
The beautiful painting that you mentioned, (above) was done by Gerrit Dou and is called "Geleerde die zijn pen snijdt" or translated from Dutch, "Scholar sharpening a quill pen". Dou was one of the Dutch Golden Age painters and studied with Rembrandt. He completed this masterpiece sometime between 1630 and 1635. But perhaps I complicated your search for the painting, because to better format it for the web page layout, I took the liberty of reversing the image. Gerrit Dou's wonderful painting can be found along with many other of his works on his Wikipedia page. To see Gerrit Dou's Wikipedia page, click here
In the future, I will endeavor to list sources for more of the illustrations.
Thanks again,
Rick
January 25, 2017
Hi there!
I found your site today since I've become wildly obsessed with tracing my ancestors. I've been mainly using Ancestry.com (as a starting place), but have been branching out other areas to confirm (or clarify) what I've found. I love exploring the Bushong side of the family! Ada Bushong Ringoen was my great grandmother on my paternal grandmother's side. She was Mark and Fannie's daughter. Mark was Andrew Jr's (b. 1820 to Andreas/Andrew). I always heard of her referred to as "Ada Mae." My grandmother had a captivating painting of her hanging above their fireplace for years. Unfortunately, the painting was stolen from my uncle's car several years ago!
I wanted to ask you about the France vs. German/Swiss origins of Hans Bushong (married Barbara). Some sources say that he was French. I found someone's write-up about it. (posted here),
I'm a fairly green researcher, but I love stories and love to connect with people.
I'm going to see about uploading my GEDCOM to rootsweb, if possible, but for now, you're welcome to view my Ancestry.com
Hope to hear from you.
Respectfully,
Katie Crommett
Worcester, MA
Hello Katie,
Thank you for your email to Bushong United Website and welcome to Bushong genealogy! It's always good to hear from descendants!
Your great grandmother and her husband are listed in the Bushong United Tree and your line indeed travels back through the Virginian and Pennsylvanian Bushongs.
There's no doubt you have heard almost everywhere that they were from France, since this myth has been embraced by the Pennsylvanian Bushongs beginning over 170 years ago. I think 99% of Ancestry members charting Bushong state they were from France. That's the myth begun in 1844 by the usually accurate I. Daniel Rupp, who in his defense, didn't repeat the mistake in his later books. 1901 saw the addition of the name Jean Beauchamp, and in 1928, armed with the new name, genealogists Mary Feller Wicks, added the final touches with the Barbara Foltz de Hageneau bits. In reality, Foltz was married to a French tailor named Jean Buchain, and they had different children than the Pennsylvanian immigrants. But the myth was complete: Jean Beauchamp or sometimes Jean Bushong and Barbara Foltz de Hageneau, of Strasbourg, Alsace, France.
If you measure proof by the pound then you have to chart to the French Bushong, because there are dozens and dozens of books and references printed that all repeat the myth. However if you want more than hearsay or family lore to build your budding Bushong Tree, then you will not find any sources supporting the myth.
On the other hand there are numerous sources, with actual physical evidence that the Bushong Family, was of German (Swiss) heritage, starting with their undeniably German surname, Boschung. But they also spoke German, and wrote German. Just a look in the Lancaster Salem Cemetery, where the earliest burials are noted, and find their tombstones carved in German, however you won't find a single tombstone in the whole cemetery in French.
If you, in your research find any scrap of evidence that they ever even spoke a word of French, I would love to see it and would be sure to let everyone know. Still, they more than likely traveled on their way, from Switzerland to Germany through France, but that's the closest that we can say. Hans' father was never known as Jean. It was Hans, and after immigration prior to 1719, it was John. There were never any Pierre's in the family and no Count Bushongs or Beauchamps in the family either. Oh yeah, there's definitely, no French Bushong coat of arms that's ever been associated with our family, except by mistaken genealogists. It's all family lore, mistakenly believed and handed down beginning with the fourth generation from immigration.
Even back in 1984, genealogists collaborating for the Bushong Bulletin pretty well dispelled the myth, yet it hasn't been published for over ten years, so most genealogists have never seen them or read them.
I have written many times, about the "French Bushong Myth" on Bushong United Website. For more details, see articles...
You mention a tree on Ancestry.com. A tree is great, because as you have know doubt realized, it's impossible to keep track of all the Bushongs and other family without one. I would love to see it, but unfortunately, Ancestry.com's trees are not public and only paid subscribers to Ancestry.com can see them without an official invitation. So if you send one to "BushongUnited", (my user name) through Ancestry.com, then I can see it. I have a limited tree on Ancestry.com and will send you an invitation, but my main tree for the entire Bushong family is available on RootsWeb, and it is public for all to see. There are links to it from the Bushong United Website. I have endeavored to make the Bushong United Tree as accurate as possible, and am hoping to establish what I'm calling the "Gold Standard" for Bushong genealogy. If you check your tree against the Bushong United Tree and it differs, then at the risk of being blunt, your tree is wrong. Of course I'm always eager and happy to correct anything that is proven be incorrect.
One last thing please, unless you end up believing the Bushong were French, could you remove the write-up about the French Bushongs you posted? There's enough hearsay published about the Bushongs without another repeat of the 170 year old myth.
Sincerely,
Rick
September 24, 2016
I have found a bit of important Angleberger/Angelberger family history on your page showing the John Naas Letter describing the 1733 crossing of the Pennsylvania Merchant. A relative--perhaps the only one begetting our family here--to cross from Germany to USA was on that ship. Philip Angelberger came by himself, landed in Philadelphia, and the little bit of info found for him after that MAY not be accurate. I am very grateful to have the text of that letter and share it with family. Such documents bring our ancestors to life! It's gratifying to know something about their lives and not just their name and a few dates. Thank You!
Joyce Angleberger
Funkstown, MD 21734
Hello Joyce,
Thank you for your comment to the Bushong United Website.
I'm so glad to hear the John Naas letter could help with your Angleberger/Angelberger family history!
I will try to keep finding and publishing these pieces of our heritage that belong to so many of us.
Thanks again,
Rick
August 17, 2016
I submitted a question to you regarding the Bushong ancestry last year, and only now did I come across the detailed answer that you posted on your site. I asked about the possible French connection of our ancestry and you gave a detailed explanation of how the Bushongs are Swiss-German. I thought I'd let you know that this was definitely an interesting development for me as my maiden name from my father is Glotfelty. We descend from the Glattfelder family ALSO from Switzerland. There's a place called Glattfelden actually. I'm Swiss on both sides of my family! What a strange discovery!
Thanks,
Lia Lanham
Hi Lia,
It is amazing how many German Swiss left Switzerland and how many of those immigrated to America. Then to have both paternal and maternal sides, of German Swiss descent, brings it very close to home, and makes it all that much more real.
At first, with so many people on Ancestry.com quoting the same tired Myth of the French Bushongs, it's hard to believe, but the actual Bushong genealogy of German Swiss heritage, is much more interesting.
Happy hunting,
Rick
April 25, 2016
Hello there,
My grandfather was Frank O. Barnes and I wanted to thank you for the information you have shared online. It has helped piece together a bit of family history for me.
The majority of the family is in South Bend, Indiana and the rest are in the surrounding Michigan area. Most of them are not computer literate. Finding your site under Lydia's name, helped me a lot, putting the puzzle together. Your site has also helped me get past the dead start that I had on earlier attempts, to get a little bit resolved on that side of the family. My mother was zero help on this project even though she has the family Bible with names and dates for at least 10 generations on her side. I am now located in California so I can't go over to her and copy it down easily.
Thank you so much,
Heather
Hello Heather,
Thank you for your comment. I'm so glad that the information was helpful.
If I'm correct, your great grandmother was Lydia Drusilla Bushong, and she married Horace Barnes. Lydia is a great granddaughter of George Bushong and Lydia Rush. I'm always happy when a descendant of George and Lydia can connect, as I was a recipient of George and Lydia's photographs. So I feel a special need to try and get their images into as many cousins' hands as possible.
That said, were you able to get copies of their photos? I also have photos of James and Drusilla as well as Hiram (Lydia's father). In the two photos I have of Hiram, he was such a nice looking boy, with his face full of freckles. Also Hiram is mentioned in a story, available here, where he went into business with his nephew, John Chester Bushong.
Hiram, and my great grandfather, Joseph Hill Bushong were brothers.
Have you been to FindaGrave.com yet? Your family's lines are pretty well completed and it's a nice way to follow the family tree.
Again, so nice to hear from you.
Best Regards,
Rick
September 10, 2015
Rick,
Great Job, .. on the new Article of John and Janette Bushong.
I love to read the history of the family and see all the illustrations.
Thanks so much for your love and dedication to the Bushong History.
Fraya
Hi Fraya,
Thank you for your ongoing support. It means a lot to me.
Your Friend,
Rick
April 4, 2015
Rick,
In the lineage charted on your website (Bushong United Photo Album) showing the descendants of Hans and Nicholas, it shows a son of John Jacob, Jacob married to Elizabeth Bohart (who lived in Hancock Co). My gggrandfather was the Jacob married to Hannah Clark with the son Samuel Lindsley, b 1842 and I don't see him (Jacob) charted on that lineage anywhere.
There seems to be some confusion with these 2 Jacobs as evidenced with the lineage chart and the information you shared regarding the question about the various Jacobs.
Any clarification you could share would be appreciated.
Mareetta Brewer
Hello Mareetta,
Thank you for your comment. That's a good point.
First, you are right, there are a lot of Jacobs, as mentioned here, and they have confused many people throughout the years. There are currently 29 already in the Photo Album.
But your Jacob, is actually there, just above his brother, Peter Bushong and wife, Salome Keckley, (use Search -Control F) but with no photographs, his tree is not expanded. The Bushong Photo Album is a photo-tree for those in the first six generations who have photographs to display.
Jacob, 1806-1859 and his wife, Hannah Clark, 1816-1879, are fourth generation from the immigrants, and certainly deserve a place in the tree. Also their eight children, including your great grandfather, Samuel Lindsley Bushong, 1842-1917 and wife, Elizabeth May Ford, 1845-1932. The tree would stop with their daughter, Eva Bushong, 1868-1891, who is the sixth generation from the immigrants, so she and her husband, Elsworth Bowen (dates unknown), could also be added.
BUSHONG LINEAGE: Samuel Lindsley Bushong/Jacob Bushong and Hannah Clark/ John Jacob Bushong and Eva Catharina Bossert/ John Bushong and Elizabeth Sprenkel/ Hans John and Barbara Bushong, the immigrants
If you can find photos of any of them, send them in and we'll be able to expand all of the photo-tree down to them. With Samuel being a veteran of Company I the 49th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, it's a good bet there's a CDV or tintype of him in his Civil War uniform out there somewhere. Though I'm still looking for one of my great grandfather, Pvt Joseph H. Bushong, of the 21st OVI.
Rick
April 1, 2015
Hi Rick,
I just looked at your Bushong United Photo Album. What a nice piece of work you have done.
Like many people we have a huge collection of old photographs with no names or dates on them. Uncle Gilbert {Bushong} had stored a lot in the attic and they were half eaten by mice and had water spots on them and no way to identify them. He also had the Bible which none of us knew about until the last few years of his life when my sister-in-law discovered it and he gave it to her. Fortunately some of the photo were in albums and labeled and we of course knew our grandfathers {Emery Franklin Bushong} siblings. Other photographs came from the Hugh Morrison Jr. Studio Collection. The date the picture was taken and the number of the picture at the top referred to his system of keeping track of all the photos he had ever taken. He was the photographer for 50 years in Woodstock and when he died they found that he had never thrown away a thing. There were 25,000 glass plate negatives alone. They have been working for years to display all of the photos and identify them. The last time Betsy, my brother’s wife and I looked thru them there were I believe 50 volumes and they still have that many to do. Maybe in the future I will be able to add some photos to your Album.
Thanks for all the work you are doing. Like you I believe in sharing information and documenting our past.
Joyce Eastman
Hi Joyce,
Thank you for your comment and for all of the wonderful Bushong family photographs that you have shared. As you can see in the Bushong Family Photo Album, the photographs of your line, descending from John M. Bushong and Lydia Haun, have made a good start.
Also, with all of those photographs still to go through, I'm hoping more will be discovered and identified. When they are, there'll be a place for them here, in the Album.
Thanks again,
Rick
March 11, 2015
Rick,
Love your website and the history of Doc Bushong. I'm a SABR {Society for American Baseball Research} member and baseball writer and researcher. I came across an image you posted on Doc's page of a Decoration Day baseball game in Brooklyn from 1887 (Brooklyn vs St Louis) and was wondering if you could assist me with some information about your image.
I've located a copy of the same image with the information printed on the photo mount in a book written by John Durant called "The Dodgers" but I was wondering where you found your image as it has much better resolution than the one I found. Does your image show the mount as well?
Any help much appreciated.
Regards,
Peter Nash
Hello Peter,
Thank you, I'm glad you liked the Doc Bushong article.
I'm not sure where I found the photo, and my image does not show the mount. It is probably from the Washington Park website. Then the image was processed slightly, with PhotoScape. There's a link to download the software on the Front Page of this website.
Good Luck with your endeavors,
Rick
March 4, 2015
Rick,
Thank you so much for all your continuous hard work to gather all the Bushongs on one site and to honor them as you do with respect.
Makes me happy to call you a friend.
Fraya
Hi Fraya
You're welcome, it has been my pleasure. But your ongoing help and feedback, is very important as well as appreciated.
Your friend and cousin.
Rick
February 28, 2015
Hello,
I too loved the John and William voyage accounts. I have family who was onboard as well- the Emick group. Thank you for all the hard work and research, and for posting it all here for us to see! I saw that you told another person that they could share with their family on Ancestry.com. I have a private site and would like to do the same if that's ok. I will credit you and your site, of course!
Best-
Elizabeth (Amick) Worley Zdunich
Hello Elizabeth,
Thank you for your email. Our ancestors shared in a fascinating event, the Pink "John and William" voyage, as well as one of only a handful of passenger mutinies. I'd be happy to have you post and share it, just please, as you mentioned, maintain the copyright information.
You also might be interested in another article about the voyage, Murder Lurks, on the Pink "John and William". As if it wasn't tough enough just sailing to America, but to have someone stalking and trying to kill them?
Rick
October 23, 2014
Oh My Goodness!!! I have been researching like a crazy fool on my Bushong family and I found, a few years ago, a TON of items. But this page has more than I could ever dream of finding!!!
My ancestors are the ones who came across on the Pink John and William!
Thank you sooooo very much for doing what you do!
Jeri Lou Peters (Bushong)
Hello Jeri Lou,
Thank you for your comment. The Bushong surname is such a great name, it just seemed like there should be someplace that it all could be gathered up and the information organized.
Also thank you for the additional information. Your ancestor Oscar Green Bushong has always been somewhat of a mystery, with just his mother, Malinda Bushong being known. Anymore information that can be located about his ancestry would be welcome.
Rick
October 7, 2014
I am really impressed with your dedication, time, effort on finding the facts of the Bushong family.
I'm happy to see some of the pieces are fitting together. Like you said, it takes time and effort for the research.
Keep up the great work!.
Fraya
Hi Fraya,
Thank you!
Yes, Sallie's album sure took some time. I had to try and figure out 23 surnames, pretty much at the same time. In the end, the only way I could keep it straight was in the tree, so all those related to Sallie, were added to the Bushong United Family Tree. I'm not sure, but at least 100 new individuals were charted and several surnames were added.
But with photographs so rare and old, they just had to be preserved, by identifying their family lines and publishing them. Now it's possible for their descendants to be united with their ancestor's long lost images.
I'm still looking for my great grandfather, Pvt. Joseph H. Bushong's, Civil War photograph, in uniform. He was in the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Maybe this will help??
Rick
July 31, 2014
to Bushong United
Thanks so much for the article titled:
The Pink "John and William"
and Captain Tymperton and
The 1732 Immigrants Voyage
My ancestors came to America on the ship and on the voyage you detail out so vividly. I would like to share this article out on ancestry.com for others to discover and read, with the appropriate copyright credit of course.
Let me know if this would be acceptable with you, and whether you have any suggestions for how to share it in the best form.
Thanks again for the awesome article and research.
Jim Weisel
Hello Jim,
Thank you for the comment and compliment.
I had two ancestors on the ship, Boschung and Shook, and it just seemed like the story should be told.
I would be happy to share it, through this link..
http://www.belizebreeze.com/bushongunited/voyage.html
Jim subsequently elaborated that his immigrant ancestors on the Pink "John and William" were George Michael Weisel, his wife Susanna Kiefer Weisel with their entire family. They settled in Bedminster Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Rick
July 25 2014
Greetings!
I found this link on my ancestry.com account and have really enjoyed reading about my great grandmother's family. I'm attaching a photo of her, her husband (William Monroe Patty), and her parents (Mary and John Sterling Bushong) that my grandmother (her daughter-in-law) passed along to me. I may have more photos from her family but will have to do some digging through files as we recently moved and I'm not quite sure of where I've put certain boxes. Would love to find out more about the Bushong family.
Thanks and thanks for all your efforts on keeping the genealogy and history on the Bushong family correct and updated!
Martha C. Armstrong
Hello Martha,
Thank you for your comment and kind words. Also thank you so much for the photos. They're very nice and I've never seen them before. It's always fun getting new ones and I will endeavor to get them published so others can share.
John Sterling Bushong is a great great grandson of Hans John and Barbara Boschung/Bushong, one of the two Boschung brothers who immigrated in 1731 and 1732. His line is available from this website. John Sterling Bushong was an accomplished photographer and having been a photographer myself, I've long been aware of him. I regularly see photos from his studio being offered on eBay.
Minnie and her Bushong family tree are also available from this website, and I've put any documentation in each individual's notes. I've unfortunately had to limit the Bushong daughters' families somewhat, as it would more than double the size of the family tree and make it more unwieldy. But as you've seen, I try and include the Bushong daughters' husbands. That said, I'd love to see any more photos of Minnie's Bushong family.
Thanks again,
Rick
June 7, 2014
This is such a lovely web page, thank you so much for putting it together
and sharing it with everyone.
Judy Cassidy
Glad you like it Judy.
I especially enjoy finding all the images for the articles. These wonderful old illustrations are in the public domain, and just seem to bring the stories to life.
Rick
June 7, 2014
Rick
Thank you for all the work you are doing.
Fraya
It's my pleasure Fraya.
I'm always learning something new.
But you're doing good work too, with all the Findagrave.com stone photos!
Rick
Jan 6, 2013
Rick,
Great research and beautiful job of presentation of the information, with the images included.
It gives a clear understanding of the documents and a person can read for themselves.
Well organized and professional.
Thank you
Fraya
Thanks Fraya.
Yes, these old documents are interesting to see. I've still got a lot of John Bushong's estate to go through. The inventory and accounts payable reveal interesting details about the man.
Rick
Dec. 27 2013
Rick Bushong,
I want to thank you for all great work on the Bushong family history. You did a fantastic job of addressing the facts of Andrew and the information is written in an understandable way. It is very easy to see where everyone fits in by adding the link to the searchable Bushongs
Thank you for sharing all this information on the Bushongs. It has been a pleasure to work with you.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Fraya Bushong Weiss
Lineage
Fraya Bushong Weiss
Otto Conrad Bushong (1921-1992)
Kearney Holloween Bushong (1896-1968)
Ezram Branson Crow Bushong (1860-1908)
Lewis Augustus Edy Bushong Sr. (1818-1863)
John Bushong (1797-1885)
John Bushong (1760-1825)
Andrew Bushong (1718)
John Nicholas Bushong
Thank You Fraya. Your support has always meant a lot to me!
The Happiest of Holidays to you and yours,
Rick
Dec 22, 2013
Hi Rick!
I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate all of your hard work on behalf of the family. The new web site is fantastic. I'm looking forward to many hours of learning from your research. I appreciate your generosity in sharing with all.
I hope your family is having a great holiday season and will have a fantastic New Year ahead.
Best regards,
The other Becky (Indianapolis)
Thank you, Becky.
It is surprising how there's always new information popping up.
Happy Holidays and New Year, too!
Rick
Dec 19 2013
Hello Rick,
Thank you so very much for sharing.
Your work is organized, coherent, accurate, etc.
Very refreshing.
Have a good 2014!!!!
Maxine Books Driscoll in California
(my father's mother was Edna Bushong Books)
You're welcome Maxine.
Always good to hear from you, it was my pleasure.
Have a great New Year, too!
Rick
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