Bush, Richard bio

From: "Biographical Review of Cass, Schuyler and Brown Counties, Illinois 1892", by Biographical Review Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois; pages 533-534, a reprinted by Stevens Publishing Co., Astoria, Ill., 1971, is sold by the Schuyler County Historical Society, Rushville, Illinois.
Richard Bush, of Mt. Sterling, a successful manufacturer of tile and brick, was born in Zanesville, Ohio, December 20, 1827. His father, Thomas, was born near Easton, Pennsylvania, in 1802, and his father, Richard, was born in the same State. He removed from there to Ohio and was one of the pioneers of Muskingum county. The removal was made on pack horses in 1801. He secured Government land on Meig's creek. At that time the Indians were more numerous than whites, but all of them were friendly. For many years there were no railroads, no canals, no markets, and the people lived on the products of their lands. His wife's name was Dorothy Ryman, born in Pennsylvania of German ancestry. Thomas was eight years old when his parents made this move to Ohio, and there he was reared and married. He learned the trade of carpenter, and in his early life would hew all the timber and then saw all the lumber with a whipsaw to build a barn. He remained in Ohio until 1834, and then with his wife, and nine children came to this State. This removal was made by team, cooking and camping by the way. Mr. Bush entered Government land, one and one-half miles east of Exeter. There was a small cabin on the land. As soon as he could well do so he erected a frame house with two rooms, and that was one of the five houses of that section. At the time he settled there the county was but sparsely inhabited and much of the land was still owned by the Government. He remained there until 1849, when he sold and came to Brown county and settled in Lee township, and bought land and lived there until his death. The name of his wife was Elizabeth Morrison, born in Virginia, daughter of Alexander Morrison, who had come from Ireland. He had settled in Virginia and from there had moved to Muskingum county, Ohio, and died near Zanesville, his wife being also from Ireland. She reared seven children and finally died on the home farm.
Richard was six years of age when he came to Illinois with his parents and attended the log schoolhouse. He remained with his parents until 1848 and the same fall he moved to Brown county, and settled in Lee township. There he bought eighty acres of land, all wild, part timber and part prairie. He improved the farm and resided there until 1856, and then sold out and moved to Texas, making the journey with teams. He bought 400 acres of land in Lamar county, at $5 an acre, and engaged in farming and stock-raising, and lived there until 1860, and then sold out, for $10 an acre. He had in the meantime accumulated quite a stock of cattle, so that his investment there had proved very profitable. On selling out he returned to Lee township and bought 200 acres of land, three miles west of Mt. Sterling, and continued farming there until 1889, when he sold the farm and moved into Mt. Sterling. He then engaged in the manufacture of tile and brick. The most solid and enduring brick in existence is made by Mr. Bush at his years. It is exclusively used for the paving of Jacksonville and Quincy. He introduced the first portable steam sawmill into Brown county, and owned and operated the first mower and reaper combined, the first twine binder and the first thresher in that part of the State. Mr. Bush is an intelligent man, he has progressive ideas and he is not afraid to put them into practice.
He was married in 1848, to Lucinda Stayle, born in that part of Morgan now included in Scott county, a daughter of Peter and Parthena Stayle, natives of Kentucky and pioneers of Morgan county. Mr. and Mrs. Bush have eight children: Elizabeth A., Peter T., Emma J., Alexander J., Parthena S., Asenath, Minnie and R. Arthur. He is a Republican in politics.