San Diego County Biographies
 
THOMAS HENRY BUSH

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm


One of the most prominent of the San Diego pioneers is Judge Bush, who 
earned his title by honest service upon the bench. His father, Henry Bush, 
emigrated to America from London, England, where he had been engaged in the 
mercantile pursuits. He settled at Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, 
where he lived until the time of his death, which occurred in 1836, in his 
fortieth year. His wife, Margaret Crowe Bush, was born in county Monaghan, 
Ireland, in the year 1793, and died at the age of ninety years. This union was 
blessed with six children, but three of whom survive: Eliza, who married Jacob 
Fellnagle, and lives in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, has one child; Thomas Henry 
and Margaret Jane were born June 8, 1831. She lives in Pottsville, and is 
unmarried. On his father's death the family moved to New York city, where Thomas 
learned the book�binder's trade, in the meantime having received a common-school 
education. He worked for George F. Coolidge & Bro., on Pearl Street, next to 
Harpers', until he was twenty-one years of age. The gold excitement in 
California decided him to go to that State. Accordingly he left New York city, 
January 5, 1853, on the steamer Empire, and came via Colon and Panama with a 
party of five, consisting of Alexander Buswell, a bookbinder, who died in San 
Francisco, February, 1889; Addison Wilson, a tailor, who went East in 1885; 
Peter Finnegan, a livery-man in San Francisco County; Richard Parr, of Albany, 
New York, who returned home and died there about 1885, and Samuel Eastman, whose 
whereabouts are unknown to Judge Bush. The fare from New York to San Francisco 
was $125, but they bought tickets to Panama for $35, hoping to take the 
opposition steamer from Panama to San Francisco, but on arriving at Panama they 
were disappointed to find the opposition withdrawn. They were compelled to wait 
three weeks in Panama, where a fever was raging, which killed about 1,000 
persons. They purchased tickets from Panama to San Francisco for $50. They left 
Panama February, 1853, and arrived in San Francisco on the steam propeller 
Columbus, March 1 of the same year. Here Judge Bush first worked for a man named 
Perkins, putting on a patent fire-proof roof at $5 per day. He then went to the 
Campo Seco mines, where he remained for about two months, when he returned to 
San Francisco. He again went to the mines, being successively at Minnesota 
Flats, Downieville, Chipp's Diggings, Forest City and Smith's Diggings. After 
three years spent at the mines he returned to San Francisco and worked at his 
trade. March 4, 1858, he was married to Ellen Augusta Porter, daughter of Rufus 
Porter, who was for thirty years in the patent office at Washington. Captain 
Rufus K. Porter, of Cholla Valley, is her brother. The family were from 
Massachusetts originally. After his marriage, Judge Bush went to Sausal, Lower 
California, to run a store at the San Antonio copper mine, but not liking 
frontier life he with his wife returned to San Francisco. From 1859 to 1865 he 
worked at his trade in San Francisco, at the end of which time he removed to San 
Diego, where he has since resided. He first lived on the ranch of R. K. Porter, 
his brother-in-law, and then removed to Old Town, where he started a general 
merchandise store. Here he was appointed Postmaster. In 1866 he was appointed 
County Judge, by Governor F. F. Lowe, to fill the unexpired term of Julio Osuna, 
which office he held for eight years, being twice elected. He has also held the 
offices of school and city trustee. He was in the latter office at the time of 
the Horton purchase. From 1878 to 1883 he spent the most of his time prospecting 
at Florence and Dripping Springs. In 1883 he returned to Pottsville, where he 
remained three years, and returned to San Diego October, 1887. He has one child, 
Bertha, who was born in San Francisco County, in 1863. Judge Bush is now a 
Notary Public, deals in real estate, and is secretary of the Society of San 
Diego Pioneers.
 
SOURCE:  An Illustrated History of Southern California:  Embracing the Counties 
of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the Peninsula of Lower 
California� Chicago:  The Lewis Publishing Company, 1890.  p.-  319-320