We have several stories or legends in our family and many have proven to be correct after researching the particular family members in question. But there is one special "legend" that has, so far, defied being proven or disproven. And it's a wonderful story told by my great, great grandfather, John Stephen Busby, Sr. 1846-1927.
In a letter that he wrote in 1925 to his son, Dr. Joseph Elliott Busby, John relays as much family history as he can so that it would not be forgotten by his family.
Here is the letter, in its entirety.
A history of the Busby Family: By J. S. Busby, now 79 years old the 27th of Sep, 1925. Of whom I have five brothers and one sister. J. J. Busby, S. S. Busby, J. S. Busby (myself), W. F. Busby, T. R. Busby, and C. L. Busby. One sister: Augusta, now Mrs. Jake McGee. (The boys names were: Jim, Sam, John, Bill, Tom and Charley).
Our GREAT GRANDFATHER was Scotch Irish. He came across from Scotland to North Carolina; there settled and raised four boys and three girls. (Note: injected by son, Joe: He told me the first family landed in North Carolina in the latter part of the 17th (18th?) Century) -- From there he moved to Kentucky. Moving through the Cumberland Mountains, in which there were a great Bears and other wild game.
So moving through in ox-wagon, Sunday came on and they stopped to let the oxen graze. The four boys concluded they would take their guns and kill a bear: but instead of killing a bear -- the bear sprang out and killed one of the boys. All the others ran in different directions, and when they returned to the wagon one of the boys was missing. So the three went back in search of their missing brother and found his body half eaten.
Now in Kentucky the old man died, leaving three boys and three girls. There, they all married and scattered and lost from each other, because there was no mail in the rural country and no way to keep up with each other, and there were no schools.
My GRANDFATHER, STEPHEN BUSBY, moved from Kentucky to Lawrence County, Tennessee when MY FATHER, STEPHANES BUSBY was only three years old.
They all got scattered 115 years ago. Since 1810 when the Busby family got separated and part of the family was lost from the others.
I am now the oldest one living in the Busby family. I am now, as stated, 79 years old. Have raised seven children to be grown, and married -- four boys and three girls. The oldest, Mrs. G. A. Springer, and her brother, J. S. Busby, Jr., by my first wife, Horace W. Busby, W. Edd Busby, Joseph E. Busby, Mrs. H. B. Blair (Floy), and Mrs. Thomas A. Ferguson (Edna) by my last wife whose maiden name was Frances Wooten.
Our great grandfather was born in 1746, in Scotland.
The writer, J. S. Busby was born in 1846, in Tennessee.
Our Grandfather was born in North Carolina in 1784.
My own son, H. W. Busby, was born in 1884, in Tennessee.
One hundred years difference from great-grandfather to great-grandson in each instance.
My own father was born in 1812, and died in 1875 and was buried in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee.
I leave this for my children in general to refer to:
I now have five children, 19 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren now living. My oldest son, Johnny, and my youngest daughter, Edna are dead.
Signed /S/ "J. S. Busby" -- 1925
Many of the later portions of the story can be verified with historical documentation, but the earliest part of the story is the hardest to prove. I very much appreciate having this information about the Busby family, but I sure do wish there was a name associated with the Immigrant, born in 1746 in Scotland. And, wouldn't it be fabulous to have the names of those four boys and three girls who came through the Cumberland Gap!! Well, so much for wishful thinking!! On to reality!
Since Stephen Busby is our connection to this family, he will be the one we need to investigate to try to piece together the story above. Stephen Busby was born between 1780-1784 in North Carolina (per 1850 and 1860 censuses) and died about 1861 in Lawrence County, Tennessee. The earliest record we have of Stephen is in Sumner County, Tennessee and it is his marriage record, dated May 12, 1810 to Sally Haile. John Mitchell was his bondsman, and appears to be a family member. There is also a marriage record for John Mitchell with Fanny Busby on July 23, 1808 in Sumner County. So, it appears that Fanny is Stephen's sister and her husband, John Mitchell is Stephen's brother-in-law. So, we have one boy and one girl identified of the four boys and three girls who came from North Carolina through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky with their parents before 1810.
There are no extant censuses for Sumner County, Tennessee for the years 1790, 1800 and 1810, so we will have to use other sources to make our conclusions. According to the Tax Records of Sumner County, James first appears on the Tax Rolls in 1807. James and William both appear on in 1809 and 1810. In 1811, Stephen is added, so all three are now on the Tax Rolls. Only these three men appear on the Rolls continuing through 1812, 1813 (there appears to be no 1814 Roll), and 1815.
We are able to verify that James, William and Stephen are brothers, in the Last Will and Testament of James Busby in Sumner County, TN. James wrote his Will on January 29, 1816 with John Cotton, Jno (sic) Mitchell and a James Beiganac (sp?) as witnesses. In the Will, James names his wife, Dorotha, and his ten children: Polly Pitt, Anderson, Sussey, Henry, Betsy, Ann, Patsy, Susannah, Howard and Dorotha, and names his two brothers, William and Stephen as Executors of the Estate.
This Last Will and Testament was proven in the February 1816 Court of Sumner County, Tennessee, brought in by witnesses, John Cotton and John Mitchell.
The Tax Rolls continue in 1816, adding Dolley (possibly Dorotha, James's widow) and Elijah. I am not sure who Elijah is, but I did find mention of an Elijah Busby in the 1821-1822 Administrations and Executors Settlements Index for Sumner County. We also know that Stephen apparently moved on to Lawrence County, Tennessee about 1817-1818, since he is found on the 1820 census there.
So, I believe that we have found the names of the three boys and one of the three girls who traveled through the Cumberland Gap with their family from North Carolina to Kentucky. Now, let's look backwards through Kentucky into North Carolina, and see if we can narrow down the time frame when the journey might have taken place.
Daniel Boone, the great explorer, made his first trip through the Cumberland Gap in 1767 with John Finley, who he had met during the French and Indian Wars.
In 1775, Boone began leading settlers into the area that would become Kentucky. According to Kentucky Historical Marker No. 219, named "Wilderness Road": "Trail of thousands of pioneers through here, 1775-1811. Made into wagon road by act of Legislature 1796. Lifeline for Gen. George Rogers Clark's Army at Falls of Ohio, Louisville, 1778-1783. Road abandoned 1840. It followed ancient buffalo path."
The state of Kentucky was officially created in 1792, so, it is possible that the Busby family moved into the state of Kentucky after 1792. According to Early Tax Lists, there are only two Busby families in Kentucky in 1800 - James and Matthew. They are both in Bourbon County. So, it is very possible that this is our Busby family. Going back to North Carolina before that, we find twenty Busby families in five different counties in the 1790 North Carolina census. There is a James in Wake County, but I do not see a Matthew.
So, we have learned about some possible sources to support the story, making it more believable, and even though we don't know the name of the Immigrant Busby who came from Scotland, we have learned the names of the three boys who lived to adulthood and one of the girls. Perhaps more research will turn up these missing names and give us more details about this Family Legend.
"Til Next Time
#52Ancestors
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| John Stephen Busby |
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| Joe Busby |
A history of the Busby Family: By J. S. Busby, now 79 years old the 27th of Sep, 1925. Of whom I have five brothers and one sister. J. J. Busby, S. S. Busby, J. S. Busby (myself), W. F. Busby, T. R. Busby, and C. L. Busby. One sister: Augusta, now Mrs. Jake McGee. (The boys names were: Jim, Sam, John, Bill, Tom and Charley).
Our GREAT GRANDFATHER was Scotch Irish. He came across from Scotland to North Carolina; there settled and raised four boys and three girls. (Note: injected by son, Joe: He told me the first family landed in North Carolina in the latter part of the 17th (18th?) Century) -- From there he moved to Kentucky. Moving through the Cumberland Mountains, in which there were a great Bears and other wild game.
So moving through in ox-wagon, Sunday came on and they stopped to let the oxen graze. The four boys concluded they would take their guns and kill a bear: but instead of killing a bear -- the bear sprang out and killed one of the boys. All the others ran in different directions, and when they returned to the wagon one of the boys was missing. So the three went back in search of their missing brother and found his body half eaten.
Now in Kentucky the old man died, leaving three boys and three girls. There, they all married and scattered and lost from each other, because there was no mail in the rural country and no way to keep up with each other, and there were no schools.
My GRANDFATHER, STEPHEN BUSBY, moved from Kentucky to Lawrence County, Tennessee when MY FATHER, STEPHANES BUSBY was only three years old.
They all got scattered 115 years ago. Since 1810 when the Busby family got separated and part of the family was lost from the others.
I am now the oldest one living in the Busby family. I am now, as stated, 79 years old. Have raised seven children to be grown, and married -- four boys and three girls. The oldest, Mrs. G. A. Springer, and her brother, J. S. Busby, Jr., by my first wife, Horace W. Busby, W. Edd Busby, Joseph E. Busby, Mrs. H. B. Blair (Floy), and Mrs. Thomas A. Ferguson (Edna) by my last wife whose maiden name was Frances Wooten.
Our great grandfather was born in 1746, in Scotland.
The writer, J. S. Busby was born in 1846, in Tennessee.
Our Grandfather was born in North Carolina in 1784.
My own son, H. W. Busby, was born in 1884, in Tennessee.
One hundred years difference from great-grandfather to great-grandson in each instance.
My own father was born in 1812, and died in 1875 and was buried in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee.
I leave this for my children in general to refer to:
I now have five children, 19 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren now living. My oldest son, Johnny, and my youngest daughter, Edna are dead.
Signed /S/ "J. S. Busby" -- 1925
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| John Stephen Busby Family. (Standing, L-R). William Edward Busby, Edna Augusta Busby, Joseph Elliott Busby, Floy Mae Busby (Granny Blair Thomas to Gayle Hamm Von Loh), Viola Mae Wise Busby (Wife of Horace). (Seated, L-R) Ella Busby Springer, John Stephen Busby, Frances Romelia Wooten Busby, Horace Wooten Busby with his son, Eldon Benjamin Busby (b. Nov 1907). Shared by Gayle Hamm Von Loh Feb 8, 2018 through Ancestry. |
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| Key to above photo of John Stephen Busby Family |
Since Stephen Busby is our connection to this family, he will be the one we need to investigate to try to piece together the story above. Stephen Busby was born between 1780-1784 in North Carolina (per 1850 and 1860 censuses) and died about 1861 in Lawrence County, Tennessee. The earliest record we have of Stephen is in Sumner County, Tennessee and it is his marriage record, dated May 12, 1810 to Sally Haile. John Mitchell was his bondsman, and appears to be a family member. There is also a marriage record for John Mitchell with Fanny Busby on July 23, 1808 in Sumner County. So, it appears that Fanny is Stephen's sister and her husband, John Mitchell is Stephen's brother-in-law. So, we have one boy and one girl identified of the four boys and three girls who came from North Carolina through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky with their parents before 1810.
There are no extant censuses for Sumner County, Tennessee for the years 1790, 1800 and 1810, so we will have to use other sources to make our conclusions. According to the Tax Records of Sumner County, James first appears on the Tax Rolls in 1807. James and William both appear on in 1809 and 1810. In 1811, Stephen is added, so all three are now on the Tax Rolls. Only these three men appear on the Rolls continuing through 1812, 1813 (there appears to be no 1814 Roll), and 1815.
We are able to verify that James, William and Stephen are brothers, in the Last Will and Testament of James Busby in Sumner County, TN. James wrote his Will on January 29, 1816 with John Cotton, Jno (sic) Mitchell and a James Beiganac (sp?) as witnesses. In the Will, James names his wife, Dorotha, and his ten children: Polly Pitt, Anderson, Sussey, Henry, Betsy, Ann, Patsy, Susannah, Howard and Dorotha, and names his two brothers, William and Stephen as Executors of the Estate.
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| Sumner County, Tennessee Wills 1789-1822, Volume 1, Pages 224-226. Images 287 & 288 of 375. FamilySearch.org, |
The Tax Rolls continue in 1816, adding Dolley (possibly Dorotha, James's widow) and Elijah. I am not sure who Elijah is, but I did find mention of an Elijah Busby in the 1821-1822 Administrations and Executors Settlements Index for Sumner County. We also know that Stephen apparently moved on to Lawrence County, Tennessee about 1817-1818, since he is found on the 1820 census there.
So, I believe that we have found the names of the three boys and one of the three girls who traveled through the Cumberland Gap with their family from North Carolina to Kentucky. Now, let's look backwards through Kentucky into North Carolina, and see if we can narrow down the time frame when the journey might have taken place.
Daniel Boone, the great explorer, made his first trip through the Cumberland Gap in 1767 with John Finley, who he had met during the French and Indian Wars.
 |
| Daniel Boone SOURCE: http://www.notablebiographies.com/Be-Br/Boone-Daniel.html |
In 1775, Boone began leading settlers into the area that would become Kentucky. According to Kentucky Historical Marker No. 219, named "Wilderness Road": "Trail of thousands of pioneers through here, 1775-1811. Made into wagon road by act of Legislature 1796. Lifeline for Gen. George Rogers Clark's Army at Falls of Ohio, Louisville, 1778-1783. Road abandoned 1840. It followed ancient buffalo path."
 |
| Source: http://www.kentuckymonthly.com/lifestyle/featured/in-the-footsteps-of-the-pioneers_1/ |
The state of Kentucky was officially created in 1792, so, it is possible that the Busby family moved into the state of Kentucky after 1792. According to Early Tax Lists, there are only two Busby families in Kentucky in 1800 - James and Matthew. They are both in Bourbon County. So, it is very possible that this is our Busby family. Going back to North Carolina before that, we find twenty Busby families in five different counties in the 1790 North Carolina census. There is a James in Wake County, but I do not see a Matthew.
So, we have learned about some possible sources to support the story, making it more believable, and even though we don't know the name of the Immigrant Busby who came from Scotland, we have learned the names of the three boys who lived to adulthood and one of the girls. Perhaps more research will turn up these missing names and give us more details about this Family Legend.
"Til Next Time
#52Ancestors
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