William and Elizabeth Stevens Bush arr 1824 (1780-1854; 1784-1846)
William Bush was born near Sheffield, Mass. He married
Elizabeth Stevens,
and about 1812, with three children, the family moved to Oswego County,
N.Y., where two more children were born. About 1816, with Elizabeth's
mother,
Abigail Fairchild Stevens, they moved to Indiana, settling at
Connorsville, now in Fayette County. There Bush erected a mill. In
Indiana, Bush came into contact with the Connors, two brothers who had
grown up knowing Indian culture and had married Indian women. John
Connor
had a trading post at Connorsville. In 1819, Bush and several families
left
the Connorsville area and moved 60 miles northwest to land occupied
by John's brother William, south of Noblesville, near the site
developed
today as Connor Prairie. Where Stony Creek flows into the White River
they
established a settlement known as Horseshoe Prairie. Bush was
elected
Justice of the Peace, met at William Connor's house to set up the
Hamilton
County government, and served on the first grand jury. The 1820 Indiana
census lists Bush on the same pages (pp. 25 and 26) as others who later
settled Sheffield township: James Paige (arrived 1823), Samuel McGeorge
(arrived 1824), and Timothy Horram (arrived 1824). Their proximity
on the census suggests the families were acquainted before they arrived
and may even have encouraged each other to come to Sheffield township.
The Move to Sheffield Township
Bush and his neighbors had established their settlement before land
sales were opened. When the land was put up for sale in 1822, John
Connor
bought several sections of land on which families were already living.
The settlers, who by custom should have had first chance at the land,
were
unaware of the transaction until they were notified that they must
leave. In addition, Connor refused to pay for the
improvements
the settlers had made. Surviving stories about James Paige suggest this
may have been the cause of his move to Sheffield township, and it may
also
have been the reason Bush, McGeorge, and Horram came. In the fall of
1824,
the Bush family (now with six children) moved to the area where Dayton
is now located. Here their last two children were born. DeHart, local
biographer,
states that Bush bought 1500 acres of land in Tippecanoe County,
although
records show only 160 entered in Sheffield township. One of his
descendants,
Ralph Bush, asserts William bought land near Dayton from the Indians.
The
160 acres he bought in 1825 and 1826 were north of Richardville Reserve
(Indian holdings in Sheffield township), and therefore did not legally
belong to the Indians. Perhaps Bush made a sort of double arrangement,
one to satisfy any possible Indian claims, the other to secure the
title
in the American courts. It is possible that Bush also owned
land at Peru, Indiana, since two of his sons made trips there. If so,
this may have been the land referred to as purchased from the Indians,
since there was a large Indian presence there.
Built House Overlooking Wild Cat Valley
Soon after their arrival in the fall of 1824, the family constructed
a log cabin overlooking the Wild Cat Valley. Nearby they
established
the family cemetery. Home and cemetery were on land that today lies
south
of the railroad.
Settled at Area Now Known as Dayton
Others settled near the family, and soon a small settlement had
developed
that would eventually be known as Dayton. It appears that Bush sold
small
parcels to several individuals without recording the deeds, for several
families claim to have settled in Dayton in 1825, before the town was
platted
or any deeds recorded. Among these are John S. Heaton and a man named
Fancher.
Founder of Marquis (Dayton)
The traditional date for the founding of Dayton is 1827, and it seems
likely that settlement began at that date, at least along Bush's side
of
the road, making him the founder of Dayton. In 1829 he platted the town
of Marquis de, a single row of houses along the south side of present
State
Road 38, called Lafayette Street in his plat. On the same day Dr.
Timothy
Horram platted the town of Fairfield on the north side of the
road.
Since Horram had just purchased the 80-acre piece containing his plat
that
same year, perhaps he determined to lay out a town across from the
existing
settlement and invited Bush to join him by platting his side of the
road. This was the beginning of Dayton. In the middle of
Bush's
16-lot plat was an unplatted block known as Fancher's Acre, probably a
field or farm which had been transferred informally to Fancher and
which
for some reason was not included in the plat. The Dayton town hall sits
on the northwest corner of this piece today. Bush must have been
interested
in history and politics, for he named the town Marquis de, and the two
streets included in his plat Lafayette and Washington.
Offices
William, who was know as "Squire" Bush, was elected Justice of the
Peace at the first election, probably in the spring of 1825. He was
elected
president of the county Board of Justices when the county was organized
in 1826. When Sheffield township was set up in 1829, he may have
suggested
the name, since it was the name of his birthplace. He was a Mason and a
Whig. The Bushes were Methodists, and visiting Methodist circuit
riders usually stayed in their cabin.
Family
Son Jared died from pneumonia, and Luther in a mill accident, both
at Peru, Indiana. Another son, John, died in Placerville, Ca., where
gold
was discovered. Perhaps he was a casualty of the Gold Rush. Orlando
became
a doctor and practiced in Dayton before moving to Illinois. Ezra ran a
tavern for a while, farmed south of Dayton with second wife, Martha
McGeorge, and finally moved into Lafayette and engaged in the monument
business. Daughter Elizabeth married Thomas Toole, and the couple
lived in Dayton. Little is known of David, who died at age 32, or
William,
Jr. Elizabeth died in 1846, and William,
who was living with the James Cole family in the 1850 census, died in
1854.
Submitted by Susan Yost
Clawson. Bibliography
prepared by Susan Y. Clawson from censuses, local records,
newspaper clippings, and Tippecanoe County published biographies. Any
corrections
welcomed.
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