WI BIO - Dane Co - BUSBY, John
Biographical Review of Dane County, WI. Chicago: Biographical Review Pub. Co. 
1893. Vol II, pp 523-524

John BUSBY, a prominent farmer of Wesport [Dane County], WI, was born in 
Ogdensburg, [St. Lawrence County], NY, in Dec 1827, a son of Thomas BUSBY, a 
native of Ireland, who came to America and settled in Canada, an orphan of 
nine years of age. He was reared in the family of relatives, and at the age 
of 15 started out in life for himself. As soon as he had grown to maturity 
he became possessed of a tract of Government land and early married Mary 
PICKENS, who had come from Dublin, Ireland. They bought a claim of 51 acres 
at the rapids of the Oswegatchie River, near the St. Lawrence, where they 
lived some 12 years. At the end of that time they removed to OH. The mother 
was a daughter of Walter PICKENS, and was one of a family of four daughters 
and two sons. Mr. and Mrs. BUSBY removed to OH from their northern farm by 
public conveyance to Niagara Falls and the railroad to Buffalo, NY, thence to 
Cleveland, OH, by boat, and then settled in Hillsboro Township [Hillsboro in 
Jefferson or Highland County?], OH, eight miles from the city of Cleveland. 
This move was made in Jun 1841, and the mother died in Oct 1841, and at the 
same time an infant daughter died, and before this one daughter, Isabell had 
died at the age of five years. Six children survived the mother: Mary Jane, 
who died at the age of 40 years, leaving one son; Eveline died at the age of 
30 years; William A., a farmer and speculator, and Alexander, a farmer, who 
both reside in OH; and our subject is the oldest of the family. The father 
died in OH at the age of 55 years, leaving a farm of 160 acres. He had 
married a second time and at the time of his decease was a very prosperous 
man, but at that time our subject was only remembered in the will to the 
amount of one dollar, which he never received.

When 17 years of age, possessed of pluck and energy, our subject started out 
into the world to find his fortune. Five and one half days were spent on the 
lakes between Cleveland, Milwaukee, and when Mackinac was reached the last 
dime left his pocketbook for a lunch. The second day from Milwaukee he had 
made eight miles on foot, and here he met an old acquaintance from OH named 
DOYLE, and one year was spent with him, engaged in the blacksmith trade. 
Here he was taken ill, in June, with typhoid fever, and battled with it for 
three months, as it was complicated with pleurisy, and he had barely 
recovered when he was attached by ague and was afflicted with chills from Oct 
to March.

All this sickness was hard to endure, and the boyish heart turned toward 
home, but his kind mother was not there and pride held him back from asking 
aid from his father. When he had reached his 21st year he returned to his 
father's house and made a visit of four days, and then returned to WI. His 
brothers are wealthy men, having received help from the father. When 23 
years of age John BUSBY was [p 524] married at Madison, Dane County, WI, to 
Miss Ann McGLYNN, a daughter of Thomas and Kate (AEGEN) McGLYNN, of Ireland, 
where Mrs. BUSBY was born in Jan 1830. They came West to Madison, WI, at 
once when they reached America from the old country, and at that time Mrs. 
BUSBY was in her 17th year, in 1847. They sailed from Liverpool on the 
"Oregon" and were five weeks and three days on the ocean, having heavy storms 
on the way, but Mrs. BUSBY did not have any fear and enjoyed the trip, having 
been used to the water. Her father had been a man of means in his own 
country, and her mother used to take the family of 12 children to the 
seashore. Nine daughters and three sons were in this family, and one son and 
daughter died in the old country, at the ages of six and ten years. Two of 
the daughters married and settled in England, and the remaining eight came to 
Madison, and three daughters and one son are now living. The beloved mother 
died in 1870 at the age of 85 years and the father four and a half years 
later, and both are buried side by side in the cemetery at Madison, Dane 
County, WI. The father was almost 90 years of age. He left an estate of 
nearly $1,000 to each of his children.

John and Ann (McGLYNN) BUSBY lived in Madison, WI, one year, and then moved 
to Windsor, Dane County, WI, where he worked at the trade of blacksmith for 
eight years, at which time he bought 120 acres of land, 120 where they now 
live and 20 acres of marsh, three miles west, paying $240 for the marsh, and 
$3,800 for the home arm of 120 acres. At that time there was a small frame 
house in which the family lived until 1889, when they built the large 
convenient farm house where they now reside. They have one of the finest and 
tallest barns in this part of the State. Their family of four children, two 
sons and two daughters, have been spared to them, as follows: (1) William, 
who is a farmer, living on an adjoining farm, married Delia WELSH, and they 
have four sons and four daughters. (2) Katie is the wife of Michael 
FILBURN, a farmer living close by, and they have a family of two sons and two 
daughters. (3) Charles A. is single and lives at home on the farm. (4) 
Eva is a talented young lady, who was able to take charge of and manage a 
school at the age of 15 years, teaching 10 terms. Our subject has been 
blessed in his family and has proven a good father. He is a Republican in 
his political belief, and the whole family are consistent members of the 
Roman Catholic religion.

Submitted by Cathy Kubly